Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred eleventh sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Responding to the sound rebuttal to and rebuke of jAbAli by rAma, sage vasisTha, the chief preceptor of the ikshvAkus came to the rescue of his colleague in the council of ministers! He used his stature to bat for him and told rAma that sage jAbAli indeed knew the scriptures and was wise and that he invoked the individualism bordering on atheism only to convince rAma to return to ayOdhyA. Now it was the chief preceptor’s turn to convince rAma. Being a long serving preceptor of the ikshvAku clan, he knew their hallowed lineage by heart and drew their origin straight to the lord brahma! Rattling off the names if the successive kings that ruled over ayOdhyA, he clearly proved that it was always the eldest that occupied the throne in the lineage. And therefore by virtue of this tradition established in nearly forty generations (!), rAma, perforce, had to respect the tradition and return to ayOdhyA. This succession of the ikshvAku kings was also recounted by vasisTha earlier before the wedding of sItA and rAma in mithila in 1.70. The pristine lineage of the ikshvAkus. Onwards…
Having provided a historical perspective and tradition of the ikshvAkus, the preceptor vasisTha continued his righteous interjection – “O rAma, every man who is born has three gurus 0 his parents and the preceptor. The father is responsible for the birth of the son but it is the guru who confers wisdom and tutelage and hence is considered superior to the parents. I have been a guru to your father and am your preceptor as well. Therefore by following my words, you will not transgress the path of dharma. Look at this beseeching assembly of learned brAhmins, merchants and above all your righteous and old mother. By fulfilling your duty towards them you shall stand firmly in path of righteousness. O rAma, you are entrenched in truth and dharma, by acceding to bharata’s pleading you will ensure that you follow your own dharma (that of a kshatriya – ruling the kingdom justly)”.
Preached thus by sage vasisTha, the best among men rAma then made his reply –
यन्मातापितरौ वृत्तं तनये कुरुत: सदा।
न सुप्रतिकरं तत् तु मात्रा पित्रा च यत्कृतम्।।2.111.9।।
यथाशक्ति प्रदानेन स्वापनोच्छादनेन च।
नित्यं च प्रियवादेन तथा संवर्धनेन च।।2.111.10।।
“What the parents to do their children – rearing them, clothing them, putting them to sleep, speaking sweetly to them and ensuring their growth – can never be repaid. It is king daSaratha who begot me and the promise that I made to him cannot be rendered untrue”.
Seeing the resolve of rAma, bharata was distressed, he addressed minister sumantra and said –
“O charioteer, spread kuSa grass right here in front of the hermitage, I shall lie here starving like a brAhmin until rAma accedes to my request and returns”.
Minister sumantra was in a fix and awaited rAma’s concurrence and as he demurred, prince bharata himself fetched a heap of kuSa grass and spread it in front of rAma and squatted in protest. Immediately rAma addressed bharata –
“O dear, what have I done for you to sit down in front of me in protest? It is only the brAhmins who have the right to protest thus. The one who is to be crowned cannot lie down in protest. Get up, the best among men, don’t assume this vow, go to ayOdhyA and crown yourself”.
He continued to sit in protest and looked around and questioned the citizens in desperation as to why they were not beseeching rAma to return to ayOdhyA! The citizens replied –
“O bharata, we know rAma very well. He is speaking as per dharma. He is committed to the word of his father. Hence we are incapable to convince him from following his dharma”.
ते तदोचुर्महात्मानं पौरजानपदा जनाः।
काकुत्स्थमभिजानीमः सम्यग् वदति राघवः।।2.111.20।।
Then rAma asked bharata to follow the words of his citizens. He asked him to get up, touch him and partake water (Achamanam). The younger brother bharata, got up and did as directed and said –
“Listen all of you in the assembly and the council of ministers, I have not desired the kingdom and asked for it from my father. I never asked my mother about it. I did not approve of this exile of highly righteous and venerable rAma. If it is absolutely essential to spend fourteen years in the forest in order ensure father’s word, then I shall myself dwell in the forest for fourteen years”.
rAma was touched by the sentiments of his brother bharata and addressed the assembly –
“That which was bought or sold or loaned by my father cannot be undone by either me or bharata. We have to honour it as such. It is indeed condemnable to appoint a substitute for the exile! What kaikEyi had asked was within her right and my father acted righteously. I know bharata’s forbearance, dedication to elders’ welfare. All shall be auspicious for this great man committed to truth. Upon my return from the forest, I shall be the lord of the earth and rule along with this righteous brother of mine. I abided by the word that the king gave to kaikEyI. O bharata, you shall also do the same in order to ensure he doesn’t incur the blemish of untruth”.
Here we conclude the one hundred eleventh sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link for word by word meaning from IITK website
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Next: 2.112. Unflinchingly dhArmic
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 