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His greatest
quality is his friendship and love to all creatures of their caste and status in life. He
regarded Guha who belonged to the hunter caste and pursued the profession of a boatman as
his own brother. His love went even beyond the range of men and extended to sub-human
species like the vanaras and cruet beings like the Rakshasas. Describing the noble
qualities of Rama, Valmiki says that he intensely feels for the suffering of others and
shares in their sorrows as wet] as in their joys. (Ramayana - Ayodhya Kanda – Slokas
40, 41).
He was friend to every one of his
subjects. When he, had to go to the forest in accordance with the boon granted to Kaikeyi
by King Dasaratha, he gave away all his wealth and other belongings to all the poor people
of Ayodhya. He selected one of the poorest of men Trijata by name whose very appearance
proclaimed his poverty, as the most deserving person to receive his generous gift of cows.
The people of Ayodhya so intensely loved him that they decided to follow him to the
forest. in order to avoid them, Rama left
Ayodhya at a time when all the people were fast asleep. During the period when Rama was in
the forest, every house in Ayodhya was in sorrow and there was no fire in the hearth of
any of the homes.
Such was the deep affection and love that he bestowed on all
people and such was the great help that he rendered to every one of them. It must be
remembered that he was not the king of Ayodhya at the time when he went to the forest and
he was only the son of King Dasaratha.
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