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iv
XXII.
[ PART
Sandhi. Bhamandala's realization: Daśaratha's renunciation: Bharata's Coronation.
Once Dasaratha, on a complaint from Suprabha took to task the old chamberlain in his harem for his negligence. The latter put forth disability due to old age as an explanation. This small incident filled Dasaratha's mind with thoughts of mortality and ephemeral nature of worldly pleasures. He decided to renounce the world and crown Rama in his place.
Frustrated Bhamaṇḍala decided to abduct Sita forcibly. Marching forth with his army, he reached Vidagdhapura, and he remembered his past birth as a ruler at that place. He also got the vision of his real character as the kidnapped twin brother of Sītā.
Remorseful, he came to Ayodhya, where he was introduced to Rama, Lakṣmaṇa and others by monk Satyabhūti, who also narrated his whole story.
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XXIII.
PAUMACARIU
Now learning that Dasaratha was to crown Rāma the next day, Kaikayi, out of jealousy, asked from the king the kingdom for Bharata as one of the long-promised boons. Rama handed over the kingdom to Bharata, and to allay the fears of Dasaratha about discord possibly developing among princes accepted a voluntary exile to the forest. Bharata was quite unwilling to accept the reins of the kingdom, but was pressed by Dasaratha, who had decided to become a recluse. Rama crowned him with his own hands.
Sandhi.
exile.
Rama,
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Lakṣmaṇa and
Svayambhu's fresh confession of diffidence in his ability to do full justice to the vast and noble theme of the Rāmāyaṇa.
Sitä go into
When Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa took Dasaratha's leave to depart, the latter was remorseful, though he admitted the greatness of truth above everything. When Aparajita learnt from Rama about the sudden developments leading to the immediate exile of Rama and Lakṣraana she cried bitterly along with the whole harem. Pacifying them, the two brothers moved forth. Sītā also joined them. Enraged Lakṣmaṇa showed readiness to capture Bharata and hand over the throne to Rama, but the latter said that they should honour their father's word and spend sixteen years in the forest. Praying at a shrine, they took the way to the forest. At dawn they were joined by whole of the royal army. All reached the Pāriyatra. Slightly further on was sighted the formidable river Gambhiră, when Rāma persuaded the army to return. Sita crossed the river by mounting on Rama's palm. Many feudatory princes from the returning army felt so miserable without Rama that they at once renounced the world.
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