The Ramayana: A Retelling

From the sacred fire emerged a magnificent being, radiant as the sun itself, carrying a golden vessel filled with divine payasam—a celestial pudding prepared by the gods. This luminous figure instructed Dasharatha to share the divine offering among his three wives, and prophesied that they would bear sons who would restore righteousness to the earth and fulfill the cosmic purpose of destroying evil.

With trembling hands and a heart full of gratitude, Dasharatha received the divine gift. He gave half of the payasam to his eldest queen, Kausalya, a quarter to Kaikeyi, and divided the remaining quarter between Kaikeyi and Sumitra. The consumption of this celestial food marked the beginning of a new chapter in the cosmic story, for within the wombs of these mortal women, aspects of the divine began to take human form.