Rāmāyana | Ayodhyā Kaṇḍa | Chapter 85

85. Guha's Doubts Cleared

[When Guha asks Bhārata whether his intentions are evil, Bhārata tells him that he is going to bring back Rāma. Guha is greatly impressed. Bhārata spends a sleepless night due to worry.]

Bhārata hearing the words of Guha, the lord of Niṣādas, replied with well thought-out and greatly significant words. 85.1

"Oh friend of my elder brother, your intention of providing food for this very great army, indeed is great." 85.2

After saying these very great words to Guha, he again told the lord of the Niṣādas. 85.3

"Oh Guha, these marshy banks of river Ganga is dense and difficult to cross, Can you tell me how I can cross this and go to the hermitage of Bharadvāja." 85.4

Hearing these words of the sagacious son of the king, Guha who is an expert forest ranger replied with folded hands. 85.5

"Oh very famous son of the king, these fishermen armed with bow shall accompany you with vigilance and I also would accompany you." 85.6

"Are you going to Rāma who never gets tired, with an intention to cause harm to him? Seeing your great army, I am getting this doubt." 85.7

Bhārata who was as pure as the sky, hearing these words replied to Guha in a gentle tone. 85.8

"Let such an evil time causing such a calamity never come. It is not worthy of you to suspect me like that as Rāma as an elder brother is like my father and held in high esteem by me." 85.9

"I am going to bring that son of Kākutstha back from the forest. Oh Guha, please do not entertain any other thought as I am telling you the truth." 85.10

On hearing the talk of Bhārata, Guha became happy and with a face beaming with joy, once again told Bhārata. 85.11

"You are a blessed man because you want to renounce that kingdom, which you got without any effort and I do not see anyone equal to you in this earth." 85.12

"Great permanent fame will follow you in this world, because you are desiring to bring back, Rāma who is in great difficulty." 85.13

When Guha was talking like this to Bhārata, the sun started shining with less brilliance and the night started setting in." 85.14

Bhārata after encamping his huge army with the help rendered by Guha, retired to sleep. Śatrughna also started sleeping. 85.15

But the great Bhārata's mind was occupied by the sorrow about Rāma. Being a man steeped in Dharma he did not deserve to be sorrowing like this. 85.16

Inside Bhārata the grief was burning him and scorching him, like the hidden fire in the forest scorching a tree. 85.17

Just as the snow on Himalayas is melted by heat of the sun flows out, sweat poured out from all parts of his body due to the heat of grief. 85.18

With unbreakable mountain of meditation, with mineral like heaving, with pathos of multitude of trees, with sorrows and tiresomeness like mountain peaks, with countless creatures of stupor, with sorrows making him like bamboo trees, Bhārata was enveloped by the mountain of sorrow. 85.19-85.20

Then the best among men, heaving sighs with a very disturbed mind, with bewildered senses, caught in great calamity, oppressed by the heat raised in his heart, like the bull driven out by the herd lost his peace of mind. 85.21

Bhārata followed by his people joined with Guha and Guha Again consoled Bhārata who was with a greatly distraught mind thinking about Rāma. 85.22

This is the end of Eighty Fifth Sarga of Ayodhyā Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.