Divesting himself of his silk garments and his weapons and accompanied only by
the ministers he went on foot behind Vasishtha. A little further on, he left behind -even
the ministers, and he and Vasishtha alone went forward.
When Bharadwaaja saw Vasishtha, he rose
from his seat and went to meet the illustrious visitor and bade his disciples to bring the
customary water for the feet of the guests.
Bharata offered humble salutations to
Bharadwaaja. Learning who he was, the rishi received him with the respect due to a king
and made enquiries concerning his welfare. He thoughtfully refrained from making any
mention of the sad fate of Dasaratha.
The narration that follow is as told in
Vaalmeeki's epic. A few words by way of explanation may be useful. Bharadwaaja suspected
and questioned Bharata, just as Guha had done earlier. This is, however, not so put in
Tulasi Raamaayana which is a poem of pure 'Bhakti.' There is nothing that was not within
the knowledge of rishis. How then could Bharadwaaja (in Tulasi Raamaayana) entertain any
doubt about Bharata? |
