Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.253

c5.253

He performed several devotional acts to get children. Finally he gave up all kingly pleasures and began to lead an ascetic life. He built a temple for his own use and consecrated the idol of Mahāviṣṇu in it. Then entrusting the administration of the kingdom to his ministers he and his wives engaged themselves in daily devotion and meditation in the temple. Then the King decided to perform the sacrifice of Putrakāmeṣṭi (sacrifice for getting children) by the hermit Ṛṣyaśṛṅga under the guidance of Vasiṣṭha. The King informed Ṛṣyaśṛṅga of his decision. Ṛṣyaśṛṅga could not refuse the King’s request as the king was his father-in-law. Moreover Lomapāda and Śāntā also requested the hermit to comply with the desire of Daśaratha. So Ṛṣyaśṛṅga came to Ayodhyā and the sacrifice of Putrakāmeṣṭi was begun. The air vibrated with the recitation of mantras (spells and incantations) and the Veda Sūktas. The hermit uttered the divine spell of Putrakāmeṣṭi and offered oblations in the sacrificial fire. Then a wonderful and luminous figure came out of the fire with a pot containing a pudding of ambrosia, and placed the pot before Ṛṣyaśṛṅga and then disappeared in the sacrificial fire. When the wonderful figure disappeared, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga took the pot of pudding and gave it to Daśaratha with prayer and incantations. Daśaratha received the golden pot and in accordance with the instruction of the hermit, divided the pudding between his first wife Kauśalyā and second wife Kaikeyī, both of whom gave half of their share to Sumitrā. Thus the three wives ate the divine pudding and by and by all of them became pregnant. Kauśalyā and Kaikeyī gave birth to a son each and Sumitrā gave birth to two sons. The son of Kauśalyā was called Rāma, the son of Kaikeyī was named Bharata and the sons of Sumitrā were called Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna. (Kampa Rāmāyaṇa, Bāla Kāṇḍa).