Indra, the mighty king of the gods, approached the embryo within Diti and spoke softly, “Do not cry, do not cry.” Yet, as the embryo continued to weep, Indra, with his immense power, split it apart. Diti, witnessing this, pleaded with Indra, “Do not kill, do not kill!” Out of respect for her words, Indra withdrew from his destructive act. With his thunderbolt in hand and palms joined in reverence, Indra addressed Diti: “O goddess, you slept impure, with your head at your feet. It was in that vulnerable moment, O goddess, that I split the embryo—who would have become my slayer in battle—into seven parts. For this, I ask your forgiveness.” Now, let us listen to the forty-seventh sarga of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa. After her embryo had been divided into seven, Diti, filled with sorrow, spoke gently to Indra, the unconquerable one with a thousand eyes. “Because of my own fault, this embryo has been split into seven parts. O lord of the gods, slayer of the strong, there is no fault of yours in this matter. I ask you for a favor concerning the fate of my embryo: let these seven become the guardians of the seven groups of Maruts. Carried by the wind, O son, may these seven roam the heavens; let them be known as Maruts, divine in form, my own children. Let one dwell in Brahmā’s world, another in Indra’s world, and the third, famed as Divyavāyu. The remaining four, O best of gods, by your command, will roam the directions. May good fortune be yours; in time, these are my sons. By your deed, they will be known by the name Maruts.” Hearing her words, the thousand-eyed Purandara, slayer of Bala, with palms joined, replied, “All will happen just as you have said, without doubt. Your sons, divine in form, will roam as you wish.” Thus, having come to this agreement, mother and son, having fulfilled their purpose, ascended to heaven from the forest of austerities. This, O Rāma, is the very place once inhabited by Mahendra. Here, Diti herself, accomplished in austerity, once moved about. And, O tiger among men, the son of Ikṣvāku, supremely righteous and born of Alambuṣā, was renowned as Viśāla. In this very place, Viśāla founded the city called Viśālā. Viśāla’s son was the mighty Hemacandra, whose famous son was Sucandra. Sucandra’s illustrious son was known as Dhūmrāśva, and Dhūmrāśva’s son was Sṛñjaya. Sṛñjaya’s son was the glorious and mighty Sahadeva; Sahadeva’s son was Kuśāśva, supremely righteous. Kuśāśva’s son was the great and powerful Somadatta, and Somadatta’s son was renowned as Kākutstha. His son, of great brilliance, now dwells in this city—famed and unconquerable, his name is Sumati. By the grace of Ikṣvāku, all the kings of Vaiśālī are long-lived, noble, valiant, and highly righteous. Here, tonight, we shall rest comfortably for one night. Tomorrow morning, O best of men, you should see Janaka. Sumati, of great splendor, upon hearing that Viśvāmitra had arrived, returned, greatly renowned. Together with his teachers and relatives, he performed the highest honors, inquired after Viśvāmitra’s welfare, and spoke with joined palms: “Blessed am I, and favored am I, O sage, whose land you have entered. Having seen you, there is none more fortunate than I.” Listen now to the forty-eighth sarga in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa. After exchanging kind inquiries, Sumati spoke to the great sage: “May you be blessed—who are these two youths, equal to the gods in valor, whose gait is like that of elephants and lions, heroic, resembling tigers and bulls? With eyes wide as lotus petals, bearing swords, quivers, and bows, they stand in the fullness of youth, like the Aśvins in beauty. Arrived here by chance, like immortals from the world of the gods, how have they come here on foot, for what purpose, and whose are they, O sage? They adorn this land as the moon and sun adorn the sky, alike in stature, bearing, and movement. For what reason have these best of men come upon this difficult path, bearing excellent weapons? I wish to hear the truth.” Hearing these words, Viśvāmitra recounted all that had occurred: their stay at Siddhāśrama, the slaying of the Rākṣasas, and all their deeds. The king was greatly astonished by Viśvāmitra’s account. He received the two sons of Daśaratha, worthy and mighty, as honored guests and treated them with the highest respect. After receiving such noble hospitality, the two Raghavas spent one night there and then continued on their journey toward Mithilā. Upon seeing the auspicious city of Janaka, all the sages praised Mithilā, saying, “Excellent, excellent!” and honored her greatly. In the grove near Mithilā, Rāghava saw an ancient, deserted, yet charming hermitage and questioned the foremost of sages: “O venerable one, this place resembles a hermitage, yet why is it devoid of ascetics? I wish to hear, whose former hermitage is this?