A kingdom is nothing but non-duality of the ruler and the ruled. It works like this: welfare of the common man is welfare of the King, woes of the common man is woes of the King; this is RajaDharma – the ideal of sovereign state. When King is on the path of RajaDharma, people experience oneness with him; they consider happiness of the King as their own happiness, and accept King’s miseries as their own. That is how RajaDharma reflects itself in the mirror of population; that is the complete oneness of the sovereign with the state!

 

Such oneness was there between Dasharatha and his subjects; people reciprocated the sentiments of Dasharatha who saw the happiness and hardships of the citizens as his own. Though childlessness was a void in Dasharatha’s life, entire Kingdom was feeling the sorrow; it was for the same reason that it was soothing for the ears of the entire Kingdom to hear the sweet news that Dasharatha was able to win over Rushyashrunga, the sage who can bless the King with a son; now it was soothing for their eyes to watch the sweet spectacle of the prince of the people escorting the prince of the sages into the palace with the accompaniment of customary band and music!

 

The Sage, who had already entered the insides of Dasharatha’s heart, was beckoned inside the palace by the King. He made the Sacred Sage sit in a holy seat and worshipped that icon of nobility with dedication and in a manner befitting God-King-Guru! As the stomach fills after having a complete meal, King’s heart was filled with contentedness after worshipping with complete concentration; a sense of having achieved the mission was lingering within! He was confident that there won’t be any shortcomings left now as the sage was already inside his house! Once the dazzle of grace enters, will there be place for darkness of any defect? How can there be any hiatus left after the hermit enters to home and the heart?

 

गतं पापं गतं दु:खं गतं दारिद्र्यमेव

आगता सुखसंपत्ति: पुण्योहं तव दर्शनात्।।

 

Sins are washed away, washed away are the sorrows

Surged happiness and wealth by seeing you, life became sacred!

– This was Dasharatha’s feeling!

 

The feeling that he had won in his battle for offspring made Dasharatha beam and bend before the sage once again…

While this was the happiness which Dasharatha felt after honoring the Sun-like sage, happiness of the queens after honoring Shanta was no less. Young age – mature penance! She is a fit companion for Rushyashrunga in every respect! Jubilation experienced by wives of the King after seeing the pleasant demeanor of Shanta was no less than the jubilation of sages while seeing the form of Vamana coming in to being!

 

Can one give something which he doesn’t possess!? Can one who is not content with himself grant contentedness to others? The sage couple, who were the cause for the happiness of Dasharatha-his palace – Ayodhya, felt very contented and bathed in the flood of love and affection which filled the air.  While Shanta saw Romapada in Dasharatha, Rushyashrunga felt as though he was in Anga, he felt very blissful from inside! So far so good, what about the purpose of their arrival?

 

Dasharatha never asked about ‘Ashvamedha’; and Rushyashrunga never mentioned about it on his own! Time passed by; days rolled on! The work which had to be done was waiting to be done!

Why?

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Translated blog of Sri Samsthana SriSri RaghaveshwaraBharati MahaSwamiji

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