With deep affection and a sense of duty, Rama addressed Bharata, saying, “O king among men, you too should promptly fulfill the command of our truthful father by accepting the consecration as ruler. In doing so, O Bharata, knower of righteousness, you will free our father, the king, from his obligations on my account, and you will honor both our father and our mother. Long ago, dear brother, it is said that the renowned Gaya, the sacrificer, sang a celebrated hymn for his father at Gaya itself. Because a son saves his father from the hell called Put, he is called ‘putra’—for he protects or leads his father. Therefore, many sons should be begotten, virtuous and learned, for among them, even if there are many, perhaps one will go to Gaya and perform the necessary rites. All royal sages have held this belief, O delight of the kings. Thus, O best of men, save our father from hell, O lord. Go to Ayodhya, Bharata, win the favor of the people together with Shatrughna, O hero, and with all the twice-born as well. I, for my part, will enter the Dandaka forest without delay, accompanied by Vaidehi and Lakshmana, O king. You, Bharata, become king over men; I shall be king of the forest-dwellers and wild beasts. Go today, rejoicing, to the great city, and I too, rejoicing, shall enter Dandaka. May the rays of the sun, O Bharata, make your head cool with shade during the rainy season; I too shall happily rest in the deep shade of these forest trees. Shatrughna, who is very skilled, will be your companion, and Saumitri is known to me as my chief friend. We four excellent sons, O king, will follow the path of truth—do not grieve, Bharata.” Thus ended the one hundred and seventh sarga in the glorious Ayodhya Kanda of the ancient and holy Ramayana composed by Valmiki. As Bharata was being consoled, the eminent Brahmin Jabali spoke words to Rama, words that were contrary to righteousness: “Well done, Raghava, but let not your mind be so fruitless, like that of an ordinary man, for you possess the noble mind of the virtuous. Who is truly related to whom? What belongs to whom, and by whom is anything possessed? Each being is born alone and perishes alone. Therefore, Rama, the man who clings to ‘mother’ and ‘father’ should be regarded as mad; truly, there is no one who belongs to anyone. Just as a man, traveling to another village, may stay somewhere for a while, then leave that dwelling and settle elsewhere the next day, so too, O descendant of Kakutstha, for people, father, mother, and home are merely temporary abodes—the good do not become attached to them. Having abandoned your father’s kingdom, O best of men, you should not take up this painful, difficult, and thorny path. Consecrate yourself as ruler in prosperous Ayodhya; the city, with its single braid, now awaits you. O prince, enjoy the royal pleasures of Ayodhya, which are of the highest value, just as Indra delights in his heavenly realm. You are not Dasaratha, nor is he you; there is another king now, so do as he commands. A father is only the seed of a being, as are the white and red fluids; joined with the mother’s womb, that is the birth of a man here. That king has gone to the place where he must go; such is the course for mortals, yet you grieve in vain. Those who are devoted to wealth and duty, I grieve for them and not for others; for after suffering here, they meet destruction after death. People perform the Aṣṭakā rites, thinking they are for the ancestors; but see, what can a dead man eat except food that decays? If what is eaten here by one person could reach the body of another, then one could offer śrāddha for someone abroad, but that would not be wholesome food. These texts, composed by the wise, are only for encouraging gifts: ‘Sacrifice, give, be initiated, perform austerity, renounce.’ Therefore, O wise one, fix your mind on ‘there is nothing beyond this’; follow what is evident, and set aside what is unseen. With this understanding, which sees the nature of all people, accept the kingdom as Bharata urges you.” Thus ended the one hundred and eighth sarga in the glorious Ayodhya Kanda of the ancient and revered Ramayana composed by Valmiki. Hearing Jabali’s words, Rama, foremost among the truthful, replied with deep devotion and unwavering understanding: “You have spoken words here for my pleasure and desire, which appear as duty but are not, and seem wholesome but are not truly so. A man without restraint, engaged in wicked conduct, and seen as one of broken character, does not gain respect among the virtuous. Whether noble or not, heroic or self-regarding, it is only character that reveals a man, whether he is pure or impure. One who is ignoble but appears noble, or who lacks purity yet seems pure, who is unmarked yet seems marked, or of bad conduct yet seems virtuous—if I were to pursue unrighteousness under the guise of righteousness, abandoning what is good and neglecting proper conduct, it would bring confusion to the world. Some discerning man, aware of right and wrong, would consider me in the world as wicked and a disgrace among people. To whom shall I offer my conduct, and by what means shall I attain heaven? For, living by this course of action, which is lacking in integrity, I would not fulfill my vow. The entire world follows the path of desire; as are the ways of kings, so are the ways of their people.” Thus ended the one hundred and ninth sarga in the glorious Ayodhya Kanda of the ancient and revered Ramayana composed by Valmiki.