Hearing the earnest pleas of the gods, the Grandfather of all worlds, Brahma, gently comforted the immortals with kind words. He addressed them, saying that what the daughter of the mountain—Umā—had spoken was indeed pure and true, befitting for beings who have their own spouses. Her words carried no doubt or blemish. Brahma then revealed that the celestial Gaṅgā, in whom Agni would beget a son, would bear the commander of the gods’ army—a mighty destroyer of enemies. The eldest daughter of the king of mountains would honor this son, and he would be greatly esteemed by Umā herself, without question. Upon hearing Brahma’s words, all the gods, their purpose fulfilled, bowed down and worshipped the Grandfather with gratitude. Then, traveling to the supreme, jewel-adorned mountain of Kailāsa, the gods appointed Agni to fulfill their wish for a son. They requested Agni, "O god, accomplish this task for us: release your energy into Gaṅgā, the daughter of the mountain." Agni promised to do so. He approached Gaṅgā and said, "O goddess, bear the embryo; this is dear to the gods." Hearing his words, Gaṅgā assumed a divine form, and witnessing her greatness, Agni’s energy dispersed in all directions. Fire then anointed the goddess on every side, and all the streams of Gaṅgā became full. Overwhelmed, Gaṅgā addressed the assembly of gods: "O gods, I am unable to bear the blazing energy that has arisen from you." Burned by this fire and her mind greatly disturbed, she was comforted by Agni, the receiver of all offerings. Agni advised, "Let this embryo be placed here, on the slopes of the Himalayas." Obeying Agni’s words, Gaṅgā released the exceedingly radiant embryo. The mighty and radiant embryo emerged from her streams, shining with the brilliance of molten gold. Gold, gleaming like the sun, reached the earth, followed by radiant silver, copper, and black iron, all born from the sharpness of that energy. The impurity of Gaṅgā became tin and lead, and as these metals reached the earth, various metals increased. When the embryo was deposited, infused with radiance, the entire forest encircled by mountains became golden. From that moment onward, the place has been known as 'jātarūpa'—gold, equal in brilliance to fire. All grass, trees, creepers, and shrubs there became golden. Then, the gods, together with Indra and the hosts of wind deities, assigned the Krittikas to nourish the boy who had been born. The Krittikas, firmly resolved, made an excellent agreement to give milk to the newborn, declaring, "He is the son of all of us." All the gods proclaimed, "He shall be called Kartikeya; he will become renowned throughout the three worlds as our son—there is no doubt." Hearing these words, they bathed the radiant one, who had emerged from the flow of the embryo, with supreme splendor, as if he were blazing fire. Because he had flowed forth from the embryo, the gods called him Skanda. Thus Kartikeya, mighty-armed and blazing like fire, was born. The excellent milk of the Krittikas appeared, and having six faces, Kartikeya took the milk from the breasts of the six. In a single day, with a tender body, the mighty Kartikeya conquered the hosts of demon armies by his own strength. All the immortals, led by Agni, then anointed him, the one of great splendor, as the commander of the divine armies. "O Rama," said the sage, "thus I have recounted to you the full story of Gaṅgā and the auspicious and blessed birth of the boy." He added, "O Kakutstha, any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, blessed with sons and grandsons, will attain the world of Skanda." Thus ended the thirty-seventh sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem. Now begins the thirty-eighth sarga. Having narrated that sweetly-worded story to Rāma, Viśvāmitra spoke further to Kakutstha. "O hero," he said, "there was once a king of Ayodhyā, a righteous ruler named Sagara, who longed for offspring but was childless." Rāma listened as Viśvāmitra described Sagara’s two wives. The elder queen was Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, virtuous and truthful. The second wife was Sumati, sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi. Together with his two wives, the great king Sagara performed austerities, reaching Mount Himavat at the Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak. After a hundred years had passed, the sage Bhṛgu, foremost among the truthful, was pleased by their austerities and granted Sagara a boon. "O sinless one," Bhṛgu said, "you will obtain great offspring, and you will attain incomparable fame in the world, O best of men. One of your wives will bear a single son, the continuer of your line; the other will bear sixty thousand sons." Delighted by the sage’s words, the two princesses, their hands joined in reverence, addressed him with utmost joy: "O Brāhmaṇa, which of us will have the single son, and which will bear the many? We wish to hear this, O Brāhmaṇa; may your words come true.