February 11 - Sargas 123 and 124 of Yuddha Kanda.
Sri Rama, Sita, and everyone else delightfully retrace the timeline and the geography filled with so many significant events in the Ramayana, as they fly back in the Pushpaka Vimana.
Read on for a couple of beautiful surprises!
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Imagine you have had a great adventure, traversing a rich and variegated geography filled with memories of your own life-changing events. You now traverse back through the same places and review the events with your loved ones, luckily sitting in a divine aerial vehicle. What a joy it would be!
The same joy immerses Sri Rama and Sita as he shows her every place (you should visualize that she is clinging affectionately to his arm and listening with the greatest interest).
"My beloved, look at this Lanka, a celestial city built on this golden Trikuta peak that compares to Kailasa! Look at this huge battlefield, filled with the remnants of a terrific battle between the vanaras and the rakshasas! Behold the place where Ravana was killed by me! Look at this place...that place.. where Kumbhakarna, Indrajit, Prahasta, ..." Sri Rama names every significant rakshasa warrior and who from the vanaras accounted for him. We of course see Sri Rama's Lakshmana's, Hanuman's, Sugriva's, Angada's, and others' names mentioned diligently.
तव हेतोः विशाकाल्क्षी नलसेतुः सुदुष्करः सेतुबन्ध इति ख्यातं पवित्रं परमम् - "Dearest large-eyed Maithili, behold this incredible Nala-setu, constructed with very great effort as suggested by the lord of the ocean. Beholding this is indeed supremely sanctifying!"
अत्र पूर्वं महादेवः प्रसादमकरोत् विभुः "Dear Sita! This is the holy spot where Lord Mahadeva Shiva graced me with his darshan when I propitiated him before embarking on the ocean-crossing!"
"This is where King Vibhishana came to me on the shore."
हिरण्यनाभं शैलेन्द्रं विश्रमार्थं हनुमतो भित्त्वा सागरमुत्थितम् "This golden Mahendra mountain was rent by the dint of Hanuman's mighty leap from it as he took off to cross the ocean!"
सुग्रौवस्य पुरी रम्या "Here is Kishkindha, the charming city of Sugriva! I made an agreement with him and handed the kingdom to him after killing Vali. "
Immediately, Devi Sita has a beautiful thought.
सुग्रीवप्रियभार्याभिः वानरयोषितः गन्तुमिच्छे सहायोध्यां राजधानीं त्वया सह : "Dear Lord! I have a request. I would like Sugriva's queens and in fact, all vanara women to join me in this journey back to your capital Ayodhya!"
Sri Rama is simply delighted with the thought. He directs the Vimana to descend. He requests Sugriva to bring along Tara and all the vanara queens. They all come with extreme joy and join the party. Imagine what a joy Sita and Sri Rama gave to all!
नेपथ्य विधिपूर्वं तु कृत्वा चापि प्रदक्षिणम् "The vanara women came all dressed up beautifully and worshipped the Vimana circumambulating it for a safe and auspicious journey."
Sri Rama shows where he encountered Kabandha, where he met the great devotee Shabari, the spot where Jatayu was killed fighting Ravana to save Sita, the beautiful hermitage in Panchavati where they had lived long before Ravana abducted Sita, the ashramas of great sages Agastya, Sharabhanga, and Atri where they were blessed by holy sages and Sati Anasuya, the Chitrakuta spot where Bharata had come to plead for Sri Rama's return, the holy rivers Yamuna, Ganga and Sarayu too... the spot where they were received by Guha...
Even as we read these mentions, our mind races back to the stories we have been blessed to read!
Sri Rama says, "lo and behold! yonder lies the great city of King Dasharatha, Ayodhya!"
ततस्ते वानराः सर्वे राक्षसाः सविभीषणाः उत्पत्योत्पत्य संहृष्टास्तां पुरीं ददृशुस्तदा
"Immediately all the occupants of the Vimana, which was by now filled with a large number of vanara heroes and their women as well as Vibhishana and his rakshasa ministers, leapt up from their seats repeatedly to get a good look from several thousand feet above in the air at the great city of Ayodhya, the capital of Sri Rama!"
Valmiki says that what they saw from high above was a city like Indra's Amaravati, with tall powers, beautiful residences, precious decorations as well as elephants and horses.
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Sri Rama now decided to pay his respects to Sage Bharadwaja. He accordingly landed the Vimana and approached the sage in his large hermitage. Valmiki says that at that moment the fourteen years of exile had been completed and it was Panchami.
Sri Rama requested the sage to update him about Ayodhya and its goings-on.
Smilingly, the sage replied:
आज्ञावशस्ते भरतो जटिलस्त्वां प्रतीक्षते पादुके तेपुरस्कृत्य सर्वं च कुशलं गृहे
"Oh, Sri Rama, by your order, Bharata, living the ascetic life sporting matted locks, has conducted the royal duties by worshipping your padukas. He now ardently awaits you. All is well in Ayodhya."
***
Sage Bharadwaja summarises the incidents so far, from the moment of Sri Rama's exile by Kaikeyi, mentioning whatever he has been through, including the destruction of rakshasas in Janasthana, Sita's abduction, Hanuman's discovery of Sita, the building of the bridge, and Sri Rama's killing of Ravana. The great sage has witnessed all these with his divine vision. He adds that his disciples visit Ayodhya often and bring all the news of its welfare.
The sage now offers Sri Rama a boon and tells him to ask for anything.
Sri Rama expresses his respectul gratitude and asks,
अकालफलिनो वृक्षाः बहूनि विविधानि च भवन्तु मार्गे भगवन्नयोध्यां प्रतिगच्छतः
"Oh, respected sir, I request that on the way to Ayodhya from here, let all the trees irrespective of this season bear bountiful fruits of several varieties."
The sage is glad to bless, "Be it so!" Immediately, everything around is resplendent in a divine way with luscious fruits. Even dried trees bloomed with plenty of honey too.
ततः प्रहृष्टाः प्लवगर्षभास्ते बहूनि दिव्यानि फलानि चैव कामादुपाश्नन्ति सहस्रशस्ते मुदान्विताः स्वर्गजितो यथैव
"Then the vanaras in their thousands delightedly feasted on the bountiful fare of fruits en route as if they had conquered heaven."
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
