The Ramcharitmanas 2

by Tulsidas

  Only the chatak and the fish are deserving of glory in this world,

  For their vows of fidelity and love, which they are adept in keeping ever new.’51

  Thinking such thoughts, Bharat walked on,

  His limbs made weak with diffidence and love.

  His mother’s vile deed would have dragged him back,

  But the strength of his fortitude and devotion, like a sturdy bullock, pulled him forward,

  And whenever he thought of Raghunath’s loving nature,

  His feet moved swiftly on the path.

  Bharat’s state at that time

  Was like that of a water-insect upon the current of a stream.

  Beholding Bharat’s anxiety and love,

  The Nishad chief lost all awareness of his own self at that moment.

  Auspicious omens began to occur,

  And the Nishad, hearing and reflecting upon them, said,

  ‘Sorrow will disappear and joy emerge,

  Though there will be sorrow again in the end.’

  (234)

  Knowing his servant’s words to be all true,

  Bharat drew near the ashram.

  Gazing upon its forests and mountains,

  He was as delighted as a starving man finding a good meal.

  Like people terrified of calamities,

  Tormented by the triple afflictions, or troubled by planets or pestilence,

  Who run away to a well-governed and prosperous land and find bliss—

  Bharat’s state was exactly like theirs.

  The riches of the forest where Ram lived shone bright,

  Like happy subjects who had found a good king.

  Detachment was the minister, discernment their king,

  The beautiful forest their pure and sacred country,

  Self-restraint and moral discipline the warriors, the mountain the capital city,

  And peace and good sense the virtuous and lovely queens—

  That good king’s kingdom was complete in all parts,

  His heart filled with bliss, for he had taken refuge at Ram’s feet.

  Having conquered the king that is delusion and his army,

  The monarch of discernment

  Reigned without impediment,

  And there was joy, prosperity and plenty in his city.

  (235)

  In this forest realm, the numerous dwellings of munis and holy men

  Were like groups of cities, towns, villages and hamlets,

  And the many rare and wonderful birds and animals

  Were his subjects beyond count.

  Rhinoceros, elephant, lion, tiger, boar,

  Buffalo and bull—the king’s magnificent entourage was a sight to praise and admire.

  Forgetting their natural enmity, they grazed together,

  Roaming everywhere like the king’s fourfold army,52

  Waterfalls thundered and mast elephants trumpeted,

  Like the sounding of drums of many kinds.

  Flocks of chakwas, chakors, chataks, parrots, koels

  And graceful swans sweetly called with happy hearts.

  Swarms of bees hummed and peacocks danced,

  In celebration everywhere across that happy kingdom.

  Vines, trees and grasses bore flowers and fruit,

  And the whole land was a source of happiness and bliss.

  Seeing the splendour of Ram’s mountain,

  Bharat’s heart was filled with profound love,

  And he was as blissful as an ascetic who,

  Completing his vows of austerity, finally receives their fruit.

  (236)

  The boatman, Guha, then ran and climbed up high

  And raising his arm, called out to Bharat,

  ‘Master, look at those great trees—

  Pakar, jambu, mango and tamal,

  And in the midst of those noble trees, a magnificent banyan,

  Beautiful and vast, its sight captivates the heart.

  Its leaves are dense and dark, its fruit red,

  And its deep shade is pleasing in all seasons,

  As though Vidhi had gathered together darkness and the red light of dawn

  And from them, fashioned this tree of beauty.

  That tree, master, is close to the river

  Where stands Raghubar’s hut of leaves.

  Many graceful tulsi shrubs grow there,

  Some planted by Sita, some by Lakshman.

  And in the shade of this very banyan tree is a fire-altar

  Built by Sita with her own lovely lotus hands,

  Where, in the company of munis and sages,

  Daily sit wise Sita and Ram,

  And listen to all the tales and legends

  From the Vedas, the Shastras and Puranas.’

  (237)

  Hearing his friend’s words and seeing those trees,

  Bharat’s eyes overflowed with tears.

  The two brothers paid reverent homage as they went,

  And even Sharada herself was hesitant to describe their love.

  On seeing Ram’s footprints, they rejoiced

  Like paupers finding the philosopher’s stone.

  Placing their dust upon their heads, hearts and eyelids,

  They felt the bliss of meeting Raghubar himself.

  Seeing Bharat’s utterly indescribable state,

  Birds, beasts and all created beings, animate or inanimate, were lost in love.

  Their guide, Guha, was so overwhelmed with love that he lost the way,

  But the gods revealed the right path and rained down flowers.

  Looking upon them, Siddhas and sages were filled with love

  And began to praise Bharat’s simple and sincere affection.

  ‘Had Bharat not been born upon this earth,

  Who would have made the inanimate animate, and the animate inanimate?

  For the benefit of the gods and the sages, the compassionate Lord, Raghubar,

  Churned the deep and fathomless ocean that is Bharat

  With the Mount Mandar of his anguish at separation from Ram,

  And brought forth the amrit that is love.

  (238)

  The two handsome brothers and their companion Guha

  Were hidden by the dense forest, so Lakshman did not see them.

  But Bharat saw the Lord’s pure and sacred ashram,

  The lovely abode of all blessings.

  As he entered the ashram, the fire of his grief was extinguished,

  As though a yogi had attained salvation.

  He saw Lakshman standing in front of the Lord,

  Lovingly replying to some question,

  With matted hair upon his head, a hermit’s bark cloth tied round his waist,

  His quiver fastened, arrows in hand, and his bow at his shoulder.

  Around the fire-altar was gathered a company of munis and sages

  And amidst them, with Sita, was Raghuraj resplendent

  In his garments of bark, with matted hair, and his dark form—

  It seemed as though Rati and Kamdev had taken on the guise of munis.

  His lotus hands played with his bow and arrows,

  And his smiling glance removed the heart’s burning anguish.

  In the midst of that noble company of saints,

  Sita and the moon of the Raghus shone bright

  As though, in wisdom’s assembly,

  Bhakti and the brahm had taken bodily form.

  (239)

  With his brother and his friend, Bharat was so immersed in love for Ram,

  That he forgot all joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain.

  Crying, ‘Protect me, Lord! Protect me, my master!’

  He fell prostrate upon the ground.

  Lakshman recognized his loving voice

  And knew at once that it was Bharat making obeisance—

  On one side was his great love for his brother,

  And on the other the powerful demand of service to his master.

  He could not embrace h
im, nor could he shun him—

  Only a great poet could describe the state of Lakshman’s heart.

  Giving greater weight to Ram’s service, Lakshman stayed where he was,

  Like a soaring kite tugged back by its flier.

  Bowing his head to the ground, he lovingly said,

  ‘It is Bharat who salutes you, Raghunath.’

  Hearing this, Ram sprang up, impatient in his love,

  Shoulder-cloth falling, quiver, bow and arrows dropping from his hands.

  Firmly raising him up,

  The compassionate Lord clasped Bharat to his heart.

  All those who saw the meeting of Bharat and Ram,

  Lost all awareness of themselves.

  (240)

  How can the love of their meeting be described?

  It is beyond poets, in thought, deed and word.

  Both brothers, Bharat and Ram, were filled with supreme love,

  Mind, reason, intellect and pride forgotten.

  Tell me, who could reveal such great love?

  What shadow of it should the poet’s mind follow?

  A poet’s true strength lies only in word and meaning,

  As a dancer moves only according to the beat.

  Bharat and Raghubar’s love is beyond conception

  Even for the hearts of Vidhi, Hari and Har.

  So how can I, with my dull mind, describe it?

  Can melodious music be played on strings of coarse grass?

  Seeing the meeting of Bharat and Raghubar,

  The gods grew afraid and their hearts beat faster.

  It was only when their guru explained that those blockheads awoke

  And began raining down flowers, praising and applauding.

  After lovingly greeting Ripusudan,

  Ram embraced the Nishad chief,

  While Bharat embraced Lakshman with great love

  As he, with reverence, greeted him.

  (241)

  Lakshman embraced his younger twin, Shatrughna, with a shout,

  And then clasped the Nishad to his breast.

  Then the two brothers, Bharat and Shatrughna, paid homage to the gathering of munis,

  And upon receiving from them the desired blessing, rejoiced.

  Their hearts overflowing with love, Bharat and his younger brother

  Placed the dust of Sita’s lotus feet upon their heads

  And saluted her again and again. She raised them up,

  Stroking their heads with her lotus hands, and seated them.

  Sita blessed them in her heart,

  And, immersed in love, she had no awareness of her own body.

  Perceiving Sita well-disposed to them in every way,

  They became free of worry and their fears disappeared.

  No one said a word or asked anything,

  Their hearts were filled with love and empty of their usual restive ways.

  Then the Nishad chief composed himself,

  And saluting with folded hands, humbly said,

  ‘Lord, together with the lord of munis,

  Distressed by separation from you, have come

  The mothers, all the people of the city,

  Your servants, military commanders and ministers.’

  (242)

  When Ram, the ocean of propriety and courtesy, heard that his guru had come,

  He left Ripudamanxii there with Sita,

  And quickly went, that very instant,

  He, the steadfast upholder of dharma, and the all-merciful Lord.

  Seeing his guru, he and Lakshman were overcome with affection,

  But as the Lord began to prostrate himself,

  The great muni ran and clasped him to his heart.

  And embraced both brothers with overflowing love.

  Guha, trembling with love, gave his name,

  And from a distance, made obeisance, prostrating reverently.

  But the rishi firmly raised up and embraced Ram’s friend,

  As though gathering up love that had fallen upon the ground.

  ‘Devotion to Raghupati is the root of all blessing!’

  Cried the gods in the sky as they sang his praises and rained down flowers.

  ‘There is no one more lowly than the Nishad,

  And no one more exalted than Vasishtha in the world.

  Yet the king of sages, seeing him,

  Meets him with greater delight than he did Lakshman,

  And so makes manifest the glorious power

  Of devotion to Sita’s Lord!’

  (243)

  Ram knew how distressed the people were,

  For he is the compassionate and all-wise God,

  Therefore, whatever was the wish of each person,

  He satisfied according to his longing.

  He and his brother embraced them all in an instant,

  And put out the terrible fire of their anguish.

  This was no great feat for Ram—

  It was like the single sun reflected in millions of water-pots.

  Embracing their Nishad guide with joyous affection,

  The citizens of Ayodhya all praised his good fortune.

  Ram saw that his mothers were sorrowful,

  Like a row of graceful vines blighted by frost.

  Ram embraced Kaikeyi first,

  Melting her heart with his innate and simple devotion.

  Then falling at her feet, he consoled her,

  Attributing all blame to time, karma and fate.

  Raghubar embraced all his mothers,

  And consoled and comforted them all, saying,

  ‘Mother, the world is subservient to God,

  So no one should be blamed.’

  (244)

  The two brothers, Ram and Lakshman, touched the feet of their guru’s wife, Arundhati,

  And those of the Brahman wives who had come with her,

  Honouring them all as they would Ganga and Gauri,

  And the delighted women blessed them in sweet voices.

  After touching her feet, they hugged Sumitra

  Like destitutes clutching treasure.

  Then the two brothers fell at Kaushalya’s feet,

  Their limbs trembling with love.

  Their mother clasped them to her heart with profound affection,

  And bathed them in tears of love.

  But the joy and sorrow of that moment—

  How can a poet describe them? Can a mute describe taste?

  After greeting their mothers, Raghurao and his brother Lakshman

  Invited their guru to come with them to their ashram.

  The townspeople, receiving the muni’s command,

  Began searching for water and suitable spots close by and setting up camp.

  Taking with them Brahmans, the minister, their mothers, the guru

  And some selected people,

  Bharat, Lakshman and Raghunath

  Proceeded to the sacred ashram.

  (245)

  Sita came and embraced the great muni’s feet,

  And received the appropriate blessing her heart desired.

  The guru’s wife and the wives of the other munis

  Met her with love that is beyond description.

  One by one, Sita touched their feet

  And received their words of blessing so dear to her heart.

  But when the young and gentle Sita saw all her mothers-in-law,

  She grew afraid and shut her eyes,

  For they looked like swans fallen into the clutches of a fowler.

  ‘What has cruel providence done!’ she wondered.

  Looking at Sita, they too were deeply distressed, but reflected,

  ‘We must endure what fate gives us to suffer!’

  Then Janak’s daughter took courage in her heart,

  And with her blue-lotus eyes full of tears,

  Went and met all her mothers-in-law—

  At that moment, tenderness and compassion spread over the earth.

  Falling at the feet of each of he
r mothers-in-law,

  Sita met them with deep affection.

  Overcome by love, they blessed her from their hearts,

  ‘May you always remain a happy wife, beloved of your husband.’

  (246)

  Sita and the queens were distracted with love,

  But the wise guru bade them all sit down.

  The lord of munis then spoke of the illusory nature of the world,

  And discoursed a little on salvation and spiritual truth.

  He then told of the king’s departure for the abode of the gods—

  Hearing this, Raghunath was overcome by profound grief,

  And realizing that the king had died out of love for him,

  He, the most composed and forbearing of all, grew deeply troubled.

  Hearing these bitter words, cruel as a thunderbolt,

  Lakshman, Sita and the queens began to weep and wail,

  And the whole company was so distraught with grief,

  It was as though the king had just died that very day.

  Then the noble muni comforted Ram,

  And he and all the assembly bathed in the sacred Mandakini.

  That day, the Lord fasted, abstaining even from water,

  And despite the muni’s urging, no one else took any water either.

  At dawn the next day, Raghunandan

  Followed the orders given by the muni—

  With faith and devotion, the Lord

  Reverently performed all the ceremonies.

  (247)

  Performing his father’s last rites as prescribed in the Vedas,

  He, the sun to the darkness of impurity, became pure again.

  He, whose name is the fire to the cotton wick of suffering and sin,

  And remembering whom is the root of all good fortune,

  Became pure. The sages and sadhus agree that it was as if

  The divine stream of the Ganga had been sanctified by invoking other sacred streams.

  When two days had passed after his purification,

  Ram said affectionately to his guru,

  ‘Master, our people are all so miserable here,

  Living on tubers, roots, wild fruits and water.

  When I look at Bharat and Shatrughna, at the ministers, and all my mothers,

  A moment seems to me like an aeon.

  Return with all of them to the city,

  For you are here, and the king in Amaravati, Indra’s abode.