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Rama said: "Our family has known no
nobler friend than you. It will be your task
to console my father. His heart is river by
grief. Whatever his commands carry them
out dutifully. Do not ask yourself whether
he wants a thing for himself or with a
view to pleasing Kaikeyi. Avoid giving
him any pain of mind. Have no anxiety
about us. You should say this on my
behalf to my aged father who is stricken
with a grief he never knew before. Clasp
his feet as you have seen me do, and
assure him from me that none of us, not I
nor Lakshmana, nor Sita, feel injured or
sorry at having been sent away from
Ayodhya. We look forward to fourteen
years of forest life which will speed on
happy wings, and then surely we shall
return to his feet for blessings. Give our
love to my mother Kausalya, and tell her
that protected by her blessings we are well
and
give
a
like
message
to
my
stepmothers, especially to Kaikeyi, lest
she should think we have parted in anger.
Tell the Maharaja that it is my earnest
prayer that he should hasten with the
installation of Bharata, so that he may be a
comfort to him in our absence."
But Sumantra, unable to restrain his
grief, burst out: "How am I to return and
with what words can I give c
omfort?" And
when he looked at the empty chariot, he
wept and said: "How shall I drive this
chariot that stands desolate without you?"
Once again Rama spoke words of
comfort and courage to Sumantra and
urged on him the duty of patience, and
sent him home.
"Guha", said Rama, "I could indeed
spend fourteen years in your kingdom as
you desire. But would that be fulfilling
my vow? I have left Ayodhya to fulfil my
father's pledge. I must therefore lead the
life of a tapasvi. I must not touch dishes
daintily cooked and served. We have to
live only on fruits, roots and permissible
kinds of meat such as we offer in the
sacrificial fire."
Comforting Guha thus, the brothers got
their locks matted with the milk of the
banyan. They helped Sita into the boat
and then got into it themselves. Guha bade
the boatmen to row it across.
The boatmen took them quickly across
the river. At midstream Sita offered a
prayer to the goddess of the river: "Devi,
help us fulfil our vow and return safe to
our homeland."
They talked as they went on. They
reached the farther bank of Ganga. And
there for the first time, the three stood
alone, unattended by friends!
"Lakshmana, you are my sole armed
guard now," said Rama. "You will go
first. Sita will follow. And I shall walk
behind you both. W
e must save Sita as far
as possible from the hardships of forest
life. Hereafter there will be none to keep
us company and no fun or amusement."
Rama's thoughts went to his mother
Kausalya.
"Lakshmana," he said, "should you not
go back to Ayodhya and look after mother
Kausalya
and
Sumitra
Devi? I
shall
manage my forest stay somehow."
Lakshmana
replied:
"Forgive
me,
brother; I am not going back to Ayodhya."
Rama indeed expected no other answer.
Thus now and again we shall see the
human element come up and the divine