Word

Dasaratha

Sanskrit

दशरथ

IAST

daśaratha

In General

A very powerful king of the Ikshvaku Vamsa (solar dynasty) and father of Sri Rama. He was son of Aja and Indumati. His name was Nemi and he was called Dasaratha for his exemplary skill in chariot fighting.

Genealogy. Descended from Visnu thus: Brahma - Marici - Kasyapa-Vivasvan - Vaivasvata Manu - Iksvaku - Vikuksi - Sasada- Kakutstha (Puranjaya) – Anenas –Prthulasva – Prasenajit – Yuvanasva – Mandhata –Purukutsa – Trasadasyu – Anaranya – Hryasva – Vasumanas - Sutanva – Traiyyaruna - Satyavrata (Trisanku)- Hariscandra - Rohitava - Harita – Cuncu - Sudeva - Bharuka - Bahuka - Sagara – Asamanjasa – Arhsiiman – Bhagiratha – Srutanabha - Sindhudvipa-Ayutayus - Rtuparna - Sarvakama - Sudas - Mitrasakha (Kalmasapada) - Asmaka - Mulaka - Kharvanga – Dilipa (Dirgha bahu)-Raghu-Aja-Dasaratha.

Purana

Dasaratha had a daughter named santha in Kausalya. She was given in marriage to Rishyasringa.

Dasaratha was married thrice but none of his wives provided him with a son to continue the legacy of his family. The king expressed his feeling to Sage Lomapada and the sage advised King Dasaratha to conduct Putrakameshti Yajna.

The Sage Rishyasringa officiated the Putrakamesti Yajna for Dasaratha. In the end of the Yajna a divine person arose from the fire with a vessel full of divine prasada. Rishyasringa received the prasada and handed it over to Dasaratha to be passed over to his wives to have children. The king divided the Prasada into two and gave them to his wives Kausalya and Kaikeyi. The two wives in turn gave haft of what they received to Sumitra, the third wife of Dasaratha. In due course of time Kausalya and Kaikeyi delivered a son each and Sumitra two sons. The son of Kausalya was named Rama, the son of Kaikeyi, Bharata, and sons of Sumitra were named Laksmana and Satrughna.

Once the mighty asura called Sambara once attacked Devaloka. Dasaratha called as Nemi in his early days was invited by Indra to fight against the Asura. Nemi an expert in chariot fight went along his wife Kaikeyi and fought with Sambra. Sambara assumed ten identical forms and attacked Dasaratha from ten points. In this context Nemi turned and twisted his chariot in all the ten directions at the same time and killed all the ten Sambaras and recaptured Svarga. It was from that day onwards that Nemi came to be known as Dasaratha.

In the fight with the Sambaras on all points Dasaratha's chariot was so violently shaken that the key of its axle was about to slip off and fall down. Noticing the threatened danger Kaikeyi applied her finger to the proper place of the axle and thus averted the mishap. When Dasaratha knew about this timely action of Kaikeyl he was so very pleased that he asked her to choose any two boons she desired, and she asked him to keep the boons with him to be granted whenever she requested for them.