Hari Om.
Let us begin the eighty third sarga of the ayOdhyA kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Preceptor in chief vasisTha calls for the meeting of the council and key citizens to decide on the future of ayOdhyA as to who will fill the leadership vacuum created by the sudden demise of daSaratha which followed the exile of rAma. The preceptor as well as the members of the council urge prince bharata to anoint himself as the king. In the middle of the large assembly, the prince bharata takes offence at this suggestion to anoint himself on a throne that only rAma deserves! He gently upbraids even the preceptor vasisTha for this suggestion and immediately orders sumantra to make arrangements to travel to the forests and bring rAma back and anoint him with due ceremony. He reminds that the experts have already been engaged in laying the road to travel easily. The assembled citizens feel thrilled at the commitment of prince bharata to the illustrious traditions and for having so powerfully not only conveyed their innermost desires but acting intently on those. Onwards…
Rising early next morning, prince bharata boarded his terrific chariot and set forth swiftly with an intense desire to see rAma. The ministers and the preceptors piloted him in their own chariots. The righteous and truthful prince bharata was followed by nine thousand elephants, sixty thousand chariots and a hundred thousand horses as per the protocol. The three mothers kaikEyI, sumitrA and the illustrious kausalyA as well as groups of citizens followed bharata with a heart full of delight in the thought of seeing rAma along with lakshmaNa and happily recalling the exploits of their darling rAma. They were pretty sure that their sorrows will evaporate at the very sight of rAma and his glance just like the darkness disappears with the first advent of the Sun. Thus they happily traveled, with minds filled with anticipation and delighting in the very thought of meeting rAma. They hugged each other in that happiness!
Prominent citizens, merchants, goldsmiths, potters, weavers, weaponsmiths, carpenters, hand-fan-makers (from peacock feathers), decorators, perforators, experts that work on ivory and create artefacts, painters, perfumers, gem workers, washermen, hot bath attenders, doctors, wine sellers, incense sellers, barbers, tailors, actors, brAhmins of great conduct and vEdic scholars along with fishermen and several prominent citizens of the villages including women followed prince bharata in thousands to the forest to bring rAma back from the forest.
मणिकाराश्च ये केचित्कुम्भकाराश्च शोभनाः।
सूत्रकर्मकृतश्चैव ये च शस्त्रोपजीविनः।2.83.12।।
मयूरकाः क्राकचिका रोचका वेधकास्तथा।
दन्तकारा स्सुधाकारा स्तथा गन्धोपजीविनः।।2.83.13।।
सुवर्णकाराः प्रख्यातास्तथा कम्बलधावकाः।
स्नापकोष्णोदका वैद्याधूपकाश्शौण्डिकास्तथा।।2.83.14।।
रजकास्तुन्नवायाश्च ग्रामघोषमहत्तराः।
शैलूषाश्च सह स्त्रीभिर्ययुः कैवर्तकास्तथा।।2.83.15।।
The above citizens who followed the determined bharata were extremely presentable wearing nice clothes and having applied fragrant sandalwood paste on themselves. The army that followed the prince also delighted in the commitment that the prince bharata showed in bring rAma back from the forest. They traveled pretty far and reached the banks of river ganagA near the city of SRngabErapura, where rAma’s confidante the valiant guha stayed along with his people and ruled over the country vigilantly.
As the large army and the citizens reached the river gangA that evening, prince bharata ordered that they will stay there for the night and shall cross the river the next morning. The ministers agreed and the army pegged their tents and camped there for the night. The royal army of the ikshvAkus looked splendid along with its make shift tents that reflected seasoned campaigners. As the army and the citizens rested there on the banks of gangA replete with chakravAka birds, bharata went to the river for ablutions and offered his respects for the departed kings of his dynasty. He began thinking about the ways to bring rAma back from the forests.
Here we conclude the eighty 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: 2.84. guha is vigilant about rAma
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 