The Fire Ritual which made Rama- The Putrakameshti  Yajna

Eons ago a group of accomplished Rishis was called out to perform a sacred fire ritual that changed the destiny of mankind forever. The Ramayana documents the Putrakameshti Yajna as the event which led to the birth of Rama along with other Ayodhya princes. Read this story to enlighten yourself about this major fire ritual that controlled the strands of creation and life.

The Fire that gives life, Source: Pinterest

Fire has strange natural and cultural significance. Different cultures rely differently on fire but generally, its sanctity lies in its ability to absolve sins and purify souls and to destroy evil. In Hinduism, the tangent of fire is kept at an even higher level. Along with purification, fire is also considered a strong medium for births and deaths.

However, there is one greater story behind the contribution of fire rituals which gave birth to the great figure who changed the face of Indian Mythology in the Treta Yuga- Rama. Yes, that is correct. Though Rama was born biologically, the story of how he ended up in the womb of his royal mother Kausalya is different and interesting altogether. One thing is quite clear the fire that gave birth to lord Rama was no ordinary fire ritual but Putrakameshti Yajna.

Putrakameshti Yajna, this humongous term lucidly translates to ‘oblation to the bearing of children’, which means that one who performs this fire ritual would surely end up bearing children no matter not if the ritual is performed systematically. The legend goes like this...

Long, long ago when the kingdom of Ayodhya was flourishing in every respect the wombs of the three queens lay barren. The matter of the queen’s infertility was a matter of great concern for the king as children were needed to decide an accomplished future heir of Ayodhya.

King Dasharatha was a man of honor and rationality. Once he deduced the fact that his queen won't produce children naturally, he decided to seek divine intervention immediately. Sage Vasishtha was a renowned sage of that time and the king invited him for counsel. The ardent sage suggested the fire ritual of Putrakameshti Yajna after performing which he would surely be granted with the joyous cries of children. King Dasratha immediately set to organize the said fire ritual.

Vashistha recommended the sage Rishyasrinya who was accomplished in the knowledge of the Yajurveda to supervise the great fire ritual. Apparently of all Vedas, only the Yajurveda had a list of guidelines for performing this fire ritual successfully. It is said that the Yajna was predicted to be performed at such a date when all the three queens were actively ovulating and when the auspicious day came, King Dasharatha was all nervous, as this event would determine the future of his kingdom.

Agni emerging from fire and offering the holy Payasam, Source: Wikipedia

The sky turned black from all the fragrant smoke that rose from the fire that burned bright and red. The motive of the ritual was to appease the God of Fire, Agni who would appear and give a solution to the problem of infertility. For days the fire ritual went on, with a group of accomplished ascetics repeatedly chanting hymns while the queens and kings waited in anticipation. When the yajna finally ended Agni did appear and smiled upon the king and his nervous queens. The god praised the devotion of the royal family and bring forth some payasam wrapped in banana leaves. He proclaimed that after eating this payasam the queens would get pregnant and soon the royal palace would be filled with the cries of children.

Soon enough each of the Agni’s words came true and all three queens were pregnant. That’s how the Ayodhya princes- Rama, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughan were born. While history documents various fire rituals but the Putrakemesthi Yajna tops the list when royal blood was born out of the fire, destined to write heroic and divine histories, just like Rama did, by being the righteous and virtuous being born out of the pure raging flames of the Putrakameshti Yajna.