Rāmāyaṇa - Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa - Part 6 - Daśaratha Breathes his Last and Bharata Arrives in the City

The next morning, Rāma awoke Lakṣmaṇa and they set out into the forest. Rāma enjoyed the beauty of nature and pointed it out to Sītā as well. Spellbound with the flora and fauna in and around the Citrakūṭa Mountain, Rāma decided that they should reside there. Upon Rāma’s instruction, Lakṣmaṇa built a parṇa-śālā – leaf-hut and then killed a black antelope to perform bali as a part of the housewarming ritual. Enjoying the beauty of the mountain and the pleasant river Mālyavatī, Rāma overcame the sorrow of having left his beloved city.

~

After Rāma left them behind, Sumantra spoke for a long time to Guha and returned to his city. As he entered Ayodhyā that was consumed by grief, people rushed to him hoping that he would have come back with Rāma and were deeply disappointed. Daśaratha and Kausalyā were heartbroken seeing Sumantra who had returned empty-handed. Upon the king’s behest, Sumantra conveyed to him Rāma’s greetings and message. He also recollected Rāma’s request to Bharata, “Treat all mothers with the same kind of love and respect. Once you are elevated to the position of prince-regent, you must defer to Father, who remains the king.” Sumantra continued, “But Lakṣmaṇa looked furious as we were parting ways. He wanted to know for what offence Rāma had been exiled. He also said, ‘I no longer consider the King as my father. Hereafter, Rāma is brother, father, master, and every kinsman to me.” Regarding Sītā and Rāma, Sumantra said, “The noble Jānakī, who had known no grief or hardship, stood motionless heaving sighs and said no word to me. She gazed up at her lord, her face parched by grief, and burst into tears as she followed me with her eyes when I departed. Rāma stood still, his hands cupped in reverence and supported by Lakṣmaṇa’s arms.”

Sumantra continued, “Even after they left, I waited for many days there with Guha, hoping that Rāma might call me again or send a word for me. As I heard nothing from him, I returned to this joyless city, where the nature is grieving with its people.”

Upon hearing these words, Daśaratha lamented and fell back on his bed in a faint. Kausalyā lamented and Sumantra tried to comfort her with his own voice choking. He said, “Rāghava is living in the forest without any regrets. Sītā, like a young girl is enjoying herself, delighting in Rāma, for her heart belongs to him and her life depends on him. As they walk, Sītā joyfully asks about every village, river, and tree she sees. Even now, when she has cast off her jewellery out of love for him, Vaidehī moves playfully as though she were dancing with jingling anklets. Whenever she sees an elephant, lion, or a tiger, she slips into Rāma’s arm and feels protected. The three have resolved to follow the path of the maharṣis. Don’t worry.” Still, Kausalyā couldn’t stop herself from moaning. She cursed the king and said, “Even when Rāma returns in the fifteenth year, he will spurn the kingdom and kingship which has been enjoyed by Bharata. A noble elder brother will not accept a kingdom that has been savoured by the younger one. A tiger will never eat the meat that another beast has feasted upon. And also, listen! A woman’s first refuge is her husband, second her son, and third her kinsmen. Of these, you are lost to me, and Rāma has gone to the forest – you have destroyed me and my son. Your son and your wife will now rejoice.” On hearing these harrowing words, the king plumped into an abyss of grief and recollected his evil deed of the past. He begged for forgiveness and sought Kausalyā’s affection.

On the sixth night after Rāma’s exile, Daśaratha narrated to Kausalyā –

“Dear one, a person receives the fruit of his good and bad deeds in the same measure. I was a brilliant bowman in my younger days when I was the prince regent and was not married yet. I had mastered śabda-vedhi – I could shoot at the target just upon hearing its sound. Just as a little child might eat something poisonous out of ignorance, I was unaware of the consequences of the art of shooting by the ear. It was the rainy season that breeds lust and pride in men. I decided to get some practice and I set out hunting at night along the banks of the river Sarayū. In the thick darkness, I heard a noise which sounded like an elephant, but was actually a pot being filled with water. I shot an arrow into the air and heard a human voice scream in pain, “Ah! Ah!” It was the voice of a young seer. As he fell into the river, he called out “Who would kill a tapasvī like me? I only came to fetch water in the river. I do not grieve for my own death as I do for the plight of my father and mother when I am gone. They are both blind and frail. They will now have to endure their thirst, as long as they can, on the strength of hope alone.” He pleaded me to pull out the arrow from his body and as I did so, he started heaving painful sighs as he lay on the bank of the river.

As I headed to his parents’ āśrama, upon hearing my footsteps, mistaking me to be his son, his father asked me – “Why did you take so long, my child? You are our eyes and very life.” I then confessed my mistake and told the old couple about the passing away of their son. Listening to this, the aghast father, told me with folded hands, “O king! If you had not yourself told me of this evil deed, your head would have been instantly shattered. If a kṣatriya wantonly kills a vānaprastha, he will topple down from his exalted place. You are alive because you did this out of ignorance.” Upon their request, I took them to the place where their son lay dead. The old couple bewailed uncontrollably. But then, the son appeared in a divine form and consoled them saying that he had attained a great place in svarga as he had served them well. The father then cursed me, “You shall die from grief for a lost son, just as I do!”

 “Kausalyā, the words of the noble sage have come true. I am not able to see you. The messengers of Yama are here, hastening me on. Those who are privileged to see Rāma back in the fifteenth year are truly devas, not mere humans! Ah Rāghava!”

With these words, the king drew his last breath.

~

The next morning, bards and women who went to awaken him, were suddenly apprehensive upon seeing him. They wondered if the king was actually alive. The women cried out loud upon discovering the truth. Their wails awoke Kausalyā and Sumitrā who had collapsed nearby. The two queens were absolutely crestfallen.

Kausalyā cried out to Kaikeyī, “You can now have your way, vile woman, and enjoy the kingdom free from all troubles. Only an adhārmic lady like you will continue to live upon the death of her husband. When Janaka gets to know that the king, acting under illicit compulsion, has exiled Rāma, he will lament as I do. He too will lose his life thinking of the torments his daughter will face in the forest.” As she lamented, her maid-servants embraced her and led her way.

The ministers placed the king’s body in a tub of oil and took charge of all the royal duties they were empowered to execute. They preserved the body as they did not want to perform the final rites in the absence of a son. Lack-lusture like the day-sky without the Sun, the city was filled with people whose voices were choked with tears. Men and women gathered in groups and condemned Bharata’s mother.

~

The next morning, several brāhmaṇas including Mārkaṇdeya, Maudgalya, Vāmadeva, Kāśyapa, Kātyāyana, Gautama, and Jābāli spoke to Vasiṣṭha, the royal purohita. The expressed their concern about the kingdom that was now bereft of king. They said, “King Daśaratha is gone and all his sons are away. In a land without a king, the clouds will not rain and no seeds are sown; the son does not obey his father or the wife, her husband; brāhmaṇas won’t perform satras and no festivals are celebrated. In a kingless realm, storytellers find no audience and merchants are not safe. In a country devoid of a king, munis who are ātmajñānīs cannot be found; the yoga and kṣema of the kingdom are lost and the army cannot face an enemy in the battle. The realm that does not have a king is like a river devoid of water and cows without herdsmen. Like fish, men start devouring each other. The adhārmic nāstikas can be brought under control only by a king. O great brāhmaṇa, name some other prince of the Ikṣvāku clan and coronate him!”

Vasiṣṭha instructed royal messengers to hurry to Rājagṛha to fetch Bharata. He asked them to keep their sorrow in check and not reveal any incident that had taken place in Ayodhyā.

~

The very night the messengers entered the Rājagṛha, Bharata had an unpleasant dream. As his friends tried to ease his mind, Bharata recounted what he witnessed in the nightmare – “I saw my father in dirty clothes, falling from a mountain into a pool of cow dung. He was drinking sesame oil from his cupped hands and hysterically laughing all the while. The ocean had gone dry and the moon had fallen on the earth. The earth split open and the mountains crumbled. The king lay collapsed on a black iron throne and there were women mocking him. I saw him hurrying off towards the South on a chariot pulled by donkeys. The dream certainly signifies death in the family. I am terrified!”

The messengers reached the palace and escorted him to Ayodhyā.

~

As Bharata entered Ayodhyā he observed that the city was devoid of its former exuberance. The crossroads, streets, and houses were empty. Sick at heart, Bharata entered his father’s residence. 

 

To be continued...
[The critically constituted text and the critical edition published by the Oriental Institute, Vadodara is the primary source. In addition, the Kannada rendering of the epic by Mahāmahopādhyāya Sri. N. Ranganatha Sharma and the English translation by Sri. N. Raghunathan have been referred.]

 

Author(s)

Valmiki
About:

Visionary sage and the author of the fifth Veda, the Rāmāyaṇa

Translator(s)

About:

Arjun is a writer, translator, engineer, and enjoys composing poems. He is well-versed in Sanskrit, Kannada, English, Greek, and German languages. His research interests lie in comparative aesthetics of classical Greek and Sanskrit literature. He has deep interest in the theatre arts and music. Arjun has (co-) translated the works of AR Krishna Shastri, DV Gundappa, Dr. SL Bhyrappa, Dr. SR Ramaswamy and Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh

Prekshaa Publications

Among the many contributions of ancient Indians to world thought, perhaps the most insightful is the realisation that ānanda (Bliss) is the ultimate goal of human existence. Since time immemorial, India has been a land steeped in contemplation about the nature of humans and the universe. The great ṛṣis (seers) and ṛṣikās (seeresses) embarked on critical analysis of subjective experience and...

One of the two great epics of India and arguably the most popular epic in the world, the Ramayana has enchanted generations of people not just in Greater India but the world over. In less than three hundred pages The Essential Ramayana captures all the poetic subtleties and noble values of the original and offers the great epic in an eminently readable form that will appeal to the learned and...

The Bhagavad-gītā isn’t merely a treatise on ultimate liberation. It is also a treatise on good living. Even the laity, which does not have its eye on mokṣa, can immensely benefit from the Gītā. It has the power to grant an attitude of reverence in worldly life, infuse enthusiasm in the execution of duty, impart fortitude in times of adversity, and offer solace to the heart when riddled by...

Indian Perspective of Truth and Beauty in Homer’s Epics is a unique work on the comparative study of the Greek Epics Iliad and Odyssey with the Indian Epics – Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata. Homer, who laid the foundations for the classical tradition of the West, occupies a stature similar to that occupied by the seer-poets Vālmīki and Vyāsa, who are synonymous with the Indian culture. The author...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the sixth volume of reminiscences character sketches of prominent public figures, liberals, and social workers. These remarkable personages hailing from different corners of South India are from a period that spans from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Written in Kannada in the 1970s, these memoirs go...

An Introduction to Hinduism based on Primary Sources

Authors: Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh, Hari Ravikumar

What is the philosophical basis for Sanātana-dharma, the ancient Indian way of life? What makes it the most inclusive and natural of all religio-philosophical systems in the world?

The Essential Sanātana-dharma serves as a handbook for anyone who wishes to grasp the...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fifth volume, episodes from the lives of traditional savants responsible for upholding the Vedic culture. These memorable characters lived a life of opulence amidst poverty— theirs  was the wealth of the soul, far beyond money and gold. These vidvāns hailed from different corners of the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom and lived in...

Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam represents the quintessence of Sage Bharata’s art and Bhārata, the country that gave birth to the peerless seer of the Nāṭya-veda. Padma’s erudition in various streams of Indic knowledge, mastery over many classical arts, deep understanding of the nuances of Indian culture, creative genius, and sublime vision bolstered by the vedāntic and nationalistic...

Bhārata has been a land of plenty in many ways. We have had a timeless tradition of the twofold principle of Brāhma (spirit of wisdom) and Kṣāttra (spirit of valour) nourishing and protecting this sacred land. The Hindu civilisation, rooted in Sanātana-dharma, has constantly been enriched by brāhma and safeguarded by kṣāttra.
The renowned Sanskrit poet and scholar, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R...

ಛಂದೋವಿವೇಕವು ವರ್ಣವೃತ್ತ, ಮಾತ್ರಾಜಾತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕರ್ಷಣಜಾತಿ ಎಂದು ವಿಭಕ್ತವಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಬಗೆಯ ಛಂದಸ್ಸುಗಳನ್ನೂ ವಿವೇಚಿಸುವ ಪ್ರಬಂಧಗಳ ಸಂಕಲನ. ಲೇಖಕರ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲಿಕ ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ಸಾರವನ್ನು ಒಳಗೊಂಡ ಈ ಹೊತ್ತಗೆ ಪ್ರಧಾನವಾಗಿ ಛಂದಸ್ಸಿನ ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಕ್ಷಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ತೌಲನಿಕ ವಿಶ್ಲೇಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಶಾಸ್ತ್ರೀಯ ಅಧ್ಯಯನಗಳ ತೆಕ್ಕೆಗೆ ಬರುವ ಬರೆಹಗಳೂ ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ. ಶಾಸ್ತ್ರಕಾರನಿಗಲ್ಲದೆ ಸಿದ್ಧಹಸ್ತನಾದ ಕವಿಗೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಸ್ಫುರಿಸಬಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಹೊಳಹುಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೌಲಿಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿವೆ. ಈ...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the fourth volume, some character sketches of the Dewans of Mysore preceded by an account of the political framework of the State before Independence and followed by a review of the political conditions of the State after 1940. These remarkable leaders of Mysore lived in a period that spans from the mid-nineteenth century to the...

Bharatiya Kavya-mimamseya Hinnele is a monograph on Indian Aesthetics by Mahamahopadhyaya N. Ranganatha Sharma. The book discusses the history and significance of concepts pivotal to Indian literary theory. It is equally useful to the learned and the laity.

Sahitya-samhite is a collection of literary essays in Kannada. The book discusses aestheticians such as Ananda-vardhana and Rajashekhara; Sanskrit scholars such as Mena Ramakrishna Bhat, Sridhar Bhaskar Varnekar and K S Arjunwadkar; and Kannada litterateurs such as DVG, S L Bhyrappa and S R Ramaswamy. It has a foreword by Shatavadhani Dr. R Ganesh.

The Mahābhārata is the greatest epic in the world both in magnitude and profundity. A veritable cultural compendium of Bhārata-varṣa, it is a product of the creative genius of Maharṣi Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. The epic captures the experiential wisdom of our civilization and all subsequent literary, artistic, and philosophical creations are indebted to it. To read the Mahābhārata is to...

Shiva Rama Krishna

சிவன். ராமன். கிருஷ்ணன்.
இந்திய பாரம்பரியத்தின் முப்பெரும் கதாநாயகர்கள்.
உயர் இந்தியாவில் தலைமுறைகள் பல கடந்தும் கடவுளர்களாக போற்றப்பட்டு வழிகாட்டிகளாக விளங்குபவர்கள்.
மனித ஒற்றுமை நூற்றாண்டுகால பரிணாம வளர்ச்சியின் பரிமாணம்.
தனிநபர்களாகவும், குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், சமுதாய பிரஜைகளாகவும் நாம் அனைவரும் பரிமளிக்கிறோம்.
சிவன் தனிமனித அடையாளமாக அமைகிறான்....

ऋतुभिः सह कवयः सदैव सम्बद्धाः। विशिष्य संस्कृतकवयः। यथा हि ऋतवः प्रतिसंवत्सरं प्रतिनवतामावहन्ति मानवेषु तथैव ऋतुवर्णनान्यपि काव्यरसिकेषु कामपि विच्छित्तिमातन्वते। ऋतुकल्याणं हि सत्यमिदमेव हृदि कृत्वा प्रवृत्तम्। नगरजीवनस्य यान्त्रिकतां मान्त्रिकतां च ध्वनदिदं चम्पूकाव्यं गद्यपद्यमिश्रितमिति सुव्यक्तमेव। ऐदम्पूर्वतया प्रायः पुरीपरिसरप्रसृतानाम् ऋतूनां विलासोऽत्र प्रपञ्चितः। बेङ्गलूरुनामके...

The Art and Science of Avadhānam in Sanskrit is a definitive work on Sāhityāvadhānam, a form of Indian classical art based on multitasking, lateral thinking, and extempore versification. Dotted throughout with tasteful examples, it expounds in great detail on the theory and practice of this unique performing art. It is as much a handbook of performance as it is an anthology of well-turned...

This anthology is a revised edition of the author's 1978 classic. This series of essays, containing his original research in various fields, throws light on the socio-cultural landscape of Tamil Nadu spanning several centuries. These compelling episodes will appeal to scholars and laymen alike.
“When superstitious mediaevalists mislead the country about its judicial past, we have to...

The cultural history of a nation, unlike the customary mainstream history, has a larger time-frame and encompasses the timeless ethos of a society undergirding the course of events and vicissitudes. A major key to the understanding of a society’s unique character is an appreciation of the far-reaching contributions by outstanding personalities of certain periods – especially in the realms of...

Prekṣaṇīyam is an anthology of essays on Indian classical dance and theatre authored by multifaceted scholar and creative genius, Śatāvadhānī Dr. R Ganesh. As a master of śāstra, a performing artiste (of the ancient art of Avadhānam), and a cultured rasika, he brings a unique, holistic perspective to every discussion. These essays deal with the philosophy, history, aesthetics, and practice of...

Yaugandharam

इदं किञ्चिद्यामलं काव्यं द्वयोः खण्डकाव्ययोः सङ्कलनरूपम्। रामानुरागानलं हि सीतापरित्यागाल्लक्ष्मणवियोगाच्च श्रीरामेणानुभूतं हृदयसङ्क्षोभं वर्णयति । वात्सल्यगोपालकं तु कदाचिद्भानूपरागसमये घटितं यशोदाश्रीकृष्णयोर्मेलनं वर्णयति । इदम्प्रथमतया संस्कृतसाहित्ये सम्पूर्णं काव्यं...

Vanitakavitotsavah

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Vaiphalyaphalam

इदं खण्डकाव्यमान्तं मालिनीछन्दसोपनिबद्धं विलसति। मेनकाविश्वामित्रयोः समागमः, तत्फलतया शकुन्तलाया जननम्, मातापितृभ्यां त्यक्तस्य शिशोः कण्वमहर्षिणा परिपालनं चेति काव्यस्यास्येतिवृत्तसङ्क्षेपः।

Nipunapraghunakam

इयं रचना दशसु रूपकेष्वन्यतमस्य भाणस्य निदर्शनतामुपैति। एकाङ्करूपकेऽस्मिन् शेखरकनामा चित्रोद्यमलेखकः केनापि हेतुना वियोगम् अनुभवतोश्चित्रलेखामिलिन्दकयोः समागमं सिसाधयिषुः कथामाकाशभाषणरूपेण निर्वहति।

Bharavatarastavah

अस्मिन् स्तोत्रकाव्ये भगवन्तं शिवं कविरभिष्टौति। वसन्ततिलकयोपनिबद्धस्य काव्यस्यास्य कविकृतम् उल्लाघनाभिधं व्याख्यानं च वर्तते।

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the third volume, some character sketches of great literary savants responsible for Kannada renaissance during the first half of the twentieth century. These remarkable...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the second volume, episodes from the lives of remarkable exponents of classical music and dance, traditional storytellers, thespians, and connoisseurs; as well as his...

Karnataka’s celebrated polymath, D V Gundappa brings together in the first volume, episodes from the lives of great writers, poets, literary aficionados, exemplars of public life, literary scholars, noble-hearted common folk, advocates...

Evolution of Mahabharata and Other Writings on the Epic is the English translation of S R Ramaswamy's 1972 Kannada classic 'Mahabharatada Belavanige' along with seven of his essays on the great epic. It tells the riveting...

Shiva-Rama-Krishna is an English adaptation of Śatāvadhāni Dr. R Ganesh's popular lecture series on the three great...

Bharatilochana

ಮಹಾಮಾಹೇಶ್ವರ ಅಭಿನವಗುಪ್ತ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ವಿದ್ಯಾವಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆಯಲಾಗದ ಹೆಸರು. ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಶೈವದರ್ಶನ ಮತ್ತು ಸೌಂದರ್ಯಮೀಮಾಂಸೆಗಳ ಪರಮಾಚಾರ್ಯನಾಗಿ  ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಇವನು ಜ್ಞಾನಪ್ರಪಂಚವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇದ್ದಾನೆ. ಭರತಮುನಿಯ ನಾಟ್ಯಶಾಸ್ತ್ರವನ್ನು ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಇವನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ನಮಗಿರುವ ಆಲಂಬನ. ಇದೇ ರೀತಿ ರಸಧ್ವನಿಸಿದ್ಧಾಂತವನ್ನು...

Vagarthavismayasvadah

“वागर्थविस्मयास्वादः” प्रमुखतया साहित्यशास्त्रतत्त्वानि विमृशति । अत्र सौन्दर्यर्यशास्त्रीयमूलतत्त्वानि यथा रस-ध्वनि-वक्रता-औचित्यादीनि सुनिपुणं परामृष्टानि प्रतिनवे चिकित्सकप्रज्ञाप्रकाशे। तदन्तर एव संस्कृतवाङ्मयस्य सामर्थ्यसमाविष्कारोऽपि विहितः। क्वचिदिव च्छन्दोमीमांसा च...

The Best of Hiriyanna

The Best of Hiriyanna is a collection of forty-eight essays by Prof. M. Hiriyanna that sheds new light on Sanskrit Literature, Indian...

Stories Behind Verses

Stories Behind Verses is a remarkable collection of over a hundred anecdotes, each of which captures a story behind the composition of a Sanskrit verse. Collected over several years from...