Bal Kand: The Ramayana Story in Pictures

Interesting Book for Children on Ramayana

The palace at Ayodhya is quiet. Old King Dasharatha has three queens and no son. He calls the sages, lights the sacrificial fire, and waits. Out of that fire rises a figure with a golden bowl of kheer, and the story of Rama begins.

Bal Kand is the first of the seven kands (books) of the Valmiki Ramayana. It tells of Rama’s birth, his boyhood, his training with Vishwamitra and his wedding to Sita; the pictures below follow it scene by scene.

In India, there are two major epics. The Ramayana, and the Mahabharat. In Treta The story of Rama and his wife Sita, is the main story around which the Ramayana is written in Treta Yuga. This epic was written by Sage Valmiki, who himself was a robber, but later mended his ways to become a sage. Later Swami Tulsidas also written this epic which is known as Ram Charita Manas. The Ramayana is also divided in seven chapters, popularly known as Kandas. Bal Kand is the one which chronicles the life of Prince Rama and his three brothers.

Bal Kand pictures: Rama’s childhood in eight scenes

Each picture below is one turning point of Bal Kand: the fire sacrifice, the kheer, the school of Vasistha, the forest of Vishwamitra, Ahalya, the bow, the confrontation with Parshurama, and the wedding. Scroll down to see them in order. For the full telling of the bow scene, read the Sita Swayamvara story.

Amazing book on BalaKanda in Telugu

Dashrath organizes Putra Kameshti Yagya

King Dashrath, the king of Ayodhya did not have any son. To address this, he organised yagna with a desire for son. Agni, the god of fire presented him with a bowl of kheer(sweet rice). Upon comsumption of kheer, Dashratha would beget sons.

The Prasad was given to three wives of Dashrath

The Kheer or payasam, thus obtained, was distributed among Dashrath’s three wives, Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Sumitra. Soon enough, these queens have been blessed with sons, Rama, Bharat, Laxman and Shatrughan.

Princes Rama, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughana as newborn.

Learning at Sage Vasistha’s ashram

Sage Vasistha was the teacher of four brothers. He taught them all the skills required by them as the princes. Under Vasistha’s guidance, Rama, along with his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna, mastered the Vedas, Vedangas, and various scriptures. The sage also imparted knowledge of warfare, ethics, philosophy, and governance, shaping Rama’s character into an ideal ruler.

Education of princes by sage Vasistha in the Ramayana

Helping Sage Vishwamitra

Rama and Laksham helped sage Vishwamitra. Rakshasas were creating problems for him. Sages were unable to perform yagna. Sage asked Dashrath to give Rama and Lakshman to help him. Dashrath was initially worried. Persuaded by Vasistha, he agreed. This helped the princes as Vishwamitra trained them in warfare. Both brothers killed Taraka and Subahu among other demons.

Swayamvar of Sita and liberation of Ahalya

Vishwamitra received invitation from King Janak for Sita’s swayamvar. He asked Rama and Lakshman to accompany him. Along the way, they came to a place where Ahilya was present in a form of stone. Rama liberated her on advise of sage. She was serving a curse of sage Gautam, who was her husband.

Sita Swayamvar

At Mithila, the challenge of Sita swayamvar was to tie the string of Shiva’s bow. Many warriors including Ravana has failed in even moving the bow. However, Rama could easily lift the bow. While trying to string the bow, it broken into two pieces. Sita got Rama as her husband.

Full Sita Swayamvar Story

Rama breaking Pinaka bow in Sita Swayamvar

However, this brought Lord Parshurama to the ceremony. There was the classic confrontation between two avatars of Vishnu. Rama succeeded in pacifying Parshurama.

Wedding of Rama and Sita

Finally, the wedding of Rama and Sita took place. All four brother were married. Lakshman was married with Urmila, Janak’s second daughter and Bharat and Shatrughna with Mandavi and Shrutikirti, the daughters of Janak’s younger brother Kushadhwaj.

What comes after Bal Kand? The seven kands of the Ramayana

After the wedding, the story moves to Ayodhya and then into the forest. The seven kands in order are Bala, Ayodhya, Aranya, Kishkindha, Sundara, Yuddha and Uttara. Next in this picture series: Ayodhya Kand in pictures, then Aranya Kand. For the whole epic in one read, see the Ramayana Katha.

Questions readers ask

What are the seven kands of the Ramayana?

Bala Kanda (Bal Kand), Ayodhya Kanda, Aranya Kanda, Kishkindha Kanda, Sundara Kanda, Yuddha Kanda and Uttara Kanda. Valmiki’s text is divided this way; Tulsidas’s Ram Charit Manas uses the same seven names.

What happens in Bal Kand?

Dasharatha performs the Putrakameshti yagna and his queens bear four sons. Rama and Lakshmana go with Vishwamitra, kill Tataka and Subahu, free Ahalya, and Rama breaks Shiva’s bow at Janaka’s court. The four brothers then marry in Mithila.

Who wrote Bal Kand?

Sage Valmiki, in Sanskrit. Read the Sanskrit verses with English meaning at valmikiramayan.net, or see who wrote the Ramayana.

बाल कांड में क्या है?

बालकांड रामायण का पहला कांड है। इसमें राम का जन्म, विश्वामित्र के साथ वन-यात्रा, अहिल्या का उद्धार, सीता स्वयंवर और चारों भाइयों का विवाह आता है।

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Story of The Ramayana in Pictures – Bal Kand