At the sacred site prepared for the great sacrifice, Viśvāmitra performed the invocation to offer shares to all the gods. Yet, at that moment, none of the deities appeared to receive their portion. Seeing this, the sage Viśvāmitra was filled with anger. He raised the sacrificial ladle, his wrath blazing, and spoke sternly to King Triśaṅku: “Behold the power of my austerity, O king! By my own strength, I shall send you to heaven in your very body.” He declared, “Ascend to heaven in your own body, O king—a feat difficult to attain. There is indeed some fruit of my austerity that I have earned.” With these words, Viśvāmitra empowered Triśaṅku, and the king, in his own body, began to rise toward the heavens as all the assembled sages looked on in wonder. But as Triśaṅku approached the realm of the gods, Indra, king of the celestials, along with all the divine hosts, confronted him and proclaimed, “Triśaṅku, return! You have not earned a place in heaven.” Indra thundered, “O fool, struck down by your teacher’s curse, fall to earth headfirst!” At these words, Triśaṅku was cast down from heaven, plummeting headlong toward the earth. In his distress, Triśaṅku cried out, “Save me!” calling upon Viśvāmitra, the possessor of immense austerity. Hearing the king’s desperate plea, Viśvāmitra’s anger flared even brighter. He cried, “Stop, stop!” and, shining among the sages like another Prajāpati, he resolved to act. Overwhelmed by wrath, Viśvāmitra created anew the seven sages who dwell in the southern path and established a new lineage of stars. Turning to the southern direction, surrounded by other ascetics, the illustrious sage, his mind clouded by anger, created these stars and began to fashion new deities as well. In his fury, he declared, “I will make another Indra, or else let the world be without an Indra!” Alarmed by these cosmic upheavals, all the hosts of sages, gods, and asuras approached Viśvāmitra with great respect and conciliatory words: “O most fortunate one, this king is afflicted by the curse of his guru. O possessor of ascetic wealth, he does not deserve to ascend to heaven in his body.” Hearing their words, the eminent sage Kauśika replied with steadfast resolve, “A promise has been made for Triśaṅku’s bodily ascent. I cannot bring myself to act falsely.” He declared, “Let heaven be eternal for Triśaṅku in his body, and let all these stars, which are mine, remain fixed. As long as the worlds endure, let these all remain. And whatever the gods have done, you ought to approve.” The gods, thus addressed, replied, “So be it. Let all these remain, and may good fortune be yours.” And so, in the sky, outside the path of Agni, those many stars blazed among the heavenly lights. Triśaṅku, with his head downward, was fixed in the heavens like an immortal, and the stars followed the best of kings. Having fulfilled his vow and achieved fame, Viśvāmitra was praised by all the gods for his righteousness and resolve. In the midst of the assembled sages, gods, and ascetics, all declared, “So be it.” Then, as the sacrifice concluded, the great-souled gods and ascetics departed as they had come. With the end of this episode, the next sarga of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa begins. Viśvāmitra, radiant with ascetic power, saw the sages preparing to depart and addressed the forest-dwelling ascetics: “A great obstacle has arisen in the southern direction. Let us move elsewhere to continue our austerities.” He suggested, “In the vast western region, at Puṣkara, we will practice austerities comfortably. That forest is indeed pleasant for such endeavors.” Having spoken thus, Viśvāmitra, full of immense energy, journeyed to Puṣkara and there engaged in fierce, unassailable austerities, subsisting only on roots and fruits. At that very time, Ambarīṣa, the great and renowned ruler of Ayodhya, was preparing to perform a grand sacrifice. But as he made his arrangements, Indra seized the sacrificial animal. When the animal went missing, the priest informed the king, “O King, the animal brought for the sacrifice has been lost due to your negligence. O lord of men, faults destroy a king who does not protect.” He continued, “This is a great atonement, O best among men. Quickly bring the animal before the ritual proceeds.” Hearing his preceptor’s words, the wise and illustrious king searched among thousands of cows for a suitable animal. He scoured various regions, towns, forests, and sacred hermitages in his quest. Accompanied by his son and wife, the descendant of Raghu eventually came upon the sage Ṛcīka, seated upon Bhṛgu mountain. The king, radiant and humble, bowed before the great sage, whose ascetic power shone brightly, and addressed him with respect. After inquiring about Ṛcīka’s well-being, the king spoke: “If you are willing, sell your son for a hundred thousand cows. O illustrious Bhārgava, for the sake of the sacrificial animal, I have fulfilled my duty and searched all regions, but I cannot find a suitable animal for the sacrifice. Please, give me one son for a price.” Thus addressed, the mighty Ṛcīka prepared to reply.