RamarpaNam-271-276

JAI SRI RAM.

He came, he saw and he conquered

(the hearts of Rama & LakshmaNa).

From a distance, beholding Rama's hermitage, Bharata finds Rama seated in the hut.  Lamenting on Rama's misfortune of living as an ascetic Bharata and Shatrughna threw themselves at the feet of Rama in salutation, addressing Him as Arya! Rama with His well stretched arms lifted them from the ground and embraced them both.

Here Arya means a Noble Soul, whose thought and deeds lift the self to nobility and not in the mundane usage of the word having Arian ancestry.  

Rama enquiring the welfare of His father and others, lists some 30 odd duties of a king and the rule of polity for an ideal monarchy. The most important 14 things that a King either should refrain from or should not evince interest are:

Atheism, falsehood, anger, carelessness, procrastination, disregard of the wise, laziness, bondage to the five senses, himself deciding on the affairs of the state (without consulting the ministers); seeking the counsel of the ill-conceived; failure to undertake the projects already decided, failure to keep secrets, failure to utter auspiciously (for a good beginning); and rising from the seat to receive all (disregarding protocol).

Rama unaware of the happenings at Ayodhya, enquired Bharata as to why he has come to the forest with robes of bark and antelope skin, abandoning the kingdom. Bharata in reply informing about Dasaratha's death, requested Rama to take over the kingdom, due by succession to Him. Rama said that since king Dasaratha assigned two different duties to two of them and that the one emphasizing the exile of his elder brother being binding on him and the other bequeathing the kingdom to Bharata, must be obeyed by both of them without deceit, over riding as though His own earlier statement:

Bharata should "follow the common practice without let up, which their fore fathers observed in accord with the path of the virtuous and the distinguished". Bharata underlining the same replied insisting that it is an established practice for the eldest son to become a king and that Rama should return to Ayodhya and get crowned for the welfare of Ikshvaku race. Pleaded he to Rama to grant this grace to His brother, prostrating at His feet along with ministers, as His disciple and slave.

Here we find that when Rama is trying to break the convention He is cherishing,  Ramanuja (Bharata) does try to correct Him, but fails. Bhagavat Ramanuja on the other hand works His way successfully with the Lord in trampling His Will to deny salvation to His devotees.

Rama faints after lamenting in various ways, at the news of his father's death. Bharata and others bring Him back to consciousness by sprinkling water on him. Rama in turn consoled Seetha who was weeping un-controlablly. His telling Seetha! "your father-in-law is dead. O! Lakshmana! You have become fatherless" sounds as though Dasaratha is still alive in His case. In-fact He sees Dasaratha in LakshmaNa and so He is right in this respect.

Seetha followed by LakshmaNa and Rama walking behind one another reached out to the River Mandakini to offer water and food-balls made of forest grown wheat mixed with Ingudi (ILANDAI-Jujupe-tree) fruit to the spirit of the departed father and returned to the hut. 

Here a question may arise as to whether in lieu of rice-balls, forest grown wheat or cereal is permitted as offerings to the deceased? True. Rama offered whatever He has for His diet and so is perfectly placed in Offering the same in the ceremony.

Scriptures too grant this, in the following words:

 Edanno purusho bavati thathanna thasya DevatA:

The crying sound of the brothers reaching out to the waiting troops signaled their approach to Rama, who received them all with affection.