Ramayana part A

Ramayana part A

King Dasharatha was the King of the Solar Dynasty and lived in Ayodhya. He had a brother who was the king of the Videha Kingdom and lived in Mithila. Dasharatha was of the solar race and lived in a stronghold with 1,000 soldiers. He also had eight sage counselors and two family priests. He had a great life, except that none of his wives had given birth to son. He has a horse sacrifice to have a a son and the gods promised him four sons: Sumitra had twins, Kaushalya had Rama, and Kaikeyi had Bharata. 

There was drama in Dasharatha's kingdom and in the heavens. The God Vishni came to Earth as Rama, Dasharatha's son, to defeat Ravana because he could not be killed by man or monkey. 

When the Princes grow up a great sage visits them. He asks them to take on demons in battle who are disrupting the sages's and the priests. Rama battles for the first time with the heavens on his side. He fought Thatanka, the mother of Maricha, He was hesitant to defeat her but when she became invisible, he struck her with an arrow, killing her. He then used his celestial weapons to defeat Maricha. 

Rama asked about an abandoned hermitage and he was told a story about Ahalya and the sage Gautama. Their stories are connected to his own. The God Indra fell in love with Ahalya and dress as her husband so he could sleep with her. When her husband found out, he cursed her to become invisible. When Rama shows up, Ahalya is freed from the curse. 

Rama falls in love with the avatar of the God Lakshmi, Sita. Rama and his brother left the without the hermits consent to see the city of Vishvamitra, and met the kings daughter, Sita. They saw each other and immediately connected. Her dad set out a challenge to any man who wanted to marry his daughter--the potential suitor had to bend the bow of the god Shiva. Rama was able to bend  the bow (breaking it)and was then able to marry Sita. A hermit was suspicious of Rama and had him draw the bow of Vishnu. The strings were loose before, but when Rama held them they became taught.  

Because they had proved themselves, Rama and his brothers all had a wedding to their respective brides. 

Dasharatha needed a son to carry on the Solar race, but now he had four and he had to choose from them. Rama was the obvious choice because he was so qualified. But, Kaikeyi, the King's youngest wife despised Rama because of the influence of Manthara. She demanded that her husband exiled Rama and made her son, Bharata, king. Dasharatha agreed reluctantly. 

Rama followed his father's orders to be exiled for 14 years. He tries to go alone, but his wife and brother, Lakshamana, go too. They leave their home and go to the forest. 

While Rama was in exile, his father dies. He remembers long ago he was cursed to lose a son in an accident. None of his sons are there when he dies.

Raymayana and his wives

Bibliography: 

Public Domain Edition