All the people in the hermitage loved these two charming boys Kusha and Lava. Some one or the other would always be taking up the babies and playing with them. They would laugh if the children laughed. If the children shouted, they too would shout. Especially the sage Valmiki loved them very much. He would play with them; put them on his lap and sing lullabies; lift them up and make them dance. He would even forget that it was getting late for his rites and worship. He wanted that Sita should not feel sad that her children had missed the happiness of the palace. He saw to it that the children grew up in happy environs. This gave great joy to Sita.

Kusha and Lava grew up and played with other boys. After all they were princes. They were very brave. They dragged hither and thither the lion-cup, which was in the hermitage. They would tie the monkey to the cub's tail and clap their hands in joy. They made a kitetn sit on the back of a tiger and made the latter run. If anybody seeing this tried to discipline them. They would run and hide behind sage Valmiki. They made fun of the sages also. Seeing their mischief, Sita would scold them.

Valmiki would make both the children sit on his lap; he would teach them songs of prayer. Hearing the children lisp those prayers in a lovely way, both Valmiki and Sita would feel immensely happy.

When Kusha and Lava were five years old, Valmiki arranged the tonsure ceremony of the kids.

Traditionally, as soon as the tonsure ceremony is over, the teaching of the alphabets starts. Sage Valmiki himself initiated the boys in studies. The two bright boys learnt the alphabets in no time. They also acquired the ability to read and write anything. Valmiki taught them the Shastras, mythology, music, archery and whatever else he knew. The boys became experts in all those branches of knowledge.

Valmiki taught the boys the Ramayana, which he had composed. The boys learnt it by heart and learnt to sing it to the accompaniment of the Veena (a stringed instrument). Ramayana seemed to get a new felicity when they sang it. When they sang the poem the whole hermitage appeared to forget it. Valmiki was very proud of it. Whenever any guests came to the hermitage, he would make the boys sing a part of Ramayana.