chapter 8

Sita was sitting watching what is happening. what's all this?

Ram smiled softly and told the matter. Restless Sita came out of the room and started walking in the courtyard, her restlessness was increasing.

Mandvi, Urmila and Shrutkirti were getting ready in their respective rooms in the joy of the coronation. Suddenly Mandvi peeped into the courtyard, she wanted to see the rays of the new sunrise in which Ayodhya was going to get a new king, but seeing that Sita was restless, why was she roaming in the courtyard? Immediately she called the maid and asked the reason. The maid expressed ignorance. There was turmoil in Mandvi's heart. She immediately went to Urmila's room, showed Sita's restlessness to Lakshman and Urmila, both of them also got into thinking. Shrutkirti also came out after hearing the mutual commotion.

Everyone reached the courtyard and started asking each other with gestures to ask Sita.

Mandvi went ahead, took Sita's mouthpiece in her hands and wanted to know the reason behind the filthiness on her. Tears streamed from Sita's eyes. Mandvi's mind became more restless. She asked,

"Sister, tell me something."

Sita completely described the words of Mata Kaikeyi. In this, Rama came out of his room as a forest dweller. Sita held Rama's feet,

"Sir, I will also go with you."

Sita went to the room to change her clothes on the orders of Rama, when Lakshmana wearing clothes from the forest dweller was seen coming from the front. Mandvi, Urmila, Shrutkirti were praying to God with their eyes closed that how this misfortune happened.

Suddenly Mandvi opened her eyes after realizing the silence, then she saw three forest dwellers standing. All three of them went to meet King Dasharatha and Mata Kaikeyi.

Seeing the condition of his father, Ram started crying. Asked permission from mother Kaikeyi and father to go to the forest. father cried,

"Don't go Ram, Sita you are my daughter, Lakshmana stop."

All three came out of the room with tears in their eyes, to meet Mother Kaushalya and Mother Sumitra.

When Mata Kaushalya saw Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in this disguise, she smiled and said,

"Son, today you are going to be the king, why are you wearing the clothes of the forest dwellers?"

Rama told about the words of mother Kaikeyi and the orders of the father. When Kaushalya and Sumitra heard this, Kaushalya wept and asked,

"Son, if only the father has ordered, then I will stop you, but the mother has said, then you will have to obey them."

Hearing this, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana touched the feet of both the mothers and slowly left, towards the forest.

Whoever heard it in Ayodhya was stunned. The whole city started crying bitterly in the separation of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Mandvi, Urmila and Shrutkirti had lost their senses. Everyone was trying to bring to consciousness Mandvi, who was unconscious in Sita's separation. Some were cursing Queen Kaikeyi, some were remembering Bharata Shatrughan, some were saying that

"If both the brothers were here today, they would not have allowed them to go to the forest."

Animals and birds were looking restlessly on the path leading to the forest from Ayodhya, sometimes looking at the sky, praying that our Rama should not go to the forest.

Kaikeyi was not bothering, both the queens were handling the king. only from the mouth of the king,

"Rama! My Ram"

The sound was coming out.

Sumantra ji requested Ram to leave him till the end of Ayodhya, which Ram gladly accepted.

Everyone was worried about Sukomal(mellow) Sita, every creature of Ayodhya was sad but could not do anything. Ram, Sita and Lakshmana, sitting on a chariot in the guise of a forest dweller, were leaving the splendor of Ayodhya. Reaching the banks of the river, Ram asked the people of Ayodhya to return with folded hands. Sumantra ji requested to stay with his two companions but Rama asked them to go to take care of the king. All the people started towards Ayodhya with an extinguished mind, with a dead body. Ram, Sita, Lakshman rested on the banks of the river.