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The Great Departure
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separations. How much was I grieved over my separation from Lakshman ? How much anguish did I experience at the sepa
on from Sita ? I suffered inordinate anguish. I know that the people of Ayodhya will experience inordinate anguish, when I go away from Ayodhya. They will continue to grieve over that event for a long time but I am sure that the people of Ayodhya who adore the culture based on the principles of selfsacrifice and renunciation will certainly appreciate my decision and the throne also will not be vacant. Anangadey will be installed on the throne of Ayodhya”.
Sugriv wiped his tears with his upper cloth. Shri Ram's pleasant words filled his mind with serenity.
After being silent for a while, Shri Ram again said, “Dear Sugriv! When I visualize the endless samsar, I realise how full of changes it is. No one can remain here for ever. All things keep changing. Form and colour, splendour and prosperity, place and time, joys and sorrows, all keep changing. Kings change and the people also change. Towns and cities, gardens and forests and all things change. The whole universe is subject to the law of constant change. Therefore, whom can we love and whom can we hate ?"
It seemed as though all the charm of the Muses flowered in Shri Ram's utterances. His philosophical utterances produced in Vibhishan and Sugriv lofty spiritual contemplations and their souls also experienced an awakening.
"O you greatest of men ! Your words are absolutely true. Our attachments and hatred depend upon changeable objects. On account of them, jivas experience joys and sorrows”. Vibhishan said expressing his approval of Shri Ram's opinion. He looked towards Shri Ram. His face was shining with a new radiance.
"Oh King of Lanka! When attachments and hatred subside, the soul acquires awareness; and as soon as a jiva attains spiritual awareness, he begins to feel that the samsar is meaningless and futile; and he renounces the samsar. He becomes
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