Adhyaya 66

Chapter 66 tells how Kuśa and Lava—raised in Vālmīki’s hermitage after Sītā was abandoned in the forest—are trained in the Veda, archery, and music, and become famed for reciting the Rāmāyaṇa in song. Their performance enchants even Varuṇa and the Lokapālas, who affirm, in sacred reasoning, Sītā’s stainless purity and urge that she be restored to honor. At Vālmīki’s direction, Rāma sends Lakṣmaṇa to bring Sītā and the two sons. Lakṣmaṇa arrives at the hermitage in remorse; Sītā, grieving yet steadfast in integrity, sends the boys to pay reverence to their father while choosing herself to continue tapas. In the royal assembly the brothers sing; Rāma recognizes them; and the narrative turns to Vātsyāyana’s question of when and why Vālmīki composed the Rāmāyaṇa, introducing the krauñca-bird episode and the inspiration of Brahmā and Sarasvatī.