Journeying through The Ramayana Day 4 @ Nandigram

Nandigram

This was one of the most emotional experiences of the trip. This is a small township about 40 kms from Ayodhya. The significance of this place is that this is where -

  

     bharatha came and did paduka pattabhishekam.  

     hanuman came just in time to stop bharatha from entering the fire. As he realized what a great rama devotee hanuman was , and how much he had helped rama, Bharatha  spontaneously hugged him.

     sri ramabiran came back from exile and was received by all - specially bharatha. Then it was here he shed his hermit clothes  after 14 years and took on  his royal robes, on route to his coronation.

The temple is a small one  but it vibrates with the bhakthi of Bharatha and Rama’s abiding faith and love for him. As you enter the temple, across a round hall, right in front is the main vigraham of Bharatha hugging Hanuman for bringing him glad tidings of Rama’s return to ayodhya.  The tearful joy of Bharatha is only matched by the humility and affectionate servitude of Hanuman. The expressions are so real and the figures so life like that for a moment one is transported back to witness that moment in Time. And Time stands still and I stop to catch my breath!

Then we go underground by a small narrow flight of steps to cone into a similar round hall. Here, there is a bharatha sannidhi on one side which is looking with great affection and respect at the Paduka he received from Rama which is kept in the opposite sannidhi. 

There is also a  sannidhi for hanuman here.

Dazed at the monumental significance of this place, we blundered our way out to witness another beautiful sight - that of the archakas having decked up therezhendur perumal, as Rama with Sita at the woods with Bharatha at their feet receiving the Paduka. It was a beautiful sight. 

Swamigal  gave a very moving speech on what was the difference between bhakthi of lakshmnana & bharatha – former showing seshathvam & the latter, paratantrayam. Lakshmana’s bhakthi of  seshathvam was such that he would not leave Rama even for a minute – He could never bear the separation. He would do anything it takes to be with him even if it meant going against the will of Rama. He believed that he was there to be of service to Rama. Whereas, Bharatha’s Paratantrayam, was about always being there to fulfil Rama’s wish – no  matter what he wanted personally or what hardships he would have to undergo to ful fill them. His will or desires just did not exist away from Rama’s. Swamigal also spoke of the few moments before Hanuman arrived at Nandigram. In those critical moments, Bharatha asked Shatrugna to light  a funeral pyre for Him since it seemed that Rama had forsaken him. On hearing this, Shatrugna breaks down and asks if this is what he was born for, to lose two brothers to the exile and help the last one immolate himself. Did Bharatha not have any mercy on him? The entire discourse was such a moving experience that I don’t think there were many of us who were not weeping .In fact swamigal himself was moved in delivering this discourse.

Anyhow, we all trooped back into the buses with a happy heart that now that Rama had returned to Aodhya, all was finally well with the princes and Rama would begin his Ramarajyam. 


To view photos of Nandigram in Rama Anu Yatra click on: 
http://picasaweb.google.co.in/devikavarad/RamaAnuYatraNandigram#