Sumantra’s Return to Ayodhya: A City in Mourning (Ramayana Series 39)

Sumantra’s Return to Ayodhya: A City in Mourning

By the evening of the third day after departing from Shringaverapura, Sumantra reached Ayodhya. But the city he entered was no longer the same. Bereft of Shri Rama, Ayodhya had lost its radiance. Silence loomed everywhere, and joy had vanished from the faces of its people. Witnessing this sorrow-stricken city, Sumantra’s heart grew heavier. With anxiety clouding his mind, he wondered how he would convey the painful news of Rama’s departure to King Dasharatha.

Within the royal palace, an eerie stillness prevailed. King Dasharatha, overwhelmed by the grief of separation from his beloved son, lay immersed in sorrow. Restlessly, he had been waiting for Sumantra’s return, hoping against hope for some consolation.

At last, Sumantra arrived. But the sight of the chariot returning without Rama broke the hearts of Ayodhya’s citizens, who burst into tears. Entering the inner chambers, Sumantra found the king in a pitiable state.

On seeing him, Dasharatha anxiously cried out,

“Where is my Rama? How will he survive in the forest? Are Sita and Lakshmana with him?”

With folded hands and deep humility, Sumantra conveyed Rama’s message:

“O King, Rama bows to you. He bore no sorrow while leaving; rather, he was content in fulfilling your command.”

Hearing these words, Dasharatha could no longer contain his grief. Rama’s departure was not his sorrow alone—the entire city of Ayodhya, along with its people and even its very atmosphere, seemed plunged into despair. The palace echoed with mourning.

Overcome with anguish, Dasharatha fainted.

Queen Kausalya, seeing Sumantra, rushed forward in desperation:

“O Sumantra! How is my Rama in the forest? How does he rest without comfort, amidst stones and thorns?”

When Dasharatha regained consciousness, he lamented,

“These eyes that cannot behold Rama, this life without him—I desire neither!”

Sumantra again tried to console them, faithfully relaying Rama’s respectful message and his commitment to dharma. But no words could soothe the king’s grief.

Ayodhya, without Rama, resembled a moon robbed of its brilliance. Silence and sorrow filled every corner of the palace. The pain of separation weighed heavily upon every heart.

Meanwhile, Kausalya, unable to bear her anguish, spoke with piercing grief to Dasharatha:

“O King! Though you are famed across the three worlds as compassionate, generous, and gentle in speech, you have mercilessly sent your innocent children to the forest! How will they, who were raised in comfort, endure such hardships along with Sita?

Even if all beings of the three worlds—gods, demons, and men—were to unite in battle, they could not instill fear in Rama. Such is his unparalleled valor! He is righteous by nature and guides even the unrighteous onto the path of dharma.

If enraged, that mighty-armed hero could destroy all creation with his blazing arrows. Yet you, his own father, have brought ruin upon him—like a great fish devouring a smaller one in the ocean.”

Her sorrow deepened as she continued:

“Deluded by Kaikeyi, you have ceased to be mine. Even if you exist, it is as though you do not. Bound by my duty as a devoted wife, I did not follow my son into the forest. Thus, I am utterly shattered.

O King! By this cruel act, not only I and my son, but the entire kingdom has been destroyed. You, your ministers, the citizens—everyone suffers. Yet your beloved queen and her son alone rejoice!”

These harsh yet grief-stricken words pierced Dasharatha’s heart. Overwhelmed, he collapsed once again into unconsciousness. Revived with great effort, he was consumed by remorse, recalling his past deeds, and sank deeper into sorrow.