When Lakshman heard  the news , he was  provoked and declared that he would destroy all  the forces  against crowning of Rama .Rama asked him sharply whether he would want to vanquish his innocent brother Bharatha ,their mother Kaikeyi who  nursed them and his father  who  was the greatest ruler on earth , with his rage. Lakshman at once realized his folly and felt lower desires should be sacrificed at the altar of higher goals.
 When the news of Rama’s exile broke out, people of whole kingdom plunged in sorrow.  The effect could be visible even in nature including plants and animal Even they were afflicted. Hardly anyone can bear the sufferings of good persons.

The festive situation on account of anticipated coronation of Rama turned out to be one of mourning. People feel painful over the separation or loss of good people. We earn love, regard and goodwill of others by our good actions and invite public criticism and wrath   by   our misdeeds. It is the good will of the people that can guard us against adversities.
Though Rama forced Lakshmana to stay back, Lakshmana out of affection and admiration towards his brother was determined to accompany him and serve him. This shows the attachment of brothers. Rama and Lakshmana changed their royal robes and put on austere robs of ascetics made of tree barks. When Rama went to see Sita, he found that she was also shedding her ornaments and wearing ascetic dress getting ready to follow Rama. Though Rama pleaded with Sita, saying that forest life would be too hard for her   and to stay back, she too was firm in her determination to go with her husband, Rama and serve him.  Being conscious of the duties of a wife to her husband or as ideal wife, she told him that it was better for her to die rather than being away from him. Seeing her determination, Rama finally agreed her to accompany him to the forest. Sita’s conduct shows the duty and obligation of an ideal wife towards her husband. Husband and wife are expected to share each other’s joys and sorrows.  .Either one is not to abandon the other even under trying circumstances .Only death should separate them. This is the age old Indian value. This value is gradually getting eroded in our country.

Thus Rama, Lakshmana and Sita set out for the forest. We find Sita not only as a ideal wife, but also an ideal daughter –law .She supported Rama and accompanied him to forest to fulfill his father’s promise to Kaikeyi. Today do we find such loving daughter-in- laws? We find daughter-in-laws; being bitten by the bug of nuclear family and being too possessive and influenced by western culture, even separate their husbands from their parents. This particularly happens in kerala; where matriarchal system was followed Men because of vulnerability    to their wives, go by their dictates. The result is parents who spent their life time and resources for bringing up their sons are left high and dry during   their old age. Sita was not at all selfish. On the other hand she was broad minded. She loved all the brothers of Rama as her own brothers with the result Rama’s brothers loved Sita as their own mothers. It was a case of joint family bond. These days members of a family do not show such spirit of coexistence. Discord between family members and litigation for division of family property   when the parents pass away are very common today.  If we have faith in Ramayana, we should try to bring back the human values practiced by Rama and his family. The so called modern society seems to have been afflicted with the virus of greed leading to silent death and devastation .It is perhaps high time to redeem ou rsociety from this malady.

 A large crowd of people saw them off with prayers for their safe return to the kingdom after long 14 years. The movement of large number of people who came to see him off allowed only slow movement of his chariot. This shows the extent of love and good will of the people which Rama earned by virtue of virtuous conduct and love of his people. It is an example for the present day rulers to emulate .After a long day’s trekking past midnight, they all reached the banks of Sarayu River and all of them went into sleep. Rama told the boat man, Sumanthra that it was opportune time to leave and cross the river, so that they can get away from the crowd of people, reluctant to leave them.  Dasaratha was suffering from the pangs of separation from their sons and Sita. This shows filial love. Parents should take care of their children properly. They should neither neglect  nor overprotect and nurture to grow them into  healthy and emotionally matured and capable adults .In the fast life of today  which is one’s own making  , not all parents  attend to their children  and help them to develop into healthy personalities.  As if to compensate the deprivations they experienced when they were young, or as show off their affluence, children are pampered and provided with luxurious life which makes them pen thrifts

No sooner Rama left for forest, Dasaratha collapsed suffering from the pangs of separation from Rama.  The last word he spoke before breathing his last was that he disowned Kaikeyi . The king’s death left the country without ruler for a while. Immediately Sage Vasistha sent two messengers to Bharatha who had gone to his maternal grandfather’s place, with the message that he should return to Ayodya immediately to attend to state emergency. . Mean while Dasarath’s body was embalmed and kept for last rites by Bharatha. Bharatha had no inkling of the untoward happenings in Ayodhya. On the other hand he was in joyous mood to return and join his people. But when he reached Ayodya he felt that something terrible had happened .The whole place had a deserted look and there were no signs of happiness on the face of people.  The atmosphere, instead of being jubilant, appeared as one of mourning. The moment he reached palace he was summoned by his mother Kaikeyi. First thing he enquired was about  how well  his father and brother were .Kaikeyi revealed that Dasaratha was no more He could not believe those words .He recounted how could  such a man of valor  have met with his end .Baratha told her that  his grief would not abate till he met his brother Rama . To that Kaikeyi replied that Rama had left for  the forest  with Lakshmana  to fulfill the command of his father to fulfill his promise to  her .It took some time for Baratha to calm down  He pinned down  blame to her mother for  all the tragic happenings and admonished her  for her dastardly act . He also condemned him for having born as son of wicked women such as his mother Kaikeyi .He also refused to be crowned. He told he would go where ever Rama was, meet him and appeal to him to return and assume the thrown. When he attempted to light the pyre of father’s body, Sage Vasista barred him saying that he was not eligible to perform his father’s last rites, as his father had disowned his mother just before his death.  It was a tragic moment for him.  He cursed his fate which made prevented him for performing even the last rites of the father, moved away giving place to his younger brother Satrugna to carry it out.  Here we notice the wider ramifications of evil actions. .Though Bharatha was innocent; he was affected by his mother evil actions. It is said that the children will have to share the burdens for the sins committed by their parents, even though they are innocent. So also children receive God’s grace, earned by meritorious deeds of their parents.

We should note that King Dasaratha was torn in mental conflict between his love towards his son and pangs of separation from him  on the one hand and  too much infatuation towards Kaikeyi and  keeping his promise to Kaikeyi on the other , costing him his life . It is also possible that Dasaratha might have thought that he was morally wrong to ask for Rama’s exile and would have felt so guilty that also could have contributed to his end. Extreme feelings of guilt resulting from the feeling that one is doing something wrong can affect one’s health deleteriously. The so-called ‘conscience ‘or our sense of right and wrong is  a powerful moral police  .   The moral of this episode is that 1.strong attachments or cravings for anything spell disaster.  If he  was not so attached to Rama or his wife Kaikeyi, he should not have experienced so much grief  that proved fatal .2 we should not do wrong to any one , the reason being we tend to be guilty , however much we try to  hide it, it affects our health such as heart ailments  and mental illness 3 . Noble people honor their words no matter what consequences could be or even if it demands   their life. We should generally commit to our words. There should be congruity between thoughts, words and actions. Which is called truthfulness .Truthfulness is a great virtue only which will succeed.  Kaikeyi it appears was not as much attached to Dasaratha as Dasaratha was to Kaikeyi. If that were to be so, Kaikeyi would not have put him in such predicament and would not have given him room for grief.  . Kaikey’s conduct was certainly a wrong example of an ideal wife as portrayed in other epic stories like Nala-Damayanthi, Sathyavan and Savitri, Kannaki and Kovilan .It was her avariciousness and snobbishness that forced her to behave that way, which even her son Bharatha condemned, though she tried to convince  him that she acted in his interest .  She being mother should earn love and respect from her son, instead met with condemnation from his son .She also did not succeed in her plan as Bharatha refused to be king in succession   . As we would see later it was the pair of Rama’s ‘padugam’ in Sanskrit’ or sandals made of hey, representing Rama, which Bharatha placed on the throne and worshipped   which virtually ruled the country till Rama’s return. Bharatha could know intuitively as what was to be done to rule the kingdom, when he visualized that he was merely carrying out instructions of Rama. Another point that emerges is that falsehood never scores victory as truth.

 Bharata wore tree bark and set out with large army, elephants, horses and people in search of Rama by foot as an ascetic. He reached Chtrakuda where Rama was camping. Bharatha fell on Rama’s feet. Rama was shocked when Bharatha revealed to him the death of his father. Bharatha   argued with Rama that he was the rightful successor to Dasaratha and hence he begged him to return to Ayodhya. . Rama replied that he had to complete 14 years of exile to fulfill his father’s promise and that he would crown Bharatha to be the king. Rama said that there was no higher word than that of his father and no higher conduct than obeying his words .Rama could prevail upon Bharatha at last and make him willing to return to Ayodhya and rule the kingdom. Finally Bharatha asked for Rama’s sandals as representing him. He told that he would not sit in the throne and that he would place Rama’s sandals on the throne and rule the kingdom as obedient servant to Rama.  Today we find people fighting and destroying each other and innocent others for wealth, power   and position. The behavior of the brothers Rama and Bharatha are Just in contrast to this. Each of them was ready to forsake his interest for other   , not being attracted by the glamour of the crown. It also brings out pure brotherly love. These incidents are eye openers. We too should learn the lesson of selflessness and brotherly bond.
Bharatha returned to Ayodhya. After Bharatha left, Rama moved on from Chtrakuda, which was in the vicinity of Ayodhya, thinking that people might come and persuade him to return and that such engagement with people would dilute   his purpose of exile in forest   for evolving himself spiritually at a higher level. He moved onto the interiors of the forest, where he met with holy men like saints. All of them received Rama and others as their honored guests .Anasuya , wife of sage Atri  presented  all her gold ornaments to Sita finding that she was most fit to wear those and  saw her worn those  ornaments . Rama went on to Dhandaka forest and from there to Panchavadi., as advised by his Guru Agasthya. On the way he met Jadayu, Great Eagle who explained to Rama that he was divine, though he had taken the form of eagle that, he was his father’s trusted friend and that he had helped him in his battle. Rama was happy to be with his father’s intimate friend. Jadayu told he would immolate himself, as he could not stand the news of death of Dasaratha when Rama told about it. Rama told him that after he lost his father it was Jadayu’s company that made bereavement bearable and hence he should live as their father figure. Jadayu agreed to it till Rama’s return to  Ayodya after successful completion of exile. Rama loved and respected Jadayu as his own father.  Love of children towards their towards parents is rarely seen, now a days, let alone towards members of extended families and friends.  The lesson to learn by us is that we should live with positive attitude, even if we are not able to practice universal love.  Indifference, hatred, rivalry and vengeance which are signs of negative attitude affect our both physical and mental health equally. In that way, we become our own enemies though unwittingly.
They arrived at Panchavadi, nestled in sylvan surroundings .Every bit of nature was a connoisseur to the eyes. That was a perfect resting place, a place to live peacefully. But Rama was reminded of his divine mission of his incarnation of destroying demons , the area is infested with ,who causes hardships to all good people , relieve fear from the minds of people and restore peace, gentleness and justice in the world. The Demon folk had made the life of people like mendicants living there, difficult by letting lose atrocities against them. One day Rama noticed a young damsel in the precincts of his Ashram .She was so bewitching even to restrain souls like Rama who had to  put extra effort to subdue the passions . She was none other than Demon Ravana’s sister by name Soorpanaka Evil spirits had the capacity to assume the forms they wish. We often get misguided by appearances. This shows that if we are enamored by   outward beauty or flattery of ourselves , we are likely to be trapped.  There is a saying that beauty is  skin deep, superficial and what is real is the intrinsic nature of people. By intrinsic nature what is meant is the character, conduct, attitudes, values, behavior and other personality dispositions.

 She being attracted towards Rama overwhelmed by his charm boasted   her great lineage to woo Rama to her side .Ravana; her brother had left her free there to go amuck. She let lose fear I her territory.  She used all her clever tricks to influence Rama. She told she wanted to come out of evil company of her demon clan and live with noble persons like him. Rama realized that for her all her physical beauty, she was women of mean character and hence she should be sent away at the earliest.  She was jealous of Sita.  She could not tolerate Sita’s company with Rama, as she felt that as Sita herself is charming, Rama would not be attracted to her. She even accused Sita as morally weak and as one, who ran away with Rama, while in the forest. She wanted Sita to be no more. We can see here how the evil thoughts are working, which happens in our lives too, unless we caution ourselves. We might think ill of others to whom we are not favorably disposed .It is a human vice to be fight against Rama was not provoked with her harsh words.   He kept cool.  Great people do not get provoked easily   , even if they are insulted or vilified.  They have immense patience and forbearance and can   forgive those who hurt them, without being revengeful.   This is a sterling quality, worth emulating by all.
When there was no other option to make her retreat, without using force, Lakshmana set his arrow to shoot at her. Realizing immediately that it was unethical to attack a women, he chopped off her nose, ears and breasts, leaving her bleeding profusely and disfigured. Even  by bearing the excruciating pain  caused by Lakshmana’s  arrow,  Soorpanika  kept on  luring Rama to accept her making many promises such as she would regain her original beauty , Rama would be  showered with all riches and joy  by the demon clan and so on . Rama did not take any of notice of those.  Ultimately when Lakshmana warned her about her life, she fled away. Sorpanika commanded her army of Demons and engaged in fierce fighting with Rama in which they were all killed except her. She approached her brother Ravana for avenging the feelings against Rama and Lakshmana . . Ravana being shocked to see her body mutilated vowed to avenge his feelings against Rama and to vanquish him. . Soorpanika, even while nursing excruciating pain, kept luring Rama. These shows how strong and irrestible could be the sensous impulses, once they are aroused. Soorpanaka fuelled  and inflamed her brother’s passion for Sita   by picturising that charming women Sita should have been with him and that she would be with him for his enjoyment at any time, when Rama got killed .  Ravana ,on hearing this he was at the height of his phantasy.  He had illusion that he was most powerful person. It happens in our lives. we estimate ourselves too high or beyond our capabilities  or what is popularly known as ‘bravado’  that we may take high risk in our lives or take to dangerous paths . We should be realistic in all our actions for our safety, security, fruition of efforts and joy.
  In many cases, in our lives too passions get aroused or instigated by malevolent people taking us to wrong ways, unless we are on our guard listening to wise counsel .  In the modern consumption –oriented and commercialized world,  acts of   aggressive selling people  make people  gullible to go for things which they would not otherwise go for, whether they can afford or not. .  The message here is that we should guard against our greed being evoked and   going for impulsive buying, which ruins oneself. The mass media including print and electronic, which is a modern development having captivating power should follow business ethics in their conduct.

 Ravana   thought the best punishment to Rama was to abduct his wife Sita.  Ravana had weakness for women. He had kept thousands of beautiful women as his harems   who would respond to his needs readily any time. So Ravana thought that by abducting Sita he would attain twin goals simultaneously, namely avenging his feelings against Rama and catering to his libidinous desires. Of course he was cursed that he would die immediately. The moment he  advances towards a women  against her will ,but for that he would have advanced  towards  Sita  while he kept her under his custody  in Asokavana in Lanka .  Under his commands, his lady attendants wooed Sita by praising Ravan’s greatness and promising her a heavenly life with Ravana .  They also harassed her to break her will and  to make her to surrender to Ravana .But their attempts did not succeed with a ‘pathivratha’ or a woman of chastity like Sita Devi. Sita felt it as tormenting her. This shows we receive the messages favorably or otherwise from outside world, depending upon the way we tune our minds. . In other words we see what we want to see .For instance, if we want to see others people as friendly with us, we see them friendly. If we want  to see others to be inimical towards us, we see them inimical, even if they are not so .what we see, hear , understand and how we act are  largely the reflections of our minds   and not   determined by outside circumstances . . What we see outside is largely creation of our mind .There is a saying in Sanskrit: Ajnana timiranthasya “meaning our ignorance is similar to cataract in our eyes. With cataract normal vision is oblitarated. Similarly with minds, biased or prejudiced mind and emotionally unstable, no sane action is possible. So the prescription is to keep our minds clean, clear and objective and healthy   empowered by by vigilance.

(To be Continued)