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The king’s body is bathed in the manner known in the Veda, and, clasping their feet, Bharata keeps all the mothers back. In the royal assembly Vasishtha says that the kingship is the king’s gift to Bharata, and that his father’s word should be made true. When Rama comes, the guru says, Bharata is to hand him the kingdom. The ministers and Kausalya ask Bharata to follow the guru’s order, and he, joining his hands, begins to answer.
In this episode of the Ramcharitmanas loads of sandal and aloe come, and a pyre is built on the bank of the Sarayu. When the rites of burning are done, Bharata performs the ten-day rite as the chief sage orders, and the brahmins receive his gifts. On an auspicious day the ministers and the notables sit in the royal assembly. Vasishtha tells of Kaikeyi’s crooked deed and praises the king’s truth. His eyes fill as he tells of Rama’s virtues, and he speaks of Lakshmana’s and Sita‘s love. Loss and gain, he says, are in the Creator’s hands, and he asks whom one should blame. He tells who is to be mourned, and says that the king is not. He names the king’s four sons, and sets Parashurama and a son of Yayati before Bharata. Kausalya tells Bharata that he alone is the support of all. At her words his eyes shed water, and all praise him.
Those who urge the kingship on him
The main figures in this episode
- Bharata the son who, when the king’s body has been bathed, clasps the mothers’ feet and keeps them back. After the burning he performs the ten-day rite, searching out the Smritis, the Vedas, and the Puranas. He does everything as the chief sage orders, in a thousand ways. He becomes pure and gives cows, horses, elephants, vehicles, thrones, ornaments, clothes, grain, land, wealth, and houses. In the royal assembly Vasishtha seats him close and counsels him. The guru’s words and the ministers’ approval are to his heart as if sandal. At Kausalya’s soft words he is distraught, and his eyes shed water. Joining his hands and holding patience, he begins to give a fitting answer to all.
- Vasishtha the guru, who seeks out an auspicious day, comes, and calls the ministers and the notables. In the royal assembly he seats Bharata near him and speaks words full of policy and dharma. He tells the whole story of Kaikeyi’s crooked deed, and he praises the vow of dharma and the truth of the king. What is to be, he says, is strong. He asks whom one is to blame, and tells who is to be mourned. He says that no king like Bharata’s father has been, is, or will be. He tells Bharata that the king gave him the kingship, and that the father’s word should be made true. He says the Veda makes known that he to whom the father gives it receives the tilak, the mark of kingship. He asks Bharata to rule, and to hand the kingdom to Rama when he comes and serve him with handsome love.
- Kausalya Rama’s mother, who, holding patience, tells Bharata that the guru’s order is wholesome, to be honored and carried out as his good. She says that Rama is in the forest and the king in heaven, and that he is faint-hearted. He alone, she says, is the support of the family, the people, the ministers, and the mothers. She asks him to hold patience and to follow the guru’s order. Protecting the people, she says, he should take away the family’s grief.
- Shatrughna Bharata’s brother, sent for with him to the royal assembly. Vasishtha names him with Rama, Lakshmana, and Bharata as the king’s pure sons.
- Dasharatha the departed king, whose body is bathed and burned, and for whom Bharata performs the rites and gives the gifts. Vasishtha praises his vow of dharma and his truth. Giving up his body, the king kept his love. Vasishtha says that no king like him has been, is, or will be, and that the gods tell the story of his virtues. The king, he says, gave Bharata the kingship, and his word was dear to him, and his life was not.
- Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana the three of whom Vasishtha tells before the assembly. Vasishtha’s eyes fill with water as he tells Rama’s virtues, conduct, and nature, and he is sunk in sorrow and love as he tells the love of Lakshmana and Sita. He says that Rama and Sita will find happiness when they hear that Bharata rules, and that the kingdom is to go to Rama when he comes.
- The ministers who are called to the assembly with the notables. With joined hands they ask Bharata to be sure to carry out the guru’s order. When Rama comes, they say, he will then do again as is fitting. Bharata hears their approval with the guru’s words, and to his heart they are as if sandal.
The father’s farewell on the Sarayu’s bank
The king’s body was bathed in the manner known in the Veda, and a most wondrous bier was made. Clasping their feet, Bharata kept all the mothers back. In the commentary’s reading, his entreaty kept them from going with their husband in death. The queens stayed, longing for a sight. The commentary reads it as the sight of Rama.
Many loads of sandal and aloe came, and countless handsome perfumes of many kinds. The commentary names camphor, guggul, and saffron among them. On the bank of the Sarayu a pyre was built. It was as if it were a handsome stair to heaven.
In this way all the rites of burning were done. With the bath taken by the rule, the offering of sesame and water was given. Searching out all the Smritis, the Vedas, and the Puranas, Bharata performed the ten-day rite.
Wherever and however the chief sage gave his order, there Bharata did everything so, in a thousand ways. He became pure and gave all the gifts. He gave cows, horses, elephants, and vehicles of many kinds. He gave thrones, ornaments, clothes, grain, land, wealth, and houses. Receiving them, the brahmins had their wishes wholly fulfilled.
What Bharata did for his father cannot be told with a hundred thousand mouths.
A guru sunk in sorrow in the royal assembly
Then, having searched out an auspicious day, Vasishtha came. He called the ministers and all the notables. All went and sat in the royal assembly. Vasishtha sent for Bharata and his brother. He seated Bharata near him and spoke words full of policy and dharma.
First he told the whole story, the crooked deed that Kaikeyi had done. He praised the vow of dharma and the truth of the king who, giving up his body, kept his love. As he told of Rama’s virtues, conduct, and nature, his eyes filled with water, and his body thrilled. Then he told the love of Lakshmana and Sita. The wise sage was sunk in sorrow and love.
“Listen, Bharata. What is to be is strong.” So said Vasishtha, lamenting. “Loss and gain, life and death, fame and infamy are in the Creator’s hands.”
He went on. “Considering so, whom is one to blame? At whom is one to be angry to no purpose? Son, consider in your mind. King Dasharatha is not to be mourned.”
Who is to be mourned, in Vasishtha’s sight
Vasishtha went on. “One should mourn the brahmin who is without the Veda, who, leaving his own dharma, is lost in pleasures. One should mourn the king who does not know policy, to whom the people are not dear as life. One should mourn the vaishya who is miserly and rich, and who is not wise in hospitality and in bhakti to Shiva. One should mourn the shudra who slights brahmins, who talks much, loves honor, and is proud of his knowledge. Moreover, one should mourn the wife who deceives her husband, crooked, quarrel-loving, and willful. One should mourn the student who gives up his own vow and does not follow the guru’s order.”
“One should mourn the householder who, under delusion, leaves the path of works. One should mourn the renunciant who is caught in the world’s display, and has lost discernment and dispassion. That forest hermit is to be mourned who, leaving tapas, likes pleasures. One should mourn the backbiter, the one angry without cause, and the foe of mother, father, guru, and kin. In every way one should mourn one who harms others, who feeds his own body and is greatly pitiless. In every way to be mourned is he who does not, giving up guile, become the Lord’s devotee.”
The father of four such sons
Vasishtha went on. “The king of Kosala is not to be mourned, whose might is manifest in the fourteen worlds. There has not been, there is not, and there will not now be a king, Bharata, like your father. The Creator, the Lord, Shiva, Indra, and the guardians of the quarters all tell the story of Dasharatha’s virtues.” The commentary names the Creator and the Lord here as Brahma and Vishnu.
He went on. “Say, son, how will anyone praise him, whose pure sons are the like of Rama, Lakshmana, you, and Shatrughna? In every way the king was fortunate. To feel dejection for him is in vain. Hearing and understanding this, give up mourning. Taking the king’s order on your head, carry it out.”
“The king gave you the kingship. Your father’s word should be made true. For that word he left Rama, and he gave up his body in the fire of parting from Rama. To the king his word was dear, and his life was not dear. Make good, son, your father’s word. Carry out the king’s order, taking it on your head. For you there is well-being in every way.”
Two examples for the father’s word
Vasishtha went on. “Parashurama kept his father’s command and killed his mother. All the worlds are witness. A son gave Yayati his youth. At a father’s command there was no sin and no infamy.”
“Those who, leaving aside the thought of the unfitting and the fitting, keep a father’s words are vessels of happiness and fair fame. They dwell in Indra’s house.”
Ruling, and handing the kingdom to Rama
Vasishtha went on. “Surely make the king’s word true. Protect the people, and give up sorrow. In heaven the king will find contentment. For you there will be merit and fair fame, and no fault. It is known in the Veda and agreed by all that he to whom the father gives it receives the tilak. Rule, and give up remorse. Accept my word, knowing it your good.”
“Hearing it, Rama and Sita will find happiness. No learned man will call it unfitting. Kausalya and all the mothers too will be happy in the people’s happiness. Whoever knows what is highest between you and Rama will think well of you in every way. When Rama comes, hand over the kingdom to him, and serve him with handsome love.”
“Surely carry out the guru’s order,” the ministers said with joined hands. “When Rama comes, you will then do again as is fitting.”
Kausalya’s plea, and the support of all
Holding patience, Kausalya said, “Son, the guru’s order is wholesome. It should be honored and carried out as your good. Dejection should be given up, knowing the course of time. Rama is in the forest, and the king is in heaven. You, in this way, son, are faint-hearted. For the family, the people, the ministers, and all the mothers, you alone, son, are the support of all.”
“Seeing the Creator adverse and the time hard, hold patience. The mother would give herself for you. Taking the guru’s order on your head, follow it. Protecting the people, take away the family’s grief.”
Bharata heard the guru’s words and the ministers’ approval. To his heart they were as if sandal. Afterwards he heard the mother’s soft words, steeped in the savor of good conduct, love, and simplicity.
A parting watered with tears
Hearing the mother’s words steeped in the savor of simplicity, Bharata was distraught. His eyes flowed, watering the new shoots of parting in his breast. Seeing that state, at that time all forgot their bodies. All praised Bharata with respect, the bound of natural love. The commentary gives this line to Tulsi.
Joining his hands and holding patience, Bharata, bearer of the yoke of patience, began to give a fitting answer to all, as if dipping his words in nectar.
The course of the episode
The king’s body was bathed, and Bharata kept the mothers back. Sandal and aloe came, a pyre was built, and the burning was done. Bharata did the ten-day rite and all that the chief sage ordered, and he gave all the gifts to the brahmins.
On an auspicious day Vasishtha called the ministers and the notables, and he seated Bharata near him. He told of Kaikeyi’s deed and praised the king. His eyes filled as he spoke of Rama. He spoke of the love of Lakshmana and Sita, and he was sunk in sorrow and love. He told Bharata that what is to be is strong, and asked whom one was to blame. He named those who are to be mourned, and said that the king was not to be mourned. He named the king’s four sons. He told Bharata that the king had given him the kingship, and set before him Parashurama and a son of Yayati. He asked Bharata to rule, and, when Rama came, to hand the kingdom over to him.
With joined hands the ministers asked Bharata to carry out the guru’s order. Kausalya, holding patience, told him that he alone was the support of all. Bharata heard the guru and the ministers, and then Kausalya. He was distraught, and his eyes shed water. All praised him with respect. With joined hands, holding patience, he began to answer them all.
The same story, elsewhere: Valmiki’s Ramayana, chapter 10: The Coming of Bharata, and the Sandals.
Source: the Gita Press edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhyakand, doha 170 to sortha 176, read with Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary.