Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty ninth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
King daSaratha sees minister sumantra who has returned after seeing off rAma in the forests and loses his senses. After a while, he gathers himself and summons sumantra to listen to how and where rAma is and what message he has for the king and others. The charioteer begins his narration of the message that rAma had for king daSaratha, mother kausalyA, prince bharata and all the women of the inner chambers. While he extended courteous reverence to daSaratha, he focused on mother kausalyA to take care of the already devastated king daSaratha. rAma knew that the king will need to carefully navigate through his relattioss ith kaikEyI and kausalyA. So he suggested to kausalyA to be not insistent and ensure that the king is not tormented by kaikEyI. It is a very subtle message without referring to temperamental nature of kaikEyI. rAma also highlights the importto accept bharata as the heir apparent in order to make things as easy as possible for the king. Then he also reminds bharata about the importance of treating all the mothers equally well. Overall, rAma’s highly dignified message is one of a statesman, an obedient son, a dutiful adult, a responsible elder brother. Onwards…
On listening to the message of rAma from the best of the ministers sumantra, the king daSaratha asked him to tell him more about his exiled son. The minister was overwhelmed at the request, choked with tears and began further narration –
“The valiant brothers put on the barks and matted their hair and began walking towards prayAga after reaching the southern bank of river gangA. Younger lakshmaNa was piloting the way while rAma followed. I helplessly watched them move away. As they faded away from my vision, unwillingly I turned to my chariot and found that my horses were also shedding warm tears on account of the exile of rAma! They were unwilling to even move. In the hope of being called back by rAma, I along with guha waited for a couple of days at the bank of gangA. Not hearing anything from rAma, I paid my respects to the brothers with folded hands and started my journey to ayOdhyA.
O king, the whole of nature is disappointed with the banishment of rAma – trees and plants with their flowers and buds have withered, the water in the waterbodies feels hot and discomforting, forests and gardens have dried up, living beings have gone immobile, the wild beasts have stopped ranging in the forests gone silent, the water in the lotus ponds has gone turbid, lotuses have sunk and the aquatic animals within those are not to be seen, the flowers and fruits have lost their appeal of earlier times. Here in ayOdhyA, the gardens have been deserted by both people and birds. None greeted me when I entered ayOdhyA and they were indeed devastated to see my chariot empty [ 2.57. Empty chariot brings sorrow ] and were sighing intensely. Women who glanced my empty chariot from their terraces, balconies and windows raised cries of alas and stared at each other with blank faces. Either friends or foes or those indifferent – all of them are equally at grief. O king, ayOdhyA is in deep grief, it’s people are devastated, even the mighty elephants and swift horses have gone dispirited, the city in its misery resembles kausalyA bereft of her son”!
निरानन्दा महाराज रामप्रव्राजनातुरा।
कौसल्या पुत्रहीनेव अयोध्या प्रतिभाति मा।।2.59.20।।
The king already in sorrow choked with tears dropping down and mustered these words –
“O sumantra, instigated by the wicked kaikEyI I acted in great haste without consulting elders, ministers and other men of prudence. Due to my mindless act for the sake of this evil women, it appears that the entire race is destined for doom. O sumantra, if I you think I have ever done any favor to you in the past, please take me quickly to rAma, my life seems to be fast running out.
If my command still carries weight, rAma may be brought back at once, or else if he hast traveled too far, please take me to him in the chariot. I will survive only when I behold the lovely form of bow wielding rAma along with lakshmaNa and sItA. Without beholding the form of red-eyed and mighty rAma studded with shining ear studs I shall surely perish.
What can be more devastating than not able to see my rAma in this hour of grief? O rAma, O lakshmaNa, O vaidEhi (sItA), I am dying and you are unaware of the way I am passing out like an orphan”. The king cried piteously in this manner and then addressed kausalyA pointing to the ocean of grief he is submerged in –
“O kausalyA, without rAma, I will perish drowned in this ocean of sorrow – the ocean whose breadth is the grief due to rAma’s absence, and the ocean extends all the way to the other shore which is absence of sItA. My deep sighs are the turbulent currents and whirlpools in this ocean. The rolling tears are the foams and the gushing waves. The flapping arms are the movements of the fish in the ocean and my desperate cries of agony is the roar of this ocean. My unkempt hair is the moss and kaikEyI is the fire under this ocean (baDabAgni). This ocean is the cause of my tears and the evil words of hunchback manthara are the crocodiles in this. O kausalyA, it is impossible to live, I am drowning, this ocean of sorrow cannot be crossed without rAma”.
रामशोकमहाभोगस्सीताविरहपारगः।
श्वसितोर्मि महावर्तो बाष्पफेनजालाविलः।।2.59.33।।
बाहुविक्षेपमीनौघो विक्रन्दित महास्वनः।
प्रकीर्णकेशशैवालः कैकेयीबडबामुखः।।2.59.34।।
ममाश्रुवेगप्रभवः कुब्जावाक्यमहाग्रहः।
वरवेलो नृशंसाया रामप्रव्राजनायतः।।2.59.35।।
यस्मिन्बत निमग्नोऽहं कौसल्ये राघवं विना।
दुस्तरो जीवता देवि मयाऽयं शोकसागरः।।2.59.36।।
The king was certain he won’t be able to see rAma along with lakshmaNa and due to that dejection, fainted on his bed. Queen kausalyA was shaken with fear to behold the terrifying state of the king and his utter grief that has been compounded by the absence of rAma.
Here we conclude the fifty ninth 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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Previous: 2.58. A sobering note through sumantra
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
