Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventy third sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Prince bharata reached a very unusual ayOdhyA that looked totally different bereft of its gaiety celebrations and activities. He hurried into the chambers of his father to fall at his feet. But he didn’t find him there and immediately reached the abode of his mother and after inquiries of welfare, he eagerly asked about where his father was. His mother kaikEyI nonchalantly replied that his father has gone the way that all beings ultimately go! bharata fainted at once learning about the demise of his father. And then the second blow came in form of the news of exile of rAma. Upon enquiring the reason for the banishment of rAma, queen kaikEyI broke the news that this was her scheme and that the kingdom is all for his taking! What does bharata do? Onwards…
Struck by the twin blows of death of daSaratha and banishment of his brother rAma, bharata was tormented by untold grief and said –
“devoid of my father and fatherly elder brother of what avail is the kingdom to me? Causing the death of father by ensuring rAma’s banishment you have compounded my sorrow just like rubbing salt into the wound.
दुःखे मे दुःखमकरोर्व्रणे क्षारमिवादधाः।
राजानं प्रेतभावस्थं कृत्वा रामं च तापसम्।।2.73.3।।
You have entered into the ikshvAku race to destroy it. My father didn’t realize that he was courting a live charcoal and due to you he perished. You have shorn the happiness of this race, you woman of sinful thoughts. Having you in his life, my father, the righteous and illustrious king daSaratha suffered untold grief and finally met with a tragic end to his life. Why was rAma to be banished? Why should he have gone to the forest? Since you are my mother, both kausalyA and sumitrA will find it difficult to live now. The knower of right conduct, my brother rAma always treated you as his mother and his conduct towards you was same as towards his mother. Even his mother, the farsighted kausalyA always treated you like her sister honoring dharma. How did it not occur to you that to banish her son and make him wear bark was a great sin? What reasons did you see to banish the pure, valorous, illustrious, self-controlled and glorious rAma? Blinded by greed for the kingdom you have not been able to see my devotion for rAma and brought about this great calamity upon our kingdom. Bereft of the valorous rAma and lakshmaNa with help of what power can I safeguard the kingdom? Even the great and righteous king daSaratha depended greatly on rAma to run his kingdom just as the mighty mountain mEru is dependent on it’s forests. With what great power am I to bear this burden like a young and untrained bullock? Even if I were able to rule ayOdhyA by virtue of power, fortune, intellect and might, the four resources available to a king, I will not let your schemes to install your son succeed.
I would not have the slightest hesitation to renounce you, O contemptible woman, if rAma had not treated you like his mother. O woman, fallen from good conduct, how did this thought even come to your mind to crown me, when it is the tradition of this great race that the eldest always gets crowned and his younger brothers conduct themselves with utmost respect towards him? This conduct of yours will be condemned by our ancestors. Either you are not aware of the tradition or you have no knowledge of the benefit that tradition accrues. The race of ikshvAkus honors its eldest scion with as the king and the youngsters extend their unconditional support in ruling over the kingdom. And the kings in our race have been sticklers to righteousness and tradition. That has been destroyed by your entry into this race. Even the kings in your race were righteous men. I wonder how this sinful and unrighteous thought took shape in your mind? You sinner, there is no way I will let your desire be fulfilled as it shall bring my end.
Listen, I shall do this act that will bring unhappiness to you – I shall go and fetch my sinless elder brother, beloved of his people from the forest, rAma and be his servant and attain peace of my being. Thus the great bharata unleashed his wrath and spoke words that were not pleasant (for kaikEyI). Although beset with overwhelming grief, he roared like the lion in its cave.
Here we conclude the seventy third 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: 2.74. The bharata of perfect priorities!
Previous: 2.72. Devastating twin blows
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 