Srimad Bhagavatam – day 521
The priests prayed,
“namo brahmaṇya-devāya rāmāyākuṇṭha-medhase
uttamaśloka-dhuryāya nyasta-daṇḍārpitāṅghraye
Srirāma who is of ripened wisdom considers Vedic Brahmins as equivalent of God. He is foremost among those who are of utmost renown. Revered saints, who are free from all associations and who with feelings of equal mindedness towards all living entities refrain totally from injuring or killing animals, retain His lotus feet in their hearts and meditate upon them. To such Lord Srirāma we offer obeisance”.
Srirāma would always enquire into the well-being of his citizens. One night he was wandering incognito in the streets of Ayodhya when he overheard the words uttered by a husband to his wife. The husband was saying, “O wicked woman! As you have visited another man’s house you are unchaste. I shall not see you again nor shall not let you live in this house. As Srirāma is deeply attached to a woman he is maintaining Seeta. But I am not like Srirāma”.
Ignorant people babble like crows. Without any thought they speak irrelevantly. They are unaware that they are hurting others or that they are belittling them. It is almost impossible to make them see light. For this reason, Srirāma feared being condemned by such ignorant persons. After reflecting deeply upon this subject he finally abandoned Seeta who was pregnant by then.
Seeta arrived at Maharishi Valmiki’s ashram where she gave birth to twin boys named Kuśa and Lava. Maharishi Valmiki completed the naming ceremony and all other stipulated ceremonies for these twins.
Lakshmana had two sons Angada and Chitraketu. Bharata had two sons Takṣa and Pushkaḷa. Shatrughna had two sons Subāhu and Śrutasena.
Bharata once went to conquer the world and there he killed trillions of Gandharvas. He brought all their wealth and handed it over to Srirāma. Shatrughna also toured in all directions and killed the demon Lavana, the son of demon Madhu. In the forest called Madhuvana, he established a city called Mathura.
Seeta devi, who was deserted by her husband Srirama, handed over her twin sons to Maharishi Valmiki. Meditating upon the feet of her husband Srirama, she disappeared into Earth.
Despite being intelligent and wise, Srirama who heard of Seeta’s merger into earth, struggled to retain his composure. He wept inconsolably. The excessive attachment between a male and female instils unprecedented fear even in those who are supremely learned and wise. After Mother Seeta entered Earth, Srirama remained a celibate (Brahmachari). He lived for 13,000 years. He performed innumerable Yagnas and Yāgas.
Thereafter retaining his tender lotus feet in the hearts of those devotees who meditate upon Him, He merged into his original form of Pure Consciousness. In response to the prayers of the Devatas, the Supreme Lord took on a gross form and while remaining as the supreme jewel for the Raghu dynasty, He showed many transcendental sports. There is none equal or superior to Him.
To this Supreme Lord, killing of demons with his powerful arrows or constructing a bridge across the ocean are not deeds that can bring great repute. In reality, this ever-competent Lord did not require the help of the Vanaras to vanquish the enemy.
The ever-pure glory of Srirama which destroys the sins of those who remember Him has spread in all the directions. Even to this day, in the auspiciousness assemblies of great emperors such as Yudhisthira, great saints such as Markandeya sing His glories. Indra and other Guardian-deities as well as the kings on earth bow at the lotus feet of Srirama with their crowns touching His feet. I surrender to such Srirama.
All those citizens who touched Srirama, who spoke or looked at Him, lived along with Him and those who walked behind Him attained those supreme abodes which are normally attained only by Yogis.
Puruṣo rāma-caritaṁ śravaṇair upadhārayan
Ānṛśaṁsya-paro rājan karma-bandhair vimucyate
The person who is filled with compassion and who unfailingly reads or listens to the glorious story of Srirama while retaining Him firmly within the heart, will be freed from all karmic bondages” said Maharishi Śuka.
Srirama