Raghuvamsa is believed to be a lineage of warrior kings tracing its ancestry to Surya. Kalidasa's famous work, Raghuvamsha describes the greatness of this race. This was a race which produced great kings like Harishchandra, Dileepa, Raghu, Aja, Dasaratha and Rama. Lord Rama's father was Dasaratha, who was born to Aja. Aja's father was the great king Raghu, after whom the dynasty was known as Raghuvamsa, or the dynasty of Raghu. Raghu's father was emperor Dileepa.
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He was a great emperor of the Raghuvamsa and was very pious.
Raghu was the son of Dilipa. He was brave and just. He was known for his valour. Thousands of Brahmins greeted him when he used to go to sleep and when he used to wake up. They always greeted him for a "Good Day".
Once Raghu had performed the Ashwamedh sacrifice. He used to give many gifts to his subjects due to the sacrifice. He never turned down anyone. A disciple of sage Varatantu, Kautsa, had to give teaching fee(Dakshina) to his preceptor (During that time fees had to be given after completing education.) He came to Raghu asking for 10 Lakh Gold coins. Raghu had donated nearly all his wealth. Raghu very well knew that all the piousness of the sacrifice will vanish if Kautsa was sent back unsatisfied. He, therefore decided to attack Kubera, the God of wealth. Kubera, fearing the might of Raghu, made a fall of gold coins in Raghu's treasury.
Thus, the title given to the Epic is 'RAGHUVAMSHA' to emphasize on the valour of Raghu.
Son of Raghu, he was married to Indumati. He was the father of Dasharatha.
Aja, was a valiant and loving son to Raghu, as Raghu was to Dilipa. Aja did many things in his lifetime like freeing a Gandharva (A Celestial Being), from a curse.
Aja was married to Indumati who was the sister of King Bhoja. Aja was given a spear when he freed the Gadharva, the spear had the power to put enemies to sleep. He used this spear in a battle, when he was defending Indumati. Aja was a great king, like his grandfather Dilipa, his father Raghu, his son Dasharatha, and his grandsons, Rama and Bharata. (Aja had 4 grandsons but two were made kings (Bharata was king when Rama was exiled to the forest for 14 years).
Dasharatha was the king of Ayodhya. He had three main wives: Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra.
At the time of marrying Kaikeyi, he assured her and her family that any son born to her would supersede his other sons and succeed him as king of Ayodhya. However, none of his three wives bore children for many years. Dasharatha then performed a sacrifice, the putra-kameshthi yagna, to secure the birth of a son. Four sons were the born to him: to Kaushalya was born Rama, to Kaikeyi Bharata, and Sumitra was blessed with twin sons, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. The story of the lives of his children is the story of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana.
Dasharatha was a young man when he accidentally killed Shravana Kumara while hunting in the forest one day. Shravana Kumara's parents cursed Dasharatha, saying that he too, like them, would die of longing for a much beloved son. This is what came to pass; Dasharatha died soon after Rama left for exile in the forest, accompanied by his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana.
Refer to the pages on Rama, his consort Sita, and to the Ramayana, which is the story of their lives.
id:Raghuwangsa pt:Raghuvamsa te:ఇక్ష్వాకు వంశము
Raghuvamsha Sudha is a popular kriti in Carnatic music, composed by Patnam Subramanya Iyer. It is set in the raga Kathanakuthoohalam and Adi Tala.
It is believed that this kriti song would be sung to kings to prepare and motivate them for battle.The fast paced number would motivate them for the battle.
The Lyrics of the song is:
Pallavi:
Raghuvamsa sudhambudhi chandra
Sri Raama Raama Raajaraajeshewara
Anupallavi:
Aghameghamaaruta srikara
Asuresha mrigendra vara jagannatha
Chittaswaram:
Sa Re Ma, Ga Re Sa, Re Re Ma, Da Da Ni, Ga Ga Pa, Sa,
Sa ni da pa ma ga, pa ma ga re.
Sa Re Re Ma, Ga Re Re Sa Re Re Ma, Da Da Da Ni, Ga Ga Ga Pa, Sa,
Sa ni da pa ma ga, pa ma ga re.
Charanam:
Jamadagnija garva kandhana
Jayarudraadi vishmita bandhana
Kamalaptan anvaya mandana
Aginitadbutha shourya shri venkatesha.