8.Kousalya blesses Rama
Kousaly seeing that Rama could not be swerved from his resolve to go to forest accepted the situation and blessed him. She said,
gacCha puthra thvam ekaagro bhadhram the asthu sadha vibho
punsthvayi nivrtthe thu bhavishyaami gathavyaThaa
"Go to the forest my son with firm mind. May everything transpire towards your welfare I will be free from anguish when you return.."
Knowing dharma Kousalya wanted to send him without shedding tears for the sake of his safe return and uttered benedictory words. She said .
" The dharma to which you adhere will protect you. The deities whom you propitiate daily will look after you and the missiles he learnt from Visvamithra will come to your rescue"
Kousaly invoked all the devas and all the natural elements for the welfare of Rama and said that he would be free from the fear of wild animals and other poisonous creatures and said she would pray that his path would be free from obstacles due to animals and other adversities in the forest.
Then Kousalya performed fire ritual by the priests and she blessed Rama with mangala vachakam. These slokas are often recited at the end of finishing the chanting of Ramayana.
Yanmangalam sahasraakshe sarvadevanaskrthe
Vrthranaase samsbhavath thath the bhavathu mangalam
May you be auspicious as Indra was after destroying Vrthrasura.
Yanmangalam suparNasya vinathaa kalpayath puraa
Amrtham praarThayaanasya thath the bhavathu mangalam
May you be blessed with the auspicious words Vinatha said to Garuda when he went to fetch the amrtha to free her from Kathru.
Amrthothpaadhane dhaithyaan ghnatho vajraDharasya yath
adhithiH mangalam praadhaath thathy the bhavathu mangalam
May you be blessed with the benediction bestowed by Adhithi to indra at the time of churning for amrtha for him to destroy the asuras.
Threen vikramaan prakramatho vishNoH amitha thejasaH
Yath aaseeth mangalam raam that the bhavathu mangalam
May you be as blessed as Lord Vishnu who measured the three worlds with his three steps.
This mangalasaasana or benediction done to the Lord by Kousalya paved the way for that by azvars later, the main of them being the pallandu by Periazvar who, on seeing the Lord presenting Himself to see the glory of His devotee , mounted on the elephant , sang pallandu fearing the effect of evil eye to the Lord Himself.
Then Kousalya gave her blessings to Rama saying that she would see him returning after fourteen years and be crowned as the king.
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