Kausalya
Rama's Mother, Chief Queen of Ayodhya
The senior-most of Dasharatha's three queens and the blessed mother of Rama. Her patience and quiet strength shine through the whole Ramayana.
- Sanskrit/Telugu name: కౌసల్య
- Also known as: Kosala Raja Kumari
- Symbols: Crown, Cradle
Story
Kausalya was a princess of the Kosala kingdom - that's what her name means - and she became the first and chief queen of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. For many years she carried a quiet sorrow: no children. When Dasharatha performed the putrakameshti yagam, the sacred fire granted divine payasam (sweet pudding) to the queens, and Kausalya's share blessed her with the eldest son - Rama, Vishnu himself born as her baby. Telugu families still sing "Kausalya supraja Rama!" every morning in the Suprabhatam broadcast from Tirumala - the whole world wakes Rama up by calling him "Kausalya's good son." Her hardest day came when Rama walked into her chambers to say he was leaving for fourteen years of forest exile. Her heart broke, and she wanted to argue, to keep him - but she blessed him instead, telling him that the dharma he protected would protect him. She waited fourteen years, and her blessing came true: her son came home.
Fun fact
The very first words of the Venkateswara Suprabhatam - played in millions of Telugu homes at dawn - are "Kausalya supraja Rama," greeting Rama as this mother's son.