Episode 01 - Chapter 10 - Bharatha leaving for seeking out Rama.

Chapter 10 – Canto on Bharatha leaving for seeking Rama - ஆறு செல் படலம்

We move on to “ஆறு செல் படலம்” – Canto of Proceeding to the River (Ganges)

மந்திரக் கிழவரும், நகர மாந்தரும்,

தந்திரத் தலைவரும், தரணி பாலரும்,

அந்தர முனிவரோடு அறிஞர் யாவரும்,

சுந்தரக் குரிசிலை மரபின் சுற்றினார்.

Another of Kamban delicacy – sweet, and mellifluous lilt!

Along with the elder sages – who could rise aloft in the sky with their yogic prowess – the royal council, the rulers and princes subject to the sovereignty and suzerainty of the Ayodhya empire, the citizenry of Ayodhya, the army commanders, all approached Bharatha, the handsome one, following due protocol. மரபின் – the established protocol.

Thamizh literature is replete with information about the well-defined structure of the Royal Courts of yore that presets a magnificent consultative democracy practiced by the autocratic rulers of yore. The inner council was called the Five Supreme Committees – ஐம்பெருங்குழு made up of ministers, high priests, army commanders, ambassadors/missions, political advisors (சாரணர் ). 

The larger Assembly that provided the forum for democratic representation and feed-back was called எண்பேராயம். While the structure did normally operate in an exemplary manner and the council of ministers was reportedly unafraid to advise the ruler even knowing that he would not relish such counsel, (அறிகொன்று அறியான் எனினும் உறுதி உழையிருந்தான் கூறல் கடன்: Thirukkural) thus infusing great democratic values in the governance, there was of course plenty of sycophancy as well – as despicable as we have seen in India’s political scene. Consider this for the height of sycophancy: The Thandanthottam Copper Plates, documenting the award of one whole village to 308 learned Brahmins of Thandanthottam village during the reign of Vijaya Nandi Vikraman of the Pallavan lineage (846 to 869 C.E.), extols the virtue and prowess of the king: Worries were there in his reign that could be seen only wafting in the breeze; only Chandra (the Moon) and Indra did not pay obeisance to him; and Sri Devi, against Her natural attribute of not staying in any place for long, stayed put in this kingdom. (The King was actually a less known one at the fag end of the once powerful and dominant Pallava dynasty, almost a chieftain!)

With Sumantra’s prompting with a facial hint, Sage Vasishta asked Bharatha: “Ayodhya shall not remain without a ruler. That fate does not befall even in anarchies like the lands of the asuras. Your father is gone. Your elder brother has departed for the forests. Your mother has earned this empire for you. We all believe that you should accept the responsibility of ruling this ancient land. We thus request you.”

Bharatha was enraged and speechless with emotions bordering on despair, despondency and deep-felt agony. He managed to respond to Sage Vasishta: “You are highly respectable elders, repositories of wisdom and dharma; you are asking me to wear the Ayodhya Crown, when Rama, the elder one, who ought to wear it as per long-established convention and dharma, is still alive. If I should take this from you as right according to dharma, then how should my mother be faulted?”

“Since you, learned and wise elders, seem to be commending to me the evil, detestable determination of my mother, are we already arriving into the Kali Yuga, without transiting the two intervening yugas – Thretha and Dwapara?”

“This is my response: I shall try and persuade Rama to return and take this Ayodhya Crown. Or, I too shall leave here and join him and engage in ascetics. If you do not concur, then I shall take my life. This is my position.”

The assemblage was spell-bound. It then broke into lauding Bharatha for his unshakable affiliation to Dharma as he understood it. They praised him as the most splendorous of the many greats in this dynasty. “You do not have to earn more repute by carrying the burden of governance, by doing dharmic deeds nor engage in great rituals like yajnas; by this stellar proclamation, you have achieved immortality and incomparable reputation in all the seven worlds.”

Bharatha asks Satrugna to proclaim throughout Ayodhya that Sri Rama would be met in the forest and would be persuaded to return to Ayodhya. People rejoice – prematurely as it would transpire – as if Rama is already back with them. “அல்லலில் அழுங்கிய அன்பின் மா நகர் ஒல் என ஒலித்ததால்; உயிர் இல் யாக்கையைச் சொல் எனும் அமிழ்தினால் துளித்தது என்னவே.” The City of Ayodhya, with boundless love for Sri Rama, and having become a lifeless body because of his leaving, deeply immersed in despair, on hearing this proclamation, became alive, as if the dead city was touched by the Divine Nectar and was brought back to life. (In this wishful celebration, people of Ayodhya would seem to have missed out on their understanding of the personality of Rama.)

A very large entourage, a veritable army, leaves Ayodhya to fetch Rama back. The poet is linking the departure of this army for fetching Rama with the City’s expectation – this shall be the end of Kaikeyi’s dream.

The poet sees Sita and Rama everywhere: as he narrates the mobilizing army and looks at an elephant pair – a lovely cow and her majestic bull – walking regally together, he sees Rama and Sita in that pair. “சீதையாம் கொடியொடு நடந்த அக் கொண்டல் ஆம் எனப்பிடியொடு நடந்தன பெருங்கை வேழமே.”

The poet invests 27 verses – each one vying with the other for poetic ecstasy, grace and lilt – in bringing to us this mobilization. We could just savour one of these:

தேர்மிசைச் சென்றது ஓர் பரவை; செம்முகக்

கார்மிசைச் சென்றது ஓர் உவரி; கார்க்கடல்,

ஏர்முகப் பரிமிசை ஏகிற்று; எங்கணும்

பார்மிசைப் படர்ந்திது, பதாதிப் பௌவமே.

Astride chariots, went one sea of warriors; another ocean of men moved astride elephants that had distinguishing red-tinted dots on their faces; the sea of cavalry galloped astride great-looking horses with gleaming coats. The sea of  foot-soldiers moved, filling out all the spaces. This was the bird’s eye view that Kamban brings to us. பதாதிப் பௌவமே = army of foot-soldiers.

Bharatha, accompanied by the Queen-mothers, the Royal Court of Dasaratha, ascetically evolved sages, Brahmana sadhus and countless relations of the Royalty, moved with this grand entourage.

Spotting Mandhara, the deformed devil, amongst this entourage and enraged, Satrugna tried to kill her. Bharatha stopped him, saying that he himself would have cut her into pieces long back but was restrained out of the fear that Rama would disown him. He urges Satrugna to ignore Kooni and move on.

The huge entourage reached and rested at the same grove where Rama rested – before moving on at nightfall, leaving the Ayodhya people that had followed him, clueless about his departure.

From this point, Bharatha discards his mount and moves bare footed.