18. TWO PROMISES REVIVED (Part - 9)

They reached the banks of the river Sarayu and camped there for the night.

The citizens who had followed also spread themselves out on the sand, not in the least minding

the discomfort. Past midnight, fatigued by the trekking, the

whole gathering had gone off to sleep. Rama said softly to

Sumanthra, "This is the time to leave. You may go back to

the palace and tell my father that I am safe." While the

followers slept, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana rode out to a

farther point on the river, crossed it, and went up the

embankment. Sumanthra watched them go and then turned

back, following Rama's suggestion that he should reach the

capital by another route without waking the crowd.

Dasaratha lay inert, motionless, with his eyes closed—

except when a footstep sounded outside, at which time his

lips moved as he whispered, "Has Rama come?" When

Vasishtha or Kausalya gave some soothing answer, he

lapsed into his drowsy state again. "Who is gone to fetch

him?"

"Sumanthra," Vasishtha replied. Finally a footstep did

sound, loudly enough to rouse the drowsy King. The door

opened, and the King also opened his eyes and exclaimed,

"Ah, Sumanthra? Where is Rama?" Before Vasishtha or

Kausalya could prevent his reply, Sumanthra explained,

"Rama, Sita and Lakshmana crossed the river, went up the

bank, and then along a foot track that wound its way through

a cluster of bamboos… .""Oh!" groaned the King. "How, how … When?" He could

not complete the sentence. Sumanthra tried to say, "Rama

wanted to escape the crowd… ."

The thought of Rama and Sita on the rough forest track

beyond bamboo clusters was too unbearable for Dasaratha.

He fell into a swoon and never recovered from the shock.

("He died even as Sumanthra was speaking," says the poet.)

The King's death left the country without a ruler for the time

being. Vasishtha convened an urgent council of the ministers

and officials of the court and decided, "The first thing to do is

to preserve the King's body until Bharatha can come back

and perform the funeral." They kept the body embalmed in a

cauldron of oil.

Two messengers were dispatched with a sealed packet

for Bharatha, advising him to return to the capital urgently.

The messengers were to keep their horses continously at a

gallop, and were not to explain anything or convey any

information. They were trusted men, experienced in the task

of carrying royal dispatches, and could be depended upon

not to exceed their orders. Within eight days, they drew up at

the portals of Aswapathi's palace at Kekaya and declared,

"We carry an important message for Bharatha."

Bharatha was overjoyed, and ordered, "Bring them up with

the least delay." He received them in his chamber and asked

at once, "Is my father happy and in good health?" The messengers murmured a polite answer, and Bharatha, "How is my brother, Rama?" And they repeated their polite

murmuring again, and said, "We bear an epistle for Your

Highness." Bharatha received the sealed message (written

on palm leaf and wrapped in silk), opened it, and read: "Your

return to Ayodhya is urgently required in connection with

state affairs." He ordered that the message bearers be

rewarded liberally and began immediate preparations for his

return to Ayodhya, without having the patience even to

consult the palace astrologer as to the propitious time for

starting on a long journey.

When they reached the outskirts of Ayodhya, Bharatha

asked his brother Sathrugna, "Do you notice any change in

the atmosphere?"

"No traffic of chariots or horse-riders, no spectacle of

people moving about in public squares and highways …"

"Streets and homes without any illumination."

"No sound of music—no happy voices or songs or

instruments … What oppressive silence! So few to be seen

in the streets, and even the one or two we meet look up with

such un-smiling faces! What is wrong with them?"

Bharatha drove straight to Dasaratha's palace, went up,

and burst into his chamber with words of greeting on his lips.

Not finding the King in his usual place, he paused,

wondering where he should seek him. Just then an inner

door opened, a maid appeared and said, "Your motherdoor opened, a maid appeared and said, "Your mother

summons you." Immediately he left for Kaikeyi's apartment.

He made a deep obeisance to her, touched her feet, and

Kaikeyi asked, "Are my father, brothers, and the others safe

and happy in Kekaya?"

Bharatha replied that all was well in her father's home. He

then asked, "Iwant to touch the lotus feet of my father. Where

is he gone? Where can I seek him?"

"The great King has been received by resplendent

heavenly beings in the next world. He is happy and at peace.

Do not grieve," replied Kaikeyi calmly.

When he took in the full import of her news and found his

tongue again, Bharatha said, "None but you could have

uttered these terrible words in this manner. Is your heart

made of stone? I should never have left his side. My

misfortune, my mistake. The world has not seen a greater

ruler; no son has had a nobler father. I was not fated to be

with him, to hear his voice, to feel his glorious presence—

enjoying my holiday indeed! What a time to have chosen for

relaxation!" He recounted again and again his father's

exploits as a warrior, and this in some measure mitigated

his anguish. After a long brooding silence he said, "Until I

see Rama and listen to his voice, my grief will not abate."

At this point, Kaikeyi said in a matter-of-fact voice, "With

his wife and brother, he left to live in the forests."

"What a time to have chosen for forest-going! When will hebe back? What made him go? Did he go there before the

King's death or after? Has he committed a wrong? What

could be the cause of his exile, if it is an exile? Did the gods

decree it or the King? Did he go before or after the King's

death? Oh, impossible thought—did he commit a wrong?

But if Rama committed a seemingly wrong act, it would still

be something to benefit humanity, like a mother forcibly

administering a medicine to her child."

"It's none of what you think. He went away with the full

knowledge of your father."

"My father dies, my brother is exiled… . What has

happened? What is all this mystery? What is behind all this?"

"Now attend to what I am going to say, calmly and with

good sense. Of course, it would have been splendid if your

father had lived. But it was not in our hands. You will have to

accept things as they come and not let your feelings

overpower and weaken your mind. Through your father's

irrevocable promise to grant me two wishes, you are today

lord of this earth, and Rama has willingly removed himself

from your path. After he gave me his promise, your father

became rather weak in mind… ."