Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty sixth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The counsel of the council of minister fell on kaikEyI’s deaf ears. Ministers sumantra and siddhArta use both wise and harsh words to dissuade the queen from pursuing her evil intentions. But she hardly even acknowledges their words. rAma on the other hand just wants to leave as soon as possible along with sItA and lakshmaNa. He asks for bark clothes and kaikEyI readily obliges unable to hide her anxiety to see them go. Both brothers change in to the clothes of bark and then as sItA is putting them on, preceptor vasisTha comes down heavily against her. He calls out her stupidity as well as the lack of necessity for sItA to go to the forest let alone put on bark clothes. He in fact says, she can go to the forest along with her entourage of maids and attendants and all her paraphernalia for a luxurious life. Onwards…
As sItA was clad in the bark, seemingly orphan in spite of having her lord, the people of the assembly raised quite a voice and loudly said – “fie on you daSaratha for allowing this”. The king was quite shocked at this reprimand from the people. He lost faith in his righteousness, fame and even his very life. Breathing hot air he sternly told kaikEyI – “This is not done. sItA is not supposed to be clad in the bark clothes. As rightly articulated by my guru vasisTha, she is delicate, young and deserves nothing but comfort. Whom has this daughter of the best of kings harmed at all to deserve these clothes of bark like an ascetic woman and stand in the middle of the assembly clueless about what is going on. I have never promised or conferred any boon that sItA will go to the forest clad in bark clothes. Let her go of her free will, well dressed and bedecked with all ornaments. By offering this promise to you in a childish fashion, I have rendered myself unfit to live. I feel like the bamboo tree that is killed by it’s own flowers!
[It is a known phenomenon that bamboo tree dies post flowering! Very interesting example by mahaRshi]
You lowly woman! rAma might have done something unfavorable to you, what harm has the large eyed sItA, gentle and compassionate, has done to you at all? I have heard you ask for the banishment of rAma and I promised you only that. That itself is a sin. How much more of a sin do you want to accrue? Having forced these bark clothes on sItA and having exceeded your limits of decency you have surely stated your intention of going to hell clearly”.
Thus daSaratha was deeply dejected and saw no end to this utter misery. He lost his senses drowned in the sorrow of parting from his dear son. He sank in his throne holding his head in his hands. rAma who was about to leave for the forest addressed his father gently – “O righteous, here is my aged and illustrious mother kausalya, she is neither mean nor one to blame others. Bereft of me, she is sure to be drowned in an ocean of unprecedented sorrow. Kindly pay attention to her O conferrer of boons. Please look after her such that she does not feel my absence. She will be able to survive the sorrow of my absence by your felicitations. You are powerful like lord indra. Please ensure that this mother of mine so possessive of her son doesn’t lose her life and proceed to the abode of yama in that sorrow of separation.
Here we conclude the thirty sixth 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 book for word by word meaning from IITK website
Click on the bow to listen to the audio by SrIrAma ghanApATi
Next: 2.39. rAma says, so long!
Previous: 2.37. rAma dons the bark
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 