As the radiant embryo was deposited, its brilliance suffused the entire forest, which was surrounded by majestic mountains. Suddenly, the whole landscape shimmered with a golden hue—every blade of grass, every tree, creeper, and shrub transformed, gleaming with the luster of gold. From that moment onward, the forest became known as ‘jātarūpa,’ meaning gold, its splendor equal to fire. Then, O Raghava, the gods, led by Indra and accompanied by the hosts of wind deities, gathered together. They entrusted the nurturing of the newborn boy to the Krittikas, the star maidens. With firm resolve, the Krittikas made a noble agreement to feed the child, declaring, “He is the son of all of us.” Hearing this, all the gods proclaimed, “He shall be called Kartikeya. He will be renowned throughout the three worlds as our son—there is no doubt.” The gods then bathed the radiant child, who had emerged from the flow of the embryo, with supreme splendor, as if he were blazing fire itself. They called him Skanda, for he had flowed forth from the embryo. Thus, O descendant of Kakutstha, Kartikeya, mighty-armed and brilliant like fire, came into being. At that moment, the excellent milk of the Krittikas appeared. With six faces, Kartikeya took the milk from the breasts of the six mothers. In a single day, though his body was tender, the mighty Kartikeya imbibed their milk and, by his own strength, conquered the hosts of demon armies. Filled with joy, all the immortals, led by Agni, anointed Kartikeya, the one of great splendor, as the commander of the divine armies. Thus, O Rama, I have recounted to you the full story of Ganga and the auspicious and blessed birth of the boy. Know this, O Kakutstha: any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, blessed with sons and grandsons, will attain the world of Skanda. Thus concludes the thirty-seventh sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem. Now begins the thirty-eighth sarga. Having narrated that sweetly-worded story to Rama, Viśvāmitra spoke further to Kakutstha. “O hero, there was once a king of Ayodhyā, a righteous ruler named Sagara, who longed for offspring but was childless. Sagara’s elder queen was Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, virtuous and truthful. His second wife was Sumati, the sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi. Together with his two wives, the great king Sagara performed intense austerities, journeying to Mount Himavat and reaching the sacred 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 obtain great offspring, and you will 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.’ Delighted, the two princesses joined their hands in reverence and asked, ‘O Brāhmaṇa, which of us will have the single son, and which will bear the many? We wish to hear this, O Brāhmaṇa; may your words come true.’ Bhṛgu replied, ‘Let it be as you each desire in this matter. Let one have a single son to continue the line, or let there be many mighty, renowned, and energetic sons—let each choose the boon she wishes.’ Keśinī, in the presence of the king, chose to have a single son to continue the royal lineage. Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, chose to bear sixty thousand energetic and renowned sons. Having circumambulated the sage and bowed to him, the king and his wives returned to their city. After some time, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son, who became known as Asamañja. Sumati gave birth to a gourd-like womb, and when it was split open, sixty thousand sons emerged. Nurses raised them in jars filled with ghee, and in due course, all of them attained youth. Thus, after a long time, Sagara had sixty thousand sons, all endowed with beauty and vigor. But Asamañja, the eldest son, would take children and, O descendant of Raghu, throw them into the waters of the Sarayu, laughing as he watched them drown. He behaved in such a sinful manner, obstructing good people and harming the citizens. As a result, his father banished him from the city. Asamañja’s son was named Aṃśumān, a man of great strength, approved by all people and known for his kindness and wisdom. Sagara, resolved to perform a grand sacrifice, made up his mind and, together with his teachers, prepared to conduct the Vedic ritual. Now hear the thirty-ninth sarga in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa. Having listened to Viśvāmitra’s words at the end of the story, Rama, delighted, spoke to the sage, radiant like fire.