The Journey to Prayag and Dasharatha's Haunting Past

"Lakshmana, you are the only one with weapons," Rama said to Lakshmana. "Could you go in front? Sita will walk behind you, and I will follow her to protect her completely."

The following day, they arrived at Prayag. Prayag is a sacred place because it is the meeting point of three rivers: Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati. It is believed that bathing at this confluence brings good fortune. Before going to Maharshi Bharadwaja's ashram, they bathed at the confluence. Afterward, they visited the ashram, where Maharshi Bharadwaja embraced Rama. The sage felt as if he had merged with Brahman. Rama inquired about a peaceful and secure place to stay, and after considering several options, the sage suggested that Chitrakoot would be the most suitable place.

After returning alone to the palace at Ayodhya, Prime Minister Sumantra saw that King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya were despondent. Due to grief and sorrow, Dasharatha, was on the verge of death. As his condition started deteriorated, he told Kaushalya that he had committed a heinous crime when he was young and was now being punished for it. This piqued Kaushalya's curiosity, and she begged him to disclose everything to her.

"My dear Kaushalya," began Dasharatha, "I was unusually talented at archery when I was young. I could hit a target unseen based only on its sound. One fateful night, I sat on my chariot and set out for hunting on the Sarayu riverbank. It was pitch dark; I listened intently for the sound of a beast. Suddenly, I thought I heard a wild animal drinking water. I shot an arrow in the direction of the sound, and then I heard the groan of a wounded human being. Horrified by what I had done, I ran toward the cry only to see a young man soaked with blood, wounded by my arrow.

"'O sinner, you have killed me,' the youth said indignantly to me. 'My name is Shravana Kumara. My blind parents are in that cottage. They were thirsty and told me to fetch water for them to drink. Take this pot of water to them and don't say anything until they quench their thirst. I am in intense pain due to this arrow. Please remove it from my body.'

"As I removed the arrow from Shravana Kumara's body, the boy looked at me and then passed away.