KAILASA Library/Who is THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM - The many dimensions of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM/King DasharathaSign in
Who is THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM - The many dimensions of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

King Dasharatha

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King Dasharatha with his queens
  • Dasharatha was a descendant of the Raghuvansha-Ikshvaku-Suryavansha dynasty and the Maharaja of Ayodhya as mentioned in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.
  • Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He had three wives: Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra and out of the union bore Rama (the incarnation of Vishnu and main figure in the Ramayana), Bharatha, Lakshmana, Shatrughna. King Dasarath was incarnation of Dronavasu Bramhin.
  • Dasharatha performed a special putrakameshti yajna (powerful fire ritual) to beget sons, as all three of his wives were unable to bear children. Through the yajna were born Lord Rama to his eldest wife, Kausalya, Bharata to his second wife Kaikeyi, and Lakshmana and Shatrughana to Sumitra.
  • Due to previously promised boons to Kaikeyi, Dasharatha is obliged to fulfil her wish for her son Bharata to be King, and for Lord Rama to be banished from the kingdom..
  • Dasharatha is extremely distraught at having to banish his son, but being a man of his word, agrees to his wife's request. The turn of events during a period of 14 years see Rama crowned as King of Ayodhya.