Bits of life

J-8 Words-1700

life. So, he died yearning to be in the company of Rama. The name of his son was on his lips as he lay dying in the lap of his eldest consort, Kousalya. During the period when these tragic events were taking place, Kaikeyi’s son Bharat and Shatrughna, the second queen of Dasaratha Sumatra’s second son were not present in Ayodhya. They were taken to Bharat’s maternal uncle’s country on a holiday. Just as Lakshmana could not leave the side of Rama, Shatrughna could not leave the company of Bharat. He was very much devoted to Bharat. They returned to Ayodhya after spending a few months and Bharat’s uncle’s house enjoying the holiday.

The brothers, Bharat and Shatrughna were shocked to see Ayodhya quiet and without the usual festive air. They sensed an atmosphere of deep sorrow and anguish. When they tried to talk to anyone they were not paid much attention and if anyone replied it was full of contempt. Confused beyond limits, the Bharat entered Kaikeyi’s palace to pay her due respects and to convey the news of her father and brother to her. Shatrughna went to his mother Sumatra’s chamber to meet her.

At Kaikeyi’s palace, Bharat was given a hero’s welcome. He was taken inside the chamber and was made to sit in a chair made of gold and served by the maids.
Then he turned to his mother and asked her the reason for the air of sorrow in the city. He also asked her about his father’s health.

Kaikeyi dodged his words and replied with a sparkle to her eyes thus:
“My son Bharat, I am going to give you wonderful news. You will be the happiest person to receive this news.”
“What is it mother? Please tell me soon so I can go and see my elder brother Rama and younger brother Lakshmana. I am impatient to meet my father too and my other queen mothers.”

Once again Kaikeyi did not pay attention to his words and informed him,
“My son! You are going to be the King of Ayodhya. The ceremony of anointing you as the future king of Ayodhya will be held as soon as you are ready.”
Now it was Bharat’s turn to be stunned and shocked. He recovered from the shock soon enough to ask his mother,
“What are you talking about mother? Me, becoming the crown prince? Are you mad? How can you think in those terms when we have deserving eldest brother Rama with us? What happened to you mother? Haven’t you always loved Rama more than your son?”

“My son! Listen to me. I have asked your father to fulfill the two boons he granted me in the past. I made him grant you permission to be made the crown prince tomorrow.”

To kaikeyi’s words, her son reacted thus:
“What about Sree Rama? What will he be if I become the crown prince?”
Without much hesitation Kaikeyi replied,
“He will go to the forest to spend the next fourteen years in exile. That was my second boon given by Dasaratha your father. You will have no threat to claiming the throne and power if Rama goes away to the forest.”
For the first time in his life Bharat lost his temper beyond control. He shot words of great wrath and sorrow aimed at his mother.

“Oh sinner of a woman! Whatever happened to you? You are like an evil spirit pestering my father, brothers, mothers and me. How could you ever think of making me the king with my dear brother Rama as eldest and lawful person to assume power as the king of the land after father? Who poisoned you to turn against my father’s decision to make Rama the crown prince tomorrow? I am ashamed to have you as my mother. I will not speak or look at your face till my brother Sree Rama comes back from exile.”

So saying he went to the eldest queen Kousalya. She was under the impression that Bharat agreed to Kaikeyi’s suggestions and that the mother and son were hands in glove with each other in planning the downfall of Rama and the other brothers.

When Bharat confessed the truth to her, Kousalya felt sorry that she doubted his love and affection for his older brother Rama. He cried tears of helpless anger at the turn of events in his absence. He felt as though the very earth under his feet was giving way when he heard about the death of Dasaratha, his dear father. He wished he never left Ayodhya with his uncle. If he were present in Ayodhya things would never reach this pitch where nothing could repair them. The damage that occurred was beyond redemption. He went with the force of a stormy wind to kill Mandhara after learning that she was mainly responsible for the negative change in Kaikeyi. He was stopped short of killing the hunch backed woman by the ministers and the other queens of Ayodhya.

Bharat was a prince of great qualities. He was determined to bring Sree Rama back to Ayodhya and make him the king. Till then he said he would not live in the palace. He said he would go to a village called Nandigrama at the outskirts of Ayodhya till he had Rama coming with him to the land of his ancestors. Thus determined, Bharat went back to his chambers and changed into the ordinary garb of a commoner and went on the mission to bring back his elder brother back to Ayodhya.

His mother kept quiet. Slowly, Kaikeyi started realizing the enormous damage she caused to make Ayodhya fall from happiness to sorrow for no justifiable reason. She repented before Kousalya for the irrational boons she forcibly extracted from Dasaratha. But god, she said had different plans to teach a lesson in humility and contentment. She had to be a silent witness to things that followed Rama’s exit to the forest and her son’s decision to discard her and her plans to make him the future king of Ayodhya.

The people of Ayodhya were moving going through daily life like automatons. They wanted to go with Rama on exile. But Rama and Lakshmana convinced them that it would be a foolish thing to do. It would be better they stayed back in Ayodhya and help the administration to run the country on well oiled wheels.

Rama’s exile started. He and his brother Lakshmana carried their bows and Sita walked between the two of them. Their belongings were few. Going on an exile required them to possess very few things so they could camp anywhere and at any hour of the day or night. After a few miles of strenuous trekking they came to the banks of Sarayu, a branch of the Ganga. Rama’s friend and the king of the river folk, by the name Guha, waited for them. He had a boat ready so he could help them cross the river to the other side where the forest of Dandakaranya began. Guha received them with great pomp and garlanded them and offered many kinds of food consisting of fruits, vegetables, honey and bamboo cooked rice. Sree Rama was pleased with Guha’s hospitality and embraced him out of love and brotherly affection. Rama never had differences of poor and rich, race, color and creed. To him all belong to the family of human beings and that everyone was equal in the eyes of God.

After spending the night at the habitat of Guha, Sree Rama and Lakshmana and Sita departed for the forest. This was the beginning of the fourteen year long exile. They went deep into the bowels of the forest and searched for a comfortable spot to put up a cottage in which they proposed to live. Finally, they reached a clearing which looked friendly enough to live. They camped there by the side of stream in which there were lotus flowers and larks. The water was clean and worthy enough to drink and cook their meals with.

Lakshmana made his brother Rama and sister in law Sita sit on a comfortable slab stone. First, he had cut leaves from the nearby plantain tree and served them fruit which he picked from the forest trees. Then he brought water in containers made of plantain bark. As the couple enjoyed the peaceful surroundings and watched the monkeys and other forest creatures jumping and running around, Lakshmana got to work.

He cleared the area he needed to build a cottage. Then he went into the forest and cut strong tree branches to make long poles and beams for the cottage. He worked till sundown and got a decent cottage ready for the couple. It had several rooms where Sita had cooking place, rooms to sleep and relax. He covered the roof with the coconut fronds, and other long tree branches thick with leaves. Inside it was cool and shady. Then he called his brother and sister in law to enter the cottage at an auspicious time. There was a wrap around veranda too for all the three to work outside the cottage. They named it Panchavati. Its derived from the fact that there existed a cluster of five banyan trees on the bank of the river Godavari near to Rama’s ashram.

One day, they saw a group of people arriving. Bharat was in the forefront of the group. Lakshmana misunderstood the intent of Bharat. He thought Bharat was coming to attack his elder brother Rama instigated by his mother Kaikeyi. But Rama firmly believed in the goodness and honesty of Bharat. So he calmed Lakshmana down with words of solace and assurance. Bharat approached the ashram of Rama and knelt at his feet with both hands joined in a pose of surrender.

He said,
“Brother Rama, forgive me and my mother for being a traitor. She took her decision on her own. I have no intention of becoming the king of Ayodhya. With our father gone, presently Ayodhya has no ruler. Please come back and rule the country of Kosala. It is your rightful place and inheritance. Please come back. I will not go without taking