At the urging of the gods, Agni, the god of fire, was requested to fulfill an important task for the welfare of the divine beings: he was to release his potent energy into Gaṅgā, the radiant daughter of the mountain. Having agreed to the gods’ request, Agni approached Gaṅgā and addressed her, “O goddess, bear this embryo; it is beloved by the gods.” Upon hearing these words, Gaṅgā assumed a celestial form, and in her splendid greatness, Agni’s energy dispersed in all directions. Then, O descendant of Raghu, Agni anointed the goddess on every side, and all the sacred streams of the Gaṅgā became filled and overflowing. But the goddess, overwhelmed by the blazing energy that surged within her, spoke to the assembly of gods: “O gods, I cannot bear the searing energy that has arisen from you.” Burned by that divine fire and her mind greatly disturbed, Gaṅgā was then addressed by Agni himself, the receiver of all sacrificial offerings: “Let this embryo be placed here, on the slopes of the Himalayas.” Obeying the words of Agni, Gaṅgā released that exceedingly radiant embryo. From her waters, the mighty and radiant embryo emerged, shining with the brilliance of molten gold. Gold, bright as the sun, reached the earth, and with it also appeared incomparable silver, copper, and black iron, each born from the sharpness of that energy. Her impurity became tin and lead, and as these substances touched the earth, various metals increased in abundance. Where the embryo was deposited, infused with celestial radiance, the entire forest ringed by mountains was transformed into gold. From that time, O Raghava, that place has been known as “jātarūpa”—gold, equal in brilliance to fire—and all the grass, trees, creepers, and shrubs there became golden. Then, the gods together with Indra and the hosts of wind deities, entrusted the nurturing of the newborn child to the Krittikas. The Krittikas, firmly resolved, made an excellent agreement to nourish the boy with their milk, declaring, “He is the son of all of us.” All the gods proclaimed, “He shall be called Kartikeya; he will become renowned throughout the three worlds as our son—there is no doubt.” Hearing these words, they bathed the radiant child, who had emerged from the flow of the embryo, in supreme splendor, as if he were blazing fire. The gods named him Skanda, for he had flowed forth from the embryo; O descendant of Kakutstha, Kartikeya, mighty-armed and shining like fire. Then, the excellent milk of the Krittikas appeared for him; having six faces, Kartikeya drank milk from the breasts of all six mothers. In a single day, with his tender body, the mighty child consumed their milk and, by his own strength, conquered the hosts of demon armies. All the immortals, led by Agni, then anointed him—the one of great splendor—as the commander of the divine armies. Thus, O Rama, I have recounted to you the full story of Gaṅgā and the auspicious, blessed birth of the boy. O Kakutstha, any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, blessed with sons and grandsons, will surely attain the world of Skanda. Thus ends the thirty-seventh sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem. Now begins the thirty-eighth sarga. Having narrated this sweet and wondrous tale to Rāma, Viśvāmitra continued, addressing Kakutstha further: “O hero, once there was a king of Ayodhyā, a righteous ruler named Sagara, who deeply longed for children but remained childless. Sagara’s elder queen was Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, a woman of virtue and truth. His second wife was Sumati, sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi. With his two wives, the great king undertook severe austerities, journeying to Mount Himavat, and performing penance at the Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak. After a hundred years had passed, the sage Bhṛgu, foremost among the truthful, was pleased by their devotion and granted Sagara a boon: ‘O sinless one, you will have great offspring and attain incomparable fame in the world, O best of men. One of your wives will bear a single son, the continuer of your line; the other will bear sixty thousand sons.’ Hearing the sage’s words, the two princesses, delighted and with hands joined in reverence, asked, ‘O Brāhmaṇa, which of us will have the single son, and which will bear the many? Tell us, so your words may come true.’ The supremely righteous Bhṛgu replied, ‘Let it be as you each desire. Let one have a single son to continue the line, and let the other have many mighty, renowned, and energetic sons—let each choose her wish.’ Upon hearing this, O descendant of Raghu, Keśinī chose, in the presence of the king, to have a single son who would continue the dynasty. Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, chose instead to have sixty thousand energetic and renowned sons. After circumambulating the sage and bowing to him, the king and his wives returned to their city. In due time, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son, who became known as Asamañja.