26. BHARATA SUSPECTED :

GAZING across the river Ganga,
Guha, the hunter-king, noticed unusual
commotion on the bank opposite. A great
army had encamped there. He pointed it to
his kinsmen standing by his side and said:




"Who is this and why has he come here
with a large army, apparently to cross the
river? The flag suggests that it is Kaikeyi's
son Bharata and his army. Yes, I see the
flag flying on the top of the chariot and I
can recognise the tree painted on it. That
is the flag of the King of Ayodhya. Is not
Rama's enemy, Bharata, the King of
Ayodhya too? Having secured the
kingdom unjustly through his mother
Kaikeyi, it looks as though he has pursued
Rama here to slay him. Get together our
warriors and kinsmen and friends. Let
them stand ready on this bank. Gather all
the boats and fill them with armed men
ready for battle. Let us wait and see. If the
newcomers are well disposed towards
Rama, we shall help them to cross the
river and come over to this side. But, if
their intention is hostile, we shall prevent
them from crossing the Ganga."



And so having made all preparations,
Guha, in accordance with rules of
courtesy, took some presents, got into a
boat and went to meet Bharata.
On the other bank at the same time
Sumantra, was telling Bharata:



"Look! Guha, the hunter-king, devoted
friend of Rama, has come with his people
to welcome us. He is the ruler of this
region. He and his kinsmen are well
acquainted with every nook and corner of
this forest. They could tell us where Rama
is to found and lead us safely and swiftly
to the place."



Meanwhile Guha crossed the stream
and, approaching Bharata, bowed and
said: "Though we have been taken by
surprise by your unexpected visit, still all
that is mine here you may consider as
your own and command me. I consider it
an honor to be able to welcome and
entertain you and your army."



Bharata answered: "It is very kind of
you, O friend of my brother, to offer
hospitality to such a large army. I wish to
proceed to the hermitage of Bharadwaja.
We do not know the way, and, we also
need to cross this great river."



Guha bowed before him with clasped
hands and said politely: "My lord, my
servants and myself are ready to go with
you and act as guides. But you must
excuse me for expressing a doubt which
occurs to me on seeing this large army
you have brought. Surely you have no
intentions hostile to Rama?"



Pained by these words and from a heart
clear and pure as the summer sky, Bharata
said: "Alas, what greater shame can come
to me than this, that men who love Rama
should fear and suspect me? Have no
misgivings, Guha. Rama is my father
now, for he has taken the place of my lost
father. I have come here to beg of him to
return to Ayodhya. I swear, I have no
other purpose in my mind."



Guha rejoiced to see in Bharata's face
his intense love for Rama and his grief at
what had happened. He said: "My Lord,
who in the world can equal you in
sacrifice? Who but you would renounce
such wealth and power coming to him
unsought? Your glory will shine forever."
The hunter-king supplied Bharata's
army with all it needed. The hosts and the
guests retired for the night.



The meeting with Guha only increased
Bharata's sorrow. Bharata was endowed
with a heart of utter innocence. He sighed
and said: "AIas, that it should come to
this," and rolled sleepless on the ground.



His whole body burned with thoughts of
the infamy that had come as a cloud over
him, his father's death and the parting
from Rama. Guha spoke words of comfort
and tried to console him. This meeting of
Bharata and Guha and the way they
shared their sorrow is an episode dear to
the Vaishnava Alvars and other true
Bhaktas.



Bharat questioned: "What food did
Rama take when he was here? Where did
he sit? Where did he sleep? What did he
say? And what did he do?"



Guha answered every question lovingly
and pointed the spot where Rama had
slept. And when he was asked, "Where
did Lakshmana sleep?" He replied:
"Lakshmana said, 'When Rama and Sita
lie stretched on the bare earth, how can I
sleep?' and he shed tears and, like me,
stood on guard the whole night, bow in
hand."



As Bharata pictured this scene, his
grief became unendurable. He saw the
spot where Rama and Sita had slept that
night and showed it to the weeping
queens.



Asked what Rama ate, Guha answered:
"My Lord, they fasted that night.
Lakshmana brought some water and Rama
drank of it and handed it back to
Lakshmana to drink. The food brought
was returned untasted. The following
morning, they matted their locks and
walked into the forest."



Bharata had found some relief from
sorrow in his resolve to seek out Rama
and persuade him to return, but his talk
with Guha and the sights he saw brought
it back in full flood.
"For my sake, Rama, you slept on the
grass. I have seen the spot and still live.
And they want me to wear a crown, on top
of all this!" Thus he lamented
inconsolably.



Then he told himself: "I shall somehow
take Rama back and seat him on the
throne. If he wants his vow fulfilled, I
shall replace him in the forest for fourteen
years. He will agree to this arrangement as
it is only right and proper." Thus he
calmed himself.



Early next morning, Bharata woke up
Satrughna: "What are you still sleeping?
The day has already dawned. The army
has to cross the river. We should send
quickly for Guha and arrange for the
journey."



Satrughna answered: "I am not asleep,
brother. Like you I spent the whole night
thinking of Rama."
While they were speaking, Guha
arrived and after courteous greetings
announced that he had a fleet of many
boats ready. All the baggage and the
whole army were put on boats. The loaded
vessels crossed the great river. The
transport across raised a joyous clamor
like some great festival.



The people did not see the sorrow in
Bharata's heart for they had concluded,
even when Bharata set out, that Rama
would surely return. They went forward
rejoicing that soon Rama would be in their
midst as crowned king and all their recent
sorrows would pass like a bad dream.



Valmiki describes the scene on the
bank of the Ganga in a way that recalls to
one a crowded railway station during a
popular festival. When the whole army
had crossed the river, Bharata followed it
in a boat specially fitted up for him.
They reached the ashrama of
Bharadwaja.



The story of Bharata in the Ramayana
portraying a character of unrivalled purity
and sublime selflessness is something,
more than an episode, and stands out by
itself even in that noble epic, as holy
shrines do on the banks of the Ganga.
It uplifts the heart, and gives one a
glimpse of the heights to which human
nature can rise when cleansed by love and
devotion. Whether Rama and Bharata
were incarnations of the Deity or merely
supreme creations of a nation's
imagination this episode is among the
masterpieces of the world's literature.



Jnana and bhakti will automatically
grow by a contemplation of the
personality of Bharata. In order to recreate
the scene and the person in his own mind
the reader must bring into play his
reverent imagination. We bring with us
into this world as our inborn gift some
wisdom and reverence. This gift is always
in us and though sometimes obscured by
prejudice or passion it keeps alive the
divine in man which prevents him from
reeling back into the beast.



Bharata and his retinue went on
towards Bharadawaja's ashrama. When
they reached the Prayaga wood, they saw
at a distance a beautiful grove with a
cottage in its midst. Learning that this was
Bharadwaja's ashrama, Bharata left his
retinue behind and, accompanied only by
Vasishtha and a few other elders, walked
towards it with due humility.



Divesting himself of his silk garments
and his weapons and accompanied only
by the ministers he went on foot behind
Vasishtha. A little further on, he left
behind even the ministers, and he and
Vasishtha alone went forward.
When Bharadwaja saw Vasishtha, he
rose from his seat and went to meet the
illustrious visitor and bade his disciples to
bring the customary water for the feet of
the guests.



Bharata offered humble salutations to
Bharadwaja. Learning who he was, the
rishi received him with the respect due to
a king and made inquiries concerning his
welfare. He thoughtfully refrained from
making any mention of the sad fate of
Dasaratha.



The narration that follows is as told in
Valmiki's epic. A few words by way of
explanation may be useful. Bharadwaja
suspected and questioned Bharata, just as
Guha had done earlier. This is, however,
not so put in the Tulasidas Ramayana
which is a poem of pure bhakti. There is
nothing that was not within the knowledge
of rishis. How then could Bharadwaja (in
the Tulasidas Ramayana) entertain any
doubt about Bharata?



Kamban, the Tamil poet of the
Ramayana, follows Valmiki closely not
only here but in many other places where
Tulasidas differs. Although Kamban
carefully follows Valmiki, he adds many
beautiful passages out of his own
imagination. With a touch here and a
touch there, Kamban manages skilfully to
disentangle many knots. The changes he
makes are very few, while Tulasidas deals
freely with the story, taking such liberties
as he likes with the story as a great bhakta
may who has made his god his own by
self-forgetting surrender.



Following Valmiki, Kamban reports
the conversation between Bharadwaja and
Bharata and very beautifully expresses
Bharata's indignation.



We may not, reading it all today,
appreciate Bharadwaja's doubts about
innocent Bharata. Such suspicion was
perfectly natural to Guha, but not so in a
wise rishi. Valmiki makes the rishi justify
himself saying: "Don't I know you, young
prince? I put you these questions only the
more clearly to reveal your innocence."



Valmiki pictures rishis not as
omniscient sages, but as very human wise
men and seekers after truth, liable to love
and fear somewhat like the rest of us. Just
as Valmiki delineates Rama as a hero
rather than as an avatar, so he makes
Bharadwaja doubt Bharata because of his
tender affection for Rama. Bound by his
attachment to Rama, he hurts Bharata.
Seeing the latter suffer, he at once
consoles him with an explanation.



All Valmiki's characters are human
beings with heightened human qualities. It
is only under great stress or in exceptional
circumstances that divinity shines faintly
through the human nature. In the time of
Tulasidas, bhakti had reached its noonday
height. It shone dispelling every shade.
Though bhakti predominates in Kamban's
picture also, he contrives to retain the
humanity of Valmiki's characters and in
places makes them even more beautiful.



Bharadwaja, after making the usual
personal inquiries, asked Bharata: "Why
did you leave your kingly duties and go
over here? Should you not stay in
Ayodhya? Listening to his young wife,
Dasaratha ordered Rama to live for
fourteen years in the forest and the prince
accordingly left the city with his brother
and Sita. Do you feel that even now the
way is not clear for your rule and have
you come to complete what Dasaratha
began and make assurance doubly sure?"



Hearing these words, Bharata wept.
The tears gushed and he could hardly
speak. "Death," he said, "would be better
than such a life as this."



"Do you doubt me, master?" he asked.
"Do not blame me for what was done by
my mother in my absence without my
knowledge or consent. I have come now
to do my utmost and persuade Rama to go
back with me to Ayodhya, and there to be
crowned King. And it is my purpose to be
his humble slave all my life. I have come
here to ask you where Rama dwells, to go
and beg of him to return home. And me,
you suspect!"



Bharadwaja said: "Bharata, I know
your real nature. You are a scion of the
race of Raghu. I questioned you because I
wished to draw out a revelation of your
affection and loyalty and thereby establish
and spread your glory. Do not grieve. The
Prince is dwelling on Chitrakuta hill. Stay
here today. Tomorrow, you and your
ministers shall go there. You will please
me by accepting hospitality for a day in
the ashrama."



Bharata said: "My Lord, your wishes
and words of affection are a feast. What
more is required?"



Bharadwaja smilled because he could
see that Bharata was unwilling to cast the
burden of feeding an army on a poor
ascetic. He said: "I am bound to entertain
you in a manner worthy of your status and
goodness. Why have you left behind your
army and retinue?"



Bharata answered: "I followed the rule
that one should not approach a rishi's
dwelling with a retinue. There is a big
crowd following me. It would be a great
disturbance to you if they all come here."
The rishi said: "Nothing of the sort.
Order them all to come up."
And so Bharata ordered.



Bharadwaja went to the sacrificial fire
and, uttering mantras, sipped water thrice
and called on Viswakarma, Maya, Yama,
Varuna, Kubera, Agni and other celestial
beings and ordered them to produce a
great feast for Bharata and his followers.
Then a miracle happened. The feast
that was ready in Bharadwaja's ashrama
was like that which Vasishtha gave of old
to Viswamitra. The only difference was
that here, there was no quarrel or
commotion. Everyone had ample
accommodation. Sandal paste, flowers,
food and drink, music and dance by divine
performers were all provided.



Bharadwaja's feast was more
sumptuous than that given by emulous
kings to one another. Dwellings, vehicles,
servants rose suddenly into being. The
guests forgot themselves in the feast. The
soldiers in Bharata's army in the ecstasy of
present enjoyment exclaimed to one
another: "We shall not go to the Dandaka
forest. We shall not return to Ayodhya.
We shall stay here forever."



How were they to know that the good
things they enjoyed were for a day, and
would disappear at dawn, like the stage
and the crowd after a village play is over?
The guests ate fully and soon fell fast
asleep.



The following morning Bharadwaja
said to Bharata: "At a distance of two-anda-
half yojanas from here runs the river
Mandakini. On its banks is an unpeopled
forest with Chitrakuta hill to its south. On
the slope of the hill, in a hut your brothers
and Sita are dwelling." And he explained
in detail the way they should follow.



The three queens were presented to
receive the sage's blessings. "This is
Queen Kausalya," said Bharata, "the
mother of Rama and here, to her right and
supporting her, stands the mother of
Lakshmana and Satrughna, sorrowstricken
and limp like a creeper stricken
by summer winds." "And here is my
mother, the cause of all our sorrow," said
Bharata, pointing to Kaikeyi who along
with the other Queens prostrated before
the sage.



"Do not judge your mother harshly,"
said Bharadwaja casting his gentle eyes
on the sorrowing lady. "All that has
happened has happened for the good of
the world."



This episode of introducing the
mothers is placed by Kamban in the
earlier scene with Guha. Guha reverently
inquires about the queens and Bharata
explains. What Valmiki describes as
having taken place in Bharadwaja's
ashrama is, with more poetical effect,
transferred by Kamban to its proper place.



Introducing Kausalya to Guha, Bharata
says, in the Ramayana of Kamban: "This
is the mother of Rama. Her treasure was
Rama and she lost it because of me." Of
Sumitra he said: "This is the mother of
Lakshmana, truer brother to Rama, who
has a happiness beyond the reach of poor
me." Kaikeyi in Kamban, as in Valmiki, is
introduced by Bharata in harsh terms.



Bharata and his great retinue took the
forest path as directed by Bharadwaja.
They saw from afar the Chitrakuta hill and
as they proceeded eagerly a column of
smoke indicated the spot where the
prince's dwelling was and shouts of joy
arose from the crowd. Leaving his
following behind, Bharata went forward
accompanied only by Sumantra and
Vasishtha.


NEXT : 27. THE BROTHERS MEET


Continues....