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2-50
 T h e story of Rama and Sita is a p art of India. It w as first
, set down b y the sage Valmiki in his epio poem in Sanskrit,
'Ramayana
Rama was the eldest son of Dasharatha, the King of
Ayodhya. T h e King had three wives-Kaushalya, Kaikeyi
and Sum itra. Rama w as the son of Kaushalya, Bharata, of
Kaikeyi and Laxmana and Shatrughuna o f Sum itra. As
they g re w up so did th e ir fam e as valiant and brave prin­
ces. Sage Vishw am itra came seeking the help of Rama
and Laxm ana in killing the demoness Ta ta k a . On the w a y
back in the land of King Janaka, Rama succeeded in w in­
ning the hand of Sita, the King’s daughter. Dasharatha
decided that this w as the tim e to cro w n Rama King. Jeal­
ous Kaikeyi persuaded an unwilling Dasharatha to banish
Rama into the forest and to cro w n B harata the King. Sita
and Laxm ana opted to follow Rama. While in the forest
the Rakshasi Shoorpanakha accosted Rama and even­
tually had herself disfigured b y Laxm ana. The angry
female went and complained to her brother, Ravana, the
King of Lanka. Ravana w ith a cunning typical of him
carried Sita aw ay. Rama and Laxm ana in the course of
their search fo r Sita came across the monkey king,
Sugreeva and struck a bond of friendship w ith him. One
of Sugreeva’s assistants, Hanuman discovered Sita's
whereabouts and Ram a led the a rm y o f monkeys against
Lanka. In the terrible battle that ensued Ravana and his
associates w ere killed. Accompanied by Laxm ana, Rama
and Sita returned to Ayodhya w here they w ere welcomed
by Bharata and crowned King and Queen. But their
troubles had not ended. H ow the suspicion of his subjects
forced Rama to banish Sita even though she was
pregnant and how his sons Luv and Kusha brought up in
the ashram of Sage Valmiki w ere ultimately united with
him is told in colourful pictures in the following pages.

Based on “ U T T A R A M A C H A R IT A ” of Bhavabhuti.

Printed by H. K. Nasta at IBH Printers, Marol Naka, Mathuradas Vissanji Road,

Andheri East, Bombay-400 059 and published by H. G. Mirchandani, for
India Book House Education Trust, 29, Wodehouse Road, Bombay-400039.
Editor: Anant Pai Artwork: Pratap Mulick
u p CD -15
IAIITH H/S BROTHERS, LAXMANA BHARATA A W S'HATRUSHA/A, RAMA
USED TO U/S/T HIS PEOPLE AND LISTEN TO THEIR PROBLEMS...

... AND EVERY El/EN/NG W/TH H/S QUEEN S/TA HE RECE/t/ED MS

MEN. ONE EUEMNG -

y SIRE, I CANNOT!
SPEAK UP; NOT IN THE PRESENCE
YOU HAVE k OF THE QUEEN! ,
NOTHING
TO FEAR!
 6ET OUT OF MY
, HOUSE! I’M NOT
WLIKE RAMA WHO
ACCEPTS A WIFE
a f t e r she
III HAS LIVED IN
ANOTHER’S
M i l HOUSE! '

MAHARAJ,
TODAYA
LAUNDERER
WAS BEATING
HIS WIFE,
I AND HE SAID...J

SHOULD / TUR/V/Wy
(V/EE OUTBECAUSE BUTMYE/RST
OR WHAT THE > D U TY /S i
tAUWERER SA/DP I TOWARDS
/VO... NO... AND ( M Y PEOPLE.
SHE/S SOO/V \ /HAVE TO
i M SE/VD HER
/JL am y... r
 LAXMANA, THIS
JUNGLE IS SO
FRIGHTENING.
sU'M SCARED!^

LE/)l/EHER/N^
y TH/S (A//LD <
JUNGLEPBUT
h/ MUST OBEY'
v R/t/m9 s
UCOMMAND'M

AFTER LAXmN/) LEFT FOR JU S T THEN A SERPENT

PiYQDHYA* S/TA WAS ALONE APPEARED.
IN THE JUNGLE.
AS T/ME PASSED, S/TA’S TW/N SONS, LUU AND KUSM&?£WUQ

MAHARSH! t/ALM/M PERSONALLY

ATTENDED TO THE/R EDOCAT/ON.
LUU m o MUSH PRflCT/SED WHAT THEY WERE TAUGHTEUERY ^X ~ |
WHAT’S THIS?
ARE YOU TW O
TRYING TO KILL
L EACH OTHER PJ
I r LET'S G O .^
k IT’S TIME FOR
1 V DINNER! V
 VALM/W TOLD THEM THE " KA/KEV/ £AM SHEP/W m
STORYOF THE RAMAYAA/A, OF INTO THE JUNGLES FOR FOURTEEN
HOW RAMA BROKE THE 801AJ YEARS. "
OFLORD OH/I/A A/I/D MARR/ED
l/AIDEHI.
THAT IS NOTHING.
I CAN ALSO
BREAK
A BOW.
"AFTERSPEND/NOFOURTEEN YEARS ONE DAY, BECAUSE OF WHATA ) I
LAUNDERER SAID, RAMA
BANISHED VAIDEHI!

r POOR
VAIDEHI!
RAMA
WAS
CRUEL,
INDEED!,

UALM/R/ TAUGHT THEM OF EVERY DAY THEY PRACT/SED 77/EARTS

YAJNA ”M D SUCH OTHER OFWAR. THEY ALSO TALKED ABOUT
"SIA/AHA” ^ MATTERS TOO. l/A/PER/.
W,

MEET HER, WE’LL

BRING HER TO
THE HERMITAGE.

THEY DIP HOTREAL/SE THAT

VA/PEH/ WAS A70/VE OTHER
THAU/8/TA, THEIR MOTHER.
AS PEOPLE PASSED BY MS fiOVAL ALL (A/ERE M /TED TO
PALACE- I THE y/)om. TH EY ARE
THE GREAT MSTAYING WITH
SASES, UISHIA/A^ THE SAGE
MITRA AND HyASHISHTHA.
' KING RAMA NARADA ARE
WILL NOW HERE TOO.
BECOME "Tii
A WORLD
.CONQUEROR.
RULERS FROM ALL AROUND CAME W/TH THE/R ARM/ES.

f WHAT HAVE
THESE ARfWIES
k TO DO WITH
\ A YAJNA? y,

r THEY HAVE COME

JUST TO WITNESS IT
AND, IF NEED BE, TO
^ FIGHT ON THE J ,
1 SIDE OF R A M A .M

THE VAJmSHALA WAS DECORATED} PREPARAT/OA/C WERE NOW -

COMPLETE.
BUT /VARADA NAD SOfflB- A W///TE MORSE W/TU BLACK EARS
T////V6 TO SAY TO l//SMm w as ear r ead y f o r t //e ya j/va.
/m m .
HOW GAN
RAMA
PERFORM
THE YAJN,
WITHOUT
HIS WIFE
SITA?
im
AS THEHORSEE/VTEREP A RULER'S m aw ya ACCEPTEDR/mffs
SUPREMACY W/THOUTA F/6HT.
f NOBOPy WHO DARES
CHECKS THE FIGHT THIS
V HORSE. , V ARM VPs

LUV AND KUSH SAW THE LOOK AT THIS,LUV. ■ r THEN WE

HORSE FROM AFAR. ANYONE WHO JM i& L w,u- FISHTf
HOLPS THIS, rSM &Bm
HORSE
KUSH, LET’S WILL HAVE
CATCH TO FISHTL
Mk THAT '
■ I HORSE!
 O/VEOF THE 80LP/E/& m STENEP
BACK TO SW TFUeHm .
''SIRE! THOSE TWO
CHILDREN ARE
AS SMTRUQMW EELL,&)M /)'S SOME OF THE SOLD/EPS
APMV ELEP //VD/SAKRAV. WEA/T UP TO KAMA.
VICTORY TO YES SIRE, THEY
CAMA TW O A MADE HIM FALL
laxm am a m ecf/EP w/ t h t h e aaw y .

LAXMAA/A m s LOST/N
THOUGHT.
'} TWO \
( VOUA/6
} soys/ i
i up A
A6A/NST.
.m m / \ GO AWAY NOW, BOVS?,

L
OOKAT
TAKE A

HI
M FIRST.
 ACCOMP/W/ED &W /?/)T/l

LUt/A/VD / « £ W « - m r/w TLv m a rro w struck

ED MEA/m/GR/L LOOXS. umum/v's mcE. \
SAY, L E T ’S \/ TH E
MAKE MON- VSOONER ( THESE
KEYS O U T O F /[ THE > BRATS
DESERVE
THESE MON TO BE
KILLED I ,

Tt/E MO/VKEV EO/ZCEQ WE/VT//VTO ACT/O/!/AGA/AVTM/MW WS/L

...B U T P/?Ol/ED UNEQUAL TO T//E TASK.

m m PEC/PEP TOEM P OUTABOUT W E CMLDRE/V. WE VO NOT
KNOW ABOUT OUR
FATHER.BUTSITO /SOUR
MOTHER. BUT WHY ARE
YOU SO INTERESTED
ANYWAY?

THOUGH TH E BOVS P /P M OT W O W TH/ER FA TH ER , RAM A

R ECO G N ISED THEM . M S 8 0 W P R O fP E P FROM M S M /VPS.

r LOOK,HE I S ^ \
FAINTING! ANP JUST
BECAUSE OF WHAT
WE SAP. LET’S 60
AND TAKE CARE OR
K l HIS ARMY
SOON LUVAND AV&WM90 T//EV T/EO s m tm w ME/I# THE
THE MOA/KEVQ A T THE/# \WESE. ____
ME&CY. MOTHER WILL
BE PLEASED TO
kSEEOUR CAPTIVE,
M O NK E Y!
w /t h t h e h o /?q e
An d t h e
CROWN, LC/U AMP KU8H APPRO­
ACHED THE/#
MOTHER. E HAVE
BROUGHT
HOME PRE­
CIOUS BOOTY,
MOTHER!

AS &AMA RECOVERED C0M8C/0(/$MES9

l/ALM/R/ RROOCHT W i/AMD KU8H TO
M EET H/M. , ,
b---------------— — t 1 / HE DID
MAHARSHl! ' NOT DIE
MOTHER,
HE IS
l ALIVE f

VAIPEHI
OF THE RAM A-'
VANA IS NONE
OTHER TH A N
OUR MOTHER,J
LUV!
 THEE/9RTHPARTED Ct/VDER | ...M P S/TA 8E6/W7DS/A/1K//V.
HER FE E T.
 BUILD
YOUR CHILDREN
A
HOME LIBRARY
OF
ECHO BOOKS
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ECHO speaks o f India to y o u r child
in m a n y w a y s . M y th o lo g y , Folk—
tales. H is to ry . B io g ra p h y, General
Reprint: August 1977: 10,000

K n o w le d g e , A n im a l S torie s, P o e try,
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