Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred second sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
After the masterclass on statecraft and governance rAma inquires with bharata about the reason for him coming to the forest donning bark and matted hair. The gentle prince who silently and respectfully heard all the preaching from rAma and then submitted the real reason for his advent to the forest. He regretted his mother’s condemnable action and with an intention to set it right and also respect the tradition of the ikshvAkus to coronate the eldest as the king, he beseeched rAma to return to ayOdhyA and assume the kingship. The eldest responded as to how can one like him overlook righteousness and usurp kingdom that was not given duly? He outlined the circumstances that led to his advent to the forest and told him in clear terms that the division of property that daSaratha did by offering bharata the kingdom and him the forest needs to respected by both of them and there was no question of changing it now. He was firm in his vow of ensuring the truthfulness of his father. Onwards…
Having heard the words of rAma, bharata replied – “Of what use is preaching of royal duties to me who has deviated from the righteousness itself! We have this great and eternal tradition in our lineage that the younger son is never coronated the king while the elder son exists. Therefore, O rAghava, kindly return to the prosperous ayOdhyA along with me and coronate yourself as the king for the good of the race and all of us. Although others may say the king is human too, I consider a king who conducts himself in conformity with dharma (righteousness) and artha (securing means for the kingdom) as god due to his superhuman ability to do so.
As I was away in kEkaya and you were in the forest, lamenting and overcome with unbearable grief over your banishment along with sItA and lakshmaNa, the esteemed king, ever engaged in yajnas, ascended the high heavens! I and Satrughna already performed the last rites and offered the libations to him. Arise, O best among men, rAghava, please offer libations to the departed father of ours. It is said that only when the libations are offered by the dearest ones, the departed ones assume the higher worlds and you alone are the dearest son of our father.
Your father, O rAghava, faded away from this world, in your thoughts, wanting to behold you, unable to divert his mind away from you, constantly brooding over you, remembering you and submerged in the ocean of grief.
Here we conclude the one hundred second sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 2.103. The chitrakUTa turns ayOdhyA!
Previous: 2.101. Can rAma be coaxed?
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
