Agastya’s Kāṅkaṇas for Kuśa and Lava

In Chapter 17 of the Rājya Khaṇḍa of the Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Agastya Maharshi gave two divine kāṅkaṇas to Kuśa and Lava, the sons of Bhagavān Rāma. He gave one to each son. The Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa tells only that the gift was made; it does not describe the scene in detail.

The kāṅkaṇas

A kāṅkaṇa is a bangle or armlet worn on the wrist. In rituals it has great meaning. The kāṅkaṇa worn on the wrist at a yajña (fire ritual) or at a marriage is a sign of a holy vow.

The kāṅkaṇas that Agastya gave are divine objects. They protect the wearer and give strength. They were fitting gifts from one of the most powerful ṛshis to the sons of Bhagavān Rāma.

One kāṅkaṇa went to Kuśa and one to Lava. In this way Agastya honoured both sons of Rāma equally.

Agastya and Rāma

Agastya had a long bond with Rāma. He gave Rāma the Āditya Hṛdayam during the war at Laṅkā. He was the ṛshi of the southern quarter, who drank the ocean and made the south open for dharmic work. His āśrama in the Daṇḍakāraṇya was a place Rāma visited during the forest exile, and again on the later journey told in the Vivāha Khaṇḍa.

The gift of the kāṅkaṇas goes on from this. Agastya, who had stood by Rāma’s work, now gave his blessing to Rāma’s sons.

The visit to Mudgala’s āśrama

Chapter 17 also speaks of a visit to the āśrama of the muni Mudgala. His āśrama is one of the holy places in the land through which the events of this chapter move. These events include the Hema svayaṃvara (the choosing of a husband by a bride), the meeting with Agastya, and the accounts of Śveta-rāja and Chandravadanā. Mudgala is a ṛshi of high standing in the Vedic and Purāṇic tradition.

Sources

• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Rājya Khaṇḍa, Chapter 17