________________
174
JAIN RAMAYAN
the city had made splendid preparations to receive that noble lady.
Of course, Queen Kausalya and Queen Sumitra lived in the palace but inwardly they were like dwellers in a forest. Some years ago, King Dasarath had adopted the path of Sadhudharma. Mother Kausalya was always steeped in grief over her separation from Shri Ram and Lakshman. Sometimes. she spent whole days and nights in that agitation. Her hair had grown grey prematurely on account of her intense anguish over her separation from her husband, her sons and her only daughter-in-law, Sita. Her white and bright face and grown bleak and blighted. Her face revealed signs of premature old age. In fact, Sumitra's company enabled her to continue to live. Otherwise, she should have died heart-broken. Yet she had lost all interest in life. She was living a mechanical life.
And Bharath! Bharath was leading a life of absolute detachment from the samsar. He had no attachment either for power or prosperity or for any object. Though he was the king of the country he was a Rajarishi ruling over the country with absolute detachment. He was a Rajarishi, a saintly king. He was residing in Ayodhya against his will bound by his sense of duty and dedication. “When will my noble brother return ? When can I go away into the mountains seeking my spiritual elevation, leaving the responsibility of ruling over the country to my revered brother, Shri Ram? When can I go away and live in some lonely place, in some place where I can enjoy solitude and where I can carry out my spiritual endeavours unimpeded ? Bharath was always thinking of these things. He was leading a life of absolute renunciation. He felt that, repeatedly, mountains, peaks, caves and valleys kept calling him. “The forest and solitudes are calling me. I must follow the path which my father adopted.” Such was Bharath's aspiration. He was totally detached. He began experiencing delight from the time he heard about the prospect of the return of his revered brother. He was experiencing delight not only because of the prospect of his brother's return, but also because after his brother's return, he could freely pursue the path of Sadhudharma. Every morning regularly he used to visit his mothers, Kausalya and
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
