Who are some lesser-known characters of Ramayana?

Kumudvati, Chief Queen of Kusha (son of Shri Ram) was a Naga Princess of Sarayu river and her father was killed by Garuda. Naga King Kumud offered her to Kusha in peace alliance when Kusha had almost annihilated the Nagas when Kumudvati took his golden arm- bracelet mistakenly. Kusha married her and she gave birth to his eight sons and a daughter named Champakmalini. Her son Atithi was heir to the throne and when Kusha died, Kumudvati followed him in death like moonshine follows the moon. Her mention is in Raghuvansh and Ananda Ramayana not in Valmiki Ramayana. She was really beautiful, timid and shy and was a young maiden (kanya) when she married Kusha. Kusha had built Nageshwarnath Temple for her near Sarayu river so that she could worship Lord Shiva.

Champika

Champika was the first wife of Kusha and she had chosen Kusha as her husband in her Swayamvara. She was daughter of Maharaja Bhurikirti, King of the lands East of Ayodhya. Rishi Agastya prophesized about her to Shri Ram that she won't be having any sons but daughters. She eventually gave nine daughters to Kusha and their eldest daughter Hema was married to Prince Chitrangad of Avanti after her Swayamvara and a war after which Chitrangad and his son father Ugrabahu were pardoned by Shri Ram. Her reaction to her husband's marriage with Kumudvati is not mentioned but she seems like to enjoy her previous status as the seniormost Queen (Pattmahishi) despite Kumudvati being Chief Queen (Agramahishi or Mahadevi). She was respected in the royal house. Her sister Sumati was married to Kusha’s twin brother Lava.

Kumbhinasi

Kumbhinasi was daughter of Anala, Kaikesi’s younger sister and Vishvavasu. When she was staying in Antahpura of Ravana in Lanka and she was protected as a sister and enjoyed luxuries but she was daringly abducted by a demon named Madhu when others were not around in the palace. When Ravana got to know about this, he got really angry despite himself abducting many women. He went with his warriors to Madhura (Mathura) to kill him but Kumbhinasi pleaded him to not kill her husband. Then Ravana pardoned Madhu and made him his ally. She was mother of Lavanasura who later was defeated by Shatrughna. Shatrughna named the city Surasena after conquering it and the same land became the birth place of Shri Krishna years later.

There are many other characters in Valmiki Ramayana and other renditions which are lesser known like Mahaparshva, Sushena, Vidyutjhiva (husband of Surpankha), Prahasta, Kabandha, Yupaketu (son of Shatrughna in Ananda Ramayana) , Madansundari (princess of Shivkantipuri with whom Yupaketu did Rakshasa Vivah), Kanjanayana (Naga Princess whom Lava married) , etc.

Are there any incidents of Sati practice in the Ramayana?

Vedvati

The Queens of Dashrath when got widowed did not do Sati, so, Sati was not in vogue at that time. Even in Mahabharata, the Ambika and Ambalika got children through Niyoga instead of doing Sati.

Vedvati who was a daughter of Sage Kushadhwaja in Kritayuga was approached by Ravana and he proposed her but she rejected him. Angry Ravana grabbed her hair to take her away but through the power of her penance she cut her hair with her hand. She entered fire vowing to come back and destroy Ravana. She was eventually reborn on a lotus and Ravana took the baby but his ministers told him she would be reason of his destruction so he threw the baby in river and she was taken by the river to Mithila where Janaka was ritual ploughing and found the baby in line of a ploughed land and adopted her and called her Sita.

There is also said in retellings that Sulochana, wife of Meghanad and Kumudvati, wife of Kusha did Sati as they couldn't live without their husbands but these stories are not in Valmiki Ramayana but in much later retellings. Sulochana and Kumudvati both were Naga Princesses, Sulochana was daughter of Sheshnaga (Laxmana) and Kumudvati was sister of Naga King Kumud and daughter of Nagas of Sarayu. Both Queens were deeply loved by their husbands.

So, Sati was not encouraged at all, ever in ancient India. Just like how when invaders attacked and women in desperation to save their honour chose fire so that even their dead body won't be molested, so some incidents were just like that. The widows of Dashrath, Ravana and Vali were alive and even moved on with their lives and did their duties. Probably that's why Vedvati chose fire, so that her dead body won't be dishonored by Ravana.

Who was Suparnakha's husband in the Ramayana?

 

Surpanakha and Vidyutjhiva

Surpanakha was married to a Vidhytjhivha, son of Kalaka. After the marriage, Ravana, his brothers and his men went to a forest for celebrations where he met demon Maya and his daughter Mandodari and got married to her when given her hand by her father. Later, during a war with Kalkeyas, Ravana killed Vidyutjhiva which pained Surpanakha. She lamented in front of Ravana who said that he didn't recognise him in warrior fury and failed to save Vidyutjhiva and then he gave some gifts to Surpanakha and sent her to live with Khara in Dandakaranya.

Later Surpanakha fell for the looks of Shri Ram and Laxmana and proposed to them and when her dimwit head couldn't get they were just jesting with her, she thought they were rejecting her due to Mata Sita and therefore tried to kill her and then Shri Ram got angry and told Laxmana to punish her and he cut her nose and ears. She was left alive for being a woman.

In Ramayana, who was Manthara? What was her contribution to the great epic of Ramayana?

 Ramayana, the greatest epic as you rightly said, has a number of characters.

The character of Mata Kaikayi stands to be the most important one as the story of Ramayana has revolved around her cunningness.

Even though a majority considers Mata Kaikayi as the reason of Sita Ram leaving for vanvas along with Lakshman, and it is true also, there's no doubt in that, still Manthra is the actual reason why Mata Kaikayi even made a demand like that.

Manthra was just another sevak at the Rajmahal of Raja dashrath who was very close to Mata Kaikayi.

When Maharaj Dashrath decided to coronate Shri Ram as the next King of Ayodhya, Mata Kaikayi was very happy.

She ecstatically ran around the entire kingdom helping in the preparations of the coronation but as soon as she gave the good news to manthra, manthra played her part.

She manipulated Mata Kaikayi by saying that Raja dashrath has always favoured Ram more than your son Bharat and that Bharat is more deserving of the crown.

Mata Kaikayi did try to hold back but when the question of her son comes, a mother is not capable of distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong.

Mata Kaikayi fell into the clutches of Manthra's evil mind and decided to get Bharat coronated in place of Shri Ram.

Mata Kaikayi had once been given two boons by Raja Dashrath, one of them she had already availed by asking Raja Dashrath as her husband, the other one she had said that she would ask for some other time.

When the time came, Mata Kaikayi rushed to Raja Dashrath and asked her to send Ram to the forest for 14 years and coronate Bharat in place of him as her second vardaan.

Raja Dashrath wouldn't have conceeded to the woman's demand but

Raghukul reeti sada chali aayi

Praan jaayi par vachan na jaayi

He was a man of his word and so had to send bhagwan Ram to the forest as vanvaas for 14 years.

Mata Sita and Lakshman after hearing this requested Lord Ram to take them along with him and that is how Sita Ram Lakshman sahit had to leave for the forest.

Mata Kaikayi, very happy by this, went to Bharat and told him about the incident. She thought that her son would be happy if he gets to become the king but instead he despised his mother for her act and left home saying he won't come back until his brother with Mata Sita and Lakshman comes back to dwell in Ayodhya.

It was then that mata Kaikayi realised what she'd done was wrong and hated Manthra for getting into her head.

This is how Manthra is an important character when talking about her contribution.

The rest is Ramayana!

I hope the answer was sufficient to clear your doubt, if there is something else, you can post or check my previous answers on Ramayana and Mahabharata for more information.

Siya-var Ramchandra ki Jai! ❤️

Please chant

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Ram Hare Ram

Ram Ram Hare Hare.

What are some unknown facts about Kaikeyi (Ramayana)?

Rajkumari Kaikeyi

The most interesting fact people actually don't know is that Kaikeyi was actually Bactrian because Valmiki Ramayana mentions Kaikeya Kingdom existed beyond Sudama Mountain in Bahlika (Balkha in modern day Afghanistan) region.

In Mahajanpada era, Kaikeya shrank to a small region in modern day Pakistani Punjab.

Kaikeyi was very beautiful and she was beloved wife of Dashrath. Her influence was so much so that Mata Kaushalya said to Shri Ram that even servants of Kaikeyi had more importance than her who was seniormost Queen.

Kaikeyi although had no problem with Shri Ram being the new King, she couldn't tolerate when Manthara said Kaushalya would behave with her exactly how Kaikeyi behaves with her and every other queen of Dashrath. Kaikeyi was not abusive or disrespectful but she had a sense of haughty proud and superiority complex and she got very insecure with Manthara’s words that she decided to use her boons to exile Shri Ram.

Kaikeyi was a warrior princess and she was an excellent warrior and even saved Dashrath's life once in a war due to which she got her boons. Her father's name was Ashwapati (Lord of Horses) which makes sense the region she came from was Bahlika (Balkha).

Source- Valmiki Ramayana

What are some lesser-known love stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana?

Shri Ram and Mata Sita are the most famous couple from the epic. Besides them, original Valmiki Ramayana doesn't really deal with any other love story. Dashrath was very much in love with Kaikeyi but her evil boons made him forsake his love for her.

In Ananda Ramayana, Kusha and Champika are a marriage of royal convenience and Kusha and his second wife Kumudvati are a match of alliance but they develop natural love for each other. It's even mentioned in Raghuvansh.

Yupaketu (son of Shatrughna and Shrutkirti) had a love story of his own with Madansundari (Princess of Shivkantipuri) and he had Rakshasa Vivah with her.

Ravana and Mandodari are not a typical love story but when they first met when she was standing alongside with her father, he noticed her beauty and had a pure , ritually approved marriage with her and she was his Chief Queen. She was the only woman he truly respected being mother of his children and his favourite son Indrajit (Meghnad).

In Ananda Ramayana, Meghnad and Sulochana are an ideal couple who were very much in love with each other.

Devnadi Ganga and Shanthanu (Mahabhisha) fell in love with each other and got married but she left him when he broke his promise of never questioning her when she was saving vasus from curse.

Other lesser known couples are Yuddhisthir and Devika, Bhim and Valandhara, Nakul and Karenumati, Sahdev and Vijaya.

Who is Sulochana in Ramayan?

Sulochana was beloved wife of Meghnad, son of Ravana and Mandodari. She was a Naga Princess and was heavenly beautiful. Some retellings calls her daughter of Sheshnaga (who reincarnated as Laxmana). When Meghnad was killed by Laxman, he brought his severed head and gave it to Shri Ram. His hands however flew to Sulochana and wrote a letter with his blood to take his severed head from Shri Ram. Sulochana after taking permission from Ravana and Mandodari went to Shri Ram in a palanquin but she was decked up with gems and jewels. No one understood her arrival except Shri Ram and he was horrified when he knew the real reason why she wanted his severed head. She wanted to self immolate with Meghnad’s head. Shri Ram out of shock and horror told her that he would make Meghnad alive again if she left her vow of Self Immolation which shocked Vanara Sena. Shri Ram wanted to save Sulochana because she wasn't ready to remove her vow. In the end due to Sulochana’s persistence and repeated pleadings, he gave Meghnad's head with a sorrowful eyes and heavy heart. Sulochana took the head and cried and then self immolated herself. Her sacrifice gave pain to both warring sides because she was innocent in all this. Shri Ram was even ready to revive Meghnad but she didn't wanna betray Ravana and her martyred husband.

This story is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana but in Ananda Ramayana which is a much, much later source.

Source- Ananda Ramayana

Was Urmila the most ignored character in Ramayana?

 Yes. She is barely mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana and has not even a single dialogue. She is mentioned by name only 5 times in the entire Ramayana. 4 times in Bala Kanda and 1 time in Ayodhya kanda.

I will list every single time Urmila is mentioned in Ramayana

Janaka offers Urmila to be married to Lakshmana

Now, bull among sages, with great pleasure I give away my two girls, Sita to Rama, bless you, and Urmila to Laksmana—my daughter Sita, who is like a daughter of the gods, whose only bride-price was great strength, and Urmila, my second daughter.

• Sarga 70, Bala Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE

Vishwamitra and Vasistha accept Urmila’s marriage

The Houses of the Iksvakus and the Videhas are beyond conception and beyond measure, bull among men. There is none to equal them. Your majesty, this lawful union of Sita and Urmila with Rama and Laksmana is highly appropriate, the more so because of the perfection of their beauty.

• Sarga 71, Bala Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE

Janaka asks Lakshmana to take the hand of Urmila in the marriage

King Janaka then spoke to Rama, the increaser of Kausalya’s delight: “This daughter of mine, Sita, shall be your lawful wedded wife. Accept her, bless you. Take her hand in yours. Come, Laksmana. Bless you. Accept Urmila, whom I give you. Take her hand without delay.” After speaking in this fashion, Janaka addressed Bharata, saying, “Take Mandavi’s hand in yours, delight of the Raghus.

• Sarga 72, Bala Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE.

Urmila is welcomed to Ayodhya

Kausalya, Sumitra, fair-waisted Kaikeyi, and the king’s other wives busied themselves with receiving the brides. The king’s wives welcomed illustrious Sita, renowned Urmila, and the two daughters of Kusadhvaja. Clad in silken garments and greeted with blessings, they went at once to worship at the shrines of the gods.

• Sarga 76, Bala Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE

Sita mentions Urmila while telling Anasuya about her marriage story

So my father invited my father-in-law, aged King Dasaratha, and afterward bestowed me on the celebrated Rama. And my father, of his own accord, bestowed my younger sister, the lovely and virtuous Urmila, as wife on Laksmana.

• Sarga 110, Ayodhya Kanda, Valmiki Ramayana, CE

This is the last time Urmila is mentioned by name. She never appears or is mentioned by name after this point.

Infact Lakshmana himself never mentions Urmila in the entire Valmiki Ramayana.

Who are some of the underrated characters of Ramayana?

 

Shtrughna: Younger son of Dashrath and Sumitra isn't mentioned much but his character in Uttar Kand shines where he defeated Lavanasura, King of Madhupuri (Mathura) and son of Madhu and Kumbhinasi. He established the region of Shurasenas. Shtrughna was deeply devoted to both Shri Ram and Bharat and he was biological brother of Laxman. He was the one who got to know first that Mata Sita had given birth to twins when he halted at Maharishi's Ashram. So , he knew the truth much before than anyone else but he didn't interfere as it was decision of Shri Ram and such a revelation was deeply personal to the couple so he didn't meddle.

Tara- Wife of Vali and later Sugriva is a very intelligent woman in Valmiki Ramayana and Vali says to Sugriva to always listen to sane advise of Tara. Tara is not a flawless woman but she is also not a villain. She drank wine, married two brothers but her intellect and administrative wisdom is praised in the epic. Her true personality is rarely shown in television serials. Tara deeply grieved loss of Vali.

Urmila- She is not mentioned in the epic much but later retellings extensively praises her character and shows her as a self sacrificing woman who let her husband leave and suffered separation for fourteen years. It would have been amazing if the original epic focussed on her POV. The POVs of Mandavi and Shrutkirti are also not given. It's not mentioned whether Mandavi was in Nandigram or not with Bharat. Urmila's sacrifices are highly glorified in later retellings and being daughter of Rajrishi Janaka, it's expected of her.

Champika- The daughter of Maharaja Bhurikirti and first wife of Kusha is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana but in Ananda Ramayana. The woman deserves notice because she was first wife of Kusha and she chose him in Swayamvar. She stayed with him as his dutiful wife in Kushavati and later in Ayodhya. She birthed nine daughters and even after prophecy that she would give birth to daughters and no sons, Kusha remained with her as her support and strength. The respect she had in his home was immense. His second marriage to Kumudvati was out of love and alliance and not because Champika only had daughters. Even after his marriage with Kumudvati, Kusha and Champika’s relationship remained harmonious. It shows how much queens used to sacrifice for their kings and stability of Kingdom. She gave him love and support in his initial life when he was suffering from trauma of losing his mother. Champika's glorious character is like Kaushalya who despite her husband loving another wife remained extremely devoted and supportive. Her sacrifices gave stability to Kusha’s initial reign.

Kumudvati- Again, the Naga Princess is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana but in two sources, Ananda Ramayana and Raghuvansh written by Kalidas. She was sister of Naga King Kumud. She mistakenly took Kusha’s golden arm- bracelet gifted by his father and kusha who was sporting in Sarayu with Champika and his other Junior wives and he got angry. He was about to attack Nagas when Kumud came and apologized. The sincere apology, Kumud’s royal demenor and wise nature made them friends. He offered his sister's hand in marriage to Kusha and due to love at first sight and to make a strong alliance, he accepted Kumudvati. She is praised in both sources for saving the Raghkula’s main line by providing sons , specially their first son Atithi who was very handsome, meritorious and extremely wise. Kumudvati and Kusha's surpassed the image of alliance marriage and developed very genuine attachment withel each other. She followed him in death despite being new Rajmata. Kusha built Nageshwarnath Temple near Sarayu river because Kumudvati was Lord Shiva’s devotee and due to remains of this temple, Raja Vikramaditya could find the original location of Ayodhya.

Vanaras- Vanaras as a group are pillar of Shri Ram's victory in every Ramayana. Sushena, Nala, Nila, Hanuman, Sugriva, Angad etc. Without their support, Ram would have difficulty in recovering Mata Sita. Each Vanara (including Jambavant) gave their best to support Shri Ram in rescuing Mata Sita.

Is there anything even older than Ramayana and Mahabharata?

A chronological journey through ancient Indian history, showing the evolution from the early Vedic Age and Upanishadic wisdom to the epic eras of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The question of what lies beyond the horizon of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is not just a search for older books, but a journey into the deepest layers of human memory. To find what is older than these two great epics, one must look at the very foundation upon which they were built.

Before the grand battles of Kurukshetra were fought and before the kingdom of Ayodhya was chronicled, there existed a timeless oral tradition. This tradition did not rely on ink or palm leaves, but on the flawless, syllable-by-syllable transmission of sound through generations of seers.

The epics themselves provide the first clue to this mystery, as both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata frequently pause their narratives to pay homage to an older, higher authority. The characters within these epics look backward in time to texts that were already considered ancient even during the golden ages of Rama and Krishna.

These ancient sources are the Vedas, which represent the oldest layered structure of knowledge in Indo-European history. Among them, the Rigveda stands as the absolute oldest, a collection of sacred hymns that captures a world existing thousands of years before the epics were ever committed to writing.

While the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are classified as Itihasa, meaning history or that which happened, the Vedas are classified as Sruti, meaning that which was heard by ancient rishis in deep states of meditation.

To understand the timeline, one must look at how human thought evolved across these eras, moving from the cosmic chants of the Vedas to the structured philosophical inquiries of the Upanishads, and finally into the narrative storytelling of the Epics.

The world of the Rigveda is fundamentally different from the world of the epics, as it lacks the grand stone palaces, complex urban kingdoms, and detailed genealogies that define the stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Instead, the Rigveda speaks of a pastoral, river-centric civilization that worshipped the elemental forces of nature like fire, wind, and water.

Astronomical calculations found within the hymns of the Rigveda point to planetary alignments that date back to 4000 BCE and even earlier, long before the cultural settings described in the two great epics.

Furthermore, archeological and linguistic studies of the ancient Sarasvati River, which is described as a mighty, flowing river in the Rigveda but is already drying up by the time of the Mahabharata, prove the geographical antiquity of the Vedic texts.

Therefore, the ultimate answer to what is older than the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is the Vedic literature, an ancient ocean of sound and philosophy from which the epics themselves eventually emerged.

In Ramayan’s 14 years of exile, why didn't Ram (and team) go north of Sapt Sindhu? Why did they go south of Ayodhya?

 The Supreme Rama who is dharma personified, did as he was instructed by Mata Kaikeyi.

He started out to dwell in the dandakaranya, literal meaning being “Forest of Punishment”, so called because it is a fearsome unsafe jungle region teeming with rakshasas and wild animals, ever ready and waiting to kill people travelling through the route.

It may be noted that when Raghunatha returned, it was Yudhajita Sahodari who was the most excited, happy and relieved.

After all, she was the one who told and retold countless bedtime stories to the God of Gods.

The relationship between the son and his mother (for Rama, all three Mother Queens were his mother) remained the same, a relationship of great love and affection.

You could go on and on about Shri Rama, what say.

So that is the answer.

Who was Pulastya in Ramayana?

Rishi Pulastya

Pulastya was son of Brahma and a great Brahmarishi. He lived in a Hermitage of Trnabindu on the slopes of Mt.Meru. The daughter of Rajrishi Trnabindu was wife of Pulastya. She was a devoted and very loyal wife and she gave birth to Vishrava.

Pulastya was a highly learned man and had the knowledge of all Vedas. His son Vishrava was a man of learning and education. Vishrava had two wives, Devavarnini (daughter of Sage Bharadwaj) who have birth to Vaishravana (Kubera) and Ogre Princess Kaikesi who gave birth to Dashgriva, Kumbhkarna , Vibhishana and Surpnakha.

Who was Vedavati in Ramayana?

Vedvati was a daughter of a Brahmrishi named Kushadhwaja in Kritayuga (Satyuga). This Kusadhwaja was a son of Brihaspati.

Vedvati was very beautiful and her hand was sought by everyone in marriage but her father gave her hand to no one because only Lord Vishnu was acceptable to him as his son in law. Due to this a Daitya named Shambhu became enraged and he killed her father while he was asleep in night. Her mother also died due to depression and grief on his funeral pyre. Due to this, Vedvati accepted only Vishnu as her husband in her heart.

When once Ravana was wandering in a forest in Himalayan region, he saw a beautiful female ascetic with matted hair and wearing black antelope skin.

He enquired about her family and praised her beauty. She told her entire story and he told her to stop penance as she was beautiful, young and should enjoy life and remarked that penance was for old and ugly ladies. He proposed her to be his wife which she denied.

She rebuked him for his proposal and angry he caught her hair. She now totally enraged cut her hair with her hand which remarkably became like a sword.

She immediately lighted fire and said she no longer desired to live being insulted in such a manner. She warned him that she would return as his doom and will be responsible for his death.

She says she would appear as Ayonija (not born from a womb) and as daughter of a pious man. She then entered the fire.

Suddenly celestial flowers started raining from heaven and she appeared again on a lotus with fragrance of a lotus.

Ravana took her and showed her to the ministers, seeing her features, ministers said if she stayed in your house, she will be your death.

Ravana angry by this threw her into the sea. She reached the shore and she came when Janaka was doing ritual ploughing for his Yajna, out of mother Earth.

So, Vedvati was reborn as Sita with the sole purpose of destruction and death of Ravana.

Source- Canto XVII, Uttar Kand, Valmiki Ramayana

Who are the sons of Luv Kush in Ramayana?

Devi Champika

Kusha was married to Champika, daughter of Maharaja Bhurikirti in a Swayamvar. Bhurikirti had sent the invitation of Swayamvar to Shri Ram and he had taken his sons to the Swyamvar. Champika chose Kusha and they got married. Kusha got daughters from Champika.

Rishi Agastya told Shri Ram that Champika would never get sons and when Shri Ram will got to heaven (Vaikuntha), Kusha will get married to Kumudvati and Kumudvati would get a son named Atithi and he will be taking the lineage forward.

In the Swayamvara, Sumati, sister of Champika chose Lava as her husband.

Later, Lava also married Kanjanana, another princess.

Source- Ananda Ramayana

Mahadevi Kumudvati

Kusha while bathing in Sarayu river along with his wives lost his golden bracelet and he got angry. Suddenly Naga King Kumud along with his sister Kumudvati came from the river and he gave the bracelet and his sister's hand in marriage to Kusha. He gladly accepted and raised Kumudvati to the rank of Queen Consort. Later they had a son named Atithi who was jewel of both dynasties. Atithi married Princesses with his father's permission and later he was crowned as Prince Regent (Yuvaraj).

When Kusha died, Kumudvati followed him in death and Atithi became the next Raghukula King.

Source- Raghuvansh by Kalidas