During those days, hunting was a great passion for all the Kshatriyas. So, Rama as a prince loved hunting too. He took Bharata, Shatrughna, Laxman and other close friends with him and regularly went hunting in the forests of Ayodhya. Whenever they went on such a hunting expedition, Rama travelled on horseback and his dearest brothers and friends moved behind him carrying bows and arrows, with the purpose of protecting him against any harm. In his heart, Rama considered hunting as a sacred deed and thus killed many deer. The souls of the deer, which were killed by the arrows of Lord Rama, directly attained salvation and reached heaven. He then carried the dead animals to his palace and showed them to his father. Dashrath’s heart would get filled with joy and pride on seeing the great expertise of his dear son. Rama did all such acts to entertain his brothers and friends. He did exactly what the people of Ayodhya as true devotees desired him to do. The whole kingdom loved him dearly. He regularly read the Vedas and the scriptures and taught his teaching that he obtained to his younger brothers.
RAMA AS A HUNTER
