Vishnu had made up his mind. He would intervene, once again, in the world of men, this time to destroy the Demon-King Ravana. Ravana, a ten-headed monster, was protected by a boon granted him long ago by the God Brahma: "You will be unslayable by every creature of Heaven and the underworlds." As a result, Ravana was menacing the heavens, slaying heavenly dancers and musicians, eating the sacrificial offerings, basking in the sacrificial smoke, uprooting the heavenly garden, Nandana, and generally making the life of Indra, the Lord of Heaven, miserable. Vishnu said to Indra: "Ravana was careless. Thinking men and animals to be of little consequence, he did not ask for safeguards against them. I will be born as a man, and lead them to destroy Ravana." Vishnu then became incarnate as Rama, son of Dasaratha, King of Koshala.

In the paintings we see Dasaratha's sacrificial fire, with supplicants gathered around it, ladling butter onto the flames. We also see the appearance in the flames of a messenger from the gods carrying a golden bowl filled with rice cooked in milk and sweetened with sugar. He told Dasaratha to feed the rice to his wives, and they would bear sons

The three queens of Dasaratha were overjoyed and ate their portions with great anticipation. A year later four sons were born: Rama to Queen Kausalya, Bharata to Queen Kaikeyi, and the twins Lakshmana and Satrughna to Queen Sumitra. Rama was born with blue skin so smooth that dust would not cling to it, and he was clearly his father's favorite. Bharata was a redhead with rosy skin and scarlet lips. Lakshmana had golden skin and eyes as blue as wildflowers. Satrughna, Lakshmana's twin, differed from him as night from day: his body was blue, his hair and eyes, black.

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