As the messengers reach Bharatha’s grandfather’s place, they tell Bharatha and Shatrugna that they have to return at once and that was an order from their mother.
The first thing that came out of Bharatha’s mouth was, “ Why? Has something gone wrong? Did we do something?” The messengers were told to stay quiet, so they didn’t respond. Bharatha and Shatrunghna got their stuff together and got ready to head home. When they entered the city, the city that used to be full of joy and happiness seemed to be gloomy and depressing. Bharatha turned to Shatrughna and asked, “ Something doesn’t feel right. Do you know what has happened?” Shatrughna shook his head in denial.
When they got to the palace, they went straight to Kaikeyi, who had ordered for the retrieval. As soon as they got to her, Bharatha asked, “ What is wrong, mother? How come you had us come back without anykind of other information? How come no one is telling us anything?” Kaikeyi replied, “It is because I have told them not to. I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that your father has passed away. And the good news is that before he died I used the two promises that your father owed me to crown you the king and exile Rama for fourteen years. “
Bharatha froze for a second in shock. How could the mother that had raised him to be such a sincere man asked for such a thing? How could she ask for one of her sons to go on exile? He turned to Shatrughna and asked, “Did you know anything about this?” Shatrughna answered, “ No, but why do you seem so upset with this.” Bharatha angrily said, “ What do you mean? I am upset because the mother that I thought always looked in the best interest of her sons, just asked one of her sons to leave all of his friends, family, and possessions and go live in a forest.” Shatrughna said, “ Don’t you see? She only did this for you. She still has the best interest in mind. She just didn’t want some one else to steal the opportunity from you.” Bharatha still angry said, “That someone that she stole this opportunity from was my brother and after she stole the opportunity from him, she sent him away on a punishment. What did he do wrong? He was the rightful heir to this throne and still will be. There is no way I will let my brother be exiled from his own kingdom. We shall go get him as soon as we complete father’s cremation ceremony.” He then turned toward his mother and seemed like he was going to say something, but nothing would come out. He just walked away in distress.
Bibliography
Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
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| Rama, Sita, Hanuman, and Rama's three brother, Lakshmana, Bharatha, and Shatrughna. Source: Wikimedia Commons. |
Author’s note
I really liked this story because it shows the true
character of Bharatha and in this story I didn’t make any big changes because I
really like the way that it was. The only real big change was that I added some
of Bharatha’s and Shatrughna’s thoughts.
Yes, you stayed pretty true to Buck's version of this part of Ramayana, but I did like that you added some of what you thought Bharatha and Shatrughna was thinking as they possess the news of their father's death and the exile of Rama. I specifically like how you described Bharatha's reaction. The picture you included was also really cool!
ReplyDeleteNeeral this is great! I did mine over the same scene from the epic. I think Bharata is simply great and I didn't feel like I needed to change anything either. I personally added some emotions and feelings between him and his brother but throughout this scene I thought there was nothing I could change either. Great job retelling the story though! I enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteNeeral, I love the way that you display Bharata! He comes across as a very sincere, honest man in your story, showcasing his distress over his mother's actions. Including his brother Shatrughna makes his reactions seem even more noble. I love the way that you use dialogue to further your story, strengthening it by allowing the characters to speak. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGreat story this week. I really liked how you got inside Bharata's head and let us know what was going on up there. You portrayed Bharata the way I like to think he would be; a man of good character. I feel bad for Bharata every time I read a story about this topic. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHi Neeral! You did a great job of showing the true character of Kaikeyi and Bharata! I found Bharata to be such a noble, selfless character, which is exactly how you showed him. I thought the way that you portrayed Shatrugna was interesting, because I hadn't really considered how he felt about what Kaikeyi did. It definitely makes sense though, because Shatrugna was supposed to have been very loyal to Bharata, even more so than he was to Rama. Bharata must have felt like he was talking to two crazy people that he thought that he'd known all of his life. It made me kind of sad that Bharata loses his faith in both his mother and Shatrugna. I really like how you included more of Bharata's thought process in your story! I also like that you gave Shatrugna more of a role!
ReplyDelete