Dasharatha and His Queens: Kausalya, Kaikeyi, Sumitra

Quick answer: Dasharatha was the king of Ayodhya and father of Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. His three chief queens were Kausalya, mother of Rama; Kaikeyi, mother of Bharata; and Sumitra, mother of the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna. On the eve of Rama's coronation, Kaikeyi claimed two boons Dasharatha had once promised her: Bharata's coronation and Rama's exile for fourteen years. Bound by his word, Dasharatha agreed, and died of grief soon after Rama left, remembering a curse laid on him in his youth.

This page follows Valmiki's Ramayana, with kanda and sarga numbers from the edition on IIT Kanpur's site.

The sacrifice for sons

Dasharatha ruled Ayodhya justly and prosperously (Bala Kanda, sargas 5 to 7), but had no son. He resolved to perform the ashvamedha (sarga 8), and the sage Rishyashringa was brought to Ayodhya to conduct it (sargas 9 to 12). After the horse sacrifice, a rite for sons, the putreshti, followed (sarga 15). A being rose from the fire with a vessel of payasam, which Dasharatha shared among his queens, and they conceived (sarga 16). Rama was born to Kausalya, Bharata to Kaikeyi, and Lakshmana and Shatrughna to Sumitra (sarga 18).

A father's attachment

When Vishvamitra asked for young Rama to protect his sacrifice, Dasharatha refused at first and offered to go himself with his army; only Vasishtha's advice persuaded him (sargas 19 to 21). The scene shows how much he loved Rama, a love the rest of his story turns on.

The coronation and the boons

Grown old, Dasharatha resolved to make Rama crown prince, and the assembly approved (Ayodhya Kanda, sargas 1 and 2). But Kaikeyi's maid Manthara persuaded her that Rama's rise would ruin Bharata and herself (sargas 7 and 8). Manthara reminded Kaikeyi of two boons Dasharatha had promised her long before, when she saved his life in a battle on the side of the gods. Kaikeyi went to the "chamber of anger" (sarga 9) and, when the king came, made him swear, then claimed her boons: Bharata to be consecrated, and Rama to live in the forest for fourteen years (sarga 11).

Dasharatha begged and raged (sargas 12 to 14) but would not break his word. Rama accepted the exile without complaint (sargas 18 and 19).

The three queens at the parting

• Kausalya first wanted to follow Rama into the forest, then gave him her blessing for a safe return (sargas 20 to 25).
• Sumitra told Lakshmana to go with Rama, and later consoled Kausalya, saying her son would return in glory (sarga 44).
• Kaikeyi refused every plea, even Vasishtha's, and objected to sending the army with Rama (sargas 35 to 37).

The hermit boy's curse and Dasharatha's death

After Rama left, Dasharatha sat with Kausalya, who reproached him (sarga 61). He told her that his grief was the fruit of a deed from his youth (sarga 62). Hunting by sound at night on the Sarayu, he had shot what he thought was an elephant drinking, and found he had killed a young ascetic filling a water pot for his blind, aged parents (sarga 63). The father cursed Dasharatha that he too would die grieving for a son (sarga 64). Remembering this, Dasharatha died that night (sargas 64 and 65).

In Valmiki the boy is not named; later tradition knows him as Shravana Kumar.

After the king's death

Bharata, summoned home from his grandfather's kingdom, found his father dead. He condemned Kaikeyi, refused the throne and went to the forest to bring Rama back. See Bharata in the Ramayana. Kausalya and the other queens went with him to Chitrakuta, and Rama learned of his father's death there and offered water to his spirit (sarga 102).

Kaikeyi is condemned throughout the Ayodhya Kanda. Later retellings, especially in devotional tradition, soften her role by saying the gods worked through her so that Rama would go to the forest and destroy Ravana.

Frequently asked questions

Who were Dasharatha's three queens?

Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.

What were Kaikeyi's two boons?

That Bharata be consecrated as heir and that Rama live in the forest for fourteen years (Ayodhya Kanda, sarga 11).

Why did Dasharatha give Kaikeyi two boons?

Because she had saved his life in battle long before; Manthara reminded her of them.

How did Dasharatha die?

Of grief after Rama's exile, as foretold by the curse of the blind ascetic whose son he had killed (sargas 63 to 65).

Whose son was Lakshmana?

Sumitra's; his twin was Shatrughna.

Related reading

• Ramayana: The Complete Guide
• Bala Kanda summary
• Ayodhya Kanda summary
• Bharata in the Ramayana

Sources

1. Valmiki Ramayana, Sanskrit text with English translation (Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati), IIT Kanpur: heritage.iitk.ac.in/VRAM. References are kanda and sarga in this edition.

Last reviewed: 12 November 2026.