Aja could not bear to live without hide daughter; and so died soon after; passing on the mantle of the throne to their young son. Dasharatha’s eldest son was Ram, born of the senior queen Kaushalya. His second son was Bharat born of his favourite queen Kaikeyi.
Kaikeyi tried to secure Dasharatha’s throne for Bharat using her cleverness, but Bharat had too much integrity to accept it. He insisted Ram inherit the crown, as per the law, Ram established the legendary Ram rajya and ruled the land we now call India, named after his grandmother Indumati, and Bharat named after his brother.
From an article titled Bharat: Why not both by Devdutt Pattnaik
Illustration by Amrapali
