Story of Kuśa

One of the two sons of Śrī Rāma, the other, being Lava.

Birth.

To Sītā forsaken by Rāma a son called Lava was born while she was living at the āśrama of Vālmīki. One day Sītā took Lava to the stream to bathe him, and Vālmīki, who did not know about it was upset not to see the child in the āśrama. He feared that it might have been eaten up by some animal, and fearing that Sītā might die when she missed the child he created a child with Kuśa grass and laid it where Lava was lying before. When Sītā returned to the āśrama with Lava after their bath Vālmīki explained the whole situation to Sītā. Since the second child was created with Kuśa grass he was called Kuśa, and he was made the second son of Sītā (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa and Kathāsaritsāgara, Alaṅkāravatīlambaka, Taraṅga 1).

Kuśa went to Ayodhyā.

Śrī Rāma decided to conduct an Aśvamedha yajña. It was ordained that the emperor, who conducted a yajña should have his wife. As Sītā had been abandoned, Rāma had no wife for the purposes of the yajña. It was laid down that in the absence of the wife a statue of hers may be made with palāśa wood. But, Vasiṣṭha decreed that a statue of Sītā might be made with gold. The yajña was to be held in the Naimiṣa forest. During the triumphal tour of Śatrughna with the yājñika horse he reached the banks of the river Tamasā near the āśrama of Vālmīki where Lava and Kuśa captured the horse. Śatrughna could not defeat Lava and Kuśa, and they routed the additional force also which arrived under the leadership of Lakṣmaṇa to help Śatrughna. Then Vālmīki intervened and the horse was returned to Śatrughna. Afterwards, Vālmīki, Sītā and Lavakuśas also attended Śrī Rāma’s yajña where Lava and Kuśa recited the poem Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki. Rāma recognised the boys and they were made to live in Ayodhyā. Thus did Kuśa visit Ayodhyā.

The Kathāsaritsāgara tells the following story about Kuśa’s visit to Ayodhyā.

Vālmīki duly performed the thread-wearing ceremony of Lava and Kuśa and taught them, even in their very childhood, all arts and sciences including the secrets about divine arrows. The boys one day killed a deer in the āśrama and worshipped with its flesh the liṅga, which Vālmīki used to worship daily, and as a result of that the sage became ill. Sītādevī requested for penance for the action of her children, and Vālmīki said that Lava should bring golden lotus flowers from Vaiśravaṇa’s pond and flowers of Kalpakavṛkṣa from his garden, and that Lava and Kuśa together should worship the Śivaliṅga with those flowers. Lava then went to mount Kailāsa and after killing many yakṣas collected the flowers. On his way back he rested for some time at the foot of a tree. Just then Lakṣmaṇa, who was on the look-out for a human being for the naramedha (human sacrifice) of Śrī Rāma, also reached the spot. He decided to take Lava captive with him, and they fought with each other for some time. At last Lakṃaṇa took Lava captive by using mohanāstra (arrow which makes the opponent unconscious) and took him to Ayodhyā. Sītā was pained that Lava had not returned yet, and Vālmīki with his divine vision understood the reason for his absence. He deputed Kuśa to Ayodhyā to bring back with him Lava somehow or other. When Kuśa reached Ayodhyā, Śrī Rāma was conducting the Aśvamedha yajña, and Kuśa, successfully confronting a number of people, got into the yajña ground. In the combat that ensued between Kuśa and Lakṣmaṇa the latter was defeated, as he could not defeat Kuśa due to the greatness of Vālmīki. When Śrī Rāma asked Kuśa who he was he replied that he was the brother of Lava and that he had heard from his mother Sītā that both of them were the sons of Śrī Rāma. Rāma was overjoyed to hear that and he covered the boys with kisses. Sītā also was brought down from the āśrama of Vālmīki, and all of them lived very happily. (Kathāsaritsāgara, Alaṃkāravatīlambaka, Taraṅga 1).

Kuśa’s reign.

Following the demise of Lakṣmaṇa Śrī Rāma divided the country between Kuśa and Lava. A city called Kuśāvatī was built in the Kosala Kingdom and Kuśa was crowned King thereof. Thirtytwo out of the sixtyfour akṣauhiṇīs of the kings of the solar dynasty, four out of the eight ministers and half of the movable property were allotted to Kuśa. Lava was crowned king of north Kosala where a city called Śarāvatī was built for him, and the other half of the army, ministers etc. became his share. While Kuśa and Lava were ruling the country thus, Śrī Rāma immolated himself in the depths of the river Sarayū (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa).

Kuśa’s successors.

Descended from Śrī Rāma thus: Kuśa—Aditi—Niṣadha—Nabhas—Puṇḍarīka—Kṣemadhanvā—Devānīka—Ṛkṣa—Pāriyātra—Vindorala—Vajranābha—Khagaṇa—Vīdhṛti—Hiraṇyanābha—Puṣya—Dhruva—Sudarśana—Agnipūrṇa—Śīghra—Maru. The solar dynasty was annihilated at the advent of Kaliyuga (Bhāgavata, 9th Skandha).