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Book I: Bala-Kanda (The Chapter on Rama as a Youth)

In the land of the Kosala, in the city of Ayodhya, there ruled a kin namedDasharatha, !ho !as mihty and !ise, "ut still childless# The sae Vasistha, !hois the chief priest, told the kin that he !ould perform a po!erful o$erin rite thatcan cause the "eettin of sons# %ust at that time, the ods in hea&en !ere much

trou"led "y Ravana, the ten-headed ruler of the rakshasas or demons# 'e isprotected from the ods and demons "y a "oon# The ord ishnu, then, resol&es to"e "orn on earth as the son of *asharatha, !ho could kill Ra&ana# The three !i&esof Kin *asharatha !ere made to drinkpayasam, a s!eet made of milk and rice#

They then "ore him four sons: Kausalya"ore Rama(in !hom ishnu hadincarnated himself), Kaikeyi"ore Bharata, Sumitra"ore LakshmanaandShatrughna# +f these four princes, Rama !as his fathers fa&orite, and from hisyouth, akshmana !as deeply de&oted to him, they !ere insepara"le# The princesre! up and !ere trained in all the arts, and Rama ecelled in e&erythin#

.hen the princes had ro!n to manhood, the reat sae ish&amitra came tothe court of *asharatha, complainin that demons !ere disruptin the !orship at

his hermitae !ith their persistent attacks# /t his re0uest, Rama and akshmana,!ent forth !ith him to slay the demons and a demoness named Tataka, for !hichthey !ere re!arded !ith maical !eapons# ish&amitra later accompanied theprinces to the court of Kin %anaka# %anaka had a dauhter named 1ita (23urro!4), sonamed "ecause she had come forth out of the earth !hen the kin !as plouhin ina 5eld# %anaka had raised her as a dauhter, and no! !as considerin the 0uestionof !hom she should marry# The kin possessed an ancient "o! of 1hi&a# 'e hadannounced that he !ould i&e his dauhter 1ita in marriae only to the man !hocould dra! the "o!# 6any princes had already failed, hardly a"le e&en to lift it, "ut!hen Ramas turn came, "e "ent it so easily that it snapped in t!o# 'ihly delihtedthe kin i&es him his dauhter in marriae# *asharatha !as summoned, and so themarriae of Rama and 1ita !as sumptuously cele"rated# /nd so Rama li&ed happily

!ith is de&oted !ife 1ita for many years in /yodhya#

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