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Sita does not say, embarrassed in her mind, that dwelling here for the night is not good. Her mother sees her bent and makes it known to Janaka. That night Janaka tells the queen that Bharata will not push aside Rama‘s order, even in thought. In the morning, hearing the sage’s words, he ponders that coming here was no good thing. Bharata is asked what order he gives.
In this episode of the Ramcharitmanas, Janaka tells Sita that she has made both lines holy. Her parents embrace her again and again and send her off. The clever queen tells Janaka of Bharata’s state at the right hour. Janaka praises Bharata and asks whether Sumeru can be called the equal of a ser weight. The love and trust of Bharata and Rama, he says, cannot be reasoned out. For the couple the night passes like the fall of an eyelid. In the morning Rama asks his guru, Vasishtha, to do what is fitting. Without Rama, the sage says, both companies find the gear of happiness like hell, and he carries Rama’s words to Janaka. Janaka’s knowledge and dispassion turn to dispassion. With his company he goes to Bharata and asks for his order. Bharata calls the dharma of service hard, and he asks them to do what is good for all.
The king and queen at night, the royal companies at dawn
The main figures in this episode
- Sita whom Janaka sees in an ascetic’s guise and praises to her face. She seems as if sunk into embarrassment, and her father and mother take her to their hearts. She keeps unsaid her thought that it is not good to dwell there for the night, and her mother sees her bent. Her parents send her off with honor.
- Janaka Sita’s father, who says that her river of fame, beating the Ganga, has gone through ten million universes. Hearing of Bharata’s conduct, he praises Bharata’s fair fame and says that Bharata is to be known as Bharata’s equal. He tells the queen that Lakshmana’s return and Bharata’s going to the forest are in every mind. Bharata, he says, will not push Rama’s order aside, even by mistake, even in thought. Hearing Vasishtha’s words, he ponders in his mind that they did no good by coming. He goes with his company to Bharata and asks for the order he gives.
- Sunayana Sita’s mother, who sees Sita’s bent and makes it known to the king. At the right hour she tells him of Bharata’s state in fine speech, and the couple’s night passes in counting Rama’s and Bharata’s virtues.
- Rama who bathes at dawn and goes to his guru. He says that Bharata, the townspeople, and the mothers are distraught with grief, and that Janaka and his company have borne hardship for many days. He asks the guru to do what is fitting, and he says that the good of all is in the guru’s hands. Saying so, he is greatly embarrassed. He makes his salute and goes.
- Vasishtha the guru, who says that without Rama all the gear of happiness is like hell to both royal companies. He calls Rama the life of life and the happiness of happiness, and he asks Rama to set his feet toward the hermitage. He carries Rama’s words to Janaka. He calls Janaka a treasure of knowledge and asks who but Janaka can end the fix at this hour.
- Bharata who comes forward, receives Janaka, and gives fine seats. Asked what order he gives, he calls Janaka dear and to be honored like a father. He asks for counsel as a child, a servant, and a follower of orders. He says the dharma of service is hard, and he asks that what is good for all be done, with Rama’s bent, dharma, and vow kept.
A daughter’s fame, and a father’s content
Janaka saw Sita in an ascetic’s guise. In him rose love, and especially content. “Daughter, you have made both lines holy. Everyone says that the world is bright with your fair fame. Beating the Ganga, your river of fame has gone through ten million universes. The Ganga made three great places on the earth. This river has made many companies of sadhus.” The commentary names the three places as Haridwar, Prayaga, and Gangasagar.
Her father spoke the truth, with love and in fine speech. Sita seemed as if sunk into embarrassment. Her father and mother took her to their hearts again. They gave her pleasing counsel and blessing for her good.
The thing Sita kept in her mind
Sita did not say it, embarrassed in her mind. Her thought was that dwelling here for the night was not good. In the commentary’s reading, staying would mean leaving the service of her mothers-in-law. The queen, Sunayana, saw her bent and made it known to the king. In their hearts both praised Sita’s good conduct and nature.
Meeting and embracing her again and again, they sent Sita off, honoring her. At the right hour the clever queen told the king of Bharata’s state, in fine speech.
Bharata, the equal of Bharata
Hearing of Bharata’s conduct, gold and fragrance, nectar and the moon’s essence, the king closed his eyes, which were full of water. His body thrilled. Glad of mind, he began to praise Bharata’s fair fame. The commentary pairs the four as fragrance in gold and the moon’s essence in nectar.
“Listen with care, fair-faced, fair-eyed one. The story of Bharata frees from the bond of becoming. In dharma, kingly policy, and thought of Brahman, my reach is as my wit allows. That wit of mine, how should it tell Bharata’s greatness? By guile it does not touch its shadow.”
“To the Creator, Ganesha, the lord of serpents, Shiva, and Sarasvati, Bharata’s acts, fame, and deeds are pleasant to understand and to hear. So they are to poets, men of knowledge, the learned, and those skilled in intellect, and to everyone. So are his dharma, good conduct, virtues, and pure glory. In purity they outdo the Ganga, and in savor even nectar.”
“He is a man of boundless virtue, without likeness. Know Bharata as the equal of Bharata. Can Sumeru be called the equal of a ser weight? The wit of the race of poets is embarrassed. Describing him is out of reach for all, fair one, as walking on waterless ground is for a fish. Hear Bharata’s measureless greatness, queen. Rama knows it, and he cannot tell it.”
What is in every mind, and Bharata’s view
Describing Bharata’s power with love, and seeing the wish in his wife’s heart, the king said, “Lakshmana returns, and Bharata goes to the forest. In this is the good of all, and it is in every mind. But, goddess, the love and trust of Bharata and Rama cannot be reasoned out. Bharata is the utmost of love and of ‘mine’, though Rama is the bound of evenness.”
“The highest good, the worldly good, and every happiness, Bharata has not looked at even in a dream, even in his mind. Love for Rama’s feet is his means and his attainment. This is Bharata’s view, as I see it. Even by mistake, even in thought, Bharata will not push aside Rama’s order. One is not to worry in the power of love.” The king said this in distress. In the commentary’s reading he was choked with love.
In the morning Rama goes to the guru
As the couple counted Rama’s and Bharata’s virtues with love, the night passed for them like the fall of an eyelid. At dawn both royal companies woke. Bathing, they began to worship the gods.
Rama went to his guru, Vasishtha, having bathed. Bowing to the guru’s feet, he spoke, having found his bent. “Master, Bharata, the townspeople, and the mothers are distraught with grief and wretched with dwelling in the forest. King Janaka with his company has borne hardship for many days. Please do what is fitting, master. The good of all is in your hands.” Saying so, Rama was greatly embarrassed. The sage thrilled, seeing Rama’s good conduct and nature.
The sage calls Rama the happiness of happiness
Vasishtha spoke. “Without you, Rama, all the gear of happiness is like hell to both royal companies. You are the life of life, the self of the self, the happiness of happiness, Rama. Whoever leaves you, son, and finds home pleasing, the Creator is against him. Let that happiness, karma, and dharma burn where there is no love for Rama’s lotus feet. Yoga is ill yoga, and knowledge is ignorance, where love for Rama is not chief.”
“Without you all are sad, and the happy are happy by you. You know what is in anyone’s heart. Your order is on everyone’s head. Everyone’s state is well known to the merciful one. Please set your feet toward the hermitage.” The king of sages became slack with love. Making his salute, Rama then went. Holding patience, the rishi came to Janaka.
The guru’s words, and Janaka’s pondering
The guru told the king Rama’s words, pleasing by nature with their good conduct and love. “Great king, now please do that in which the good of all lies, with dharma. Treasure of knowledge, wise, pure, firm in dharma, lord of men, without you who is able to end this fix at this hour?”
Hearing the sage’s words, Janaka was full of love. Seeing his state, knowledge and dispassion turned to dispassion. In the commentary’s reading they all but left him. Slack with love, he pondered in his mind: “We came here, and did no good thing. Dasharatha told Rama to go to the forest, and himself made his love for his dear one true. Now, sending Rama from the forest into the forest, we shall go back glad in the greatness of discernment.” In the commentary’s reading the thought runs on: they felt no delusion, they left Rama in the forest, and they did not die as Dasharatha did.
Hearing and seeing it, the ascetics, sages, and brahmins became especially distraught in the power of love. Thinking of the hour and holding patience, the king went with his company to Bharata.
Bharata is asked for his order
Coming forward, Bharata received them and gave fine seats fitting the occasion. The king of Mithila said, “Son Bharata, you know Rama’s nature. Rama is true to his vow and given to dharma, and he keeps the good conduct and love of all. He bears distress in the power of hesitation. Whatever order you give, let it be said.”
The hard dharma of service
Hearing it, his body thrilling and his eyes filled with water, Bharata spoke, holding great patience. “Lord, you are dear and to be honored, like a father. No mother or father is such a well-wisher as the family guru. Vishvamitra and the other sages, the company of ministers, and today you yourself, an ocean of knowledge. Knowing me a child, a servant, and a follower of orders, please give me counsel, master.”
“In this company and this place, you ask me. Silent, I am soiled. Speaking, I am mad. With a small mouth I say a big thing. Forgive me, father, seeing the Creator against me. The Agamas, the Vedas, and the Puranas make it known, and the world knows, that the dharma of service is hard. The dharma to a master is at odds with self-interest. Enmity is blind, and love has no sense.” In the commentary’s reading he fears a mistake either way, whether he speaks from self-interest or from love.
Bharata went on. “Keeping Rama’s bent, his dharma, and his vow, and knowing me dependent, please do what all agree on and what is the good of all, recognizing the love.”
What all agree on, and the good of all
Janaka spoke to Sita of her fame, and she was as if sunk into embarrassment. She did not say that dwelling there for the night was not good, and the queen, seeing Sita’s bent, made it known. They sent Sita off with honor. That night the king praised Bharata’s fair fame to the queen. He said that the return of Lakshmana and the going of Bharata were in every mind, and that Bharata would not push aside Rama’s order.
In the morning Rama asked his guru to do what was fitting. The sage said that without Rama the gear of happiness was like hell to both companies, and he told Janaka Rama’s words. Hearing the sage, Janaka pondered in his mind that coming there was no good thing. He went with his company to Bharata and asked what order he gave. Bharata said that the dharma of service was hard. He asked them to do what all agreed on and what was the good of all, keeping Rama’s bent, dharma, and vow.
Source: the Gita Press edition of Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas, Ayodhyakand, doha 287 to 293, read with Hanuman Prasad Poddar’s Hindi commentary.