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Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixth sarga of the ayOdhyakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
ayOdhya was decking up for the festivities of the crowning of the peerless prince rAma. Every citizen, be it a man or woman, old or young was joyous as if it was a festival in being celebrated in their own house! The preceptor visited rAma and initiated him into the preceding rituals of the crowning. Citizens of ayOdhya were restless in their wait for the morrow. Onwards…
After the preceptor vasisTha left, rAma reached his residence took bath and readied himself along with sItA for the worship of lord vishNu in accordance with the prescription of the sage. Further, as per the injunctions, holding the vessel containing the oblation on his head he performed hOmam in to the burning fire. Seeking welfare, he then partook the remaining oblation and then observing a vow of silence with a deep contemplation of lord nArAyaNa, he along with sIta slept on a spread of kuSa grass on the ground.
rAma woke up with three hours of night still left and got his abode decorated nicely. Then he heard the pleasant utterances of the eulogists and after his ablutions, clad in silks, he performed his morning rituals including the repetition of the glorious gAyatri followed by contemplation of lord madhusUdana (vishNu) and listening to the vEdic hymns recited by expert chanters.
Coming to know about the vow of fast observed by their beloved prince rAma, the citizens were ecstatic and began to decorate their house as the dawn broke. Peaks of mountains, edifices, public halls, tall trees, shops, market places, junctions, avenues and all public as well as personal places sported colorful fluttering flags and banners to celebrate the occasion of rAma’s coronation.
The coronation of rAma was the talk of the town – be it in the theatres or cross roads or public or private places. Toddlers playing near their houses also had their share of excitement and happily discussed the glorious event of the crowning of rAma! The royal highways were bedecked with floral decorations and were fragrant with the burning of scented incense sticks. Also, keeping in mind that the crowning ceremony may well extend to late in the day street lamp torches were provided artistically in the shapes of trees to show the way in darkness.
All the citizens having decorated their houses and public places congregated in public places, junctions and other avenues and were excitedly discussing the coronation and were full of praise for the king daSaratha for having enabled this. They praised the king as great and foresighted for having conferred this blessing of having wise rAma, well aware of the ways of the world, as their king for a long time to come. They said, “rAma is level headed, scholarly, righteous and full of fraternal love. He showers affection on us as he does on his own brothers! May that king daSaratha live long, due to whom we have the great good fortune of witnessing the crowning of rAma”. Even as the citizens celebrates the occasion thus in utter anticipation of the crowning ceremony of rAma, villagers poured into ayOdhya from all the different directions having heard about the glad tidings. The hustle and bustle of the multitudes of eager citizens in the public places of ayOdhya was reminiscent of the noise caused by dashing and splashing violent waves on the new and full moon days!
That ayOdhya resembling the city of indra, teeming with the tumultuous citizens who arrived from the villages around to witness the crowning of rAma appeared like an ocean full of aquatic animals.
Here we conclude the sixth 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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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 