Chapter 2(30)
With Vaidehi, the two Raghavas gave away a lot of riches to brahmanas. With Sita, they then went to see their father. They took those blazing weapons, which were so difficult to look at. Sita adorned them with heaps of garlands. The mansions in the palace were like the tips of celestial vehicles. However, the prosperous and handsome people who ascended them seemed to be indifferent. The roads were full of many anxious people and it was impossible to walk. Therefore, they climbed up to the palaces and distressed, glanced at Raghava. Those people saw Rama on foot, having cast aside his umbrella. With their senses distraught because of their sorrow, they uttered many kinds of words. ‘He used to be followed by a large army with the four limbs.114 He is now alone with Sita, followed by Lakshmana. He possessed riches. Though he knew about the essence of desire, he is the one who granted objects of desire. Because he revered dharma, he did not desire to make his father’s words come false. The people who are on the royal road today can see Sita. Earlier, even creatures that flew through the sky were unable to see her. Sita applied unguents to her body and used red sandalwood paste. Rains, heat and cold will quickly render her pale. Truly, a spirit that has entered Dasharatha has spoken today. The king should not have exiled his beloved son. Even if a son is devoid of qualities, how can he be exiled, not to speak of a person who has conquered the world through his qualities? There are six qualities that adorn Raghava, best among men—non-injury, compassion, learning, good conduct, self-control and tranquility. The entire world is afflicted because this lord of the world is afflicted, just as a tree with flowers and fruit suffers when its foundation is destroyed. Like Lakshmana is following him, with our wives and our relatives, we will quickly go wherever Raghava is going. Abandoning the groves, fields and houses, we will follow Rama, who observes dharma, and endure the same kind of happiness and unhappiness. Treasures dug up,115 desolate courtyards bereft of grains and riches, the best objects removed in every way, enveloped by dust and abandoned by the gods—let Kaikeyee enjoy those houses discarded by us. Since Raghava is going there, let the forest become a city. Since we are abandoning it, let the city become a forest. Since we have abandoned it, let fanged creatures in holes and animals and birds from the mountains inhabit this place. As long as we were here, they had abandoned it.’ The large number of people uttered such diverse words. Though he heard them, Rama’s mind was not disturbed. Though he saw that the people were distressed, his mind was not disturbed and he seemed to be smiling. Wishing to follow his father’s instructions in the proper way, Rama went to see his father. The great-souled Rama, the son of the descendant of Ikshvaku, saw that the suta Sumantra was in front of him, miserable at the prospect of his leaving for the forest. He waited, so that he could be announced to his great-souled father. He was devoted to dharma and to obey his father’s command, had made up his mind to go to the forest. On seeing Sumantra, Raghava told him, ‘Tell the king that I have come.’
Chapter 2(31)
Sent by Rama, the suta entered quickly and saw the king, whose senses were tormented. He was sighing. The immensely wise one saw that his senses were greatly afflicted. He was grieving over Rama. With hands joined in salutation, the suta approached. ‘Your son, tiger among men, is waiting at the door. He has given away all his riches to brahmanas and the dependents. O fortunate one! Let Rama, for whom truth is his valour, see you. Having taken his leave of all the well-wishers, he wishes to see you now. O lord of the earth! He will leave for the great forest. See him. He is surrounded by all the royal qualities, like the sun with its rays.’ That Indra among men116 was truthful in speech. He had dharma in his soul. He was like the ocean in his gravity. He was like the sky in cleanliness and replied, ‘O Sumantra! Bring all my wives who are present. I wish to see Raghava when I am surrounded by all my wives.’ He passed through to the inner quarters and addressed the women in these words. ‘O noble ones! The king has summoned you. You should go there without delay.’ Sumantra addressed all those women and told them about the king’s command. Knowing about the king’s command, they went to their husband’s residence. Three hundred and fifty women, with coppery red eyes and firm in their vows, surrounded Kousalya and went there slowly. When the wives had arrived, the king glanced at them. The king told the suta Sumantra, ‘Bring my son here.’
Quickly, the suta brought Rama, Lakshmana and Maithilee and went to where the king was. From a distance, the king saw his son arriving, hands joined in salutation. Surrounded by the miserable women, he swiftly arose from his seat. On seeing Rama, the king speedily advanced towards him. However, before reaching him, afflicted by sorrow, he fell down on the ground, senseless. Rama and maharatha Lakshmana saw that the king had fallen down, afflicted by sorrow and grief. Mixed with the sound of the tinkling of ornaments, the wails of thousands of women suddenly arose from the palace, ‘Alas, Rama! Alas!’ With Sita, the weeping Rama and Lakshmana raised him with their arms and laid him down on a bed. Soon, the king regained his senses, though he was still submerged in an ocean of grief. Joining his hands in salutation, Rama told him, ‘For all of us, you are the lord. O great king! I seek your leave. I am leaving for Dandakaranya. Look on me with kindly eyes. Permit Lakshmana and Sita to follow me to the forest. Despite being restrained by many kinds of reasons, they do not wish to remain here. O one who grants honours! Abandon grief and grant all of us permission, like Prajapati did to his sons.’117 Rama waited anxiously for the king’s permission to reside in the forest. The king glanced towards Raghava and replied, ‘O Raghava! Because I had granted boons to Kaikeyee, I was confused. Imprison me and become the king of Ayodhya today.’ The king addressed Rama, who was supreme among the upholders of dharma, in this way. The one who was eloquent in the use of words joined his hands in salutation and replied to his father. ‘O king! May you be the lord of the earth for one thousand years. I will reside in the forest. I must not act so as to make you false.’ ‘O son!118 For your benefit, advance fearlessly along the auspicious path, without any distractions, until you return. O son! However, it is night now, when one should never leave. Do not go today. Spend this night with your mother and me, so that we can see you. Having satisfied yourself with all the objects of desire, leave at the appropriate time tomorrow.’ Hearing the words spoken by their miserable father, Rama, and his brother Lakshmana, were distressed. He119 spoke these words. ‘Even if we obtain these objects with qualities today, who will give them to us tomorrow? Therefore, without these objects of desire, I wish to leave this place. I have abandoned the earth and this kingdom, full of people, wealth and grain. May it be given to Bharata. Abandon this grief. Don’t let your eyes overflow with tears. The ocean, the lord of the rivers, cannot be assailed and is not agitated. I do not wish for the kingdom, happiness, Maithilee, or you. O bull among men! Without any falsehood, I desire the truth. Forsaken by me, this city, kingdom and the entire earth should be given to Bharata. I will follow your instructions. I will go to the forest and dwell there for a long time. Forsaken by me, let this entire earth, with its mountains, boulders, cities, groves and frontiers, be given to Bharata, so that he can justly rule over it. Let it be the way you have pledged. O king! My mind does not hanker after great objects of desire or what brings pleasure to my own self. As is instructed by the virtuous, I will follow your command. O unblemished one! Do not be miserable on my account. O unblemished one! Therefore, right now, I do not desire the undecaying kingdom, happiness or Maithilee. When I am associated with falsehood, I do not wish to remain alive. I desire that the pledge of truth should come true. We will eat fruits and roots in the forest. We will see the mountains, rivers and lakes. We will enter the forest, with its wonderful trees. May you be happy. Let us withdraw.’120
Chapter 2(32)
The descendant of the Ikshvaku lineage121 was afflicted because of the pledge he had himself given. Shedding tears, he sighed repeatedly and spoke to Sumantra. ‘O suta! Let an army with the four kinds of forces be prepared. Let it be given all the jewels, so that it can quickly fo
llow Raghava. Let the prince’s army be extensive. Let it be adorned with courtesans who are good in conduct and extremely rich merchants. Engage all those dependents whose valour he takes delight in and give them many kinds of gifts. Once he kills deer and elephants, tastes honey from the forest and sees many rivers, he will not remember the kingdom. Let my store of grain and store of riches follow Rama, as he goes to reside in the desolate forest. He will then reside happily in the forest. He will be able to summon the rishis and perform sacrifices in auspicious spots, giving away the appropriate dakshina. The mighty-armed Bharata will rule over Ayodhya. However, let all the objects of desire be arranged for the prosperous Rama.’
When Kakutstha spoke in this way, Kaikeyee was overcome by fear. Her mouth went dry and her voice also choked. Pale and frightened, Kaikeyee spoke these words. ‘All the virtuous people will leave the kingdom and it will be like a vessel from which the liquor has been drunk. It will be empty, bereft of all essence. Bharata will not accept it.’ Kaikeyee discarded her shame and spoke these extremely terrible words. King Dasharatha spoke these words to the large-eyed one. ‘Having imposed this unfortunate burden on me, why do you strike me when I am bearing the burden?’ Kaikeyee became doubly angry and addressed the king. ‘It is in your lineage that Sagara cast away his eldest son, known as Asamanja. He122 should also leave in that way.’ Thus addressed, King Dasharatha said, ‘Shame.’ All the people were ashamed, but she did not perceive this. There was an aged adviser who was virtuous and was greatly revered by the king. His name was Siddhartha and he addressed Kaikeyee. ‘Asamanja seized children playing in the streets and flung them into the waters of the Sarayu. The evil-minded one took pleasure in this. On seeing this, all the citizens were angry and told the king, “O extender of the kingdom! You have to choose between us and Asamanja.” At this, the king asked them, “What are you scared of?” Thus asked by the king, the ordinary people spoke these words. “When our sons are playing, the foolish one, confounded in his sense, seizes those children and flings them into the Sarayu. He obtains infinite delight from this.” Hearing the words of the ordinary people, the king wished to bring pleasure to them and cast aside his inauspicious son. This is what King Sagara, extremely devoted to dharma, did. What wicked act has Rama perpetrated that he should be restrained?’ The king heard Siddhartha’s words. In a tired voice and afflicted by sorrow, he addressed Kaikeyee in these words. ‘I will now follow Rama, forsaking the kingdom, happiness and riches. With King Bharata, you can happily enjoy the kingdom for a long period of time.’
Chapter 2(33)
Rama knew about humility. On hearing the adviser’s words, he humbly addressed Dasharatha in these words. ‘O king! I have cast aside objects of pleasure, to dwell in the forest on forest fare. When I have cast everything aside, why should anyone follow me? If a person has given away the best of elephants, why will he turn his mind to the harness alone? If one has cast aside the best of elephants, why will he have affection only for the rope? O best among virtuous ones! O lord of the earth! In that way, what will I do with flags and all those who will follow me? Let tattered rags be brought for me. I am going to reside in the forest for fourteen years. As I leave, let a spade and a basket be brought for me.’ At this, Kaikeyee herself brought tattered rags for Raghava. Despite the assembly, she wasn’t ashamed and said, ‘Wear these.’ The tiger among men accepted those two123 tattered rags from Kaikeyee. Casting aside his fine garments, he wore the garb of an ascetic. In front of his father, Lakshmana also cast aside his excellent clothes and covered himself in an ascetic’s attire. Sita, attired in silken clothes, was alarmed, like a deer that sees a snare, on seeing the tattered rags that were meant to be worn by her. She was ashamed and distressed in her mind. She spoke to her husband, who was like a king of the gandharvas. ‘How do sages, who reside in the forest, wear these rags?’ She held one piece against her neck and the other in her hand. Janaka’s daughter did not know how to wear these and was ashamed. Rama, supreme among those who uphold dharma, quickly came to her. He himself fastened the rags over Sita’s silken garments.
She was attired in those tattered rags. Though she had a protector, she was like one without a protector. All the people were angry and said, ‘Shame on Dasharatha.’ The descendant of the Ikshvaku lineage124 emitted warm sighs and addressed his wife. ‘O Kaikeyee! Sita does not deserve to go, wearing kusha grass and rags. O wicked one! Exiling Rama should be sufficient for you. Why do you again wish to perform this wicked and cruel act?’ Rama, about to leave for the forest, addressed his father, whose head was lowered down, though he was seated, in these words. ‘My illustrious mother, Kousalya, is devoted to dharma. O king! She is aged. But her conduct isn’t inferior and she won’t censure you. O one who grants boons! Without me, she will be immersed in an ocean of grief. She has not confronted such a hardship earlier. You should respect her. O king who is like the great Indra! She has great affection for her son. When I am in the forest, she will be afflicted by grief. You should ensure that my mother remains alive and does not leave for Yama’s eternal abode.’
Chapter 2(34)
The king was bereft of his senses. With his wives, he heard Rama’s words and saw that he was attired in a sage’s garments. Tormented by grief, he was incapable of looking towards Raghava. Distressed in his mind, he was incapable of glancing towards him, or replying. However, though miserable, the great king regained his senses in a moment. The mighty-armed one thought of Rama and lamented. ‘I think that in the past, I must have separated several from their children. I must have caused injury to creatures. That is the reason I am now confronted with this. Until the time arrives, life is not separated from the body. Despite being afflicted by Kaikeyee, I am not faced with death. I see my son stationed before me and he is like a fire. However, abandoning his delicate garments, my son is clad in the garb of an ascetic. Indeed, it is because of Kaikeyee’s deeds alone that all these people are suffering. Driven by selfish motives, she has brought about this act of deceit.’ These are the words he spoke, his eyes overflowing with tears. Afflicted by grief, he was incapable of saying anything other than ‘Rama!’ After an instant, the great king regained his senses. His eyes overflowing with tears, he addressed Sumantra in these words. ‘Arrange a chariot that can be driven and yoke it to excellent steeds. Take this extremely fortunate one from here, beyond the boundaries of the habitation. I think that these are the fruits being reaped by someone with qualities, by virtue of his qualities. A brave and virtuous person is being exiled to the forest by his father and his mother.’
Following the king’s command, Sumantra, swift in his valour, yoked an ornamented chariot with horses and brought it there. The suta prepared a chariot decorated in gold for the prince. He joined his hands in salutation and reported that it had been yoked to excellent steeds. The king knew about what should be done at the right time and place and was also clear about everything auspicious. He quickly summoned the person who was in charge of accumulating riches and said, ‘Remembering the number of years that has to be spent, quickly bring extremely expensive garments and excellent ornaments for Vaidehi.’ Thus addressed by the Indra among men, he went to the treasury. He quickly brought everything and offered it to Sita. Vaidehi, born in a noble lineage and beautiful in her limbs, was about to leave for the forest. She adorned her limbs with those wonderful ornaments. Adorned in those excellent ornaments, Vaidehi made the residence look radiant. She was like the sun with rays, arising at the right time and illuminating the sky with its resplendence. Her mother-in-law engulfed her in her arms. Maithilee never did anything that was inferior. She inhaled the fragrance of her head125 and spoke these words. ‘In this world, even though they are respected and loved, false women cease to honour their husbands when they face hardships. Do not disrespect my son, who is being exiled. Though he possesses riches, he is poor now. However, he is still your divinity.’ Sita understood the words spoken, full of dharma and artha. She joined her hands in salutation and addressed her mother-in-law, who stood
in front of her. ‘O noble one! I will do everything that you had instructed me. I know how I should conduct myself towards my husband. I had heard this earlier too. O noble one! You should not equate me with wicked women. I am not capable of deviating from dharma, just as the moon cannot be separated from its radiance. Without chords, the veena doesn’t make a sound. Without wheels, a chariot does not move. Even if she has one hundred sons, a woman doesn’t obtain happiness without her husband. A father gives a limited amount. What a mother and a son give are also limited. What a husband gives is unlimited. Who does not worship a husband? O noble one! I have been instructed by the best, those who are supreme upholders of dharma. How can I disrespect him? To a woman, the husband is a divinity.’ Sita’s words penetrated Kousalya’s heart and on hearing them, the one who was pure of heart, suddenly released tears, because they were a source of both misery and joy.
Rama was supreme in knowledge of dharma. Amidst all his mothers, he joined his hands in salutation and approached his own mother, who was most revered of all. He spoke these words. ‘O mother! You should not be sad. Look towards my father. The period of dwelling in the forest will soon be over. The period of fourteen years will pass, as if you were sleeping. You will see me return here, surrounded by well-wishers. He spoke these words to his mother and they conveyed deep meaning. He then glanced at his three hundred and fifty mothers.126 In a similar way, joining his hands in salutation, Dasharatha’s son then spoke similar words, full of dharma and artha, to those distressed mothers too. ‘While I resided here with you, if I said anything harsh, or if I did anything in ignorance, please pardon me. Now I seek my leave from all of you.’ As Raghava spoke in this way, the sounds of lamentations arose from the king’s wives, like those of curlews wailing. In former times, Dasharatha’s residence used to resound with the sound of tambourines and drums, like the roar of thundering clouds. Because of the hardship, there was now the sound of extremely miserable wails and lamentations.
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 24