Canto 9
Chapter 11
Lord Râmacandra Rules the World
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord Râma, the Godhead, heart and soul of the godly, accepted an âcârya so that of Himself by Himself with the greatest opulence there was worship in the performance of sacrifices [see also 4.31: 14]. (2) The hotâ priest [the one offering oblations] He gave the entire east, the brahmâ priest [supervising the proceedings] received the southern side from His Lordship, the adhvaryu priest [who chants the yayur-mantra's preparing the sacrifice] got the entire west and the northern side went to the udgâtâ priest [singing the Sâma-veda hymns]. (3) Thinking that the brahmins free from desire deserved the complete of it, gave He the teacher of example, the âcârya, the rest of whatever land there was in between the regions. (4) All that He kept for Himself this way were His personal ornaments and garments while for for the queen, the daughter of the king of Videha, just her nose ring remained. (5) But when they saw how He as the God of the brahmins was of such a great care melted, pleased with Him, their hearts and worshiped they Him with prayers with returning to Him all they received and said they:
(6) 'What indeed have You not given us o Supreme Lord, o Master of the Universe? With You entering the core of our hearts do You, with Your effulgence, dissipate the darkness of our ignorance. (7) Our obseisances unto You Râmacandra, o best of all the renown, o You whose memory and knowledge, in Your divine respect for the brahmins, are never disturbed by anxiety. Those beyond the sanctions [the sages] are delivered to Your feet!'
(8) One night curious about the public opinion walked Râma in disguise unnoticed and heard He someone speaking who was referring to his [and His] wife. (9) 'I can't maintain you since you are an impure, unchaste woman keeping it with another man; I'll not again accept to be the henpecked one like even Râma is with Sîtâ!'. (10) Apprehensive of folk who, not knowing where to stop, in their poor fund of knowledge speak a lot of nonsense, was she [Sîtâ] thus by her husband abandoned and went she to the hermitage of Prâcetasa [Vâlmîki Muni]. (11) There delivered she, being pregnant, when the time had arrived twin sons who thus from the sage performing the birth-rituals received the names Kus'a and Lava ['from the grass' and 'what's cut off']. (12) Also Lakshmana had two sons: Angada and Citraketu [named after 6.14-17] and Bharata, o great ruler, had two who were remembered as Taksha and Pushkala. (13 -14) Subâhu and S'utrasena were born of S'atrughna. The Gandharvas [pretenders and gamblers] were by the millions killed by Lord Bharata who in his conquest brought all directions under the control of the King [Râma] whom He offered all their riches. The Râkshasa listening to the name of Lavana, a son of Madhu, was killed by S'atrughna in the great forest of Madhuvana where he established the great town known as Mathurâ. (15) Entrusting the sage her sons did Sîtâ, who banished by her husband kept meditating on Râma's feet, enter the earth. (16) Hearing about this was He, Râma, the Supreme Lord remembering her qualities in the different circumstances, not able to check His grief, however much he tried to ban it with His intelligence. (17) An attraction between husband and wife like this is a universal source of worries; even to the great controllers - how much then woudn't that be true for the common people who are enslaved to a household existence? (18) After she went to heaven observed He complete celibacy and performed the Lord a ceremony, a fire-sacrifice [Agnihotra], that continued for a thirteen thousand years without interruption. (19) Thereafter placed Râma the lotuspetals of His feet that were pierced by the thorns of the Dandakâranya forest [were He stayed during His exile] in the hearts of those remembering Him, and entered He, the Light of the Soul [âtma-jyoti], the Beyond.
(20) The Lord of the Raghu dynasty [Râma], spiritually relating to us in His pastimes, had, with no one greater or equal to Him, [personally] no need for all this fame, all the prayers of the godly, the killing of the Râkshasas, bridging the ocean and His bow and arrows, nor needed He the monkeys to assist Him in defeating the enemy [compare B.G. 3: 20-26]. (21) Unto Him whose spotless fame in royal assemblies to the present day is glorified, unto Him whose sin-devouring lotus feet are to the saintly as what the cloth covering the elephant of victory is to the gods of heaven and kings of earth who greet it with their helmets - unto that Master of the Raghu dynasty I surrender myself. (22) He, who the people of Kosala looked for and wanted to touch, was by them all, whether they ate and slept with Him or respected Him as a servant, followed to the place for which He left where all [bhakti-] yoga practicioners go to [see also B.G. 4: 9]. (23) Any person hearing about the activities of Lord Râma will simply by this process be freed from the human weakness [envy, or original sin], o King, and be liberated from the clutches of karma.
(24) The King asked: 'How did He, the Supreme Lord, Râma, relate to His brothers who were His personal expansions and how did they as well as all His people, His subjects, behave towards Him, their Controller?
(25) The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'After accepting the throne ordered He, the Lord of the Universe, His younger brothers to conquer the world [*] while He personally gave audience to His people supervising the affairs of the capital with other assistants. (26) The streets were sprinkled with perfumed water and the musth of the elephants. To see Him, their Master and Ruler, present in person was the highest and greatest delight. (27) In the palaces, at the palace gates, in the assembly-houses on the platforms and the houses of God and such were golden waterpots placed together with flags. (28) Everywhere was He received with the charm of reception gates, tapestries, garlands, betel nut, flowers and fruits, banana-trees, colorful flags and mirrors. (29) Wherever he passed approached the locals Him carrying their articles of worship to receive His blessings saying: 'O my Lord, maintain this land that You, like You did before [as the other vishnu-avatâras], have rescued'. (30) The men and women in the city thereafter, desirous to see their king returning after so long a time, left their homes to get on the rooftops of the greater mansions in order to feast their hungry eyes on the Lord with the Lotus-eyes and shower Him with flowers. (31-35) He thereafter entered His home occupied by His family members which by His ancestors had been turned into an unlimited treasury decorated with a wealth of the most costly paraphernalia. The door-posts were of coral, the pillars lining up on the polished marakata floors [of emerald] were of vaidûrya-stone, there were dazzling marble fountains, all sorts of flowers and flags, draperies and an utter heaven to each his desire of paraphernalia embellished with pearls and the most valuable effulgent gems. Full with bunches of flowers, fragrant incense and lamps appeared the men and women there, whose bodies competed in beauty with their ornamentation, like demigods. (35) There enjoyed He, the Supreme Lord Râma [lit.: 'the source of joy'], ever pleased by His dearmost wife, mother Sîtâ, His personal happiness as the chief of the greatest scholars. (36) For many many years, enjoyed He without interruption, with the people meditating His lotus feet, and without transgressing the dharma, of all the pleasures of life.
Source texts:
Lord Râmacandra Rules the World
S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord Râma, the Godhead, heart and soul of the godly, accepted an âcârya so that of Himself by Himself with the greatest opulence there was worship in the performance of sacrifices [see also 4.31: 14].
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: Thereafter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Râmacandra, accepted an âcârya and performed sacrifices [yajñas] with opulent paraphernalia. Thus He Himself worshiped Himself, for He is the Supreme Lord of all demigods.
The hotâ priest [the one offering oblations] He gave the entire east, the brahmâ priest [supervising the proceedings] received the southern side from His Lordship, the adhvaryu priest [who chants the yayur-mantra's preparing the sacrifice] got the entire west and the northern side went to the udgâtâ priest [singing the Sâma-veda hymns].
Lord Râmacandra gave the entire east to the hotâ priest, the entire south to the brahmâ priest, the west to the adhvaryu priest, and the north to the udgâtâ priest, the reciter of the Sâma Veda. In this way, He donated His kingdom.
Thinking that the brahmins free from desire deserved the complete of it, gave He the teacher of example, the âcârya, the rest of whatever land there was in between the regions.
Thereafter, thinking that because the brâhmanas have no material desires they should possess the entire world, Lord Râmacandra delivered the land between the east, west, north and south to the âcârya.
All that He kept for Himself this way were His personal ornaments and garments while for for the Queen, the daughter of the King of Videha, just her nose ring remained.
After thus giving everything in charity to the brâhmanas, Lord Râmacandra retained only His personal garments and ornaments, and similarly the Queen, mother Sîtâ, was left with only her nose ring, and nothing else.
But when they saw how He as the God of the brahmins was of such a great care melted, pleased with Him, their hearts and worshiped they Him with prayers with returning to Him all they received and said they:
All the brâhmanas who were engaged in the various activities of the sacrifice were very pleased with Lord Râmacandra, who was greatly affectionate and favorable to the brâhmanas. Thus with melted hearts they returned all the property received from Him and spoke as follows.
'What indeed have You not given us o Supreme Lord, o Master of the Universe? With You entering the core of our hearts do You, with Your effulgence, dissipate the darkness of our ignorance.
O Lord, You are the master of the entire universe. What have You not given to us? You have entered the core of our hearts and dissipated the darkness of our ignorance by Your effulgence. This is the supreme gift. We do not need a material donation.
Our obseisances unto You Râmacandra, o best of all the renown, o You whose memory and knowledge, in Your divine respect for the brahmins, are never disturbed by anxiety. Those beyond the sanctions [the sages] are delivered to Your feet!'
O Lord, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have accepted the brâhmanas as Your worshipable deity. Your knowledge and memory are never disturbed by anxiety. You are the chief of all famous persons within this world, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by sages who are beyond the jurisdiction of punishment. O Lord Râmacandra, let us offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
One night curious about the public opinion walked Râma in disguise unnoticed and heard He someone speaking who was referring to his [and His] wife.
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: Once while Lord Râmacandra was walking at night incognito, hiding Himself by a disguise to find out the people's opinion of Himself, He heard a man speaking unfavorably about His wife, Sîtâdevî.
'I can't maintain you since you are an impure, unchaste woman keeping it with another man; I'll not again accept to be the henpecked one like even Râma is with Sîtâ!'.
[Speaking to his unchaste wife, the man said] You go to another man's house, and therefore you are unchaste and polluted. I shall not maintain you any more. A henpecked husband like Lord Rama may accept a wife like Sîtâ, who went to another man's house, but I am not henpecked like Him, and therefore I shall not accept you again.
Apprehensive of folk who, not knowing where to stop, in their poor fund of knowledge speak a lot of nonsense, was she [Sîtâ] thus by her husband abandoned and went she to the hermitage of Prâcetasa [Vâlmîki Muni].
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: Men with a poor fund of knowledge and a heinous character speak nonsensically. Fearing such rascals, Lord Râmacandra abandoned His wife, Sîtâdevî, although she was pregnant. Thus Sîtâdevî went to the âs'rama of Vâlmîki Muni.
There delivered she, being pregnant, when the time had arrived twin sons who thus from the sage performing the birth-rituals received the names Kus'a and Lava ['from the grass' and 'what's cut off'].
When the time came, the pregnant mother Sîtâdevî gave birth to twin sons, later celebrated as Lava and Kus'a. The ritualistic ceremonies for their birth were performed by Vâlmîki Muni.
Also Lakshmana had two sons: Angada and Citraketu [named after 6.14-17] and Bharata, o great ruler, had two who were remembered as Taksha and Pushkala.
O Mahârâja Parikshit, Lord Lakshmana had two sons, named Angada and Citraketu, and Lord Bharata also had two sons, named Taksha and Pushkala.
Subâhu and S'utrasena were born of S'atrughna. The Gandharvas [pretenders and gamblers] were by the millions killed by Lord Bharata who in his conquest brought all directions under the control of the King [Râma] whom He offered all their riches. The Râkshasa listening to the name of Lavana, a son of Madhu, was killed by S'atrughna in the great forest of Madhuvana where he established the great town known as Mathurâ.
S'atrughna had two sons, named Subâhu and S'rutasena. When Lord Bharata went to conquer all directions, He had to kill many millions of Gandharvas, who are generally pretenders. Taking all their wealth, He offered it to Lord Râmacandra. S'atrughna also killed a Râkshasa named Lavana, who was the son of Madhu Râkshasa. Thus He established in the great forest known as Madhuvana the town known as Mathura.
Entrusting the sage her sons did Sîtâ, who banished by her husband kept meditating on Râma's feet, enter the earth.
It was impossible for Sîtâdevî to live in separation from Lord Râmacandra. Therefore, after entrusting her two sons to the care of Vâlmîki Muni, she entered into the earth.
Hearing about this was He, Râma, the Supreme Lord remembering her qualities in the different circumstances, not able to check His grief, however much he tried to ban it with His intelligence.
After hearing the news of mother Sita's entering the earth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was certainly aggrieved. Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of mother Sîtâ, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.
An attraction between husband and wife like this is a universal source of worries; even to the great controllers - how much then woudn't that be true for the common people who are enslaved to a household existence?
The attraction between man and woman, or male and female, always exists everywhere, making everyone always fearful. Such feelings are present even among the controllers like Brahmâ and Lord S'iva and is the cause of fear for them, what to speak of others who are attached to household life in this material world.
After she went to heaven observed He complete celibacy and performed the Lord a ceremony, a fire-sacrifice [Agnihotra], that continued for a thirteen thousand years without interruption.
After mother Sîtâ entered the earth, Lord Râmacandra observed complete celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra-yajña for thirteen thousand years.
Thereafter placed Râma the lotuspetals of His feet that were pierced by the thorns of the Dandakâranya forest [were He stayed during His exile] in the hearts of those remembering Him, and entered He, the Light of the Soul [âtma-jyoti], the Beyond.
After completing the sacrifice, Lord Râmacandra, whose lotus feet were sometimes pierced by thorns when He lived in Dandakâranya, placed those lotus feet in the hearts of those who always think of Him. Then He entered His own abode, the Vaikuntha planet beyond the brahmajyoti.
The Lord of the Raghu dynasty [Râma], spiritually relating to us in His pastimes, had, with no one greater or equal to Him, [personally] no need for all this fame, all the prayers of the godly, the killing of the Râkshasas, bridging the ocean and His bow and arrows, nor needed He the monkeys to assist Him in defeating the enemy [compare B.G. 3: 20-26].
Lord Râmacandra's reputation for having killed Ravana with showers of arrows at the request of the demigods and for having built a bridge over the ocean does not constitute the factual glory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Râmacandra, whose spiritual body is always engaged in various pastimes. Lord Râmacandra has no equal or superior, and therefore He had no need to take help from the monkeys to gain victory over Ravana.
Unto Him whose spotless fame in royal assemblies to the present day is glorified, unto Him whose sin-devouring lotus feet are to the saintly as what the cloth covering the elephant of victory is to the gods of heaven and kings of earth who greet it with their helmets - unto that Master of the Raghu dynasty I surrender myself.
Lord Râmacandra's spotless name and fame, which vanquish all sinful reactions, are celebrated in all directions, like the ornamental cloth of the victorious elephant that conquers all directions. Great saintly persons like Mârkandeya Rishi still glorify His characteristics in the assemblies of great emperors like Mahârâja Yudhishthhira. Similarly, all the saintly kings and all the demigods, including Lord S'iva and Lord Brahmâ, worship the Lord by bowing down with their helmets. Let me offer my obeisances unto His lotus feet.
He, who the people of Kosala looked for and wanted to touch, was by them all, whether they ate and slept with Him or respected Him as a servant, followed to the place for which He left where all [bhakti-] yoga practicioners go to [see also B.G. 4: 9].
Lord Râmacandra returned to His abode, to which bhakti-yogis are promoted. This is the place to which all the inhabitants of Ayodhyâ went after they served the Lord in His manifest pastimes by offering Him obeisances, touching His lotus feet, fully observing Him as a fatherlike King, sitting or lying down with Him like equals, or even just accompanying Him.
Any person hearing about the activities of Lord Râma will simply by this process be freed from the human weakness [envy, or original sin], o King, and be liberated from the clutches of karma.
O King Pariksit, anyone who aurally receives the narrations concerning the characteristics of Lord Râmacandra's pastimes will ultimately be freed from the disease of envy and thus be liberated from the bondage of fruitive activities.
The King asked: 'How did He, the Supreme Lord, Râma, relate to His brothers who were His personal expansions and how did they as well as all His people, His subjects, behave towards Him, their Controller?
Mahârâja Parikshit inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî: How did the Lord conduct Himself, and how did He behave in relationship with His brothers, who were expansions of His own self? And how did His brothers and the inhabitants of Ayodhyâ treat Him?
The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'After accepting the throne ordered He, the Lord of the Universe, His younger brothers to conquer the world [*] while He personally gave audience to His people supervising the affairs of the capital with other assistants.
S'ukadeva Gosvâmî replied: After accepting the throne of the government by the fervent request of His younger brother Bharata, Lord Râmacandra ordered His younger brothers to go out and conquer the entire world, while He personally remained in the capital to give audience to all the citizens and residents of the palace and supervise the governmental affairs with His other assistants.
The streets were sprinkled with perfumed water and the musth of the elephants. To see Him, their Master and Ruler, present in person was the highest and greatest delight.
During the reign of Lord Râmacandra, the streets of the capital, Ayodhyâ, were sprinkled with perfumed water and drops of perfumed liquor, thrown about by elephants from their trunks. When the citizens saw the Lord personally supervising the affairs of the city in such opulence, they appreciated this opulence very much.
In the palaces, at the palace gates, in the assembly-houses on the platforms and the houses of God and such were golden waterpots placed together with flags.
The palaces, the palace gates, the assembly houses, the platforms for meeting places, the temples and all such places were decorated with golden waterpots and bedecked with various types of flags.
Everywhere was He received with the charm of reception gates, tapestries, garlands, betel nut, flowers and fruits, banana-trees, colorful flags and mirrors.
Wherever Lord Râmacandra visited, auspicious welcome gates were constructed, with banana trees and betel nut trees, full of flowers and fruits. The gates were decorated with various flags made of colorful cloth and with tapestries, mirrors and garlands.
Wherever he passed approached the locals Him carrying their articles of worship to receive His blessings saying: 'O my Lord, maintain this land that You, like You did before [as the other vishnu-avatâras], have rescued'.
Wherever Lord Râmacandra visited, the people approached Him with paraphernalia of worship and begged the Lord's blessings. "O Lord," they said, "as You rescued the earth from the bottom of the sea in Your incarnation as a boar, may You now maintain it. Thus we beg Your blessings."
The men and women in the city thereafter, desirous to see their king returning after so long a time, left their homes to get on the rooftops of the greater mansions in order to feast their hungry eyes on the Lord with the Lotus-eyes and shower Him with flowers.
Thereafter, not having seen the Lord for a long time, the citizens, both men and women, being very eager to see Him, left their homes and got up on the roofs of the palaces. Being incompletely satiated with seeing the face of the lotus-eyed Lord Râmacandra, they showered flowers upon Him.
He thereafter entered His home occupied by His family members which by His ancestors had been turned into an unlimited treasury decorated with a wealth of the most costly paraphernalia. The door-posts were of coral, the pillars lining up on the polished marakata floors [of emerald] were of vaidûrya-stone, there were dazzling marble fountains, all sorts of flowers and flags, draperies and an utter heaven to each his desire of paraphernalia embellished with pearls and the most valuable effulgent gems. Full with bunches of flowers, fragrant incense and lamps appeared the men and women there, whose bodies competed in beauty with their ornamentation, like demigods.
Thereafter, Lord Râmacandra entered the palace of His forefathers. Within the palace were various treasures and valuable wardrobes. The sitting places on the two sides of the entrance door were made of coral, the yards were surrounded by pillars of vaidûrya-mani, the floor was made of highly polished marakata-mani, and the foundation was made of marble. The entire palace was decorated with flags and garlands and bedecked with valuable stones, shining with a celestial effulgence. The palace was fully decorated with pearls and surrounded by lamps and incense. The men and women within the palace all resembled demigods and were decorated with various ornaments, which seemed beautiful because of being placed on their bodies.
There enjoyed He, the Supreme Lord Râma [lit.: 'the source of joy'], ever pleased by His dearmost wife, mother Sîtâ, His personal happiness as the chief of the greatest scholars.
Lord Râmacandra, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, chief of the best learned scholars, resided in that palace with His pleasure potency, mother Sîtâ, and enjoyed complete peace.
For many many years, enjoyed He without interruption, with the people meditating His lotus feet, and without transgressing the dharma, of all the pleasures of life.
Without transgressing the religious principles, Lord Râmacandra, whose lotus feet are worshiped by devotees in meditation, enjoyed with all the paraphernalia of transcendental pleasure for as long as needed.
*: S'rî Caitanya Mahâprabhu said to this Râma-mission of conquering of the world: 'prithivîte âche yata nagarâdi grâma sarvatra pracâra haibe mora nâma'; A pure devotee, therefore, must execute the order of the Lord and must not gratify his senses by remaining stagnant in one place, falsely proud, thinking that because he does not leave Vrindâvana but chants in a solitary place he has become a great devotee. He also said: 'yâre dekha, târe kaha 'krishna'-upades'a'; every devotee, therefore, should spread Krsna consciousness by preaching, asking whomever he meets to accept the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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