20. CHITRAKUTA :

Rama spent the night in Bharadwaja's
ashrama. Getting up in the morning, they
paid their respects to the Maharishi and,
taking leave of him, set out for the
Chitrakuta hill. The muni treated them
affectionately as if they were his own
children and sent them forth with his
blessings after explaining to them the way
they should take through the forest.



The three followed his topographical
instructions closely and in due course
came upon the river Kalindi. They
constructed a raft with logs and bamboos
and creepers of the forest and on it
Lakshmana made a seat for Sita with little
twigs and leaves on which she sat. The
passage of the river was accomplished in
safety.



In midstream Sita offered salutations to
the river goddess and prayed that Rama
might fulfil his vow and the three be
enabled safely to return home.


After crossing a few more streams,
they came to a big banyan tree which had
been described by Bharadwaja. And under
this tree Sita again offered prayers saying:
"Grant, O holy tree, that my husband may
complete his vow and that I may see again
the queens Kausalya and Sumitra."


Rama asked Lakshmana to walk in
front with Sita behind him while he
himself followed in the rear. "Whatever,
flower or fruit she asks for on the way,"
he said, "get it for her and keep her spirits
up."



As Sita went she showed an eager
curiosity, asking about forest trees and
creepers and was lost in admiration at the
many-sided beauty of forest life.



They greatly enjoyed the journey and
rested for the night on the bank of a river.
Here and in other places, Valmiki
describes how Rama and Lakshmana
secured food by hunting. He makes it
quite plain that they had to subsist largely
on meat. Some good men are troubled by
this. But meat was not prohibited for
Kshatriyas. Indeed, it has always been the
rule in India to permit any food
legitimately obtained and consecrated as a
sacrifice. Rama was a Kshatriya and he
lived in the forest in the Kshatriya way,
though abstemiously.



The following morning Rama woke up
Lakshmana and said: "Listen, the birds are
singing to the morning sun. It is time for
us to start."


The popular story that Lakshmana
spent the whole period of forest life
without food or sleep is not found in
Valmiki. Sometimes, even, through
fatigue Lakshmana did not get up quite
early in the morning and Rama had to
rouse him from slumber!



They performed their ablutions and
worship and resumed their journey in the
path indicated by Bharadwaja. The season
was summer and the trees and plants were
ablaze with multi colored flowers. The
branches bowed under the weight of fruits
and blossoms.



Rama pointed out the beauty of the
forest to Sita from time to then, saying as
they walked: "How beautiful is the forest
unspoilt by human interference! Look at
the beehives hanging there! Look at the
ground entirely covered with fallen
flowers! Listen to the birds! How
beautifully they sing to one another and
live in joy! Life would indeed be pleasant
if we could always enjoy such sights and
sounds."



Then they saw at a distance the
Chitrakuta hill. They were glad and began
to walk briskly towards it. "How beautiful
this region is!" exclaimed Rama. "The
forest here has fine edible roots and fruits.
The water is clear and sweet. Rishis dwell
in ashramas in this forest and we may
most certainly live happily here in their
holy company."



They proceeded to put up an ashrama
there for themselves. Lakshmana was a
clever workman. He soon constructed a
strong hut, which was weather-proof and
made it comfortable and convenient.
Single-handed, he completed the mud hut
with windows and doors all made of
bamboos and jungle material.



Kamban and Valmiki vie with each
other in their accounts of this episode.
Kamban says that when Lakshmana had
completed the structure, Rama embraced
him weeping and asked him: "When and
how did you learn all this?" One can
imagine the scene.



Rama, his eyes filled with tears of joy,
said, according to Kamban: "The flowersoft
feet of the Princess of Mithila have
traversed the hard forest floor. If her feet
have done a wonder, why, Lakshmana,
your hands too have wrought a miracle of
house-building! I have seen today the gain
that is in misfortune."



Here, beside the lovely Chitrakuta hill,
on the bank of the river Malyavati, in that
cottage the three young people lived, free
from care, performing their daily
devotional routine. They forgot that they
were in exile and spent the time happily,
like Indra in Heaven surrounded by the
gods.



The happy life in Chitrakuta is a
wonderful background to set off the later
sufferings and sorrows of the three.