Bharata, troubled and seeking answers, pondered aloud about his mother Kaikeyi, whose nature was self-willed, fierce, quick to anger, wise, and proud—even when in good health. What, he wondered, had she said to him? As he voiced his concerns, the messengers, respectful and attentive, responded to the noble Bharata, addressing him with honor. They assured him, “O tiger among men, those for whom you wish well are indeed well; fortune and the lotus goddess favor you, and may your protection be secured.” Upon hearing their words, Bharata replied, “I will take leave of the great king; the messengers urge me to hurry.” With this, Bharata, son of the king, prompted by the messengers’ urgency, turned to his maternal grandfather and spoke, “O King, urged by the messengers, I will go to my father’s presence; I will return again whenever you remember me.” His grandfather, moved by Bharata’s words, embraced him and spoke auspiciously, “Go, dear child, I permit you; Kaikeyi is blessed with a son like you. Convey my well-wishes to your mother and your father, the supreme ascetic. Also greet the priest and all other excellent twice-born men; and, dear child, those two mighty archers, your brothers Rama and Lakshmana.” Honoring Bharata, the Kaikeyan bestowed upon him the finest elephant, luxurious blankets and skins as wealth. The Kekaya king, after honoring Kaikeyi’s son, ordered two thousand gold coins and sixteen hundred horses as gifts. The lord of horses quickly gave Bharata trusted and virtuous ministers to attend him. His maternal uncle presented elephants of the Airavata line, with Indra-like heads, pleasing to behold, and swift, well-harnessed mules. Dogs raised within the palace, endowed with tiger-like strength and power, armed with fangs and of great size, were also gifted. Having taken leave of his maternal grandfather and uncle, Bharata, victorious in battle, together with Shatrughna, mounted his chariot and set forth. Yet, as he departed, a great anxiety arose in his heart, stirred by the urgency of the messengers and a troubling vision seen in his dream. Leaving his residence, surrounded by men, elephants, and horses, Bharata entered the splendid, unrivaled royal road. As he passed through, the noble-minded Bharata saw the inner city and entered it unhindered. After bidding farewell to his mother and maternal uncle Yudhājit, Bharata, with Shatrughna, ascended the chariot and departed. More than a hundred chariots, harnessed with circular wheels, followed him, accompanied by servants on camels, cattle, horses, and mules. Protected by his army, the noble Bharata, accompanied by ministers equal in status to Āryaka, took Shatrughna, free from enemies, and left his house as if departing from Indra’s world. Now begins the seventy-first chapter of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Ayodhyā section. The valiant Bharata, his face set forward, departed from the royal palace. He beheld the radiant Sudāmā river and crossed it. The illustrious son of Ikṣvāku traversed the delightful, distant, opposite-banked, and backward-flowing, wave-laden Śatadrū river. After crossing the Ela-dhāna river and reaching the other bank, he journeyed along a stone-laden path and through Agneyam, a place of arrow-cutting. Truthful, pure, and illustrious, Bharata gazed at the stone-carrying hills and passed over the great mountains toward the Caitra forest. He reached the Sarasvatī and Gaṅgā rivers, and, crossing them with vigor, entered the northern Bhāruṇḍa forest of the heroic Matsyas. Arriving at the swift-flowing Yamunā, called Kulinga, resounding and surrounded by mountains, he crossed it and reassured his army. Cooling their limbs and comforting the weary horses, they bathed and drank at the river, then departed, taking water with them. Through the vast forest seldom frequented, the prince advanced nobly in a fine vehicle, like the wind moving through the sky. Bharata swiftly approached the Bhāgīrathī, the great river difficult to cross, at the renowned city on the eastern bank. Having crossed the Gaṅgā at the eastern bank, he arrived at Kuṭikoṣṭhikā, then, with his forces, crossed it and reached Dharmavardhana. On the southern side of the gate, he came to Jambūprastha, and proceeded to the charming village Varūtha. After staying in the pleasant forest, he moved forward toward the garden of Ujjihāna, where beloved trees grow. Upon reaching the beloved sāla trees, Bharata quickly mounted his horses, gave permission to the army, and hurried onward. After staying at every ford and crossing the Uttānakā river, he traversed various other mountain rivers with swift vehicles. Reaching the hut near the back of the elephant, the tiger among men crossed the Lauhitya river at Kapivata. He crossed the Eka-sala river, the Vinata, and the Gomati, and then, arriving at the city of Kalinga, entered the Sala forest. Bharata, his vehicle thoroughly exhausted, pressed onward and, after passing through the forest, arrived at dawn. After seven nights on the road, Bharata, the tiger among men, finally beheld Ayodhya, the city built by King Manu.