the birth of Kusa

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> Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Chapter 32 states:

>

> Prabhupäda began to tell some of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality

> of Godhead in His incarnation of Lord Rämacandra. During the last days of

> His earthly pastimes, Prabhupäda said, Räma banished Sitä, His wife and

> eternal consort. Pregnant and alone, Sitä sought shelter at the äsrama of

> Välmiki, where she soon gave birth to a son, Lava. Välmiki created another

> son for Sitä from straw and named him Kusa.

>

>

> As far as I know, this is not as described in Valmiki Ramayana, so is

> probably in some other shastra. Does anyone know the shastric source of

> this version?

 

According to Vettam Mani's "Puranic Encyclopedia" this story is found in the

Uttara Ramayan and in Katha-saritsagar alankaravatilambaka taranga 1. It is

described as follows:

 

While staying in Valmiki's asrama one day Sita took Lava to a nearby stream

to bathe him, not knowing this Valmiki became upset when he did not see the

child in the asrama. He feared that the boy may have been eaten by some

animal and that Sita might die when discovered the child missing. To console

Sita, at that time he created another child from Kusa grass and put it where

Lava had been lying before. When Sita returned to the asrama with Lava,

Valmiki explained the whole situation to Sita. Since the second child was

created with Kusa grass he was called Kusa and was the second son of Sita.