chapter 24

By the time we reached the forest, it was evening, the sounds of animals were coming in the wilderness. Hearing those voices, Lakshman's heart was shaking, the boat was on the shore. Lakshmana asked Sita to get down with folded hands. After Mata Sita got down from the boat, Lakshman bowed his head at the feet of Mother Sita. Eyes twitched, throats swelled, no word was uttered except mother. Giving her blessings, Mother Sita said,

"Son reach well, say my salutations to all the three mothers, say my love to Bharat, Shatrughan, Urmila, Mandvi and Shrutkirti, salutations to all elders and teachers and bless all the townspeople."

She didn't say a word for Ram and didn't want to say it, perhaps it was the pain and resentment in her heart that was refusing to say anything. Sita went ahead without any response, Lakshmana's sobs could be heard, she wept bitterly.

Then the Sailor asked him to sit in the boat, Lakshmana looked in the direction of Sita's departure, Sita was nowhere to be seen. A woman's own existence was robbed today. Sita was not Sita, she had taken the form of a forest goddess. The boat had landed on the shore of Ayodhya, Lakshmana took his horse and started towards the palace.

Till yesterday, the palace in which there was happiness, today there was silence. Ayodhya was deserted without its queen. Every woman was crying, men were silent. Everyone was comparing justice to injustice.

Only in Ayodhya there was a woman who was not crying but was wailing like a serpent with anger. The woman who had not spoken a word for the injustice done to her for fourteen years, today she was roaring like a lioness.

She was not able to bear the injustice done to Sita by Ram, Ram had become powerless without Sita. Mothers were explaining to Ram that

"You have done justice to the people who are your own."

Hearing this, Mandvi became upset and said,

"Mother, don't they have any duty towards the wife in whose womb their child is growing? Wasn't she their subject? At the behest of a washerman, he abandoned the wife who had given the ordeal, of his purity. I want to ask whether Jethaji had also given the ordeal, how did Ravana take away his wife.. why did he not protect her? Mandvi was speaking and her body was trembling with anger. Bharat tried to say something but Mandvi silenced him with a wink, Bharat calmed down without saying anything. Looking at Ram, Mandvi asked in an angry tone,

"Brother why are you so mad? I knew Bharat's cowardice in fourteen years. But now I understand that if you were not a coward, how would Ravana have taken Sita away? And Lakshmana you could not muster courage, against the injustice done by brother, instead of leaving sister Sita in the forest, you could have left Mithila. But if so, what should I say to Shatrughan, the brother of these cowardly brothers? There is no existence of that which can oppose anything…"

There was silence all around, only the voice of Mandvi was echoing. Then he started laughing and saying,

"Nobody, Rajguru(royal teacher), the minister of this palace, had the courage to oppose this injustice. Ayodhya, which had been waiting for Sita for fourteen years, not even a word erupted from the men and women there. Only cowardly tears were being shed, only the blood of Ayodhya is cowardly."

Hearing this, Kaikeyi shouted and instructed Mandvi to keep quiet, Mandvi retaliated and said in a louder voice,

"mother! You just didn't speak."

Today Mandvi's anger was erupting, she was screaming and saying,

"How many atrocities have you committed on me for fourteen years, how many allegations have you made, I have experienced loneliness in the whole palace."

His mind was filled with hatred.

"Husband in Ayodhya, I lived the life of a widow, was this justice? Urmila's husband sentenced her to fourteen years, leaving her alone to die moment by moment and the innocent sister Shrutkirti, she could not even know sorrow and happiness, Sita wandered in the forests. What did all the four of us sisters find by coming to this cowardly Ayodhya.

Mandvi was gasping while speaking, the four brothers were standing with their heads bowed, the mothers were unable to speak, the ministers were calm, even Rajguru was unable to speak, there was silence among the residents of the city.