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44 To meet this constant source of sorrow, the king at length resolved to seek the favour of the gods by celebrating the famous Horse-sacrifice. The resolve pleased his counsellors well, and preparations were forthwith set on foot. A certain holy ascetic, whose ministry had proved of great value to another monarch on a like occasion, was invited to preside. Under the eye of Vasishtha, all things were duly got ready; kings and princes were invited, and assembled with much pomp and ceremony, and a full year after the making of the resolve—for such was the time appointed by sacred law—the sacrifice was begun with great solemnity, on the ground beyond the fair-flowing Sarayu, the river of Ayodhya. The chief queen, Kausalya, dealt the fatal blow, and then, as was the custom, passed the following night on the sacrificial ground. When all had been duly performed, Dasaratha distributed vast sums of money and other largesse to the attendant Brahmans; and these assured him that he would of a surety be blessed by the birth of four glorious sons.

Turn we from this to a matter very different, yet bearing closely on King Dasaratha's sacrifice and its consequences.

Far to the South, in the Isle of Lanka—now called Ceylon—dwelt the demon Ravana, king of the Rakshasas, or fiends. So great was the power of this grim being, that for fear of him the sun withheld his shining, the ocean forebore to stir, the winds did not dare to blow. The gods then came together to Brahma, the Creator, and begged him to devise means whereby the malice of this monster, running