Part 1 of Essay
Dashartha, King of Ayodhya, has three wives and four sons of which Rama is the eldest. Rama’s brothers are named Bharata, and the twins Lakshman and Shatrughna. Rama and Bharata are both blue skinned, perhaps indicating they were dark skinned or even originally south Indian deities. There is a sage that takes the boys ....

Part 2 of Essay
.... by this because everyone loves Rama. This plan fulfills the rules of dharma because the eldest son should rule, and if the son can take over his father’s responsibilities, the father must spend his last years in search for moksha. However, the king’s second wife, and Rama’s stepmother, is not pleased at all. She wants her son Bharata to rule. And because of an oath that Dasharatha had made to her years ago, she gets the king to agree to banish Rama for fourteen years and to crown Bharata, even though th ....