Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty first sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Prince bharata’s nightmare coincided with the arrival of emissaries from ayOdhyA. He was already down with despair that morning on account of the graphical dream that he saw in the early hours that the emissaries arrived in the court of the king. They were received with due protocol. They showered the gifts that ayOdhyA had sent for them on the kEkaya king aSwapati and prince yudhAjit. Prince bharata enquired about the welfare of his kin. The messengers as instructed by sage vasisTha didn’t break the news of tragedy to him and just said “all whose welfare you wish are well and instead said the goddess on the lotus, lakshmi is about to smile upon you and so please yoke your chariot”! In the welfare enquiry, bharata’s use of adjectives haughty and self centered for kaikEyI was insightful revealing the well known character of kaikEyI. Prodded by the messengers, prince bharata started at once and was accompanied by the fourfold forces of the army, able ministers and started off for ayOdhyA along with Satrughna.
Moving east from the city of rAjagRha, bharata encountered the mountain sudAma. From there he beheld and crossed the river Satadru that arises in the lake and flows westward at a place called ailadhAna. Then he passed by the janapada aparaparvata and encountered the river Silavaha flowing through a number of gigantic boulders. To the southeast of this river lay the city of Salyakarshana. Passing by this river, the righteous and truthful prince bharata surged ahead and entered the forests of chaitraratha. There he saw the meeting point of rivers saraswatI and gangA and to the north of that lied vIramatsya province crossing which he entered the forests of bhArunDa. Crossing the forest he encountered the swiftly flowing river yamunA dotted by mountains and known by the name kulingA there. There on the banks of that river he let the forces to rest and recover from the fatigue of relentless travel. Having completed ablutions there and rested for a while, bharata along with the army resumed the travel after collecting some water from the river for use on the way.
Prince bharata along with the forces navigated the dense forests with the ease of air navigating the free skies. Then they encountered the river bhAgirathI (gangA) at a place called amSudhAna. However the river was large and in spate and it was impossible for his retinue to cross it there. So they devised at an alternate plan and crossed the river gangA at the city of prAgvaTa. Having crossed the river gangA, they saw another river by name kuTikOshTikA and crossed that as well. Then they reached a place by name jambuprastha that was to the south of tOraNa. Crossing that they reached a village by name varUtha where in a lovely grove they spent the night. Resuming from there they passed by the forests rich with kadamba trees. At that point, prince bharata ordered that the retinue may come at their pace and that he would swiftly move ahead. Leaving them behind he traveled and reached a village by name sarvatIrtha. There is rested for the night he resumed and crossed the river uttAnikA. With the help of wild horses he passed by the various rivers. He crossed the river kuTikA at the village hastipRshThaka, river kapIvatI at lOhityA, river sthANumatI at EkasAla and river gOmati at vinata. He encountered a large grove of Sal trees near kalinganagara and rested there to let the horses recoup and recover from the non stop travel.
Traveling from there he beheld the city of ayOdhyA built by the great manu. He had traveled over seven nights and reached the great city on the eighth morning with his tired horses. Beholding the city, prince bharata said to his charioteer –
“O charioteer, here behold the great city of ayOdhyA, ruled over by sagely kings, ever witnessing the yajnas conducted by vEdic scholars and exalted brAhmins, replete with lovely gardens, bustling with activities and movements of its citizens. However it looks a pale shadow of its former self today. The gardens seem deserted. The city reminds of a desolate forest today. I do not encounter the movement of chariots, elephants and horses. People don’t seem to be thronging to the gardens to make merry and they have long faces looking unhappy. Even though the Sun has risen, the birds are not cooing pleasantly. The gentle breeze carrying the fragrance is not blowing today. Music of percussion and string instruments is not arising out of the homes of citizens and they all seem to be only sighing in despair. I see unpleasant and unseemly sights all around. My heart is turning heavy with these bad omens O charioteer as I feel some kin of mine is not well although I can’t divine what exactly happened”.
Thus tired with continuous travel, heavy at heart with sulking senses he entered the city of ayOdhyA at a gate called vaijayanti. The gatekeepers hailed him and accompanied him into the royal square. Greeting the people back, but yet troubled by tormenting thoughts of unknown sadness, the prince again addressed the tired charioteer who was sent by king aSwapti –
“O great charioteer, I wonder why without a reason sage vasisTha summoned to be here at once. My heart is being overwhelmed with fear of inauspiciousness. The scenes that I have heard of during the death of the king seem to be playing out in front of me. The courtyards of the homes have not been cleaned, no sacrificial fire is lit in any house, people appear despondent, anxious and distressed wearing unappealing soiled clothes, inauspiciousness seems to be prevailing, the temples are not well decorated as before and are deserted, the market place is not bustling with activity, shops are not open, the birds perching on the temples and houses also seem to be sad”.
The inauspicious and unusual state of ayOdhyA troubled the already tired mind of bharata and thus he entered the palace of the king. The usual pomp and gaiety that was always witnessed in ayOdhyA resembling the capital of lord indra were sorely missing today. The place was unmaintained and soiled, people appeared poignant and the general lack of gaiety troubled bharata and his heart became heavy. With a bowed head he entered the chambers of his great father.
Here we conclude the sixty first 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: 2.72. Devastating twin blows
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 