Revision as of 15:50, 5 December 2014

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 Shantâ. 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 Shantâ. However, Chañdrawatî’s Râmâyan refers to her as Kakua. Which explains why the Malays call her Kikewi Déwî. Some spell the name Shantai.

Shanta was the daughter of Dasharath and Kausalya, adopted by the couple Rompad and Vershini. Shanta was a wife of Rishyasringa. The descendants of Shanta and Rishyasringa are Sengar Rajputs who are called the only Rishivanshi Rajputs.

Shanta, 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 Shanta became the princess of Angadesh. The Vasishth Ramayan, also known as Jnana Ramayan, which is one version of the Ramayan written by Valmiki, in its Adi parv, refers to the ancestry of Dasarath, his birth and how he became a king in the solar dynasty. This reveals an unknown story in the known purana about Dasarath’s youth, marriage and how he became the father of a female child. Adbhut Ramayan and Adhyatam 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 Narada 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.

Dasarath’s Early Days

Aja’s son was only eight months old when Aja died. Sumantra was the most intelligent minister in the kingdom and Vasistha was the rajguru (guru of the king). Vasishth requested Sumantra 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. Marudanva brought up the child as a wise man and a strong warrior.

The child was Dasarath 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 Dasarath. The kind of northern Kosal agreed to rule under his patronage. He had a beautiful daughter, Kausalya, whom Dasarath wanted to marry. The king agreed. But he did not know that he and Dasarath were closely related, coming from the same clan (gotra).

Ravan’s Fear

Ravan, the demon king of Lanka was a contemporary of Dasarath. He was a great Shiv Bhakt. Once he went to Kailas and played the Sama Ved on his veena. Shiv was pleased and blessed him with many powers.

On his way back from Kailas, Ravan went to Brahmalok 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 Brahmastr. When ravana 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 Dasarath 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 Dasarath. 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 Dasarath and Kausalya, he reasoned.

At midnight one day, Dasarath was crossing the Sarayu after the conquest. He saw a box being thrown into the river by some persons from a hillock. Dasarath jumped out from his boat and fought with those persons. They were the asuras sent by Ravan and they used magical tactics. So Dasarath could not defeat them. Meanwhile, the box was floating away fast. Dasarath 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. Dasarath, who was swimming fast, became tired. Jatayu, the king of eagles, who was flying past, saw and rescued him. He tended to Dasarath’s wounds and made him get back his strength.

When Dasarath 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, Narada, who knew about the whole story, also came there. They all opened the box and found Kausalya in an unconscious state. Through Narada’s power she regained consciousness. Dasarath’s joy knew no bounds.

Narada said it was the right time for the marriage of Dasarath and Kausalya. He sought the presence of the Devas at the spot and performed the marriage. Narada, Jatayu and the devas blessed the marriage. Thereafter, Jatayu took Dasarath and Kausalya on his back to Ayodhya, where the marriage ceremonies were again performed elaborately with fanfare and the blessings of Vasishth and Sumantra.

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 Shanta. The palace doctors tried their best to remove the handicap but failed. Vashishth consoled Dasarath and Kausalya. He said that the handicap was due to the marriage between close cousins (Dasarath and Kausalya belonged to he same gotra) and she would become normal if given in adoption to a divine couple.

Accordingly, Dasarath and Kausalya gave the child in adoption to Romapada, the king of Angadesa. With due care and treatment, Shanta’s disability vanished. Romapada performed her marriage with Rishyasring Maharishi.

It was after Shanta was given in adoption that Dasarath 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 Putrakameshti Yagya on the advice of the sages. It was Rishyasring who performed the Yagya and enabled Dasarath to beget four sons.

(Rishyasring lived on a mountain at Sringeri where the Sri Sharada Peetham is located)

Another possible reason for her marriage

Shanta 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 Shanta, 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 Rishyasringa to

Instrumental in the birth of her brothers

As Dashrath had no children after Shanta, he wanted a son to continue his legacy and to enrich his royal dynasty. He called Rishyasringa to perform a putra kameshthi yagya to beget progeny, and as the consequence of the said Yagya were born: Ram, Bharata, and the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.

Alternate versions

Sathya Sai Baba

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 Shanta. 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 Rishyasringa.

The Yagya Dasaratha invited noble sages to attend the putrakameshti yaga (a sacrificial ritual) on the advice of his minister Sumanta. Dasaratha invited sage Rishyasringa to come and grace the function. Rishyasringa was a noble sage. There were timely rains, peace, and prosperity, and people lived in joy and plenty wherever Rishya sringa set foot. Sumantha went to Rishyasringa and asked him to be the chief rithwik for the yaga.

The condition Rishyasringa replied to him, "I can't come alone. I agree to be the chief rithwik, but my consort Shanta should come with me. She shall also function as a rithwik."

The worthy daughter Sumanta agreed to this. Shanta and Rishyasringa reached there. As soon as she reached Ayodhya, Shanta did prostrations at the feet of Dasaratha and Kausalya. Dasaratha 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, Shanta had to reveal her identity to Dasaratha and Kausalya. She said "I am your daughter, Shanta". Dasaratha and Kausalya were overjoyed when they realised that she was Shanta, whom they had given away in adoption.

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 Rishyasringa 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. Kind 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, Shanta. They were reluctant because she was a princess and she will now have to live in hermit. However, they agreed.

The Putrakameshthi Yagya Years later, Dashrath was again in a trouble and has no progeny. He invited the same Rishyasringa to perform the Putrakameshthi Yagya.

Sri Ram is born So, Rishyasringa 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.]