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In the Palace of Ayodhya
181
“Dear Queen! Tomorrow Shri Ramachandra, Lakshman and Sita are arriving. The whole city is in a state of jubilation. All are swaying with delight and elation. Every house and every religious centre in the city has been fascinatingly decorated. The citizens of Ayodhya are impatiently awaiting the arrival of Shri Ram". These words of the women filled Kausalya with great joy. One leading woman of the city said;
"Dear Queen! We are going to have a sight of Shri Ram after many years. Whenever I think of you and whenever I meet you I naturally think of Shri Ram."
"But I remember Ram every moment," said Kausalya as the tears trickled from her eyes.
“Dear Queen! Do not give way to grief. The days of adversity have come to an end. Within a short time the day of felicity is going to dawn. Its only a matter of a few hours; only one night and tomorrow you will meet your son. Tomorrow, we are going to see Shri Ram. Of course many years have passed. I do not know what adversities and calamities Sita had to experience during these years. This world abounds in sorrow. Wherever we cast our eyes, we see nothing but the flames of sorrow consuming everyone. The sports of destiny are indeed inscrutable. They are limitless."
Kausalya heaved a long sigh and continued to be silent.
“Dear Queen ! All our agitations and sorrows will end when we see Shri Ram, Lakshman and Sita tomorrow."
"Dear sister! What you say is true !"
At this point, an attendant came and invited them to have their food. The queens bade good-bye to the women and after they went away, the queens went in. The joy and elation of Kausalya and Sumitra knew no bounds. Their hearts swayed with delight. Queen Suprabha also kept floating on the waves of joy but only Kaikayi had fallen into a strange conflict. Her thoughts took strange turns. If she felt happy one moment, the next moment she felt depressed. She had great affection for
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