1161. Shri Rama's questions to Bharata.

Bharata came to the forest in search of Shri Rama to persuade Him to return back to Ayodhya. Shri Rama declines and asks 50 odd questions to Bharata. From the welfare of the family to art of administration, Shri Rama’s questions to His brother is advice to all of us. I wish not to elaborate as the question we read says it all. Since Shri Rama starts every question with word “Kacchit” (I hope that) this portion of Ramayana is called Kacchit Sarga.

Rama to Bharata:

I hope that the King Dasaratha is well.

I hope you are treating the preceptors of Ikshvaku respectfully.

I hope that a Brahmin who is versed in the traditions, who is intelligent and just, is employed for your sacred fire rituals.

I hope that you are holding in high esteem the Gods, our ancestors, dependents, teachers, doctors and brahmins.

I hope that ministers who are valiant like you, learned, masters of their senses of noble birth and skilled interpreting internal sentiments by external gesture, are assigned to you.

I hope you do not fall prey to excess of sleep and do wake up at appropriate time.

I hope that you do not take decisions alone or indeed with lots of men. 

I hope your schemes does not get leaked to public before it is implemented.

I hope your projects are of maximum benefit with minimum cost and is on time.

I hope you discuss with one wise man rather than a thousand fools, as a wise man can help you in difficult matters.

I hope that others are unaware, by their enquiries or strategies or by any other approaches the details of your discussions with your wise minister.

I hope that skilled is assigned with superior work, an average worker is given an average work and unskilled is asked to assist as a helper.

I hope you are providing daily provision to your army and giving them suitable salary without any delay.

I hope that a knowledgeable person with presence of mind to speak to the point is selected as an ambassador by you.

I hope you do not forever take foes lightly, even those who are weak and having been expelled, return again.

I hope the punishiment for an offence is neither too harsh or nor too lenient.

I hope you are not honouring the materialistic brahmins, they are skilled in perverting the mind. Ignorant they are but act as if learned.

I hope in your kingdom women, farmers and cowherds are looked after well. 

I hope forests, the home of wild animals is well preserved by you and most importantly the female species in them are protected for the progeny to prosper.

I hope milch-cows are in abundance.

I hope the income is abundant and expenditure minimum. 

I hope your treasure does not reach undeserving lot.

I hope that all your employers, in your presence, do not adopt a disrespectful attitude or on the other hand all of them do not hasten away on seeing you.

I hope you are not prosecuting an honest person who is falsely accused of some offence, without investigation according to law-books.

I hope that your well-educated ministers solve a case dispassionately when a dispute occurs between a rich man and a poor man, after studying the situation carefully.

I hope you do not discard virtue due to excessive yearn for wealth or your interest towards religion or by your self-indulgence in pleasure, greed and gratification of the senses.

I hope you are following the common practice, which our fore fathers observed and which is in accord with the path of the virtuousness.

This incidence can be read in Ayodhya Kanda (100^th Sarga). All these years I had only heard about Bharata collecting the sandals of Shri Rama and placing it on the throne of Ayodhya and ruling. 

I wonder if we had this in our syllabus in middle school how well we would have had our mind trained. Its good to reading them even at my age now….. I am thankful to my Sri Hari for letting me read them.