King Dasarath was the father of Lord Shri Rama. While many of us know about the birth story of Lord Sri Rama as his life story is written in Ramayana which is a very well-known epic in India and across the globe.
However, very few people are aware of the birth story of King Dasharatha.
King Dasharatha and his wife Kaushalya were Swyambhuv Manu and Shtarupa in their previous birth. They did great penance and got a boon from Lord Vishnu that he will be born as their son for three times.
In order to fulfill this boon, Swayambhu Manu and Shatrupa were born three different occasions across Yugas(eons).
- First, they were born as Rishi Kashyap and the Aditi where Lord Vishnu was born as Lord Vamana.
- Second time they were born as Dasharath and Kaushalya when Lord Shri Ram was born as their son.
- While the third time Manu and Shatrupa were born as Vasudev and Devaki when Lord Vishnu was born as their son Shri Krishna.
Thus Dasarath and Kaushalya were no ordinary beings because when they had the vision of Lord Vishnu they were entitled to attain final liberation-Moksha. However, they did not accept Moksha as they wanted Lord as their son.
The birth story of King Dasharatha is also nothing short of a miracle. Dasharatha’s father King Aja was a powerful king of Ayodhya, long ago before his birth. King of Lanka Mighty Ravana who always wanted to defeat other Kings went to king Aja looking for a fight.
King Aja was performing his afternoon prayers at that time. Ravana, a half Brahamana himself knew the process, awaited and watched him from a distance. While doing prayers King Aja took water in his palms and through it backward. Now usually in Sanatana Hindu culture, the water is always thrown forward not backward, during prayers. Ravana saw this and wondered why King Aja did so. He was curious to know the reason behind this.
Therefore he went to King Aja and asked him. King Aja told him that while carrying out his prayers he saw in his vision that there was a cow getting attacked by a Lion couple of miles behind him in the nearby forest. So when he threw the water backward, it took the form of due to his mantric prowess. The arrows hit the lion and thus the cow was saved.
Ravan couldn’t believe this. Then King Aja told him that he can go and verify the fact himself. Ravana went a couple of miles behind in the forest and found that a cow was grazing and a lion was lying dead nearby, killed by several arrows stuck in his chest.
Ravana was awestruck and thought when a person has such great penance prowess that it would defeat a lion from such a distance without making much effort, what would he do actually in a fight. At that very moment, Ravana discarded the thought of fighting King Aja, realizing fully well that he will get defeated in no time if fight occurs.
After this incident, King Aja was the carrying out his royal duties as usual in a just and truthful manner taking proper care of his subjects. He was endowed with vast wealth, a powerful army, and all kinds of luxuries. He had everything but was still childless at that time.
One day king was wandering in the forest. He saw a beautiful lake. Inside the lake, there was a fully blossomed beautiful lotus. King liked it so much that he started swimming towards the lotus to fetch it. However closer he tried to reach, farther the lotus kept moving. Astonished at this King was perplexed. That very moment a heavenly voice told him that this Lotus cannot be touched because you do not have any progeny. A childless person cannot touch this divine flower.
It was not King’s fault that didn’t have any son. He was saddened greatly by this incident and started the remaining worried all the time. His wife Indumati was distressed as well. King Aja was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva knew the cause of his worry, he summoned Dharmaraj and asked him to make an arrangement so that King would have a child.
Dharmraja along with his wife took the form of a Brahmin couple and came to Ayodhya, the kingdom of Aja. The Brahman couple started staying nearby the Sarayu river in a small cottage. One day the Brahman went to the court of King Aja to ask for alms. The King wanted to give him gold winds from his treasury but Dharmaraja disguised as a Brahmana said that this is not King’s own money as this was actually the public money which is collected as tax and thus was not actual earning of the King.
King Aja then tried to give him his necklace. Brahman again refused saying that it was also bought by the tax money collected from the people.
Then he proceeded to return back. But King Aja asked to give him a day’s time to give him his desired alms. The Brahman agreed.
King Aja started thinking about it. He changed his appearance and disguised himself as a normal citizen so that nobody can recognize him. He started roaming around the city looking for a job to earn something on his own.
He reached a blacksmith’s place and asked him for some work. The blacksmith was leaving for the day but he had some tasks left. He asked King to work for the entire night to finish the job. King kept on working for the whole night. In the morning the blacksmith gave him a penny for his job. King took that penny and came back to his palace. When the Brahman came, King offered him the same penny that he earned last night.
Getting the penny as alms Brahman threw it on the ground. A strange thing happened, with a loud thud a ditch appeared where Brahman threw the coin. Brahman started digging the ground and after some time a Chariot appeared. When it was dug completely it flew to the heavens.
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Brahman Kept on digging after some time a second chariot appeared This also flew to the heavens. Brahman kept on digging one by one nine chariots appeared and flew to heaven.
Then the tenth Chariot appeared with a beautiful child on it. Brahman took the child and gave it to King Aja. He said this child has been born from the hard labour of yours. So now accept this as your son and carry on you Kingly duties without any worries now.
In Sanskrit number ‘Ten’ is called ‘Dasha’ and ‘Charriot’ is called ‘Ratha’. As the child appeared on the tenth Chariot he was named the Dasharatha.
However, the real name of King Dasharatha was Manu. His father was King Aja and his mother was Queen Indumati.
महाराज दशरथ के जन्म की कथा
दशरथ वाल्मीकि रामायण के अनुसार अयोध्या के रघुवंशी (सूर्यवंशी) राजा थे। वे राजा अज व इन्वदुमतीके के पुत्र थेे तथा इक्ष्वाकु कुल मे जन्मे थे। वे प्रभु श्रीराम, जो कि विष्णु का अवतार थे, के पिता बने । राजा दशरथ के चरित्र में आदर्श महाराजा, पुत्रों को प्रेम करने वाले पिता और अपने वचनों के प्रति पूर्ण समर्पित व्यक्ति दर्शाया गया है। उनकी तीन पत्नियाँ थीं – कौशल्या, सुमित्रा तथा कैकेयी। अंगदेश के राजा रोमपाद या चित्ररथ की दत्तक पुत्री शान्ता महर्षि ऋष्यशृंग की पत्नी थीं। एक प्रसंग के अनुसार शान्ता दशरथ की पुत्री थीं तथा रोमपाद को गोद दी गयीं थीं।
महाराज दशरथ का जन्म बहुत ही एक अद्भुत घटना है पौराणिक धर्म ग्रंथों के आधार पर बताया जाता है कि एक बार राजा अज दोपहर की वंदना कर रहे थे।
उस समय लंकापति रावण उनसे युद्ध करने के लिए आया और दूर से उनकी वंदना करना देख रहा था। राजा अज ने भगवान शिव की वंदना की और जल आगे अर्पित करने की जगह पीछे फेंक दिया।
यह देखकर रावण को बड़ा आश्चर्य हुआ और वह राजा अज के सामने पहुंचा तथा पूछने लगा कि हमेशा वंदना करने के पश्चात जल का अभिषेक आगे किया जाता है, ना कि पीछे, इसके पीछे क्या कारण है। राजा अज ने कहा जब मैं आंखें बंद करके ध्यान मुद्रा में भगवान शिव की अर्चना कर रहा था।
तभी मुझे यहां से एक योजन दूर जंगल में एक गाय घास चरती हुई दिखी और मैंने देखा कि एक सिंह उस पर आक्रमण करने वाला है तभी मैंने जल का अभिषेक पीछे की तरफ किया और मेरे जल ने तीर का रूप धारण कर लिया जिससे उस सिंह की मृत्यु हुई। रावण को यह बात सुनकर बड़ा ही आश्चर्य हुआ किंतु राजा अज ने कहा तुम यहां से पीछे एक योजन दूर जाकर यह दृश्य देख सकते हो।
रावण वहाँ गया और उसने देखा कि एक गाय हरी घास चर रही है जबकि शेर के पेट में कई वाण लगे हैं अब रावण को विश्वास हो गया कि जिस महापुरुष के जल से ही बाण बन जाते हैं और बिना किसी लक्ष्य साधन के लक्ष्य बेधन हो जाता है ऐसे वीर पुरुष को जीतना बड़ा ही असंभव है और वह उनसे बिना युद्ध किए ही लंका लौट जाता है।
एक बार की बात है जब राजा अज जंगल में भ्रमण करने के लिए गए थे तो उन्हें एक बहुत ही सुंदर सरोवर दिखाई दिया उस सरोवर में एक कमल का फूल था जो अति सुंदर प्रतीत हो रहा था।
उस कमल को प्राप्त करने के लिए राजा अज सरोवर में कूद गए किंतु यह क्या राजा अज कितना भी उस कमल के पास जाते वह कमल उनसे उतना ही दूर हो जाता और राजा अज उस कमल को नहीं पकड़ पाया।
अंततः आकाशवाणी हुई कि हे राजन आप नि:संतान हैं आप इस कमल के योग्य नहीं है इस भविष्यवाणी ने राजा अज के हृदय में एक भयंकर घात किया था।
राजा अज अपने महल में लौट आए और चिंता ग्रस्त रहने लगे क्योंकि उन्हें संतान नहीं थी जबकि वह भगवान शिव के परम भक्त थे।राजा अज अपने महल में लौट आए और चिंता ग्रस्त रहने लगे क्योंकि उन्हें संतान नहीं थी जबकि वह भगवान शिव के परम भक्त थे।उनकी धर्मपरायणा पत्नी इंदुमती भी पति के दुःख से व्यथित रहने लगीं।
भगवान शिव उनकी इस चिंता से व्याकुल हो उठे और उन्होंने धर्मराज को बुलाया और कहा तुम ब्राह्मण के भेष में अयोध्या नगरी जाओ जिससे राजा अज को संतान की प्राप्ति होगी।
धर्मराज और उनकी पत्नी ब्राह्मण और ब्राह्मणी की वेश में सरयू नदी के किनारे कुटिया बनाकर रहने लगे। एक दिन घर्मराज ब्राह्मण के भेष में ही राजा अज के दरबार में गए और उनसे भिक्षा मांगने लगे।
राजा अज ने अपने खजाने में से उन्हें सोने की अशर्फियां देनी चाही लेकिन ब्राह्मण नहीं कहते हुए मना कर दिया कि यह प्रजा का है आप अपने पास जो है। उसे दीजिए तब राजा अज ने अपने गले का हार उतारा और ब्राह्मण को देने लगे किंतु ब्राह्मण ने मना कर दिया कि यह भी प्रजा की ही संपत्ति है।
इस प्रकार राजा अज को बड़ा दुख हुआ कि आज एक ब्राह्मण उनके दरबार से खाली हाथ जा रहा है तब राजा अज शाम को एक मजदूर का बेश बनाते हैं और नगर में किसी काम के लिए निकल जाते हैं।
चलते – चलते वह एक लौहार के यहाँ पहुंचते हैं और अपना परिचय बिना बताए ही वहां काम करने लग जाते हैं पूरी रात को हथौड़े से लोहे का काम करते हैं जिसके बदले में उन्हें सुबह एक टका मिलता है।
राजा एक टका लेकर ब्राह्मण के घर पहुंचते हैं लेकिन वहां ब्राह्मण नहीं था उन्होंने वह एक टका ब्राह्मण की पत्नी को दे दिया और कहा कि इसे ब्राह्मण को दे देना जब ब्राह्मण आया तो ब्राह्मण की पत्नी ने वह टका ब्राह्मण को दिया और ब्राह्मण ने उस टका को जमीन पर फेंक दिया तभी एक आश्चर्यजनक घटना हुई ब्राह्मण ने जहां टका फेंका था वहां गड्ढा हो गया ब्राह्मण ने उस गढ्ढे को और खोदा तो उसमें से सोने का एक रथ निकला तथा आसमान में चला गया इसके पश्चात ब्राह्मण ने और खोदा तो दूसरा सोने का रथ निकला और आसमान की तरफ चला गया इसी प्रकार से, नौ सोने के रथ निकले और आसमान की तरफ चले गए और जब दसवाँ रथ निकला तो उस पर एक बालक था और वह रथ जमीन पर आकर ठहर गया।
ब्राह्मण उस बालक को लेकर राजा अज के दरबार में पहुंचे और कहा राजन – इस पुत्र को स्वीकार कीजिए यह आपका ही पुत्र है जो एक टका से उत्पन्न हुआ है तथा इसके साथ में सोने के नौ रथ निकले जो आसमान में चले गए जबकि यह बालक दसवें रथ पर निकला इसलिए यह रथ तथा पुत्र आपका है। इस प्रकार से दशरथ जी का जन्म हुआ था।
महाराज दशरथ का असली नाम मनु था।इस प्रकार राजा दशरथ माता इँदुमती तथा पिता अज के पुत्र कहलाये।
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