With great reverence and discipline, the chief officiating priest, accomplished in self-control and scriptural wisdom, took the fat of the sacrificial bird and, following the sacred injunctions, poured it into the blazing fire. At the appointed time and in the prescribed manner, King Daśaratha inhaled the smoke-scent of the fat, thereby dispelling sin from himself. All sixteen priests participating in the ritual then cast each limb of the sacrificial horse into the fire, strictly adhering to the rules of the ceremony. For other sacrifices, oblations are customarily made upon branches of the plakṣa tree; however, for the Aśvamedha, a vessel woven from reeds is prescribed. According to the Kalpasūtras, the Aśvamedha lasts three days, with the first day arranged as the Catuṣṭoma rite. On the second day, the Ukthya and the enumerated Atirātra rites, along with many subsequent ceremonies, were performed as prescribed by the scriptures. The Jyotiṣṭoma, Āyuṣī, Atirātra, Abhijit, Viśvajit, Āptoryāma, and the great sacrifice—all these sacred rituals were conducted with precision. In accordance with tradition, King Daśaratha, the 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. This donation, established long ago by Svayambhū, is the prescribed offering at the great horse sacrifice. Having completed the sacrifice properly, the illustrious king, foremost among men, bestowed the land upon the officiating priests. Having given thus, Daśaratha—descendant of Ikṣvāku—was filled with joy. The priests, now freed from sin, addressed the king: “You alone are worthy to protect the entire earth; we have no use for the land, nor are we capable of its governance. We are always devoted to the practice of self-study, O ruler of the earth. Let Your Majesty grant us some other compensation here. Give us a jewel, a precious gem, gold, or cows—whatever is available, O best of men; we have no need for the land.” Hearing the request of these Brahmins, masters of the Vedas, Daśaratha generously gave them ten hundred thousand cows. He bestowed 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 were well pleased and responded joyfully. For those who assisted, Daśaratha gave gold with great care, including gold from Jāmbūnada in the count of crores, and to a poor Brahmin, the finest hand ornaments. To any who requested, the descendant of Raghu gave freely. When the Brahmins were properly satisfied, he, who cherished them, acted accordingly. Overwhelmed with joy, Daśaratha bowed to the Brahmins, and they pronounced various blessings upon him. For the generous, heroic king who had given up the earth, Daśaratha, with a delighted mind, attained the supreme sacrifice. This sin-removing, heaven-leading, and difficult-to-accomplish rite for kings had now been completed. Then, King Daśaratha addressed Ṛṣyaśṛṅga: “You, of noble vows, ought to perform that which will increase your lineage.” The foremost among the twice-born replied, “O King, you will have four sons who will bring glory to your family.” Hearing these sweet words, the great-souled king bowed reverently to Sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, experiencing supreme joy, and again spoke to him. At this point, the fifteenth chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, begins. The wise sage, after a moment’s contemplation, regained his composure and spoke to the king, who was knowledgeable in the Vedas. “I will perform for you a sacrificial rite for the sake of sons, using mantras prescribed in the Atharvaśirsa, accomplished according to proper procedure.” Then, he began the sacrificial rite for the purpose of sons, offering oblations into the fire as prescribed by the mantras. At that moment, the gods, along with Gandharvas, Siddhas, and eminent sages, assembled according to the proper rites to receive their shares. Gathered as prescribed, the deities in the assembly spoke to Brahmā, the creator of the worlds: “O Lord, by your grace, a Rākṣasa named Rāvaṇa oppresses us all with his strength; we are unable to restrain him. You granted him a boon out of affection, O Lord, and we always honor him; we endure everything from him. That wicked-minded one agitates the three worlds, despises them, and desires to violate Indra, king of the gods. He transgresses against sages, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Brāhmaṇas, and Asuras, emboldened by the boon and rendered arrogant. The sun does not burn him, nor does the wind blow near him; even the ocean, seeing him, does not stir its waves. Therefore, O Lord, there is great fear from that terrifying Rākṣasa; you ought to devise a means for his destruction.” Thus addressed by all the gods, Brahmā pondered and spoke: “The means for the destruction of that evil one is now known. By him, it was declared, ‘I am invulnerable to Gandharvas, Yakṣas, gods, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas,’ and I affirmed it accordingly. Out of disdain, that Rākṣasa did not mention humans; therefore, he is vulnerable to death from a human, and no other death is possible for him.