Bharata Ayodhyā Āgamana

Bharata Ayodhyā Āgamana means “Bharata’s return to Ayodhyā”. It is the episode in the Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa of the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa in which Bharata comes back from Kekaya after Daśaratha’s death. Bharata was away at his maternal grandfather’s kingdom when Rāma was sent into exile. Messengers brought him home without telling him why. When he arrived he found his father dead, Rāma exiled, and his own mother Kaikeyī as the cause. His grief was deep. He condemned Kaikeyī in the strongest words and refused the throne completely.

Bharata in Kekaya

When the coronation of Rāma was announced, Bharata was in the kingdom of Kekaya. This was the land of his mother Kaikeyī’s family. He was staying at the court of his maternal grandfather and his uncle Yudhājit. He knew nothing of what was happening in Ayodhyā. He did not know Daśaratha’s plan for the coronation, Mantharā’s scheming, Kaikeyī’s boons (vara), Rāma’s exile or Daśaratha’s death. All of this happened while he was far away.

On the night before Daśaratha died, Bharata saw a series of terrible dreams. They were dark omens of disaster, and he was troubled. Soon after, messengers arrived from Ayodhyā. They brought gifts but no explanation. They only asked that Bharata return quickly. Bharata set out at once and travelled fast through the kingdom. (Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 67–70)

Arrival at Ayodhyā

When Bharata reached Ayodhyā, the city itself showed that something was wrong. It was silent. The streets were empty of their usual joyful bustle. The people were stricken with grief, and the lamps were not lit. He entered through the gates and found the palace in mourning.

He went first to Daśaratha’s chambers and did not find the king there. The servants told him to go to Kaikeyī’s chambers.

Kaikeyī received him with joy. She believed she had won a great prize for her son. She told Bharata that Daśaratha had died, that Rāma had been sent to the forest for fourteen years, and that Bharata was now king of Ayodhyā. She expected him to be grateful. (Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 71–74)

Bharata’s grief and his words to Kaikeyī

Bharata’s answer was the opposite of what Kaikeyī expected. He was shattered by his father’s death, by Rāma’s exile, and by learning that his own mother was the cause of both. He condemned Kaikeyī in the strongest words. He said she had destroyed the family, killed her husband, banished the innocent Rāma, and brought shame on the whole Ikshvāku line. She had done all this out of a jealous and mistaken wish to help Bharata. But Bharata had never wanted the throne, and he rejected it completely.

He told Kaikeyī plainly that if she had done this for his sake, she had done it without his knowledge, against his wishes and against everything he valued. He wanted no part in the fruit of her action. He refused to be crowned king and refused to sit on the throne. (Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 74–76)

Daśaratha’s funeral

Bharata carried out the funeral rites for Daśaratha. These were the cremation and the rites that follow it. Only then did he set out to find Rāma. He mourned his father with complete sincerity. The Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa describes the funeral as a scene of shared grief. The queens, the ministers, the ṛshis and the citizens all mourned the loss of the great king. (Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 76–79)

Setting out to find Rāma

After the funeral Bharata prepared a great procession to find Rāma. He was determined not to rest until Rāma was seated on the throne again, or until Rāma himself refused absolutely. He gathered the ministers, the ṛshis and the queens. They set out to the south, following the route that Sumantra had described. The way led to Śṛṅgaverapura, then to Prayāga, then to Citrakūṭa. (Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 79–80)

Sources

• Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, chapters 67–80