After some time Saudāsa celebrated a sacrifice which was conducted by Vasishtha. At the end of the ceremony Vasishtha went out when the Raksha assuming the shape of Vasishtha said—"The sacrifice is finished to-day. You must give me flesh to eat; I shall just now come back". Having said this he went away and transforming himself into the shape of the cook prepared some human flesh. Saudāsa placing it on a dish of gold, waited for Vasishtha. As soon as the sage came back the king offered to him the dish. Thereat the sage thought—"Alas! what improper conduct on the part of the king that he is offering me flesh!" Then by virtue of his meditation he came to know that it was human flesh. Being worked up with ire accordingly he imprecated the king—"Since you have offered, though you know it, to such holy men as we are what should not be eaten, henceforth, your appetite shall be excited by similar food".
The king said—"It was yourself who commanded this food to be prepared". Vasishtha said—"By me, how could that have been". And being engaged in meditation again he found out the whole truth. Being pleased with the king he said—"The food to which I have doomed you shall not be your sustenance for ever; it shall be only so for twelve years". And the king, taking water in his palms addressed himself for cursing the sage but gave up his intention, being reminded by his queen Madayanti that it ill became him to imprecate a curse upon a holy teacher who was the guardian divinity of the family. Unwilling to throw the water upon the earth lest it should wither up the grain for it was filled with malediction and being equally unwilling to throw it up into the air lest it should blast the clouds and dry up their contents, he threw it upon his own feet. Scalded by the heat which was in the water on account of his angry imprecation the feet of the king became spotted black and white and he therefore obtained the name of Kalmashapāda (i.e. having spotted feet).
On account of Vasishtha's curse the king used to become a cannibal every third night and travelling through the forests devoured many men. Once on a time he saw a pious sage engaged in dalliance with his wife. And beholding that terrible Rākshasa form they fled away in fear but he got hold of the husband whilst they escaping. Thereupon the wife of the Brāhman begged of him her husband again and again—"Thou art the great king Mitrasaha, the pride of Ikshwaku race—not the Rākshasa. It is not proper for thee who knowest the nature of women, to carry off my husband and devour him". In vain did she lament in many ways; he devoured the Brāhman as a tiger devours a deer. Being worked up with ire the Brāhman's wife addressed the king and said—"Since, you have devoured my husband before I was satiated in his company, you shall die as soon as you shall associate with your queen". Having thus cursed him she entered the flames.
After the expiration of twelve years when he was freed of the curse, he, being desirous of dallying with his wife, thought of Madayanti who reminded him of the curse of Brahmani. He, therefore, abstained from conjugal intercourse. Being childless he solicited the help of Vasishtha and Madayanti became pregnant. The child was not born for seven years, and the queen divided the womb with a sharp stone and a son was born who was named Asmaka. The son of Asmaka was Mulaka. When the Kshatriyas were rooted out from the earth, he was concealed by a number of women, hence he was called Narikavachā (having woman for armour). The son of Mulaka was Dasaratha; his son was Ilavile; his son was Viswasaha; his son was Khatwanga, called also Dilipa, who, being invited by the gods in a war with the Asuras, destroyed a number of them. Being pleased thereby the celestials asked him to pray for a boon. Dilipa said—"If you press me to accept a boon, tell me what is the duration of my life". The god said "The length of your life is but an hour". Thereupon Khatwanga, who was gifted with great velocity, came down, in his easy-coursing car to the world of mortals. Having reached there, he prayed and said—"If my soul has never been dearer to me than the sacred Brāhmans; If I have never deviated from the satisfaction of duty; if I have never looked upon gods, men, animals, vegetables, and all created things as different from the imperishable, may I then attain unswervingly to that divine being, upon whom the holy sages meditate".
Having thus spoken he was united with that supreme being—Vāsudeva who is the preceptor of all the gods, who is abstract existence and whose form cannot be described. Thus he was united with Vāsudeva and obtained absorption.
A stanza was cited by the seven rishis in the days of yore—"There shall be no king on earth like Khatwanga. He came from heaven, dwelt an hour on earth, and became united with three worlds by means of his liberality and knowledge of truth".
The son of Khatwanga was Dirghābahu, whose son was Raghu, whose son was Aja, whose son was Dasaratha. The glorious god, from whose navel the lotus springs, was born for the protection of the world, as the four sons of Dasaratha—namely Rāma, Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrughna. While a boy Rāma was taken by Viswamitra to protect his sacrifice and slew Tadakā. In the sacrifice, Māricha was slain and thrown away. Suvahu and others were also slain by him. He removed the iniquity of Ahalyā by merely looking upon her. Arriving at the palace of Janaka he easily broke the bow of Maheswara, and received Sitā, self-born daughter of the king Janaka as the meed for his prowess. He humbled the pride of Parusharama—the Ketu of the Haihaya race and the slayer of all Kshatriyas. At the behest of his sire and not being sorry for the loss of kingdom he went to woods accompanied by his brother Lakshmana and his wife, where he destroyed in battle Viradha, Kara, Dusana and other Rākshasas, the headless demon Kavandha and Vali the king of monkeys. Having constructed a bridge across the deep and slain all the Rākshasas, he brought back his spouse Sitā who had been carried away by the Ten-necked Rāvana. Having purified her by the fiery ordeal, and accordingly her virtue chanted by the celestials, he returned with her to Ayodhyā.
Having slain a number of Gandharvas, Bharata became the master of their country and having slain the Rākshasa chief Lavana, the son of Madhu, Satrughna took possession of their capital Muthrā.
Having thus by their unequalled might and strength the world from the grasp of the wicked, Rāma, Lakshmana, Bharata and Satrughna went back to heaven and were followed by those inhabitants of Kosala who were one-mindedly devoted to those incarnate portions of Vishnu.
Rāma had two sons one was named Kusa and the other Lava. Lakshmana too had two sons by the name of Angada and Chandraketu. The sons of Bharata were Taksha and Pushkara. Subāhu and Surasena were the sons of Satrughna.