66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

made of the intertwined arms of naked women.) “On his
arrival at Anga, the rains came. The King was pleased,
rewarded the ladies, and persuaded the young man to marry
his daughter and settle down at his court.”
Dasaratha journeyed to Anga and invited the sage to visit
Ayodhya. A sacrifice was held under his guidance; it went on
for one full year, at the end of which an immense
supernatural being emerged from the sacrificial fire bearing
in his arms a silver plate with a bolus of sacramental rice on
it. He placed it beside King Dasaratha and vanished back
into the fire.
Rishya Sringa advised the King, “Take the rice and divide
it among your wives and they will have children.” In proper
time, Dasaratha’s wives, Kausalya and Kaikeyi, gave birth
to Rama and Bharatha respectively, and Sumithra gave birth
to Lakshmana and Sathrugna.
Dasaratha’s life attained a fuller meaning, and he felt
extremely happy as he watched his children grow. At each
stage, he engaged tutors for their training and development.
In course of time, every morning, the young men went to the
groves on the outskirts and learned yoga and philosophy
from the adepts residing there. Late in the evening, after the
lessons, when the princes returned to the palace on foot, the
citizens crowded the highway to have a glimpse of them.
Rama always had a word for everyone in the crowd,
inquiring, “How are you? Are your children happy? Do you