These source-exact passages are selected from the public-domain text and paired with concise reading commentary.
Canto LXVII. The Breaking Of The Bow.
Canto XIX. The Birth Of The Princes.
Read interpretation
This canto title marks the auspicious birth of the four central princes of Ayodhya—Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna—whose lives and actions drive the entire narrative of the Ramayana. (Chapter 3: Book I.)
Then Lakshmaṇ’s truth was nobly shown, Then were his love and courage known, When for his brother’s sake he dared All perils, and his exile shared.
Read interpretation
These lines highlight Lakshmana’s exceptional loyalty and selfless devotion, as he chooses to face all dangers and share Rama’s banishment purely out of love for his elder brother. (Chapter 8: BOOK VI.)
Read interpretation
This canto title references the iconic, plot-critical episode in the Ramayana where Prince Rama breaks the divine bow of Lord Shiva to win Princess Sita’s hand, setting the epic’s central narrative into motion. (Chapter 3: Book I.)