Rama’s meeting with Bharata - Chapter 48

In the previous chapter, we saw Rama sends Hanuman to Bharata. , Now we'll see Rama’s meeting with Bharata. 

Bharata so rejoiced to hear these happy tidings and he ordered his brother Shatrughna to decorate the city and offer poojas. He said, “Let pure men worship all the Gods with well-perfumed flowers and music”.

Valmiki uses the word ‘Daivatani’. Could these mean the deities of various divinities? Was there idol worship in those times? Did they make the deities as we do with human forms etc., or were they just symbolic stones as we had mentioned earlier in connection with the ashram of the Sage Agastya? We have a clue for this as we saw that Rama worshipped a Lingam made by Sita in Rameshwaram. Lingam is symbolic of Lord Shiva.

We learn from Bhagavadapurana of Vyasa that at the end of Krishna Avatara Lord Krishna warns the people that Dwaraka was going to be submerged under the sea. Arjuna was asked to take the people to Hastinapura and settle them there. Lord Krishna also orders Uddhava to take the idol of Lord Vishnu that he was worshipping to a safe place. It is said that this idol of Lord Vishnu was brought to a place in Kerala and installed. This place is now called Guruvayur and He is worshipped there by millions of people. So based on this, we could say that the idol form of God was made and worshipped in that period of time. At the same time in Ramayana, we also read about Rama actually seeing Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, and Indra and so on whereas in Krishna Avatara such visions are reserved only for special occasions. For instance, Arjuna got the Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva when he actually fought with him who was in the form of a hunter. Another occasion was when Lord Krishna shows his Vishwa Rupa, the cosmic form of Lord Vishnu to Arjuna in the battlefield.

Bharata continued, “Let the well-learned Brahmins, singers, musicians who are masters in playing musical instruments, Ministers, all the beautiful ladies, the army and the merchants go and welcome Rama. Let all the houses be well decorated with flowers and flags”. He asked Shatrughna to look after all these arrangements.

Shatrughna accordingly called thousands of people who were honorary workers serving without even accepting any remuneration as they wanted to offer their services.

It is interesting to note that people worked for the king without accepting any payments. Interestingly this practice is still seen. For instance, in Japan, there are some people who traditionally go and do the cleaning of the Emperor’s palace in Tokyo. Even today one can see them all dressed in sober clothes heading towards the palace in the morning to offer their services.

Shatrughna told them “Repair the way from Nandigrama to Ayodhya and let it be leveled of any ups and downs. Sprinkle cool water on the streets and let flowers and popped rice be scattered all over. Decorate all the streets with flags and make Kolams (Rangolis) with five colored perfumed powders.

So drawing Kolams using colored powders on the streets is indeed a very old custom in India. It is still very much practiced even today. One can admire amazing patterns being made in Tamil Nadu during the Pongal (harvest season). These patterns are the result of mathematical calculations but the ladies of the villages some of whom did not go to any school at all who execute these complicated patterns of Kolams, hardly do any calculations in advance but just draw them spontaneously (just like our Carnatic musicians singing complicated patterns (mathematical) of swaras (notes) in an extempore fashion. Also, it is interesting to note that these Kolams are supposed to be made using rice powder, the idea being that the small birds feed on them.

Senior ministers Dhrishti, Jayanata, Vijaya, Siddhartha, Ashoka, Mantrabala, and Sumantra all started along with thousands of well-decorated elephants. There were other important people who also joined. The army and the cavaliers also went along with their various weapons. The weapons were Shakti, Rishthi, and Prasam. Note that these are different from those used by Ravana’s army.

Dasharatha’s queens also went and were carried in their palanquins. The whole place resounded with the movement of all these. The whole of Ayodhya emptied into Nandigrama. Bharata dressed as a hermit in deer skin who had become so lean because of practicing rituals, such as fasting and so on, came out accompanied by Brahmin pundits, merchants, workers, and musicians. The Ministers also were with him and he was carrying the ‘Padukas’ of Rama on his head. They all went in the direction from where Rama was expected. Bharata not seeing the trace of Rama and the Vanaras arriving asked Hanuman if he did not make a joke which was after all types of monkeys, and told him about Rama’s arrival. Hanuman told Bharata to be patient. He said that they should be very near and that he could hear the Vanaras shouting happily after eating fruits from the trees. He also said that it was by the boon granted to Rama by Bharadwaja that all the trees bore fruits even though it was not the proper season. Hanuman said “I think that they are crossing the Valukini River. Look at the dust raised by the Vanaras. The Pushpaka Vimana which was created by Lord Brahma for Kubera and now carrying Rama and his entourage is also seen at a distance”. As Hanuman was talking the fast Vimana reached Nandigrama and then the young and the old all shouted happily “Rama is here”. All the people looked up and worshipped Rama who was seated in the Pushpaka Vimana. Bharata who was constantly thinking of Rama folded his hands and offered his respects to Rama who shone like Lord Indra. The Vimana touched the ground and Bharata saluted Rama lowering his head. Rama who was seeing Bharata after a long time took him on his laps and hugged him with great affection. Then Bharata saw Lakshmana and Sita and saluted them announcing his name as Bharata.

This would correspond to saying ‘Abhivadana’ where one announces his gotra, the ancestral (generally three) rishis and one’s name. In the Brahmin custom one is supposed to prostrate before elders and then touching the ears with hands mention the above details. The sentence starts with ‘abhivadaye’ meaning I am saluting.

Bharata saluted also Sugreeva, Jambavan, Angada and others and hugged them. He also hugged Susena, Nala, Gavaksha and others. The Vanaras had taken the form of humans to meet Bharata. Bharata then embraced Sugreeva and told him that he was the fifth brother in their family of four brothers and that friendship shone by rendering help. Then he told Vibheeshana that he had done something great and his help was of great importance in accomplishing the deed. Shatrughna then saluted Rama who was with Lakshmana and also Sita. Rama approached his mother Kausalya who had been submerged in an ocean of sorrow and made her happy by prostrating before her and holding her feet. Rama did so with other mothers too and then went to family Guru. The citizens of Ayodhya, all bade welcome Rama and praised him. Bharata then brought the padukas of Rama to him and made him wear them. Bharata declared, “Only now my life has become worthy of living. These padukas were preserved by me for you Rama. I am seeing you as the emperor with eyes that are pleased. I have multiplied the wealth of the kingdom by ten times”. Seeing this, the Vanaras and Vibheeshana shed tears of happiness. Rama took Bharata on his lap got into the Vimana and reached Bharata’s ashram. They all then got down and stood on the ground. Then Rama looked at the Pushpaka Vimana and asked it goes back to Kubera to whom it belonged and it went away towards the north to Kubera’s kingdom. Then Rama fell at the feet of his Guru Vashishtha and sat beside him.

In the next chapter, We'll see Rama’s Pattabhishekam (coronation).