Character

Dasharatha

दशरथDaśaratha

verses
2,579
books
19
chapters
469
Parent of
Rama, Lakshmana

What the texts say

In the Ramayana, Dasharatha is the king of Ayodhya, of the Ikshvaku line, learned in the Vedas and devoted to dharma. Ramayana 1.6.1 He gives payasa to his queens Kausalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra, and four sons are born to him. Ramayana 1.16.27, 1.18.15 Janaka gives two brides to Dasharatha for his sons Rama and Lakshmana. Ramayana 1.71.22 Kaikeyi, his queen, then asks Dasharatha, true to his word, for two boons, Rama's banishment and Bharata's consecration. Ramayana 3.47.7, 3.47.6 Struck down by grief, Dasharatha falls into anxious reflection. Ramayana 2.63.1

Where to read

Every verse that names Dasharatha, book by book.

  1. Ramayana

    1,948 verses · 241 chapters

    All 1,948 verses in the Ramayana
    • 2.13.4

      Thus addressed by Kaikeyī, King Daśaratha then replied—angered, and for a moment as though bewildered and unsteady.

    • 2.10.32

      Textually, this verse repeats the preceding pledge: Daśaratha begs Kaikeyī not to weep or waste away and offers, in extreme terms, to reverse punishment and fortune at her request.

    • 2.34.3

      He beheld the lord of the earth (Daśaratha) grown dim—like the sun under eclipse, like fire smothered in ash, like a tank dried of water.

  2. Skanda Purana

    135 verses · 42 chapters

    All 135 verses in the Skanda Purana
    • 7.1.49.9

      That powerful hymn composed by King Daśaratha is indeed to be recited in praise of Lord Saurīśvara, for the pacification of every affliction.

    • 6.1.96.20

      The King said: “I am Daśaratha by name, a ruler born in the Solar dynasty, the son of Aja. I have come in wrath to restrain your intent.”

    • 6.1.97.1

      Sūta said: “From that time onward, O brāhmaṇas, Manda (Śanaiścara) does not break the ‘Rohiṇī-cart’—because of the words of that King Daśaratha.”

  3. Ramcharitmanas

    114 verses · 42 chapters

    All 114 verses in the Ramcharitmanas
    • 2.4.62

      In this way the king burned inwardly, in his own heart, and the wicked-minded Kaikeyi, seeing his wretched state, was filled with spite. Is Bharata not your son as well? Or did you bring me home as a slave, bought for a price? If my words…

    • 2.3.52

      "For what reason, O queen, are you angry?" he asked, and touched her with his hand; but she pushed her husband away. She looked at him in a dreadful fashion, like an angry she-serpent. Her two desires were like the two tongues in her…

    • 2.11.205

      Having washed your lotus feet, I will take you aboard the boat, and I ask no fare for the crossing, my Lord. O Rama, I swear by you and by Dasharatha, and I tell you the whole truth. Let Lakshmana shoot me with his arrows if he will, but…

  4. Padma Purana

    79 verses · 31 chapters

    All 79 verses in the Padma Purana
    • 5.116.18

      Even so, Daśaratha—mighty in strength and a warrior whose chariot matched his fame—desiring to conquer the city named Sumānasa, summoned Vasiṣṭha, the grandson of the Lotus-born (Brahmā). Having bowed to him and receiving the sage’s…

    • 6.242.9

      Formerly, in the lineage of the Raghus, there was King Daśaratha. As the second (exalted one), in the lineage of the Vṛṣṇis, there was the illustrious Vasudeva.

    • 6.33.5

      Formerly, in the Raghu dynasty, there was the renowned king Daśaratha—an imperial sovereign, a great hero—who became the lord of the seven continents.

Also named in

Key chapters

The chapters where Dasharatha matters most.

  1. Kaikeyi Presses the Boons; Dasaratha’s Lament and Collapse

    Ramayana 2.13 · 25 verses

    Central sufferer in dharma-saṅkaṭa

  2. Entry into the Chamber of Wrath (Kaikeyī’s Protest)

    Ramayana 2.10 · 24 verses

    King at the threshold of joy turned vulnerable: moves from…

  3. The Queens Summoned; Rama’s Leave-Taking and Dasaratha’s Collapse

    Ramayana 2.34 · 56 verses

    Grief-stricken king whose bodily collapse externalizes ethical…

  4. Coronation Preparations and Sumantra’s Commission

    Ramayana 2.15 · 11 verses

  5. Ramavatara: The Birth and Early Deeds of Lord Rama

    Narasimha Purana 1.47 · 37 verses

  6. Birth of the Princes and Viśvāmitra’s Arrival (Bālakāṇḍa 18)

    Ramayana 1.18 · 33 verses

    Completes sacrificial obligations, returns to Ayodhyā…

  7. The Exile of Rama, Dasharatha's Demise, and Bharata's Vow

    Narasimha Purana 1.48 · 32 verses

  8. Śanaiścaraiśvara (Saurīśvara) Māhātmya and Daśaratha’s Śani-stotra | शनैश्चरैश्वरमाहात्म्यं तथा दशरथकृतशनीस्तोत्रम्

    Skanda Purana 7.1.49 · 28 verses

  9. Daśaratha’s Objections to Sending Rāma

    Ramayana 1.20 · 25 verses

    Petitioner-king in a dharma dispute

  10. Bringing Ṛśyaśṛṅga to Ayodhyā (Bālakāṇḍa, Sarga 11)

    Ramayana 1.11 · 24 verses

    Central executor of dhārmic strategy: consults Vasiṣṭha…

Key episodes

  1. Manthara, Kaikeyi and the Two Boons

    Ramayana 2.7-2.20

  2. Dasharatha's Curse: The Blind Ascetic's Son

    Ramayana 2.63-2.64

Also known to Wikipedia · Wikidata Q1996692