Why did Dasharatha not go with Rama to the forest when he felt separation from him?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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in the presence of Krishna.
Thank you. Hare Krishna Question when Ram went to the forest in exile, why didn’t Dashrath go with him if Dashrath was so much afflicted by separation from Ram and eventually passed away because of that affliction of separation why didn’t he just go with Ram to the forest? Answer Actually that’s what he wanted to do when it became clear because of Kaikeyi’s harsh demand that Ram would be going to the forest Dashrath said that not only Ram I will go with the forest and we will take all the royal treasury and we will take the soldiers and the attendants there and we will convert the forest to Ayodhya and let Ayodhya become a forest and let Kaikeyi and her son rule here he was furious with Kaikeyi so Kaikeyi became furious in return and he said when you promise me the kingdom the kingdom means the kingdom with all its prosperity will you so cunningly now go back against your word he chided him arrogantly, chided him harshly and at that time Ram said oh father there is no need for the offence of Ayodhya if your blessings are there then I go to the forest I will be happy there and I will soon come back and then when Dashrath Maharaj said that you stay for at least one day so that I can offer you all the royal comforts now Ram did not want to prolong the agony of separation he said once the sentence has been made that I have to go to the forest why delay it I will go today itself and then he called Sumantra and they got on the chariot and he started going Dashrath kept following Dashrath ran up behind the chariot and he said stop stop stop Sumantra as he was watching he turned towards Ram his king was telling him to stop how could he not stop Ram said no please keep moving he was torn between the king the king’s words and the future king’s words the future king was of course now going to exile so Ram said what should I do now in such a situation Ram said that you tell the king afterwards there was so much noise because of all the citizens there was indeed noise he said that you did not hear what he said so please keep moving and Sumantra not only kept moving as per Ram’s bidding he accelerated and Dashrath was running behind the chariot running and running and he slipped and fell on the ground as he fell on the ground for the king to fall on the ground and roll in the dust it was shocking all the courtiers and citizens watched aghast and his queens and other tenants ran to him to pick him up and Dashrath was utterly devastated as he watched in agony the chariot departing and becoming a speck in the horizon and then eventually disappearing out of view entirely so he was so afflicted that he was beside himself in grief crying out Ram Ram Ram and his courtiers and attendants took him to his bed and got him to rest over there and the next morning when they went to some consolatory discussions happened but next morning when the attendants went to wake him up the king did not wake up he had departed in the night so there was no chance for Dashrath Maharaj to actually follow Ram he would have done so if it had been his own desire if it had been possible for him and of course Ram would have somehow or other requested his father to stay on but that whole trajectory of events did not take place because Dashrath Maharaj passed away immediately after Ram departed in intense separation from him thank you