Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.3129

c7.3129

Vālmīki duly performed the thread-wearing ceremony of Lava and Kuśa and taught them, even in their very childhood, all arts and sciences including the secrets about divine arrows. The boys one day killed a deer in the āśrama and worshipped with its flesh the liṅga, which Vālmīki used to worship daily, and as a result of that the sage became ill. Sītādevī requested for penance for the action of her children, and Vālmīki said that Lava should bring golden lotus flowers from Vaiśravaṇa’s pond and flowers of Kalpavṛkṣa from his garden, and that Lava and Kuśa together should worship the Śivaliṅga with those flowers. Lava then went to mount Kailāsa and after killing many yakṣas collected the flowers. On his way back he rested for some time at the foot of a tree. Just then Lakṣmaṇa, who was on the look-out for a human being for the naramedha (human sacrifice) of Śrī Rāma, also reached the spot. He decided to take Lava captive with him, and they fought with each other for some time. At last Lakṣmaṇa took Lava captive by using mohanāstra (arrow which makes the opponent unconscious) and took him to Ayodhyā. Sītā was pained that Lava had not returned yet, and Vālmīki with his divine vision understood the reason for his absence. He deputed Kuśa to Ayodhyā to bring back with him Lava somehow or other. When Kuśa reached Ayodhyā, Śrī Rāma was conducting the Aśvamedha yajña, and Kuśa, successfully confronting a number of people, got into the yajña ground. In the combat that ensued between Kuśa and Lakṣmaṇa the latter was defeated, as he could not defeat Kuśa due to the greatness of Vālmīki. When Śrī Rāma asked Kuśa who he was he replied that he was the brother of Lava and that he had heard from his mother Sītā that both of them were the sons of Śrī Rāma. Rāma was overjoyed to hear that and he covered the boys with kisses. Sītā also was brought down from the āśrama of Vālmīki, and all of them lived very happily. (Kathāsaritsāgara, Alaṃkāravatilambaka, Taraṅga 1).