Dasharatha
| Dasharatha | |
|---|---|
 Kaikeyi demands that Dasharatha banish Rama from Ayodhya | |
| MaharajaofKosala | |
| Predecessor | Aja |
| Successor | Rama |
| Born | Nemi Ayodhya,Kosala |
| Died | Ayodhya, Kosala |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| Dynasty | Raghuvamsha-Suryavamsha |
| Father | Aja |
| Mother | Indumati |
Dasharatha(Sanskrit:दशरथ,IAST:Daśaratha; bornNemi) was the king ofKosala,with its capital atAyodhyā,in the Hindu epicRamayana.Dasharatha marriedKausalya,SumitraandKaikeyi.He was the father ofRama,the protagonist of the epic,Bharata,Lakshmana,andShatrughna.Dasharatha also finds mention in theVishnu Purana.[1]
Legend[edit]
Early life and marriage[edit]
King Dasharatha was believed to be an incarnation ofSvayambhuva Manu,the son of the Hindu creator god,Brahma.
Dasharatha was born as the son of KingAja of Kosalaand Indumati ofVidarbha.[2]He was originally named Nemi, but he acquired the monikerDasharatha('ten chariots') as his chariot could move in all ten directions, fly, and return to earth, and he could fight with ease in all of these directions.[3]
Dasharatha became the ruler of Kosala after the death of his father. He was a great warrior who subjugated many of the neighbouring kingdoms with his prowess and slew manyasurasin battle.[4][5]
According to theAyodhyā Kāṇḍaof theRamayana(in chapter 34, verses 10–13), King Dasharatha had around 350 wives, three of whom were his favourite queens:Kausalyawas his chief queen,Sumitrawas his second queenKaikeyiwas his third queen. Kausalya hailed from the kingdom ofDakshina Kosala,Sumitra fromKashi,and Kaikeyi from theKekeya Kingdom.[6][7][8]
Yajñas to beget sons[edit]
Dasharatha ruled over Ayodhyā, but he lacked a son to carry on his dynasty. He decided to perform anAshvamedhain order to beget a son. His counsellor and charioteer, Sumantra, told him of a prophecy that by bringing the sageRishyasringato Ayodhyā, he would beget sons.[9]To fulfil the prophecy, Dasharatha traveled toAnga,where kingRomapada's daughterShantawas married to Rishyasringa. Bringing Rishyasringa to Kosala, he instructed theBrahminsto perform the asvamedha. After the asvamedha was properly performed, a Putrīyā Iṣṭi was performed for the attainment of sons.[10]
During its performance, a figure emerged from the fire carrying a vessel of celestial porridge. Dasharatha offers half of this divine food toKausalya,a quarter toSumitra(i.e., literally 'half of that which remained'), an eighth toKaikeyi(i.e., again, 'half of that which remained'), and then, upon reflection, gives the final eighth to Sumitra again. Kausalya gives birth to the princeRamaand Kaikeyi toBharataand Sumitra became the mother of twins,LakshmanaandSatrughna.[11][12]
Kaikeyi's boons and Rama's exile[edit]
In a battle between thedevasand theasuras,Dasharatha rode toDevaloka,accompanied by Kaikeyi, to helpIndrafight against the asuras. The devas were at a disadvantage due to the sorcery employed byShambaraand his army of asuras. Dasharatha, riding a chariot, faced the asuras in ten directions at the same time. In this battle, his chariot had to be turned to every direction in a swift manner. During the battle, the bolt of one of the wheels slipped out, and the wheel was about to disengage when Kaikeyi inserted her thumb in the hole of the bolt, and kept the chariot steady. When the king learnt of this, he was pleased, and offered her two boons. The queen said that she would ask for those two boons in the future, as she wished for nothing right then and there.[13]
Manthara,Kaikeyi's maid, feared that Kaikeyi would lose her status as chief queen at court if Rama ascended the throne, as Kausalya would thus become queen mother. Manthara later convinced Kaikeyi to demand two boons granted to her years earlier by Dasharatha. King Dasharatha will be obliged to fulfill them. As her two boons, Kaikeyi demanded that Bharata be crowned king, and Rama be sent to the forest for a period of fourteen years.[14]
Killing of Shravana Kumara and death[edit]
After Rama's departure to the forest, Dasharatha lay in his bed with a wailing Kaushalya. He suddenly remembered an incident which had occurred in his past. He narrated to Kausalya and Sumitra about how, by accident, he had killed a young man namedShravana,mistaking him to be a deer.[15]
Dasharatha, who was then the crown prince, had gone hunting on the banks of River Sarayu. He was an expert in hunting by determining the direction of sound and heard the gurgle of an animal drinking water. Mistaking it to be deer, Dasharatha shot an arrow. He became mortified when he heard a human cry as the arrow found its target. Dasharatha hurried there to find a boy lying sprawled on the banks of the river with an arrow lodged in his chest. Dasharatha was aghast and profusely apologised to the young Shravana trying to revive and help him. The boy forgave Dasharatha for his unintentional, unrighteous act, and demanded that Dasharatha pull the arrow out of his chest. He also told him to take the pitcher of water to his blind parents, who must be waiting for him since they were thirsty because of all the travel. The boy died from his injury. Dasharatha approached the blind couple and told them about their son's unfortunate death. The parents, grief-stricken, cursed Prince Dasharatha: "Just as we are suffering and dying due to the separation from our beloved son, you too shall have the same fate."[16]
Dasharatha concluded the chapter by saying that his end was near and the curse of Shravana's parents had taken effect.[17]
In popular culture[edit]
Films[edit]
- Aditya Varma portrayed Dasharatha in the 1997 Telugu filmRamayanam.[18]
- Dilip Sinha voiced Dasharatha in the 2010 animated Hindi filmRamayana: The Epic.[19]
Television[edit]
- Bal Dhuriportrayed Dasharatha in the 1987 seriesRamayan.[20]
- Gajendra Chauhanportrayed Dasharatha in the 2002 seriesRamayan.
- Pankaj Kalra portrayed Dasharatha in the 2008 seriesRamayan.
- Mihir Mishraportrayed Dasharatha in the 2011 seriesDevon Ke Dev...Mahadev.
- Rishabh Shuklaportrayed Dasharatha in the 2012 seriesRamayan.
- Yogesh Mahajan portrayed Dasharatha in the 2015 seriesSankat Mochan Mahabali Hanumaan.
- Dalip Tahilportrayed Dasharatha in the 2015 seriesSiya Ke Ram.[21]
- Ankur Nayyarportrayed Dasharatha in the 2018 seriesRam Siya Ke Luv Kush.[22]
- Shishir Sharmaportrayed Kausalya in the 2021 web seriesRamyug.[23]
- Aarav Chowdharyportrayed Dasharatha in the 2024 seriesShrimad Ramayan.[24]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Valmiki Ramayana - Ayodhya Kanda - Sarga 34".
- ^"Schistosomiasis: Schistosoma mansoni Tf/aja Alnassir and Charles H. King",Medical Parasitology,CRC Press, pp. 140–150, 23 November 2009,doi:10.1201/9781498713672-28,ISBN9780429089657,retrieved13 January2022
- ^Kalidasa(10 April 2012).The Dynasty of Raghu.ISBN978-1-4751-7250-8.
- ^Arya, Samarendra Narayań (1990)."Historicity of Ayodhya".Proceedings of the Indian History Congress.51:44–48.ISSN2249-1937.
- ^Baal Kaand — Valmiki Ramayana
- ^Publication, Tjprc (31 October 2013)."Images of Mother in Ramayana and Sundiata. A Comparative Critique".International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL).
- ^"Sumitra is calm and composed",The Hindu,8 June 2023,retrieved21 September2023
- ^Patel, Vaishnavi (26 April 2022).Kaikeyi.Orbit.ISBN9780759557314.
- ^The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India, Volume II: Ayodhyakāṇḍa.Princeton University Press. 1986.
- ^Goldman, Sally J. Sutherland (2018)."Women at the Margins: Gender and Religious Anxieties in Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa".Journal of the American Oriental Society.138(1): 45–72.doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.138.1.0045.ISSN0003-0279.
- ^Goldman, Robert P. (1984).The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: An Epic of Ancient India.Vol. I: Bālakāṇḍa. Princeton University Press. pp. 136–161.
- ^"The Ramayana in Sanskrit: Book 1: Chapter 15".
- ^"The Ramayana in Sanskrit: Book 2: Chapter 39".
- ^Mani, Vettam (1975).Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature.Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass.ISBN0-8426-0822-2.
- ^wisdomlib.org (21 September 2020)."The king recalls a former evil deed [Chapter 63]".wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2 August2022.
- ^An unfinished ancient tale.IndiaToday.in. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
- ^wisdomlib.org (21 September 2020)."Overborne by grief the king yields up his life [Chapter 64]".wisdomlib.org.Retrieved1 August2022.
- ^"Ramayanam Reviews".Archived fromthe originalon 13 February 1998.
- ^Nagpaul D'souza, Dipti (17 September 2010)."Epic Effort".Indian Express.The Indian Express Limited.Retrieved18 September2010.
- ^Dalrymple, William(23 August 2008)."All Indian life is here".The Daily Telegraph.Archived fromthe originalon 2 September 2013.Retrieved15 February2018.
- ^"StarPlus' Siya Ke Ram: Everything you should know about the show".The Times of India.Retrieved21 November2015.
- ^"Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush".PINKVILLA.Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2020.Retrieved5 August2019.
- ^"Ramyug first impression: Kunal Kohli's retelling of Lord Ram's story misses the mark".The Indian Express.6 May 2021.Retrieved31 July2023.
- ^"Shrimad Ramayan Review, Episodes 1 and 2: A cinematic visual spectacle on small screen".Pinkvilla.Retrieved4 January2024.
Further reading[edit]
- Ramayana, translated in English byGriffith,fromProject Gutenberg
- Bhalla, Prem P. (1 January 2009),The Story Of Sri Ram,Peacock Books,ISBN978-81-248-0191-8
External links[edit]
