Every day, at the site of the great sacrifice, vast heaps of food rose like mountains, all perfectly prepared for the occasion. Men and groups of women from many different regions, who had come to witness the event, were generously served with food and drink, ensuring that none went wanting during that grand ritual. The foremost among the twice-born—learned Brahmins—praised the quality of the food, declaring it both properly prepared and delicious. Rāghava heard them exclaim with satisfaction, “Ah, we are content—may you be blessed!” Well-adorned men waited upon the Brahmins, while others, wearing polished jeweled earrings, attended to their every need. During the intervals between the rites, the wise and eloquent Brahmins engaged in spirited debates, each striving to surpass the others in reasoning and eloquence. Day after day, these skilled twice-born, prompted as prescribed, performed every ritual at the sacrificial ground strictly 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 six of khadira; the same number with bilva wood again, and others with leafy branches. One post was fashioned from śleṣmātaka wood, another from devadāru wood—these two were set up with outstretched arms for grasping. All these posts were constructed by those well-versed in the scriptures and the art of sacrifice, and for the sake of the ritual’s splendor, they were adorned with gold. There were twenty-one sacrificial posts in all, each set with twenty-one jewels and decorated with twenty-one garments. The craftsmen, skillful and precise, made each post firm, eight-sided, and smooth, placing them exactly as prescribed. Draped in garments and worshipped with flowers and fragrant substances, the posts shone brilliantly, like the radiant Seven Sages in the heavens. Bricks for the altar were fashioned according to exact measurements and rules, and Brahmins skilled in altar construction laid the fire upon it. The altar, built for the lion among kings, was designed by learned Brahmins in the form of Garuḍa, with golden wings, triple-layered, and composed of eighteen distinct parts. Animals were assigned to each deity as prescribed, including serpents and birds, all in accordance with the scriptures. Sages also designated a horse and aquatic creatures, again following scriptural injunctions. Three hundred animals were fixed at the sacrificial posts, along with the finest horse, chosen as the best jewel among horses, for King Daśaratha. There, Queen Kausalyā attended to the horse in every way, and, filled with joy, released it with three knives. With steady mind and in the company of the bird, Kausalyā, devoted to righteousness, spent the entire night at the site. The Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, and Udgātṛ priests joined the king’s wives by hand, leading another around as well, as prescribed. The chief officiating priest, self-controlled and highly accomplished, took the fat of the bird and, following scriptural instructions, poured it into the sacred fire. At the proper time and in the proper way, the king inhaled the smoke-scent of the fat, thereby dispelling his sins. All sixteen priests cast the limbs of the horse into the fire, observing every rule. For other sacrifices, the oblation is made on plakṣa branches, but for the Aśvamedha, a vessel of reeds is used, as prescribed. The Aśvamedha sacrifice itself is declared by the Brahmins to last three days, as stated in the Kalpasūtra; the first day is arranged as the Catuṣṭoma rite. The second day is the Ukthya, followed by the enumerated Atirātra and other subsequent rites—many rituals performed exactly as prescribed. Jyotiṣṭoma, Āyuṣī, and Atirātra were conducted; so too were Abhijit, Viśvajit, Āptoryāma, and the great sacrifice. At the conclusion, the king, ever the enhancer of his lineage, gave the eastern direction to the Hotṛ, the western to the Adhvaryu, and the southern to the Brahman. The Udgātṛ received the northern direction in the same manner—these donations being the ancient prescription for the great horse sacrifice, established long ago by Svayambhū. Having properly completed the sacrifice, the foremost of men, King Daśaratha, gave that land to the officiating priests. After this generous act, the illustrious descendant of Ikṣvāku was filled with joy, and all the priests, now freed from sin, addressed him: “You alone are worthy to protect the entire earth; we have no use for the land, nor are we capable of governing it. We are always devoted to the practice of self-study, O ruler of the earth. Please grant us some other compensation instead.” “Give us a jewel, a precious gem, gold, or cows—whatever is available, O best of men; we have no need for the land,” they requested. Thus addressed by the Brahmins, masters of the Vedas, the king gave them ten hundred thousand cows. He also gave ten crores of gold and four times that in silver, which the priests then distributed among themselves. To the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga and the wise Vasiṣṭha, the foremost Brahmins made a proper division of the gifts. All, with hearts well pleased, responded joyfully, and the king gave further gold with great care to those who had assisted. He bestowed upon the Brahmins gold from Jāmbūnada in the count of crores, and to a poor Brahmin, he gave the finest hand ornaments. Thus, the sacrifice was completed in splendor, with all present deeply satisfied and blessed.