The Ramcharitmanas 2
Page 24
(305)
Your protector and mine, as well as our people’s—
At home or in the forest—is the grace of our guru.
Obedience to the command of a mother, father, guru, or master
Is the celestial Sheshnag, bearing the earth of all dharma.
So act accordingly, and enable me to do the same.
Dear brother, be the protector of the solar line!
To an aspirant, this sole practice gives all spiritual accomplishments—
It is the triple stream of renown, power and salvation.
Reflecting upon this, though the grief you must endure will be heavy,
Make our subjects and our kinsfolk happy.
My misfortune has been shared by all, brother,
But upon you will be the greatest hardship for the entire duration of my exile.
Though I know that you are gentle and sweet, I speak harsh words,
But given these contrary times, it is not unjustified on my part.
In calamitous times, a good brother alone is one’s helper,
Just as even a thunderbolt’s strike is deflected by the shield of one’s hand.’
A servant should be like hands, feet and eyes,
And the master, the mouth.
Hearing of this way of love, says Tulsi,
Good poets praise it.
(306)
When the whole assembly heard Raghubar’s speech,
Steeped in nectar churned from the ocean of love,
All were overcome and entranced by love—
Seeing their state, Sharada herself was silent.
Bharat became supremely content—
His Lord was before him, and sorrow and guilt had left him.
His face joyous, his heart free of anguish,
Like a mute favoured by Gira with the gift of speech,
He again made loving obeisance
And folding his lotus hands, said,
‘Lord, I have obtained the joy of having accompanied you
And received the reward of birth into this world.
Now, compassionate one, I will reverently and humbly do
Whatever you command.
But, divine Lord, give me some tangible support,
By the help of which I may pass the period of your exile.
Divine Lord, for your coronation,
And following our guru’s instruction,
I have brought with me water from all the holy places.
What is your command regarding this?
(307)
And I have one more great longing in my heart,
But out of fear and awe, I cannot say it.’
‘Tell me, dear brother,’ said Ram, and thus receiving the Lord’s permission,
Bharat replied in soft and loving tones.
‘Chitrakut, its holy places and sacred forests,
Its birds and deer, its lakes, streams, waterfalls, its range of hills,
And especially its earth, marked with the imprint of your feet, Lord—
If you give me permission, I would like to go and see them all.’
‘Of course, dear brother! Honour the sage Atri’s commands,
And roam without fear through these woods and groves.
It is the muni’s favour that makes this forest so benevolent,
So pure and supremely beautiful, my brother.
And wherever the lord of the rishis commands,
There deposit the water from the holy sites.’
Bharat was delighted to hear the Lord’s words,
And joyfully went and bowed his head at the muni’s lotus feet.
Upon hearing Bharat and Ram’s conversation—
The root of all well-being—
The selfish gods praised the Raghu dynasty,
And rained down flowers from the divine Kalpataru.
(308)
‘Praised be Bharat! Glory to Lord Ram!’
Cried the gods with great delight.
Vasishtha, Mithila’s king and all the assembly
Rejoiced to hear Bharat’s words.
The king of Videha, trembling with joy, praised
The virtues of Bharat and Ram and their mutual love,
The charming dispositions of servant and master,
And their loyalty and love, that made even the purest pure.
The ministers and councillors were enraptured,
And all began to praise the brothers, each according to his understanding.
Hearing and listening to Ram and Bharat’s conversation,
The hearts of both parties were filled with joy and sorrow.
Ram’s mother, knowing joy and sorrow to be the same,
Comforted the other queens, relating Ram’s virtues.
Some spoke of Raghubir’s greatness,
While others praised Bharat’s goodness.
Then Atri said to Bharat,
‘Close by this mountain is a beautiful well.
Pour into it the water from the holy sites,
Pure, sweet as nectar, and without compare.’
(309)
Bharat, receiving Atri’s permission,
Despatched all the water vessels,
And with his brother Shatrughna, the sage Atri, and other holy men,
Himself went to that deep and fathomless well,
And deposited the pure water in that sacred place.
Delighted, Atri lovingly said,
‘Son, this place has brought success to the aspirant from eternity,
But hidden by time, it was known to no one.
Then my disciples, perceiving this spot to be endowed with subterranean springs,
Dug a deep well here for this good water.
Now, by Fate’s decree, the whole world has been benefitted—
That religious merit which was considered most difficult, has now become easily attainable.
From now on, people will call this “Bharat’s well”,
Made most pure by having mixed into it water from the holy sites.
All those who bathe in it with love and according to ritual,
Will become pure in deed, thought and speech.’
Relating the well’s glory,
Everyone returned to Raghurao,
And Atri related to Raghubir,
The sacred effect of that holy place.
(310)
In lovingly narrating sacred legends,
The night pleasantly passed and soon it was dawn.
After performing their daily rituals, and having received
Permission from Ram, Atri and their guru, Bharat and Shatrughna
Set off with their retinue, all simply clad,
To wander Ram’s forest on foot.
As they walked without shoes upon their tender feet,
Earth grew embarrassed and made her surface soft and smooth.
Spiky blades of kush grass, thorns, pebbles, cracks and crevices,
And all such sharp, hard and unpleasant things she hid.
Earth made their path pleasant and easy,
While cool, soft and fragrant breezes blew, giving delight.
The gods rained down flowers, the clouds spread their shade,
The trees burst into flower and bore fruit, the grass grew soft,
And the deer with their glances, the birds with their sweet calls,
All served Bharat knowing him to be Ram’s beloved brother.
When an ordinary man can easily attain all accomplishments
Merely by saying ‘Ram’ while yawning,
For Bharat, as dear as life to Ram,
This was no great wonder.
(311)
In this manner, Bharat roamed the forest,
And seeing his devotion and love, even the munis were overawed.
The sacred ponds and lakes, the tracts of land,
The birds, deer, trees, grass, hills, groves and gardens
Were all extraordinarily beautiful and especially pure and holy.
Seeing their divine beauty, Bhar
at asked about them.
Atri, king of rishis, heard his question and with a joyous heart told him
Their origin, name, attributes and spiritual efficacy.
In some places Bharat bathed, in others he paid homage,
Or simply gazed at their heart-enchanting beauty,
And in others, with the muni’s permission, he sat
Meditating upon Sita and his two brothers.
Seeing his noble nature, his love and devoted service,
The forest gods were delighted and gave him their blessings.
So he would wander for two and a half watches of each day,
Before returning to gaze upon the lotus feet of his Lord.
In five days, Bharat
Saw all the sacred spots and holy places,
And in relating and listening to the radiant glory of Hari and Har,
The fifth day also passed, and it was dusk.
(312)
Next morning at dawn, after bathing, all assembled,
With Bharat, the Brahmans and Terahuti’s king.
Though knowing in his heart that it was an auspicious day for them to leave,
Ram, in his compassion, did not say so.
Seeing his guru, the king, Bharat and the gathering,
Ram hesitated and lowered his gaze to the ground.
The whole assembly praised his gentle goodness, thinking,
‘Nowhere is there a master as courteous as Ram!’
But wise Bharat understood Ram’s wish,
And lovingly rose, gathering all his courage.
Prostrating himself before Ram, he said with folded hands,
‘Lord, you have honoured all my wishes.
For my sake, everyone has endured hardship,
And you, too, have suffered in many ways.
Now, Lord, give me your permission
To go back and serve Avadh for the duration of your exile.
By whatever means, this servant may see
Your feet again, merciful Lord—
Instruct me in those means, compassionate king of Koshal,
For the duration of your exile.
(313)
The people of Avadh, your kinsfolk and your subjects, Lord,
Are all made pure steeped in joy because of their bond of love with you.
The fiery anguish of birth and rebirth is worth it for your sake;
Without you, even salvation is worthless.
Lord, you are all-wise, and know the hearts of all,
And the wishes, longings and devotion of your servant’s heart.
Protector of suppliants, you protect us all,
And sustain both this world and the next, divine Lord, till the very end.
Such is my total and complete faith,
And even when I reflect upon it, I have not the slightest doubt,
But my own misery, combined with my Lord’s love,
Made me too bold.
Removing this great fault of mine, master,
And abandoning hesitation, instruct your devoted servant.’
All those who heard Bharat’s entreaty, praised it,
For it was like the swan that separates milk from water.
The befriender of the humble heard
His own brother’s humble and guileless words,
And then, in accordance with place, time and circumstance,
Ram, the all-wise, spoke.
(314)
‘Dear brother, your care and mine and of our kinsfolk,
At home or in the forest, rests with our guru and the king.
As long our guru and the king of Mithila are our guardians,
You and I will suffer no distress even in our dreams.
Our supreme purpose, yours and mine,
Our self-interest, renown, duty and salvation,
All lie in this, that we two brothers follow our father’s command—
By thus honouring the king’s vow, the dignity of the world and the Vedas will be maintained.
Following the instruction of guru, father, mother and master,
Our feet will not stumble into a ditch even if we must travel a difficult road.
Reflecting upon this, put aside all worry,
And go back to nurture and protect Avadh for the duration of my exile.
The realm, the treasury, our family and household—
Their burden rests upon the dust of our guru’s feet,
While you will protect our lands, subjects and capital city
In obedience to the instructions of the muni, our mothers and the ministers.’
A ruler must be like the mouth,
Which alone eats and drinks,
But nourishes and protects all the parts of the body,
Says Tulsi, with wisdom and discretion.
(315)
Herein lies the whole of a king’s dharma,
Like desires lie hidden within the heart.’
Ram consoled his brother in many ways,
But without some tangible support, Bharat’s mind found neither comfort nor peace.
Before Bharat’s goodness, and their guru, ministers and people,
Raghuraj was overpowered by modesty and love,
And so, the Lord graciously gave him his sandals,
Which Bharat reverently accepted and placed upon his head.
The wooden sandals of the abode of compassion
Were like twin guardians of his people’s lives,
A casket for the jewel that was Bharat’s love,
The two syllables of Ram’s name that bring salvation to people,
The two doors to guard the house of Raghu, two hands for good and noble work,
And the clear eyes of service and righteousness.
Receiving this support, Bharat was as delighted
As if Sita and Ram had agreed to remain in Avadh.
Bowing reverently, he asked permission to depart,
And Ram clasped him to his heart.
But malevolent Indra, lord of the immortals,
Seized this evil chance to make the people sad and weary.
(316)
But his villainous act proved good for all—
Like the hope of the end of Ram’s exile, it became the life-giving Sanjivani of their lives,
Otherwise, all would have died, distraught, of the fatal disease
That was the grief of separation from Lakshman, Sita and Ram.
By Ram’s grace, this difficulty was resolved,
And the hostile army of immortals became a benevolent protector.
Ram gathered Bharat in his arms and hugged him—
The bliss that is derived from his love cannot be described.
Ram’s body, mind and speech overflowed with love,
So that that epitome of self-restraint abandoned composure,
And tears flowed from his lotus eyes.
Seeing his state, the assembled gods grew sorrowful,
And even those as steadfast as the munis, the guru and Janak—
The gold of whose minds had been refined in the fire of wisdom,
And whom Viranchi had created free from attachment,
Like lotus leaves born in the water that is this world—
Even they, seeing Raghubar and Bharat’s
Incomparable and infinite love,
Were drowned in it—mind, body and speech,
Together with their detachment and discernment.
(317)
When the minds of Janak and the guru were overcome,
To call it common or ordinary would be a great mistake,
And to hear the description of the parting of Raghubar and Bharat
Would make the people think the poet cruel.
The tenderness of that moment is inexpressible, and the poet’s sweet voice,
Remembering that loving moment, hesitates.
Raghubar embraced Bharat and comforted him,
And then gladly drew Ripudavanxvii to his heart.
Servants and ministers, with Bhar
at’s approval,
Left and set about their tasks.
Both parties were profoundly sad to hear this,
And began to make preparations to leave.
After making obeisance at the Lord’s lotus feet, the two brothers
Set out, in reverent obedience to Ram’s command,
Paying homage to munis, ascetics and forest gods
And honouring them again and again.
They embraced Lakshman and paid him homage,
Placed the dust of Sita’s feet upon their heads,
And hearing her blessing, root of all well-being,
They lovingly set forth.
(318)
Ram and his younger brother bowed their heads to the king,
With many expressions of humility and respect.
‘Lord, moved by pity, you have suffered great anguish,
In coming to the forest with your retinue.
Now give us your blessing and set out for your city.’
Composing himself, the lord of the earth departed.
Ram honoured the munis, Brahmans and ascetics,
And took leave of them considering them to be the same as Hari and Har.
The two brothers then went to their mother-in-law,
Paid homage to her feet, and receiving her blessing, returned.
Then the sages Kaushik, Vamdev, Jabali,
The people of the city, his kinsfolk and faithful ministers—
In the proper manner, with humble salutation,
Ram, with his brother, took his leave of them all.
Men and women, of low, middling, or high station,
Were honoured and sent back by the treasure-house of mercy.
The Lord saluted the feet of Bharat’s mother
And embraced her with purest love.
Removing all her shame and grief,
He placed her in a palanquin, and took his leave of her.
(319)
Sita met her kinsfolk, mother and father,
And returned, pure in her love for her husband beloved as life.
She made obeisance to all her mothers-in-law and embraced them—
The poet’s heart hesitates to describe that love.
Listening to their instruction, and receiving the desired blessing,
Sita remained immersed in both loves.60
Raghupati called for elegant palanquins,
And, with consoling words, helped all his mothers into them.