by Tulsidas
And Bharat is the crest jewel of his devotees.
So do not be afraid of him, protector of the gods.
(219)
The Lord is true to his word and a benefactor of the gods,
And Bharat is obedient to Ram’s orders.
In the grip of self-interest, you are troubled—
This is not Bharat’s fault, but your own delusion.’
When the chief of gods heard the wise words of the divine guru,
Joy arose in his heart and his worry vanished.
Rejoicing, the king of gods rained down flowers
And began to praise Bharat’s noble nature.
In this manner, Bharat continued on his way,
And seeing his state, munis and Siddhas grew envious.
Whenever he sighed and said ‘Ram’,
It seemed as if love overflowed on every side.
Adamant and stones melted hearing his words,
And the love of the people of Ayodhya defied description.
Making camp along the way, he reached the Jamuna,
And, seeing its waters, his eyes filled with tears.
Gazing at that beautiful river, its waters
The same hue as Raghubar, Bharat and his retinue,
Drowning in an ocean of grief at their separation from him,
Climbed into the boat of discernment.
(220)
That day, they made camp by the banks of the Jamuna,
And appropriate arrangements were made for everyone.
During the night, came boats from every ghat
In numbers greater than could be counted or described,
And at dawn, all crossed the river in a single trip,
Well pleased by this service rendered by Ram’s friend, Guha.
After bathing in the river and bowing their heads to it,
The two brothers set forth again, the Nishad chief with them.
Ahead, in their magnificent carriages, went the great munis,
While all the royal company followed behind.
Behind them went the two brothers on foot,
Their adornments, clothes and appearance exceedingly simple and plain.
Accompanied by their servants, friends and the ministers’ sons
They went, remembering Lakshman, Sita and Ram.
Wherever Ram had stopped or rested,
They lovingly paid homage.
Hearing of their approach, men and women who lived along the way
Left their homes, abandoning chores, and came running.
Beholding their beauty and love,
They all rejoiced, for they had received their birth’s reward.
(221)
Lovingly, the women asked one another,
‘Friend, are these Ram and Lakshman, or not?
In age, form, complexion and beauty they are the same, my dear,
In courtesy and affection too, they are like them, and their gait is also the same.
But their garb is different, dear friend, Sita is not with them,
And ahead of them marches a great army with infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots.
Their faces are not happy, there is sadness in their hearts—
These differences, my dear, make me doubtful.’
Her reasoning appealed to the other women,
And all declared, ‘No one is as clever as you.’
Praising her and agreeing to the truth of her words,
Another woman spoke in sweet tones,
And lovingly repeated the full story
Of how the joy of Ram’s coronation had been destroyed.
The fortunate woman then began to praise Bharat,
His goodness, love and disposition.
‘He walks on foot, eating only wild fruits,
Giving up the kingdom his father gave him,
To persuade Raghubar to return.
Who today can equal Bharat?
(222)
Bharat’s affection for his brother, his devotion and conduct—
To tell or hear of them destroys sin and sorrow.
But whatever I may say, my dears, is too little,
For he is Ram’s brother, so how can he be otherwise?
All of us, having seen Bharat and his younger brother,
May now be counted among blessed women.’
Hearing his virtues and seeing his state, they lamented,
‘This son does not deserve a mother like Kaikeyi.’
But some women said, ‘This is not really the queen’s fault—
Providence favoured us and arranged all this.
For of what account are we—excluded from worldly and Vedic rites,
Lowly women, impure by birth and doings,
Living in a miserable village in a wild and uncivilized land, despised even amongst women—
To see this vision that is the reward of great religious merit?’
Such was the joy and wonder in every village,
As though the wish-yielding Kalpataru had sprung up in a desert.
Looking upon Bharat, the people living along the way
Were favoured by great good fortune,
As though the inhabitants of Singhalxi had,
By the will of Fate, gained easy access to Prayag.
(223)
Hearing these praises of his own virtues and Ram’s,
Bharat continued his journey, meditating upon Raghunath.
At the sight of holy places, a muni’s ashram, or a temple,
He bathed and made obeisance,
Asking in his heart this one boon only—
Love for the lotus feet of Sita and Ram.
Whomsoever he met—Kirats, Kols, other forest-dwelling tribes,
Hermits, students, ascetics, mendicants—
He would reverently salute and ask
In which forest were Lakshman, Ram and Vaidehi.
They all gave him news of the Lord,
And, seeing Bharat, obtained their birth’s reward.
Those who said, ‘He is well, we have seen him,’
He considered as dear as Ram and Lakshman.
In this way, he inquired of everyone in soft and courteous tones,
And listened to the story of Ram’s forest life.
He halted there that day, and at dawn
Set forth again, meditating upon Raghunath.
All those who were with Bharat
Yearned as he did to look upon Ram.
(224)
Good omens occurred for everyone,
Their eyes fluttered and their limbs quivered auspiciously.
Bharat and the whole company grew elated at the thought
That they would soon meet Ram and the fire of their grief would be extinguished.
Each held a wish according to his heart,
And all walked on, drunk on the wine of love,
Their limbs languid, their feet unsteady on the path,
Their speech incoherent with love.
Just then, Ram’s friend, Guha, pointed out
The jewel of all mountains,48 in all its natural splendour,
Near which, on the banks of the Payasvini,
The two mighty heroes dwelt with Sita.
Seeing it, all fell prostrate in homage
Crying, ‘Glory to Ram, life of Janaki!’
The royal company was as immersed in love,
As if Raghuraj had turned back towards Avadh.
Bharat’s love at that moment was such
That it could not be described even by Shesh,
And is as far beyond the poet as is the bliss of union with the Absolute
For a man stained by covetousness and pride.
(225)
All were so weakened by their love for Raghubar,
That they had travelled only two kos by the time the sun set.
Finding a safe place with water close by, they halted there, and when the night had passed,
Bharat, beloved of Raghunath, continued his journey.
Meanwhile, Ram awoke
while the night still remained,
And Sita told him what she had seen in a dream:
‘It seemed Bharat came with a great number of people,
His body burning with the fever of separation from his lord.
All were sad at heart, miserable and wretched,
And I saw my mothers-in-law, quite changed in appearance.’
On hearing Sita’s dream, Ram’s eyes filled with tears,
And the liberator from sorrow became overpowered by sorrow.
‘Lakshman, this dream does not bode well,
Somebody will bring us some very bad news.’
So saying, Ram bathed along with his brother,
Worshipped Purari, and paid homage to the saints.
After worshipping the gods and paying homage to the munis,
Ram sat down and turned his gaze to the north,
For the sky was full of dust, and many birds and deer
Were running, panic-stricken, towards the Lord’s ashram.
Tulsi says that Ram, seeing this, stood up, astonished—
‘What can be the reason for this?’ he wondered,
And at that very moment the Kols and Kirats arrived
And told him all the news.
As soon as he heard their happy and auspicious words,
His heart rejoiced, his body trembled with joy,
And his eyes, bright as the autumn lotus,
Filled with tears of love, says Tulsi.
(226)
Then Sita’s lord became anxious again—
‘What can be the reason for Bharat’s coming?’ he mused.
Then came one and said,
‘There comes with him a vast army, complete with infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots.’
Hearing this, Ram grew greatly troubled—
On one side were his father’s words, on the other his respect for his brother.
Musing upon Bharat’s nature in his mind,
The Lord could find no satisfactory explanation.
But his mind was set at rest when he reflected,
‘Bharat listens to me, and is good and wise.’
Lakshman saw that the Lord’s heart was troubled,
And said what he considered would be prudent behaviour on the occasion.
‘I will make bold, master, to say something without your asking,
For sometimes a servant’s boldness is not impudence.
You, Lord, are the crest-jewel of the all-knowing,
But I, your devotee, will speak only according to my understanding.
Master, you are exceedingly kind-hearted, sincere and without guile,
A treasury of goodness and affection.
You love and trust everyone,
And believe they are all like you.
(227)
But when one given to worldly pleasure attains power,
The fool reveals himself to be in delusion’s grip.
Bharat is resolved upon righteousness, good and wise,
And devoted to your feet, Lord—as the whole world knows.
But today, that same Bharat, having taken your place as king of Avadh,
Sets forth to destroy the bounds of duty and righteousness.
That deceitful, evil brother, seeing it to be a difficult time,
And knowing you, Ram, to be in exile in the forest alone,
Has made his vile plans, gathered an army,
And come here to make his reign free from thorns.
Plotting countless kinds of crookedness,
The two brothers have assembled an army and come.
If there was no deceit or treachery in their hearts,
Why would they want to bring chariots, horses and elephants?
But why should anyone needlessly blame Bharat?
The whole world goes mad on gaining kingly status.
The Moon seduced his guru’s wife,
Nahush rode on a palanquin borne by Brahmans,
And in turning his face away from both worldly custom and the Veda,
No one was as contemptible as King Vena.49
(228)
Sahasrabahu, Indra and Trishanku—50
Who has not been tainted by the madness of kingly power?
Bharat has adopted the right strategy,
For no one leaves the smallest trace of an enemy or a debt.
But in one matter Bharat has not done well—
He has insulted you, Ram, in believing you helpless.
He will understand this fully today,
When he sees your wrathful face, Ram, in battle.’
Saying this, Lakshman forgot his measured, prudent tones,
And, like a tree bursts into flower, his body thrilled with the spirit of battle.
Falling at his Lord’s feet, placing their dust upon his head,
He spoke honestly, with his natural vehemence.
‘Master, do not think it unbecoming of me if I say
That Bharat has done us enough service.
How long must I suffer this, holding myself in check,
When you are with me, master, and my bow in my hand?
I am a warrior, born into the Raghu line,
And known in the world as Ram’s faithful servant.
Is there anything lower than dust?
But even that, if kicked, rises up to fall upon one’s head.’
(229)
He rose, and folding his hands, awaited permission,
Like valour itself aroused from slumber.
Binding his matted hair, he fastened his quiver to his waist,
Made ready his bow, and, with his arrows in his hand, said,
‘Today I will attain fame as Ram’s servant,
And, in battle, teach Bharat a lesson.
Receiving the fruit of their disrespect to Ram,
Those two brothers will sleep upon battle’s couch.
It is good that the whole army has gathered together,
For I can manifest my accumulated rage today.
Just as the king of the beasts tears into pieces a herd of elephants,
Or a hawk pounces upon and carries off a quail,
So will I contemptuously destroy Bharat with his army
And his younger brother upon the battlefield.
Even if Shankar comes to help him,
I swear by you, Ram, that I will kill him in battle.’
When they saw Lakshman flash with such fury
And heard his solemn oath,
The spheres grew fearful, and their terrified guardians
All wanted to run away.
(230)
The universe was immersed in fear and a voice was heard in the sky
Praising Lakshman’s great strength of arm.
‘Son, who can tell or comprehend
Your might and majesty?
But before doing anything, it is well to deliberate carefully
If the deed is right or wrong, say all.
One who acts without thought and later repents
Is unwise, as the Vedas and the learned declare.’
Hearing these words of the gods, Lakshman was abashed,
But Ram and Sita respectfully said to him,
‘Dear brother, you gave us prudent advice—
The wine of royal power is the most intoxicating of all,
And those kings who do not serve the holy and the good
Become maddened by a single sip.
But listen, Lakshman—goodness like Bharat’s,
Has not been seen or heard of in Vidhi’s creation.
Bharat would never be intoxicated by royal power,
Even if he were given the thrones of Vidhi, Hari and Har,
For can a few drops of sour kanji ever
Curdle the celestial ocean of milk?
(231)
Darkness might swallow the noonday sun,
The sky merge and become one with the clouds,
Or Ghatjoni might drown in the puddle made by a cow’s hoof,
The earth aba
ndon her natural forbearance,
Or a mosquito’s breath blow Mount Meru away—
But, dear brother, Bharat can never be intoxicated by the wine of kingly power.
Lakshman, I swear by you and our father,
There is no brother as true and good as Bharat.
By mixing the milk of virtue with the water of sin, little brother,
Did the Creator fashion this world.
But Bharat is the swan born on the lake of the solar line,
Who has separated good from evil.
Choosing the milk of virtue and discarding the water of sin,
He has illuminated the world with his renown.’
Speaking of Bharat’s virtues and his good and gentle nature,
Raghurao was immersed in a sea of love.
The gods, hearing Raghubar’s words
And seeing his love for Bharat,
All began to praise him, saying,
‘What Lord is as compassionate as Ram?
(232)
Had Bharat not taken birth in this world,
Who would have been the upholder of all dharma on earth?
The enumeration of Bharat’s virtues is beyond all poets,
For who but you can comprehend them, Raghunath?’
Lakshman, Ram and Sita, upon hearing these words of the gods,
Felt such joy as cannot be described.
Meanwhile, Bharat and all his retinue,
Bathed in the pure and sacred Mandakini.
Then, leaving everyone by the river,
And with the permission of his mother, his guru and his minister,
Bharat went to where Sita and Ram were,
Taking with him the Nishad chief and his young brother.
Thinking of his mother’s doings, Bharat cringed with shame,
And formed countless worries in his mind—
‘May Ram, Lakshman and Sita, hearing my name,
Not get up and go somewhere else, abandoning this place.
If he takes me to be my mother’s accomplice,
Nothing he might do would be too harsh.
But considering me on his side, he will forgive
My sins and faults and receive me with kindness.
(233)
But whether he spurns me as a black-hearted wretch,
Or honours me as his faithful servant,
My only refuge is Ram’s sandals,
For Ram is a good master, and the fault all lies in his servant.