The noble King Daśaratha, accompanied by his devoted queen, brought the aged Śravaṇa to the place where their beloved son had fallen. There, as they touched him, the sorrow of their loss overwhelmed them, and both wept bitterly. In their grief, the bereaved parents spoke with trembling voices: “Just as death now awaits us because of the loss of our son, so too shall you, O king, meet your end through the loss of your own son, as a result of your actions.” As these words were uttered, King Daśaratha’s life force, weighed down by guilt and sorrow, began to ebb away. He made arrangements for the cremation of the elderly couple and their saintly son, ensuring they were honored with the sacred fire. Then, stricken with grief, the king returned to his city and recounted all that had transpired to the sage Vasiṣṭha. For the kings of the Solar dynasty, Vasiṣṭha was the supreme refuge and guide. Vasiṣṭha, after conferring with the foremost among the twice-born sages, prescribed rites of expiation for the king’s sin. Summoning the eminent sages Gālava, Vāmadeva, Jābāli, Kaśyapa, and others, Vasiṣṭha instructed them to perform the grand Aśvamedha, the horse sacrifice, in earnest. “Let many horse sacrifices be performed, each with abundant gifts bestowed upon the worthy,” he declared. Thus, King Daśaratha, in the company of learned brahmins, undertook the horse sacrifices. As the rituals reached their climax, a bodiless voice resounded in the air: “King Daśaratha’s body is now purified. His sons will be fit to rule, and by the favor of his eldest son, the king shall be freed from sin.” In due time, for the fulfillment of the gods’ purpose, sons of divine qualities were born to Daśaratha, through the blessings of the great sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga. Rāma was born to Kauśalyā; Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna to Sumitrā; and Bharata, wise among men, to Kaikeyī. All these sons were intelligent, dear to their father, and obedient to his will. It was then that the illustrious sage Viśvāmitra, lord among sages, approached King Daśaratha, recognizing the greatness of his sons. He requested that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, both endowed with remarkable intelligence, accompany him to protect his sacrifice from harm. But the aged king, who had yearned so long for sons, could not bring himself to agree. “By a rare conjunction of fate, these two sons were born to me in my old age, bringing me great joy,” he pleaded. “I would sooner give you my own body and kingdom, but not these two sons.” At this, Vasiṣṭha spoke to Daśaratha, reminding him, “O King, the Raghavas have never been taught to refuse a request.” Moved by duty, the king summoned Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa and told them, albeit with a heavy heart, “Let the sons of Viśvāmitra, the brahmarṣi, protect the sacrifice.” Sighing deeply, his lips trembling with emotion, he entrusted his beloved sons to Viśvāmitra, the knower of sacred lore. With reverence, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa bowed to their father, saying, “So be it,” and joyfully set out with Viśvāmitra to fulfill their duty. Delighted, Viśvāmitra imparted to them the great knowledge of Maheśvara, foremost among which was the science of archery. He taught them the use of weapons and missiles, worldly arts, the science of chariot warfare, the lore of elephants and horses, the use of clubs, and the invocation and dismissal of sacred mantras. Thus equipped with all knowledge, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa entered the forest. There, for the welfare of the forest-dwellers, they slew the demoness Tāṭakā. By the touch of their feet, they freed Ahalyā from her curse, and they destroyed the rākṣasas who sought to disrupt the sacrifice. Having mastered the sacred sciences and bearing bows in hand, they protected the sacrifice with unwavering vigilance. When the great sacrifice was complete, Viśvāmitra, pleased with their valor, set out with the king’s sons to visit King Janaka. In the midst of assembled kings, Viśvāmitra displayed the wondrous bow. Rāma, accompanied by Saumitri (Lakṣmaṇa), demonstrated his mastery of archery as taught by his guru. Pleased by this display, Janaka gave his daughter Sītā, the goddess of fortune not born from a womb, to Rāma in marriage. Likewise, arrangements were made, in accordance with Vasiṣṭha’s wisdom, for the marriages of Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and Śatrughna. King Daśaratha, radiant with joy, performed their marriages. After the passage of time, he prepared to bestow the kingdom upon Rāma, with the consent of all and the blessings of the guru. Yet, by the machinations of Mantharā and the misfortune she sowed in jealousy, Kaikeyī demanded her boons, creating an obstacle. Thus, Rāma was sent into exile, and the kingdom was not given to Bharata either. Rāma, true to his father’s word and upholding truth, entered the great forest, accompanied by Sītā and Saumitri. With noble virtues, they renounced all desire for the kingdom. When Rāma, consecrated for forest-dwelling, departed with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā, the king’s heart was overwhelmed by sorrow. Recalling the curse of Brahma, Daśaratha, afflicted beyond measure, surrendered his life. By the force of his past deeds, the king was taken by Yama’s attendants to that realm which all beings, moving and unmoving, must one day reach. In Yama’s abode, O Nārada, there exist many dreadful and terrifying hells, such as Tāmisra and others. There, King Daśaratha was cast into various hells, where he endured suffering—cooked, cut, crushed, and ground to powder—each torment a consequence of his actions.