Bharata receives the most dreadful kind of news that exists. News that everyone fears, and this case is not different. He was told that his father has died. On top of that, he learns of the news that his brother, Rama, has been sent into exile by his own mother. Her hopes were for Bharata, her son, to become the king of Ayodhya one day. Bharata does not take this news lightly, as he knows his father wanted his beloved Rama to be his successor. Out of envy, disappointment, and fear Bharata takes off into the forest in search of his brother, Rama, to convince him to come back to Ayodhya and serve as king. Bharata gets everyone in the town of Ayodhya together and sends everyone out in a search for Rama. Bharata tells the townspeople, "My dear and beloved father would have wanted Rama to serve as his successor, and we need to fulfill that wish of his in his honor", and everyone cheers and chants and then runs off into the dark forest. Days, weeks, months go by and there is no sign of Rama. The search team almost gives up until they have a lead. Bharata finds a footprint in the exact shape and size as Rama's, which gave them a hint of direction to where he could be. Once they went in the direction of the footprint, they started finding more and more. The entourage followed footprint after footprint until they were led into the town of Chitrakuta, where they eventually found Rama! They all jumped up and down with joy, as they were all so thrilled to see their beloved Rama again. However, the excitement didn't last long since Bharata had come to deliver the news of their father's death. Bharata had expressed this news to Rama by saying, "My brother, our beloved father has deceased and I know he would have wanted you, his most beloved son, to be his successor". Rama replied by saying, "My dear brother, I must finish out my exile and endere with my father's promise to his wife". Bharata's reaction was that of disappointment and sadness, but he ultimately understood. Rama was known for his loyalty and commitment, so the people of Ayodhya respected his decision to remain in exile. Bharata and his entourage made their way back to Ayodhya with sunken hearts. Bharata knows it is not his place to be king, but he has agreed to serve as his father's successor until Rama's exile has ended.
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Authors Notes: I choose to retell the story of Bharata finding out of his father's death and seeking out to find his brother, Rama. I retold this story in a somewhat more relatable and practical way, while relatively sticking to the same storyline. In William Buck's version of this story, Bharat finds out of his father's death and of Rama's exile. He gets together an entourage and sets out into the forest to search for Rama. The forest king, Guhu, directs them to the hermitage of Sage Bharadwaja, who later directs them to Chitrakuta, where Rama resides.
Buck, William. (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
I think this (Bharata being told of his father's death and then going out to seek his brother) was everyone's favorite story to tell for this week. Your rendition is interesting because it is more modern and practical, as you say. I liked your employment of the trinity rule, where lists are produced in groupings of three, and it really lends credibility to your style in this post.
ReplyDeleteHi Alyssa, it was great to be reading your work again. I really enjoyed your version of how Bharata may have felt after finding out that his father had died and his brother was gone. And they way you made him gather the villagers and find Ram on his own instead of getting help from Guhu also showed how much he loved his brother.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job at modernizing the story of Bharata finding out about his fathers death and Rama's exile without really changing the plot. Bharata is also a victim here, and you did a great job of showing that he isn't power hungry or excited about having to rule. Interesting that you chose to leave Kaikeyi out of the story, but it still works without her.
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