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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 In our discussions on Bharata, we saw elaborately how he was agitated over the fact that Rama had undertaken an exile just to make Bharata the king. (See:
Determined and
steadfast) He was determined to bring Rama back. If that was not possible, he had decided to live in the forest, in place of Rama so that the latter could come back to Ayodhya as the king. After all, it was one of the sons of Dasaratha who had to undertake the exile. Why can’t he exchange positions with his brother!
We know that Bharata could not succeed in his effort. But nevertheless, he did succeed in making Rama accept the kingship at least in absentia, making him to tell Bharata to rule Ayodhya as his representative, bringing his sandals and ruling the country as their deputy. We discussed all these under Bharata.
When Bharata started on his journey to Citrakuta, the large army of Ayodhya naturally accompanied him. The people of Ayodhya, who heard the effort that Bharata has undertaken to bring Rama back were overjoyed and joined the retinue. That formed a very big crowd. With the movement of such a large body consisting of people, elephants, chariots, horses and infantry, dust naturally rose up so high in the air, that it could be seen from a very long distance.
In the unpolluted atmosphere of those days, dust rising up in the air was the first warning signal of an incursion. Who else but an enemy would march in such large numbers towards a particular territory? That put people on their alert always. In fact that was one of the ways in which people used nature to deduce or infer an oncoming event.
Bharata reached the banks of Ganges at Srngaverapura, where Guha was ruling. Says Valmiki: “Having covered a long distance from Ayodhya in chariots, on palanquins and on the back of horses and elephants, they reached (the bank of) the (holy) Ganga in the precincts of Srngaverapura, where dwelt the valiant Guha, a friend of Sri Rama, surrounded by hosts of his kinsmen and ruling that area with vigilance. Having arrived at the bank of the Ganga, adorned by Carkrawaka birds, that army following in the wake of Bharata halted.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, Canto LXXXIII, Sloka 19-21)
On the other bank of Ganges, the watchful eyes of Guha did not fail to notice the dust from a distance and as a king he immediately became alert. Now that Bharata’s army had reached and camped on the other bank, he could see who has come there for it was the flag with Kovidara tree that was flying high from the chariot. The presence of Bharata - as could be seen from the flag - with a large number of people around him, with all the animals around, led Guha to conclude that Bharata was here to cause harm to Rama, so typically like Lakshmana.
 “(Even) from this place this huge army appears like a sea. Though pondering deeply, I do not perceive its end even with the mind. If Bharata - who has surely come in person because here is seen that towering banner bearing the device of Kovidara tree on the chariot - has evil intent, he will either cause us to be bound with chains or kill us, who are devoted to Sri Rama, (the eldest) son of Dasaratha, exiled from his kingdom by his father. Seeking to possess the entire fortune of that monarch (Sri Rama) which is (otherwise) most difficult to get, Bharata, the son of Kaikeyi, has taken it into his head to kill him.” (Ibid, Canto LXXXIV, Sloka 2-5)
This Bharata would harm us as well as Rama.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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