The book consists of seventy-six sargas of Sanskrit verse.
Baal Kaand
The Baal Kaand begins with the ascetic Valmiki questioning the famous sage Narada if there is any man who is truly virtuous. Narada replies that there is such a man and that his name is Rama. He then goes on to briefly describe Rama's physical characteristics and to briefly summarize the story of the Ramayana. Next, the book describes how Valmiki wrote the Ramayana and taught it to Lava and Kusha who soon enough launch into the full story: The king gets Rishyasringa, who performs the ceremony. The ceremony goes off very gloriously and well. Meanwhile, the gods are having a problem. The Rakshasa known as Ravana was causing a huge problem because, due to a boon he had received from Brahma, he was invincible to gods, celestial snakes and devils. The gods ask Narayana what to do and he decides to incarnate himself on earth as a man - when Ravana had asked for his boon, the foolish demon had forgotten to mention protection from men. Vishnu thereupon incarnates himself as celestial porridge and has himself handed to Dasharatha by a red coloured being who appeared out of Rishyasringa's sacrificial fire. The being tells Dasharatha to give the porridge to his wives. Dasharatha gives the porridge to his three queens and they give birth to four sons between the three of them: Queen Kaushalya gives birth to baby Rama, Queen Kaikeyi gives birth to baby Bharata and Queen Sumitra gives birth to twins: baby Shatrughna and baby Lakshmana. The book details the miraculous birth of Rama and his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna, their early life in Ayodhya and education with Rishi Vasishtha. Also included are Rama's slaying of the demoness Tataka of the forest, his slaying of the demonSubahu and his hordes who defile the yajnas of Vishvamitra, his deliverance of Ahalya and his wedding with Sita. .
One of important pieces of information in this book is the Natal chart of Rama, which is embedded in the Chapter 18, Verse 8 to 11: This day is celebrated as Ramanavami festival throughout India.
