When the messengers had delivered their message, they offered words of blessing to Bharata, saying, “O tiger among men, those for whom you wish well are surely well; fortune and the lotus goddess favor you, and may your protection be secured.” Thus addressed, Bharata replied, “I will take leave of the great king; the messengers urge me to hurry.” With this, the prince, prompted by the urgency of their words, turned to address his maternal grandfather. He said, “O King, urged on by these messengers, I must go to my father’s presence; I will return again whenever you wish to see me.” Hearing Bharata’s respectful words, the king—his maternal grandfather—embraced the young Raghava’s head and spoke auspiciously: “Go, dear child, I give you leave. Kaikeyi is blessed to have a son like you. Convey my well-wishes to your mother and to your father, the supreme ascetic. Also greet the priest and all the excellent twice-born men, and, dear child, your two mighty brothers, Rama and Lakshmana.” Having honored Bharata, the Kaikeyan king bestowed upon him the best of elephants, fine blankets, and skins as gifts of wealth. He also ordered two thousand gold coins and sixteen hundred horses to be given. Furthermore, the lord of horses provided Bharata with trusted and virtuous ministers as attendants, as he desired. His maternal uncle gifted him elephants of the Airavata line, splendid to behold, with Indra-like heads, as well as swift, well-harnessed mules. He also gave palace-raised dogs, strong as tigers, armed with fangs and of great size. Having taken leave of his maternal grandfather and uncle, the victorious Bharata, together with his brother Shatrughna, mounted his chariot and departed. Yet, as he set out, a great anxiety arose in Bharata’s heart, brought on by the urgency of the messengers and a troubling dream he had seen. Leaving his own residence, surrounded by men, elephants, and horses, he entered the splendid, unrivaled royal road. Passing through, the noble-minded Bharata beheld the inner city and entered it unhindered. After bidding farewell to his mother and his maternal uncle Yudhājit, Bharata, with Shatrughna, ascended the chariot and departed. More than a hundred chariots with circular wheels were harnessed, and servants followed using camels, cattle, horses, and mules. Protected by his army, the noble Bharata, accompanied by ministers equal in status to Aryaka, took Shatrughna, who was free from enemies, and departed from the house as if leaving Indra’s own world behind. Now, listen to the seventy-first chapter in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, in the Ayodhyā section. Bharata, valiant and resolute, departed from the royal palace with his face turned forward. Soon, he came upon the radiant Sudāmā river and crossed it. The illustrious son of Ikṣvāku then crossed the delightful and distant Śatadrū river, whose opposite bank was hard to reach and whose waves ran backward. Proceeding, he crossed the Ela-dhāna river, reached the other side, and traversed a path strewn with stones and the Agneyam, a place marked by arrow-cutting. Truthful, pure, and illustrious, Bharata gazed at the stone-carrying hills as he passed over the great mountains toward the Caitra forest. He reached the Sarasvatī and Gaṅgā rivers, crossed them with vigor, and entered the northern Bhāruṇḍa forest, land of the heroic Matsyas. Arriving at the swift-flowing Yamunā, called Kulinga, resounding and surrounded by mountains, he crossed it and reassured his army. There, the men and horses cooled their limbs, bathed, drank, and refreshed themselves before moving on, 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. Swiftly, Rāghava approached the great river Bhāgīrathī at a renowned city on the eastern bank. After crossing the Gaṅgā, he arrived at Kuṭikoṣṭhikā and, with his forces, proceeded to Dharmavardhana. On the southern side of the gate, he reached Jambūprastha and then went on to the charming village of Varūtha. There, after resting in the pleasant forest, he moved forward toward the garden of Ujjihāna, where beloved trees grew. Reaching the grove of sāla trees, Bharata quickly mounted his horses, gave orders to the army, and pressed onward. He paused at every ford and, crossing the Uttānakā river, traversed various other mountain streams with swift vehicles. Reaching the hut near the back of the elephant, the tiger among men crossed the Lauhitya river at Kapivata. He then crossed the Eka-sala, Vinata, and Gomati rivers, and, arriving at the city of Kalinga, entered the Sala forest. Bharata’s vehicle, now thoroughly exhausted, pressed on, and after passing through the forest, he arrived at dawn. There before him stood Ayodhya, the city built by King Manu, after seven nights on the road. Beholding Ayodhya ahead, Bharata spoke to his charioteer: “This city, famed for its sacred gardens, does not appear familiar to me. Ayodhya is seen from afar, O charioteer, with its pale earth, filled with Brahmins accomplished in virtue and skilled in the Vedas.