Rāma Avatāra: Son of Daśaratha

Rāma, the eldest son of King Daśaratha and Kausalyā, is the seventh of the ten Daśāvatāra (the ten chief avatāras of Bhagavān Vishṇu). He was born in the Ikshvāku line at Ayodhyā in the Tretāyuga to destroy Rāvaṇa and the other rākshasas. He stands for dharma (right conduct), courage and devotion to his father. His life is told in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, the Agni Purāṇa, the Padma Mahā Purāṇa, the Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa and the Varāha Mahā Purāṇa.

In the Varāha Purāṇa, the name “Rāma” itself is explained, and King Supratīka sings a Rāma-stotra. The Tretāyuga king Daśaratha is also linked there to the lineage of the gem-warriors.

Rāma in the Varāha Purāṇa

Bhūdevī remembers the avatāra (Chapter 1)

Bhūdevī recalls Bhagavān Vishṇu’s deeds and says:

“And bearing the kshatriya power, you destroyed the rākshasa Rāvaṇa. O Deva, I do not know even a little of your līlā.”

The meaning of the name “Rāma” (Chapter 12)

King Supratīka went to Bhagavān Vishṇu on the mountain Citrakūṭa. He thought:

“Vishṇu is praised by the name ‘Rāma’ at this mountain, Citrakūṭa. I will praise the Jagatpati with the name Rāma.”

His stotra gives the reason for the name:

“Because you dwell (ramati) everywhere, in all light and in all things, you are not something different from this world, yet the world is upheld through you. For this reason you are called Rāma.”

“Those who recite ‘Rāma’ in the forests as practisers of tapas sing to you. This is what makes you Rāma. This world is upheld by you.”

The Matsya, Kūrma and Varāha forms are also linked to this. Rāma is the name that holds the all-pervading presence (sarvāntar-vyāpti) of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Supratīka’s Rāma-stotra (Chapter 12)

King Supratīka’s full stotra praises Bhagavān Vishṇu as Rāma and brings all the avatāra forms together.

“Salutation to Rāmacandra: the nara-nātha, the Acyuta, the Kavi, the Purātana, the destroyer of asuras, the Maṅgala-svarūpa, the Samartha, the Maheśvara, the one who removes the ārti of those who take refuge, the home of Lakshmī.”

This is a salutation to Rāmacandra under many names. It calls him the ruler of men, the unfailing one, the wise poet, the ancient one, the destroyer of asuras, the form of auspiciousness, the capable one, the great Īśvara, the remover of the pain of those who take refuge, and the home of Lakshmī.

“Prabhu Vishṇu! You give light to all lights. You take all forms. In the earth you dwell with five guṇas; in water with four; in fire with three; in wind with two; in sky with one. O Hari, you are the Purushottama with a body of nāda.”

“You are Candra, Sūrya and Agni, at all times and in all places, and you are indestructible. This whole world is merged into you. It stays (ramati) in you without separation, so you are Rāma. The existence of the universe comes from you.”

“Mādhava! In each yuga you took the Kūrma form during the churning of the ocean. None equals Janārdana. You yourself are the supreme Bhūta.”

“Mahātman! This whole universe is filled with you. You yourself know all directions. Ādya, Paraṃdhāman, how can I take refuge in another and leave you?”

Daśaratha and the gem-warriors (Chapter 36)

King Daśaratha, the father of Rāma, was born in the Tretāyuga as the rebirth of the gem-warrior Kānta of the Kṛtayuga. The gem of Gauramukha produced fifteen warriors. One of them, Kānta, took birth as King Daśaratha in the Tretāyuga.

The chain runs like this: the gem, then the gem-warrior Kānta, then King Daśaratha, then Bhagavān Vishṇu born as Rāma.

Rāma Dvādaśī in the month of Jyeshṭha (Chapter 45)

This is a vrata (a vow of observance) kept on Dvādaśī in the month of Jyeshṭha.

Archanā mantras. Each mantra is spoken while worshipping one part of the mūrti (image).

Oṃ namo Rāmābhirāmāya

This mantra is for the feet.

Trivikramāya namaḥ

This mantra is for the waist.

Dhṛtaviśvāya namaḥ

This mantra is for the belly.

Saṃvatsarāya namaḥ

This mantra is for the chest.

Saṃvartakāya namaḥ

This mantra is for the throat.

Sarvāstradhāriṇe namaḥ

This mantra is for the arms.

Sahasraśirase namaḥ

This mantra is for the head.

The image. The image is a pair of gold images of Rāma and Lakshmaṇa. They are given to a brāhmaṇa on the morning of Dvādaśī.

The example of King Daśaratha. The king Daśaratha had no children. The ṛshi Vasishṭha taught him this very vrata and explained the “ancient secret” (pūrva-kālīna rahasyam). Daśaratha kept the Jyeshṭha Dvādaśī vrata. Then Bhagavān Vishṇu, the Avyaya (the imperishable one), was born as his son Rāma. At the same time he took birth in three other forms, Lakshmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna. He divided his Brahmāṇḍa-body into four.

The fruit (phala).

In this life, all desires are fulfilled.
In the next life, the keeper of the vrata spends fourteen Indra-reigns in svarga (heaven). He is then born again as a great king who performs a hundred yajñas.
All pāpa (sin) is destroyed, and complete and eternal nirvāṇa is reached.

The purpose of worship (Chapter 48). The Varāha Purāṇa says:

“To destroy cruel enemies, worship Daśaratha-Rāma.”

Rāma in the Agni Purāṇa

The Agni Purāṇa gives the whole Rāmāyaṇa in short form in Chapters 5 to 11. It follows the account that Nārada gave to Vālmīki. Each kāṇḍa (book) has its own chapter. Together they cover the story from the birth of Bhagavān Rāma to his last ascent to Vaikuṇṭha.

Ikshvāku lineage and birth (Chapter 5)

The Agni Purāṇa traces the Solar dynasty from its cosmic beginning. From the lotus in the navel of Bhagavān Vishṇu came Brahmā. From Brahmā came Marīci, from Marīci came Kaśyapa, from Kaśyapa came Sūrya, from Sūrya came Vaivasvata Manu, and from Manu came Ikshvāku. In the line of Ikshvāku came Kakutstha. From Kakutstha came Raghu, from Raghu came Aja, and from Aja was born Daśaratha.

Bhagavān Vishṇu wished to kill Rāvaṇa and the other rākshasas. He came down in four parts as the sons of Daśaratha. He was born as Rāma from Kausalyā, as Bharata from Kaikeyī, and as Lakshmaṇa and Śatrughna from Sumitrā. The ṛshi Ṛshyaśṛṅga performed the putrakāmeshṭi yajña (the fire ritual for gaining sons). From it came the pāyasam (sweet milk-rice). The queens ate their portions, and Rāma and his brothers were born, each equal to his father in virtue.

Bālakāṇḍa: the journey with Viśvāmitra (Chapter 5)

The ṛshi Viśvāmitra came to Daśaratha and asked for help to guard his yajña from the rākshasas. Daśaratha sent the young Rāma with Lakshmaṇa. Rāma killed the rākshasī Tāṭakā. He received the divine astras and śastras (weapons) from Viśvāmitra. He drove Mārīca away with the mānava astra, which left Mārīca unconscious. He killed the rākshasa Subāhu and his forces, and so protected the yajña.

After that, Rāma and Lakshmaṇa went with Viśvāmitra to the court of King Janaka of Mithilā. They went to see his yajña and the great bow of Śiva. Rāma strung the bow with ease and then broke it. King Janaka was glad and gave his daughter Sītā to Rāma in marriage. Sītā was born from a furrow in the ritual field. The fathers came together and agreed, and the weddings were held. Sītā married Rāma. Māṇḍavī married Bharata. Ūrmilā married Lakshmaṇa. Śrutakīrti, the daughter of Janaka’s brother Kuśadhvaja, married Śatrughna.

On the way back to Ayodhyā, Rāma and his party met the great Bhārgava Paraśurāma. Rāma answered Paraśurāma’s challenge and overcame him, and so showed his supreme nature.

Ayodhyākāṇḍa: the exile (Chapter 6)

Bharata had gone to the home of his mother’s brother. Daśaratha then told all the ministers and citizens that he would install Rāma as yuvarāja (crown prince) the next morning. Rāma heard his father’s words with joy and kept the prescribed vrata that night. The ministers agreed with the decision. They were Vasishṭha, Sujña, Jayanta, Vijaya, Siddhārtha, Rāshṭravardhana, Aśoka, Dharmapāla and Sumantra.

Then the king went to Kaikeyī’s rooms. Her hunchbacked companion Mantharā bore a grudge against Rāma and had already poisoned Kaikeyī’s mind. Mantharā reminded Kaikeyī of the two vara (boons) that Daśaratha had given her on a battlefield, when she saved his life. She urged Kaikeyī to ask for them now. The first was that Bharata be crowned yuvarāja. The second was that Rāma be sent to the forest for fourteen years. Kaikeyī went into the chamber of anger and lay on the ground as if struck down.

Daśaratha had sworn a solemn oath on Rāma himself, so he could not refuse. He wept and called Kaikeyī’s resolve the work of death. Rāma heard the decree and bowed to his father and to Kaikeyī without any blame. He gave away his possessions to brāhmaṇas, to the afflicted and to the poor. Then he left with Sītā and Lakshmaṇa. They spent that night on the bank of the river Tamasā. By morning they had left the weeping citizens behind.

Daśaratha fell into grief and died calling “Rāma, Rāma.” The śāpa (curse) of a blind brāhmaṇa had now ripened. Daśaratha had once killed that brāhmaṇa’s only son by mistake, with a śabdabhedī arrow (an arrow shot at a sound) by the Sarayū.

Bharata was called back from his uncle’s home. He learned of his father’s death and of Kaikeyī’s treachery. He denounced his mother and performed his father’s funeral rites on the bank of the Sarayū. Then he set out to find Rāma. He reached Rāma on Citrakūṭa by way of the river Prayāga and begged him to return and rule. Rāma held firm to his father’s word. He replied: “Take my pādukās (sandals) and reign from Nandigrāma. The throne belongs to you by our father’s command.”

Bharata went back to Ayodhyā but refused to live in the palace. He settled in Nandigrāma. There he placed the pādukās on the throne and ruled the kingdom in their name for all fourteen years.

Araṇyakāṇḍa: the forest exile (Chapter 7)

Rāma left Citrakūṭa. He took leave of the ascetics Atri, Anasūyā, Śarabhaṅga, Sutīkshṇa and the brother of Agastya. At last he met the great ṛshi Agastya himself. From Agastya he received a divine bow, a sword and a quiver of inexhaustible arrows.

Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa settled at Pañcavaṭī, on the bank of the Godāvarī in Janapasthāna, within the Daṇḍakāraṇya. They lived there in peace.

Then Śūrpaṇakhā came. She was seized with desire for Rāma and tried to devour Sītā and Lakshmaṇa. At Rāma’s command, Lakshmaṇa cut off her nose and ears. Śūrpaṇakhā fled to her brother Khara and stirred him up with the story of her shame. She said she would live only if Rāma and Lakshmaṇa were killed and she could drink their blood. Khara set out with fourteen thousand rākshasas and the generals Dūshaṇa and Triśiras. Rāma met them in battle and destroyed them all. He sent Triśiras, Dūshaṇa and Khara himself to the realm of Yama.

Śūrpaṇakhā then went to Laṅkā and fell at the feet of Rāvaṇa. She urged him to carry off Sītā. Rāvaṇa persuaded Mārīca to take the form of a golden deer and draw Rāma away from the āśrama. Mārīca himself knew that the result could only be his death. Sītā was charmed by the beauty of the deer and sent Rāma after it. Rāma killed it, and Mārīca cried out in Rāma’s voice. Sītā forced Lakshmaṇa to go to his brother’s aid.

Rāvaṇa came in the form of a sannyāsī (a renunciant) and found Sītā alone. He took her by force in his flying chariot and flew toward Laṅkā. Jaṭāyu, the king of the vultures, tried to stop him and fought him in the sky. Rāvaṇa cut off his wings, and the badly wounded Jaṭāyu fell to the earth. Rāvaṇa brought Sītā to Laṅkā and held her in the Aśokavana.

Kishkindhākāṇḍa (Chapter 8)

Rāma came to the lake Pampā in grief. He visited the ascetic Śabarī and then went on. Hanumān came on behalf of Sugrīva to look at the two brothers. He led Rāma to Sugrīva on the mountain Ṛshyamūka. Rāma and Sugrīva made an alliance.

To show his strength, Rāma shot one arrow through seven tāla trees. With one foot he threw the body of the asura Dundubhi ten yojanas. Then Rāma killed Vāli, the elder brother who had driven Sugrīva out of the kingdom and had taken his wife Rumā. Sugrīva was made king of Kishkindhā. Tārā and the monkey kingdom were given to him.

After the rainy season Sugrīva put off his duty. Lakshmaṇa reminded him of Rāma’s cause. Sugrīva gathered the monkey forces and sent search parties in all four directions, with a deadline of one month. Hanumān carried Rāma’s ring and was sent south, the direction that led to Laṅkā. On the Vindhya mountain the southern party learned from the bird Sampāti, the brother of Jaṭāyu, that Sītā was in Laṅkā. They gained new hope.

Sundarakāṇḍa (Chapter 9)

Jāmbavān reminded Hanumān of his divine powers. Hanumān leaped over the ocean, a hundred yojanas wide, with a mighty jump from the southern shore. On the way he overcame obstacles. He saw the mountain Maināka rise from the sea and passed it. He killed the rākshasī Siṃhikā, who tried to swallow him.

In Laṅkā he searched every dwelling: the inner rooms of Rāvaṇa, the houses of Kumbha, Kumbhakarṇa, Vibhīshaṇa and Indrajit, and the drinking halls. Sītā was nowhere. In despair he entered the Aśokavana. From the śiṃśapā tree he saw Sītā surrounded by rākshasīs. He saw Rāvaṇa threaten her and saw Sītā refuse him firmly.

After Rāvaṇa left, Hanumān showed himself to Sītā. He gave her Rāma’s ring and told her that Rāma would come with Sugrīva’s forces to free her. Sītā gave Hanumān a precious gem as a token for Rāma. Hanumān offered to carry her away at once on his back. Sītā answered: “Let Rāma himself come and take me. That alone is right.”

Hanumān then destroyed the Aśokavana on purpose. He killed the guards of the garden and the seven sons of the ministers. He killed Aksha, the son of Rāvaṇa, in battle. Indrajit caught him with the Brahmāstra and brought him before Rāvaṇa. Hanumān spoke boldly and warned Rāvaṇa to give Sītā back or face death. His tail was set on fire. Hanumān broke free and swept through Laṅkā with the burning tail, and the city blazed. He put out his tail in the ocean, returned to the monkey army and reported: “I have seen Sītā.”

Yuddhakāṇḍa (Chapter 10)

Aṅgada went to Rāvaṇa as a messenger with the last demand to return Sītā. Rāvaṇa refused. Rāma marched to the southern shore with the whole vānara army. The ocean gave no path, so Rāma threatened it with arrows. The deva of the ocean appeared and told him that Nala, the son of Viśvakarma, knew how to build a bridge. Nala built the great setu (bridge) from trees and mountains, and the army crossed.

Vibhīshaṇa had advised Rāvaṇa to return Sītā and had been driven away. He came to Rāma’s side. Rāma received him and crowned him king of Laṅkā.

The battle began. Rāma’s forces were Hanumān, Aṅgada, Nīla, Jāmbavān, Nala and countless other vānaras with Sugrīva. They fought the rākshasa army. Rāvaṇa woke Kumbhakarṇa. After drinking a thousand pots of wine, Kumbhakarṇa rose and joined the battle and crushed the monkey forces. Sugrīva bit off his ears and nose, but Kumbhakarṇa kept on eating. At last Rāma cut off his arms, his legs and finally his head with arrows.

Indrajit fought with māyā (illusion) and bound Rāma and Lakshmaṇa with serpent-arrows. Hanumān fetched the physician Susheṇa and then brought the mountain that bore the Sañjīvanī herb, and Rāma and Lakshmaṇa were revived. Lakshmaṇa then killed Indrajit at his yajña in Nikumbhilā.

Rāvaṇa himself came into the battle. Rāma struck him again and again and cut off his heads and arms, but they grew back each time. Then the ṛshi Agastya came and taught Rāma the Āditya-hṛdaya stotra. With this and the Brahmāstra, Rāma pierced Rāvaṇa’s heart and brought him down. The rākshasa women wept for their fallen husbands, and at Rāma’s order Vibhīshaṇa comforted them.

Sītā was called from the Aśokavana. She entered the fire (agni-parīkshā) to show her purity, and Agni gave her back to Rāma, pure. The devas, Brahmā, and also Daśaratha, who appeared from the celestial world, praised Rāma as Vishṇu himself. At Rāma’s request Indra sent down amṛta to revive the fallen vānara warriors.

Rāma and Sītā boarded the Pushpaka vimāna and flew north. Rāma showed Sītā the forests and fortresses on the way. They landed at Nandigrāma, where Bharata bowed down before Rāma. From there they went to Ayodhyā, where Vasishṭha and all the mothers received them. Rāma was consecrated as king and honoured the brāhmaṇas with great gifts. Then Rāmarājya (the rule of Rāma) began.

Uttarakāṇḍa (Chapter 11)

After the victory, the ṛshi Agastya and other ṛshis came to Rāma in Ayodhyā and told him the full lineage of Rāvaṇa. Brahmā begot Pulastya. Pulastya begot Viśravas. Viśravas had two wives. The first was Ilavilā, also called Pushpodbhavā, and from her Kubera was born. The second was the dānavī Kaikasī, and from her were born Rāvaṇa, with twenty arms and ten heads, Kumbhakarṇa the sleeping warrior, the righteous Vibhīshaṇa, and Śūrpaṇakhā. Rāvaṇa’s son Meghanāda, also called Indrajit, was born mightier than Rāvaṇa himself. When the ṛshis told this, Rāma was confirmed in his cosmic function.

By Rāma’s command, Śatrughna went and killed the rākshasa Lavaṇa and brought the region of Mathurā under order. By Rāma’s command, Bharata fought and killed the gandharva Śailūsha on the shore of the Sindhu. He placed his own sons Taksha and Pushkara as rulers of those lands. Rāma ruled in perfect dharma. He performed aśvamedha yajñas, gave great gifts and protected the people like a father.

Then came the crisis of Sītā. Because of loka-apavāda (the murmuring of the people), Rāma sadly sent Sītā, who was carrying his child, to the āśrama of Vālmīki at the edge of the forest. There Sītā gave birth to two sons, Kuśa and Lava. They grew up and learned the whole Rāmāyaṇa from Vālmīki himself. Rāma held a great yajña, and the boys sang the Rāmāyaṇa in his court. Rāma knew them by their likeness to himself and by the story of his own life. He consecrated Kuśa and Lava as rulers of their kingdoms.

Rāma had finished his task on earth. He ruled in righteousness for ten thousand years over the world with his celestial bow and performed many yajñas. Then he left for Vaikuṇṭha. Bharata, Lakshmaṇa, Śatrughna, the citizens and all of Ayodhyā went with him. Sītā’s son Kuśa inherited the kingdom.

Rāma in the Pātāla Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa

The Pātāla Khaṇḍa of the Padma Mahā Purāṇa (Chapters 1–66) gives a detailed account of Rāma’s life after the victory over Rāvaṇa. It covers the return to Ayodhyā, the Rāmarājya, the Aśvamedha yajña and the final settlement with Sītā.

Return to Ayodhyā and coronation (Chapters 1–4)

After killing Rāvaṇa, Rāma returned to Ayodhyā in the Pushpaka vimāna. Bharata had waited at Nandigrāma, with Rāma’s pādukās on the throne. He received Rāma with prostrations and offered the kingdom back. Kauśalyā blessed Sītā with words of deep love. The ministers called astrologers, who found the auspicious moment. They then consecrated Rāma as ruler of the great kingdom. From the day of the coronation, the hearts of good people became glad and the hearts of the wicked became weary. Natural calamities ended.

Rāmarājya (Chapters 4–5)

Rāma’s rule is described through a famous series of poetic paradoxes: “Men were not andha (blind) because of wealth, and were not without food. Only women had rajas (monthly flow), yet people did not act unrighteously. Only chariots went the wrong way, not royal officers. A thousand and eleven years passed in this righteous protection of the earth.” On his coronation the devas praised Rāma in a beautiful stotra.

The burden of brahmahatyā and Agastya’s counsel (Chapters 6–8)

Agastya Maharshi visited Ayodhyā. Rāma asked him to tell the lineage of Rāvaṇa. Rāma learned that Rāvaṇa was born a brāhmaṇa, from Pulastya through Viśravas, and he fell unconscious with grief. He had known Rāvaṇa’s brāhmaṇa lineage and had killed him on purpose, so he had taken on brahmahatyā (the guilt of killing a brāhmaṇa). Agastya comforted Rāma. He said that Rāvaṇa was in truth Rāma’s own servant from Vaikuṇṭha, who had become a rākshasa through a śāpa (a curse). Even so, Rāma stayed firm in dharma and insisted on doing prāyaścitta (atonement). Agastya prescribed the Aśvamedha.

The Aśvamedha (Chapters 8–66)

Rāma performed the Aśvamedha as Agastya had prescribed. The horse had a white body, dark ears, a red face and a yellow tail, and was as fast as the mind. It was let go on the full moon of Vaiśākha, with a golden note of proclamation on its forehead. Śatrughna was made the guardian of the horse, with Pushkala as rear-guard and Hanumān as adviser.

Rāma himself kept celibacy and slept on the ground. Throughout the yajña he gave wealth without pause to the poor and the blind. Vasishṭha was the chief ṛtvik (priest), Agastya was the Brahma-priest and Vālmīki was the Adhvaryu-priest.

The horse travelled for two years across the land and led to battles with many kings. In the end it was seized at Vālmīki’s āśrama by Lava, who was Rāma’s own son.

Sītā is sent away (Chapters 56–59)

Rāma had ruled righteously for more than a thousand years. Then a washerman spoke against Sītā in Rāma’s city. This washerman was the rebirth of a male parrot. In Sītā’s childhood she had held a pair of parrots, and the female parrot, dying, had laid a śāpa on the male.

Rāma put his spotless fame above his personal bonds. He told Lakshmaṇa to take Sītā to the forest on the pretext of visiting female ascetics. Sītā went gladly, not knowing she was being left. In the forest Lakshmaṇa told her the truth. She gave him a last message for Rāma:

“Even knowing me to be without fault, you left me. O lord of the earth, you alone should be my husband in every birth. Now I shall live in the forest, keeping safe Rāma’s seed in my womb.”

Rāma knows Kuśa and Lava (Chapters 60–66)

Lava seized the Aśvamedha horse, and Kuśa defeated Śatrughna in battle. Rāma himself went to the battlefield. He saw the two boys, very beautiful, with faces just like his own. He knew them as his sons. Vālmīki confirmed it, sang their praises and asked Rāma to take Sītā back. Varuṇa spoke of Sītā’s greatness and purity. The yajña was thus completed through the family reunion that it was meant to bring about.

Rāma in the Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa

The third Skanda of the Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa tells the Rāma narrative mainly to show the power of the Śāradīya Navarātra vrata. Nārada comes down to Kishkindhā and tells the story of Sītā’s past life. Within this setting Rāma is taught the worship of Devī, and Bhagavatī Devī herself appears to him on the night of Ashṭamī and gives him victory.

Nārada comes to Kishkindhā (Chapters 29–30)

Vāli had died and Sugrīva had been made king of Kishkindhā. Rāma and Lakshmaṇa spent the four months of the rainy season at Kishkindhā, in deep grief over the abduction of Sītā. Rāma wept to Lakshmaṇa: “If Sītā is not found, I cannot live. Without her I cannot go back to Ayodhyā. My kingdom is gone, the exile remains, my father has died, and my beloved has been taken. The rākshasa Rāvaṇa shames our dynasty.”

Lakshmaṇa comforted him. He spoke of how circumstances do not last, how fortune turns, and how good it is to stay steady in hard times. He reminded Rāma of his divine nature and begged him not to grieve like an ordinary man (Chapter 29).

Then the Devarshi Nārada came down from the celestial world, playing his great vīṇā and singing the Bṛhadratha Sāmagāna. Rāma received him with every honour, with āsana (a seat), arghya and pādya (water offerings), and sat at the ṛshi’s feet. Nārada said:

“O Rāghava! Why do you grieve like an ordinary man? Rāvaṇa has taken Sītā. I know this. He did not understand that he was taking his own death in his arms. You were born exactly to destroy him.

“In a past life Sītā was a ṛshi’s daughter. Rāvaṇa met her in the forest. He spoke roughly to her and seized her by the hair with force. She thought her body was made impure by his touch and decided to give it up. In anger she laid a śāpa (a curse) on him: ‘O wicked one! I will be born on the earth without a womb, to bring about your destruction.’ Then she gave up her body.

“That woman of the past life and this Sītā are one. She is a part (aṃśa) of Lakshmī herself. Rāvaṇa has seized her as one might grasp a cobra, thinking it a garland. He is bringing destruction on his own family. Sītā is now in Laṅkā, lost in meditation on you alone. Indra himself came down and sent her kāmadhenu milk in a vessel. By drinking that divine milk she lives without hunger or thirst.” (Chapter 30)

The instruction in the Śāradīya Navarātra (Chapter 30)

Nārada then told Rāma: “O Sītāpati! I will tell you the vrata that will let you kill Rāvaṇa. You must keep the Śāradīya Navarātra vrata in the month of Āśvayuja, in the autumn season, with full faith. Fast for nine days. Worship Devī with japa (chanting), homa (fire offering) and bali (offering). By the power of this vrata, every siddhi (accomplishment) will come to you like fruit in your palm.

“Long ago Mahāvishṇu, Śiva, Brahmā and Indra all kept this very Navarātra. The ṛshis Vasishṭha, Bhṛgu, Kaśyapa and Viśvāmitra have all kept this vrata and gained great fruit. Even Bṛhaspati kept it when his wife was taken away. Indra kept it before he killed Vṛtra. Śiva kept it before he destroyed Tripura.

“The Devī of this vrata is the eternal Parāśakti. It is her caitanya (consciousness) alone that makes all beings move. Without her, not even Brahmā, Vishṇu or Rudra can act. I myself will serve as ācārya (teacher and guide) for this rite.”

The Navarātra on the Kishkindhā peak (Chapter 30)

Rāma trusted Nārada’s words fully. He had a raised pīṭha (seat) built and set up the image of Jagadambikā on it. When the month of Āśvayuja came near, Rāma performed the Devī Navarātra on the peak of the Kishkindhā mountain, with Lakshmaṇa beside him and Nārada as ācārya. He fasted and worshipped Devī by the prescribed rule with pūjā, homa and bali. He kept on with steady devotion through all nine days and nights.

Devī appears and gives the victory vara (Chapter 30)

At midnight on the night of Ashṭamī, Bhagavatī Devī was pleased with Rāma’s devotion (bhaktibhāva). She appeared in her shining form, seated on a throne on top of the mountain. In a voice as deep as thunderclouds, she spoke to Rāma and Lakshmaṇa:

“Rāma! Rāma! O mighty-armed one! I am well pleased with the vrata you have kept. Ask for any vara (boon) you wish.”

She then named his divine identity through all the ages. She said that he was born from a part of Nārāyaṇa in the solar line of Manu, at the prayer of the devas for the destruction of Rāvaṇa. She said that, as Matsya, he killed the asura and protected the Vedas. As Kūrma, he carried the mountain Mandara during the churning. As Varāha, he held the earth on his tusk and killed Hiraṇyāksha. As Narasiṃha, he destroyed Hiraṇyakaśipu and protected Prahlāda. As Vāmana, he humbled the pride of Bali. As Paraśurāma, he wiped out the kshatriyas and gave the earth to the brāhmaṇas.

She said that Lakshmaṇa was born from a part of Śesha and would kill the son of Rāvaṇa. She said that all his avatāra forms were made powerful by her own mahāśakti (great power). She told him to keep the Vāsanta Navarātra as well.

Then she gave the vara (boon) of victory: “You will build a bridge across the ocean. You will destroy the wicked Rāvaṇa. You will set up Rāmarājya on the earth for eleven thousand years. After that you will rise to the celestial world.” With these words Devī withdrew into the unmanifest.

The campaign begins (Chapters 27–30)

On Daśamī, the Vijayā Daśamī, Rāma did the Vijayā pūjā, gave many gifts (dāna) and set out on his victory march (jaitrayātrā). Empowered by Parāśakti, he went with Sugrīva’s vānara forces and Lakshmaṇa. He built the great setu, killed Rāvaṇa, made Vibhīshaṇa king of Laṅkā and returned to Ayodhyā. There he ruled in unbroken Rāmarājya for eleven thousand years.

The Devī Bhāgavata gives this account as the chief example of the power of the Navarātra vrata. It says that through this vrata Rāma gained amita vikrama, unlimited strength.

Rāma in the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa

Bāla Kāṇḍa

The Bāla Kāṇḍa gives the full story of Rāma’s birth, his qualities, his early life and the events that led to his marriage with Sītā.

Nārada describes Rāma to Vālmīki as the living form of all virtues. He is deep as the ocean, firm as the Himālaya in endurance, mighty as Vishṇu in strength, gentle as the moon in grace, fierce as fire to the enemies of his devotees, patient as the earth in forbearance, generous as Kubera in giving, and truthful in speech like Dharma-deva (Chapter 1).

Birth. Rāma was born on Caitra Śukla Navamī, under the nakshatra Punarvasu (fourth pāda), with Karkaṭaka lagna (rising sign). The five planets Sūrya, Aṅgāraka, Guru, Śukra and Śani were all in their signs of exaltation, which were Mesha, Makara, Karkaṭaka, Mīna and Tulā in that order. Guru and Candra were together in Karkaṭaka. Budha and Āditya were together in Mesha. Vasishṭha gave him the name Rāma, “one who brings joy to all,” on the eleventh day (Chapter 18).

With Viśvāmitra. When Rāma was about sixteen years old, Viśvāmitra Maharshi came to Ayodhyā and asked Daśaratha to send Rāma to protect his yajña. On the bank of the Sarayū, Viśvāmitra taught Rāma the Balā and Atibalā vidyās. After that Rāma did these things:

He killed Tāṭakā with the śabda-vedhi vidyā.
He received a huge store of divine weapons from Viśvāmitra.
He protected the yajña at Siddhāśrama, sending Mārīca a hundred yojanas into the sea and killing Subāhu.
He freed Ahalyā Devī at Gautama’s āśrama by the touch of his foot.
He broke the great bow of Śiva at Mithilā and married Sītā Devī.
He overcame Paraśurāma on the way back.

The Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa tells this in the Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapters 22–75.

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa

The Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa tells of Rāma’s exile and of what followed in Ayodhyā. Kaikeyī’s two vara (boons) sent Rāma to the forest and made Bharata yuvarāja. Rāma heard the news calmly and agreed at once to go. He did this because he held his father’s honour and a given word above all else. He accepted fourteen years of exile and kept his father’s word (pitṛ-vākya-pālana) (Chapters 18–19).

Rāma gave his possessions to brāhmaṇas and to the afflicted. Then he set out with Sītā and Lakshmaṇa in the chariot of Sumantra. The road south went to the banks of the Tamasā, where they spent the first night of the exile. It then went through Kosala to Śṛṅgaverapura, where Guha, the Nishāda king, served them with devotion. They crossed the Gaṅgā. At Prayāga, Bharadvāja Maharshi welcomed them kindly and sent them on to Citrakūṭa. There Vālmīki Maharshi welcomed them. Lakshmaṇa built the parṇaśālā (leaf hut), and Rāma did the vāstu pūjā before they entered (Chapters 44–56).

Daśaratha died. Bharata came to Citrakūṭa with the royal assembly and begged Rāma to return and rule. Rāma refused and held that his father’s command could not be set aside. The priest Jābāli put forward a nāstika argument (the view that denies the Vedas and the next world), urging Rāma to drop his sense of duty. Rāma answered with a full āstika reply and sent him away. Then Vasishṭha told the whole Ikshvāku line, from Brahmā through Vaivasvata Manu, Ikshvāku and the long line of Solar kings, to set Rāma’s dharma in its family setting. Rāma gave Bharata his pādukās to put on the throne. Bharata accepted and withdrew to Nandigrāma to rule as regent (Chapters 97–116).

The Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa ends with Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa meeting Atri Maharshi and his wife Anasūyā in the forest. Anasūyā, a model of pativratā (the devoted wife), taught Sītā the pativratā-dharma. She gave Sītā divine ornaments, garlands and an unfading aṅgarāga (body cream). Sītā in turn told the story of her svayaṃvara and her marriage to Rāma. With this the kāṇḍa ends (Chapters 117–119).

Araṇya Kāṇḍa

The Araṇya Kāṇḍa tells of Rāma’s fourteen years in the forest, his vow to protect the ṛshis of Daṇḍakāraṇya, how he destroyed the army of the rākshasa Khara at Janasthāna, and the loss of Sītā. That loss began the war with Rāvaṇa.

Entering Daṇḍakāraṇya. Rāma had kept his father’s promise and accepted fourteen years of vanavāsa (life in the forest). He entered the fearful forest of Daṇḍakāraṇya with Sītā and his loyal younger brother Lakshmaṇa. The first one they met in the deep forest was the rākshasa Virādha. He seized Sītā. Rāma and Lakshmaṇa killed Virādha together. A vara (a boon) had made his arms impossible to destroy, so they killed him by burying him. The freed spirit showed itself as the gandharva Tumburu, who had been under a śāpa (a curse) from Kubera. He sent the brothers on toward the āśrama (hermitage) of the muni Śarabhāṅga. (Chapters 2–4)

Meeting the great ṛshis. Rāma went through Daṇḍakāraṇya and visited several well-known ṛshis. He reached Śarabhāṅga’s āśrama just as Indra was leaving. Indra had come to take the aged ṛshi to Brahmaloka, but he withdrew when he felt Rāma coming. Śarabhāṅga was filled with joy at the sight of Rāma. He entered the fire (agni-praveśa) in Rāma’s presence and rose as a radiant young man, going up to Brahmaloka. (Chapter 5)

The ṛshis of the forest then came together and showed Rāma the bones of ascetics whom the rākshasas had killed. Rāma was deeply moved. He took a solemn vow to rid Daṇḍakāraṇya of every rākshasa, and said he would kill them all to end the suffering of the ṛshis. (Chapter 6)

Next he visited the āśrama of the muni Sutīkshṇa, and they spoke at length about tapas (austerity) and dharma. Later he stayed at the āśrama of Māṇḍakarṇi near the lake Pañcāpsaras. At last he came to the āśrama of the great muni Agastya. Agastya had earlier subdued the Vindhya mountain and had destroyed the rākshasas Vātāpi and Ilvala. He received Rāma with great honour. (Chapters 7–13)

The divine weapons from Agastya. Agastya gave Rāma three peerless gifts:

the Vaishṇava bow, made by Viśvakarmā and held earlier by Bhagavān Vishṇu and then by Varuṇa;
an arrow that never runs out, given by Brahmā;
a pair of golden quivers and a golden sword, all given by Indra.

With these weapons Rāma was fully armed for the great battles ahead. (Chapter 13)

Settling at Pañcavaṭī. On Agastya’s advice, Rāma chose Pañcavaṭī, on the bank of the Godāvarī, as his home in the forest. There the great eagle Jaṭāyu met him. Jaṭāyu told Rāma his line: he was the son of Aruṇa, the grandson of Vinatā and the great-grandson of Kaśyapa. He also told Rāma that he had been the dearest friend of Daśaratha. Rāma received Jaṭāyu with the love of a son. Lakshmaṇa built a fine leaf hut there, and Rāma, Sītā and Lakshmaṇa lived in peace and simplicity. (Chapters 14–15)

The killing of Khara, Dūshaṇa and their army. Śūrpaṇakhā, the sister of Rāvaṇa, came to Rāma at Pañcavaṭī with desire for him, and then attacked Sītā in anger. At Rāma’s command Lakshmaṇa cut off her nose and ears. Śūrpaṇakhā ran to Khara, Rāvaṇa’s brother and commander at Janasthāna, and urged him to make war.

Khara sent force after force against Rāma, and each was destroyed. At last Khara marched out himself with 14,000 rākshasas, with Dūshaṇa and with Triśiras. Rāma sent Sītā and Lakshmaṇa into a cave for safety and stood alone against the whole army. In three ghaṭikās (about one and a half muhūrtas) Rāma killed all 14,000 rākshasas, then Dūshaṇa and Triśiras, and finally Khara himself. The ṛshis rained divine flowers on Rāma. Only the rākshasa Akampana escaped, to carry the news of the disaster to Rāvaṇa. (Chapters 27–31)

The loss of Sītā. Akampana’s report angered Rāvaṇa. Śūrpaṇakhā then urged him on again in Laṅkā, and he decided to carry off Sītā. He asked the rākshasa Mārīca for help, and Mārīca took the form of a wonderful golden deer. Sītā was charmed by its beauty and asked Rāma to catch it. Rāma chased the deer far into the forest. He killed it with a Brahmāstra. As Mārīca died, he copied Rāma’s voice and cried, “Hā Sītā! Hā Lakshmaṇa!” Sītā heard this and pressed Lakshmaṇa to go to Rāma’s help.

Rāvaṇa then came to Sītā in the form of a bhikshu (a wandering beggar). When she refused to come with him willingly, he seized her by the hair and the feet. He carried her up into the sky in his pushpaka vimāna (flying chariot). (Chapters 38–47)

The lament of separation. Rāma came back to Pañcavaṭī and found Sītā gone. He was overcome by viraha (the pain of separation). He wandered through the forest and asked the trees, the rivers and the birds, but all of them stayed silent. He searched in deep grief and called out Sītā’s name. His lament runs through several chapters. (Chapters 61–64)

The last rites of Jaṭāyu. Rāma and Lakshmaṇa found Jaṭāyu badly wounded, lying on the ground where Rāvaṇa had cut off his wings and legs. Jaṭāyu told them of the abduction and said that Rāvaṇa had flown toward the south. Then he died. Rāma’s grief grew deeper. With his own hands he performed the full antima-saṃskāra (last rites) for Jaṭāyu. He gathered the fuel, lit the pyre, offered piṇḍa (funeral rice cakes) and jala-tarpaṇa (offerings of water), and spoke the sacred mantras. He then declared that Jaṭāyu would reach the same Vishṇuloka as those who die in his service. Jaṭāyu rose to Vishṇuloka in a divine form. (Chapters 65–68)

Kabandha and Śabarī. In the Krauñca forest the rākshasī Ayomukhī came to Lakshmaṇa and was driven back. Soon after, the brothers met Kabandha. He was a fearful dānava with no head. His face was set in his belly, and his huge arms reached a great distance. He seized both brothers. Rāma and Lakshmaṇa cut off his arms, and at his request they burned his body. Freed from his śāpa, Kabandha rose in a divine form. He told Rāma to seek the friendship of Sugrīva at Ṛshyamūka mountain, near the lake Pampā. (Chapters 69–72)

At the foot of the Mataṅga hill stood the āśrama of Śabarī. She was old and devoted, and she had waited for years for Rāma’s coming on the word of her guru, the muni Mataṅga. She welcomed Rāma and gave him fruit that she had tasted first, offered with pure devotion. Rāma took it with grace. Śabarī told him that Rāvaṇa had taken Sītā toward the south. She urged Rāma to ally with Sugrīva. Then she rose in a blaze of tapas-fire and was freed. (Chapters 73–75)

Rāma in the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa

Bāla Kāṇḍa

The Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa tells of Rāma’s birth and early life with a strong note of devotion. It roots each event in ancient promises. These begin with the thousands of years of tapas that Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā did at the Gomatī. They include the prayer of Bhūdevī to Brahmā to be freed from the terror of Rāvaṇa.

Birth on Caitra Navamī. On Caitra śukla navamī, at the Abhijit muhūrta (midday), with cool and sweet-smelling breezes, Jagannātha Śrī Hari came down from the womb of Kausalyā as Rāmacandra. It was a moment of good fortune for all. The devas were glad and the ṛshis were full of bliss. The kinnaras danced and the gandharvas sang. The deva-drums sounded and flowers rained down. The forests burst into flower, the rivers ran sweet and the mountains shone with gems. The devas in the sky praised and blessed Rāmacandra in countless ways. (Śrī Rāma Janana)

Kausalyā sees the four-armed form. At the moment Bhagavān Rāma came out of the womb, he showed Kausalyā his true divine form. It was avāṅmanasagocara, beyond speech and mind. He had four arms and carried the śaṅkha (conch), cakra (discus), gadā (mace) and padma (lotus). His eyes were like lotuses and he wore the pītāmbara (yellow garment). He was dark as a rain-cloud, with every auspicious mark, and the Śrī-vatsa mark on his chest.

The memories of Kausalyā’s past lives came back. Her hair stood on end and tears of ānanda (joy) flowed from her eyes. With joined hands she praised him in many ways. Full of a mother’s love, she prayed: “O Vibhu! Please put aside this cosmic form and take the form of a baby. Let me hear you call ‘ammā’ (Mother).” At once the divine form became a tiny baby and began to cry. (Śrī Rāma Janana)

Celebrations in the city and divine visitors. The baby’s cry brought all the queens running to the birth room. In a few minutes the glad news had spread through Ayodhyā. Vasishṭha came, looked at the divine form of the child and stood still for a moment, fully absorbed.

Daśaratha performed the nāndī-mukha, the jātaka-saṃskāra and the other birth rites. He honoured the brāhmaṇas, the common people and the ministers with gifts of cows, cloth and gold. Ayodhyā was hung with flags and banners, and every house was full of joy for a whole month. Moved by the joy of the day, Śiva himself and Kākabhuśuṇḍi went to Ayodhyā in human forms to see the celebrations. Śiva later told this to Pārvatī as a secret. (Śrī Rāma Janana)

The journey to Mithilā, the first meeting and the Dhanuryajña. The Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa tells of Rāma’s journey with Viśvāmitra and of how he freed Ahalyā by the touch of his foot. It tells of his first sight of Sītā in Janaka’s flower garden, a meeting that Nārada had foretold long before.

At the dhanuryajña (the bow ceremony), Rāma lifted the bow of Śiva with ease, strung it and broke it in an instant. The sound shook the three worlds. Sītā came forward and put the jayamāla (victory garland) on Rāmacandra.

Paraśurāma heard that the bow was broken and came in blazing anger. Rāma met him with deep humility. The Vaishṇava bow flew by itself from Paraśurāma’s hands into Rāma’s. Paraśurāma knew Rāma as Bhagavān Vishṇu, praised him and left for tapas. (Dhanus Bhaṅga; Paraśurāma Āgamana)

Araṇya Kāṇḍa

The Kākāsura episode. At the start of the Araṇya Kāṇḍa, in the quiet early period of the forest stay, Jayanta, the son of Indra, took the form of a crow and wounded Sītā’s foot, to test Rāma’s power. Rāma was roused to righteous anger. He took a single blade of grass and charged it with a mantra. It became a mighty Brahmāstra and chased Jayanta through all three worlds. No deva or ṛshi would shelter Jayanta from this astra, and only Rāma himself could call it back. At last, on Nārada’s advice, Jayanta gave himself up at Rāma’s feet. Rāma is by nature kind to those who seek refuge (śaraṇāgati-vatsalatā). He spared Jayanta fully and took away only one eye, as the smallest punishment.

The teaching on māyā, jñāna, vairāgya and bhakti. At Pañcavaṭī, Lakshmaṇa asked Rāma a sincere question about the nature of māyā, jñāna, vairāgya and the link between the jīva (the individual being) and the Paramātmā. Rāma’s answer in the Tulasī Araṇya Kāṇḍa is given in these four points:

Māyā has two forms. Vidyā helps cosmic creation in the service of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Avidyā binds the jīvas in saṃsāra through the ahaṃkāra (sense of ego) of “I” and “mine.”
Jñāna (knowledge) is to see that all is Brahman and that nothing exists apart from the divine. It ends the pairing of ahaṃkāra and mamakāra.
Vairāgya (detachment) is the power to see the three guṇas as small. It is the release from attachment to what sattva, rajas and tamas produce.
Bhakti (devotion) is the most direct and the easiest path. It has nine forms: śravaṇam, kīrtanam, smaraṇam, pāda-sevanam, arcanam, vandanam, dāsyam, sakhyam and ātma-samarpaṇam. By these Rāma is quickly won.

Rāma said: “Bhakti does not depend on anything else. It is self-ruling. Bhakti arises through vairāgya, through serving the virtuous, and through keeping one’s own dharma as laid down.”

Rāma ended with this promise. Whoever serves him without desire, pure in body, speech and mind, and treats him as mother, father, guru and lord all at once, in that devotee’s heart Rāma lives without ceasing.

The lament and the secret of Sītā’s shadow. Mārīca, in the form of a deer, drew Rāma deep into the forest and was killed. Then Sītā sent Lakshmaṇa away with her anxious words, and the āśrama was left unguarded. Rāvaṇa came in the form of a sannyāsī and carried Sītā off. Rāma came back and found the āśrama empty. He showed all the grief of an ordinary man who has lost his beloved. He wept and searched. He spoke to the trees, birds, deer, bees and flowers, and he called out Sītā’s name. The Tulasī Araṇya Kāṇḍa keeps this lament in moving Avadhi verse that begins:

Hē khaga mṛga madhukara śrēnī…

This is Rāma asking the birds, the deer and the rows of bees where Sītā has gone.

Śiva tells this to Pārvatī and reveals the inner truth. The real Sītā had entered Agni at Rāma’s own instruction before the episode began. Only her chāyā-rūpa (shadow form) was in the āśrama, and Rāvaṇa took that form. Rāma’s grief was a part of the avatāra-līlā, and it served the divine purpose of destroying Rāvaṇa.

The talk of Nārada and Rāma at Pampā. Śabarī’s advice sent Rāma toward Sugrīva. Rāma and Lakshmaṇa came to the beautiful lake Pampā. There Nārada Maharshi appeared. He asked Rāma why, in an earlier age, he had broken up Nārada’s plan to marry the woman in the Viśvamohinī form. Rāma explained that he does this to protect his bhaktas (devotees), just as a mother protects her child. He then named two kinds of seekers. The jñānīs rely on their own strength, and the bhaktas rely on Rāma’s strength. Both are tested equally by kāma (desire) and krodha (anger).

Nārada then asked Rāma to describe the qualities of a sādhu-purusha (a holy person). Rāma listed them. They include freedom from desire, non-attachment, truth, evenness of mind, service to brāhmaṇas, knowledge, and constant singing of his own līlā. This list is the well-known sādhu-lakshaṇa passage of the Araṇya Kāṇḍa.

Lava Kuśa Kāṇḍa

The Lava Kuśa Kāṇḍa is the pariśishṭa (a supplement) to the Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa. It tells the events of Rāma’s long golden reign. It keeps showing a divine king who hides his divine nature entirely inside the conduct of a fully human and fully righteous ruler.

The pilgrimage to Kāśī at Makara Saṃkrānti (Chapter 1). During the long golden years of Rāmarājya, the time of Makara Saṃkrānti (when the Sun enters Makara Rāśi) came near. Rāma asked the blessing of his guru Vasishṭha for a tīrtha journey to Kāśī. Vasishṭha was pleased and blessed it. Rāma set out from Ayodhyā in a full royal procession. With him went his brothers, queens, ministers, priests and the whole royal household. They visited holy places on the way.

At Kāśī Rāma lived as a devotee. He bathed every day in the Gaṅgā and worshipped Kāśī Viśveśvara (Śiva). He took part in kīrtana (devotional singing) and satsaṅga (holy company). He honoured tapasvis and sannyāsis, listened to the recital of the Purāṇas (Purāṇa-pārāyaṇa), and gave generous gifts of food (anna-dāna) and cows (go-dāna) to brāhmaṇas. He returned to Ayodhyā happy.

Loka-apavāda and Sītā’s exile (Chapters 4–6). The most painful event of Rāma’s reign was the exile of Sītā. The spy Bhadra came to the court and, with hesitation, told what the citizens were saying. A washerman had openly asked how Rāma could take back a wife who had lived in another man’s house. Rāma spent a sleepless night in grief. He was fully certain of Sītā’s purity. But as king he could not let public blame stand unanswered, or let a shadow fall on his line. He acted by the weight of his royal dharma. He sent Lakshmaṇa to take Sītā to the forest, on the pretext of visiting female ascetics, and to leave her near Vālmīki’s āśrama. Sītā went gladly, not knowing she was being left. Lakshmaṇa came back in grief. A voice from the sky (āśarīravāṇī) had told Lakshmaṇa that what was happening was divinely necessary.

The Aśvamedha yajña (Chapters 7–9). Rāma decided to perform the Aśvamedha yajña. This was partly from his wish for prāyaścitta, as Agastya had prescribed for the brahmahatyā of killing Rāvaṇa, who was born of a brāhmaṇa line. It was partly the natural celebration of his rule. Vasishṭha blessed it and gave an important ruling. Since Sītā was not there, a golden image of Sītā (svarṇa-pratimā) would stand beside Rāma at the yajña-vedi (the altar). This kept the dharma rule that a yajña be done with the wife present. The golden Sītā was made and the great yajña began. The horse was let go and travelled across the land. At last two boys of the forest, near Vālmīki’s āśrama, caught it.

The battles of Lava and Kuśa and the reunion of father and sons (Chapters 9–11). One by one all of Rāma’s champions went to the battlefield, and Lava and Kuśa defeated them all. These were Śatrughna, Lakshmaṇa, Bharata, Sugrīva, Hanumān, Jāmbavān, Aṅgada and all the heroes of the war at Laṅkā. Each fell to the Mohanāstra, which the two muni-boys (muni-kumāras) used. The last report came: “The brothers and all the forces have fallen.” Rāma rose from the yajña pavilion and went himself.

On the battlefield Rāma called out the names of his dear brothers and heroes, and at the sound of his voice they all rose. Then he went forward and saw the two boys for the first time. At once his heart was moved with joy, wonder and tenderness all together. The boys told him that their mother’s name was Jānakī and that they did not know their father. Then Vālmīki Maharshi came and told them formally that these boys were Rāma’s own sons. Rāma, his heart overflowing, embraced them warmly and was filled with vātsalya (parental love). The devas rained amṛta from the sky and revived all the fallen heroes.

The Bhūpraveśa of Sītā (Chapter 12). Rāma sent Lakshmaṇa to bring Sītā from Vālmīki’s āśrama to the full court. Before the devas, munis, kings and citizens, Sītā took the tri-karaṇa-śuddhi oath. She declared in thought, word and deed that Śrī Rāma alone had ever been her husband. She then prayed to Bhūdevī to take her back. The earth opened. A golden throne rose on the hoods of serpents from Pātāla. Sītā sat on it, fully calm, and went down into the earth again. Rāma declared before all: “Sītā was paramā-sādhvī, the most chaste one. She has gone back to where she truly belongs.”

Yama’s visit and Lakshmaṇa’s departure (Chapters 14–15). Brahmā knew that the avatāra was nearly complete. He sent Nārada to call Yama Dharmarāja. Yama came to Ayodhyā disguised as a great ṛshi. He asked Rāma for a fully private meeting, on one condition: whoever overheard would die. Rāma put Lakshmaṇa at the door as guard.

At that very moment Durvāsa Maharshi arrived in blazing haste. He threatened to burn the whole kingdom to ash with a śāpa (a curse) if he was not let in at once. Lakshmaṇa chose his own death over the ruin of the kingdom and went in. Vasishṭha ruled that visarjana (banishment) is equal to vadha (death). Lakshmaṇa settled it himself. He walked to the Sarayū and went into the water up to his waist. Through unbroken meditation and yoga he gave up his jīva and went back to Vaikuṇṭha as Ādiśesha.

Sharing the kingdom and the Mahāprasthāna (Chapter 16). Rāma then turned to the final arrangements. He shared the whole kingdom among his sons. Kuśa received Dakshiṇa Kosala. Lava received Lavapura. Bharata’s sons Taksha and Pushkala received Takshaśilā and Pushkara. Lakshmaṇa’s sons received Dakshiṇa-rājya. Śatrughna’s sons Subāhu and Yūpaketu received Mathurā and Vidīśā. He called all the brāhmaṇas and beggars and gave each a rich last gift.

He took leave of Vibhīshaṇa, with the vara (boon) to rule Laṅkā righteously until the end of the kalpa. He took leave of Jāmbavān, with a promise to meet him again in the Dvāpara Yuga. He took leave of Sugrīva, who joined the procession. He drew Hanumān close in a deep embrace and said:

“O Hanumān, you shall live as long as the Moon, the Sun and the stars last. You are a chiranjeevi. Protect all who worship and serve me. I shall always live in your heart.”

Rāma placed his abhaya-hasta (hand of fearlessness) on Hanumān’s head.

The great procession formed. Bharata walked on Rāma’s right and Śatrughna on his left. Behind them came all the people of Ayodhyā, and the vānara and rākshasa allies. Rāma walked at the head of the crowd toward the Sarayū, with the vimānas of the devas in the sky above and flowers raining down.

At the river the citizens of Sāketa touched the water and gained Vishṇu-sārūpya (a form like that of Vishṇu). They rose in vimānas to Vaikuṇṭha. Bharata merged into Rāma through a Vedic mantra. Śatrughna took the form of a lotus (padma-rūpa) and merged. Sugrīva entered the Sun. The vānaras went back to their divine shares.

Rāma went into the Sarayū and stood in its waters. He spoke a vara (boon) to the gathered worlds. All who lived on this bank, bathed in the Sarayū, or gave up their life here for a month would be taken in vimānas to his loka. Then the ruler of Sāketa disappeared, like lightning vanishing from within a cloud. Only the glow of his memory was left, to last through all time. The cry “Rāma! Jaya Rāma! Jaya Jagadīśa!” rang through the earth and sky in every direction.

Rāma in the Anuśāsana Parva

In Chapter 115 of the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīshma lists the great rājarshis (royal ṛshis) who gave up māṃsa (meat). Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, is among them, and by this they reached svarga and Brahmaloka.

In Chapter 137, in the list of those famous for dāna (giving), Bhīshma records that Rāma spent great wealth in yajñas and made lasting fame (yaśas) in the world. He went to the imperishable lokas.

Sources

Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapters 1, 12, 15, 36, 45
Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 5–11
Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–66
Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 3, Chapters 27–30
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa, Chapters 1–77
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, Chapters 1–119
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Araṇya Kāṇḍa, Chapters 2–15, 27–31, 38–47, 61–75
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Yuddha Kāṇḍa, Chapters 1–131
Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa
Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Araṇya Kāṇḍa
Tulasī Rāmāyaṇa, Lava Kuśa Kāṇḍa, Chapters 1–16
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapters 115, 137