The poet hardly brings Bharata before our eyes during the period of Rama's
distress. The characters in Vaalmeeki Raamaayana (unlike those in the Mahaabhaarata
and in ordinary plays and novels) do not present themselves off and on. Critics should
bear this general characteristic of Vaalmeeki's epic in mind.
King Dasaratha returned to Ayodhya,
accompanied by his vetinue. On the way, there were bad omens and anxious Dasaratha asked
Vasishtha what they portended. Vasishtha replied that there was no need to be alarmed, for
though the birds in the air indicated approaching trouble, the animals on the land
promised a happy consummation. |
