Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred third sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Upon arrival of bharata, rAma, instead if indulging in pleasantries and inquiries of welfare, straight away launches into inquiring about bharata’s governance. This highlights two things – the approval of rAma to the lordship of bharata and secondly the importance that people in public life should accord to their work! Listening to all the inquiries, bharata who is hardly interested in the throne, tells rAma as much and reminds him that their father is no more and that he ought to offer libations to him. Till here, although rAma speculated the death of their father, it was not stated explicitly and here bharata stated the reason and circumstances that led to death of the king. Onwards…
Having heard the tragic news of the death of their father from bharata, rAma lost his consciousness. The harsh truth spelled by bharata was like the thunderbolt of indra and like a fully bloomed tree felled off by the swoop of an axe, rAma fell down on the ground. Immediately the three brothers and sItA surrounded him anxiously and sprinkled water on rAma and helped him regain consciousness. Coming back to senses, choked with grief and tears running down in a torrent, rAma lamented to bharata – “now that father has gone the divinely ordained way, what will I do in ayOdhyA and who will rule it, deprived of the best of its kings? Ah, fie on my unfortunate birth, I couldn’t perform the last rites of the one who died of grief on account of me. Oh bharata and Satrughna, you two are indeed fortunate to have performed the last rites of the king and thus honored him. I wouldn’t want to return to ayOdhyA bereft of its leader even after the period of exile is completed. Earlier father’s pleasing words enthralled me and now when I get back to ayOdhyA after the exile, where will I derive comfort from”?
He then turned to the sItA of luminous countenance and said – “O sItA, your father-in-law is no more and lakshmaNa has become fatherless”. As she learnt of it, she sobbed in grief. The eyes of all the brothers were filled with tears and they grieved together. After a while, rAma consoled sItA and the brothers also told rAma that it was imperative now to offer libations to the departed soul and that he must hurry up. He then instructed grieving lakshmaNa – “O dear, go and fetch the dried pulp of the desert dates (ingudi fruit) and bark clothes, we shall go and offer our libations to the departed. Let sItA walk in the front followed by you and I shall walk behind both of you in this terrible journey”.
Then sumantra, their constant follower, well versed in all the aspects, wise, tender, self-controlled, tranquil and devoted to rAma, consoled him in many ways and took the brothers by hand to the river mandAkinI and helped them get into the waters there. There in that sylvan surroundings, at a place with clear waters, the bank surrounded by trees in full bloom, they offered the sacred waters to their father and offered their respects. Then rAma turned south to the direction of the god of death, yama and offered libations to the departed father with prayers that he be pleased by receiving the waters thus offered. Then the brothers reached the bank of the river mandAkinI and using the dry date pulp which was their staple diet along with jujube fruit, made it into balls (pinDa, a ball of food offered to manes), spread it on the darbha grass and offered to their father. Offering that, rAma was filled with grief in the memory of his father and said -“O king, please do accept this offering of food. We can only offer to you and the gods what we partake”.
Then all of them walked back to the leaf hut of rAma and grieved together at the loss of their father and the great king. Their cry reverberated from the hills and fell in the ears of the soldiers of bharata! They inferred that these were the cries of grief coming from the brothers and were sure that bharata had reached rAma. They then moved on their elephants, horses and by foot in the direction, from where the sound emanated with a single minded pursuit of seeing rAma. They felt as if it was a long time since they had seen rAma although it was only recently that he had gone on exile.
अचिरप्रोषितं रामं चिरविप्रोषितं यथा।
द्रष्टुकामो जनः सर्वो जगाम सहसाऽऽश्रमम्।।2.102.38।।
As the army moved, restless to witness the union of the brothers, in their chariots, elephants, horses, by foot, the movement caused tumultuous sounds and frightened the beasts that dwelled in the forest and made them run away into the other forests! The frightened birds took to the skies. The eager people on the earth and the frightened birds on the sky made for a lovely sight. Moving thus, soon, they beheld the best among men, illustrious and blemishless rAma squatting on the bare earth! Tears streaked down as they reached rAma, cursing manthara and kaikEyI. The righteous rAma, beheld the grieving lot and being fully aware of their deep affection for him, embraced them treating them like his father and mother!
तान्नरान्बाष्पपूर्णाक्षान्समीक्ष्याथ सुदुःखितान्।
पर्यष्वजत धर्मज्ञः पितृवन्मातृवच्च सः।।2.102.47।।
He embraced some of them while others paid their respects to him. He felicitated his friends and relations appropriate to what they deserved. The uncontrollable sobbing and grief of the citizens who reached rAma reverberated in the hill ranges of chitrakUTa and it sounded like the beating of drums!
स तत्र तेषां रुदतां महात्मनां भुवं च खं चानुनिनादयन्स्वनः।
गुहा गिरीणां च दिशश्च सन्ततं मृदङ्गघोषप्रतिमः प्रशुश्रुवे।।2.102.49।।
Here we conclude the one hundred third 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: 2.104. Peek into mothers’ heart
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 