Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventy sixth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
After thoroughly blasting his mother kaikEyI and dousing her ambitious schemes with no ambiguity and categorically, bharata made it a point to tell her that, for transgressing the hallowed tradition of the ikshvAkus – she will not be forgiven by anyone. And further for the hurt she has caused to kausalyA through the twin blows of rAma’s banishment and daSaratha’s demise, she shall rot in the hell! These are strong words against his mother but they firmly demonstrate the priority of bharata which was dharma and dharma alone. His adherence to dharma and unconditional surrender and devotion to rAma made him hurl many an unpleasant curse at his mother. He pleaded innocence in the presence of the ministers that he has absolutely no hand in the banishment of rAma. As he made his case, kausalyA heard him and was about to go to him when bharata and Satrughna realizing the importance of meeting kausalyA went to her. Mother kausalyA accosted bharata with bitterness. Her words were pregnant with suspicion that he had planned banishment of rAma in collusion with his mother. Prince bharata was deeply hurt at this insinuation and in order to prove his innocence of the matter employs an elaborate construct. Drawing from well known acts of adharma and the sin that accrues by practice of those, bharata enlists every single one and says the one with whose prodding rAma went to the forests may suffer the same sin. This has the implication that if he were involved in banishing rAma, the results of commiting those heinous sins would accrue to him. At the end of those self loathing string of swears, kausalyA’s heart melted and she realized the devotion of bharata towards rAma and understood that this scheme was entirely kaikEyI’s making and he had no role whatsoever in it. Onwards…
The greatest sage vasisTha, well versed with the scriptures, presently spoke to the grief stricken prince bharata and told him to control his grief and it was time to perform the funeral rites of the king. Obeying the timely counsel of the preceptor, bharata went about with preparations for the obsequies. The mortal remains of the king daSaratha that were preserved in the oil bath were brought out and the body was laid on the ground. The pale face of the emperor appeared as if he was in deep sleep. Then the body was placed on a couch adorned with all kinds of gems. Beholding the body, bharata was overwhelmed with grief and said –
“O king what have you done in the time that I was absent and before my arrival! Having banished the righteous rAma and valiant lakshmaNa, where have you gone leaving behind a grieving population? Bereft of rAma with lion like valour and accomplisher of the most difficult deeds with ease, who will now look after the earth which has been rendered a widow! The city appears dark devoid of the moon light to me”.
To the bharata who was lamenting thus, sage vasisTha reminded the urgency to conduct the last rites of the king as per the scriptures without any omissions whatsoever. The obedient bharata agreed to the advice and immediately set out. Sage vasisTha lined up the priests well versed in the vEdic lore to conduct the ceremony. The sacrificial fire that the king maintained was brought from his altar of fire for the purpose of his cremation. The body of the king was lifted onto a palanquin and was shouldered by attendants who were drowned in sorrow. People walked in the front littering coins, golden pieces and clothes. The funeral pyre was laid out with a variety of fragrant woods including sandalwood and resins of other trees. Several varieties fragrant substances were laid on it and the mortal remains of the king were placed on the pyre. vEdic chants rent the air. the hymns of sAma vEdam appropriate to the occasion were chanted by the vEdic priests.
The women of daSaratha led by kausalyA appropriately accompanied by confidantes came to the place from the palace boarding palanquins. They went round the funeral pyre in counter clockwise direction and wailing unconsolably reached the banks of the river sarayu. The funeral pyre was lit. The royal family returned to the palace after the cremation of the king and they all observed ten days of mourning by sleeping on the ground.
Here we conclude the seventy sixth sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the book for word by word meaning from IITK website
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Next: 2.77. The brothers lament
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 