When the time came for the grand horse sacrifice, the sinless King Daśaratha fulfilled the Indra offering with all due reverence, and was consecrated according to tradition. The midday pressing of the Soma began, proceeding in perfect order. The third Soma-pressing for the great-souled king followed, performed exactly as prescribed in the scriptures, by the foremost Brahmins. R̥śyaśr̥ṅga and his fellow priests, masters of mantra and flawless pronunciation, invoked the best of the gods, beginning with Indra himself. With sweet and gentle chants, the Hotṛ priests called the deities and offered their shares of oblations to the dwellers of heaven, ensuring every offering was made with precision and care. Not a single oblation was omitted or misplaced; everything was conducted flawlessly, as if Brahmā himself were overseeing, and all proceedings were secure. Throughout those days, no one was seen tired or hungry. Every Brahmin was learned; all attendants were proper and attentive. The Brahmins ate, those with patrons ate, ascetics and mendicants ate. The elderly, the sick, women, and children all partook of the food. Remarkably, though everyone ate constantly, no one felt full or sated. Heaps of food, vast as mountains, were prepared every day, all cooked perfectly at the right time. Men and groups of women from distant regions were abundantly supplied with food and drink at this magnificent sacrifice. The foremost of the twice-born praised the food, declaring it both delicious and properly prepared. Rāghava heard their words: “Ah, we are satisfied—may you be blessed!” Well-adorned men served the Brahmins, while others, wearing polished jeweled earrings, attended to them with care. During intervals between rituals, the wise and eloquent Brahmins engaged in lively debates on reasoning, each seeking to surpass the other in knowledge. Day after day, the skilled twice-born, prompted as prescribed, performed all the rites at the sacrificial ground, strictly following the scriptures. Among the king’s officiants, none were ignorant of the six Vedāṅgas, none lacked discipline or learning, and every Brahmin was skilled in debate. When the sacrificial posts were raised, six were made of Bilva wood, and likewise six of Khadira; the same number of Bilva wood posts with leafy branches. One post 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 adorned with gold to enhance the splendor of the sacrifice. There were twenty-one sacrificial posts, each set with twenty-one jewels and decorated with twenty-one garments. All were firmly and skillfully crafted by master craftsmen, placed according to rule, eight-sided and smooth in form. Draped with garments, worshipped with flowers and fragrances, they shone like the radiant Seven Sages in the sky. Bricks were made according to proper measure and rule; the altar fire was laid by Brahmins expert in constructing altars. The altar for the lion among kings was fashioned by learned Brahmins in the form of Garuḍa with golden wings, triple-layered and composed of eighteen parts. Animals were assigned for each deity as prescribed, including serpents and birds according to the scriptures. A horse and aquatic creatures were likewise designated by the sages, all in accordance with sacred tradition. Three hundred animals were fixed at the sacrificial posts, and the finest jewel among horses was selected for King Daśaratha. Kausalyā attended to that horse in every way, and with great joy, she released it with three knives. With a steady mind, together with the bird, Kausalyā, desiring righteousness, spent a whole night there. The Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, and Udgātṛ joined the queen’s wives by hand, leading another around as well. The officiating priest, self-controlled and highly accomplished, took the fat of the bird and, following the scriptures, poured it into the fire. At the proper time and in the proper way, the king inhaled the smoke-scent of the fat, dispelling sin from himself. All the priests, sixteen in number, cast all the limbs of the horse into the fire according to rule. For other sacrifices, oblations are made on branches of the plakṣa tree, but for the Aśvamedha, a vessel of reeds is prescribed. The Aśvamedha lasts three days, as declared in the Kalpasūtra by the Brahmins; the first day is arranged as the Catuṣṭoma rite. The second day features the Ukthya, the enumerated Atirātra, and subsequent rites, all performed as prescribed by the scriptures. Jyotiṣṭoma, Āyuṣī, Atirātra, Abhijit, Viśvajit, Āptoryāma, and the great sacrifice were also conducted. The king, enhancer of his lineage, gave the eastern direction to the Hotṛ, the western to the Adhvaryu, and the southern to the Brahman. To the Udgātṛ, he gave the northern direction, as prescribed at the great horse sacrifice, a tradition established long ago by Svayambhū. Having completed the sacrifice properly, the illustrious king, the foremost among men and enhancer of his lineage, gave the land to the officiating priests. After these generous gifts, the descendant of Ikṣvāku was filled with joy, and the priests addressed him, now freed from sin.