All preparations for the great sacrifice were completed with utmost care, and the entire assembly—king, priests, and people—went to the sacrificial enclosure. Every act was performed according to the scriptures and proper rule. The illustrious King Daśaratha, accompanied by his queens, undertook the sacred vow of consecration, embracing the discipline and purity required for such a solemn rite. When a full year had passed and the consecrated horse had returned, the grand Aśvamedha sacrifice commenced on the northern bank of the Sarayū River. At the head of the officiating Brahmins stood the revered Ṛśyaśṛṅga, and together with other foremost sages, they began the great ritual for the high-souled king. The priests, deeply learned in the Vedas, performed every rite precisely, moving about the sacrificial ground in strict accord with scripture and established custom. The twice-born, having first performed the Pravargya and Upasada rites as prescribed, attended to all the additional rituals required by the sacred texts. After duly honoring the assembled sages, the eminent ones, filled with joy, performed the morning Soma-pressing as prescribed. The offering to Indra was made at the proper time, and the sinless king was consecrated; then, in due order, the midday Soma-pressing commenced. The third Soma-pressing for the great-souled king was also performed, exactly as the scriptures enjoin, by the foremost Brahmins. Ṛśyaśṛṅga and his companions, skilled in mantras and precise pronunciation, invoked the best of the gods, beginning with Indra. The Hotṛ priests, with sweet and gentle chants, offered the shares of oblations to the dwellers of heaven. Not a single offering was omitted or mistaken; everything was conducted flawlessly, as if Brahmā himself presided, and with complete security and peace. During those days, no one was seen weary or hungry. No Brahmin was ignorant; there was no one who was not a proper attendant. The Brahmins always ate, those with patrons ate, the ascetics and mendicants ate as well. The elderly, the sick, women, and children all partook of the food, and yet, though everyone ate constantly, no one felt full or unsatisfied. Heaps of food, as vast as mountains, were provided each day, all perfectly prepared for the occasion. Men and groups of women who had come from distant regions were well cared for, receiving abundant food and drink at the great sacrifice. The foremost of the twice-born praised the food, declaring it properly prepared and delicious. Rāghava heard their words: “Ah, we are satisfied—may you be blessed!” Well-adorned men served the Brahmins, while others, with polished jeweled earrings, attended to their needs. During intervals between rituals, the wise and eloquent Brahmins engaged in lively debates on reasoning, each striving to surpass the other. Day after day, the skilled twice-born, prompted as prescribed, performed all the rites at the sacrificial ground according to the scriptures. Among the king’s officiants, there was none ignorant of the six Vedāṅgas, none undisciplined, none unlearned, and no Brahmin unskilled in debate. When the time came to raise the sacrificial posts, six were made of Bilva wood, and likewise of Khadira; another set with Bilva wood, and others with leafy branches. One was made of śleṣmātaka wood, and another of devadāru wood; only these two were established there, each with arms outstretched for grasping. All these posts were constructed by those skilled in the scriptures and sacrificial rites, and for the splendor of the sacrifice, they were adorned with gold. There were twenty-one sacrificial posts, each set with twenty-one jewels and decorated with twenty-one garments. All were firmly and skillfully made by craftsmen, set in their proper places according to rule, eight-sided and perfectly smooth. Draped with garments and worshipped with flowers and fragrant substances, they shone forth like the radiant Seven Sages in the heavens. Bricks were fashioned according to proper measure and rule, and the altar fire was laid by Brahmins expert in constructing altars. The altar for the lion among kings was constructed in the form of Garuḍa, with golden wings, triple-layered and composed of eighteen parts. There, animals were assigned for each deity as prescribed; serpents and birds were also designated according to scripture. A horse and aquatic creatures were likewise assigned by the sages, all in accordance with the sacred texts. Three hundred animals were fixed at the sacrificial posts, and the best jewel among horses was reserved for King Daśaratha. Queen Kausalyā herself attended to the horse in every way, and with great joy, she released it with three knives, performing her role with devotion. With a steady mind, together with the bird, Kausalyā, desiring righteousness, spent a whole night in vigil there. The Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, and Udgātṛ priests joined the king’s wives by hand, leading another around as well, as the ritual required. The officiating priest, self-controlled and highly accomplished, took the fat of the bird and, according to scripture, poured it into the fire. The king inhaled the smoke-scent of the fat at the proper time and in the proper way, thereby dispelling any sin from himself. All the priests, sixteen in number, cast the limbs of the horse into the fire according to rule. For other sacrifices, the oblation is made on branches of the plakṣa tree, but for the Aśvamedha, a vessel of reeds is prescribed. Thus, every detail was observed with devotion and precision, in accordance with the ancient tradition.