ramayan facts

Once, Manu and his wife Shatrupa undertook severe penance in the forest in order to be blessed by a son. So sincere and severe was their penance, that Ananta (never-endin) Vishnu appeared before them and pleased with their devotion blessed them with a boon. Manu and Shatrupa humbly said, "Lord, if you are really pleased, bless us that we may beget a son like you." Lord declared, "Indeed, I will. But there is none like me in the universe I am one of a kind. Therefore, in order to grant your wish, I will appear in the form of your son."

Manu was born in Tretayuga as Suryavanshi King Dashratha and Shatrupa as his first wife Kaushalya. As he had great control over his ten senses, he came to be known as Dashratha. He was equal to and even greater than Indra (Lord of the heavens or the Devas) in valor.

Once, when the Asura King Shambasura attacked Devloka (the Kingdom of the Gods) Devraja Indra invited Dashratha to help him in battle. Dashratha thus helped the gods against Shambasura and protected their divine dwelling in the heavens.

However this valorous king did not have any son from his three wives, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was sadly aware that he was now old and childless and so he went to Guru Vashishtha for advice. With the help of Sage Shringi from Angadesh, Vashishtha organized the Putreshti Yagna (fire sacrifice for obtain a son). Agnidev (the god of fire) appeared himself through the flames of the Yagna and offered a bowl of Kheer (a milk pudding) to Dashratha. This was distributed to the three queens and as a result, in due course Kaushalya gave birth to Rama, Kaikeyi to Bharata and Sumitra to Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

This was how Lord Vishnu fulfilled the wish he had granted to Manu and Shatrupa by taking the incarnation of Rama who was his poorna i.e. complete avatar and Bharata, Shatrughna and Lakshmana were 'Kala' or partial avatars. In fact in another birth, Dashratha and Kaushalya were Kashyap and Aditi and they had prayed for a godlike son then too.

The Suryavanshi dynasty was famous for their bravery, their steadfast fulfillment of any vow or promise, their adherence to truth and their concern for the well being of their subjects. Great Kings like Ikshavaku, Mandhata, Bhagiratha; Raghu belonged to the Suryavanshi clan. Their capital was by tradition in Ayodhya, situated between the present day Lucknow and Varanasi near Faizabad besides the river Sarayu (see map). (Ghaghra) Dashratha like his ancestors conducted the Ashwamegh Yagna (horse sacrifice where a horse is let loose and whichever kingdom that horse crosses into has to accept the owner of the horse as their lord or then fight with them) to establish his sovereignty over the land and proved himself to be the most powerful king on earth.

When Dashratha was tricked by Kaikeyi to obtain her boons from him which included a fourteen-year exile in the forest for Rama and her second boon was the coronation of her own son Bharata. King Dashratha fell in a faint when he heard Kaikeyi's demands. He remembered an incident from his own youth. As a young prince, he was out hunting one evening. Shravana Kumar, a young ascetic was collecting water in a pot for his parents who were both old and blind. When Dashratha heard the sound of the pot being filled with water, he mistook it for the sound of a deer drinking water at the river. Using just the sound cue, the aimed a Shabd Bhedi (based on sound) arrow in that direction, felling Shravana Kumar and killing him. The blind parents who had been completely dependent on Ravana, cursed Dashratha, "We are giving up our lives ever the loss of our son. You will also die of grief at being parted from your son."

When Rama heard the promise made by his father to Kaikeyi, he readily agreed to leave for the forest. Lakshmana and Sita went with him. After they left, Dashratha was so sad and grieved, that he soon breathed his last.

In the forest Rama killed Khar, Dooshan the demons. Lakshmana cut off Shoorpanakha's nose, Ravana took Sita away. Rama, with the help of Sugreeva, Hanuman, Jambvant, and Angad, built a bridge over the sea and killed Ravana in battle. The glorious deeds of his son Rama and his divine life have made Dashratha immortal in history and lore.