According to Narayan, Kamban, the poet who wrote the Ramayana, follows classical tradition by starting the epic poem with a description of the natural landscape in which the story takes place. Descriptions of the Sarayu River and the mountains of the ancient kingdom of Kosala precede descriptions of the countryside and its residents, hard at work in the fields and gardens. Images of smoke, nectar, temples, and other details of life in Kosala also set the scene.

Kosala is a large country. The palace of the kind and brave King Dasaratha is in the capital of Kosala, called Ayodhya. The king is childless, and though he enjoys the adoration of his subjects, he is troubled by the absence of an heir. One day, King Dasaratha speaks with his advisor, Sage Vasishtha, about his plight. Vasishtha remembers a vision: In it, the gods seek the assistance of “the Supreme God Vishnu” because Ravana (4), the 10-headed ruler of Lanka, and his two brothers are threatening to destroy the world and enslave the gods. Neither Shiva nor Brahma, two other principal deities, can help because they gave Ravana and his brothers their power to begin with and they cannot take the power away.