Shanta

Shanta
Rishyasringa travels to Ayodhya with Shanta
Information
Family	Rompad (father) Vershini (mother)
Spouse(s)	Rishyasringa

Shanta is a character in the Ramayana. She was the daughter of the King Rompad and Vershini. Shanta was married to Rishyasringa, son of the legendary Indian Hindu saint Vibhandaka. The descendants of Shanta and Rishyasringa are Sengar Rajputs who are called the only Rishivanshi rajputs.

Shanta was a daughter of the king (rajah) of Angadesh, Raja Rompad, and Vershini, an elder sister of Kausalya. Shanta was educated in Vedas, Art, Craft as well as in Warfare, and was considered to have been very beautiful. One day, while her father, the king Rompad, was busy in conversation with Shanta, a Brahmin came to ask for help in cultivation in the days of the monsoon. Rompad did not pay attention to the Brahmin's plight. This irritated and enraged the Brahmin, who left the kingdom. Indradev, the god of rain, was unable to bear the insult of his devotee, so there was little rainfall during the monsoon season resulting drought in kingdom and Dashratha had no children, he wanted a son to continue his legacy and to enrich his royal dynasty the troubles of both kingdoms could only be alleviated by yajnas performed by a brahmin with the powers that come from observance of perfect chastity. The only such person is Rishyasringa who was raised by Vibhandak Rishi isolated from society without knowledge of women needed to be brought to the city, and be persuaded to carry out the necessary yajna ceremonies,despite his fear of the power and anger of Vibhandak Rishi ,both kings send young women to introduce the boy into normal society,then Shanta fulfills this task and Rishyasringa marries Shanta,he then agrees to perform yajna for Angadesh, during the recitation of it, it rained heavily,the public rejoiced and there were festivals in Angadesh. Rishyasringa also performed a putra kameshthi yajna for Dashratha to beget progeny, and as the consequence of the said Yajna were born: Rama, Bharata, and the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.