Valmiki Ramayana
Ayodhya
kanda
1. The virtues of Rama
and Dasaratha’s intention to crown him.
The Ayodhya
kanda starts with Bharatha going to the kingdom of his uncle with Sathrugna. We
find that the first
sloka mentions
Satrugna following Bharatha and it is one of very few slokas about this
last son of Dasaratha. .But it excels by its quality of being rich in
meaning showing the poetic skill of the adhikavi in conveying so much meaning in few
words.
The sloka
goes as follows:
Gacchatha mathulakulam bharathEna
thaThAnaghah
sathrughnO nithyaSathrughnO neethah
preethipuraskrthah
Sathrughna was taken along by Bharatha when he went to the house of his uncle.
Sathrughna is qualified by adjectives nithyasathrughnah
, anaghah and
preethipuraskrthah. He is called nuthyasathrugna which means that he has conquered
the permanent enemies inside,
namely
The Ramayana is called saranagathisasthra
because it extols
surrender through out. The first to start the saranagathi was Bharatha
who is held to be a paramabhagavatha by the devotees. Sathrughna was the example of bhagavatha
kainkarya
by being devoted to the service of Bharatha and stands out as the
faultless for his selfless love for his brother showing that bhagavatha
kainkarya is of no less importance than bhagavtkainkarya, which his twin brother
Lakshmana was engaged in. Both became gunairdhAsa enslaved by the virtues of
their brothers concerned which is indicated by the word preethipuraskrthah. The
service was undertaken
out of love .
Then starts the enumeration of the
virtues of Rama .
Dasaratha was equally fond of all his
sons but to Rama his love was more and the reason was given by
Valmiki to be because Rama was the incarnation of Vishnu. As
Valmiki gives the reason for Rama being loved by
all by describing his virtues in 24 slokas.
He was veeryavAn, valiant, anasooyakah, without cavil, bhoomouanupamah ,
had no equal on earth and in personality and qualities equal to Dasaratha., if
not more. He was always pleasant, mrdhubhAshee and poorvabhAshee. That is, he not only
used to speak sweetly but also spoke first which means that he had no arrogance.
Not only that but even when he was insulted he never
retorted.
He was pleased with any help done
even once sometime or other but never remembers even a
hundred offences. He always associated with
elders, wise and virtuous and
showed respect and listened to them. Rama never spoke untruth. He followed the
kshatthriya dharma of protecting the good and punishing the wicked. He never
indulged in either activities or speech contrary to dharma. He was equal to
Brhaspathi in wisdom.
He was young strong and healthy and
a good judge of others and to his subjects he was like their life-breath outside
their bodies. He became well versed in Vedas and sasthras and in the science of
archery. He had a balance view on the purusharThas, had a good memory and
eloquence and imagination.
In addition to possessing all these
qualities Rama was modest, placid, infallible.
dhrdDabhakthih sThithaprajnah nAsadhgrAhee na
dhurvachAh
nisthandhrih apramatthascha
svadhOshaparadhoshavith.
Rama showed reverence to elders and he had
his intellect well established. He never associated with bad men nor spoke bad
words. He was industrious and attentive and knew the faults of himself and
others.
dharmAya yasase arThayaAthmane svajanAya
cha
panchaDhA vibhajan vitthamihAmuthra cha
Sobhathe
Rama knew how to divide his wealth into five parts,
for dharma, for fame, for welfare of the world, for himself and for
his relatives as the sasthra says that one who does it shines in this world and
the next.
Thus Rama is acclaimed in all the three worlds as
being equal to bhoomi devi in patience, to Brhaspathi
in wisdom and to Indra in valour and as having all the auspicious
qualities.
Valmiki then says that the bhoodevi wanted him to
be the king and also Dasaratha., who thought that he
was getting old and it would be fit and proper to make Rama the king. After
consulting his guru and ministers started doing the preparation for the
coronation of Rama and invited all the kings except Janaka and the king of
Kekaya. It is given by valmiki that he did not invite them because he arranged
the
coronation in a hurry and they were situated far away and thought
that the can hear about it later. But the implied reason for not calling them
was that he did not want to invite the father of Kaikeyi because he gave
a promise at the time of his marriage to
Kaikeyi that he will make her son the king. At that time he did not have
any issue and hence perhaps he thought that if Kaikeyi gets a son naturally he
can be made the king. But now he had other plans and was afraid that
the king of Kekaya may remind him of it. To call Janaka without calling him may offend
the king of Kekaya and he avoided
both.
2.Dasaratha announces of the coronation of
Rama
Dasaratha
informed the kings and
people assembled in his court about
his intention to crown Rama.
Anuroopah sa vai nATho
lakshmeevAn lakshmaNAgrajah
Thrailokyamapi nAThena yena syAth nAThavath tharam
(VR. 2-13)
Dasaratha told them to choose Rama as their king
because he pleases everybody with his excellent qualities and with him all the
three worlds will rejoice having him as their king. Moreover he is the abode of
Lakshmi and the dear brother of Lakshmana.
Anuroopah means fitting. Rama is fitting for the post of the
king because,
1.He is lakshmeevAn, abode of Lakshmi.
Dasaratha meant it in the general sense to show that Rama is the abode of all auspicious
qualities that cause of prosperity to all. But the words are of Valmiki which
imply the real identity of rama as Lord Narayana, who is the abode of Lakshmi.
2.The word lakshmeevan is followed by lakshmaNAgrajah , the elder brother of
Lakshmana thus enhancing the
quality of lakshmeevAn because
Lakshmana is referred to as lakshivardhanah, on who makes the wealth grow by Valmki earlie,
the wealth being devotion and bliss.
Anuroopa, the epithet applied to Rama also means
that (anugatham roopam yasya,) he pleases everyone by his
roopa that is beauty in form as
well as in his gunas.
He as the Lord Narayana is anuroopa, that is, all pervading as per
the upanishadic statement ‘anena jeevena
AthmanA anupraviSya nAmaroope vyAkaroth,’( chan.6..3.3)
He entered into the self of everything and b gave them name and form.This
function of Brahman is known as anupravesam.
The word
vai nAThah , he alone is the king, also could mean the Lord Narayana as
he is the natha master of Garuda , the word vi meaning a
bird.
(From the commentary of
Govindharajar)
For these reasons, said Dasaratha , he wanted to
make Rama the king. But he presented it to those assembled and asked them to
tell him if there is any alternative opinion, thus shp owing the democratic
nature of the kings of yore.
Hearing the decision of Dasaratha to crown Rama the
kings assembled there felt overjoyed like the peacocks which dance on seeing the
rain-bearing clouds overhead, ‘vrshtimntham mahAmeghamnardhanth iva
barhiNah.’ They said in one voice “Well done,” and the sound of the
acclamation was so loud, says Valmiki, that it shook the hall of the palace.
Vasishta and other wise men who knew dharma
together with the people agreed to what Dasaratha said. They welcomed the
coronation of Rama saying,’ icchAmo hi
mahAbAhum raghuveeram mahAbalam gajenamahathA yAntham rAmam cchathrAvrthAnanam, we
wish to see Rama coming on the elephant with his face under the shadow of the
royal white umbrella,’ thus diplomatically expressing their wish to have
Ramaastheir king in order not to offend Dasaratha lest he should think that they
want him to abdigate.
Dasratha was elated to hear their words but asked
them as
though he did not understand their real intention. He said that while he was
reigning the land according to dharma why should they
wish Rama to take over and what was the real reason they wanted Rama to become
their king.
Then they started describing the auspicious
qualities of Rama in order to explain why they desired his
coronation.
Rama was the best among the kings of Ikshvaku clan.
He was a sathpurusha, noble man, and
was sathyah
, truthful and sathya parakramah, of infallible valour.
Dharma and prosperity, Sree, were born from him, meaning that he was the origin
of dharma and Sree.
He was equal to the Moon towards his subjects, that
is, he was pleasing as the Moon. He was like the earth in patience,
like Brhaspathi in intelligence and like Indra invalour. He showed concern
towards his subjects and respect towards elders and preceptors. Thus they
enumerated all the good qualities of Rama and made it clear to Dasaratha that it was the reason for
their wish to make Rama the king and not due to any dissatisfaction with the
rule of Dasaratha, and compared Dasartha to Kasyapa who had The Lord Narayana as his son due to his penance
done in previous life.
Dasaratha was overjoyed to hear the praise of Rama
from them and told Vasishta and others to start the proceedings for the
coronation as it was the month of Chaithra, which he describes as ‘chaithrah sreemAn ayam mAsahpuNyah
pushpithakAnanah,’ the auspicious an prosperous month, when the forests are
full of flowers. He ordered the town to be decorated and to perform worship at
the temples and Sent Sumanthra to call Rama.
3. Dasratha Informs
Rama of his decision
Rama was coming to see Dasaratha who
saw him from his court-hall balcony. (It must be the balcony because Rama is
mentioned s later as ascending the steps and Dasaratha could b not have
seen him coming to the palace
otherwise. Valmiki describes Rama coming on the chariot seen by Dasaratha.
gandharvarAjaprathimam loke vikhyAtha
pourusham
dheerghabAhum maha satthvam
matthamAthangagAminam
chandrakAnthAnanam rAmam atheeva
priyadharSanam
roopoudhAryagunaiH pumsAm dhrdhtichittApahAriNam
(VR-Ayod.3-27/28)
Rama was handsome as the king of
gandharvas and known for his valour, says valmiki, to denote that he was not
only handsome to look at but was also valiant, which was already well known from
the Tataka episode and his protection of the yajna of Visvamithra by killing the
demons and none the less from his breaking the bow of Siva and subduing
Prasurama. Gandharvas are renowned for their beauty but not
valour. Hence the clubbing of the two
epithets.
Valmiki describes Rama
as dheerghabahu, having long arms and walks like an elephant
,matthamAthangagAmi , which shows his prowess and masculine stature. But
at the same time he was as attractive to look at as the Moon,
chandrakAnthAnana. Govindaraja in his commentary explains this word as
chandrAth kAnha Ananam yasya, meaning that his face was even more
delightful than the Moon. The name Rama itself denotes this as it means
ramayathi ithi rAmaH, one who delights. Thus he was
atheevapriyadharSana, extremely dear to look at. He was giving joy to the eyes by his
appearance and to the mind with his loveable qualities and
Dasaratha, says Valmiki never had his fill looking at Rama, especially
perceiving him as his dear son as well. When Ram approached his father and
saluted him in the traditional manner ‘nAma svam srAvayan rAmah,’
uttering his own name and bowing down (abhivAdhaye etc.) Dasaratha started
talking. Valmiki
calls Dasaratha as puthravathAm varah, because he is
exalted as a father because of being chosen by the Lord Himself to be His father.
Dasaratha asked Rama to accept the coronation and
the Rama of Valmiki simply bowed
down again to his father and left for his palace. But Kamban describes this as
thAdhai apparisu urai sei , than
maraikkaNNan
kAdhal uttRilan; igazhndhilan, ‘kadan idhu’
enrRu
uNarndhum
‘yAdhu
kottRavan Eviyadhu adhu seyal anRO
needhi eRku’ ena ninaindhum appaNi talai
ninRAn. (KR.1382)
When Dasaratha told Rama that he will
be made the
king, Rama neither loved nor hated it but accepted it as the
command of the king and father whose words must be obeyed. This aspect of the
character or Rama, Kamban explains further when Kaikeyi tells him to go to
forest. We shall enjoy the nectar of the words of Kamban when we come to
it.
On hearing the news of
the coronation of Rama, his friend hastened to tell Kouslya about it .Rama also
took leave of his father and returned to his own palace. Then Dasaratha
consulted the experts and decided to perform the coronation the next day when
the reigning star would be Pushya. Then he again sent word to Rama and when he came
, told him that he was seeing some ill omens to indicate that his end was near
and hence he wanted to crown Rama the very next day. He said that the mind is
fickle and Rama should be coronated before his mind changes without any further
delay as there would be normally be many obstacles before any good action.
Dasaratha further told
Rama that he wanted to crown Rama while Bharatha was away because even though Bharatha knew dharma and would wish only Rama to
become the king, still human mind is not steady . What Dasaratha referred to here
is that he has promised the father of Kaikeyi that her son will succeed him as the king and even though
Bharatha may not accept it
superceding the right of Rama, the eldest son, to be the crown prince as per the custom of
Ikshvaku race, someone might try to change his mind if her were present . Then
he sent Rama back ttelling him to follow the austerities necessary for the
coronation the next day. Rama went to see his mother and Kousalya was in
meditation on Lord Narayana as she already heard the news and Sumithra with
Lakshman and Sita were also there.
Valmiki says Kousalya
was eagerly expecting this to happen, (probably knowing the promise of Dasratha
to the father of Kaikeyi she had trepidations that it might not happen,) and
expressed her joy. Rama told Lakshmana that he was going to rule the kingdom
along with Lakshmana because they were inseparable. Then Rama returned to his
palace with Sita.
Vasishta then went to
the abode of Rama and instructed him about the austerities to be performed. The
whole city of
4. The machinations of
Manthara
jnAthidhAsee yatho jAthA kaikeyyAsthu
sahoshithA
prAsAdham chandrasamkASam Aruroha yadhrcchayA
(VR.Ayod. 7.1)
Manthara climbed the
stairs of the
There were two women whose actions served
as the
turning points in the epic. One is Manthra and the other is Surpanakha, who also
like Manthara , chanced to come that way and saw Rama.
Thus Manthara
gave the initial push towards the fulfillment of the purpose of
the incarnation and Surpanakha was
responsible for the finale of the drama.
Manthara
saw that the whole city of
The maid
gleefully told her the cause of the festive preparations and the next moment
Manthara descended the steps hurriedly and went to Kaikeyi, her face a picture
of anger and hatred. She spoke to Kaikeyi who was resting in her bed
thus:
utthishTa mooDe kim Seshe bhayam thvAm
abhivarthathe
upaplutham aghoughena kim AthmAnamna buDhyase
(VR.Ayod.7-14)
“Get up
you fool! You are lying in bed without knowing that there is a great calamity
awaiting you followed by a series of misfortunes.”
Manthara
told Kaikeyi that she was under the illusion that she has the exclusive love of
the king
but who was not
sincere and cunningly arranged the
coronation of Rama while Bharatha was away. Valmiki calls Manthara as vAkyaviSAradhA, clever
in speech. She abused the king as being outwardly truthful but in reality
deceitful and wicked. Acting as though Kaikeyi was his dearest
wife he
was going to favour Kousalya by crowning Rama.
Kaikeyi,
rising from her bed like the Moon from the autumn clouds, became delighted to
hear the news and gave Manthra a rich ornament and told her that
she was overjoyed to hear about the coronation of Rama since he was as dear to
her as Bharatha. Kaikeyi thus spoke
like a lady of noble birth who possessed good qualities and told Manthara to ask
for whatever she wanted for telling her the goodnews.
But it
was the divine will that Rama should go to forest to fulfil the avatarakarya,
namely to destroy the rakshasas and Ravana and hence the pure mind of
Kaikeyi was slowly poisoned by
Manthara thus.
Manthara told Kaikeyi
that it was ridiculous that she rejoiced with the news which meant harm to her
and her son. Bharatha was the only rival to Rama being the next in succession
and so, if Rama became the king he would try to get rid of Bharatha. Thus she
first created fear in the mind of Kaikeyi for the safety of her son and then
flung the final missile that if Rama became the king Kousalya would become all
powerful and Kaikeyi would be reduced to an
inferior position. Thus she kindled the envy of Kaikeyi towards Kousalya, which
was working in her mind and finally poisoned her mind
thoroughly.
Even then
Kaikeyi was not convinced and said
that she knew Rama very well and he
was dharmajna,
wellversed in dharma, guNavAn,
virtuous, dhAnthaH,
self-controlled, sathyavAn, honest
and Suchih pure.
Moreover
being the eldest son he only deserved the kingdom. And further she
said that Bharatha will inherit the kingdom in due course and that Rama was
more attached to her than to Kousalya.
Manthara was not to
be silenced by the arguments of Kaikeyi because she was determined to stop the
coronation and told Kaikeyi that after Rama only his son will inherit the
kingdom and not Bharatha. She said
Kaikeyi was so innocent that she was quite unaware of the royal intrigues and it was
definite that Rama will try to get rid of Bharata or even if he allowed him to
live, Bharata would be no more than a servant to Rama. Finally she said that it
was inevitable that Kousalya would become more powerful and Kaikeyi and her son
would be reduced to a state of servitude. She pointed out that Kaikeyi committed a
big mistake in sending Bharatha often to her brother’s house and
hence he was away from the king for a long time and thus there was no love for
him in the heart of Dasaratha, while Rama was always the near and dear son to
him. Finally she reminded Kaikeyi that she insulted Kousalya many times being
arrogant with the love of the king towards her and Kousalya would certainly take
revenge if Rama became the king. Manthara finished poisoning the mind of Kaikeyi
and told her to think about the means of making Bharatha the king instead of
Rama.
*
Kaikeyi
whose intellect was clouded with delusion asked Manthara to tell her the way to
do it and
as though waiting for the occasion Manthara started speaking. He reminded
Kaikeyi about the battle of Dasaratha with Sambarasura to help Indra when he
became wounded and lost consciousness. Kaikeyi was adept in driving chariot and
accompanied Dasaratha as his charioteer and she saved him by bringing him
swiftly away from the battlefield and nursing him back to consciousness. Then
being pleased with her Dasaratha wished to grant her two boons. But at that time she did not want
anything and told him that she would ask him when needed. To the doubt that may
arise in the mind that how did Manthara knew all this she herself clarifies saying that she knew
about it since Kaikeyi herself told her.
Apart
from the fact that it is the fate that directs the actions of individuals, as
Rama himself says later, viewed as a human drama, this shows the effect of
placing confidence in wrong persons in life. Manthara was the confidante of
Kaikeyi and trusting one whose mind was as crooked as
her body Kaikeyi had to pay heavily
for her action. This also indicates the result of folly of Kaikeyi in allowing a
third person to come between her and Dasaratha. This is normally the case in all
families to this date wherever any one is allowed to interfere between close
relations, like husband and wife, father and son etc. whoever they may
be.
Manthara
advised Kaikeyi what to do . She even directed her
actions by telling her to enter the villa of sulk, kopagrha, and not to give up
until Dasaratha agrees to crown Bharatha. Also as an additional precaution she
told Kaikeyi to ask for Rama’s exile to forest for fourteen years. Her
calculation seems to be that if Bharatha rules the kingdom for fourteen years as
he was also virtuous and pure-hearted, the people will
start loving him and forget Rama.
Valmiki
calls Manthara as papadarsanee, evil
minded because she was more intent on Rama’s exile than the crowning
of Bharatha, raamaartham upahimsanthee ,
says
Valmiki (Ay.Kan.9-10). In fact she reminds Kaikeyi again and again not to forget
Rama’s exile even if the king, who is very fond of her, agrees with the proposal
of crowning Bharata.
The
question is , why was she so particular about Rama’s
exile? Not considering the machinations of the devas, there goes the story that
Rama as a boy hit her hunched back with his toy weapon, which is also mentioned
by Kamban as ’pandai naal iraagavan paani vil umizh undai undadhanai
than uLLatthu uLluvaaL’ but it is highly improbable that she would have
taken vengeance for a childish prank. It becomes sensible only if,
as Valmiki says, she is evil minded. The wicked cannot tolerate goodness in others and takes pleasure in creating
trouble for them. This is what
Manthara knew
Kaikeyi thoroughly to brainwash her
completely by clever arguments.
The
reasons she gave to Kaikeyi for stopping Rama’s coronation were very convincing
and prove that she
was indeed vakyavisaarada, as
Valmiki calls her.
The
arguments Manthara
gave to change the mind of Kaikeyi were:
1.
Dasaratha arranged the coronation while Bharata was away. This, she said , was to
avoid the promise given to the
father of Kaikeyi that only
the son of Kaikeyi will succeed him to the throne.
2. She
pointed out that if Rama became the king, Kousalya, whom Kaikeyi had insulted,
intoxicated with the influence she had with the king, would be more powerful and
she would take revenge.
The first
one put a doubt in the mind of Kaikeyi while the second one whipped up her
jealousy towards her co-wife. Both together have done the
trick.
Here it
would be of interest to see what Kamban says about this episode. He make
Manthara give a third and more powerful reason for preventing Rama from
ascending the throne. She says,
‘Kaadhal
un perum kaNavanai anji akkanivaay seethai thandhai un thaadhaiyai
theRugilan
Iraaman
maatulan avan nundhaikku vaazhvu ini uNdO?’
That is,
she reminded Kaikeyi about the enmity between Janaka and her father and if Rama
became the king Janaka would be more powerful as the father in law of the king.
Then where is the protection for her father, she said. As it is the nature of
women to have a soft her for their parents, Kaikeyi was completely
changed.
Kamban expresses the act of Manthara and the transformation of
Kaikeyi in emphatic terms. He describes Manthara as ‘innal sei iraavaNan
izhaittha theemai pOl tunna arumkodumankkooni.’ She was as wicked as
the actions of Ravana and capable of harming all the three worlds.’ moonRu
ulaginukkum oru idukkaN moottuvaaL ‘
Kaikeyi
who at first said ,’ enakku nallaiyum allay nee; en
magan bharatan thanakku nallaiyum allay,’ meaning, “you are neither
my well-wisher nor of my son Bharata,”
later changed so as to say, “enai uvandhanai; iniyai en
maganukkum, you are dear to me and my son.”
Kamban
explains the effect of the counsel of Manthara as ‘theeya mandharai
ivvurai seppalum dhEvi thooya chindhaiyum thirindhadhu.’ The pure
heart of Kaikeyi
was changed and the reason for this, says Kamban was not mere
words of Manthara but due to the plotting of the devas , the promise to them by
the Lord and the penance of the pious.’ Soozhcchiyin imaiyor maayaiyum ,
avar
Thus
Kaikeyi mistook the words of
Manthara, which was going to bring
disaster for her,
as
something of great value ’anarTham arTharoopeNa
graahithaa,’ and
became uncontrollable, like a filly which has lost its way, ‘kiSoreevotpaTham
gathaa,’ says
Valmiki. She even praised Manthara
for her looks and said that she alone was beautiful and promised to decorate her
with
ornaments once Bhartha became the king, which showed that Kaikeyi
completely lost her reason being deluded by the magic of
Manthara.
Then she
cast off all ornaments and rich clothes and lay down on the ground swearing that
if the king did not grant her wish she would give up her life. It was in this
state Dasratha found her when he came to tell her the good news of the
coronation of Rama, naively thinking that she would be pleased to hear
it.
5.Dasaratha becomes
desolate
Kaikeyi
was lying down on the
floor when Dasratha came to see her and Valmiki describes it that she was on the floor like a kinnaree
bird struck with a poisonous arrow, being afflicted with the poisonous advice of
Manthara. Dasaratha came to her palace, white in colour, like the moon
approaching the sky with white clouds unaware of the Rahu waiting to swallow
him, paanduraabhram iva aakaaSam
raahuyuktham niSaakaraH. Here
Valmiki
describes the palace of kaikeyi to show that the place was full of
luxurious things enough to induce the desire of the king. Then Dasaratha became
filled with desire for Kaikeyi enquired about her whereabouts. The description
of the scene is to imply that the kaama of Dasaratha was his downfall.
He was informed that Kaikeyi had entered the inner
chamber where she usually went when she was angry. Valmiki refers to Dasaratha
as jagatheepathi, Lord of the world, and mahaayaSaah, of great
fame, to show that how even the
glorious are conquered by kaama,
which makes them weak and pitiable. The mental state of Dasaratha when he
heard that Kaikeyi was angry portrays the love-stricken frame of mind he was in.
He became paramadhurmanaah, very
miserable in not finding Kaikeyi and ‘vishasaadha punarbhooyo lulithvyaakulendhriyah,’ became agitated and
grief-stricken.
Going inside he saw Kaikeyi lying on the ground and
tried to pacify her by asking the reason for her anger. Dasaratha, blind with love for Kaikeyi, uttered words which a man of
integrity and intent on the welfare of others should not say. He said, ‘avaDhyo vaDhyathaam ko vaa vaDhyaH ko vaa
vimuchyathaam,’ meaning, “do you
wish to kill anyone who should not be killed and release anyone who should be
punished?” This, a king following the path of dharma should not say. He being a
sathyasandha the words he uttered inadvertently proved to be true. He said, ‘aatmano jeevithenaapi broohi
yanmansechasi,’ meaning that he will fulfil her desire even at the expense
of his own life and that is exactly what happened later. Then he said ‘karishyaami the preethim sukrthenaapi the sape, I promise on my good deeds to do
what you desire.’ Then Kaikeyi wanted to trap him and said that she will tell
him what she wanted only if he promises to give her what she was going to ask.
Dasaratha without a slightest idea of what she was going to ask, thinking that
she must have wished for something trivial which would be within his power to
give, said, impelled by destiny,
Thena
ajayyena mukhyena raaghaveNa mahaathmanaa
Sape the
jeevanaarheNa broohi yanmanasepsitham.
Yam
muhurtham apaSyan thu na jeeveyam aham
dhruvam
“I
promise on Rama, the invincible, great and dearer to me than my own life,
without seeing whom even for a moment I will not survive. You tell me what is your wish.”
It is incredible that after hearing how dear Rama
is to Dasaratha, Kaikeyi, if she were in her right mind, could ask such a boon
instrumental in causing his death. But here the divine will was stronger and the
mind of Kaikeyi was completely deluded.
Then Kaikeyi started to speak and .Valmiki says,
‘vyaajahaara mahaaghoram abhyaagatham
ivaanthakam.’ She sounded like a sudden death-knell. She called all the devas to be the witness to the promise given to her by
the king. She referred to him as ‘sathyasanDho mahaathejaaH dhrmajnaH
sathyavaan suchiH,’ the one who never utters a lie and always follows
dharma, hence acquired great glory and pure and wedded to truth, thus binding
his to his words.
She then reminded him of the two boons promised to
her during the war with Sambarasura and told him that she wanted it now and if
he fails to keep his promise she would not live.
Valmiki compares Dasaratha to the deer which runs
to the hunter hearing his song and get trapped. He was trapped by his own words
and by promising on Rama. Then Kaikeyi dropped the bombshell. The first boon ,
she said, is that Bharatha should be crowned with the same materials gathered
for the coronation of Rama and the second boon is that Rama should go to forest
for 14years. She concluded by saying, like the devil quoting scriptures, ‘sa raajaraajo bhava sathyasangaraHkulam cha
Seelam cha hi raksha janma cha;parathravaase hi
vadhanthi anutthamamthapoDhanaah sthyavacho hitham
nrNaam.’
“you are the king of kings and renowned for your
truthfulness. Therefore you should not go back on your words. You are bound to
protect the honour of your clan, your conduct and your life. The sages say that
there is no other means as effective as truthfulness in securing
heaven.”
It was like thunderbolt to Dasaratha. At first he
could not believe it and thought that it must be his fevered imagination and
unable to bear it he became unconscious for a while.
When he regained consciousness he saw Kaikeyi standing relentlessly and started scolding her calling her
a venomous serpent which he had carried from afar and cherished in his bosom. He
entreated her then and tried to coax her out of it but she was unmoved and stood
with her eyes blazing anger. She admonished him saying that if he went back on
his word he will
kill his reputation as a sathyasandha and reminded him of his clan
which consisted of the great Sibi who
cut his flesh to redeem his pledge to a bird and Alarka, who plucked his
eyes out to keep his word. Then she ended her tirade saying that if Dasaratha
did not keep his promise she would die before his
eyes.
Dasaratha tried again and again to turn her away
from her cruel boons appealing to her to consider her love for Rama which she
expressed so long and
the good qualities of Rama
who did not deserve to be banished from the kingdom. He said even if she
had her wish. It will only be thwarted as Bharatha will never agree to it.
Finally he said that he will not live if Rama goes away and seeing that she was
not moved even by this he denounced her as his wife and also Bharatha if he
accepted the kingdom. While he was talking like this the night ended and Kaikeyi told him
to send for Rama.
6. Rama obeys the command
of the King as communicated by Kaikeyi.
When the day dawned Vasishta, after taking bath in the
sarayu river, gathered all the necessary auspicious articles for the coronation
and came to the city of
The whole population of the city gathered around
the palace to see the proceedings with eagerness. Sumanthra went
to the
Rama went inside and saw that Dasaratha was in
great distress. Dasratha looked at Rama and just uttered his name and could not
say anything else overwhelmed with grief. Rama was desolate thinking that
perhaps he has done something to cause the grief of his father and asked Kaikeyi
to tell him the reason of the sorrow of his father. He said ‘kaschinmayaa naaparaaddham yename pithaa
kupithah.’ “ Have I done anything wrong by which my
father is angry with me?” Then he asked Kaikeyi whether she has said anything to
Dasratha in anger, thus hitting on
the real reason knowingly or unknowingly.
Valmiki says that Kaikeyi felt ashamed about what
she was going to do, uvaachedham sunirlajjaa, but nevertheless told
Rama
thus:
“Your father had given me two boons earlier
and now he is trying to go back on his word. He is angry with me for your sake.
If you promise to do what he says whether it is good or bad for you I will tell
you what he wants to say.”
As devil quoting the scripture, Kaikeyi said, ‘Dharmamoolam idham raama, vidhitham cha
sathaamapi; thath sathyam na thyajeth raajaa, truth
is based on dharma and the king has to follow dharma.’
Rama was upset on hearing her words not because he
anticipated that she was going to tell him something unpleasant but because his
filial obedience was doubted and said that if the king commands he will even
fall in the fire, or eat poison or get drowned in the
sea. Then he gave a promise as she wanted saying that he will do the
bidding of his father and everyone knows that Rama has only one word and never
goes back on what he says. ‘karishye prathijaane cha raamo dhvrnaabhibhaashathe,’ as
Thyagaraja says in his krthi ‘okamaata okabaanamu oka pathnee
vrathude,’ He says one word and keeps it, sends only one arrow which is
infallible and has only one wife.
Then Kaikeyi informed Rama about the two boons and
told Rama if he wanted to establish the fact that both he and Dasaratha are vowed to
adherence to truth he has to fulfil the conditions of the boon. She told Rama
that he had to go to forest for 14 years and Bharatha should be crowned as king.
Rama was not at all perturbed by this. Valmiki says
‘na chaiva raamaH pravivesa Sokam.’
Kamban goes one step forward and says, ‘raaman thirumukhacchevvi nOkkin oppadhE
munbu pinbu avvaachakam uNarakkEtta appozhudhu alarndhasenthaamaraiyinai venRadhu
ammaa’ The face of Rama
which was like lotus earlier,
vanquished a freshly
blossomed lotus in its beauty on hearing the words of Kaikeyi as though
this was more welcoming news that that of coronation!
There is a subtle change in the attitude of Rama
denoted by his reply to Kaikeyi. He seems to be a little annoyed not because of
what Kaikeyi
said but at the implication of the words of Kaikey ithat he might
not accept the command of the king. This we see in his mode of address before
and after her words. Before he knew her intention he addressed her with respect
as devi and bhavathee. But afterwards he calls her
Kaikeyi by name. he also says that he will go to forest
as she said and tells her ‘bhava supreetha, be pleased.’ And he told
her that he will go to forest immediately for fourteen years without even
deliberating whether it was the wish of Dasaratha or not, hinting that he was
well aware of what could have happened. Rama said he would very willingly give
to Bharatha all he had, indicating that he was renouncing the kingdom and going
to forest for the sake of Bharatha and because it is the command of his father.
But Rama of Kamban is more gentle and says to Kaikeyi,
‘mannavan paNi anRaagin num paNi maRuppeno,
pinnavan pettRaselvam adiyanEn pettRadhanRO, meaning that he would have
obeyed even if it was the command of Kaikeyi and not Dasaratha because the
prosperity of Bharatha is like his own. Here we find the hint of things to come
because actually the kingdom never went to Bharatha who ruled only as a
representative of Rama and this proves that what ever Rama said could be nothing
but the truth.
Kaikeyi was still in doubt that Dasaratha may
change his mind once he comes out of his grief which made him speechless and may
ask Rama not to go and hence she told Rama that he had to proceed to the forest
immediately to put the mind of
Dasaratha at ease. Valmiki says Rama felt as though he was like a
horse struck with a whip to hear
that by staying in Ayodhya he would make his father miserable and decided to go
to forest without delay. ‘kaSayevaahatho vaajee vanam ganthum krthathvaraH.’ He
then spoke to Kaikeyi thus:
Naaham
arThaparo dhevi, lokam aavasthum uthsahe
vidDhi maam
rshibhiH thulyam kevalam Dharmam AsThitham (VR-Ayod.
19.21)
“I am
not after money or desire to rule the world. Know me to be equal to sages and I
follow only dharma.”
7.Kousalya”s grief and
Lakshmana’s anger
Rama told Kaikeyi that she mistaken his character
and did not attribute any virtue to him as otherwise she would not have spoken
like this. ‘na noonam mayi kaikeyee
kimchithaaSamsase gunam’ We find a slight anger and contempt towards Kaikeyi
in the Rama of Valmiki as compared with Rama of Kamban, who is docile and obedient and
says to Kaikeyi that he will do her
bidding as willingly as he would do that of his father.
Rama then came out of the palace and Lakshmana
followed him angry and tearful. Valmiki says that the face of Rama shone with
great luster as that of the moon and his mind was like that of a sage who has
renounced the world. The people
outside never could h guess what happened from the peaceful
countenance of Rama and Lakshmana also controlled himself
Rama
went to the
Rama was hesitant to tell her knowing that it was
going to give her a lot of pain. He said that a fearful thing has happened
which would grieve her, Seetha and Lakshmana. What he meant was that even though
it did not affect him he was afraid of its effect on them all. Then he told her
the news on hearing which Kousalya fell on the floor like a chopped
tree in the forest. Rama pacified her and tried to console her.
Kousalya said that she was neglected by her husband
and insulted by Kaikeyi even though she was the crowned queen. She was hoping
that once Rama became
the king she would be respected by all. It was cruel, said she,
that after blessing her with a son, the destiny is snatching him away. And it is
better to have been childless than to suffer like this, because ‘eko eva hi vanDhyaayaaHSoko bhavathi
maanasah,’ the loss of a barren woman is only
childlessness but to have a son and see him thus ill-treated is greater sorrow.
Then she asked Rama to take her also with him.
Here
Rama illustrated the truth of the epithet ‘Ramo vigrahavaan DharnmaH,’ Rama is the
embodiment of dhrama. He advised Kousalya her dharma as a wife and
told her that her place is near her husband as long as he lives. He also tried
to pacify Lakshmana,
who boiled over seeing the grief of Kousalya and blamed Dasaratha
for his injustice and said that he would right the wrong even if it involved
killing of his father, Kaikeyi and all who opposed Rama’s
coronation.
Rama told Lakshmana that it was not the fault of
Kaikeyi
but only fate that made her do so. No one can conquer fate , to which Lakshmana replied that only cowards fear fate
and not the valiant ones and his arms and weapons are not ornamental and he
would defeat the whole world to secure the kingdom for Rama. Then Rama convinced
him that he did not want the kingdom and to him dharma is more important than
artha and
Rama, says Valmiki, was ‘naraiH iva ulkaabhiH apohya maano mahaagajo
aDhvaanam anupravishtaH, ’ like a great elephant obstructed in its
path by blazing wood thrown in its
way. It was because he could not disobey her as per the neethi sasthra which
declares that of the seven mothers of a man, natural mother, the wife of the
preceptor, a brahmin lady, the wife of the king, the foster mother and the
earth, cow,
the mother who gave him birth comes first. But he explained to her that
neethi sasthra is subservient to dharmasasthra and she, being wise , could see the truth of it.
The words of Kamban, in
describing Rama consoling Lakhmana is worth examining. Rama says,
Nadhiyin
pizhai anRu naRum punal inmai; attRE
Pathiyon
pizhai anRu payandhu nmaippurndhaaL
Mathiyin
pizhai anru;magan pizhai anRu
maindha;
Vidhiyi
pizhai nee idharku enni vegundadhu enRaan
“It is not the river’s fault that it is dry.
Likewise it is not the fault of the king, or Kaikeyi or Bharatha that I
am going to forest but it is the work of fate.”
8.Kousalya blesses
Rama
Kousaly seeing that Rama could not be swerved from his
resolve to go to forest accepted the situation and blessed him. She
said,
gacCha puthra
thvam ekaagro bhadhram the asthu sadha vibho
punsthvayi
nivrtthe thu bhavishyaami gathavyaThaa
“Go
to the forest my son with firm mind. May everything transpire towards your
welfare I will be free from anguish when you return..”
Knowing dharma Kousalya wanted to send him without
shedding tears for the sake of his safe return and uttered benedictory words. She said .
“ The dharma to which you adhere will protect you. The
deities whom you propitiate daily will look after you and the missiles he learnt
from Visvamithra will come to your rescue”
Kousaly invoked all the devas and all the natural
elements for the welfare of Rama
and said that he would be free from the
fear of wild animals and other poisonous creatures and said she would
pray that his path would be free from obstacles due to animals and other
adversities in the forest.
Then Kousalya performed fire ritual by the priests and she blessed Rama with mangala
vachakam. These slokas are often recited at the end of finishing the chanting of
Ramayana.
Yanmangalam sahasraakshe
sarvadevanaskrthe
Vrthranaase samsbhavath thath the bhavathu
mangalam
May you be auspicious as Indra was after destroying
Vrthrasura.
Yanmangalam suparNasya vinathaa kalpayath
puraa
Amrtham
praarThayaanasya
thath the bhavathu
mangalam
May you be blessed with the auspicious words
Vinatha said to Garuda when he went to fetch the amrtha to free her from Kathru.
Amrthothpaadhane dhaithyaan ghnatho vajraDharasya
yath
adhithiH
mangalam praadhaath thathy the bhavathu mangalam
May you be blessed with the benediction bestowed by
Adhithi to indra at the time of churning for amrtha for him to destroy the
asuras.
Threen
vikramaan prakramatho vishNoH amitha thejasaH
Yath aaseeth mangalam raam that the
bhavathu mangalam
May you be as blessed as Lord Vishnu who measured
the three worlds with his three steps.
This mangalasaasana or benediction done to the Lord by
Kousalya paved the way for that by azvars later, the main of them being the
pallandu by Periazvar who, on seeing the Lord presenting Himself to see the glory of His devotee ,
mounted on the elephant , sang pallandu fearing the effect of evil eye to the
Lord Himself.
Then Kousalya gave her blessings to Rama saying
that she would see him returning after fourteen years and be crowned as the
king.
9. Seetha’s
resolve
Rama went to his palace to see Seetha
and he could now conceal his feelings and seeing his face Seeha asked him the
reason why he was not dressed as the prince to be crowned and also had lost his
luster. Rama told her what happened and said that he will be going to the forest
for fourteen years and asked her to be brave and follow austerities after he
has gone and to show her respect to the king and to his mother and treat
Bharatha and Sathrugna as brothers.
Hearing that Seetha was shocked not because Rama was
going to the forest but because he told her to stay back. Kamban describes this
beautifully.
thurandhupOm enacchotRa sol
thERumO
uraindha paaRkadal sekkai udan
ore
piRandhapinbum piriyalaL
aayinaaL
When the Lord left the milky ocean and incarnated
as Rama to protect dharma, Lakshmi came along with Him as Seetha to lend Him a
hand in all His activities as His inherent power(shakthi).
Hence how could she bear the words of Rama who asked her to stay
behind?
Here we find that Seetha explains the dharma of a
wife to Rama. She said that all other relations, father, mother, brother, son etc. follow their own karma and experience its results
but the wife alone shares the result of karma of her husband. Hence when Rama
was ordered to go to forest it includes her also. As though to ward off any
doubt in his mind that how could he follow the dharma of a hermit if she came
along, Seethaa says, ‘SuSrooshamaaNaa
the nithyam niyathaa brahmachaariNee,’ that she
will be a celibate and not disturb his ascetic life.
Rama tried to change her mind by enumerating the
hardships and dangers of the life
in forest but she said that with Rama by her side no one or nothing can harm her
in the forest and about the hardships of living in the forest she said no
difficulty would be harder that his separation. In Kamban, Seetha
says,
Parivu
igandha mantthodu
pattrilaadhu
oruvuginRanai oozi
arukkanum
eriyum enbadhu
yaanDaiyadhu eendu nin
pirivinum sudumo
perunkaadu enRaaL
She chides
Rama that he was talking without any love for her and asks him whether the
forest or even the Sun at the time of deluge will burn her more that the
separation from him.
In
Valmiki Ramayana, Seetha is of more forceful character.. After she told Rama that it was the forecast of
astrologers that she would have to live in the forest for sometime and the time
had come now, seeing him relentless
she said what no man wishes to hear from his wife!
kim thvaam
amanyatha vaidhehaH pitha me miThilaaDhipaH
raama
jaamaatharam praapya sthriyam purushavigraham
“
Did my
father, the king Janaka thought
that he was getting as his son in law
a woman in a man’s garb?”
Finally she
said that she could not bear separation from him even for a moment. Hence how
could she be away from him for one , three and ten
years. It is significant that she said one plus three plus ten years instead of
saying fourteen . Kaikeyi said 9+5 in order to make it
sound less harsh, maybe, but Seetha had every reason to
make it appear formidable. But she said 1+3+10 because, she was the divine
mother who had come to play the
part in the incarnation and implied that she was going to live in Lanka for one
year, three years in Panchavati and ten years in Dandakaranya. Probably it was
to remind Rama his purpose of incarnation because Rama said, ’yath srshtaaasi mayaa saarDham vanavaasaaya
maithil, na vihaathum mayaa sakyaa preethih aathmavathaamayaa.,’ meaning
that she was created to go to the forest with him and he could not possibly
leave her behind her who is dear to him like his own self.
10. Rama agrees to
take Seetha and Lakshmana also follows
Rama comforted Seetha who was desolate and started to shed tears profusely after
arguing with Rama and Valmiki the poet
comes to the forefront here and says,
Thacchaivaamalachandhraabham mukham
aayathalochanam
paryaSushyatha
baashpena jalodDhrtham ivaambujam
Her face like the moon without blemish and with
large eyes, looked like a lotus taken out of water and
affected by the heat of the sun due to the hot tears on her face. Rama told her
that he was not afraid to take her with him but did not want to suggest it
without knowing her intention. He said that this attitude of Seetha does
honour to both his and her clan. This is what Janaka meant on giving Seetha in
marriage to Rama when he said ‘janakaanaam kule keerthim aaharishyathi me
suthaa, Seetha will fetch fame to the clan of janakas. Rama said finally
that he would not enjoy even heaven without her.
Then Lakshmana who was hearing the argument
between them was filled with anxiety as to whether Rama will agree to take him also, and fell at the
feet of Rama. And grasping his feet said to Seetha and Rama. Valmiki refers to
Lakshman as raghunandhanaH and says,
‘seethaam uvaacha athiyaSaaH raaghavam
cha mahaavratham, Lakshmana of great fame spoke to Seetha and Rama.
Lakshmana is of great fame because he stood as an example of Saranagathi or
paramabhaagavatha. That is why he was called raghunandana, as he brought fame to the
clan of Raghu. The words seethaam raghavam cha, denoted the purushakara of resorting to
the divine mother before the Lord . The word mahaavratha describing Rama, implies his sarnagathivratha. As
he says later, when Vibheeshan approached him, ’abhayam sarvabhoothaanaam dhadhami ithi
vratham mama.’ Hence this
sloka is cited as an example of saranagathi.
Lakshman told Rama that he will accompany him to
forest with bow and arrow in his hands and serve him and said that he will not
desire heaven or immortality or wealth of all the worlds without Rama. The arguments of Rama that Lakshmana
should remain in Ayodhya to look after Kousalya and Sumithra fell to deaf
ears.
Rama
uttered some words here
which seem to be said for the mere purpose of turning away Lakshmana from his
resolve to accompany him to the forest.
He said that the king was blind by his love to Kaikeyi who would not
treat Kousalya and Sumithra well and Bhartha will follow only the words of his
mother. This could not be the real intention of Rama and the reply of Lakshmana
proved this. . Lakshmana said that Bharatha will only worship Kousalyua and
Sumithra. ‘bharathaH poojayishyathi kousalyaam cha sumithraam
cha.’
Here Valmiki portrays
Kousalya as a great philanthropist . Lakshmana said,
Kousalyaa bibhryaath aaryaa sahasramapi
madhbiDhaan
yasyaaH
sahasram graamaaNaam sampraaptham upajeevinaam
“The noble Kousalya will protect thousands like
myself (and hence does not need my protection) There are thousands of
villages which flourish because of her generosity.”
Then Lakshmana
said,
Kurushva maam anucharam vaiDharmyam naiha
vidhyathe
krthaarTho aham
bhavishyaami thava cha arThaH prakalpathe
“
Make me your servant. There is nothing against dharma
in this. I will be fulfilling my duty and your purpose will also be
served.”
Here Lakshman being the incarnation of Sesha, reiterates his seshathvam. Poygai azvar says in his mudhal
thiruvandhadhi,
Chenraal
kudaiyaam irundhaal
singaasanamaam,
ninraal
maravadiyaam neeL kadaluL enrum
puNaiyaam
maNiviLakkaam poombattam pulgum
aNaiyaam
thirumaarku aravu
Adisesha
serves the Lord in many
ways , as an umbrella when He walks, a simhasana when He is seated, as a
tree-shade when He stands and as
lamp in the milky ocean besides being His bed.
Further Lakshmana started enumerating the various
possible ways in which he would be of use to Rama in the forest. He said that he
will kill the wild animals of the forest, wielding the spade get roots and other
things for food from under the ground, and will go in front showing the way and
serve him and Seetha in all ways.
Then Rama allowed Lakshmana to accompany him to the forest
and told him to go and get the permission of his mother.
Then as commanded by Rama Laksmana brought all the
divine missiles of both of them from the house of Vasishta and made arrangements
to give away their belongings to the preceptors, friends and brahmins which Valmiki describes in
detail
When Rama was giving away the land and other
property, a poor brahmin, born in the clan of
Gargamaharishi named Thrijata, came there. He was induced by his wife to go to
Rama to get wealth that would remove their poverty. Valmiki says that even
though he was poor and was in rags he was shining with brahmathejas due
to his learning and noble birth and
hence no one stopped him when he went inside the house of
Rama.
Rama said to him in a lighter vein that he had not given away any of his
cows numbering to several thousands and he will give them to Thrijata and asked
him to throw his staff as far as he
could and he will get all the cows that fall within the range. Thrijata tied his garment tight and threw the staff
with all his might and it passed
all the cows and fell past them. Then Rama embraced him and gave him
all the cows. Rama said that he only wanted to test the strength of the Brahmin
which his personality belied because Rama could see the brahmathejas of
Thrijata. Rama offered him whatever he wanted besides the cows but the Brahmin
was satisfied with what he got and returned happily with his
wife.
Thus rama gave away all his belongings and Valmiki
says that there was no one , either Brahmins or friends or servants or poor and the needy in Ayodhya
who was not honoured or made happy by Rama.
11. Rama preparing to
leave for the forest
Rama wanted to take leave of his father finally and
also to inform him that Seetha and Lakshmana accompanying him. He went to the
When Sumanthra told the king that Rama has arrived to take
leave of him on his journey to the forest, Dasaratha called all his wives to bid
goodbye to Rama and they assembled in the palace. Then Rama came in and informed
Dasaratha that Seetha and Lakshmana were coming with him and asked Dasaratha to
give them permission to leave Ayodhya.
Then Dasaratha said that he regretted his hasty
promise to Kaikeyi
without knowing the consequences and told Rama not to heed his
words and become the crown-prince.
But Rama replied that he would not make his father a liar and will not accept
the kingdom. He reassured Dasaratha that he will return after spending 14 years
in the forest.
Dasarath found himself bound by the oath of truth
and said that he knew quite well
that he could not change the mind of Rama who is renowned for his steadfast
prowess in truth and dharma and also in his principles, sathyaathmaanH DharmaabhimanasaH..
Then Dasaratha requested him to stay for a night
and go in the next morning so that Dasaratha would get a little comfort seeing
him at least for one day more. Rama replied that by staying for one day nothing
is going to change. Here Valmiki portrays Rama as he himself said to Kaikeyi, ‘rshbhisthulayam maam vidDhi, know me to
be equal to a rshi in attitude.’
Rama said,
Praapsyaami yaan adhaya guNaan ko me SvaH thaan pradhaasyathi?
apakramaNameva athaH
sarvakaamaiH aham vrNe
“Even if I stay for today and enjoy the luxuries,
who is going to give them to me tomorrow? Therefore I
choose to give up all desires , which alone is my wish.
Further he said that he never wished for the kingdom and accepted because it is
his only wish to obey the command of his father.
Na hi me
kaankshitham raajyam sukham aathmani vaa priyam
yaThaa
nidheSam karthum vai thavaiva raghunandhana
Then Rama proves by his own words the fact that
the Lord,
as Rama, lived what he was going to preach in his next avathara of
Naivaaham raajyam icChaami na sukham na cha maiThileem
Naïve
sarvaan imaan kaamaan na svargam naiva
jeevitham
“ I do not have any attachment in the kingdom, or in
pleasure or even in Seetha., or in any objects of desire, gold or even in
life.”
How does this compare with the expressed love of
Rama to Seetha or
to his sorrow on her being abducted by Ravana ? Rama himself
partly answers this in the scene of Seetha’s entering the fire. But the main
point to remember is that both Seetha and Rama were acting their part in order
to fulfill the avatharakarya. That there was no desire as we commonly
understand, between Rama and Seetha could be seen from the words of Valmiki
himself. Seetha said while persuading Rama to take her along with him,
that she would follow the brahmacharya vratha. Later in sundarakanda Seetha is
referred to as brahmchariNee. We also see that there is a nama in seethaahtottharnamaavali as brahmachaariNyai namah. Seetha and Rama were intimate in the same way the individual self
and the supreme self are, that is, the jeevaathma and the
paramathma.
Sumanthra
could not bear to
see the anguish of Dasaratha when
Rama said that he would certainly go to the forest and his speech was a tirade on Kaikeyi.
He denounced
her as the destroyer of her husband and the whole clan of Raghus.
He said,
Aamram
Chithvaa kuTaareNa nimbam paricharethu yaH
yaSchainam payasaa
sincheth naivaasya maDhuro bhaveth
If one cuts down the mango tree and grows a neem tree in its place and nurtures it
with milk he will never get sweetness
of the mango from it.
This is a rebuke on Dasaratha himself. who had neglected Kousalya and became attached to Kaikeyi.
Sumanthra referred to an episode in the life of the
father of Kaikeyi
which proved the saying, ‘like mother like
daughter.’
Once,
father of Kaikeyi laughed aloud hearing the conversation of ants due to
the boon he got from a sage enabling him to understand the language of all
beings. His wife insisted to know the cause of his laughter even though he told
her that he would die if he divulged the real cause. Then his father denounced
her seeing that she was selfish and did nor care even if her husband died Sumanthra
said that Kaikeyi proved that she came from the same stock, because she knew
perfectly well that Dasaratha could survive without seeing
Rama.
Then he tried to pacify her by nice words but
Kaikeyi was relentless
Dasaratha lost all hopes of retaining Rama and told
Sumanthra to send all the army and
everything Rama would need for living in the forest on which Kaikeyi got
angry and quoted the story of Asamanja
who was sent alone to the forest. Siddhartha, an aged and pure hearted
minister of Dasaratha related the story of Asamanja and said that king Sagara
sent him to the forest because he was cruel and was murdering the children and
Rama could not be compared with him. But Kaikeyi was obstinate and
Rama put an end to this by saying,
yo hi
hathvaa dhipaSreshtam kakshyaayaam kuruthe manaH
rajjusnehena kim
thasya thyajathaH kunjarotthamam
“ When one ahs given away the elephant will he desire for
the rope that binds it? What use would it be to him who has renounced the
elephant?”
By this Rama meant that when he has given up the
kingdom why should he want the other paraphernalia of a
prince. Then he asked only for a basket and a spade. Kaikeyi then shamelessly
brought the bark garments herself and gave them to Rama, who put them on taking
off his silk garment, which Lakshmana followed. Seetha took the bark garment and was
bewildered as to how to wear that and asked Rama, who tried to show
her.
Vasishta , though a sage, without likes and dislikes could
not bear to see this and abused Kaikeyi saying that what she was doing was
wicked and her wish was not going to be fulfilled as Bharatha would never accept
the kingdom and Seetha should go to forest wearing silk garments and all her
jewels as the boon given to her by Dasaratha applies only to Rama. Thereupon
Dasaratha ordered all the jewels of Seetha to be brought and Seetha shone like
Mahlakshmi herself with her attire of silk and decked with all her jewels, signifying
that the rajyalakshmi is leaving Ayodhya with Rama.
12.Rama leaves Ayodhya
Dasarata ordered Sumanthra to bring the chariot for
Rama to go to forest.
Rama went round his father and mother with
Lakshmana and Seetha and bowed down to them and bade hem goodbye. Lakshmana bowed
down to his mother Sumithra who blessed him and said,
Srshtasthvam vanavaasaaya svaanurakthaH
suhrjjnae
“You
have been given birth for the purpose of going to forest
.” What she meant was that the purpose of life of Lakshmana is to serve
Rama. She further said that Rama is the sole resort for Lakshmana whether in
prosperity or in distress and it is his duty to follow the command of Rama as it is
the dharma of his clan. Then she uttered the famous lines,
raamam
dhasaraTham vidDhi maam vidDhi janakakaathjaam
ayoDhyaam ataveem
vidDhi gacCha thaatha yaThaasukham
“Consider Rama as Dasaratha, your father and Seetha
as myself , your mother, and the forest as Ayodhya. Go
my son in comfort.”
Besides the explicit meaning the commentators like
Govindaraja attribute special meanings to this sloka
The word daSaraTha implies the Lord Vishnu
besides the meaning of Dasatartha, the father of Rama because daSa means daSathi ithi, denotes Garuda who bites all
beings like snakes fish etc. Hence daSaraTha has the meaning ’the one who
has Garuda as his chariot, that is Lord Vishnu. Similarly the word’ maa’ denotes Lakshmi and the meaning of
the first line is that “know Rama as the Lord Vishnu Himself and Seetha is none
other than Lakshmi. AyoDhyaa , meaning infallible,
could denote VaikunTa , the abode of
the Lord and she says that for Lakshmana the forest atavee is like
vaikunTa.
Sumithra was portrayed as a jnani
and hence she knew the secret
of the incarnation of Rama. She insisted that Lakshman should take proper care
of Rama and Seetha because by comparing
Rama to Dasaratha thee is also a hidden meaning that like his father who
followed the words of his wife and sent Rama to forest, Rama was also going to
heed the words of Seetha and run after the golden deer. The words ‘ayoDhyaam ataveem vidDhi,’ consider the a forest as
Ayodhya can also mean vice versa,
that ‘know this Ayodhya to be the forest without Rama and
Seetha.
Sumithra of Kamban is even more emphatic in her
advice to Lakshmana. She , after saying the words
reflecting those in Valmiki, further says,
MaganE
ivan pin sel; thambi ennumpadi anRu, adiyaarinin
Evalseidhi
Mannum
nagarkke ivan vandhidin; vaa, adhu inrEl munnam
mudi.’
The glory of the character of Sumithra is well
brought out by Kamban through these words. It means, “my son, go after
him(Raama), not as a younger brother but as a servant If he returns to this city
you also come with him, or else(if he does not survive the fourteen years),you
die before him. This shows not only the wisdom of Sumithra about the real
identity of Rama but also that she had perfectly understood her son and spoke
thus so that he will not feel bad
over giving sorrow to his mother by going away. Only a truly detached jnani
could speak like that.
One small difference should be noted between Kamban
and Valmiki. While in Valmiki Seeetha went to the forest in her silk garments as
Dasaratha and Vasishta could not bear her wearing the bark garment, in Kamban
she was wearing bark garment only, as he says,
‘Punaiyum sheeram thuNindhu punaindhanaL,’ and when Rama and Seetha were going Kamban
says,
seerai suttRi
thirumagaL pin sela,
moori viRkai
iLaiyavan mun sela
kaarai
otthavan pOmpadi kanda,av
oorai
uttradhu unartthavum ovvumO
This is a beautiful verse. It means that when the
Lakshmi is going behind wearing the bark garment ,
Lakshmana going in front with bow and arrow ,to see Rama resembling a cloud
going in the middle, the feeling of
the people in the city could very well be understood.
Seetha climbed into the chariot with glee as though
she was going on a holiday and Rama and Lakshmana also followed her. Dasaratha
gave Seetha the garments and jewels sufficient for the fourteen years and then
Sumanthra drove the chariot fast. Some people were running after Rama with grief
and some stayed back lamenting their loss.
Dasaratha followed the chariot with tears and told
Sumanthra to stop so that he could see Rama for a little while but Rama told
Sumanthra to go fast and therefore Sumanthra was in a dilemma whether to obey
Rama or Dasaratha Then seeing his pitiable state Rama told Sumanthra to tell the king
that he could not hear him in the tumult raised by the people on seeing Rama go,
if the king got angry that
Sumanthra did not heed his words.
Dasaratha tried to follow the chariot and Kousalya also did so crying
and Rama could not bear to see the suffering of his parents and hence he told
Sumanthra to go fast. Then the ministers of Dasaratha pacified him saying that one
should not follow someone for a long distance if it is wished that the person
going away should return. Then Dasaratha and others went back to palace. But the residents of Ayodhya who
followed Rama did not return and wanted to go with him to the forest. Seeing
them running after the chariot, Rama out of mercy for the old Brahmins and
others got down from the chariot and walked on foot. Thus they reached Thamasa river and stayed the night there.
13.Grief of
Dasartha and Kousalya and Sumitra offering consolation
Dasaratha was seeing Rama as far as
he could see the chariot and as long as the dust from the chariot was visible.
When Rama and the chariot went out of sight he fell on the ground. Kousalya and
Kaikeyi started to raise him on either side. Here we see the play on words by
Valmiki the poet. He says,
Thasya dhakshiNam anvagaath kousalyaa
baahum anganaa
Vaamam cha asya anvagaath kaikeyee
bharathapriyaa
Kousalya tried to raise him by right
hand, dhakshiNa baahum, and Kaikeyi by the left. The
words dhakshiNaa and vaama have wider implications than the
literal meaning of right and left. DhakshiNaa means also the one who is
courteous and submissive. Hence it is used with respect to Kousalya, whereas Vaama means cruel an hence it is used
in refernce to Kaikeyi and also Valmiki refers to Kaikeyi as bharathapriya, to denote that she is
interested only in her son and no one else including her husband.
Then Dasaratha denounced Kaikeyi
telling her not to touch him and that he disowned her as his wife and also
Bharatha as his son, if he would accept the kingdom from his mother. He told her
that she would get the kingdom but will become a widow as he would not survive
the separation from Rama. Then Dasaratha wanted to go to the
Kousalya expressed her anguish on
Rama being gone to forest and in her grief accused Dasaratha for sending Rama to
forest to please Kaikeyi.
Then Sumithra consoled her saying
that no harm would come to Rama and even the elements would serve him. The
valour of Rama and the power of his asthras are such that no one could resist
him. The words of Sumithra expound the parathathva or the real identity of Rama
though not expliciltly.
Valmiki refers to Sumithra as Dharme sThithaa, one who is established in
dharma.
Sumithra said,
Thavaarye sadhguNairyukthaH sa puthraH purushotthamaH
“ Oh noble minded one, your son is
endowed with all good qualities and the best among men.”
Here the word purushotthama, meaning ‘best among men’
also refers to Narayana, who is called sreepathiH purushotthamaH. Rama, said Sumithra,
went to the forest following dharma and to set an example to the world about the
duty of a son to his father by obeying the words of his father in order not make
him swerve from the dharma of keeping his promise. Sumithra further said to
Kousalya who was lamenting about the fate of Seetha and Lakshmana, that Laksmana could never enjoy anything better
than doing service to Rama all day long which he could not have done even in
Ayodhya. As far as Seetha was concerned she followed her husband, who is the
embodiment of dharma, willingly ‘anugacChathi vaidhehee dhrmaathmaanam thavaathmajam,’ The word used for
Seetha here is Vaidhehi, to emphasize that she was the daughter of Janaka whose
clan are well known for observing dharma. Rama for whom sathya and dharma are
the only wealth would return to Ayodhya with his fame
spread far and wide.
What Sumithra said next has the
implication of parathathva of Rama.
Sooryasyaapi bhaveth sooryaH
hyagneragniH prabhoH
prabhuH
SriyaHSreeScha bhaveth agryaa
keerthiH keerthyaaH
kshamaakshamaa
dhaivatham dhevathaanaam cha
bhoothaanaam bhootha
satthamaH
thasya ke hyaguNaah dhevi
raashtre vaapyaThavaa
pure
The meaning of these slokas
is,
Rama is the Sun to the Sun, that
is , he is greater than the Sun. He is fire to the
fire, Lord of lords, wealth of all the wealth. He is fame to the fame itself and
the power behind the virtue of patience. He is the one resorted to by the devas, and hence the Lord of the devas. He is the master of all
the natural elements. To him who can be against, wherever he is , be it a country or a town?
This meaning which sounds like an
adulation of the qualities of Rama, denotes also the real identity of him as
Lord Narayana.
Sooryasyaapi sooryah , He is the sun to the
sun, has reference to the sruthi
text, ‘thamevabhaantham anubhaath srvam
thasya bhaasaa sarvamidham vibhaathi,’ meaning that all luminous bodies
follow Him and by His luster all shine. The Lord is described as sooryamandala maDhya varthi, the one who is seen inside the sun, as its
inner self, because of whose power the sun shines.
Similarly He is the power behind the
fire and hence He is the fire of the fire. Since He is the one who apportions
the duties of the devas like Brahma He is the dhaivatha the deity or the divinity
behind the devas. Like wise He is the power behind the elements and hence bhoothaanaam bhootha satthamaH, the most powerful element of
all. Bhootha can also mean living beings and the Lord is the controller of all.
Since Lakshmi gets her glory by His association He is the one who is the wealth
or glory of Sree. Simlilarly the
words keerthyaah keerthih and kshmaakhamaa are explained as the fame , keerthi
and forbearance , kshama, are
supported by Him only.
Thus Sumithra assured Kousalya that
Rama would return safely and get the kingdom and give joy to her whereupon
Kousalya was comforted .
14. Rama meets
Guha
The residents of Ayodhya followed Rama till they
all reached the banks of the river Thamasa before
night fall and they spent the night there. Valmiki says that when Rama left
Ayodhya the sun disappeared, meaning that it became dark before the sunset and
the sky was without stars and planets as though the whole world was grieving for
Rama. Kamban develops it further by saying ‘kadhiravan attham pukkanan, kaan
pugaakkaaNgilEn enru,’ that is, the sun
set as though saying” I cannot bear to see Rama going to
forest.”
When the people following Rama slept due to
exhaustion of walking and their sorrow, Rama woke up before them and told
Sumanthra to get ready the chariot and they traveled along the Thamasa river and Rama
got down with Lashman and Seetha and told Sumanthra to turn the chariot and
drive towards Ayodhya so that the people would think that they have gone back
and would return to the city. Then sumanthra could come back to Rama through
some other route. Sumanthr did likewise and the people waking up saw the tracks
of the chariot and followed it but were disappointed on not seeing it further
and returned to Ayodhya stricken with enormous grief.
Rama was traveling through the villages on the
outsirts of the city and crossed the border of the country of Kosala and the
people from the villages were lamenting their fate. Thus Rama reached the banks
of
Guha, a close friend of Rama and the leader
of the hunters was ruling the place near
Guha was grieved over the fact that Rama whom he
had seen earlier as a prince decked with jewels and with rich attire had come there now as
a hermit. He told Rama that it was his previous merit that Rama had come to that
place and offered his kingdom to Rama saying that he and his dependents would be
his servants. He said that he had arranged for rich food and accommodation so
that Rama could live there happily.
Rama showed his appreciation for the hospitality
and enquired about the welfare of Guha and his people. But Rama refused his
offer of kingdom and other offerings of food etc. saying that, having renounced
his own kingdom and opting to live as a hermit in the forest he could not accept
these but should eat only what the hermits would and should sleep on the floor.
However he asked Guha to supply grass for the horses of the chariot. Then Guha
ordered his men to do so.
Rama consumed only water as his food and lay down
on the floor with Seetha for the night. Lakshmana washed the feet of Rama as a
servant should do to his master at bedtime and came to the place under the tree
where Guha was.The two of them with Sumanthra spent the night talking about what
had happened and Guha was surprised to see Lakshmana keeping awake watching over
Rama and asked him to sleep in a bed which was prepared for him, saying that
since he was a prince it would have been difficult for him to keep awake whereas
they were quite used to it being hunters and they would look after Rama and
Seetha. Lakshmana replied that he could not bear to see Rama and Seetha sleeping
uncomfortably on the floor and that was why he could not sleep. He was also
worried that his father and mother of Rrama and all those who loved Rama may not
survive till Rama returned to Ayodhya and expressed his concern that they may
never see their father or do the obsequies on his death. Valmiki says that
Lakshmana was very much distressed and shed tears like an elephant afflicted by
fever.
Kamban differs from Valmiki in this as Rama sends
Sumanthra back while the people were sleeping and the three of them walked on
foot The
episode of Guha comes only later in Kambaramayana.
The next morning Rama told Guha to get the boat to
cross the river
To Sumanthra who shed profuse tears, Rama said that
he should go back and comfort Dasaratha and others. Rama told Sumanthra to tell
Dasaratha that they were not regretting leaving Ayodhya and were very happy in
the forest and that Dasartha would have the joy of seeing them after 14 years. He
also sent their obeisance to Kousalya. Rama also told Sumanthra to tell
Dasaratha to call back Bharatha from Kekaya and crown him soon so that Dasaratha
could forget the grief about the travails they were undergoing by living in the
forest, in the company of Bharatha. Here one could perhaps see a veiled
criticism on Dasaratha sending them to forest listening to the words of Kaikeyi.
Rama’s words impliesd that Dasartha
seeing the wishes of Kaikeyi fulfilled by crowning Bharatha, which would make
her happy, may even forget Rama and revel in the happiness of his wife.
Rama also sent his message to Bharatha that he
should treat Kousalya the same manner as he would regard his mother Kaikeyi and
rule the kingdom according to dharma.
Sumanthra on hearing the words of Rama was very
unhappy and told him that Dasaaratha, Kousalya and others and the people on
seeing the empty chariot would not be able to bear the fact that Rama had gone
to forest and he could not tell a lie to them that he had left Rama in the house
of his uncle, meaning , the forest is not as
comfortable as the house of an uncle. Moreover the horses he said would not
carry the chariot without Rama,. Hence he begged Rama
to allow him to stay in the forest and take them back after fourteen
years. Sumanthra shows that he was a devotee more than the counselor and
charioteer by saying that he will be doing service to Rama more than which he
did not desire Ayodhya nor even the heaven ‘ayodhyaam dhevalokam vaa sarvaThaa prajahaamyaham,’ like the azvar who ssid, ‘indhiralokam aaLum acchuvai perineum vEndEn
arangamaanagaruLaanE,’ meaning
that he would not desire even
ruling the heaven more than remaining on earth and sing the glory of the Lord
Ranganatha.
Rama pacified him saying that Kaikeyi would get
reassurance that Rama had actually gone to forest only when she saw the chariot
returning empty and would not suspect that Dasaratha was deceiving her. So in
order to make Dasaratha
true to his word Suamnthra had to return. Then Rama sent back
Sumanthra and told Guha that they would cross the river in the boat brought by
him and bade him goodbye.
Seetha and Lakshmana also sent mesaages to
Dasaratha and others which Sumanthra conveys to the king later in
Valmikiramayana. In Kamban it is slightly different.
15. Guha episode according to
Kamban
Rama , Seetha and Lakshmana waliked on foot after bidding goodbye to
Sumanthra. Kamban enjoys the walking of Rama which he describes by a beautiful
verse.
veyyOn oLi than
mEniyin virichodhiyin maraiya
poyyO ennum
idaiyaaLOdum iLaiyaanOdum pOnaan
maiyO
maragathamO maRikadalO
mazaimugilO
aiyo ivan
vadivu enbadhu Or aziyaa azagudaiyaan
The light of the Sun disappeared in the lustre of
Rama. He walked with Seetha whose slender figure belied the existence of a
waist, ’poyyO enum idai,’ and with his younger
brother. Kamban describing the beauty of Rama says that he makes one wonder
whether it is the collyrium, or emerald, or the deep blue ocean or the
rainbearing cloud that is waliking and finally finding not suitable term to
describe Rama, says that his beauty which is eternal makes the beholder
exclaim,
“Alas! What a form! “ Kamban uses the
word ‘aiyo,’ which normally denotes alarm
but here it denoted the desperation of the poet in finding suitable word to
describe Rama. But he further described Rama walking along with Seetha enjoying
the scenes on the way in many beautiful verses This
verse is one of the gems of Kamban.
The sages of the region came to see Rama bringing
fruits and roots suited for a hermit and told them to bathe in
At the nightfall Rama and Seetha slept there and
Guha was keeping watch along with Lakshman who told him the reason of Rama
coming to the forest. Guha , says Kamban, was standing
the whole night with his bow and arrow, shedding tears looking at Lakshmana and
Rama.
The next day Guha was asked by Rama to fetch the
boat when Guha said that Rama could stay with him and he will serve Rama with
joy with all his followers. Rama smiled at him and said that he would come to
the abode of Guha while returning. Then he brought the boat and they crossed the
river when Guha prayed that Rama should allow him also to go with them on Rama
asking him the way to chithrakoota. He said that he will do all the service to
Rama like making a hermitage, bringing food etc. as He knew the whole forest
well. Rama refused saying that Guha should remain there to look after his clan.
Here Rama of Kamban said the famous oft-quoted words,
En uyir
anaaiyaay nee, iLaval un
iLaiyaan
innannudhalavaL nin
kEL--------
----------------------------------
Anbu uLa,
ini naam Or aivargaL uLar
aanOm
“ You are as dear to me as my own life and Lakshmana is
your younger brother and Seetha is
your kith and kin. With you we have become five brothers.
“
16. Rama crosses the river and reaches
the asrama of Bhardhvaja
Rama told Lakshmana to help Seetha to climb into
the boat. When they reached the opposite shore Seetha prayed to
Then they stayed under a tree during the day and
when the night came Rama spent the night talking to Lakshmana lying on abed made
of leaves and grass. He said that surely Dasaratha would not
sleep due to sorrow but Kaikeyi would be sleeping with freemind. Rama wondered
at the power of kama which made Dasaratha fall prey to the machinations of
Kaikeyi and said that if kama and artha are not in accordance with dharma this
would be the result.He fi ruther lamented about the fate of his mother sayig
that she must have one some misdeeds in her previous birth like separating
mothers and their children to suffer this in this life. Rama said he feared
about the state of his mother whom Kaikeyi may not treat well and asked
Lakshmana to go back and entrust her in the care of Baratha who would act
according to dharma. But Lakshman told Rama that he and Seetha would not live
without Rama even for a second like the fish thrown on the ground from
water.
On the day break they entered inside the forest
and enjoying the scenery they reached Prayag where
The next day Rama with Seetha and Lakshmana reached
the river Yamuna on the way to Chithrakoota. There they had to cross the river
to reach Chithrakoota and there was no Guha to supply them with bot. So Rama and
Lakshman built a make-shift boat with the logs and bamboo tying them with roots . Lakshmana made a seat for Seetha with leaves. Thus
thy crossed Yamuna and reached the big banyan tree which was mentioned
by Bharadhvaja as the one which would fulfil the wishes of those who pray to
it.Seetha prayed for their safe return. Then they walked a little and Seetha was enjoying
the beauty of the forest and they rested there for the night. The next morning
they reached hithrakoota and Rama showed to Seetha the beautiful trees with
flowers and honeycombs and the birds, elephants and other beings in the forest
that brings
joy to the beholder. Reaching Chithrakoota they went to the
hermitage of Valmikiand was welcomed by him.
Then Rama asked Lakshman to build a residence there
for them and Lakhmana and Lakshmana did likewise. Valmiki describes the hut
built by Lakshmana thus:
Thaam
vrkshaparnacchadhanaam manojnaam
yaThaapradhesam
sukrthaam nivaathaam
vaasaaya sarve
viviSuh samethaah
sabhaa yaThaa
dhevagaNaaH suDharmaam
They entered the hut built by leaves and wood and
beautiful. In a place most suited and well protected from wind, like devas
into Sudharma, the hall in
heaven.
17. Dasaratha dies of
grief
Sumanthra and Guha were watching Rama till they
disappeared from sight and Sumanthra sorrowfully returned to Ayodhya on seeing
whom returning without Rama people were desolate. The whole Ayodhya was without
lustre and so was the king. Sumanthra approached Dasaratha
who, on seeing him coming
alone fainted and regaining consciousness could not speak to him. Then Kaousalya
desolate with grief, admonished him saying that he need not fear to talk to
Sumanthra since Kaikeyi was not there. Then Sumathra conveyed the message of
Rama to Dasaratha. When Dasaratha asked him whether Lakshmana nad Seetha said
anything he told him that Lakshmana reproached Dasaratha for sending Rama ot forest sayng
that it was totally unjust even if it was to fulfil the boon given to Kaikeyi.
Lakshmana further said that how could Dasaratha maintain his dignity as a king
after such an act.Finally Lakshmana said that, to him Rama is the father,
brother and all relation henceforth, implying that he didinot consider Dasaratha
as his father anymore. Then Sumanthra said that Seetha did not say a word but
was
profusely shedding tears at the injustice done to her
husband.
Then Kousalya could not contain herself and accused
the king of having done a great harm to Rama and to herself, who looked upon him
as her sole support. She said that Dasaratha could share the happiness of Kaikeyi and Bharatha and
be free from worry because Rama will never touch the kingdom once given to
Bharatha even after he returns from the forest. Thereupon Dasaratha appealed to
her noble sentiments and asked her to have pity on him whose heart is torn
asunder by grief equally. Then Kousaylya became her noble self once more and
asked his forgiveness. Then Dasaratha said he could remember the curse upon him
and said that he was then paying the price of his misdeed done while he was
young.
Dasaratha was skilled in shooting an arrow at the
unseen target guided by the sound. Once he sent an arrow hearing the sound of an
elephant drinking water and it turned out to be a hermit boy who was filling his
pitcher with water, which sound Dasaratha
mistook as the gurgling sound of a beast drinking water in the stream. He was shocked to hear a human voice
crying and went to the place and found the boy dying with his
arrow.
The boy recognized him as the king of Kosala and
told him that he swerved in his duty as a king which is to protect his subjects
and not to kill them. He said that he was carrying water for his aged and blind
parents and told the king to take it for them and fall at their feet and ask for
forgiveness for killing their only son out of negligence. When the boy died
Dasaratha did as he was told. The griefstricken parents of the boy wanted to be
taken where their son lay dying and unable to bear the separation they mounted
the funeral pyre of their son and died, after telling the king that because his
sin though unpardonable was done in ignorance he may live but he would die of
grief due to separation from his son like themselves. Dasaratha was young at
that time to feel the full import of their curse but now he could see that what
happened was the result of his
curse.
So saying he died but the queens Kousalya and
Sumithra thought that he had only fainted, as he often did after Rama had gone
to forest and being
fatigued, they also slept without knowing that the king had died.
He was found dead by the attendants who came to wake him up in the morning and
the hole palace was plunged in
grief.
It was decided to send for Bharatha and they kept
the body immersed in oil and sent word to Bharatha..
18. Bharatha
arrives
On the day when the messengers from Ayodhya arrived
Bharatha was depressed despite the efforts of his friends to cheer him up with
music ,dance, jokes etc. On being asked the reason he
told them that he had a bad dream in which he saw his father with dishevelled
hair and dirty body falling from a mountain into a pond of filth and covered
with oil and eating rice mixed with sesame and plunging into the oil himself and
later going towards south in a chariot drawn by donkeys. This portended that
either himself or Rama or Lakshmana or the king would die. Not only that, he
said, but
he dreamt that the whole world was falling to pieces the oceans drying up, the moon falling
down, the earth covered by darkness, a blazing fire suddenly extinguished, the
earth quaking, the trees dry up, and the mountains vanishing in a smoke. So
Bharatha feared a great calamity to happen. At that moment the messengers
arrived.
Bharatha on seeing them asked anxiously about the
welfare of Rama, Lakshmana and Dasaratha and enquired after Kousalya, referring
to her as a noble, virtuous, righteous and the mother of valiant Rama and asked
them about Sumithra also. Finally he spoke about his mother Kaikeyi, describing
her as the one who loves herself, who is fierce and stung to anger quickly and
thinkes herself as highly intelligent, thus showing that he was under no
illusion about his mother.
The messengers told him that all were well in
general and that good fortune awaited him and he was called to Ayodhya at once.
Bharatha took the permission of his grandfather and uncle and returned to
Ayodhya with rich gifts and large number of attendants and animals fit for royalty
following him
Bharatha and Sathrugna travelled for seven nights
and seven days and Valmiki gives a detailed description of
the way from Kekaya to Ayodhya. The country of Kekaya is in the west of modern
When they arrived in Ayodhya Bharatha was shocked
to see the state of the city which looked gloomy without its usual festive
appearance and Bharatha entered th palace of of his
father and not finding the king there his anxiety increased. Then he went to the
palace of his mother.
Kaikeyi was delighted on seeing him and embraced
him and enquired after him and her relatives in Kekaya. Then Bharatha asked her
the whereabouts of the king and she replied that the king has had a long and
good life and had gone to join his forefathers. Bharatha fell on the floor and
lamented for long and expressed his grief that he could not be at the side of
his father at the time of his death and Rama and Lakshman alone had that good
fortune and said that since his father was no more
he would go and see Rama whom he
considered as his father now and wanted to know the last message of his father
to him.
Now
Kaikeyi who might have
had doubts by this time about the fulfillment of her design on seeing the pure
heart of Bharatha and his love of Rama, was torn between the dire reality and
her ambition. She did not dare to break the news to Bharatha all at once but had
to ladle it out in instalments. She first said, in order to let Bharatha know
that his father was not thinking about him a the time of death, that Dasaratha
breathed his last by crying , “Ha Rama, Ha Lakshmana, Ha Jaanaki,” and saying
that he was not destined to see them return and happy are those who will.
Thereupon Bharatha asked her the reason why Rama and others were not by the side
of the king during his last moments and Kaikeyi said that Rama put on hermit’s
garments and went to forest which made Bharatha exclaim whether Rama committed
any crime such as
killing a brahmin or desiring someone’s wife etc. which was highly
unlikely knowing Rama’s blemishless character.
Then Kaikeyi had no alternative but to tell him
exactly what happened and urged him to accept the kingdom. If she had expected
him to appreciate what she has done for his sake, that hope might have been
diminished now but what transpired after Bharatha heard her was something she
never bargained for, as otherwise she would never have done what she
did.
!9. Bharatha shocked and
reproachful
Bharatha was shocked beyond measure to know what
Kaikeyi had done and reproached her saying that she had brought a great calamity
on the race of Ikshvaku and his father had nurtured a live hot coal in his bosom.He accused her of killing his
father and for having wronged Rama who looked upon her as his own mother. Bharatha called his mother a sinful one,
paapi, and said that surely she did
not know the devotion he had for Rama or else she would not have done such a
thing. Then he said he could not take the burden of a kingdom no more than an
untrained bullock which tries to carry a burden that would be easily borne by a
giant bullock and further said that even if he could he would not because he did
not want her greedy desire to be fulfilled.
Bharatha said that surely Kaikeyi was not aware
that the custom of the royal race of Ikshvaku requires that the eldest son alone
should inherit the kingdom. Even the clan of kekaya was noble and it was a
surprise, he said that Kaikeyi got this evil desire.Her action was criminal
which may even destroy his own life.If that happens it served her right, said
Bharatha, and told her that even if she dies she would only rot in hell and not
go to heaven where her husband had gone.
Calling her by name he said that she was his mother only in appearance
and he would never speak to her again.He even went to the extent of asking her
to enter the fire or put a noose around her neck or go to dhandaka forest
herself. And he vowed tha he would bring Rama back and make him the king to
atone the wrong committed by kaikeyi in his name.So saying he fell on the ground
in anguish.
Then Bharatha called the ministers and told them
that he had no hand in the matter and was completely ignorant of the
machinations of Kaikeyi. Hearing the voice of Bharatha Kousalya came to see him
and met him halfway as he was also hastening to see her and convince her of his
innocence. Seeing
Kousalya griefstricken Bharatha and Sathrughna wept and embraced
her. Then Kousalya said,
idam te
raajya kaamasya raajyam praaptam akaNTakam
sampraaptam bata kaikeyyaa
shiighram kruureNa karmaNaa
“This immense kingdom was secured for you who is desirous of the kingdom by Kaikeyi quickly by her evei
deed.” So saying Kousalya beseeched Bharatha to send her also to the forest
where Rama was or allow her to enter the funeral pyre of her husband.
Hearing these words which he had not merited Bharatha felt
as though a sharp needle was thrust into
freshly opened wound. He wept and fell at the feet of Kousalya and said
that he was sinless and did not know anything and Kousalya knew very well the
great affection he had for Rama. Then with raised hands he gave a long list of
all the horrible sins which one could commit and invoked upon himself the
punishment for all of them if he had any hand in the plot of Kaikeyi.The
enumeration of sins that should descend on the one who had allowed his elder
brother to go to forest , meaning himself, knowingly,
runs to 38 slokas in Valmiki, ending with the line ‘yasya aaryo anumathe gathaH.’ Saying
thus the noble Bharatha fell into a swoon. There upon Kousalya became distraught
with grief seeing the state of Bharatha and consoled him.
This shows that it is more difficult to prove one’s
innocence of a crime than to prove him guilty because when some one is accused
unjustly the onus is on the accused to prove that he is innocent. In all
probability Kousalya might have known that Bharatha was ignorant
of what happened but she might have thought that he had hastened to accept the
kingdom got through the plan of his mother.Poor Bharatha had to prove his innocence
again and again to each and everyone and had to undergo a life of hermit in
order to remove last vestige of doubt that may linger in the minds of
people.
Kamban portrays beautifully the character of
bharatha and the reaction of Kousalya to his words, which we shall see
presently.
20. Bharatha of
Kamban
Kamban describes the reaction of Bharatha on
hearing Kaikeyi’s words that Rama was sent to the forest.
choodina
malarkkaram Sollin mun Sevi
Koodina; puruvangaL kunitthu kootthu
ninru
Aadina; uyirppinodu, azhal
kozhundhugaL,
Odina; umizhndhana udhiram
kaNgaLe
The lyrical beauty can be fully understood only
with knowledge of Tamil but the meaning is as follows:
His hands closed his ears when he heard the words
of Kaikeyi. His brows were curled and joined together and moved restlessly.
His eyes became blood shot and emitted fire.
Further Kamban describes the state of Bhartha
saying that his cheeks throbbed and fire and smoke were seen coming from his
pores. His state brought fear to even the devas, says Kamban. Bharatha wished to
kill his mother but resisted the impulse merely because Rama will get
angry with him and not because she was his mother.
E enum
maatthiratthu ettrugittrelen;
aayavan muniyum
enru anjinEn alaal.
Thaai
enum peyar thadukkaRpaaladho
Bharatha said that kaikeyi was a demon who swallowed the life of her husband and gave him not only
milk but also eternal infamy and asked her what else she had in store for him.
He said that he had to do penance to atone for the sin of being instrumental for
the death of his father and the banishment of Rama by being born to a sinner like
Kaikeyi.So saying Bharatha left Kaikeyi to seek the pure minded Kousalya. The
words of Bharatha were,
Yaanum
ippanna arum kodumanappaavi paadu irEn;
thunna
arunthuyar keda thooya kosalai ponnadi thozhuven
“ I will no more be with this sinner and will seek the
feet of the pure Kousalya to atone for my sin.”
Kousalya of Kamban was more charitable than in
Valmiki because she understood that Bharatha was innocent on seeing him crying
and falling at her feet, ‘ mai aRu
mantthu oru maaSu uLaan avan seyyanE enbadhu thERum chindhaiyaaL,’
though she might have had suspicion earlier because she told him that it seemed
that he did not know the doings of his mother, ‘
“kaikayar komagaL izhaittha kaithavam aiya nee aRindhilai pOlumaal?”
enRaaL’
Even the probability of her entertaining a doubt
about his character was unbearable to Bharatha that he enlisted the sins that
deserve worst punishment and said that he would suffer all of them if he had
known the intrigue of Kaikeyi earlier. This made Kousalya exclaim that no one in
the whole clan of Ikshvaku could stand equal to him in virtue and called him the
king of kings.
Munnai
num kula mudhaluLorgaLthaam
Ninnai
yaarE nigarkkum neerlmaiyaaR
Mannarmannavaa enRu
vaazhtthinaaL
Kamban differs from Valmiki in the performance of
the funeral rites of Dasaratha as well as a consequence of which Bharatha was
even more pitiable than when he met Kousalya. According to Valmiki Vasishta
asked Bharatha to control his grief and perform tha funeral rites of Dasaratha,
which he did with Sathrughna. But in Kamban vasishta prevents Bharatha from
doing the obsequies saying that the king has renounced his
mother and himself before
his death and hence only Sathrughna should do it. In Valmiki Dasaratha says that
if Bharatha was compliant with the wish of Kaikeyi and accepts the throne he
should not do his funeral rites. As Bharatha proved himself to be pure, Vasishta
must have allowed him to do the last rites according to Valmiki. But in Kamban
Dasaratha says that he had renounced both Kaikeyi and Bharatha.
It was a further blow to Bharatha in Kambaramayana
who lamented piteously. Another deviation from Valmiki in Kamban is that he says
that all the wives of dasaratha except the three principal ones, Kousalya,
Kaikeyi and Sumithra entered the fire. Valmiki does not mention this. Probably
Kamban was influence by the Tamil culture as in the episode of Ahalya whom he
makes innocent and cheated by Indra while in Valmiki she was fully aware of the
identity of her visitor.
These deviations may be due to the fact that
Valmiki recorded the story as it happened seeing it with his divine vision
whereas Kamban wrote his Ramayana as a devotee.
There are variations in the incidents connected
with Bharatha on his journey to the forest and meeting Rama also which we shall
examine
later.
21. Bharatha sets out to
forest
After the funeral rites were over Vasishta asked Bharatha
to assume his role of king of Ayodhya to which he replied that he would not do
so and he wanted to go to forest and bring rama back and told the minsters and
the whole retinue and army to get ready to go to forest to bring Rama in
style.
The whole army and the ministers, courtiers along
with the three queens accompanied Bharatha to forest and they reached the realm
of Guha near the bank of
Guha on seeing the great army and also the flag of
the the king of Ayodhya knew that Bharatha had come there and he suspected that
Bharatha had come to kill Rama so that he could rule the kingdom without
fear.Guha instructed all his men to stand ready to destroy the army and Bharatha
if he had come with an evil intention. He said Bharatha and his army would cross
the river only if they had come with goodwill towards
Rama.
So saying Guha as per the protocol to receive a
king went to Bharatha
with presents. Seeng him Sumanthra informed
Bharatha of his identity and said that he could show them the way to the place
where Rama was. Bharatha welcomed him and asked him to
tell us the way to the hermitage of Bharadhvaja and also to provide them means
of crossing the river. Guha said that he would be glad to help them and
expressed a doubt whether Bharatha meant to do any harm to Rama upon which poor
Bharatha was pained and exclaimed that what worse could happen to him than the
friends of Rama suspecting him and told Guha his real intention. Guha rejoiced at his reply and prased
him that no one caould equal him in sacrifice and love
for Rama.
This scene is portrayed beautifully in
Kamban.
Bharatha in Kambaramayana goes to forest attired as
a hermit in bark garments and Guha, seeing the huge army, let out an angry
outburst and vowed to kill all of them suspecting that Bharatha had brought the
big army only to attack Rama. So saying he went and stood before Bharatha with
his bow and arrow and Sumanthra told Bharatha about Guha and Bharatha went to
receive him. By the mere appearance of Bharatha reassured Guha that he was pure.
Thus the Guha and Bharatha of Kamban are both glorified by the poetry of Kamban,
who says, describing Bharatha’a appearance and the reaction of Guha on seeing
him.
vaRkalaiyin
udaiaanai maaSu adaindha meyyaanai
naR kalai il
madhi enna nagai izhandha mugatthaanai
kal
kaniyakkaniginRa thuyaraanai kaNNutraan
vil
kaiyininRu idai veezha vimmuttRu ninRu ozhindhaan
Guha sees Bharatha wearing bark garment, with his
body dust covered, his face had lost its smile like the moon who had lost his luster, his sorrow visible to all was enough
to melt even a stone. The bow of Guha slipped from his hand to his side and he
stood weeping.
Then Guha thought,
nambiyum en
naayaganai okkinRaan; ayal ninraan
nambiyaiyum
okkinRaan; thavavedam thalai ninRaan
thunbam oru
mudivu illai dhisai nokki thozhuginRaan
emperumaan
pin
piRandhaar izhaipparO pizhaiipu enRaan
“ Bharatha resembles my Lord and the other one(sathrughna)
resembles Lakshmana. He has put on a hermit’s garb and looks grieved beyond
measure and offers obeisance with folded hands to the direction where Rama is.
Will the younger brother of my Lord Rama do anything
wrong?”
Then Bharatha and Guha bowed down to one another
and Guha asked Bhartha the reason why he had come to forest and Bharatah told
him that his father swerved from the tradition of his forefathers and he had
come to rectify it and take Rama back.
Then Guha said the oft quoted
words.
thaai urai
kondu thaadhai udhaviya dharaNi thannai
theevinai enns
neetthu chinthanai mugatthil thEkki
pOyinai enRa
pozhdhu pugazhinOi thanmai kandaal
ayiram raamar
nin kEzh aavaro theriyinammaa
“ You have abandoned the kingdom handed over to you as
it were by your father on the words of your mother as though it is evil. You
have gone away with worry and anxiety displayed on your face. Your glory is
indeed so great that even thousand Ramas will not be your
equal.”
Wjat Guha meant was that Rama abandoned the
kingdonm because he was asked to do so which shows the character of Rama to be
like a sage without desires. Moreover he obeyed his father and acted according
to dharma. But no one would have blamed Bharatha on the other hand, in
accepting the kingdom seeing that he was innocent of the intrigue of Kaikeyi and
was waiting for Rama to come back and then hand it over to him. But he abandoned
it as though it was evil and not only that but he had put on a hermit’s robes
and was prepared to live in the forest instead of Rama, determined to make Rama
accept the kingdome. Thus he had risen even above Rama in glory. This denoted no
intention on the part of Guha to undermine Rama but it is to show how much more
difficult it was to resist the temptation of something offered ready on a plate than to give up
something which was denied.
When the night came the army and others took rest,
Bharatha was torn with anguish. Valmiki describes his mental state in a picturesque manner and this is one of the
instances when the poet Valmiki has the upperhand to the narrator
Valmiki.
Valmiki likens the grief of Bharatha to the mount
Himalayas, perspiration due to grief flowing from his pores as the snow melted
by the firerce heat of the sun and he was oppressed by the weight of the
mountain of grief whose caves were the thoughts of Rama, whose minerals were the
groans and sighs coming out of him, the meloncholy thoughts of his own fate were
the dense forest of trees on the mountain. His
sorrow and fatigue were the peaks of the mount. He used to swoon often due to
thr anguish which was unbearable and they are portrayed as the
wild beasts roaming on the forests of the mountain.
Then Guha approached him and told him about Rama
and Seetha lying on the floor at the very spot where they were and about
Lakshmana”s grief on seeing them like that and who said that he could not sleep
seeing Rama who is unconquerable even by devas and asuras lying on the ground
with the princess of Mithila.Then Guha said Lakshmana was afraid that his father
would not survive the separation and also Kousalya.
Bharatha lamented tha fact that because of him Rama
and Seetha had to lie on the ground and he pointed out to his men the marks of
the two sleeping on the bed made of darbha grass, where the traces of Rama
turning his side due to sleeplessness and the garment of
Seetha got stuck in the grass where some threads could be seen. Then he said
that he would matt his hair and sleep on the ground and eat only roots like a
hermit and he would live in the forest and make Rama go to Ayodhya and accept
the kingdom.
Then the next day they crossed the river and
reached the hermitage of Bharadhvaja.
22. Bharatha meets
Rama
Rajaji the first Governor general of the free
India, a great national leader, scholar and devout vaishnavite
writes in his commentary on Ramayana that the episode of Bharatha portraying a
character of unrivalled purity and sublime selflessness stands out in the epic
as the holy shrines on the banks of Ganges and jnana and bhakthi will
automatically grow by the
contemplation of the personality of Bharatha.
Bharatha left his retinue behind and entered the
hermitage with Vasishta and few elders and Valmiki says that he went in wearing
a simple silk garment and discarded all his ornaments and weapons. So from this
we know that Bharatha went to forest in his normal attire of a prince but Kamban
enahanced the glory of Bharatha in making him wear bark
garments.
Bharatha and Vasishta were welcomed by the sage and
after the usual pleasantries and enquiries Bharadhvaja asked
Bharatha the reason for his arrival and said that it was only to clear a doubt
in his mind whether Bharatha meant any harm to Rama. First by Guha, then by the
sage,
Bharatha was suspected though being pure at heart and the reaction
of Bharatha was indescribable. He said that if even the sage who should have
known better suspected him then he is truly lost. Then he told the sage his real
intention and Bharadhvaja made amends for his error of judgement by saying that
he knew the truth but only wanted to establish and spread the glory of Bharatha
by his revelation.
In Kamban Bharadhvaja never doubted Bharatha but on seeing his
appearance as a hermit with matted hair and bark garments asked him why did he
came to forest giving up the kingdom and hearing his reply the sage was
pleased.
Baradhvaja asked Bharatha to bring his retinue and
he created a heaven in the forest with food and drink and heavenly damsels
serving all, through his yogic power, with palaces and gardens etc. so that the
soldiers wanted to stay there and not go to Dandaka forest or back to Ayodhya
without knowing that all would vanish the next day.Thus a befitting hospitality
was rendered to the prince and his retinue.
But Bharatha of Kamban was in hermit’s robes and
Kamban says that he ate only roots and fruits and slept on the
floor.
The next morning Bharadhvaja instructed Bharatha
the way to chithrakoota where Rama was staying with Seetha and Lakshmana. At the
time of departure the three queens of Dasaratha came out of their palanquins to
pay obeisance to the sage and he asked the identity of each one. In Kamban it
was Guha who asked this and the reply and the reaction of Guha is worth
mentioning and we shall see it presently as a contrast to the scene in
Valmiki.
Valmiki decribes the queens as follows. Kousalya
was trembling with trepidation perhaps about the outcome of the expedition and
she was emaciated and piteous, ‘vepamaanaa krSaa dheenaa,’ and she
touched the feet of the sage with Sumithra. Then Kaikeyi, whom
Valmiki describes as ‘asamRddhena
kaamena sarvalokasya garhithaa,’ the one whose desire was thwarted and who
has become despicable to the whole world.
Bharatha introducing the queens said that the one
who is emaciated by grief and fasting and looks like a deity is the one, who
gave birth to Rama as Adhithi to Vamana, was Kousalya and the other standing by
her side looking like a branch of karnikara tree with withered flowers in her
grief is the godly Sumithra the mother of the two heroic princes Lakshmana and
Sathrughna. Then pointing to Kaikeyi he introduced her her as the one who is the cause of the
exile of two tigers among men and the death of her husband and who is of
fierce temper, indiscriminate,
arrogant, high in self esteem,avarice and who appeared as a noble woman which
she was not. And
added that she was his mother Kaikeyi who is the cause of his
misfortune, making Kaikeyi
miserable and ashamed at his words. Then Bharadhvaja said that what happened was
not the fault of Kaikeyi but the machinations of the
devas and the exile of Rama was going to result in the welfare of the
whole world. Thus we see in Valmiki several instances where the divinty of Rama
is proclaimed by the sages and the devotees.
This incident which Valmiki describes as having
taken place in the hermitage of Bharadhvaja was transferred by Kamban to the
place where Guha helped them to cross the river and they were getting into the
boat.
Guha seeing Kousalya revered by all, fell at her feet and asked Bharatha about her identity.
Bharatha said that she was the crowned queen of Dasaratha and inspite of giving
birth to the one who is the creator of the whole world, lost all her
glory because Bharatha was born. When Guha fell at her feet Kousalya asked
Bharatha who he was and Bharatha replied
,
In
thuNivan raaghavanukku, ilakkuvaRkum
iLaiyavaRkum enakkum
mootthaan
“ He is a close friend of Rama and elder brother to me
, Lakshmana and Sathrughna.”
Guha then asked him about Sumthra ans Bharatha
said,
‘Raaman
pinbu piRandhaanum uLan ennappiriyaan thannai payandha
periyaaL’
“ She is the one who gave birth to Lakshmana who proved
that there is a brother to Rama and who was inseparable to Him.” Bharatha meant that only Lakshmana was
fit to be called a brother to Rama.
Then Guha enquired the identity of Kaikeyi to whom
Kamban refers as
the one who has sent her husband to cremation ground,
plunged her son into the sea of sorrow, exiled the sea of mercy, Rama to the
forest and the one who had pervaded the whole world with her wickedness as the
Lord didi with His cosmic form.
Bharatha replied in more or less in the same manner
as in Valmiki and Guha bowed down to her also, because she was the mother of
Bharatha, perhaps thinking that
because of her only he had the good fortune of meeting
Rama.
Now to rivert back to Valmiki, Bharatha and his
retinue reached chithrakoota and saw smoke rising up which indicated the
residence of Rama. Bharatha leaving the others behind proceeded on foot to where
Rama was accompanied only with Sumanthra and Vasishta.
The cloud of dust was visible to Rama and others
when the army was approaching and Lakshmana climbed a tree and saw the army of
Bharatha advancing. True to his nature he was stung quick with anger and vowed to destroy Bharatha, who was
obviouslty advancing to kill Rama, and to make Rama the king. But Rama pacified
him and said that Bharatha would be coming only to give him bacjk the kingdom as
he knew Bharatha to be pure-hearted and told Lakshmana that if the anxiety for
kingdom was what made him talk like that he would advise Bharatah to give it to
him. Thia made Lakshmana ashamed and he said that perhaps the King had sent them
to ask Rama to return. Rama seeing his discomfiture pacified him that it could
be so.
Bharatha came near the hermitage of Rama and saw
him sitting outside and ran to him and wishing to fall at his feet fell few feet
before he reached Rama in his agitation and anguish, just uttering the word ‘Oh
noble one.’
Commentators remark about this fact and say that it
was the divine will as Rama was seen throughout as a SaraNagatharkshaka and if
Bharatha had fallen on his feet Rama could not have denied his
wish!
Rama
comforting Bharatha and
Sathrughna who fell at his feet
weeping , asked Bharatha why did he came to the forest leaving the kingdom and
their father, showing his fear for the welfare of Dasaratha and asked him why was he looking emaciated. Bharatha could not
answer and Rama further enquired him on the duties proper to a king. Valmiki
devotes a whole sarga known commonly a ‘kaschith sarga,’ in which Rama, by way
of ensuring that Bhartha was carrying out his responsibility as the king, gae out the
complete manual on the duties of a
king.
Then Rama again asked Bharatha why had he come to
forest in matted lock and wearing deerskin
,relinquishing his kingdom. In Valmiki, Bharatha said, after hearing how
Rama and Seetha slept on the ground, he would also matt his hair and be clad in
bark garment, would sleep on floor and stay in forest persuading Rama to accept
the kingdom. But Valmiki describes him as being clad in simple silk garments when he
went to the hermitage of Bharadhvaja.
Kamban gives a more cogent narration as Bharatha was described in
kambaramayana arriving in the forest dressed as a
hermit.
In Valmiki Ramayana,this chapter in which Rama asked Bharatha the
reason for his coming to forest clad in deerskin and with matted locks, to which
Bharatha replied entreating Rama to accept the throne , comes before that in which the death of
Dasaratha was announced to Rama and describes the grief of Rama , Lakshman and
Seetha. The
commentators are of the opinion that the chapters must have got mixed
up. We will follow the order of Kamban with respect to this episode which is more orderly
as far as the narratve is concerned.
23.
Padhukapattabhishekam
On hearing that the king had expired overcome with
grief, Rama fell on the ground and gaining consciousness again
lamented piteously and Seetha, Lakshmana and all of them cried. Prompted by
Vasishta Rama did the obsequies of his father and by that time the rest of the royal family
arrived there and Kousalya was pained to see Seetha in that state. Thus the royal family
was united again to see which the people felt happy even under those
circumstances. Thus the day ended and the next day Rama again asked Bharatha the
reason for his coming to the forest in hermit’s attire.
Bharatha said that the king had gone to heaven
unable to bear the separation from Rama and all that Kaikeyi reaped as a result
of her evil design was her widowhood and irrevocable censure of the world. He
beseeched Rama to come back and accept the throne and wipe off the sorrow of all
and the injustice done to him.
But Rama replied that there was no injustice as the
king had every right to decide who should rule the kingdom and whom to send him
to forest to observe austere life. He could not disobey the command of his
father and would certainly stay there for fourteen years. Rama urged Bharatha to
go back and assume the kingship as ordered by their
father.
Bharatha said that he could not accept the kingdom
as a donkey cannot imitate the tempo of a horse or an ordinary bird the sweep of
Garuda. He said that Rama should accept the crown to redress the injustice done
by his father to please a woman which must have been due to the senility of his
old age
because no man who was well-versed in dharma as Dasaratha was
would have done such a thing.Even if the kingdom was given to him by his
mother’s request he was giving it
back to Rama who is the rightful owner. Further Bharatha said that if Rama would
not agree then he himself would stay there in the forest refusing to go back and
accept the throne. He said that vasishta could crown Rama there itself that very
day. Saying thus he fell at the feet of Rama and begged him to heed his
request.
Seeing that Bharatha, being pure at heart, blamed himself for
what happened , Rama said that he was blemishless as someone of his calibre
could never commit a sin for the sake of kingdom and he should not abuse his
mother also because everything had happened due to divine
will.
When Rama would not budge an inch Bharatha asked the
others to persuade Rama and the people and the queens joined with him and
pleaded with Rama. But they could see that Rama was determined and though all
felt sad they also extolled the brothers for their respective
virues.
Then a Brahmin named Jabali, spoke and pointed out
that the body named Dasaratha was gone and no one is related to any one else in
this world.The idea of sin and hell is as ridiculous as that of merit and
heaven.Since the kingdom of Ayodhya needs a king badly and all wish Rama to be
the kn ing there is nothing wrong in accepting it. Rama was enraged at this and
said that as Jabali seemed to have little respect for truth and virtue he could
not understand how an atheist like Jabalai was placed in the court of Dasaratha.
Then Jabali said that he was not an atheist and had studied Vedas and sasthras
but he talked in that manner only to induce Rama toaccept the
kingdom.
Vasishta on his part tried to persuade Rama by
tracing the history of the whole Ikshvaku race and said that he should follow
the tradition of his race that only the eldest son should inherit the kingdom.
Moreover Rama had already followed the command of Dasaratha but Dasaratha
was no more and there was no violation of dharma in accepting his rightful role
for the sake of the people. As the
preceptor and the morther of a man are his spiritual teachers besides his father
Rama could obey Vasishta and his aged mother Kousalya who wanted him to return
to Ayodhya.
Rama replied that he could never disobey the
command of his father who was no more.hearing this Bharatha told Sumanthra to
spread darbha grass in front of the hermitage and said that he would fast there
until Rama agrees to return to Ayodhya. Sumanthra , not
knowing what to do looked at Rama when Bharatha got some grass on his own and
sat down on it. Rama told him to give up his resolve and return to Ayodhya when
Bharatha looked at the people around and asked them why were
they not joining with him to plead with Rama. They all replied as one man
that they knew Rama and he would not swerve from his decision which he had taken
according to dharma. Rama told Bharatha thet they were right and told him to
give up his resolution and return to Ayodhya.
Then obeying Rama Bharatha got up and proclaimed
that he never asked his father for the kingdom nor advised his mother to do so
nor approved what she had done. Hence if one of them should remain in the forest
he would take Rama’s place and stay there for fourteen years while Rama could
return to Ayodhya and become the king. But Rama said that he could not accede to
the idea of Bharatha being the substitute and said that he would remain in the
forest for fourteen years and then would come back and accept the
kingdom.
The great sages and celestials who were present
there invisible in the air felt delighted to see the nobility of both the
brothers and considered themselves fortunate to witness the scene. Then desirous
of the speedy destruction of Ravana and other demons, they came to Bharatha and
spoke to him. They praised Bharatha for his nobility and great repute and told
him that out of reverence for his departed father he should accept the words of
Rama, who was fulfilling the promise of Dasaratha to Kaikeyi to make
Dasaratha truthful and go to heaven.
Bharatha again tried to persuade Rama saying that
he was incapable of ruling the kingdom to which Rama assured him that he was fit
enough and asked him to return to Ayodhya and govern the
kingdom.
Fianally Bharatha asked Rama to step on the sandals
embellished with gold and said that the sandals would reign the kingdom in
Rama’s place and he would serve
them wearing matted locks and bark garment till Rama returned after fourteen years
and if Rama did not return on the day when the fourteen years ended he would enter the
fire.
Bharatha put the sandals on his head and ascended
the chariot with Sathrughna. He met Bharadhvaja on his way back again and the
sage hearing what had happened extolled the virtue of Bharatha and blessed him.
Then Bharatha with his retinue reached Ayodhya. Bharatha noticed that the city
had lost its lustre as the star Rohini when the Moon her master was grasped by
Rahu and after leaving the queens and others there, he said that he would not
come back to Ayodhya till Rama came and would settle down in Nandhigrama.
Vasishta praised him for his resolve and blessed him and Bharatha crowned the
wooden sandals embellished with gold on the throne there and lived here as a
servant of the throne. Whenever any thing transpired in the kingdom Bharatha
used to report to the sandals and then only take action as it were the command of
Rama.
There would have been some doubt that if Rama had
given away his sandals how could he walk in the forest. But Bharatha
asked Rama to step on the wooden sandals encrusted in gold. So he must have
brought them with him with a plan to crown them as the substitute for Rama in
case Rama refused to come back, because Bharatha knew Rama as well as Rama Knew
Bharatha. Thus Bharatha was doing penance for fourteen years to atone what was a
sin to him, committed by his mother for his sake, thus claiming a status no less
than Rama himself by his sacrifice and selfless devotion.
24. Rama leaves for
Dandakaranya
After Bharatha left Chithrakoota the
rshis
residing in Chithrakoota came and informed Rama that the demons
Khara and Dhooshana with their followers, who were stationed in Janasthana by
Ravana, were giving trouble to them and they wanted to leave the place and go
elsewhere.They asked Rama also to go with them but Rama refused saying that he
was quite happy there. But Rama was troubled with sad memories of the anguish of
his brother and the death of his father etc. and being deprived of the company
of the sages also, he decided to seek some other place in
Dandakaranya.
Rama, with Seetha and Lakshmana went
to the
hermitage of Athri and were welcomed joyously by the sage and his
wife Anasooya, a saintly woman and she was glad to see Seetha and praised her
for her love and loyalty towads her husband and extolled the virtue of
pathivratha dharma. Seetha said that even if a husband is not virtuous the duty
of the wife is to serve him with loyalty and follow him and how much more so when one
gets a husband like Rama who is an embodiment of dharma. Anasooya gave Seetha
divine garments and auso picious cosmetics as a gift.
Then taking leave of the sage and his
wife Rama and others proceeded to Dandakaranya.
Here ends the Ayodhyakanda of
Valmikiramayana.