Disclaimer: This translation does not guarantee complete accuracy, please confirm with the original page text.
## The Seventy-Sixth Chapter
**152.** On the Visakha Nakshatra, on the first day of the bright fortnight of Magha, a divine being named Manichula, the son of a minister, was born. He had the mark of a wheel on his body, lived for twelve thousand years, and was named Lakshmana.
**153.** Both brothers were fifteen cubits tall, possessed thirty-two auspicious marks, and were the holders of the Vanavrishabhanaraacha-samhanana. Their first Samasthan was called Samachatur-astrasam-asthan.
**154.** They were both of immeasurable power. Rama's body was as white as a swan's feather, and Lakshmana's was as blue as a blue lotus.
**155.** When Rama and Lakshmana had completed fifty-five and fifty years respectively, their time as princes, filled with the greatest prosperity, came to an end. At that time, in Ayodhya, in the land of Bharata, there was a king named Sagara.
**156.** After the first Chakravarti, Bharat Maharaj, countless kings of the Ikshvaku dynasty had ruled. After them, Harishena Maharaj, the tenth Chakravarti, had passed away and attained the state of Sarvartha-siddhi. A thousand years had passed since then.
**157.** After the passage of this time, Sagara became king. He was the ruler of an undivided kingdom and was very angry.
**158.** Once, at the Swayamvara of Sulasa, he saw a prince named Madhupingala sitting among the kings. He said, "This man is full of evil omens," and banished him from the assembly.
**159.** Madhupingala, filled with anger towards Sagara, left the Swayamvara assembly in shame. He eventually became a demon named Mahakal, after practicing self-control.
**160.** This demon was determined to destroy the lineage of Sagara.
**161.** Disguised as a Brahmin, he approached Sagara and said, "Perform the Ashta-yaga, a sacrifice prescribed in the Atharva Veda, which involves the killing of living beings. This will bring you prosperity and destroy your enemies."
**162.** Mahakal, who was not afraid of sin, deceived the foolish king with these words.
**163.** Sagara performed the sacrifice as instructed and entered the land of the sinners, the hell. His entire lineage was destroyed due to his evil deeds.
**164.** When Dasharatha heard this news, he thought, "Ayodhya has been our ancestral home for generations." He went to Ayodhya with his sons and stayed there, taking care of the city.
**165.** It was there that Bharat was born to Dasharatha's other queen. His other son, Shatrughna, was born to the same queen.