Sala di lettura

Ayodhyākāṇḍa (Book of Ayodhyā)

Valmiki

The drama of the court: when Daśaratha is about to consecrate Rāma as heir, Queen Kaikeyī demands the fulfilment of two promises, Rāma's exile for fourteen years and the throne for her son Bharata. Rāma accepts without protest and departs with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa; the king dies of grief; Bharata refuses the kingdom and rules in his brother's name, with Rāma's sandals on the throne. For many philologists it is the oldest and most accomplished book.