There, at that sacred place, the impurity that had been cast off took the form of tin and lead, and as it touched the earth, a great abundance of various metals arose. When the radiant embryo was deposited upon the ground, the entire forest, surrounded by mountains, was transformed—everywhere, brilliance shone as if the land itself had become golden. From that moment, O Raghava, the place became known as “jātarūpa,” the land of gold, its luster rivaling that of fire. All the grass, trees, creepers, and shrubs there glimmered with a golden hue. Then, the gods, along with Indra and the hosts of wind deities, gathered together and entrusted the nurturing of the newborn child to the Krittikas, the starry maidens. United in their resolve, the Krittikas made a noble pact to nurse the boy, declaring firmly, “He is the son of all of us.” The assembled gods then proclaimed, “He shall be called Kartikeya, and he will be celebrated throughout the three worlds as our son—of this, there is no doubt.” With these words, the gods bathed the radiant child, who had emerged from the flow of the embryo, in a splendor that shone like blazing fire. Because he had flowed forth from the embryo, the gods called him Skanda. O descendant of Kakutstha, Kartikeya, mighty-armed and effulgent as fire, was thus named. At that moment, the nourishing milk of the Krittikas appeared, and the child, now bearing six faces, drew milk from the breasts of all six mothers. In a single day, though his body was still tender, Kartikeya imbibed their milk and, by his own strength, vanquished the hosts of demon armies. All the immortals, led by Agni, then anointed this glorious being as the commander of the divine armies. O Rama, thus have I recounted to you the full story of Ganga and the auspicious, blessed birth of the boy. O Kakutstha, any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya will be blessed with sons and grandsons, and will attain the world of Skanda. Thus ends the thirty-seventh sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem. Now begins the thirty-eighth sarga. Having told this sweet and wondrous tale to Rama, the sage Vishvamitra continued, addressing Kakutstha once more. “O noble one,” he said, “there was once a king of Ayodhya, a righteous ruler named Sagara. Though he longed for children, he remained childless for many years. His elder queen was Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, virtuous and devoted to truth. His second wife was Sumati, the sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi. Desiring offspring, the great king Sagara journeyed with his two wives to Mount Himavat, to the Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak, and there they performed severe austerities. After a hundred years had passed, the venerable sage Bhṛgu, pleased by their penance, appeared before them and granted Sagara a boon: ‘O sinless one, you shall have great offspring, and your fame will be unmatched in the world. One of your wives will bear you a single son to continue your lineage, while the other will bear sixty thousand sons.’ Delighted, the two queens bowed before the sage and asked, ‘O Brāhmaṇa, which of us will have the single son, and which the many? Please let your words come true.’ Bhṛgu replied, ‘Let it be as each of you desires. One may choose to bear a single son to continue the line, or many mighty, renowned, and energetic sons. Let each choose her boon as she wishes.’ Keśinī, in the presence of the king, chose to have a single son to continue the line. Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, chose to have sixty thousand sons, all energetic and illustrious. After circumambulating the sage and bowing to him, the king and his wives returned to their city. In due time, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son named Asamañja. Sumati, on the other hand, gave birth to a gourd-like womb, from which, when it was split open, sixty thousand sons emerged. Nurses raised these children in jars filled with ghee, and in time, all reached the vigor and beauty of youth. Thus, Sagara became the father of sixty thousand handsome and youthful sons. But Asamañja, the eldest, would seize children and throw them into the waters of the Sarayu, laughing as he watched them drown. His sinful actions brought distress to the people, and in time, his father banished him from the city. Asamañja’s own son, Aṃśumān, grew to be a man of great strength, beloved by all for his kind speech and wisdom. King Sagara, resolved to perform a great sacrifice, prepared with his teachers to conduct the sacred Vedic ritual. Hear now the thirty-ninth sarga in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa.