Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi

Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi are the three wives of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya, in the 24,000-verse Sanskrit epic called the Ramayana, and the mothers of the heroes Rama, Bharatha, and Lakshmana.

In the story, when the King performs a Putrakameshti Yagna, the sacrifice for progeny, a divine being, purusha, emerges from the holy fire and offers a pot of payasam milk sweet. King Dasharatha distributes the dessert to his three wives, the Queens Kaushalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi, in accordance with the status of each, and each wife conceives. As a result, Queen Kaushalya gives birth to the oldest son, Rama; Bharatha is born to Queen Kaikeyi; and Lakshmana and Shatrughna are born to Queen Sumitra.

See Also

• Ramayana

External links

• Site with Valmiki Ramayana Text with Meaning
• Online Ramayana