Dasharatha

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Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST Daśaratha) is the father of Rama, the heroic prince and avatar of Vishnu in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Within the tale Dasaratha was the king of Ayodhya and a descendant of Raghuvamsa. He had three wives, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. The son of Kaushalya was Rama, sons of Sumitra were Lakshman and Shatrughna and the son of Kaikeyi was Bharata.

[edit] In the Ramayana

The life of Dasharatha was an eventful one. The following events in the Ramayana stand out as the key events in the life of Dasaratha:

• A less known event, but of significance is the encounter between Ravana and Dasaratha. On hearing the great tales of Dasaratha, Ravana - whose ambition was to rule the three worlds, was filled with envy and send messengers to the court of Dasaratha asking the king to pay homage and tribute to Ravana else face war. Dasaratha shot off arrows that fastened the gates of Lanka's capital and informed the same to the messengers. When Ravana felt ashamed of his defeat, the arrows flew back to Ayodhya. Knowing that Dasaratha was superior to him, Ravana entered intense tapas seeking the favor of Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma appeared in front of him, Ravana asked "Lord! Bless me with this gift of Grace: let no child be born from the loins of Dasaratha"^[1]

• It is said that Dasharatha, during one of his hunting expeditions, heard a noise resembling that of elephant drinking water from a nearby waterhole, and shot an arrow in the direction. He was famous for his ability to shoot an arrow just by hearing the noise. Much to his chagrin, he found that he had instead shot a young boy called Sravana Kumar who was collecting water to quench the thirst of his blind parents. Sravana used to carry his parents everywhere on two pans of a balance supported on his shoulders. They were completely dependent on the boy and Sravana was inconsolable at the thought that they would be left without anybody to protect them. He requests the King to carry the water to his parents, as his dying wish. The old couple drank the water, not knowing that it was not being offered by their son. The king hesitantly, narrated the incident to them, who were mortally shocked. The old father cursed the king in grief, that he too would one day suffer Putrasoka (The grief of separation from one's progeny) just like they suffered at the moment. The old couple gave up their lives at the same instant, not wanting to live after consuming water offered by their son's killer.

• Years later, Dasharatha represented the Devas in a battle against the Asuras, with Kaikeyi as his charioteer. During the battle, Kaikeyi saves her husband's life. Touched by this, Dasaratha promises to grant Kaikeyi two boons when she wishes to avail of them.

These two incidents in Dasaratha's life play havoc in the future course of incidents. Rama being the eldest was anointed the crown prince. When it was time for Dashratha to renounce the throne, the ambitious Kaikeyi asked him to make good the old promise. She demands

• that her son Bharata be crowned king
• that Rama leave Ayodhya and live in exile for 14 years.

The helpless king has to agree to her demands because as a Kshatriya by Dharma, he cannot go back on his words. Rama's story is vividly captured in the epic Ramayana.

The dejected king eventually dies, unable to withstand the anguish over separation from his son, thereby fulfilling the curse of Sravana's father.

[edit] References

1. ^ (2002) Ramakatha Rasavahini. Prasanthi Nilayam: Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. ISBN 8172081324. 

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The Rāmāyaņa by Valmiki
Characters
Dasaratha | Kausalya | Sumitra | Kaikeyi | Janaka | Manthara | Rama | Bharata | Lakshmana | Shatrughna | Sita | Urmila | Mandavi | Shrutakirti | Viswamitra | Ahalya | Jatayu | Sampati | Hanuman | Sugriva | Vali | Angada | Jambavantha | Vibhishana | Tataka | Surpanakha | Maricha | Subahu | Khara | Ravana | Kumbhakarna | Mandodari | Mayasura | Indrajit | Prahasta | Akshayakumara | Atikaya | Lava | Kusha
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Ayodhya | Mithila | Lanka | Sarayu | Treta Yuga | Raghuvamsa | Lakshman Rekha | Aditya Hridayam | Oshadhiparvata | Sundara Kanda | Pushpaka Vimana | Vedavati | Vanara
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Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Indian epic poetry
Female Deities: Saraswati | Mariamman | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Gayatri | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more...
Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Murugan | Hanuman | Ayyanar | Indra | Surya | more...
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