CHAPTER 1
King Dasharatha Decides to Install Rama as Regent
Then the sinless Shatrughna, who always conquered His enemies, wentto His maternal uncle's, being led by Bharata, who was full of affectionfor Him. There Shatrughna remained with His brother, being entertainedby His maternal uncle who owned many horses and who was full of affection for his nephew. Although They were entertained with everykind of pleasure while residing there, the two brothers remembered theirelderly father, the valiant King Dasharatha. The highly glorious king alsoremembered his two absent sons, Bharata and Shatrughna, who wereequal to Indra and Varuna. Moreover, he loved all four of his exceptionalsons as if they were four limbs sprung from his own body. Among Them,Rama was the joy of His father, possessing the most excellent qualities,as does Lord Brahma among the created living beings. Indeed, He wasthe eternal Lord Vishnu who had appeared in this world by the request of the demigods to slay the demon Ravana. Kausalya shone with her sonwhose splendor was unlimited, just like Aditi
with Indra, the best of thedemigods, who wields a thunderbolt in his hand.Indeed, He possessed physical beauty and valor and was free fromenviousness. As a son, there was no comparison to Him on the earth; Hewas equal to King Dasharatha in good qualities. He was always peacefuland spoke sweetly. Whenever reproached, He never returned a harshreply. One could satisfy Him anytime by doing any favor. He did notbegrudge even one hundred offenses because of His self-mastery. Evenwhen busy learning the use of weapons, He would converse with thepious souls who were advanced in character, knowledge and age. He wasintelligent, sweet-spoken, the first to speak, a pleasant speaker andvalorous, yet not deluded by His own greatness. He never spoke a lie,and was learned and respectful to His elders. He was loved by thecitizens, and He also loved the citizens. He was kind, had conqueredanger, and was respectful to the
brahmanas
. He was compassionate on
1 Aditi is the mother of Indra.
the wretched, familiar with righteousness, always self-controlled, andpure. His mind was intent on what was worthy of His dynasty and Heheld in high regard His duties as a warrior. Among those, He consideredthe attainment of heaven as the highest good. He never engaged Himself in any inauspicious deed, nor did He relish profane talk. In debate, Hecould give arguments and counterarguments just like the celestial sageBrihaspati
.He was free from disease, youthful, eloquent, handsome, and knewhow to act according to time and place. He was celebrated as the onlysaintly person who could discern the essence of all people in this world.Moreover, because of His possessing super-excellent qualities, the princehad become so dear to the citizens as if He were their own life airexternalized. Lord Rama, the older brother of Bharata, had concluded allHis studies under vow, had duly studied the four
Vedas
and theircorollaries, and had surpassed His father in archery and deployment of missiles. He was the source of auspiciousness, holy, free fromdepression, truthful and straightforward.He was fully instructed by elderly
brahmanas
who could directly seethe purpose of religious principles. He was familiar with the principles of religiosity, economic development and sense enjoyment, had a keenmemory and was shrewd. He was conversant and expert in the customaryrites prevalent in the world. He was modest and kept His feelingsconcealed and His deliberations secret. He had many followers. Hisanger and joy were never obstructed. He knew when to disburse Hisfunds and when to retain them. He had unflinching devotion and steadyintelligence. He did not gather impious men around Himself nor did Heuse foul language. He was never lazy or careless, and was aware of thefaults of His own people as well as of others. He was well-versed in thescriptures, and grateful.He could read people's minds and was expert at meting outpunishment and rewards according to justice. He knew how to gatherpious men around Himself and how to be kind to them. He knew whereto wage war. He was conversant with the means of raising funds andknew how to expend money as recommended in the scriptures. He
2
Brihaspati is the
guru
or preceptor of the gods.
achieved proficiency in all the scriptures and also in those textsinterspersed with vernacular language. He engaged in both economicdevelopment and religiosity. He enjoyed the subtle pleasures of life andwas not lazy. He was learned in the arts of entertainment and knew howto divide His wealth. He was expert at training and riding horses andelephants. He was the foremost of those conversant with the art of war.He was esteemed even by the
atirathas
. He was expert at encircling theenemy, attacking them and leading the army into battle. He could not beharmed in battle, not even by the angry gods or demons. He was freefrom envy, had conquered anger, and did not become exited or jealous.He was irreproachable by any living being and was never under theinfluence of time. Being endowed with such outstanding qualities, PrinceRama was esteemed by the citizens and in all the three worlds. He wasequal to the earth in forgiveness. He was equal to Brihaspati inintelligence and to Indra in prowess. Like the resplendent sun with itsrays, Rama shone brightly by His qualities, which made Him the darlingof the common people and endeared Him greatly to His father. The earthdesired Him as her Lord, possessing as He did such qualities, havingunassailable prowess and being equal to the protectors of the directions.Seeing his son endowed with so many unparalleled good qualities, theelderly and long-lived King Dasharatha began to think: “How can thewonderful event of Rama's becoming king take place in my life time? O,when shall I see my beloved son installed as king? This is the topmostdesire throbbing in my heart. He truly desires the improvement of theworld and is compassionate upon all living beings. He is dearer to theworld than I, like Parjanya, the sender of rains. In valor He is equal toYama, the lord of death, and Indra, the lord of heaven. In intelligence Heis equal to Brihaspati. He is equal to a mountain in firmness, andsurpasses me in good qualities. Seeing my son Rama ruling over thiswhole earth in my old age, let me ascend to heaven.”Thinking in this way and seeing that Rama was endowed withabundant good qualities rarely found in other monarchs, as well asinnumerable other excellent qualities not in anyone else in this world,
3
An
atiratha
can defeat several
maharathas
, and a
maharatha
is one who is able to single-handedly fight ten thousand archers.
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