Lesser Known Stories About King Dasharatha of Ayodhya

Once upon a time, there was a king whose name was Dasharatha. He was a king of the Ikshavaaku or the Suryavanshi (which means ‘descendants of the Sun-God’) dynasty. He ruled the kingdom of Kosala from its capital – Ayodhya, the City of Splendour. It was a prosperous city and had a just king. Everyone was happy in this city.

However, King Dasharatha and his wives were the only people who were unhappy in the kingdom. Not because he wanted more money, or was being attacked by an enemy. The problem was that he had no heir.

Here are two stories from the life of King Dasharatha.

Kaikeyi’s Two Wishes

One day, the king of the gods – Indra – descended to the earth in his royal chariot. Dasharatha welcomed Devendra (another name for Indra) with all respects, and then asked,

“O Indra, I am blessed to meet you. But why this unexpected and unannounced visit?”

Said Indra,

“O Suryavanshi Dasharatha, I have heard from my spies that the Rakshasas are planning an attack on the residents of Swarga (Heaven). I decided to go to as many kings as possible and ask them to join the war against the Rakshasas. Tell me whether you will fight or not.”

Dasharatha said, “I consider it my luck to serve the king of the gods. I will prepare my army immediately.”

When Indra went out, Dasharatha ordered the Maha Mantri (Prime Minister) to ready the army. Within a week, they were on the way to the Rakshasas’ kingdom.

The gods won the war. However, an interesting incident happened with King Dasharatha during the battle. When he was badly injured, his charioteer, queen Kaikeyi drove him out of the battlefield and revived him with healing herbs. Pleased with her bravery, Dasharatha granted her two wishes. Kaikeyi decided to ask for her wishes later.

The Story Behind Birth of Lord Rama

Dasharatha then organised a ritual for progeny. However, before we go into what happened there, let us visit the gods in Swarga.

The gods were very unhappy with a demon named Raavana. He had secured a boon from Lord Brahma that he could not be vanquished by any Deva (god), Rakshasa (demon) or Vanara (tribes of monkeys), etc. As a result, Raavana and his companions flew around the earth harassing sages and drinking their blood.

Also read The Story of The Birth of Lord Ganesha

The gods went to the Brahma and asked how to vanquish Raavana.

Said Brahma, “The boon I granted Raavana prevents him from being vanquished by anyone except humans. It is not possible for me to kill him. Go and talk to Vishnu. He is the only one who can save us.”

All the gods went to Lord Vishnu in Kshira Sagara. They told him of Raavana and his wickedness. Vishnu smiled and said, “Yes, a human with many powers can kill him. I will take birth on earth as Rama, son of Dasharatha.

And this was what happened. As a result of Dasharatha’s yajna (ritual offering to gods for a boon), Vishnu took birth on earth as Rama. And from here, did the part of Ramayan start, which most people know.

—