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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 On reaching the other bank of the Ganga, when the moods have calmed down a little and when Bharata is now looking forward to a meeting with Rama soon, Guha’s mind is waking up to the people around Bharata. Some time ago his mind was set only on Bharata and finding out his true intentions and at that time he could not see others surrounding him. What he did see was the army that followed him, and not the individuals and dignitaries who were in the coterie that followed Bharata. In fact, it is more appropriate to say that he was not interested in any of them other than Bharata. It was his first business to know why he came there and on knowing it he melted faster than wax placed on hotplate.
It was only when they reached the other bank and when the party started to land one after the other, Guha noticed the queens - the three mothers Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He notices Kausalya first, who being the senior of the three, comes first. Her very appearance makes Guha to feel ever so reverent about her. He bows to her in reverence. Now, let’s see the verse.
‘sutraththaar dhEvarodum thozha nindra kOsalayaith thozhudhu nOkki,’ Guha saw Kausalya around whom kith and kin gathered with folded hands and whose countenance would make even the celestials to stand in reverence before her.
‘kotraththaar kurisil ivar aar endru gugan vinava,’ Guha turned to Bharata and asked, ‘O lion among kings, who is this?’
Simple and plain enquiry, unlike what the erudite would have put the question! ‘Who is this?’ Guha enquiries about the first among the queens to Bharata. Though it sounds a little impolite, Bharata is not serious about that. He knows what this simpleton means. ‘kOkkaL vaigum muttraththan mudhal dhEvi.’
‘She is the first of the three queens of the one whose great hall is thronged by kings,’ he said. ‘Wife of the king of kings.’ Not only that.
‘moondru ulagum iindraanai mun iindraanai petraththaal perum selvam,’ She bore in her womb the One who gave birth to the very Creator. (It was Lord Vishnu from whose navel Brahma was born.) ‘yaan pirandhadhal thurandha periyaaL.’ She is the one who lost such an incomparable treasure (Rama) when I was born.
She lost her life, she lost her husband and she lost the most important light of her life - One who was the Creator of the Creator, Rama - when I was born. She is the one who is undergoing all these troubles, travails and tribulations the moment I was born in this earth.
 The verse portrays, once again, Rama in his divine as well as human nature. None including Rama - excepting sages like Vasistha, Viswamitra and others - know the divinity of Rama, including Rama himself, at this stage. Therefore when Bharata, who is also an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, utters these words they sound like a rich encomium paid to Rama and Kausalya out of respect, love, devotion and with the utmost sincerity. It is only the reader who is able to read through, understand and enjoy the real import of these lines.
Guha fell at the feet of Kausalya. Listen to what this gem among women tells Guha, underlining the old saying
‘thaayaip pOla piLLai, noolaip pOla sElai.’ The quality of the son cannot be different from that of his mother for the quality of the saree cannot be different from that of the thread that made it.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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