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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 When speaking of the ways in which Rama responded to love, it is apt to see how he responded to Guha. Guha was the first person - king or not - who was not his equal that Rama met after he accepted his exile. No doubt his citizens followed his chariot with equal zeal. ‘We will all go to forest along with Rama. Let’s see who remains in Ayodhya for anyone else to rule’ was what the people of Ayodhya had in mind when they followed him. But then the standards that Rama set for himself would not allow such a thing to happen. He would neither relent and return nor allow the citizens to follow him. His intentions to enable Bharata to rule a country that had loyal subjects were true and sincere.
That is, Rama no doubt allowed himself to be bound down by love. But he never allowed that to come in the way of performing his duties. The case of Guha was no different. Let’s see how Rama responded to the love and devotion of Guha and how beautifully and lovingly he handled the situation when that love called for rewriting the way he intended to undergo what he was ordained and what he had accepted.
‘I need to cross the Ganges,’ said Rama. ‘pongum nin sutrathOdum pOi uvandhu inidhu un ooril thangi,’ you go back to your town with all your kith and kin and stay there happily and ‘naavaayOdum saarudhi vidiyal endraan’
bring us a boat in the morning for us to cross the river.
Guha was not aware of the fact that Rama was on exile then. He was shocked however to see him wearing the tree-bark and could not understand the reason for his royal sire wearing a dressing that was worn only by sages and hermits. ‘ip paar kulaam selva’ ‘My respected Sir, who is the protector of this entire earth,’
‘ninnai inganam paartha kaNNai eergilaak kaLvanEn yaan’ ‘I am such a base thief who has not yet plucked off my eyeballs that have seen you in such a condition.’
‘innalin irukkai nOkkith theergilEn.’ I am burdened with the sorrow that fills my heart in seeing you wearing the tree-bark and therefore, I will not go back to my place.
‘aanadhu iya, seyguven adimai endran.’ Let me remain here. Allow me to stay with you to do whatever little service that I can.’
 And then Guha enquired with Lakshmana the reason why Rama and he left the boundary of Ayodhya, relinquishing all the royal attire and other associated paraphernalia. He was so overwhelmed with grief when he came to know the reason. Rama realised that this was a person whose love knew no bounds.
‘seethayai nOkki,’ Rama turned to Sita and looked at her and then
‘thambi thirumugam nOkki,’ he turned to Lakshmana to look at him.
‘theerak kaadhalan aagum endru karuNayin malarndha kaNNan.’ His eyes lit up with compassion. ‘His love for us is endless,’ Rama told them. Turning to Guha he said,
‘yaadhinum iniya naNba iruththi eeNdu emmodu endraan.’ ‘My friend who is dearer than anything to me! Stay here as you please, along with us.’
Note the word ‘friend.’ This is the first endearing term that Rama uses and establishes a personal relationship between him and Guha. Let’s go on to see how this friend becomes a brother soon. Let’s also see how Guha could not notice this difference at all, drunk with the joy of being called ‘a friend’.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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