Baal Kaand | Ayodhyaa Kaand | Aranya Kaand | Kishkindhaa Kaand | Sundar Kaand | Yuddh Kaand | Uttar Kaand
 

How Raam was the eldest son of Dasharath?
(V-Raamayan, 1/6/20)

As how the Divine sweets was distributed among the three queens, Raam is the first-born and thus the eldest. This is because the sweets - half of the whole vessel, was first given to Queen Kaushalyaa and she immediately ate it as an Empress.

Sumitraa waited a while till Kaikeyee got her share. Kaikeyee got her portion but waited till her elder sister Sumitraa completed her drink. In the meanwhile Dasharath thought a while, and gave Sumitraa another one-eighth part of the Divine sweets. Sumitraa then consumed her two parts. Later Kaikeyee drank her portion. These timings of drink makes Raam the eldest one whereby he becomes eligible to be nominated as crown prince, in the later episodes.

Is Raam Full or Partial Avataar?
There is another question whether the incarnation of Raam is full (Poorn) or partial (Ansh) incarnation of Vishnu? Raam is Lord Vishnu Himself while Bharat and Shatrughn are His Chakra (Disc) and Shankh (Conch-shell), while Lakshman is the thousand headed snake (Shesh Naag) on whose coils Lord Vishnu reclines.

Raam's Names
(V-Raamaayan, 1/6/20)

One of many names of Raam is Raajeev-Nayan, i.e. who has lotus-petal like eyes, or Kamal-Nayan, or Raajeev-Lochan - all have the same meaning. This name shows the characteristic of Kamal or Raajeev (lotus flower) - as lotus flower petals close as the night falls, Raam's eyelids also close at night for boyish sleep.

Raam's Age
(V-Raamaayan, 3/14/38)
Raam's age was less than 16 years, as Dasharath said to Vishwaamitra Jee, when he came to Dasharath to ask for Raam to take to protect his Yagya. [1/6/20]

Seetaa told Raavan that She lived for 13 years in Ayodhyaa when Dasharath wanted to crown Raam as King.

He must have been of 25 years of age (12 + 13 = 25) when He was exiled as Seetaa said so   ...  "we enjoyed royal pleasures for 13 years."

When Was Raam Born?

The Gita Pres edition of Valmiki Ramayana says that Ram had incarnated on Navamee Tithi of Chaitra Shukla Paksha, when the Moon and Brihaspati were in Kark Lagna (Cancer Sign Ascendant), and five planets were exalted. It was also Punarvasu Nakshatra.

Bharat was born in constellation Pushya... when the Sun had entered the zodiacal sign of Pisces.
And to make the confusion worst confounded, in the same breath, again, the same VR says, "Twin sons of Sumitraa were born when the constellation Aashleshaa was in the Ascendant and the Sun had reached the meridian, touching the zodiacal sign of Kark (Cancer Sign)."

The million dollar question is that if Ram had incarnated in the month of Chaitra, the Sun had to be in Meen, if it was so called Saayana. But then our "Vedic astrologers" are dead against anything like Saayana, since that is of Greek origin, so Raam must have been born in some Niraayan--- preferably Lahiree--- Meen Rashi, according to them. But then that will make the month of Chaitra also so called Niraayan, and completely unhinge it from Vasant Ritu, since it is in that Ritu that Raam had incarnated.