Shanta, sister of Sri Ram
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Contents |
The authors of this article are…
i) Did Rama Have A Sister? Shree Maharishi Bhrigu Ashram; and
ii) Sri Ram had a sister: What was her name? The Times of India/ Speaking Tree];
with some inputs from:
Parvez Dewan’s books on Hanuman ji.
King Dashrath’s daughter
King Dashrath had a daughter called Shântâ. She is also known as Kakua and Kikewi Déwî. Apart from some early manuscripts of the Vâlmîkî Râmâyan¸ many Bengâlîs, too, know Srî Râm’s sister as Shântâ. However, Chañdrawatî’s Râmâyan refers to her as Kakua. Which explains why the Malays call her Kikewi Déwî. Some spell the name Shântâi.
Shântâ was the daughter of Dasharath and Kausalya, adopted by the couple Rompad and Vershini. Shântâ was a wife of Rishya-shring. The descendants of Shântâ and Rishya-shring are Sengar Rajputs who are called the only Rishivanshi Rajputs.
Shântâ, the daughter of Maharajah Dasharath and Kausalya, was adopted by the king (rajah) of Angadesh, Raja Rompad, and her aunt Vershini, an elder sister of Kausalya. Vershini had no children, and, when at Ayodhya, Vershini jokingly asked for offspring. Dasharath agreed to allow the adoption of his daughter. Because the word of Raghukul was binding, and Shântâ became the princess of Angadesh. Santhal Pargana (Ang Pradesh)
The Vashishth Ramayan, also known as Jnana Ramayan, which is one version of the Ramayan written by Valmiki, in its Âdi parv, refers to the ancestry of Dashrath, his birth and how he became a king in the solar dynasty. This reveals an unknown story in the known purana about Dashrath’s youth, marriage and how he became the father of a female child. Adbhut Ramayan and Âdhyâtam Ramayan also refer to this subject.
Sûrya Vansh (The Solar Dynasty)
Aja was the 38th king in the solar dynasty. He was ruling the kingdom of Kosal on the southern banks of the Sarayu River in the northern part of India. Ayodhya was his capital. Northern Kosal, on the northern bank of the Sarayu, was ruled by another king, who also hailed from another branch of the Solar Dynasty.
Aja was a king who spent most of his time earthly pleasures. His wife was Indumati. She was an apsaras (celestial woman) who was born on this earth on account of a curse. Once, while Aja was spending his time pleasantly with his wife in the garden of his palace, sage Nârad was traversing the sky. A flower garland adorning his veena fell on Indumati. It redeemed Indumati from the curse. She regained her form as on apsaras and vanished from the earth forever, taking leave of Aja.
The grief-stricken king wanted to follow her and he wore the garland. But he could not vanish like her. Unable to bear the separation from his beloved wife, he ran into the palace and committed suicide.
Dashrath’s Early Days
Aja’s son was only eight months old when Aja died. Sumantr was the most intelligent minister in the kingdom and Vashishth was the rajguru (guru of the king). Vashishth requested Sumantr to rule the kingdom on behalf of Aja’s son. He then left the child in the care of a great guru, marudanva, who was an adept in all sastras, including archery. The little boy had the privilege of drinking the milk of Nandini, the divine cow. Marudanv brought up the child as a wise man and a strong warrior.
The child was Dashrath and became the ruler of southern Kosal when he attained the age of 18. He became a powerful king. He could drive his chariot in ten directions – the eight traditional directions and upwards and downwards and thus came to be known as Dashrath. The kind of northern Kosal agreed to rule under his patronage. He had a beautiful daughter, Kausalya, whom Dashrath wanted to marry. The king agreed. But he did not know that he and Dashrath were closely related, coming from the same clan (gotra).
Ravan’s Fear
Ravan, the demon king of Lanka was a contemporary of Dashrath. He was a great Shiv Bhakt. Once he went to Kailash and played the Sâm Ved on his veena. Shiv was pleased and blessed him with many powers.
On his way back from Kailash, Ravan went to Brahm-lok to pay respects to his great grandfather, Brahma. The latter was delighted to see his great grandson and granted him boons and gave him the powerful weapon, the Brahm-astr. When Ravan wanted to live for ever, Brahma replied that it was not possible and said his death would be at the hands of a divine son to be born to Dashrath and Kausalya.
Ravan became furious and decided to kill Kausalya even before her marriage. But his wife Mandodari, pleaded with him not to commit stree hati (the sin of killing a woman). She suggested that Ravan could prevent that marriage by separating Kausalya from Dashrath. Ravan agreed to this proposal and sent a few asuras (demons) to kidnap Kausalya, put her in a box and float it in the currents of the Sarayu River so that she would not have a chance to survive. Thus the sin of killing a woman would not fall on him and he could also prevent the marriage of Dashrath and Kausalya, he reasoned.
At midnight one day, Dashrath was crossing the Sarayu after the conquest. He saw a box being thrown into the river by some persons from a hillock. Dashrath jumped out from his boat and fought with those persons. They were the asurs sent by Ravan and they used magical tactics. So Dashrath could not defeat them. Meanwhile, the box was floating away fast. Dashrath surmised that there must be somebody inside and jumped into the water to save that person.
The box continued the far journey and when the Sarayu mingled with the Ganga, it began floating in the Ganga. Dashrath, who was swimming fast, became tired. Jatayu, the king of eagles, who was flying past, saw and rescued him. He tended to Dashrath’s wounds and made him get back his strength.
When Dashrath narrated the tale of the box, Jatayu took him on his back and flew away, searching for the box. They located it in the midst of water weeds in an island near the estuary of Ganga. When they reached the spot, Nârad, who knew about the whole story, also came there. They all opened the box and found Kausalya in an unconscious state. Through Nârad’s power she regained consciousness. Dashrath’s joy knew no bounds.
Nârad said it was the right time for the marriage of Dashrath and Kausalya. He sought the presence of the Devas at the spot and performed the marriage. Nârad, Jatayu and the devas blessed the marriage. Thereafter, Jatâyu took Dashrath and Kausalya on his back to Ayodhya, where the marriage ceremonies were again performed elaborately with fanfare and the blessings of Vashishth and Sumantr.
Cause for the Handicap
Kausalya soon attained motherhood. She gave birth to a female child which unfortunately had a handicap in its leg. The child was named Shântâ. The palace doctors tried their best to remove the handicap but failed. Vashishth consoled Dashrath and Kausalya. He said that the handicap was due to the marriage between close cousins (Dashrath and Kausalya belonged to he same gotra) and she would become normal if given in adoption to a divine couple.
Accordingly, Dashrath and Kausalya gave the child in adoption to Romapada, the king of Ang desh. With due care and treatment, Shântâ’s disability vanished. Rom-pad performed her marriage with Rishya-shring Maharishi.
It was after Shântâ was given in adoption that Dashrath got married to Sumitra and Kaikeyi with the hope of getting healthy children. As he had no issue even after that, he arranged for the Putr-kâmeshthi Yagya on the advice of the sages. It was Rishya-shring who performed the Yagya and enabled Dashrath to beget four sons.
(Rishya-shring lived on a mountain at Sringeri where the Sri Sharada Peetham is located)
Another possible reason for her marriage
Shântâ was educated in the Vedas, Art and Craft, and was considered to have been very beautiful. One day, while her uncle, the king Rompad, was busy in conversation with Shântâ, a Brahmin came to ask for help in cultivation in the days of the monsoon. Rompad did not pay attention to the Brahmin's plight. This irritated and enraged the Brahmin, who left the kingdom. Indradev, the god of rain, was unable to bear the insult of his devotee, so there was little rainfall during the monsoon season. The Rajah called Rishya-shring
Instrumental in the birth of her brothers
As Dashrath had no children after Shântâ, he wanted a son to continue his legacy and to enrich his royal dynasty. He called Rishya-shring to perform a Putr-kâmeshthi yagya to beget progeny, and as the consequence of the said Yagya were born: Ram, Bharat, and the twins Lakshman and Shatrughn.
Alternate versions
Sathya Sai Baba
Extreme left: the three Holy Mothers, Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. In front of them, receiving the vessel, is their husband, King Dashrath.
Shântâ and Rishya-shring are seated on the ground.
In a discourse given by Sathya Sai Baba on 19 May, 2002, in Brindavan, Whitefield (Bangaluru), the mention of Sri Ram's sister came up. He mentioned the story thus:
Before Kausalya gave birth to Ram she had a daughter named Shântâ. Since she was a female child and was not qualified to succeed to the throne, he gave her in adoption to a sage. The sage brought her up and gave her in marriage to sage Rishya-shring.
The Yagya Dashrath invited noble sages to attend the Putr-kâmeshthi yagya (a sacrificial ritual) on the advice of his minister Sumant. Dashrath invited sage Rishya-shring to come and grace the function. Rishya-shring was a noble sage. There were timely rains, peace, and prosperity, and people lived in joy and plenty wherever Rishya-shring set foot. Sumant went to Rishya-shring and asked him to be the chief rithwik for the yagya.
The condition Rishya-shring replied to him, "I can't come alone. I agree to be the chief rithwik, but my consort Shântâ should come with me. She shall also function as a rithwik."
The worthy daughter Sumant agreed to this. Shântâ and Rishya-shring reached there. As soon as she reached Ayodhya, Shântâ did prostrations at the feet of Dashrath and Kausalya. Dashrath wondered who she was, since she looked like a rishi. Wherever she set foot, drought vanished, making place for timely rains. When the parents wondered who she was, Shântâ had to reveal her identity to Dashrath and Kausalya. She said "I am your daughter, Shântâ ". Dashrath and Kausalya were overjoyed when they realised that she was Shântâ, whom they had given away in adoption.
Yet Another Version of the story
The drought
According to this version, the daughter was not given to any one for adoption. However, there were a drought and Rishya-shring was selected as the one who could bring rains
The Yagya
The Rishi agreed to perform the Yagya and he did. The rains came and everybody was happy. King Dashrath was ready to reward the spiritual scientist who quenched the thirst of thousands.
The dreadful word
The Rishi stunned everybody by asking the hand of the king’s daughter, Shântâ. They were reluctant because she was a princess and she will now have to live in hermit. However, they agreed.
The Putr-kâmeshthi Yagya Years later, Dashrath was again in a trouble and has no progeny. He invited the same Rishya-shring to perform the Putr-kâmeshthi Yagya.
Sri Ram is born So, Rishya-shring performed the Yagya and brought the pabulum that had to be eaten by the queens and thus the princes were born.
Why no son was born to Dashrath It is said that Ravan asked for a boon from Lord Shiv that no son should be born to Dashrath, to which Lord Shiv agreed. There are no further details. [However, that probably is why yagyas had to be conducted to neutralise Lord Shiv’s boon. In any case, this version is not backed by Valmiki ji.]
See also
Shanta, sister of Sri Ram
