SAGE VISHWAMITRA’S PLEA

One day, Sage Vishwamitra came to meet King Dashratha. King Dashratha alighted from his throne and rushed to the palace gates to receive the great sage. After welcoming him respectfully, Dashratha said, “O great sage, I am honoured and blessed by your presence. You have traveled such a long distance to meet me. Is there any problem? How may I help you?”
Sage Vishwamitra said, “King of Ayodhya, I am here to seek your aid. Please send your eldest and most valiant son Rama with me. I know he can fight the demons that have been disrupting my Yagnas. I know with his valour and courage, he can kill those demons that have been troubling me for so long. They are Mareecha and Subahu.”
When King Dasahratha heard Sage Vishwamitra’s words, his heart sank for he knew that his son was too young to face such strong and fierce demons. Moreover, he could not dream of parting from Rama even for a single day. So he said, “O great sage, my son Rama is too young to fight such cruel demons. Please let my strong army to fight them in person.”
Sage Vishwamitra said, “Your son Rama is the bravest and the wisest of all. Only he can defect them. Do not hesitate in sending him with me. It will be a good test for him.” “Please do not hesitate,” Sage Vishwamitra advised King Dashratha. “Let Rama go with Vishwamitra. He will soon return Ayodhya after killing those demons.”
On Sage Vashwamitra’s assurance, King Dashratha relented with a heavy heart. Rama and Lakshmana were asked to accompany Sage Vishwamitra to the Dandaka forest.
The next day, Rama and Lakshmana went with sage Vishwamitra. They crossed the river Gangas and after a while eerie sound of animals and other strange sounds. Sage Vishwamitra warned Raman ad Lakshmana saying, “Be careful sons. This part of the forest is the abode of the evil demoness, Tadaka. She hears any movement in the forest and goes on to attack the creature. Her strength equals that of a thousand elephants. You must kill her, so that the sages and creatures in this part of the forest can live in peace.”

SAGE VISHWAMITRA

Sage Vishwamitra was not a sage from always. He was a valiant king. Once he paid a visit to Sage Vashishtha’s hermitage. Sage Vashishtha welcomed the king with a grand lunch and great decorum. King Vishwamitra wondered how a sage had so much wealth. When he learnt that a divine cow named Kamadhenu was the source of wealth, he asked the sage to sell him the cow. The sage refused to give him the cow. This ensued a fierce battle between the two. All of king Vishwamitra’s attacks were foiled by the spiritual powers and divine grace up his kingdom and handed it over to his son. Then he went to meditate in the jungle to attain spiritual powers. 

After many years of meditation, he was blessed with great spiritual powers by the Gods. However, it was Sage Vashishtha who first declared him as a Brahmarishi. Since then, Sage Vashishtha and Sage Vishwamitra respected each other’s learning and powers.

HOMECOMING OF THE PRINCES

The people of Ayodhya were eagerly waiting for the arrival of the outskirts of the kingdom. Soon, the princes arrived in the grand chariot. When they saw the four handsome princes, they felt very happy. The joyous people led them to the city. The princes looked around and saw that the city had been decorated with lights and flowers to welcome them. As they approached the palace the four princes grew even more eager to see their parents.
When the chariot reached the royal palace, first of all, Rama got down from it. He saw mother Kaikeyee at the door of the palace. He rushed to her and touched her feet reverentially. Kaikeyee hugged him with love. Then Rama turned to Kaushaiya and Sumitra and touched their feet too. Meanwhile, Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughana also alighted from the chariot and touched theirs mothers’ feet. Then the princes went to meet their father. They touched his feet respectfully.
When King Dashratha saw his son’s faces shining with learning and their well-built physique, his heart swelled with joy and pride.
The king ordered food and alms to be to all the poor in the kingdom. He celebrated his son’s homecoming after long time.

EDUCATION OF THE PRINCES

When the princes became ten, king Dashratha decided to teach them the skills that a Kshatriya prince requires. King Dashratha was himself archer. He could shoot at a target even without seeing it, merely guided by the direction from which he heard or sensed a sound or movement. King Dashratha made arrangement for a learned and skilled instructor to train his four sons in archery. Time passed by. The young princes became great archers.
After a year, it was the time for the princes to gain the formal education as was the custom in those times. So the four princes were made to discard their royal robes and dressed up simple attire. Then they were sent to Sage Vashishtha’s hermitage to gain knowledge of the Vedas, which was necessary to be a good administrator. Before leaving for their guru’s hermitage, the four princes went through the sacred thread ceremony.
At Sage Vashishtha’s hermitage, the four princes proved to be obedient and intelligent pupils. Soon they had learnt a lot about being a good human being true Kshatriya and an able ruler. Soon the education of the four princes was completed. Sage Vashishtha sent a message to king Dashratha to let the princes return to the royal life once again. King Dashratha sent his trusted minister, Sumantra to fetch the princes. When Sumanantra alighted from the chariot at Sage Vashishtha’s hermitage, he first touched the learned sage’s feet and sought his blessings. Sage Vashishtha enquired about King Dashratha and residents of the royal palace. After spending some time there, Sumantra took the sage’s leave. The princes gave up their simple garments and dressed in royal robes. Rama, Lakshmana, bharata and Shartrughna then went and touched Sage Vashishtha’s feet and sought his blessings. They respected their guru and had come to love him too, for he had cared for them as a father does. Their sense of love and attachment overwhelmed their hearts. But the princes remembered their guru’s teaching and conquered those feelings and set off on their journey back to Ayodhya.

THE PRINCES IN THE PALACE & CHRISTENING OF THE PRINCES

Everyone was happy for the birth of princes in Ayodhya. He ordered everyone in the kingdom to be given free food; clothes and their king had someone to carry on the rule of the dynasty. Everyone was enjoying. 

The christening ceremony of the four princes was held thirteen days later. Kaushalya’s son was named Rama as he embodied joy and bliss. Kaikeyee’s son was named Bharata meaning supporter of the universe. Sumitra’s two sons were named Shatrughna and Lakshmana. Shatrughna as the name indicates, means one who destroys his enemies. Lakshmana means the base of the universe. 

As the infants played in their mother’s arms, their soft skin and wandering eyes made everyone want to hold them. As months passed by, the four princes grew into chubby babies crawling around the palace and crying for things they could not reach. The king and the queens enjoyed the childhood of the princes.

PARTAKING OF THE PRASAD

When King Dashratha reached the palace, the queens were in their chambers. Dashratha took half of the parsad in a silver bowl and took it to Queen Kaushalya’s chamber. She took the kheer gladly from Dashratha and ate it. Thus, Rama was born to her. Dashrath took the other half of the Prasad to Sumitta’s chamber. 

The queen took half from it and left the other half for Kaikeyee. King Dashratha took this parshad to Kaikeyee’s chamber. She also took the Prasad. But after she had taken her share, a small amount was still left in the bowl. Dashratha took this leftover to Queen Sumitra again. So Queen Sumitra received two shares of kheer and bore two sons namely lakshmana and Shatrughna. Kaikeyee also bore a son who came to be as Bharata. 

King Dashratha was really very happy. He offered thanks to the Gods for fulfilling his wish. He offered prayers to the Sun God at the banks of the Saraya River. The King Dashratha went to Sage Vashishtha, his great guru and conveyed the good news to him.

Sage Vashishtha was pleased to hear the news and said, “O great king, remember that it is your duty to care for the queens in this state. You must fulfill all the desires and cravings they will feel in this state.”

THE SURYAVANSHA

The Suryavansha used to worship the Sun God. This vansha (cian) was established by Vaivaswata Manu, who was the son God. He is also considered to be the first ruler of mankind. Manu’s eldest son, Ikshvaku built the city of Ayodhya on the bank of river Saryu. The city prospered and became the capital of the Suryavansha. All the descendants of Ikshvaku were as righteous and illustrious as him. They include Raja Harishchandra, Maharaja Sagar, Raja Bhagiratha, Raja dileep, Maharaja Raghu, Raja Aja Raja Dashratha and the great king, Lord Rama himself. Maharaja Raghu had performed the glorious Sarva Dakshina yagna. After that, the Suryavansha came to be glorified as Raghuvansha. Maharaja Raghu’s son, Aja had a righteous son named Dashratha, who also became the king of Ayodhya. He proved to be a just, a truthful and a god-fearing ruler, who always worked for the welfare of his subjects.As a valiant warrior, King Dashratha had defeated many small and weak kingdoms and had expanded his kingdom. His strength was unmatched and his wealth matched that of Lord Indra and Kubera put together. King Dashratha had attained such a great height as a benevolent king and also in spiritual matters that he came to be called a Maharishi.