Ram Ji

Dasharatha was pleased and parceled the prasadam out to his three wives equally. However, Kausalya gave a part of her portion to Sumitra. So did Kikeyi. Thus Sumitra partook twice as much of the prasadam as either Kausalya or Kikeyi. In due time, they all became pregnant. To Kausalya was born Rama and to Kikeyi was born Bharata. Sumitra gave birth to twins who were named Lakshmana and Shatrugna. Rama was the incarnation of Vishnu Himself. Lakshmana was His serpent bed, Adi Shesha. Bharata and Shatrugna were the conch Panchajanya and the discuss weapon Sudarshana of Lord Vishnu. The three wives showed love and affection to each other's sons and the brothers grew up happy. The brothers were very much fond of each other. However, Rama and Lakshmana shared a special bond between them and they were inseparable.

Rama's life and journey is one of perfect adherence to dharma despite harsh tests of life and time. He is pictured as the ideal man and the perfect human. For the sake of his father's honour, Rama abandons his claim to Kosala's throne to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forest. His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, unable to live without Rama, decide to join him, and all three spend the fourteen years in exile together. While in exile, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the Rakshasa (Asura) monarch of Lanka. After a long and arduous search that tests his personal strength and virtue, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife. Having completed his exile, Rama returns to be crowned king in Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) and eventually becomes emperor, rules with happiness, peace, prosperity and justice—a period known as Rama Rajya.

Vishwamitra now took the princes to Mithila where the king Janaka was conducting a swayamvara for his daughter, Sita. Janaka was a devotee of Lord Shiva who had given him His bow as a gift. As a condition of the swayamvara, Janaka declared that his daughter will marry whoever could lift, set and shoot an arrow from that huge bow that formerly belonged to Shiva. The bow was so heavy that it took three hundred men to carry it to the court where the swayamvara was being held. A great number of princes from all over the land came to claim Sita. They were all handsome and strong but none could even lift the bow up much less set the string and shoot an arrow from it. One by one they all tried but failed miserably. Then Vishwamitra encouraged Rama to try the Shiva’s bow. Rama stood up and strolled towards the bow. This handsome young man was immediately noticed by everyone present there. He approached the platform where the bow was placed and with one hand lifted the bow while with the other he set the string on it. All the princes who were present in the court were astonished at the ease with which Rama handled the bow. To their amazement Rama set an arrow in the bow and pulled on it so hard that the bow broke in to two. People in the court were awe-struck. Some clapped their hands while others bent their heads in shame.