Ramayana of Valmiki and Kamban-Ayodhyakanda-11.Rama prepares to go to forest

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11. Rama preparing to leave for the forest

 

Rama wanted to take leave of his father finally and also to inform him that

Seetha and Lakshmana

accompanying him. He went to the palace of Kaikeyi where Dasaratha was lying

desolate and desperate

and told Sumanthra to inform the king of their arrival. When Sumanthra went

inside he saw Dasaratha who

lost his lustre and resembled the Sun eclipsed by Rahu, the fire covered with

ashes and a lake dried up

with heat

 

When Sumanthra told the king that Rama has arrived to take leave of him on his

journey to the forest,

Dasaratha called all his wives to bid goodbye to Rama and they assembled in the

palace. Then Rama

came in and informed Dasaratha that Seetha and Lakshmana were coming with him

and asked Dasaratha

to give them permission to leave Ayodhya.

 

Then Dasaratha said that he regretted his hasty promise to Kaikeyi without

knowing the consequences and

told Rama not to heed his words and become the crown-prince. But Rama replied

that he would not make

his father a liar and will not accept the kingdom. He reassured Dasaratha that

he will return after spending

14 years in the forest.

 

Dasarath found himself bound by the oath of truth and said that he knew quite

well that he could not

change the mind of Rama who is renowned for his steadfast prowess in truth and

dharma and also in his

principles, sathyaathmaanH DharmaabhimanasaH..

 

Then Dasaratha requested him to stay for a night and go in the next morning so

that Dasaratha would get a

little comfort seeing him at least for one day more. Rama replied that by

staying for one day nothing is

going to change. Here Valmiki portrays Rama as he himself said to Kaikeyi,

`rshbhisthulayam maam

vidDhi, know me to be equal to a rshi in attitude.'

 

Rama said,

 

Praapsyaami yaan adhaya guNaan ko me SvaH thaan pradhaasyathi?

apakramaNameva athaH sarvakaamaiH aham vrNe

 

" Even if I stay for today and enjoy the luxuries, who is going to give them to

me tomorrow? Therefore I

choose to give up all desires , which alone is my wish. Further he said that he

never wished for the

kingdom and accepted because it is his only wish to obey the command of his

father.

 

Na hi me kaankshitham raajyam sukham aathmani vaa priyam

yaThaa nidheSam karthum vai thavaiva raghunandhana

 

Then Rama proves by his own words the fact that the Lord, as Rama, lived what

he was going to preach in

his next avathara of Krishna, namely the state of sThithaprajna. He said,

 

Naivaaham raajyam icChaami na sukham na cha maiThileem

Naïve sarvaan imaan kaamaan na svargam naiva jeevitham

 

" I do not have any attachment in the kingdom, or in pleasure or even in

Seetha., or in any objects of

desire, gold or even in life. "

 

How does this compare with the expressed love of Rama to Seetha or to his

sorrow on her being

abducted by Ravana ? Rama himself partly answers this in the scene of Seetha's

entering the fire. But

the main point to remember is that both Seetha and Rama were acting their part

in order to fulfill the

avatharakarya. That there was no desire as we commonly understand, between Rama

and Seetha could be

seen from the words of Valmiki himself. Seetha said while persuading Rama to

take her along with him,

that she would follow the brahmacharya vratha. Later in sundarakanda Seetha is

referred to as

brahmchariNee. We also see that there is a nama in seethaahtottharnamaavali as

brahmachaariNyai namah.

Seetha and Rama were intimate in the same way the individual self and the

supreme self are, that is, the

jeevaathma and the paramathma.

 

Sumanthra could not bear to see the anguish of Dasaratha when Rama said that

he would certainly go to

the forest and his speech was a tirade on Kaikeyi. He denounced her as the

destroyer of her husband and

the whole clan of Raghus. He said,

 

Aamram Chithvaa kuTaareNa nimbam paricharethu yaH

yaSchainam payasaa sincheth naivaasya maDhuro bhaveth

 

If one cuts down the mango tree and grows a neem tree in its place and

nurtures it with milk he will

never get sweetness of the mango from it.

 

This is a rebuke on Dasaratha himself. who had neglected Kousalya and became

attached to Kaikeyi.

 

Sumanthra referred to an episode in the life of the father of Kaikeyi which

proved the saying, `like

mother like daughter.'

 

Once, father of Kaikeyi laughed aloud hearing the conversation of ants due to

the boon he got from a

sage enabling him to understand the language of all beings. His wife insisted to

know the cause of his

laughter even though he told her that he would die if he divulged the real

cause. Then his father denounced

her seeing that she was selfish and did nor care even if her husband died

Sumanthra said that Kaikeyi

proved that she came from the same stock, because she knew perfectly well that

Dasaratha could survive

without seeing Rama.

Then he tried to pacify her by nice words but Kaikeyi was relentless

 

Dasaratha lost all hopes of retaining Rama and told Sumanthra to send all the

army and everything Rama

would need for living in the forest on which Kaikeyi got angry and quoted the

story of Asamanja who was

sent alone to the forest. Siddhartha, an aged and pure hearted minister of

Dasaratha related the story of

Asamanja and said that king Sagara sent him to the forest because he was cruel

and was murdering the

children and Rama could not be compared with him. But Kaikeyi was obstinate and

Rama put an end to

this by saying,

 

yo hi hathvaa dhipaSreshtam kakshyaayaam kuruthe manaH

rajjusnehena kim thasya thyajathaH kunjarotthamam

 

" When one ahs given away the elephant will he desire for the rope that binds

it? What use would it be

to him who has renounced the elephant? "

 

By this Rama meant that when he has given up the kingdom why should he want the

other paraphernalia of

a prince. Then he asked only for a basket and a spade. Kaikeyi then shamelessly

brought the bark

garments herself and gave them to Rama, who put them on taking off his silk

garment, which Lakshmana

followed. Seetha took the bark garment and was bewildered as to how to wear

that and asked Rama, who

tried to show her.

 

Vasishta , though a sage, without likes and dislikes could not bear to see this

and abused Kaikeyi saying

that what she was doing was wicked and her wish was not going to be fulfilled as

Bharatha would never

accept the kingdom and Seetha should go to forest wearing silk garments and all

her jewels as the boon

given to her by Dasaratha applies only to Rama. Thereupon Dasaratha ordered all

the jewels of Seetha to

be brought and Seetha shone like Mahlakshmi herself with her attire of silk and

decked with all her

jewels, signifying that the rajyalakshmi is leaving Ayodhya with Rama.