Lakshman stood with his head thrown back, his eyes gazing fearlessly into Ram’s. Ram looked into those beloved eyes which had always regarded him with such love, looked at that beloved form, which he had known since childhood and which had followed him faithfully like a shadow which can never be parted. He knew that one need not die when parted from a shadow but what about the shadow? Would it not come to an end, when parted from the body? Pain flowed out of his eyes while love flowed from Lakshman’s eyes.
“It does not matter brother”, he whispered. “Command me to leave, as sternly as you once ordered me to leave Sita in the forest”.
Ram was in anguish. Over and over again he murmured, “Everything passes. Everything perishes. Nothing will remain. Time is all powerful. Everything will be swept away in the powerful river of time. I have to abide by my promise. I have to be true to the only thing to which I have clung all my life – dharma, the cosmic law of righteousness. I have been tested time and time again and I have not failed. Let me not fail now”.
He was facing Lakshman but could not look into his eyes. Instead he fixed his gaze at a spot just above his head and said in an expressionless voice, drained of all emotion, “In honour of truth, in honour of dharma, in honour of the law, which I have always upheld, I banish you, 0 Lakshman, forever. You shall never return to this land of Kosala again, on fear of death”!
Lakshman looked lovingly at his brother whom he had obeyed implicitly all his life and said, “My dearest brother. Do not grieve. I have loved you all my life and obeyed you without a murmur. It shall be as you wish. Farewell! And once again, fare Thee well. We will never meet again in this life. Perhaps we will meet in heaven”.
So saying, he went thrice round Ram and prostrated to him and went without a backward glance to the banks of the swiftly flowing river, Sarayu. The thought of a life apart from Ram was unthinkable. Death was preferable to such a life. He did not even consider it. Going to the Sarayu river he sat in yogic contemplation on the banks. He gathered in his vital breaths and withdrew into his atman, and merged himself into the Brahman – the cosmic whole. Thus he sat in deep samadhL Indra, the king of gods sent his chariot and took Lakshman, the fourth part of Vishnu, to heaven where he merged into That essence.
Back in Ayodhya, Ram knew that Lakshman would never be able to live without him and he himself no longer cared to carry on a life which had ceased to have any meaning for him. Firm in his vows of dharmic discipline, he had been forced to part, one by one, from all those whom he held most dear. He had always known that life was only a dream, a dRam in which he had been called upon to play a part. He had come to the end of his lines. The curtain was going up for the final scene and he had already been given his cue to depart. He called his priests and ministers and announced his decision to them.
“I hereby appoint Bharata, as Lord of Ayodhya. The southern portion of this fair land of Kosala will be given to Kusha and the northern to Lava. I myself shall follow Lakshman”.
Bharata and Shatrugna refused to live without Ram and decided to follow him. Many of the citizens for whose sake he had sacrificed his all, decided that they could not live in a land without their beloved king. Hearing of his terrible decision, the monkeys and the bears and Vibhishana from across the sea, arrived and begged to accompany him.
Ram said to Vibhishana, “0 Lord of rakshasas. Stay on in Lanka, for that is your duty. Rule with dharma as your guide. So long as ] am remembered on earth, so long will your kingdom endure”.
Then turning to Hanuman he said, “Live long, 0 noble Hanuman. Wherever my story is told, wherever the name of Ram is mentioned, you, will be there to hear it. This story will be told as long as the sun and the moon shine, as long as people remain on this earth and as long as you are there to hear it”!
Then turning to the bear, Jambavan, he said, “0 wise one! You shall live till my advent as Krishna, scion of the race of Yadu. Until then you shall suffer no defeat. When you meet one who is able to defeat you, then you will know that I have returned”.
To the others he said, “If you so wish, you may all follow me. This very day will you enter heaven along with me”.
All the people of Ayodhya followed Ram with love and devotion. Even the animals followed him, the cows and goats and elephants, not to mention the monkeys and bears. The very stones on the streets of Ayodhya wept, for they could not follow him and the trees bent low and brushed his head while he passed. Every creature which could walk or roll or dance or totter, followed him. Sumantra was waiting at the banks of the river with the four red horses which he had freed from the chariot. Guha, the hunter king was also there. The whole pan came to the pellucid waters of the river Sarayu, which circled the land of Kosala like a silver girdle. Ram walked into the icy cold water accompanied by all the rest. The waters closed over their heads lit a benediction. The heavens opened and the celestials rained flower Brahma spoke, “0 gracious Vishnu. Be pleased to return to your celestial abode. Thou art the Soul of All – indestructible, immutable an eternal. Be pleased to give up this form of maya and resume your swaroopa”.
Out of the waters rose the incredibly beautiful form of Lord Vishnu holding the discus, conch, mace and play lotus in His hands. All the others who had decided to join Him also came out of the water endowed with celestial forms and all rose up to the heavens as the music of the spheres floated down in the velvet darkness.
With the ascension of Ram to his heavenly abode, the twenty-four thousand verses were complete. Back in the deserted city of Ayodhya, Lav and Kush sang the final verses of the song, to an unseen audience, the song known as ‘Ramyana, the way of Ram, the first poem ever to be composed by the adi kavi, Valmiki.
Thus end the second canto called “Dharma Trimphs” of the Uttara Kanda in the glorious Ramyan of the Sage Valmiki.
Om Tat Sat
