When King Daśaratha, the foremost among men and a glorious descendant of Ikṣvāku, had properly completed his great sacrifice, he fulfilled tradition by offering the land to the officiating priests. Having thus given, the king—who brought honor to his lineage—felt immense joy. The priests, now freed from sin, gathered and addressed him with reverence. “O King,” they said, “you alone are worthy to protect the entire earth. We have no use for the land, nor are we equipped to govern it. Our lives are devoted to self-study and spiritual practice. Grant us, instead, some other form of compensation, O lord of the earth. Give us a jewel, a precious gem, gold, or cows—whatever you have at hand, O best of men. We have no need for the land.” Hearing these words from the Brahmins, learned masters of the Vedas, King Daśaratha responded generously. He gifted them a hundred thousand cows, and further, he presented them with ten crores of gold and four times as much in silver. The priests, pleased and grateful, divided the wealth amongst themselves. To the eminent sages Ṛṣyaśṛṅga and Vasiṣṭha, the foremost among Brahmins, the gifts were apportioned with proper care and honor. All those present, their hearts full of happiness, received their portions joyfully. To those who had assisted in the sacrifice, the king gave gold with great attention to detail. He bestowed upon the Brahmins gold from Jāmbūnada in the count of crores, and to a poor Brahmin, he gave the finest hand ornaments. To anyone who asked, the generous descendant of Raghu gave freely. When the Brahmins were fully satisfied, Daśaratha, who cherished them deeply, acted accordingly. Then, overwhelmed with joy, he bowed to them, and the Brahmins blessed him with various auspicious benedictions. For this generous and heroic king, who had even offered up the earth, the supreme sacrifice was now fulfilled. Daśaratha had performed the sin-removing, heaven-leading, and difficult-to-accomplish rite for kings. With his heart delighted, he now turned to the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga. “O noble one,” Daśaratha said, “you must now perform that which will increase my lineage.” The sage, foremost among the twice-born, replied, “O King, you will have four sons who will bring glory to your family.” Hearing these sweet words, Daśaratha, his heart overflowing with joy, bowed reverently to the sage and spoke again with gratitude. Now, listen to the next part of this sacred narrative from the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa. Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, wise and composed, after a moment’s contemplation, addressed the king, who was learned in the Vedas. “I shall perform for you a sacrificial rite for the sake of sons, using mantras prescribed in the Atharvaśirsa, and I will conduct it according to proper procedure.” Then, for the purpose of begetting sons, the radiant sage commenced the sacrificial rite, offering oblations into the fire with the prescribed mantras. As the ritual proceeded, the gods assembled, accompanied by the Gandharvas, Siddhas, and eminent sages, each arriving in accordance with the sacred rites to receive their shares. Once gathered, the deities addressed 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. Out of affection, you granted him a boon, and because of that boon, we must honor him and endure all his torments. That wicked-minded one agitates the three worlds, despises them, and even seeks to violate Indra, king of the gods. He transgresses against sages, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Brāhmaṇas, and Asuras, emboldened by your boon and made arrogant. The sun does not burn him, nor does the wind blow near him. Even the ocean, at his approach, ceases to stir its waves. Therefore, O Lord, we are greatly afraid of this terrifying Rākṣasa. You must devise a means for his destruction.” Brahmā listened to the gods and, after pondering, spoke: “The means for the destruction of this evil one is now clear. When he asked for his boon, he said, ‘I am invulnerable to Gandharvas, Yakṣas, gods, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas,’ and I affirmed it. But, out of disdain, he did not mention humans. Therefore, he is vulnerable to death at the hands of a human—by no other can he be slain.” Meanwhile, Viṣṇu, of great splendor, arrived, holding conch, discus, and mace, clad in radiant yellow garments—the lord of the universe himself. He came mounted upon Garuḍa, shining like the sun upon a rain cloud, adorned with blazing golden armlets, and was praised by the best of the gods. Brahmā himself arrived and stood with focused mind, while all the gods, bowing and extolling him, addressed Viṣṇu: “O Viṣṇu, for the welfare of the worlds, we appoint you to a great task. You must become the son of King Daśaratha, lord of Ayodhyā. He is righteous, generous, and as brilliant as the great sages. Among his three wives—who are as Modesty, Fortune, and Fame—O Viṣṇu, become his son, dividing yourself into four forms. There, taking human birth, you must destroy the great scourge of the worlds. O Viṣṇu, slay Rāvaṇa in battle, for he cannot be killed by gods. He torments the gods, Gandharvas, Siddhas, and the best of sages. That foolish Rākṣasa, in his excess of power, oppresses the sages, as well as the Gandharvas and Apsaras. While playing in the Nandana grove, they were struck down by his cruelty. For the purpose of his destruction, we have come here together, along with the sages.” Thus, the stage was set for the divine descent, and the gods’ prayers were about to bear fruit for the welfare of the worlds.