Lava and Kusa

Dadi: "Guddu beta, do you know that Rama had twin sons he didn't even know existed for years?"

Guddu: "Secret sons? How is that possible for a king?"

Dadi: "It's a sad part of the Ramayana, beta. After returning from Lanka victorious, Rama became king. But rumors spread among his people about Sita's time in Ravana's captivity."

Guddu: "But she was innocent! She passed the fire test!"

Dadi: "True. But people kept whispering, questioning. And Rama, as king, felt he needed his subjects' complete trust. So he made a terrible decision..."

Guddu: "What did he do?"

Dadi: "He asked Lakshmana to take pregnant Sita to the forest and leave her near sage Valmiki's hermitage."

Guddu: "He abandoned his pregnant wife?!"

Dadi: "His heart was breaking, beta. He chose his duty as king over his love as husband. It's one of the most debated parts of the epic - was he right? Was he wrong? People still argue."

Guddu: "What happened to Sita?"

Dadi: "Sage Valmiki found her and gave her shelter. Soon after, she gave birth to twin boys. Valmiki took kusha grass and cut it into two parts - naming the elder Kusha and the younger Lava."

Guddu: "She raised them alone?"

Dadi: "In the ashram, yes. The boys grew up strong, intelligent, and skilled in everything - martial arts, music, archery. And most importantly, Valmiki taught them to sing the Ramayana!"

Guddu: "They learned their own parents' story?"

Dadi: "Without knowing it WAS their parents' story! They thought it was just an ancient epic. They didn't know they were singing about their own father's adventures."

Guddu: "That's so dramatic!"

Dadi: "Years later, Rama performed the Ashwamedha Yajna - a ritual where a royal horse is released, and whoever captures it challenges the king. Guess where the horse wandered?"

Guddu: "Near Valmiki's ashram?"

Dadi: "The twins captured it! When Rama's soldiers came to take it back, Lava and Kusha fought and defeated them. When Rama's brothers came - Bharata and Shatrughna - the boys defeated them too!"

Guddu: "They beat their own uncles?!"

Dadi: "None of them knew they were related! Finally, before more fighting could happen, Valmiki revealed the truth. Rama's long-lost sons had been here all along."

Guddu: "Did Rama bring Sita back then?"

Dadi: "He invited her to return. But the people's doubts had never fully disappeared. When Sita arrived, some again demanded proof of her purity."

Guddu: "After all those years?!"

Dadi: "Sita had endured enough, beta. Instead of proving herself again, she prayed to Mother Earth - her divine mother - to take her back. The earth opened, a throne rose up, and Sita descended into the ground forever."

Guddu: "She left rather than face more doubt?"

Dadi: "She chose dignity over endless justification. Some say it was the only way she could make a statement powerful enough to shame the doubters."

Guddu: "What happened to Lava and Kusha?"

Dadi: "Rama raised them himself after that. He prepared them to rule, teaching them truth and justice. Eventually, Kusha ruled from Kushavati and Lava from Shravasti - both becoming great kings."

Guddu: "Did Rama miss Sita?"

Dadi: "Forever, beta. The Ramayana ends with him renouncing worldly life, never marrying again, always carrying her golden statue beside him in ceremonies."

Guddu: "Dadi, this story is so sad..."

Dadi: "It raises hard questions. Should Rama have chosen his wife over public opinion? Should Sita have stayed and fought? The story doesn't give easy answers - it makes us think about duty, love, justice, and the costs of each."

Guddu: "I think Rama was wrong to send her away."

Dadi: "Many agree with you, beta. But the story remains because life doesn't have simple solutions. Sometimes good people make choices that cause pain. What matters is how we learn from their struggles."

Guddu: "I'll think about it more."

Dadi: "That's the best response, beta. Now sleep, and may your choices be wiser than those of kings."