Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred and twenty seventh sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
rAma camped at the hermitage of sage bharadwAja that night at the behest of the Rshi. However, he was thinking forward about the following day. He dispatches hanumAn to convey the news of his return to his soul-mate guha and beloved brother bharata. Guised as a human, hanumAn goes to guha first followed by bharata. The prince ruling over ayOdhyA as the representative of rAma led an austere life. He was marking time as the fourteen years of exile was coming to an end and there was no sign of rAma yet. Beholding that bharata who shone with the effulgence of a brahmaRshi, hanumAn exclaimed and narrated to him the entire episode of rAma’s life since chitrakUTa until now. This is another marvel of the manner of presentation of mahaRshi vAlmIkI who seems to remind the readers about the happenings until now! Prince bharata was overjoyed to learn that he will meet his revered elder brother the next morning and summoned his council. Onwards…
The truly valiant bharata was overjoyed to hear the narration from hanumAn about the exploits of rAma during the exile and happily instructed Satrughna, the slayer of the enemies to get all the temples of the city tastefully decorated and worships be conducted there by people with lot of sanctity. He further instructed the bards, singers, damsels, charioteers and the expert musicians to get ready to welcome rAma and behold his moon like countenance.
Under the command of bharata, the able Satrughna deployed thousands of workers to level the grounds and roads right from nandigrAma onwards. They were asked to sprinkle water on the roads (so that dust doesn’t kick up) and shower puffed rice (lAja) and flowers on the roads. The high rises of the city were decorated with flags and tOraNas overnight.
People ordered to assemble on either side of the royal highway to ayOdhyA carrying varieties of flowers to shower. Immediately the people of the royal palace, soldiers, brAhmins, chiefs along with the ministers dhRshTi, jayanta, vijaya, sidhhArta, arthasAdhaka, aSOka, mantrapAla and sumantra set out to make arrangements.
By morning, thousands of mahouts brought out elephants whose crowns were decked with gold. Others rode she-elephants that wore golden girdles. Yet others rode thousands of horses carrying flags and spears. Thousands of foot soldiers also assembled.
Then all the women of daSaratha led by kausalyA, sumitrA and kaikEyI boarded their chariots and headed to nandigrAma. The sound that emanated from the horse hoofs, wheels of the chariots, blows of the conches and trumpets reverberated across the earth.
Ministers, bards and eulogizers, brAhmins, chieftains and other important people who all carried garlands and flowers hailed the dharmAtma bharata as he emerged carrying the golden sandals of rAma which ruled over ayOdhyA for the last fourteen years. He respectfully held those on his head. Others held a white parasol over the pAdukas and gently waved fans at those. bharata was emaciated by observance of severe vows, dressed in bark clothes but having learnt about the advent of his brother, he rediscovered his older joyous self! He travelled towards the direction of the hermitage of sage bharadwAja along with other ministers in order to receive rAma. His anxiety got the better of him as he asked hanumAn – “I hope the fickleness natural to vAnaras has not taken you over and you meant it when you said rAma was coming! I don’t see rAma coming in yet!! I don’t even see the vAnaras who can assume any form at will”.
As bharata inquired thus, hanumAn said – “the vAnaras must be busy gorging on the fruits that the trees have borne by the grace of sage bharadwAja and lord indra. I can hear the commotion of the boisterous vAnaras on the banks of the river gOmatI, they must be crossing it. I can see the dust that has kicked up on the banks of the river vAlukinI. It seems like the vAnaras are reveling in the sAl forest.
Look up, now you can behold the sparkling pushpaka vimAna shining like the moon and made by lord brahma. This vimAna travels at the speed of thought and belongs to kubEra which was usurped by rAvaNa. This vimAna is carrying the valorous duo of rAma and lakshmaNa along with vaidEhI, sugrIva along with other vAnaras and vibhIshaNa”.
एतस्मिन्भ्रातरौ वीरौ वैदेह्या सह राघवौ ।
सुग्रीवश्च महातेजा राक्षसेन्द्रो विभीषणः ॥
As hanumAn pointed out to the vimAna, the women, children and the old assembled there got down from their horses, elephants and chariots and erupting in joy and said – “here is rAma, here is rAma”. They all looked at the skies like they were sighting the moon.
ततो हर्षसमुद्भूतो निस्वनो दिवमस्पृशत् ।
स्त्रीबालयुववृद्धानां रामोऽयमिति कीर्तितः ॥
Then bharata went in front of the vimAna in which rAma shone resplendently like the thunder-wielding indra. bharata folded his hands and paid his respects to rAma in the manner he deserved. He prostrated in front of the vimAna which resembled the mEru mountain that housed the Sun.
ततो विमानाग्रगतं भरतो भ्रातरं तदा ।
ववन्दे प्रणतो रामं मेरुस्थमिव भास्करम् ॥
Instructed by rAma, the vimAna then touched down on the earth. Then bharata was helped into the vimAna and being ecstatic approached rAma and prostrated to him. Lifting him up, kAkutstha (rAma), embraced him warmly as he met him after a long while. Then bharata bowed to lakshmaNa and sItA as well while announcing his name. The son of kaikEyI warmly embraced, sugrIva, jAmbavAn, angada, mainda, dvivida, nIla, Rshabha, sushENa, nala, gavAksha, gandhamAdana, Sarabha and panasa. All of them had assumed the form of humans and inquired the welfare of bharata.
The greatest among dhArmics, bharata embraced sugrIva and said to him – “O sugrIva, for the four of us you are the fifth brother. A friend is a result of love while harm results in an enemy.”
त्वमस्माकं चतुर्णां वैभ्राता सुग्रीव पञ्चमः ।
सौहार्दाज्जायते मित्रम् अपकारोऽरिलक्षणम् ॥
He then commended vibhIshaNa for his help in the impossible task that rAma had accomplished. Then the humble Satrughna also fell at the feet of rAma, sItA and lakshmaNa. rAma touched the feet of kausalyA followed by sumitrA and kaikEyI and delighted them.
स्वागतं ते महाबाहो कौसल्यानन्दवर्धन ।
इति प्राञ्जलयः सर्वे नागरा राममब्रुवन् ॥
Then rAma greeted the preceptors and beheld the citizens who welcomed him with great enthusiasm. With hands folded in the form of lotuses, “welcome oh mighty-armed” rented the air. rAma accepted those regards from them.
पादुके ते तु रामस्य गृहीत्वा भरतः स्वयम् ।
चरणाभ्यां नरेन्द्रस्य योजयामास धर्मवित् ॥
bharata then brought the pAdukas forth and made rAma grace those. He submitted to rAma with folded hands –
एतत्ते रक्षितं राजन् राज्यं निर्यातितं मया ।
अद्य जन्म कृतार्थं मे संवृत्तश्च मनोरथः ।
यस्त्वां पश्यामि राजानम् अयोध्यां पुनरागतम् ॥
“O king, here is your kingdom that I have endeavoured to protect and administer. Today my birth stands fulfilled and my desire has been granted since I see the king return to ayOdhyA.
अवेक्षतां भवान्कोशं कोष्ठागारं पुरं बलम् ।
भवतस्तेजसा सर्वं कृतं दशगुणं मया ॥
Please inspect the exchequer, city and army which by your grace has been enhanced ten times by me”.
Beholding bharata who was submitting the kingdom thus to his brother, the vAnaras and vibhIshaNa shed tears. Then with great joy, rAma drew bharata to him and seating him by his side, along with the entire army went to the hermitage of bharata in nadigrAma. Having reached his hermitage, the vimAna touched down on the ground and all of them alighted. Then rAma instructed the vimAna to go back to kubEra to whom it originally belonged. Having received his order, the vimAna rose to the skies and went northward towards the abode of kubEra.
Like indra felicitated his preceptor bRhaspati, touching the feet of the preceptor then rAma offered him a seat and assumed another seat himself.
Here we conclude the one hundred and twenty seventh sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 6.128. The rAma rAjya
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 