O Kakutstha, know this: any person on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, and who is blessed with sons and grandsons, will surely attain the world of Skanda. Thus concludes the thirty-seventh sarga of the Bālakāṇḍa in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem. Now, as the thirty-eighth sarga begins, having just recounted a sweet and wondrous tale to Rāma, the sage Viśvāmitra once more addressed him with further words. “O hero,” Viśvāmitra began, “there was once a king of Ayodhyā named Sagara, a righteous and noble ruler. Yet, though he longed for sons, he remained childless. Sagara’s elder queen was Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, a woman of virtue and truth. His second wife was Sumati, sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi. Desiring offspring, the great king Sagara journeyed with his two wives to the Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak on Mount Himavat, where they performed severe austerities. After a hundred years had passed, their devotion pleased the sage Bhṛgu, foremost among the truthful. In response, Bhṛgu granted Sagara a boon: ‘O sinless one, you shall obtain glorious offspring and attain incomparable fame among men. One of your wives will bear a single son who will continue your line, and the other will bear sixty thousand sons.’ Hearing the sage’s words, the two princesses, filled with delight, bowed before him and asked, ‘O Brāhmaṇa, which of us shall bear the one son, and which the many? Please tell us, and may your words come true.’ The supremely righteous Bhṛgu replied, ‘Let it be as each of you desires. One may choose a single son to continue the line, or many mighty and renowned sons—each may choose her wish.’ Thus, Keśinī chose to have a single son who would continue the royal lineage, while Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, chose to have sixty thousand energetic and illustrious sons. After respectfully circumambulating the sage and bowing to him, Sagara and his wives returned to their city. In time, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son named Asamañja. Sumati, on the other hand, gave birth to a gourd-like womb. When this was split open, sixty thousand sons emerged, whom nurses raised in jars filled with ghee. In due course, all grew into handsome and vigorous youths. Thus, Sagara was blessed with sixty thousand sons. Yet Asamañja, the eldest, behaved in a most troubling manner: he would seize children and throw them into the waters of the Sarayu, laughing as he watched them struggle, causing great distress among the people. Because of these wicked acts, Sagara banished Asamañja from the city. However, Asamañja’s son, Aṃśumān, grew to be a man of great strength, approved by all and kind in speech, and in time, wisdom blossomed within him. Desiring to perform a grand sacrifice, Sagara resolved to undertake the sacred Vedic ritual, preparing for it with his teachers and priests. Now, as the thirty-ninth sarga begins, Rāma, pleased by Viśvāmitra’s account, addressed the sage, who shone with the brilliance of fire: ‘O Brāhmaṇa, I wish to hear in detail how my ancestor Sagara completed his sacrifice. Please recount this story for me.’ Viśvāmitra, delighted, replied, ‘Listen, O Rāma, to the tale of the great-souled Sagara. His father-in-law was the renowned Himavat. Sagara, with his retinue, reached Mount Vindhya, where he and Himavat gazed upon each other. There, between those mighty mountains, the sacrifice took place—a region highly esteemed for such rites. During the ritual, the mighty archer Aṃśumān, following Sagara’s instructions, tended the sacrificial horse. But at that time, Indra, assuming the form of a demoness, stole the horse of the sacrifice. As the noble horse was spirited away, the groups of priests alerted Sagara: “O descendant of Kakutstha, the sacrificial horse is being stolen! Slay the thief and return the horse, or else a flaw will mar the sacrifice and bring us all misfortune. The ritual must not be left incomplete.” Hearing these words, Sagara addressed his sixty thousand sons: “O best among men, I see no other way. Pursue the demons and recover the horse.” Thus, the story unfolds, O Rāma, as Viśvāmitra recounted the ancient deeds of your illustrious ancestors.