Rāmāyana |Ayodhyā Kaṇḍa| Chapter 116

116. Sages Leave Chitrakūṭa

[When Rāma sees the sages of Chitrakūṭa worried, he asks the reason for it. They say they are afraid that Khara, the brother of Rāvaṇa, would trouble them. Then those sages leave Chitrakūṭa for a safer place.]

After Bhārata went back, Rāma continued to live in that forest of penance and he observed the anxiety and fearful anxiety among the sages. 116.1

He saw that those sages, who used to be well pleased in the hermitage before, because they depended on him, were now anxious. 116.2

Pointing out at Rāma by the movement of their eyes and eyebrows, they exhibited their anxiety and they whispered round among themselves, some legends in secret. 116.3

Seeing their distress, Rāma, thinking that they had suspicion about him, with joined palms in salutation, told the chief of the sages there. 116.4

"I think that you are all not seeing the behaviour in me that you saw earlier and I feel that you are agitated by some change in my nature." 116.5

"Has the sages seen my younger brother Lakṣmaṇa who thinks about himself, by error behaved in a way that is unworthy of him?" 116.6

"Has Sītā who is serving you, due to keenness of serving me behaved in an improper way with you, according to the conduct suitable for women." 116.7

Then the old sage, old both by penance and age spoke with shivering voice to Rāma who is kind to all the beings." 116.8

"Oh dear child, what is there for us to fear above all from Sītā, who has auspicious disposition and follower of Dharma." 116.9

"Because of enmity to you the Rākṣasas have started troubling the sages, due to which fear has been created among us and sages discuss among themselves about the ways of defence." 116.10

"Oh son, there is a Rākṣasa called Khara, who is the younger brother of Rāvaṇa . He has uprooted the dwelling of several sages in Janasṭhāna. He is cruel, eater of human flesh, boaster, victorious in battle, haughty and sinful and he is not able to endure you also." 116.11-116.12

"From the time that you have come to reside here in this hermitage those Rākṣasas continue to ill treat the sages." 116.13

"They appear to be cruel, grotesque and fearful, and were ugly to look at and not very pleasant to see." 116.14

"They throw inauspicious ugly objects on the saints and those wicked people stand in front of the sages and kill them." 116.15

"Those evil minded ones enter in to the hermitages unnoticed and enjoy killing the saints there itself." 116.16

"When a fire sacrifice is being performed, they scatter the vessels used for sacrifice, pour water on the fire and break the water pots." 116.17

"After deciding these retreats which are attacked by those souls of evil are not safe, the sages are urging me to leave this place and go elsewhere." 116.18

"Rāma, before those wicked ones cause bodily injury to the sages, we are thinking of going away from here." 116.19

"In a forest not far away from here which is blessed by many fruits and roots, is my previous hermitage and all of us are thinking of going there." 116.20

"Oh lad, it is likely that Khara also may badly and unjustly behave with you and if you think it better, please come along with us." 116.21

"Though you are ever watchful and competent, since you are living with your wife, it is possible that your stay may become sad." 116.22

When that sage told like this to Rāma, he could not answer the sage properly as the sage was in a hurry to leave. 116.23

That leader of the sages after justifying his statement, took leave of Rāma along with the sages and went away along with them. 116.24

When the sages left that place, Rāma accompanied them for some distance and saluted the leader of the community. After bidding them farewell and after receiving their advice, he returned to his sacred hermitage. 116.25-116.26

That Lord Rāma did not leave his hermitage even for a moment after it was deserted by the sages, but many of those sages acquired many virtues from Rāma, who followed excellent traditions. 116.27

This is the end of One Hundred and Sixteenth Sarga of Ayodhyā Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.