RAMAYANA FOR CHILDREN
AYODHYAKANDA
CHAPTER 21, PART FIVE
Rama’s pleading was eloquent. It spoke volumes for his virtue and duty. He was respectful to his mother. But he was firm in carrying out his father’s command. He had no grief or disappointment. It was too much for Kausalya. She fainted under the shock. After a while, she regained her senses. She looked Rama in the eye. She cried, “Don’t I deserve as much obedience as you have for your father? You are flesh of my flesh. I bore you in the womb. And I watched you grow from infancy to youth. Does it not count for anything? You see my unspeakable misery. And yet you want to leave me here. I am alone and helpless. You leave me to the mercies of my enemies. Do you expect my consent? What is life to me in the world? If you are not by myself, life is not worth living.”
Elephant-hunters take their stand during dark nights across its path. They drive the elephant towards the pit. They do this by threatening it with blazing torches. Even so, the pitiable laments of his mother had no effect on Rama. Her portrayal of her miseries only roused him to fresh energy and firmness. He would not let him go back from the Path of Dharma. He saw his mother in deep grief. He looked at his brother, Lakshmana. He was writhing under impotent anger. Yet Rama would never waver from the path of Dharma. And his words to Kausalya were in agreement with Dharma. Duty hemmed him on every side. He did not hesitate to choose the best course of action. “Lakshmana!” Rama addressed his brother; “I know your devotion to me. You and my mother cause me annoyance and trouble. You both are wilfully blind to my motives. Hear me once again. I will speak to you two at length. I will elaborate on what I hinted to you just now. A wife secures to her husband Dharma. It is possible only if she walks the path of her husband’s law of life. She secures to him Love if she wants a place in his heart.”
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