Ram’s return from exile was a joyous occasion for one and all in Ayodhya. His mothers rushed to meet him –
Janu dhenubalakbachhtajigrihn chalan ban parbasgaeen/
Din ant purrukhsravat than hunkar kari dhavtbhaee//
Ati prem Prabhu sab matubhentinbachanmridubahubidhikahe/
Gaeebishambipatibiyogbhavtinhharashsukhagnitlahe//
Likenewly calved cows that had goneto the jungle for grazing, leaving behind their little calves under duress;
(Those cows), at the end of the day, hadcome rushing towards the town, mooing and dripping milk from their udders;
The Lord met all His mothers and said to them tender words in diverse ways;
And all of them received (on meeting the Lord and hearing His words) unlimited happinessand comfort.
Ramcharitmanas/Uttar Kand/Chhand 5.
Bharat’s mother, Kaikeyi, was feeling highly ashamed for having caused all that misery to the House of Raghus. Ram took special care to put her at ease.
To accord the same joyousness to everyone else in Ayodhya, “amitruppragatetehi kala/jathajog sab-hi kripala” – the Merciful One appeared in His countless aspects and simultaneously met everyone in the form that was appropriate for each of them(ibid/5(iii)).
Then there were his royal guests,such as his father-in-law, Raja Janak; Bharat’s uncle, Raja Yudhajit of Kaikeya; Raja Pratradan of Kashi; and other monarchs of the neighbouring realms who had arrived to attend his coronation. Raja Ram made them feel at home. At the end of their stay, he gave them a warm send-off(see Balmiki Ramayan/Utter Kand/Canto 38).
And there were his special guests too: Raja Sugriv, Prince Angad, and the stalwarts of the Vanar Sena, who had accompanied him from Lanka to Ayodhya in the Pushpak Viman, as alsoNishadraj Guh. The last named had arrived from Shringverpur on receiving the news of his return from exile. Basking in Ram’s clement presence, they had forgotten their homes, families and children. Six months passed in that manner. Overwhelmed by their affection,Ram expressed his gratitude for their devotion and all that they had done for him. Parting with them movingly, the Lord assured them of his everlasting love. Yet, two of his guests expressed great reluctance to leave him. One was Prince Angad and the other, Sugriv’s minister, Hanuman. Angad pleaded that his father, Bali, while dying, had left him in Ram’s care and he should be allowed to remain under his guardianship. Ram assured Angad that he would always be in his mind wherever he was. With Hanuman he had a tacit understanding. Sugriv knew it and allowed him to continue to serve Ram as long as he wished.
Ram had by then firmly established himself as the ruler of his domain. Even though Bharat had spared no effort during his regency to run the administration in a smooth manner, it was Raja Ram who, by his governance, gave his world the idyll of ‘Ram-rajya.’ His subjects followed the path laid down in the Vedas. No one in Ayodhya had reason to fear or feelsad, and free from disease they all were. Dharma prevailedeverywhere on its four feet of truth, purification, compassion and charity. Sin was conspicuous by its absence. Since there was no possibility of confrontation in Ram-rajya,Dand (Sanskrit for punishment; the word also stands for staff or walking stick) was seen only in the hands of ascetics;Bhedthen was known only as the movements in dance and not exploitation; and jeet-conquest-was the need only of the conquest of mind and not of the domination of enemy. Good care was taken of the forests, in which both vegetation and animals thrived in close union. The natural resources, such as rivers and mineral wealth, made the region prosperous. Even Nature went on to promote such a propitious milieu. The sun heated the earth only as much as was necessary, and rains fell no less and no more (see Ramcharitmanans/Uttar Kand/20-23).
Ram and Sita lived together a life of absolute happiness. In time, Sita became pregnant. Ram asked her one day-
Abravichchvararohan Sitam sursutopmam/
Apatyalabhovaidehitvayayyamsamupasthitah//
Kimichchhsivararohekamahkimkriytamtav/
Then he (Raja Ram) spoke to the beautiful goddess-like Sita, “Princess of Videh! The time has come for a son to be had from your womb. Elegant lady! Say, what do you desire? Which is that cherished wish of yours that I may fulfil?”
Balmiki Ramayan/Uttar Kand/Canto 42(xxxi-xxxii)
Sita replied smilingly that she wanted to pay a visit to the sacred groves on the banks of the Ganga in which highly gifted maharishis carried out their ascetic practices. “It is my fervent desire at this moment to spend a night in that grove where venerable ascetics thrive only on edible roots,” she stressed.
Pledging to fulfil Sita’s desire, Raja Ram said to her, “Princess of Videh! Be at peace. You will be there tomorrow itself; there is no doubt in that.” Having said that, Ram went away with his confidantes to another part of the palace.
Sita could not have imagined what she had sought from her lord and husband. But then how long could a perfect dream last!
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