Standing amid the blood and gore of the battlefield of Lanka, Vishnu-incarnate Ram seemed to have accomplished His divine and earthly purposes. Killing Ravan and his rakshasa legions, He had brought relief to devas. As a mortal human being, he had spent fourteen years in exile to honour his father’s word. He had also won a bloody war, felled Ravan, a bully who had gravely insulted him and rescued Sita from his captivity. Yet, Mahadev appeared to remind Him that He had to perform eight more earthly duties before He left his mortal coil:
“O Most Powerful Warrior! Only after commiserating with the sad Bharat; meeting the glorious Kaushalya, Kaikeyi and Lakshman’s mother, Sumitra; possessing the domain of Ayodhya; giving joy to all the noble-hearted; establishing your dynasty in the House of Ikshvakus; undertaking the Ashwamedhayagya; earning the highest glory and distributing moneyamong the Brahmans should You ascend to Your Eternal Abode.”
Mahadev then drew the attention of Ram and Lakshman to their father, Raja Dashrath, who had descended from the swarga in a viman to felicitate them on their victory. Dashrath also told Ram that having accomplished his tasks and won unparalleled glory, he should instate himself with his brothers in the domain and live a long life (see Balmiki Ramayan/Yuddh Kand/Canto 119).
Prescripts from the celestials notwithstanding, Ram had something very important to do before he left Lanka. On the battleground lay corpses of countless warriors of the Vanar Sena who had fought for him in that alien land. He made an earnest appeal to Lord Indra –
Mam hetohprakranta ye gata yamsadnam/
Tesarvejivitamprapyasamutithantuvanarah//
Those who have fought valiantlyfor my sake and have now gone to Yamloka, they, all the Vanars, should receive a new life and rise up!
Ibid/Canto 120/(v)
Indra told him that even though it was too great a boon, he would get what he had sought. The Lord of Devas willed that all those monkeys and lemurs who had died or were mutilated in the battle should get up rejuvenated like men rising from their sleep.
Ram’s earthly ally, Raja Vibhishan, had another request for him: he might relieve himself of the exertions of the war before embarking on the long journey to Ayodhya, and honour Vibhishan’s house with his presence –
Sab bidhinathmohiapnaeye/ Puni mohisahtAvadhpurijaeye//
Sunat bachanmridudeendyala/Sajal bhayedvonayanbisala//
O Lord! Make me your own in every manner and then take me along with you to Ayodhya. Hearing Vibhishan’s tender words, the big eyes of the Compassionate to the Poor (that is, Lord Ram) welled up.
Ramcharitmanas/Lanka Kand/115(iv)
Ram was deeply moved by Vibhishan’s submission, yet he could not accede to his request. There was Bharat waiting fervently for him in Ayodha-
Tor kos grih mor sab satyasunubhrat/
Bharat dasaasumiratmohinimishkalpsamjat//
Taapasbesh gat kris japatnirantarmohi/
Dekhaunbegi so jatanukarusakhaniharaun tohi//
(Ram said to Vibhishan), “O Brother! Listen. Your treasure and home, they all are mine. That is the truth. But recalling Bharat’s condition makes even a blinking of the eye seem to me like an age.
Dressed in the garb of an ascetic, frail, he (Bharat) is repeating my name endlessly. My friend, make it possible that I may see him at the earliest. I entreat you.
Ibid/Doha 116-ka, kha
Even so, Vibhishan, on whom Ram had bestowed the throne of Lanka, would not let his benefactor go away until he had shown him some token of gratitude. The newly installed raja went to his palace and came back riding the Pushpak Viman loaded with precious jewels and garments. He prayed to Ram to accept the gift. Ram laughed heartily at the gesture and thought of bringing some light moments to the tense atmosphere. He advised Vibhishan to mount his divine craft again and shower down his gifts from a height. It was a mirthful scene that followed-
Joi joi man bhavaeesoeesoeelehin/Mani mukhmelidarikapidehin//
Hasen Ramu Shri anujsmeta/Param kautukikripanikata//
Whatever anyone likes to have, he picks up. The monkeys put the jewels into their mouths, and finding them inedible, they spit the jewels out. Observing the spectacle, the most cheerful Shri Ram and his younger brother began to laugh.
Ibid/116(iv)
The bears and monkeys adorned themselves with colourful garments and passed playfully before Ram. Ram also joined them in their mirth-making. When everybody there had had their fun, Ram thanked them generously for their participation in the war. “It was because of your strength that I could kill Ravan and install Vibhishan on the throne. Now that the war is over, you may go to your homes,” he told them.
While most of the Vanars took leave of Ram with a heavy heart, their chiefs, such as Raja Sugriv, Prince Angad, the engineer Neel who had built a bridge over the ocean, the chief of bears, Jambvan and Hanuman looked poignantly at Ram with their tearful eyes. Vibhishan also stood with them, unwilling to depart. Ram permitted all of them to board the Pushpak Viman as it set on its course to Ayodhya.
Ram, Lakshman and Sita climbed into the vimanas the vanars hailed them tumultuously. En route to Ayodhya, Ram showed to Sita the important sites of his expedition to Lanka, from the spots on which gory battles had been fought against the prominent rakshasas such as Meghnad and Kumbhakaran, the bridge that had been constructed to span the ocean, to the haloed altar to Lord Shiva where he had prayed for the success of his mission. They landed at Dandakaranya and Chitrakoot to pay respects to Maharishi Agyastya and other rishi-munis. At Triveni, Ram asked Hanuman to proceed to Ayodhya in the guise of a Brahmin to contact Bharat, while the viman continued on its course. On the banks of Ganga, Ram and Sita had an affectionate reunion with Nishadraj, the chief of fishermen.
In Ayodhya, Bharat was overjoyed to receive the news of the triumphant return Ram, Sita and Lakshman. He ordered Shatrughan to make elaborate arrangements for their reception. The Pushpak Viman landed at last on the soil of Ayodhya. Bharat was there to welcome his long-lost brothers and sister-in-law. Ram too, was eager to meet his loving brother –
Aropitovimanan tad Bharatahsatyavikmanh/
Ram-masadhyamuditahpunrevabhyavadyat//
Lord Ram raised the sincere and mighty Bharat to the viman, and instantly on approaching Ram, he (Bharat) lay prostrate at his feet.
Balmiki Ramayan/Yuddh Kand/Canto 127(xl)
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