In his busy life Dasaratha perhaps had never studied his
mirror properly. He had had no occasion to scrutinize himself
too long in the mirror or engage himself in any introspection.
Suddenly one day he noticed the whitening hair and the
wrinkles under his eyes—noticed the slight tremor of his
hands, the fatigue of his legs while engaged in a game, and
realized that age had come on. It was by no means
inconsiderable. The original poet Valmiki mentions that
Dasaratha was sixty thousand years old! In our modern
reckoning we may not agree with that figure, but put it at
sixty, seventy, or eighty years; whatever it was, ripeness is
indicated.
In the loneliness of his chamber, Dasaratha told himself,
"One must know when to cease, and not wait for death or
dotage. While my faculties are intact, let me seek retirement
and rest. There is no sense in continuing and repeating the
same set of activities performed all these several thousand
years, as it seems to me now. Enough, I have done enough. I
must now find the time to stand back and watch and lay
aside the burdens of office."
He arrived at a drastic decision. He summoned his aide to the door, and told him to summon Sumanthra, his chief
minister, immediately. "Send round an announcement for all
our officers and public men, sages and wisemen, and all our
allies and kings and relations to gather at our hall of
assembly. Let as many as possible arrive."
He added, while Sumanthra waited, "No need to inform,
among our relatives, Aswapathi." He was the father of his
third wife, Kaikeyi. Bharatha, her son, had gone there to
spend a few days with his grandfather. "No need to trouble
Janaka either. Mithila is too far away, and he will not be able
to come in time."
"Is there anyone else to be omitted?"
"No. Invite as many as you can conveniently, and all our
citizens." Messengers were dispatched in all directions. The
assembly hall filled up. Dasaratha ascended the steps to his
seat and, after the routine ceremonials, gestured to all to
resume their seats, and spoke:
"I have performed my duties as King of this country long
enough. Now I have an irresistible feeling that the burden
must be shifted over to younger shoulders. What do you
gentlemen think about it? Under the white umbrella of the
royal state, apparently there has been no change—but
actually the body under it is withering. I have lived and
functioned long enough. If I still thought that I should continue
thus endlessly, it would amount to avarice. The other day I
realized that my signature on a document was hazy. My hand must have trembled without my knowing it. The time has
come for me to sit back and rest—and anticipate the coming
of grandchildren. If you will agree, I want to hand over the
kingdom to Rama. He should be my successor, an
embodiment of all perfection. He is perfect and will be a
perfect ruler. He has compassion, a sense of justice, and
courage, and he makes no distinctions between human
beings—old or young, prince or peasant; he has the same
consideration for everyone. In courage, valour, and all the
qualities—none to equal him. He will be your best protector
from any hostile force, be it human or subhuman or
superhuman. His asthras, acquired from his master
Viswamithra, have never been known to miss their mark… . I
hope I shall have your support in anointing him immediately
as the Emperor of Kosala."
A joyous shout rang through the assembly. Dasaratha
waited for it to subside and asked, "I note the zest with which
you welcome my successor. Should I take it that you do so
because you have been bearing with me silently for any
reason all these years, although I had thought I had
dedicated my life fully to the welfare of my subjects?"
A spokesman rose and explained. "Do not mistake us,
Your Majesty. It is our love for Rama that makes us so happy
now. We have long looked forward to this moment. To see
him ride the Royal Elephant in full paraphernalia through the
streets of our capital is a vision of the future that we cherish,young and old alike, for we are lost in the splend our of Rama's personality. It is that anticipation that makes us
applaud your proposal so unreservedly. It is not that we do
not wish for the continuance of Your Majesty."
Dasaratha said, "I agree with you. I just wanted to know
without a trace of doubt that you approve of my desire to
make Rama your King. I desire that tomorrow when the
Pushya star is in combination with the moon, and the time is
auspicious, Rama be crowned."
He summoned his minister and the priest. "Let everything,
every little detail be ready for the ceremony of coronation
tomorrow. Let there be widespread decorations and have all
items ready at the coronation hall. Let the streets be
washed, cleaned, and decorated. Let people feast and play
and enjoy themselves unlimitedly. Let there be arrangements
to serve a feast continuously in every corner of this capital…
."
He sent for Rama. He watched his arrival from his
balcony, received him warmly, took him aside, and said,
"Tomorrow, you will be crowned as my successor. I need
rest from work."
Rama accepted the proposal with a natural ease.
Dasaratha continued. "You know everything, but still I feel it a
duty to say a few words. You will have to pursue a policy of
absolute justice under all circumstances. Humility and soft
speech—there could be really no limit to these virtues. There can be no place in a king's heart for lust, anger, or
meanness." He went on thus for some time and terminated
the meeting. When Rama was back in his palace, explaining
the situation to Sita, Sumanthra was once again knocking on
his door.
"Your father summons you."
"Again? I have just come from him."
"He knows it, but wants you again."