The Divine Prasada and the Four Princes

From the sacred prasad that the Fire god had bestowed upon him, King Dasharath gave half to his eldest queen, Kaushalya. He divided the remaining portion equally between queens Sumitra and Kaikeyi. Just then, an eagle swooped down, snatched Kaikeyi’s prasad, and flew away, delivering it to Anjana, who would later become the mother of Hanuman. Embarrassed by this unexpected event, Kaikeyi was comforted when Kaushalya graciously shared part of her prasad with both Kaikeyi and Sumitra. 

In due course, four princes were born: Kaushalya's son was named Rama, Kaikeyi's son Bharata, and the twins born to Sumitra were Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Excitement and joy spread throughout the palace and the entire kingdom. The children's names were chosen by Maharshi Vashishtha: Rama was so named because he brought peace and happiness to all; Bharata was named for his nurturing and comforting nature; the one destined to vanquish his enemies was called Shatrughna; and the one endowed with noble virtues was named Lakshmana. As the princes grew, their sweet words and playful activities delighted everyone. Their remarkable progress in archery filled Dasharatha with boundless pride.