22. Bharatha meets Rama
Rajaji
the first Governor general of the free India, a great national leader, scholar and devout vaishnavite writes in his
commentary on Ramayana that the episode of Bharatha portraying a character of
unrivalled purity and sublime selflessness stands out in the epic as the holy
shrines on the banks of Ganges and jnana and bhakthi will automatically
grow by the contemplation of the
personality of Bharatha.
Bharatha
left his retinue behind and entered the hermitage with Vasishta and few elders
and Valmiki says that he went in wearing a simple silk garment and discarded
all his ornaments and weapons. So from this we know that Bharatha went to
forest in his normal attire of a prince but Kamban enahanced the glory of
Bharatha in making him wear bark garments.
Bharatha
and Vasishta were welcomed by the sage and after the usual pleasantries and enquiries Bharadhvaja asked Bharatha the
reason for his arrival and said that it was only to clear a doubt in his mind
whether Bharatha meant any harm to Rama. First by Guha, then by the sage, Bharatha was suspected though being pure at
heart and the reaction of Bharatha was indescribable. He said that if even the
sage who should have known better suspected him then he is truly lost. Then he
told the sage his real intention and Bharadhvaja made amends for his error of
judgement by saying that he knew the truth but only wanted to establish and
spread the glory of Bharatha by his revelation.
In
Kamban Bharadhvaja never doubted
Bharatha but on seeing his appearance as a hermit with matted hair and bark
garments asked him why did he came to forest giving up the kingdom and hearing
his reply the sage was pleased.
Baradhvaja
asked Bharatha to bring his retinue and he created a heaven in the forest with
food and drink and heavenly damsels serving all, through his yogic power, with
palaces and gardens etc. so that the soldiers wanted to stay there and not go
to Dandaka forest or back to Ayodhya without knowing that all would vanish the
next day.Thus a befitting hospitality was rendered to the prince and his
retinue.
But
Bharatha of Kamban was in hermit's robes and Kamban says that he ate only roots
and fruits and slept on the floor.
The
next morning Bharadhvaja instructed Bharatha the way to chithrakoota where Rama
was staying with Seetha and Lakshmana. At the time of departure the three
queens of Dasaratha came out of their palanquins to pay obeisance to the sage
and he asked the identity of each one. In Kamban it was Guha who asked this and
the reply and the reaction of Guha is worth mentioning and we shall see it
presently as a contrast to the scene in Valmiki.
Valmiki
decribes the queens as follows. Kousalya was trembling with trepidation perhaps
about the outcome of the expedition and she was emaciated and piteous, `vepamaanaa krSaa dheenaa,' and she
touched the feet of the sage with Sumithra. Then Kaikeyi, whom Valmiki
describes as `asamRddhena kaamena
sarvalokasya garhithaa,' the one whose desire was thwarted and who has
become despicable to the whole world.
Bharatha
introducing the queens said that the one who is emaciated by grief and fasting
and looks like a deity is the one, who gave birth to Rama as Adhithi to Vamana,
was Kousalya and the other standing by her side looking like a branch of
karnikara tree with withered flowers in her grief is the godly Sumithra the
mother of the two heroic princes Lakshmana and Sathrughna. Then pointing to
Kaikeyi he introduced her her as the one
who is the cause of the exile of two tigers among men and the death of her
husband and who is of fierce temper,
indiscriminate, arrogant, high in self esteem,avarice and who appeared as a
noble woman which she was not. And added
that she was his mother Kaikeyi who is the cause of his misfortune, making Kaikeyi miserable and ashamed at his
words. Then Bharadhvaja said that what happened was not the fault of Kaikeyi
but the machinations of the devas and the exile of Rama was going to result in
the welfare of the whole world. Thus we see in Valmiki several instances where
the divinty of Rama is proclaimed by the sages and the devotees.
This
incident which Valmiki describes as having taken place in the hermitage of
Bharadhvaja was transferred by Kamban to the place where Guha helped them to
cross the river and they were getting into the boat.
Guha
seeing Kousalya revered by all, fell at her feet and asked Bharatha about her
identity. Bharatha said that she was the crowned queen of Dasaratha and inspite
of giving birth to the one who is the creator
of the whole world, lost all her glory because Bharatha was born. When
Guha fell at her feet Kousalya asked Bharatha who he was and Bharatha replied ,
In
thuNivan raaghavanukku, ilakkuvaRkum
iLaiyavaRkum
enakkum mootthaan
"
He is a close friend of Rama and elder brother to me , Lakshmana and
Sathrughna."
Guha
then asked him about Sumthra ans Bharatha said,
`Raaman
pinbu piRandhaanum uLan ennappiriyaan thannai payandha periyaaL'
"
She is the one who gave birth to Lakshmana who proved that there is a brother
to Rama and who was inseparable to Him." Bharatha meant that only Lakshmana was fit to
be called a brother to Rama.
Then
Guha enquired the identity of Kaikeyi to whom Kamban refers as
the
one who has sent her husband to cremation ground, plunged her son into the sea
of sorrow, exiled the sea of mercy, Rama to the forest and the one who had
pervaded the whole world with her wickedness as the Lord didi with His cosmic
form.
Bharatha
replied in more or less in the same manner as in Valmiki and Guha bowed down to
her also, because she was the mother of Bharatha, perhaps thinking that because of her only he
had the good fortune of meeting Rama.
Now
to rivert back to Valmiki, Bharatha and his retinue reached chithrakoota and
saw smoke rising up which indicated the residence of Rama. Bharatha leaving the
others behind proceeded on foot to where Rama was accompanied only with Sumanthra
and Vasishta.
The
cloud of dust was visible to Rama and others when the army was approaching and
Lakshmana climbed a tree and saw the army of Bharatha advancing. True to his
nature he was stung quick with anger and vowed to destroy Bharatha, who was
obviouslty advancing to kill Rama, and to make Rama the king. But Rama pacified
him and said that Bharatha would be coming only to give him bacjk the kingdom
as he knew Bharatha to be pure-hearted and told Lakshmana that if the anxiety for
kingdom was what made him talk like that he would advise Bharatah to give it to
him. Thia made Lakshmana ashamed and he said that perhaps the King had sent
them to ask Rama to return. Rama seeing his discomfiture pacified him that it
could be so.
Bharatha
came near the hermitage of Rama and saw him sitting outside and ran to him and
wishing to fall at his feet fell few feet before he reached Rama in his
agitation and anguish, just uttering the word `Oh noble one.'
Commentators
remark about this fact and say that it was the divine will as Rama was seen
throughout as a SaraNagatharkshaka and if Bharatha had fallen on his feet Rama
could not have denied his wish!
Rama comforting
Bharatha and Sathrughna who fell
at his feet weeping , asked Bharatha why did he came to the forest leaving the
kingdom and their father, showing his fear for the welfare of Dasaratha and asked him why was he looking emaciated. Bharatha could not answer
and Rama further enquired him on the duties proper to a king. Valmiki devotes a
whole sarga known commonly a `kaschith sarga,' in which Rama, by way of
ensuring that Bhartha was carrying out his responsibility as the king, gae out the complete manual on the duties of a king.
Then
Rama again asked Bharatha why had he come to forest in matted lock and wearing
deerskin ,relinquishing his kingdom. In Valmiki, Bharatha said, after hearing
how Rama and Seetha slept on the ground, he would also matt his hair and be clad
in bark garment, would sleep on floor and stay in forest persuading Rama to
accept the kingdom. But Valmiki describes him as being clad in simple silk
garments when he went to the hermitage
of Bharadhvaja. Kamban gives a more
cogent narration as Bharatha was described in kambaramayana arriving in the forest dressed as a hermit.
In
Valmiki Ramayana,this chapter in which Rama
asked Bharatha the reason for his coming to forest clad in deerskin and with matted
locks, to which Bharatha replied entreating Rama to accept the throne , comes before that in which the death of
Dasaratha was announced to Rama and describes the grief of Rama , Lakshman and
Seetha. The commentators are of the
opinion that the chapters must have got
mixed up. We will follow the order of Kamban with respect to this episode which is more orderly as far as
the narratve is concerned.
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