Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty seventh sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
After sumantra and guha saw rAma off on the banks of ganga when the trio boarded the boat and sailed away. They started their exile. The first evening was spent under a tree near the country vatsa where rAma became quite melancholic thinking of his mother kausalyA. He suggests lakshmaNa to return to ayOdhyA and take care of kausalyA and sumitrA. But lakshmaNa declines. He states that life without rAma will be like fish out of water for him and that he doesn’t even hanker for the high heavens without rAma. The morning dawns and they walk and reach the spot of the confluence of gangA and yamunA. On the banks, they visit the holy hermitage of sage bharadwAja where they stay for one night. The sage offers his own hermitage for their stay during the exile but rAma refuses mindful of the disturbance their public persona might bring to the routine of the hermitage. The next morning the sage walks along with them for quite a way giving detailed instructions of which way to go and how to reach the holy hill of chitrakUTa which is blessed with beauty and bounty. The trio count their blessings for having guided by the sage in their journey; rAma sends bharadwAja back to his hermitage and the trio move on, crossing yamunA and continuing their journey. They break under a banyan tree that evening. Resuming the next morning, they walk and meet the architect of the current epic mahaRshi vAlmIki in his ASram. After receiving his hospitality, rAma decides to stay on the highlands of chitrakUTa and as per his instructions, lakshmaNa builds a beautiful hut. The trio revel in lap of nature, forgetting the disappointment brought about by parting from their friends and relations and the comforts of the royal life. Meanwhile, what is happening in ayOdhyA, we shall find out. Onwards…
Even after rAma sailed off on the river gangA, guha and sumantra stood rooted on the spot and kept tracking the journey of the boat while guha kept talking to sumantra for long. After the boat reached the southern bank of river gangA, sumantra followed the journey of rAma along the river to prayAga and his stay in the bharadwAja ASram that night. Then guha left for his home. Minister sumantra, after learning of the further journey of rAma into the hills, having no where else to go and having been ordered by rAma to return to ayOdhyA, with a heavy heart yoked the horses to the chariot and began his return journey with a heavy heart. Crossing the fragrant forests, rivers, lakes, villages and cities, sumantra traveled tirelessly and reached ayOdhyA at dusk on the third day. He beheld the city that was cheerless and an eerie silence prevailed there as if the city had gone empty. He was disconsolate at the state of the city and wondered if the horses, elephants, citizens and the king had been burnt to ashes by the fire of grief arising out of rAma’s exile! Lost in those doomsday thoughts he kept swiftly traveling and entered the city gates where hundreds of expectant citizens accosted him eagerly enquiring where rAma was! He replied to them as a matter of fact that the trio had crossed the river gangA and that he returned to ayOdhyA as per the order of rAma.
The citizens cured their fate upon learning that rAma had indeed crossed over the river and headed to the forests. They lamented the fact that they won’t be able to catch a glimpse of the righteous rAma during the yajnas, weddings, assemblies and other ceremonies that are held in ayOdhyA. They rued missing the paternal affection of rAma providing succor and comfort towards them. As sumantra passed by on the streets, he heard the citizens in groups bewailing the exile of rAma. He also saw the modest womenfolk of ayOdhyA gathered at their window sills and lamenting the absence of rAma amidst them. Witnessing this overflowing love towards rAma from the citizens, overhearing their laments, sumantra proceeded swiftly to the residence of the king daSaratha unable to show his face to them any longer.
Having entered the royal palace, sumantra crossed seven chambers on his chariot and alighted. The women of the inner chambers sighted him from their mansions and balconies and went up in tears of grief to not find rAma. Cries of alas filled the air as the women stared at each other in utter disbelief. As sumantra walked into the eighth chamber to meet the king, he overheard the whispers of the devastated wives of daSaratha who wondered what message and in what manner he would convey to kausalyA regarding rAma and how the mother separated from her son would survive. He grasped the truth in their words and raging inside in flames of grief and yet to carry out his duty in dignity he entered the pale white chamber of the king who was depressed and desolate on account of his son’s exile.
Minister sumantra paid his respects to the king and verbatim conveyed the message of rAma to the king. The king, grief stricken and immersed in anguish heard the message and collapsed in a heap losing his senses. The women of the king threw up their arms in despair and grieved to see the pathetic state of the king.
The king was raised up from the ground by kausalyA and sumitrA. Deeply grief stricken, kausalyA upbraided the king – “O king, why don’t you enquire the welfare of rAma, the one capable of performing difficult tasks, from the messenger? Are you ashamed because of the injustice you have meted out to him? Get up, there is no use grieving now as none will come to your rescue. The one kaikEyI for whose fear you might not be enquiring rAma’s welfare from the messenger is not here and so feel no inhibition”.
Even as kausalyA taunted the king out of her grief, her voice choked, she was weeping uncontrollably and she fainted on to the ground. The women in the inner chambers despaired and wailed to watch both the king and kausalyA lose their senses in deep sorrow. There in the city, old, young and women grieved alike hearing the commotion and sobs arising out of the palace. The city was crowded again but was lamenting.
Here we conclude the fifty seventh 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: 2.58. A sobering note through sumantra
Previous: 2.56. At home in the lap of nature
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 