by Tulsidas
Of your kinsfolk, subjects, ministers and all your mothers.
Seeing that providence is against us and times are harsh,
Take courage. I, your devoted mother, declare
That you should honour your guru’s commands and do as he says,
Look after your subjects and ease our family’s sorrow.’
Bharat heard the words of his guru and the approval of the ministers
And they were as soothing as sandalwood paste to his heart.
He then listened to his mother’s sweet words,
Steeped in kindness, love and sincerity.
Hearing his mother’s guileless words,
Bharat grew distraught.
His lotus eyes streamed with tears,
And watered fresh shoots of anguish in his heart.
Seeing his state at that moment,
All there forgot about themselves
Says Tulsi, and with reverence praised
That epitome of innate love.
Bharat, most resolute of the resolute,
Composed himself, and folding his lotus hands,
In words that seemed dipped in amrit
Made fitting reply to all.
(176)
‘My guru has given me sound advice,
With which subjects and ministers all agree.
Considering it right and fitting, my mother, too, has given me her command,
And I certainly wish to honour her wishes and do as she says.
The word of guru, father, mother, master, or friend
Should be joyfully heard and obeyed, knowing it is for our own good.
To ponder whether it is right or wrong
Destroys dharma and piles a heavy burden of sin upon our heads.
You are giving me sincere advice,
Which if I follow, will be to my benefit.
Though I understand this very well,
My heart is still not content.
Now, please listen to my humble request,
And then give advice suitable for me.
Forgive my offence that I answer you back,
For the good do not tally the faults and virtues of the distressed.
My father is in heaven, Sita and Ram in the forest,
And you tell me to rule this kingdom?
Do you see some benefit to me in this,
Or will it fulfil some great purpose of your own?
(177)
My good lies in serving Sita’s lord—
This my mother’s treachery took away from me,
But I have searched my heart and come to the conclusion
That no other solution is good for me.
Of what account is this kingdom, filled with sorrow,
If I cannot see the feet of Lakshman, Ram and Sita?
A load of jewels is useless if one has no clothes,
Reflection upon the Absolute is pointless without detachment.
Sensual pleasures are useless for a body that is ill or in pain,
Prayer and penance are in vain without devotion to Hari,
A beautiful body is worthless without life,
And everything is worthless to me without Raghurai.
Give me your permission that I may go to Ram,
For in this alone lies my good.
In making me king, you seek your own good,
But you say so in the grip of delusion caused by love.
Kaikeyi’s son, of bent and crooked mind,
Hostile to Ram, and without shame or honour—
And you, in your delusion, hope for happiness
Under the rule of a vile wretch like me!
(178)
I speak the truth, so hear me, all, and believe what I say—
A ruler of men must be upright and virtuous.
If you, insisting, give me the kingdom,
Earth will sink into hell that very instant.
Who is such an abode of sin as I,
Because of whom Sita and Ram were exiled to live in the forest?
The king banished Ram to the forest,
And the instant he was parted from him, left for the abode of the gods.
And I, the wretch who is the reason for all this injustice,
Sit and listen to it all with my reason intact.
I see this palace without Raghubir,
And endure the world’s ridicule, yet my life’s breath remains,
For it is indifferent towards the pure nectar that is love for Ram
And has an insatiable hunger for land and worldly pleasures.
How do I describe my hard heart,
Which has achieved notoriety by shaming adamant?
But the effect is always harsher than its cause—
That is no fault of mine.
The thunderbolt is more formidable than the bones from which it was fashioned,37
And iron harder than the rock from which it is mined.
(179)
Enamoured of its body born of Kaikeyi,
My wretched spirit is exceedingly unlucky.
Since separated from the one I love, life is still dear to me,
I will have to see and hear much worse ahead.
She exiled Lakshman, Ram and Sita to the forest,
And did her husband a service by sending him to heaven.
She brought widowhood and infamy upon herself,
Gave grief and sorrow to our subjects,
And to me, joy, renown and a noble kingdom—
Kaikeyi has certainly taken care of everyone!
And now, what greater benefit than this can I have?
And on top of all this, you would give me the crown!
But since I was born into this world from Kaikeyi’s womb,
None of this is wrong or unseemly for me.
Providence has accomplished all for me,
So why, then, do our subjects and this assembly need to help me?
If a man possessed by the malign planets is also afflicted by a disorder of the humours,
And if he is then stung by a scorpion—
If such a man is made to drink hard liquor,
Tell me, what kind of remedy is that?
(180)
Whatever was fitting in this world for Kaikeyi’s son,
The wise and discerning Creator has already given me.
But that I am also Dasharath’s son and Ram’s younger brother,
These honours Vidhi has bestowed upon me in vain.
All of you tell me to let myself be crowned,
For the king’s command is good for all.
What answer can I give, and to whom?
Tell me freely what pleases you.
Leaving aside me and my wretched mother,
Who will say that all this was well done?
In this animate and inanimate creation, who is there, except me,
To whom Sita and Ram are not dear as life itself?
That this supreme loss seems a great gain to you all,
Is my misfortune and no one’s fault.
You are overwhelmed by doubt, goodness and love,
So whatever any of you say is all fitting and right.
Ram’s mother is most gentle and kind-hearted
And has special affection for me.
Seeing my miserable state,
She speaks out of innate love.
(181)
The world knows that my guru is an ocean of discernment,
For whom the universe is like a ber fruit on the palm of his hand.
Yet he, too, is ready with preparations for my coronation,
For when fate turns its face away, so does everyone else.
Except Ram and Sita, there is no one in this world
Who will not say that I did not agree to all this.
And I must listen and bear it gladly,
For where there is water, there will be mud.
I do not fear being called vile in this world,
Nor am I concerned about my fate in the next.
Only
one intolerable anguish burns my heart—
That Sita and Ram are suffering because of me.
Lakshman has received life’s best reward—
Giving up everything, he has fixed his mind on Ram’s feet.
But I was born to exile Raghubar to the forest.
Unlucky me—of what account is my false remorse?
I proclaim my terrible wretchedness
Before you all with bowed head—
Unless I see Raghunath’s feet,
The burning in my heart will not be soothed.
(182)
I can think of no other remedy—
For who but Raghubar can understand my heart?
Stamped upon my mind there is only this one resolve—
At dawn, I must go to my lord.
Even though I am a wicked sinner,
And all these troubles arose because of me,
Yet, seeing me before him, seeking refuge,
He will forgive it all in his extraordinary compassion.
Good-natured, gentle, with an utterly guileless disposition,
Raghurai is the abode of love and compassion.
Ram has never hurt even an enemy,
And I, though contrary, am his child and slave.
So, all of you assembled here, knowing it to be for my good,
Give me your permission and your blessing,
So that, hearing my prayer and knowing me to be his servant,
Ram will return to the capital.
Though I was born of an evil mother,
And am a rogue and forever to blame,
I have faith that, knowing me to be his own,
Raghubir will not abandon me.’
(183)
Bharat’s words pleased everyone,
Steeped as they were in the nectar of his love for Ram.
The people, scorched by the deadly poison of separation,
Heard them like a potent healing mantra and revived.
Mothers, ministers, guru, and the men and women of the city,
All grew distraught with love.
They praised Bharat again and again, saying,
‘Ram’s love is embodied in your form!
But Bharat, dear son, you would not say otherwise,
For you are as dear to Ram as his own life’s breath.
The vile wretch who, in his own stupidity,
Would ascribe to you your mother’s wickedness,
That rogue, with millions of his ancestors,
Will dwell in hell for a hundred kalpas!
A serpent’s crest-jewel does not take within itself the snake’s sins and evil doings,
But removes poison, and destroys poverty and pain.
Most definitely let us go, Bharat, to the forest where Ram is—
Your plan is good,
And to all of us drowning in this ocean of grief,
You have given support.’
(184)
There was great happiness in everyone’s heart,
They rejoiced like peacocks and chataks hearing the rumble of rainclouds.
Seeing his firm resolve to depart at dawn,
Bharat became as dear as life to them all.
Saluting the muni and bowing their heads to Bharat,
They all took their leave and returned home.
‘Blessed is Bharat’s life in this world!’ they cried,
Praising his goodness and love as they went.
Declaring to each other, ‘A great decision has been taken!’
They all began to make preparations for departure.
Those who had to stay behind to guard the houses,
Felt as if their throats had been cut.
Some said, ‘Don’t ask anyone to stay behind,
For who in this world does not want life’s reward?
Let them burn, those riches, houses, luxuries,
Friends, mothers, fathers, brothers
Who do not gladly help
To bring you to Ram’s feet.’
(185)
In every home, vehicles of many kinds were prepared,
Every heart was full of joy at the thought of the departure at dawn.
Bharat returned home, reflecting,
‘This city, with its horses, elephants, mansions, treasuries—
All this wealth belongs to Raghupati.
If I leave without making any effort to safeguard it,
The result will not be good for me,
For injury to a master is the crowning sin.
A servant is one who acts for his master’s good,
Even though others accuse him of a million faults.’
Reflecting thus, he summoned trusty servants
Who would not, even in dream, stray from their duty.
Confiding his concerns to them, he courteously explained what he required of them,
And assigned to each tasks suited to his ability.
Making all arrangements and appointing the guards,
Bharat went to Ram’s mother, Kaushalya.
Bharat, who understood the nature of love,
Knew that all his mothers were in distress,
And so he ordered palanquins to be prepared
And carriages with comfortable seats.
(186)
Like chakwas and chakwis, the men and women of the city
Longed for dawn with anguished hearts.
The night passed in wakefulness—till it was dawn,
And Bharat summoned his wise ministers,
Saying, ‘Take with you all that is necessary for the coronation,
For Muni Vasishtha will crown Ram king in the forest itself.
Go at once!’ Hearing this, the ministers bowed
And quickly readied horses, chariots and elephants.
With his wife, Arundhati, and all that was needed for a fire-sacrifice,
The sage Vasishtha was the first to mount a chariot.
Then a host of other Brahmans, storehouses of asceticism and spiritual radiance,
Mounted various vehicles and followed.
All the townsfolk, in their fully equipped and decorated carriages,
Departed too, for Chitrakut.
All the queens climbed into palanquins
Too beautiful to describe, and went forth.
Leaving the city in the care of trusted servants,
And after respectfully seeing everyone off,
The two brothers, Bharat and Shatrughna, set forth,
Meditating on Ram and Sita’s feet.
(187)
Seized with the longing to see Ram, all the men and women
Rushed forward as eagerly as thirsty elephants spying water.
Reflecting in their hearts that Sita and Ram were in exile in the forest,
Bharat and his younger brother went on foot.
Seeing their love, the people were enraptured,
And dismounting, continued on foot, forsaking elephants, horses and chariots.
Then, going up to Bharat, stopping her palanquin by his side,
Ram’s mother gently said,
‘I, your mother, entreat you with love—mount your chariot, dear son,
Otherwise all our dear kinsfolk will suffer.
Since you are walking, everyone else is walking too,
But, weak with sorrow, they are not fit for the road.’
Honouring her words, and bowing their heads at her feet,
The two brothers mounted a chariot and continued on their way.
That first day, they made camp by the Tamasa,
And the second day, they rested by the banks of the Gomati.
Some drank only water and ate only fruit,
Some ate only one meal at nightfall.
For Ram’s sake, they observed these vows and fasts,
Giving up all pleasure and adornment.
(188)
After resting by the banks of the Sai, they set forth at daybreak,
And soon drew near Shringberpur.
The Nishad chief,
Guha, heard the news of their approach,
And reflected sadly to himself,
‘For what reason does Bharat go to the forest?
He definitely has some treacherous plan in mind.
If he had no deceit in his heart,
Why would he bring an army with him?
He thinks, “I will kill Ram and his young brother, Lakshman,
And then happily reign, unopposed.”
Bharat has given no thought to the principles of sound statecraft—
First he brought disgrace upon himself, and now he is bent on losing his life,
For even if all the gods and demons unite to fight,
They cannot conquer Ram in battle.
But what wonder that Bharat is acting thus—
After all, poisonous vines never bear life-giving fruit.’
Thinking thus, Guha said to his kinsmen,
‘Be watchful and vigilant, all.
Gather the oars and boats and sink them,
And guard all the ghats.
(189)
Arm yourselves fully and block the ghats,
Stand firm all of you, and be ready to die.
I will confront Bharat in single combat,
And as long as I live, I will not let him cross the sacred Ganga.
To die in battle, and that too on the banks of the holy river,
While serving Ram’s purpose with this transient body,
At Bharat’s hands, his brother and a king—and I a lowborn servant!
What great good fortune to receive such a death!
I will do battle to serve my master’s purpose,
And my fame will make bright the fourteen spheres,
As I give up my life for Raghunath’s sake.
I hold the sweets of bliss in both hands.38
One who is not numbered amongst the good,
Or counted amongst Ram’s devotees,
Lives in vain in this world, a burden on the earth,
And an axe to the tree of his mother’s youth.’
His grief departing, the Nishad chief
Roused all his men,
And, meditating upon Ram, called at once
For his quiver, bow and armour.
(190)
‘Quickly, brothers, make ready your weapons,
And on hearing my command, let no one hold back.’
‘Very well, lord,’ said all with joy,
And began to encourage and spur each other on.