Ramaayan by Valmiki -23 Towards Ayodhya

Ramaayan by Valmiki 23

MadanMohan Tarun

Towards Ayodhya

Fourteen years of exile of Ram was completed.

Ram decided to return back to Ayodhya. He expressed his desire before Vibhishan, Vibhishan requested him to stay in Lanka for some more time and give him opportunity to serve him. Ram welcomed his good will and told him that his brother Bharat and his mothers must be counting days for his arrival there. Now he cannot stay anymore here, that too reaching to Ayodhya will take months together as the way passing through jungles and mountains are not so easy.

Vbhishan told him that he will reach him Ayodhya within a day by his aerial car Pushpak, occupied by his brother Ravan from Kuber.

Before leaving for Ayodhya Ram met Sugreeva and Hanuman and told them about his desire to leave. It made them all sad. They all had become so close to him during these days that they had forgotten that a day will come when Ram will go back to Ayodhya.

Ram met all other monkeys, apes and bears of Sugreev’s mighty army who had given their best to win this war. He thanked them all heartily. He requested Vibhishan to give best of presents as a token of his love and gratitude to each of them   Presents make friendship deeper. Vibhishan did so without any delay. This pleased them all and they shouted loudly with joy and expressed their feelings of satisfaction, but, no one was ready to let Ram go back from there. They expressed either Ram should stay here with them or they all will go with him to Ayodhya. They all assured him to come back after they had participated in his crown ceremony. They desire to be a part of this most awaited function.

Vibhishan told Ram that the Pushpak is so huge and powerful that it can accommodate all in it and fly without any difficulty... Ram agreed to their proposal. This circulated boundless pleasure among all.

Vibhishan brought Pushpak there. All saw this huge swan shaped aerial van with surprise. It was made of pure gold and was decorated with unique jewels. Ram sat on the upper part of it with his wife Sita and brother Laxman. After him all accommodated themselves comfortably and the great van took its flight, carrying all of them, producing tremendous sound. When it took off from the earth, all trees of nearby jungle shivered badly. Gradually it went higher and higher and started flying fast. Now all were enjoying the aerial view of the earth .Trees, rivers and the ocean were looking like pictures in smaller size. It was passing through all the places of importance like memory of past passes through the mind... Ram was giving full description of those places to Sita -

‘This is the place where I killed Kumbhkarna...and here  ...here... I killed Ravan… here Hanuman killed Dhumraakchha and this is the place where mighty Meghanaad was killed by Laxman…this is the place where Kumbh and Nikumbh, two mighty sons were killed … here Mandodari, wife of Ravan, surrounded by thousands of other women abducted by Ravan from place to place wept…and this is the ocean which was crossed  Hanuman with his gallant  leap which can never ever be repeated again… and this is the bridge over the ocean constructed under the guidance of Neel , the great engineer of the army of mighty Sugreeva. I named this bridge as ‘Neel – Setu’ in his respect.

While narrating so many memorable moments to Sita during the war, Ram told Vibhishan to stop at Prayag. He would pay his respect to great saint Bhardwas before entering into the territory of Ayodhya. Vibhishan landed the flying car at Prayag. Maharshi Bharadwas welcomed them all with great pleasure.

                                          ( Inspired by Valmiki)