Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred and one hundred and twenty second sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The gods showered their praise, gratitude, hymns and boons on rAma for successful accomplishment of their mission and left for their abode. The first time in close to a year, rAma slept well! The next morning when he woke up, vibhIshaNa had made full arrangements for his ceremonial bath, hairdo and new clothes and ornaments. However rAma’s heart was in ayOdhyA pining to meet his brother bharata who had vowed not to live a day longer than fourteen years if rAma didn’t come back to ayOdhyA. Furthermore, bharata lived the life of an ascetic like rAma and hence the benevolent elder brother thought it would be wrong on his part to have the ceremonial ablutions without bharata by his side. He also wondered about the long journey back to ayOdhyA and then the demon king vibhIshaNa summoned the magical aerial chariot, the pushpaka vimAna for rAma and others to reach ayOdhyA on the same day. Out of his affection, he requested rAma to stay in lanka and enjoy their hospitality for some time. But rAma had only his brothers in mind and longed to go back. The duo of rAma and lakshmaNa beheld the pushpaka and were astonished. Onwards…
rAma saw the pushpaka vimAna that was tastefully decorated with flowers. vibhIshaNa who stood not that far from him with folded hands and bowing in respect awaited instructions. The resplendent rAma thought for a while and affectionately spoke as lakshmaNa was in the earshot –
“O vibhIshaNa, these forest rangers put in splendid efforts. Please felicitate them adequately with a variety of gems, means and ornaments. Please offer appropriate incentive to all these vAnara who enthusiastically put in such valiant efforts putting aside fear, without showing their back and discarding the fear of death. If you honour these deserving vAnaras thus, they will be thrilled and filled with gratitude. They know you as charitable, compassionate, famous and as one who is good in striking alliances. Hence I am suggesting that you honour them. The king who lacks affection towards his army is deserted by them in the middle of the battle”.
Advised thus by rAma, vibhIshaNa immediately felicitated the vAnaras with a variety of gems and other means. Having seen that felicitation, rAma then boarded the glorious pushpaka vimAna along with bow wielding lakshmaNa and the abashed and illustrious sItA next to him. Then from there he addressed all the vAnaras and especially sugrIva and vibhIshaNa and said –
“You have performed this heroic deed for a friend. I acknowledge your efforts and all of you can now leave for your respective places as you please. O sugrIva, whatever a mate and well wisher has to do, you have lived up to that very well, lest there could be some adharma (you conducted in a dharmic way). You may go back to kishkindhA along with your army.
O vibhIshaNa, fearlessly establish in the kingdom of lanka that I have given you. Even indra and other gods won’t be able to trouble you.
I will now leave for ayOdhyA, the capital of my father’s kingdom. I seek your permission and also invite all of you to ayOdhyA”.
As rAma extended the invitation, the vAnaras and vibhIshaNa were ecstatic and with folded hands they said to rAma –
“O rAma, we all want to go to ayOdhyA with you, kindly take us. Delightfully we shall roam in the parks and tour the city. After witnessing your crowning and paying our respects to mother kausalyA, we shall soon return to our abodes”.
The embodiment of dharma, rAma was thrilled to hear it and addressing the illustrious sugrIva and vibhIshaNa said –
दृष्ट्वा त्वामभिषेकार्द्रम् कौसल्यामभिवाद्य च ।
अचिरादागमिष्यामः स्वगृहान्नृपसत्तम ॥
“In the delightful company of such pure hearted well wishers I will be more than thrilled to enter ayOdhyA. Come on, get into the vimAna at once”.
Then sugrIva along with his army and vibhIshaNa along with his ministers at once boarded the pushpaka. With everyone in the vimAna, the great aircraft of kubEra taking instructions from rAma rose into the skies. As the vimAna yoked to swans took off, rAma was happy like kubEra sitting inside. Enjoying the luxurious seating and the facilities of the vimAna, the vAnaras and the demons were ecstatic!
Here we conclude the one hundred and twenty second sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link for word by word meaning from IITK website
Click on the above link to listen to the audio by SrIrAma ghanApATi
Next: 6.123. Rewind, replay and ayOdhyA in sight!
Previous: 6.121. rAma longs to meet bharata
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
