Dasharatha and Sumitra are the parents of the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna, born on the same day as Rama and Bharata after the Putrakameshti sacrifice.
Dasharatha married Kaikeyi, princess of Kekaya, who saved his life in battle by serving as his charioteer. Their son Bharata was born after the Putrakameshti sacrifice. Kaikeyi later demanded Rama's exile and Bharata's coronation, using boons Dasharatha had granted her.
Dasharatha and Kausalya are the parents of Rama, the eldest and most beloved of the king's four sons, born after the sacred Putrakameshti fire sacrifice.
Aja, king of Ayodhya in the Solar dynasty, fathered Dasharatha, who would inherit the throne and become the father of Rama.
Young prince Dasharatha accidentally killed the ascetic Shravana while hunting at night, mistaking the sound of his water pot for an elephant drinking. Shravana's blind father cursed Dasharatha to die from separation from his own son, a curse fulfilled decades later when Rama was exiled.
Dasharatha ruled Ayodhya as king of the Solar Dynasty before his son Rama. His decision to honor Kaikeyi's boon led to Rama's fourteen-year exile from the kingdom.
Bharata was away at his grandfather's kingdom when Dasharatha exiled Rama and died of grief. Returning to find his father dead and his mother responsible, Bharata rejected the throne and ruled Ayodhya only as Rama's regent, placing Rama's sandals on the throne.
Dasharatha traveled to Mithila for the marriage of his son Rama to Sita, daughter of King Janaka. The grand wedding ceremony united all four of Dasharatha's sons with princesses of Janaka's family, forging an alliance between the Solar and Videha dynasties.
Dasharatha fought alongside the devas against the asuras in a celestial war. During the battle, Kaikeyi served as his charioteer when his driver was incapacitated, saving his life. In gratitude, Dasharatha promised her two boons — the same boons she later used to demand Rama's exile.
Manthara, Kaikeyi's hunchbacked maidservant, manipulated her mistress into demanding Rama's exile from Dasharatha. Her scheming reminded Kaikeyi of Dasharatha's two unfulfilled boons and turned the queen against the coronation, directly causing the king's death from grief.
Dasharatha's decision to exile Rama — compelled by Kaikeyi's boons — and his subsequent death from grief are the pivotal events of the Ramayana's Ayodhya Kanda. Rama accepted exile to uphold his father's word, honoring Dasharatha's dharma even as it destroyed the king.
Rishyashringa performed the Putrakameshti sacrifice for Dasharatha at Ayodhya, the ritual that invoked Vishnu's aid and produced the divine payasam from which Rama and his brothers were born.
Vasishtha counseled Dasharatha to perform the Putrakameshti sacrifice to obtain sons, and later persuaded the reluctant king to release young Rama into Vishwamitra's care for the protection of the sage's rituals.
Vishnu answered Dasharatha's Putrakameshti sacrifice by agreeing to incarnate as Rama, sending celestial payasam to the queens to effect his birth as the seventh avatar.
Vishwamitra came to Dasharatha's court requesting Rama's aid against the demons Maricha and Subahu who were disrupting his sacrifices. Despite his anguish at sending his son into danger, Dasharatha relented after Vasishtha counseled that the sage's mission served a divine purpose.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more