Page 21 - Moral Stories Vol 5

Upon learning about King Dasharath’s death and his succession to the throne, Bharatha, the brother of Lord Rama, could not bear this and went to Rama and begged him to come back to Ayodhya
and rule the kingdom. However, Rama reminded him that both of them must obey Dasharath’s commands and so Bharatha must rule the kingdom while Rama must go into exile. When they were parting, Lord Rama gave Bharatha his “padukas” (wooden sandals) as a memento.
Bharatha went back to Ayodhya and served the kingdom by keeping the “padukas” (footwear) of Lord Rama on the throne. He looked after the affairs of the state as he had promised but he considered Rama to be the true king and sought his blessings for every decision he made. Bharatha also lived a very humble and simple life during those 14 years and lived in a small hut of leaves and twigs and wore clothes of bark. Thus, Bharatha lived like an ascetic although he performed the duties of a king. He thus served in the name of God. That is why we know of Rama Rajya but never hear of Bharatha Rajya. Similarly, we should serve only in the name of God.
Think and Answer:
1. What did Bharatha want to do when he found out about Dasharath’s death?
2. What did Rama give Bharatha as a memento?
3. Why do we know about Rama Rajya but not Bharatha Rajya?
4. How should we serve others?
Illustration : K. Kavya Bai, Class IX, 2019-20
Any kind of service, if done selflessly is helpful -Pujya Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj
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