King Dasharatha had no children for a long time. To get sons, he performed a sacred ritual called the Putrakameshti Yajna with the help of sage Rishyasringa.
From the yajna fire, a divine being appeared and gave a bowl of holy kheer (payasam) to Dasharatha, asking him to give it to his queens.
👑 Distribution of the Divine Kheer
Dasharatha divided the kheer among his three queens:
Kausalya received a large portion
Kaikeyi received a portion
Sumitra received two portions
👶 Birth of the Four Princes
After some time, the queens gave birth:
Kausalya's son → Rama
Considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Kaikeyi's son → Bharata
Sumitra's sons →
Lakshmana
Shatrughna
🌟 Special Bond
Lakshmana was deeply devoted to Rama
Shatrughna was very close to Bharata