IS RAMA HAS A SISTER SANTHA?
The epic Ramayana deals with complete details about Sri rama and his character but when it comes to other characters like dasaratha or kousalya or other ikshwaaku dynasty full details are not available. This is manly due to story revolvs only around rama only. Even in the balakanda the details of santa was given in 10 sarga stanzas 1 to 5 as she is from ikshwaaku dynasty and romapada adopted her.
To know about shanta, we should refer to vashita ramayanam also known as gyana Ramayana wherein in adiparva, the birth of dasaratha is told in detail.
Aja, the ikshwaaku king is the father of Dasratha, who is 38th person in the dynasty ruling the ayodhya on the banks of sarayu river. King aja wife is indumati, an apsaras born as human due to a curse, and aja was spending most of his time in earthly pleasures. Once while sage narada moving over the sky, the pushpamala from his veena fell on the ground where king aja and indumati were on royal palace grounds, and immediately indumati got saapa vimochana and she left aja by his reveling her status. Aja could not able to bear the separation of indumati, and he committed suicide
During this time, the dasaratha was eight months old only and vasishta the kula guru asked sumanta to take the reigns of ayodhya until dasaratha becomes eligible for pattabhisheka. Dasaratha, was given under the care of great sage marudanva who is adept in all sastras including archery. Marudanva brought up the child as a wiseman and a strong warrier. Dasaratha was crowned at the age of 18 and king of ayodhya, and his sepciality is that he could drive his chariot in war in all ten directons.
Another kind of ikwaaku dynasty is ruling kosla which is on the north banks of sarayu, and he has one daughter kousalya was given in marriage to Dasaratha without knowing about close relationship and same gotra.
Ravana is contemparory king to Dasaratha and is afraid of him. He prayed to lord siva and bramha and obtained bramastra which is most powerful one. Also ravana asked for deathless wherein bramha objected to it and he will have his death by the son born to Dasaratha and Kouslya. This enraged ravana and he wanted to kill kouslya even before getting marriage with Dasaratha. At this juncture, mandodari resisted ravana not to do stree vadha and get papa. She suggested to prevent the marriage by separating the dasaratha and kousalya before marriage. Accordingly, ravana kidnapped the kousalya with the help of asuras and put her in box and thrown the box into sarayu river. Dasaratha, who was in palace happened to see some box was floating in the sarayu which was thrown by some unknown people and he fought with them but could not win because they were asuras. In the meantime the box was floating fast in sarayu and reached in the confluence of ganges and dasaratha could not able to follow the same in the stream. At this time, jatayu, the king of eagles saved dasaratha from the stream and attended to his wounds and made him to get back his strength.
Dasaratha told about the floating box, and jatayu helped dasaratha to locate the same in the midst of water weeds in ganges. In the meantime, narada who has seen the same, and opened the box and found kousalya in unconscious state. Narada, with his divine powers able to regain the conscous of kousalya and decided to get married both in presence of devas summoned by him. Jataayu and devas blessed the couple, and jataayu transported them back to ayodhya wherein the marriage was again performed with royal honours.
Kousalya attained soon the motherhood and got lady child with handicap in leg. The child was named as santha. The palace doctors tried their best to cure the handicap but could not succeed. The kula guru vasishta consoled them and the handicap is due to the marriage between the close cousins of same gotra. He also advised them if santha was given as adoption to a divine couple, the handicap will be cured.
The king of anga, romapada who is husband of kousalya sister approached the dasaratha and wanted the child in adopton to him since he was not blessed with children. Accordingly, the child santa was given in adoption to king Romapada, and with due medical care her handicap was totally cured.
After this king dasaratha married, queen sumitra and kaikeyi and was living happily but without children. At this juncture, he requested the ministers and kula guru to find ways for getting children i.e. vamasa vruddi, and he was advised to perform putra kameshti yaga making sage rushyasrunga, the husband of santa as adwaryu. From here we will have the details in valmiki Ramayana.
Hope this will suffice the doubts of Santha who is sister of Sri rama whch is available in vasishta Ramayana.
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