After seven or eight days had passed, King Romapada spoke to King Dasharatha, saying, “O lord of men, Shanta, your daughter, is here with her husband.” To this, Dasharatha replied, “Let her return to my city, for a great task now awaits us.” Romapada agreed and promised the wise sage’s son that he could depart. Turning to the Brahmin, Romapada said, “Go with your wife.” The sage’s son accepted, responding to the king, “So be it.” With the king’s permission, the sage’s son and his wife prepared to leave. Out of affection, they joined their palms together and embraced one another before departing. King Dasharatha and the mighty Romapada rejoiced at this union and parting. Then, having taken leave of his dear friend, Dasharatha, the descendant of Raghu, set out for his own city. As Dasharatha traveled, he sent swift messengers throughout his city, commanding, “Let the entire city be quickly and splendidly adorned.” He ordered that the streets be perfumed, sprinkled with water, cleaned, and decorated with flags. The citizens, delighted at the news of their king’s return, rejoiced and set about fulfilling his instructions. Everything was prepared just as the king had ordered, and soon Dasharatha entered his beautifully decorated city. Conches and drums sounded, and the foremost of Brahmins led the way at the front of the procession. All the citizens, seeing the Brahmin among them, were filled with great joy. The Brahmin was honored by Dasharatha, who acted with the might and splendor of Indra himself, and was brought into the palace just as Indra would bring Kasyapa into heaven. Once inside the inner chambers, and after the prescribed worship according to sacred scripture was performed, Dasharatha felt fulfilled, having brought the sage and his wife into his home. The wide-eyed queen, seeing all the inner apartments peaceful and tranquil, rejoiced with her husband at their arrival. Honored by the women of the palace and especially by the king himself, Shanta stayed there happily for some time along with her Brahmin husband. Now, listen to the twelfth chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Bāla Kāṇḍa. After much time had passed, in a delightful season when spring had arrived, King Dasharatha began to long for a sacrifice. Bowing his head to the Brahmin of divine radiance, he requested him to perform a sacrifice for the sake of obtaining progeny and continuing his family line. The Brahmin replied, “So be it,” and said to the lord of the earth, “Let the preparations be made, and let the horse be released.” He instructed, “Let the sacrificial ground be prepared on the northern bank of the Sarayu.” Then Dasharatha spoke to the Brahmins who were well-versed in the Vedas, saying, “Summon quickly, Sumantra, the officiating priests who are learned in the Vedas: Suyajña, Vāmadeva, Jābāli, and Kāśyapa, and the family priest Vasiṣṭha, and all other excellent Brahmins.” Sumantra, swift and energetic, went at once and brought all those Brahmins who were learned in the Vedas. The righteous king Dasharatha honored them all. He spoke gentle words, both proper and righteous: “For me, afflicted by the lack of a son, there is truly no happiness. For the sake of a son, I wish to perform a horse sacrifice; this is my intention. Therefore, I wish to undertake the rite of the horse sacrifice. By the power of the sage’s son, I too shall obtain my desire.” The Brahmins praised his words, saying, “Well spoken!” All the Brahmins, with Vasiṣṭha and Ṛśyaśṛṅga at their head, responded to the king’s words: “You will surely obtain four sons of immeasurable valor, for your righteous intention for a son has arisen.” Pleased by these words, the king spoke joyfully to his ministers: “By the command of the elders, let the preparations for the sacrifice be quickly arranged for me. Let the horse, under the supervision of a capable overseer and accompanied by a teacher, be released. Let the sacrificial ground be prepared on the northern bank of the Sarayu, and let the rites of pacification be performed according to the prescribed rules and procedures.” He cautioned, “This sacrifice can indeed be performed by any king of the earth, but let there be no grave error in this most excellent ritual. For the learned Brahma-rakshasas seek out flaws; if a sacrifice is performed without proper procedure, its performer is immediately destroyed. Therefore, let this sacrifice be completed for me in full accordance with the prescribed rules; let those skilled in the tasks arrange everything accordingly.” All the ministers, saying “So be it,” honored the king’s command and carried out his instructions. The twice-born Brahmins praised the king, knower of righteousness, and, having been permitted, departed as they had come. When those Brahmins had gone, the wise king dismissed his ministers and entered his own palace. Now, listen to the thirteenth chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Bāla Kāṇḍa. When spring returned and a full year had passed, the mighty Dasharatha set out to perform the horse sacrifice for the sake of obtaining offspring. He greeted and honored Vasiṣṭha respectfully, then spoke humbly to the foremost of Brahmins about his longing for a son. “O Brahmin, let the sacrifice be performed for me as prescribed, O best of sages, so that no obstacles may arise in any part of the ritual. You are affectionate, a true friend to me, and my supreme and great teacher. The burden of this sacrifice, now undertaken, must be borne by you.