Thus, O Rāma, Viśvāmitra gently concluded his account of the sacred descent of Gaṅgā and the auspicious birth of the divine child. He said, “O Kakutstha, any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, blessed with sons and grandsons, will surely attain the world of Skanda.” With these words, the sage brought to a close the thirty-seventh chapter of the Bālakāṇḍa in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the very first of poems. As the next chapter began, Viśvāmitra, having just related that sweet and wondrous tale, addressed Rāma once more. “O hero, listen as I tell you of another illustrious king of Ayodhyā, the righteous Sagara, who, though he ruled with justice and virtue, was tormented by the sorrow of having no offspring. “Sagara had two queens. The elder, Keśinī, was the virtuous and truthful daughter of the king of Vidarbha. The younger was Sumati, daughter of Ariṣṭanemi and sister to Suparṇa. Desiring children, Sagara journeyed with both his wives to the sacred Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak of Mount Himavat and undertook severe austerities. “For a full hundred years they practiced penance, until at last the great sage Bhṛgu, foremost among the truthful, was pleased and appeared before them to grant a boon. He said, ‘O sinless one, you shall have mighty sons, and your fame will be unparalleled in the world. Of your wives, one will bear you a single son to continue your line, and the other will bear sixty thousand sons.’ “Delighted, the two queens humbly approached the sage and asked, ‘O Brāhmaṇa, which of us shall have the one son, and which the many? Please tell us, and may your words come true.’ The sage replied, ‘Let each of you choose as you wish: either a single son who will continue the lineage, or many sons, mighty and renowned.’ “Keśinī, in the presence of Sagara, chose to have a single son to carry on the royal line. Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, wished for sixty thousand energetic and illustrious sons. Bowing respectfully to the sage, the king and his wives returned to Ayodhyā. “In due time, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son named Asamañja. Sumati, meanwhile, gave birth to a gourd-like mass, from which, when it was opened, sixty thousand sons emerged. These children were cared for by nurses in jars filled with ghee, and in time, they grew into handsome and youthful princes. “Thus, Sagara became the father of sixty thousand sons. But Asamañja, the eldest, began to act in a most unrighteous way—he would seize the children of the people and throw them into the Sarayu river, laughing as they drowned, and causing much grief among the citizens. Because of these cruel deeds, Sagara banished Asamañja from the city. However, Asamañja’s son, Aṃśumān, grew up to be a man of great strength, approved by all, gentle in speech, and wise beyond his years. “Later, O best of men, Sagara resolved to perform a great Vedic sacrifice. With his teachers, he made all the necessary preparations for the sacred rite.” At this point, Viśvāmitra’s tale paused, and Rāma, delighted by the story, spoke eagerly to the sage, “O Brāhmaṇa, I wish to hear in detail how my ancestor Sagara completed his sacrifice. Please tell me, may good befall you!” Viśvāmitra, with a smile of delight, replied, “Listen, O Rāma, to the full account of the great-souled Sagara. His father-in-law, renowned in the world, was Himavat himself. When Sagara’s sacrifice was to be performed, they reached Mount Vindhya, and there, in that highly revered region, the sacrifice began. “Aṃśumān, the mighty archer and Sagara’s grandson, was entrusted with the task of tending the sacrificial horse, as was the custom. But as the sacrifice was underway, Indra, king of the gods, assuming the form of a demoness, stole the horse and carried it away. “When the horse disappeared, all the assembled priests turned to Sagara and said, ‘O King, your sacrificial horse has been spirited away in the midst of the ceremony. If the horse is not recovered and the thief punished, a blemish will mar the sacrifice, bringing misfortune to us all. You must act to ensure the sacrifice is not left incomplete.’ “Hearing these urgent words from the priests, Sagara prepared to do what was necessary to preserve the sanctity of his great ritual.