Rama tests Lakshmana
After Sandhyavandhanam and having had Dinner Rama “ Lakshmana ! This is the first night we are living away from our country. Today Sumanathra is not with us. You should not worry about that. From today onwards we should keep awake in the night. It Is now our responsibility to protect Sita. With the grass and leafs we will lay down a bed , we will somehow spend the night. Rama is used to sleeping in cozy beds, but today slept in ground spread with leaves “ ChildnLakshmana ! Now King will not be able to sleep due to sorrow , but Kayikyei with a her dsires fulfilled will be happy. Bharatha should get the Kingdom ,it might be possible she may kill him as well. Now he is an Orphan; he is very old; he is bound by lust;he is enticed by Kayikeyi,; I am also not near him. What will he do? The hardship that has come to me,and I feel Kama is better than Artha(Materialistic) and Dharma.
“ See what our father has done. How ever much a person may be a fool, just to please a Lady, will he send a Son who always listen to him and drive him to Forest? Bharatha with his wife with all the wealth and granary rule the Koshala Kingdom happily as an Emperor. How long will Dsaratha be there?. I have come to forest; then to this vast kingdom he is the sole Emperor. One who sacrifices Dharma and Artha for Kama will suffer like our father. I feel Kayikeyie has come to send me to forest, make Bharatha king, kill Dasarath.
“Having newly acquired Power,with intellect spoilt, Kaiykeyie is most likely to torment both Kaushalya and Sumithra as they belong to me. Kaushalya being my mother suffering is justified. But Sumithra suffering like that is not justified. So on dawn without wasting time, go to Ayodhya from here. We have not come very far. Myself and Sita will go to Dandakaaranya. When Kaushalya is without her husband , if you are with her , it will be a solace. Kayikeyie might do anything. She will not see it as a heinous crime;will not bother for the curse of People of the world or an unjustified act You should put my mother under Bharatha’s refuge.
Kaushalya must have separated many a child and mother. Or else there is no justification for her to suffer in this birth like this. She had suffered a lot to beget me as a son. She struggled to nurture me. The purpose of parents getting a child is ,for the children to help them in their old age.When such a time has come then also she is deprived of the same. My Birth should be burnt. In the world no mother should get a son like me. Lakshmana ! The return I am giving my mother is to give her endless Dukkam or grief. What would have been the Loss if such a son was not born? Lakshamana ! you have seen the female parrot, which was reared in my mother’s chamber. That Parrot used to continuously keep saying to the parrot in the nearest cage “ Peck the leg of the Cat which is your sworn enemy”.Kaushalya may get happy hearing that. , the happiness which she got from the bird which does not have 6th sense, she did not get from me even that little happiness. It will say bite the leg of enemy of Kaushalya , she had struggled more to bring me up. When the enemy is tormenting I am no there even to say a consoling word.nor could I tell aword to stop that torment.
Kaushlya has least luck, despite having given birth to a son, he is not there when she needs him, what is use of my having been born to her? Except sink in the sorrow of deep sea, drowning and unable to see the shore. If get angry , can I not with a single arrow annihilate the country or even earth and take over? But if I show my valour now, it will be against Dharma. We should not use force which will cause dent to Dharma. ‘ Rama left Dharma and usurped Adharma’ will be the blame whole world will spit on me. , if I adopt Adharma ,I will not get Salvation after my death, for fear of that only I am keeping quite.Or else will I not have coronation this very moment. Thus Rama was lamenting in many ways and crying. In that unihabitted forest.
After the Flames of the Fire had quenched, the sea waves having subsided; when Rama’s lamentation was over, to pacify Him Lakshamana said “ Brother ! hey greatest amongst warrirors ! After you came out, Ayodhya has lost it’s lusture like the sky without the full moon and do we need to say it is looking ugly? Greatest amongst Men ! it does not behove of you to be remorseful like this. Due to this it causes me and Sita more anguish. As a person you have the name and fame and by nature ; You who confers Happiness and Bliss to the entire universe ; can you make us and others feel sad for you? Just like the fish if taken out of Water which is the Life Force for it will not survive; similarly mysef and Sita can not survive even for a minute being away from you. ‘morning you go to Ayodhya’ you said, my reply for the same is this “ if I can not be with you , then I have no desire to be with Dasaratha, Shathrugna , Sumithra or to see even Heaven least bit.
Then they laid down the Leafs bed under the Banyan tree. Rama was immesly pleased to hear the words of Lakshmana who has boundless affection and conveying it without hiding what was in his heart .He decided to spend the entire 14 Years with Lakshamana in the Forest and observe the Dharma of Thapasvi(Penance observing Mendicants). Despite being in the most wild Forest and being in the midst of dangerous creatrues, the Great Warrior brothers feared least, bothered about them or doubted. (Slokas35).
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