July 1 - Sargas 67 and 68 of Ayodhya Kanda.
We read about the great concern expressed among all the sages and ministers who have been guiding and administering Dasharatha's regime. They don't want Ayodhya to remain without a ruler. They paint an interesting picture of a king-less kingdom.
Vasishtha sends swift riders to go and bring Bharata and Shatrughna back from the far-off Kekaya desha as soon as possible without revealing the status of affairs back home. Valmiki is very happy to describe their passage.
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Sages and counsel for Dasharatha, viz. Markandeya, Vamadeva, Maudgalya, Kashyapa, Katyayana, Gautama, Jabali, and the various ministers, all addressed sage Vasishtha, the kulaguru, about the distressing situation in Ayodhya and the need to avert the disorder of a kingless state.
Valmiki chooses to narrate what will happen to a nation without a ruler by giving the choicest of examples.
Since there will be no righteousness and piety in the form of properly conducted yajnas and yagas, as prescribed in the Vedas ( and also emphasised in the Bhagavad-Gita), Nature will cease to shower her blessings in the form of rains and good crops. This idea is embedded in our culture and yajna and yaga ceremonies represent the stability and maturity of a society that expresses itself in giving back to Nature what is earned by rightful effort in cooperation with all existence.
People will lose interest in hard work and honesty. Farmers will lose motivation to till their land, sow in time, and tend their crops, as the future is uncertain. Travelling businessmen will desist. There will be no fast vehicles zipping about Ayodhya. There will be no majestic tuskers roaming grandly in the city.
Traders will down their shops fearing robbers. Families will loosen bonds of affection and mutual support. Women and children will become disobedient. Students will lose interest in studies. And so on. I quote two shlokas that caught my attention:
नाराजके जनपदे तूद्यानानि समागताः ।
सायाह्ने क्रीडितुं यान्ति कुमार्यो हेमभूषिताः ॥
नाराजके जनपदे धनवन्तः सुरक्षिताः ।
शेरते विवृतद्वाराः कृषिगोरक्षजीविनः ॥
In a land without a ruler, young women will not deck themselves up in fine clothes and golden ornaments and happily go about with friends laughing and playing in the gardens during evenings.
In a land without a ruler, rich people in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry and trade will feel very insecure. They will be unable to sleep peacefully keeping their doors open to visitors and guests.
This sentiment is expressed even in Kalidasa's works to describe how young women feel safe, joyous and prosperous in a well-ruled land. In the same way, rich people will offer hospitality and charity instead of securing themselves against robbers behind double-barred super-secure doors.
And so on.
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Sage Vasishtha gives his verdict. "King Dasharatha is dead. His eldest son Sri Rama is in exile in the forest. His brother, the capable Lakshmana, is also with him in exile. We have only one recourse. As desired by the king Dasharatha, we should immediately bring back Bharata and Shatrughna from their uncle's kingdom, Kekaya. We should install Bharata as king and adhere to the word of our late king."
He calls five very competent messengers. Valmiki gives their names - Siddhartha, Vijaya, Jayanta, Ashoka and Nandana. He gives them detailed instructions that they should travel by the swiftest means to reach Bharata. They should completely hide their distress about the recent events in Ayodhya. They should give the following message to Bharata:
पुरोहितस्त्वां कुशलं प्राह सर्वे च मन्त्रिणः ।
त्वरमाणश्च निर्याहि कृत्यमात्ययिकं त्वया ॥
"Dear prince Bharata, sage Vasishtha, the chief priest of the kingdom, has sent his greetings and blessings to you. The ministers also send their greetings. The sage has instructed that you should return to Ayodhya at once, and complete some pressing tasks that are pending on your account."
The words are chosen to trigger the quick and unquestioning compliance desired, as they are coming from Bharata's preceptor and the chief priest.
Valmiki the master story-teller describes how the five men hasten home, collect clothes, weapons and food for their travel, and proceed on swift horses. Their journey through many regions and across many rivers westward towards Kekaya (which may be in present day Afghanistan?) is mapped. They cross many many rivers including the Ganga, touching Hastinapur, Panchala, and so on. They stop and worship holy mountains and there is a sacred shrine for Vishnu mentioned where they pray. They eventually reach the city where Bharata is staying, arriving there late into the night.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
