The story of the incarnation of Shri Ram begins with the Lord agreeing to descend on earth after listening to the prayers of the celestials. He divided himself into four parts and was born to Dasharatha, the king of Ayodhya, as Ram, Bharata, Lakshmana, and Shatrughna. In his youth, Ram destroyed the demons who were disrupting the sacrifices of the sage Vishwamitra. He also broke the bow of Shiva and won Sita as his bride.
After a few years, Ram, Sita, and Lakshmana went to the forest for fourteen years of exile to fulfill Dasharatha's word. During this time, Ram fought and killed Khara's army of fourteen thousand asuras after mutilating Surpanakha, who wanted to kill Sita. Ravana heard about Sita's beauty from his sister Surpanakha and kidnapped her. Ram then took the help of the monkeys and through them found out that Sita was in Lanka.
A huge army of monkeys and bears marched with Ram and Lakshmana to the seashore, where the god of the sea advised them to build a bridge across the sea to Lanka. After building the bridge, they all crossed over and began their attack on Lanka. With trees, mountain tops, clubs, and arrows, Ram's army soon destroyed the army of Ravana. Then Ravana himself was killed by Ram.
Ram immediately went to the Ashoka grove and found Sita reduced to skin and bones due to separation from him. Vibhishana, Ravana's righteous brother who had helped Ram, was crowned king of Lanka by Ram himself. As his fourteen years of exile were now over, Ram, along with Sita, Lakshmana, Sugriva, Hanuman, and others, returned to Ayodhya in an aerial chariot.
Ram's younger brother Bharata, who had managed the kingdom during those fourteen years, was overjoyed at the news of Ram's return. He and Shatrughna went to welcome Ram, carrying Ram's sandals. They were accompanied by all the citizens, including scholars chanting Vedic mantras and others carrying banners, flagstaffs, and other royal insignia. Laying Ram's sandals at his brother's feet, Bharata fell prostrate before his brother, his eyes swimming in tears. Ram was then crowned king of Ayodhya, and he ruled wisely for many years.
However, once when Ram was moving about in the city incognito, he overheard a man insulting him and Sita. Saddened by this slur on his and Sita's characters, he decided to abandon Sita. Sita, who was pregnant at that time, took shelter in Valmiki's ashrama, where she gave birth to twin boys, Lava and Kusha. Unable to bear separation from Ram, Sita entrusted her sons to Valmiki and entered the earth from where she had been born. After many years of performing sacrifices even without his wife, Ram also entered his own Supreme State.
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