5. Lord Brahma instructs the demigods to assist Lord Visnu

Meanwhile, Lord Brahma gave these orders to the demigods, "Lord Visnu will soon appear in human society, and so all of you should beget partial manifestations of yourselves to assist Him. I want you to create a race of divine monkeys by uniting with the Apsaras, female monkeys, Yaksas, Nāgas, Vidyadharas and Kinnaras. These offspring must be capable of assuming any form at will, and they must possess the other mystic powers as well. In addition, they must be very intelligent, and they must be highly skilled in the use of weapons. They must have strength equal to yours, and they must possess ethereal bodies."

After receiving this order, Indra begot Väli, Sürya begot Sugrīva, Brhaspati begot Tara, Kuvera begot Gandhamädana, Viśvakarma begot Nala, and Agni begot Nila. The Aśvini- kumāras begot Mainda and Dvivida, Varuna begot Susena, and Vayu begot Hanuman. Besides these principal monkeys, many thousands were born to assist Lord Vişņu in His mission. All of them were gigantic, like mountains, and they were exceedingly eager to fight with Ravana. Like the demigods who begot them, these monkeys were born just after conception and they were so powerful that they could agitate the ocean with their impetuous energy.

There were actually three classes of beings created by the demigods. Formerly, Jambavan, the king of bears, had emanated from Brahma's mouth as he was yawning. These bears were one class of beings, and the other two were monkeys, one of which had long tails, like those of cows. There were more than ten million of these bears and monkeys and so the earth became overrun with them as they wandered through the forests, eating wild fruit and various kinds of roots.

Meanwhile, after the completion of the putresți-yajña, the demigods, who had personally come to accept the offerings, the assisting priests, Rsyaśṛnga and Santa, as well as all the invited guests, returned to their respective residences.

Then, after a pregnancy of twelve months, on the ninth day of the waxing fortnight in the month of Caitra (the first month of the year), Queen Kausalya gave birth to a son. Having reddish eyes and lips, long arms, and a body possessing all auspicious markings, the son of Queen Kausalya represented one-half the potency of Lord Visnu.

Soon thereafter, a son representing one-fourth the potency of Lord Visņu was born to Queen Kaikeyi, Mahārāja Dasaratha's youngest queen. Then, two days after the birth of Queen Kausalya's son, Queen Sumitra gave birth to twins, each representing one-eighth of the potency of Lord Visnu. All four newborn children greatly resembled one another. They were very brilliant, and They were exceptionally pleasing to behold. At the birth of these four sons of Dasaratha, the demigods showered flowers from heaven, and the sound of celestial music could be heard coming from the sky.

In Ayodhya there was a great festival as all the citizens crowded the streets to take part in the merry-making, along with the musicians, dancers and actors who provided entertainment.

Thirteen days after the birth of Queen Kausalya's son, Vasistha Muni, the family priest, performed the name-giving ceremony. The greatly fortunate sage named the son of Queen Kausalya, Lord Rama; the son of Queen Kaikeyi, Bharata; and the twin sons of Queen Sumitra, Laksmana and Satrughna. Thereafter, Vasistha Muni took charge of performing all the purifying rituals for the sons of Mahārāja Dasaratha, culminating in the sacred thread ceremony. Under Vasistha's able guidance, all four became masters of the Vedas, great heroic warriors, and reservoirs of all godly qualities. From His birth, however, Lord Rama outshone His brothers in all respects and so He naturally became the pet son of His father. From childhood, Laksmana was very attached to Lord Rama, and Lord Rama was also attached to Laksmana. In fact, Lord Rama would not eat anything or even go to sleep without Laksmana. When Lord Rama would go hunting in the forest, Laksmana accompanied Him without fail. Similarly, Bharata and Satrughna were very dear to one another and practically inseparable.

After Lord Rama, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Satrughna had completed Their education, Mahārāja Dasaratha consulted Vasistha about their marriages. During one such discussion, the greatly powerful brahmarşi, Visvamitra, arrived at Ayodhya and entered the royal palace. Mahārāja Dasaratha and Vasistha immediately got up from their seats to welcome the great sage. The king then worshiped his guest in a befitting manner. Afterwards, Mahäräja Dasaratha escorted Viśvämitra into the royal court and seated him upon an opulent throne.