Kanda 7 of 7 · 111 sargas
उत्तरकाण्ड
Final Book
Uttara-kāṇḍa
Setting: Ayodhya years after the coronation; Valmiki's ashram
Central figure: Sita — the suffering she absorbs makes her the moral center
Kanda summary
The Uttara Kanda recounts the back-history of Ravana, Hanuman's birth, and Rama's reign. Hearing public murmurs about Sita's captivity, Rama exiles her — pregnant — to Valmiki's ashram, where she gives birth to Lava and Kusha. The twins learn the Ramayana from Valmiki and recite it at Rama's Ashwamedha yajna. Rama recognises them; Sita is asked to prove her purity again, calls upon Bhumi Devi (her mother Earth), and is taken back into the earth. Rama later relinquishes his body. This kanda is considered a later addition by many scholars but is part of received tradition.
Key episodes
- ●Ravana's back-history
- ●Sita's exile to Valmiki's ashram
- ●Birth of Lava and Kusha
- ●Recitation of Ramayana at Ashwamedha
- ●Sita's return to Bhumi Devi
- ●Rama's ascension at the Sarayu
Central teaching
Even ideal kingship is bound by social weight. The earth herself is the witness to truth.