Rama selected a suitable place on the banks of Tamasa river for their stay during the night and then told Lakshmana "Lakshmana! We have been sent to the forest. Today is the first night of our residence in the forest. You ought not to feel anxious. May all be well with you! Now, the city of Ayodhya, the capital of our father's renowned kingdom with its men and women will lament about us. There is no doubt that the affection of the citizens of Ayodhya for the king is not less than for you and myself, as also to Bharata and Satrughna, for many of our virtues. I feel repented for my father and my illustrious mother. I pray that they should not become blind, by weeping incessantly. Bharata, the virtuous man, will surely console our father and mother by his kind words. Lakshmana! Thinking of Bharata's kindness again and again, my grief for our father and mother seems to lessen. You have done well by accompanying me, as otherwise, a help would have to be sought for by me for protecting Seetha. I shall live on water alone tonight. Though there are various kinds of wild fruits and roots, this is what I would like to have tonight." Then, Rama told Sumantra "Oh, My dear man! Attend to the horses."
Sumantra tied up the horses, supplied them with abundant grass. He then noticed that the sun was completely set. After worshiping the beautiful evening, Sumantra along with Lakshmana made for Rama a bed out of the leaves of a tree on the bank of Tamasa river. Rama along with his wife laid down on it. Seeing that his brother sleeping along with his wife, Lakshmana by way of chatting narrated Rama's various virtues to Sumantra. This kept Lakshmana keeping awake on the bank of the Tamasa river. At a good distance from the Tamasa river, whose banks were crowded with herds of cows, Rama passed that night there with the citizens. Getting up from the bed well before dawn and seeing those citizens fast asleep, Rama told his brother "Observe, Lakshmana, the citizens full of longing for us, unmindful even of their homes, sleeping together at the roots of trees! From the way these citizens are coercing us to return to Ayodhya, it seems they will even lay down their lives, but in no case would give up their resolve. Before they get up in the morning, let us quickly mount the chariot and take a route which has no fear from any quarter. The residents of the city should indeed be made free of their suffering brought about to themselves, by the sons of their rulers. The citizens should on no account be burdened with any hardship because of us."
Lakshmana agreed in toto. Then, Rama told the charioteer "My dear chap! Keep the chariot ready at your earliest. We shall proceed to the forest. Let us go quickly from here."
Then, Sumantra quickly fastened the chariot to the excellent horses and informed Rama so.
Rama with his wife and brother got into the chariot with all necessities like bow, armor, quiver, spade, basket, and so on and crossed the swift flowing Tamasa river, thickly set with whirlpools. Having duly crossed the stream, they reached a great road free from obstacles and safe even for those who are apprehensive of danger. Then Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana got down from the chariot. In order to elude the citizens, Rama told Sumantra "You turn the chariot and go northward. Proceed for a while quickly and bring back the chariot again. Do it in such a way that the citizens will not be able to locate me."
The charioteer agreed and made a round of the chariot as he was suggested. Then, Rama and Lakshmana along with Seetha ascended the chariot. The charioteer urged the horses along the route by which they reached a grove suited to the practice of austerities. However, Sumantra placed that chariot by facing it to the north, for he saw omens auspicious for journey in that quarter. After finishing their morning chores, Rama along with his wife and brother, mounted the chariot and proceeded to the forest.
As the night gave way to dawn, those citizens relinquished by Raghava were perplexed with grief and became motionless. Made miserable with tears born of anguish and agony, they made a thorough search around the place, but there was no Rama no Seetha or no Lakshmana.
Their faces distorted with utter sorrow, deprived as they were of the sagacious Rama and therefore nonplussed, the citizens broke into piteous exclamations like
"Cursed be to that slumber, rendered us unconscious, by which we could not behold today our Lord Rama. How can he leave for exile, abandoning us, his devoted citizens?"
"Let us have recourse to death here itself, or definitely set out for a grand journey to the north with a resolve to die. For what purpose can life be good for us, separated as we are from Rama? Or there are a number of big dry logs of wood here. Lighting a funeral fire out of them, let us all enter the fire."
"What shall we say to our fellow citizens? 'The great armed Rama has been conveyed to the forest by us!' How can we say so? Seeing us returning without Rama, that city of Ayodhya, already desolate, will with its women, children and the aged, become even deeply cheerless. Having left the city thus with that hero, the conqueror of one's own self, how can we look on that city again without him?"
Uplifting their arms , those men stricken with anguish, like cows bereft of their calves, lamented in various ways as above. Then, proceeding to some distance along the tracks for a while, they were overwhelmed with great despair again due to sudden disappearance of the tracks.
Therafter, all of them with aggrieved hearts went to the city of Ayodhya, which was comprising of virtuous people with distress, by the same path on which they had come. Beholding the city, they shed tears through their eyes stricken as they were in grief, their minds distressed through cheerlessness. The good-natured citizens, due to the disappearance of the tracks of the chariot, returned to Ayodhya, explaining to those who remained awaiting their return with Rama "How is it? What shall we do? We are afflicted by providence."
Entering their houses with uneasiness, the citizens could not distinguish between their own people and others, even though being looked at, stricken as they were with grief, their joy having altogether extinguished.
Sumantra tied up the horses, supplied them with abundant grass. He then noticed that the sun was completely set. After worshiping the beautiful evening, Sumantra along with Lakshmana made for Rama a bed out of the leaves of a tree on the bank of Tamasa river. Rama along with his wife laid down on it. Seeing that his brother sleeping along with his wife, Lakshmana by way of chatting narrated Rama's various virtues to Sumantra. This kept Lakshmana keeping awake on the bank of the Tamasa river. At a good distance from the Tamasa river, whose banks were crowded with herds of cows, Rama passed that night there with the citizens. Getting up from the bed well before dawn and seeing those citizens fast asleep, Rama told his brother "Observe, Lakshmana, the citizens full of longing for us, unmindful even of their homes, sleeping together at the roots of trees! From the way these citizens are coercing us to return to Ayodhya, it seems they will even lay down their lives, but in no case would give up their resolve. Before they get up in the morning, let us quickly mount the chariot and take a route which has no fear from any quarter. The residents of the city should indeed be made free of their suffering brought about to themselves, by the sons of their rulers. The citizens should on no account be burdened with any hardship because of us."
Lakshmana agreed in toto. Then, Rama told the charioteer "My dear chap! Keep the chariot ready at your earliest. We shall proceed to the forest. Let us go quickly from here."
Then, Sumantra quickly fastened the chariot to the excellent horses and informed Rama so.
Rama with his wife and brother got into the chariot with all necessities like bow, armor, quiver, spade, basket, and so on and crossed the swift flowing Tamasa river, thickly set with whirlpools. Having duly crossed the stream, they reached a great road free from obstacles and safe even for those who are apprehensive of danger. Then Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana got down from the chariot. In order to elude the citizens, Rama told Sumantra "You turn the chariot and go northward. Proceed for a while quickly and bring back the chariot again. Do it in such a way that the citizens will not be able to locate me."
The charioteer agreed and made a round of the chariot as he was suggested. Then, Rama and Lakshmana along with Seetha ascended the chariot. The charioteer urged the horses along the route by which they reached a grove suited to the practice of austerities. However, Sumantra placed that chariot by facing it to the north, for he saw omens auspicious for journey in that quarter. After finishing their morning chores, Rama along with his wife and brother, mounted the chariot and proceeded to the forest.
As the night gave way to dawn, those citizens relinquished by Raghava were perplexed with grief and became motionless. Made miserable with tears born of anguish and agony, they made a thorough search around the place, but there was no Rama no Seetha or no Lakshmana.
Their faces distorted with utter sorrow, deprived as they were of the sagacious Rama and therefore nonplussed, the citizens broke into piteous exclamations like
"Cursed be to that slumber, rendered us unconscious, by which we could not behold today our Lord Rama. How can he leave for exile, abandoning us, his devoted citizens?"
"Let us have recourse to death here itself, or definitely set out for a grand journey to the north with a resolve to die. For what purpose can life be good for us, separated as we are from Rama? Or there are a number of big dry logs of wood here. Lighting a funeral fire out of them, let us all enter the fire."
"What shall we say to our fellow citizens? 'The great armed Rama has been conveyed to the forest by us!' How can we say so? Seeing us returning without Rama, that city of Ayodhya, already desolate, will with its women, children and the aged, become even deeply cheerless. Having left the city thus with that hero, the conqueror of one's own self, how can we look on that city again without him?"
Uplifting their arms , those men stricken with anguish, like cows bereft of their calves, lamented in various ways as above. Then, proceeding to some distance along the tracks for a while, they were overwhelmed with great despair again due to sudden disappearance of the tracks.
Therafter, all of them with aggrieved hearts went to the city of Ayodhya, which was comprising of virtuous people with distress, by the same path on which they had come. Beholding the city, they shed tears through their eyes stricken as they were in grief, their minds distressed through cheerlessness. The good-natured citizens, due to the disappearance of the tracks of the chariot, returned to Ayodhya, explaining to those who remained awaiting their return with Rama "How is it? What shall we do? We are afflicted by providence."
Entering their houses with uneasiness, the citizens could not distinguish between their own people and others, even though being looked at, stricken as they were with grief, their joy having altogether extinguished.
The lives of those citizens, who had returned dejected and cheerless in this way after accompanying Rama were greatly hurt, having their eyes filled with tears afflicted with grief, longing to give up their lives and appeared as though they were dead. Reaching each his own house, all of them surrounded by their children and wives, shed tears copiously. None was either delightful or merry. Merchants no longer exhibited their wares, nor their merchandise looked attractive. Those in charge of home did not attend to cooking. None was delighted even, for instance on finding out a lost fortune or on getting riches in abundance. No mother did rejoice even on giving birth a son for the first time.
Oppressed with sorrow and weeping, women in every house heaped reproaches on their husbands who returned home without Rama, with words as sharp as a needle, like
"If you do not see Rama, what is purpose of your dwellings, wife or wealth or sons or pleasures even? Lakshmana alone is a good man in this world, who was accompanying Rama, along with Seetha, duly rendering service to him in the forest. Fortunate too are the rivers, lotus ponds and lakes for bathing in whose sacred waters Rama entered into. Forests with beautiful row of trees, tracks of land abounding in water, rivers and mountains with alluring peaks will bring splendor to Rama. Any mountain or forest which Rama will visit, will not fail to respect him like a beloved guest who has arrived. Plants with many-colored flowers as their chaplets, bearing copious clusters of blossoms full of bees exhibit themselves to Rama. Even in out of season, mountains in compassion will present principal flowers and fruits to Rama, on his arrival. Mountains will show various wonderful waterfalls again and again, duly streaming forth uncontaminated waters. Trees on the apex of mountains will enrapture Rama. Where there is Rama, there is neither fear nor humiliation. That Rama the son of Dasharatha, the hero and the mighty armed will come to our view not far from us. Let us run after him. The shelter of the feet of the lord is in itself a joy. Rama indeed is the protector of all of us, he the refuge and our supreme asylum. We shall serve Seetha, while you attend on Rama."
"If you do not see Rama, what is purpose of your dwellings, wife or wealth or sons or pleasures even? Lakshmana alone is a good man in this world, who was accompanying Rama, along with Seetha, duly rendering service to him in the forest. Fortunate too are the rivers, lotus ponds and lakes for bathing in whose sacred waters Rama entered into. Forests with beautiful row of trees, tracks of land abounding in water, rivers and mountains with alluring peaks will bring splendor to Rama. Any mountain or forest which Rama will visit, will not fail to respect him like a beloved guest who has arrived. Plants with many-colored flowers as their chaplets, bearing copious clusters of blossoms full of bees exhibit themselves to Rama. Even in out of season, mountains in compassion will present principal flowers and fruits to Rama, on his arrival. Mountains will show various wonderful waterfalls again and again, duly streaming forth uncontaminated waters. Trees on the apex of mountains will enrapture Rama. Where there is Rama, there is neither fear nor humiliation. That Rama the son of Dasharatha, the hero and the mighty armed will come to our view not far from us. Let us run after him. The shelter of the feet of the lord is in itself a joy. Rama indeed is the protector of all of us, he the refuge and our supreme asylum. We shall serve Seetha, while you attend on Rama."
"Rama will secure the needs and interests of yours in the forest, while Seetha will do the same thing with regard to us womenfolk. Who will like to live in this city of Ayodhya if it is to be ruled by Kaikeyi. It will not be in consonance with righteousness, with no protector and indeed with no use for our lives, much less for our sons and riches. Whom else Kaikeyi will not abandon? That Kaikeyi, by whom her son and her husband were forsaken for the sake of power brought disgrace to her family. We swear even by our sons that while Kaikeyi is surviving and as long as we live, we will never inhabit this kingdom as Kaikeyi's servants! Who can live happily on having obtained as one's ruler, that impious woman of wicked conduct, who banished the son of the king without any pity? The whole of this kingdom, without any leader, having no support and visited by calamities, will meet with ruin because of Kaikeyi's fault. For, Rama having gone into exile, the monarch will not survive and when Dasharatha is dead, utter regrets will remain thereafter. It is certain! So, drink poison duly stirred up, since your merits are exhausted and you are marked out by ill fortune. Otherwise, follow Rama to the forest or go to a place where the name of Kaikeyi could not reach your ears. Rama has been sent to exile along with Seetha and Lakshmana deceitfully. We have been handed over now to Bharata, like the beasts in the hands of a slaughterer. Rama, whose face is like the full moon, of dark brown complexion, whose collar-bone is invisible (because of its being covered with flesh), a conqueror of foes, whose arms descend to his knees, whose eyes resemble lotuses, who takes initiative in speaking and expresses with sweetness, truthful of speech and possessed of extra ordinary strength, is benevolent to all, delightfully charming as the moon, that tiger among men, as mighty as an elephant in rut, that great car-warrior, will surely adorn the woods, while roaming through them."
Those wives of citizens in the city of Ayodhya, lamenting as aforesaid, began weeping, as though fear has cropped up for a forth-coming death. The sun sank below the horizon and the night fell, while the women in the houses were weeping in that manner about Rama. The city of Ayodhya, in which the kindling of fires had ceased and the chanting of Vedas and narration of sacred stories died out, looked as though it was coated with darkness at that time. The city of Ayodhya, in which the business of the trading class had come to a stand-still, in which joy had been faded out, which had become dim as though stars had disappeared in the sky. The women whose minds became sick on account of Rama, as one would feel on one's own son or brother having been sent into exile, cried miserably expressing their grief in various ways. To them, Rama was dearer than their very sons! That city of Ayodhya, in which singing, rejoicing, dancing and instrumental music had been completely set at rest, when joy had departed forever and whose shops had been closed, looked at that time like a great ocean whose waters had dried up.
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