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## The Exile of Ramachandra
**Yoga Shastra, Second Light, Verse 99**
"In this world, your dwelling will be in my prison, and in the afterlife, your dwelling will be in hell." Having understood everything well, Marutraja immediately stopped the yagna. Because in the world, he had to obey the command of the powerful and mighty Ravana. After stopping the yagna from Marut, Ravana, swift as the wind, went on a journey to the holy places of Sumeru, Ashtapada, etc. After completing his journey to the Chaityas, considered eternal and non-eternal, he returned to his place.
Meanwhile, in Ayodhya, there was King Dasharatha, the possessor of immense wealth and a great warrior. He had four queens, Kaushalya, Sumitra, Kaikeyi, and Suprabha, who were like the Lakshmi of the four directions. From Queen Kaushalya, Rama was born; from Kaikeyi, Bharata; from Sumitra, Lakshmana; and from Suprabha, Shatrughna. These four princes, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna, shone like the four tusks of Indra's Airavata elephant. Upon reaching adulthood, Ramachandra married Sita, the daughter of King Janaka and the sister of the earth, after stringing the bow.
One day, King Dasharatha sent consecrated water to his four queens for the auspicious worship of the Jain Tirthankara. Kaushalya received the water late. Due to this, she became angry. To appease her, King Dasharatha himself went to her. At that time, he saw an old, dilapidated servant in the inner palace, whose teeth were shaking like the pendulum of a clock. His head was trembling, causing his mouth to move. His entire body was covered with silver-white hair. His eyes were covered by the eyebrows, as if he was begging for death from Yama. He was stumbling with every step. Seeing him, the king fell into thought - "May my condition not be like this. Before that, I should practice the fourth purushartha - Moksha."
King Dasharatha wanted to embrace the great vow. Therefore, to establish his eldest son in his place, he called Rama and Lakshmana. At that time, Bharata's mother, Kaikeyi, came and, with a dignified voice, asked for two boons from King Dasharatha, who was true to his word. Immediately, King Dasharatha granted Bharata the throne as one boon. As the second boon, he granted Rama and Lakshmana, along with Sita, fourteen years of exile. Upon this, Rama and Lakshmana, along with Sita, immediately left for the forest and resided in the ashram of Panchavati in Dandakaranya.
At that time, two Charanmunis were wandering and came there. Rama and Lakshmana respectfully greeted them. The devout Sita offered pure food to both the munis, taking the benefit of feeding guests. At that time, the gods rained fragrant water. Attracted by the fragrance, a vulture king named Jatayu arrived there. Both the Charanmunis gave a sermon there. This also awakened the bird. He remembered his past life. Due to some connection from his previous birth, he always stayed near Sita.
One day, Rama was in the ashram. Lakshmana went out to the forest to bring fruits. There, Lakshmana saw a sword lying on the ground. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and, to test its sharpness, he struck it against a pile of bamboo nearby. After that, he saw the head of a man, cut like a lotus stalk, lying among the bamboo. Seeing this, Lakshmana felt great remorse - "Alas! I have killed this unarmed man without any fight!" Reproaching himself for this deed and feeling self-reproach, Lakshmana went to his elder brother Ramachandra. He narrated the entire incident to him. Hearing this, Ramachandra said, "Brother! This is the sword called Suryahas. You have killed the one who practiced it. There must be someone who will avenge him." Just then, Ravana's sister, Khar's wife, Chandranakha, arrived there where her son was lying dead. Seeing her dead son, she cried out loudly, "Alas! My son Shambuka! Where are you? How did you leave me?" She looked around to find out who had killed her son, but she couldn't see anyone. Then, her eyes fell on the beautiful line of Lakshmana's feet. She thought to herself - 1. There is also a story about a boon in other stories.
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