Having been informed of Bharata’s defeat and unconsciousness, Rama at once took his army and set off for Sage Valmiki’s ashrama. Like his brothers, he too was filled with love for the boys. But the boys challenged Rama to the battle. Rama was a man of short temper. He tried to persuade the boys to give up fighting.
Rama refused to fight against them till they introduced themselves. “We are Luv and Kush,” said the boys, “Our mother Seeta is the princess of Mithila, and daughter of king Janaka. We were brought up by Sage Valmiki in his ashrama. We have not seen our father, so we don’t know his name or his dynasty.” Rama was overwhelmed seeing his sons, proud and brave, as they stood before him. His own heart swelled with love and pride. His sons asked him to either go away or fight against them for the horse. It was a strange moment in Rama’s life. He met his sons for the first time in the battlefield. When Luv and Kusha attacked him, Rama only defended himself easily against his sons. But he was careful not to shoot any arrows at them at all.
When Hanuman saw Rama fighting in a very protective way, he came formed to battle with the boys. There ensued a fierce battle between Hanuman and the boys.
Hanuman wanted the secret of the boys to be revealed, so he deliberately lost the battle to Kush who promptly tied Hanuman to a tree. Hanuman started teasing the children by making faces. That was the only means to know their secret and meet their well-wisher. No one had tried as yet to enquire about the welfare of the boys who had made one and all lick dust in a trice.
“Let’s take this monkey to Mother, Luv. She will be very happy to see him,” Kush told. The boys stopped fighting and carried Hanuman to their mother.
They went in to tell her that they had brought her a delightful toy outside. Seeta came out and was stunned to see Hanuman, the supreme devotee of Rama. Hanuman felt blessed to see Seeta and bowed at her feet. “Mother, your valorous sons have caught Rama’s Ashwamedha horse and have made Shatrughna, Lakshmana and Bharata fall unconscious.”
