Śrī Rāmacandra
By Śrīla Bhakti-rakṣaka Śrīdhara Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāja, from Divine Aspiration.
The day before he was to be installed on the throne, all in the kingdom were rejoicing. But Rāmacandra Himself was in a serious frame of mind. His mood was not very light, not very pleasing. He was thinking that the next day, He is going to receive the great responsibility of discharging His duty to the kingdom: “A great burden is coming on My head. I shall have the responsibility of looking after so many subjects.” This was His sober mood. Then when He heard that instead of being enthroned, He was to go to the forest— that His stepmother had forced His father to enthrone Bharata, her son, and to banish Rāmacandra to the forest—Rāmacandra’s temperament remained the same: He was going to discharge a duty. To get the throne is duty; to obey His father’s will by going to the forest also duty. By accepting banishment to the forest, He is discharging a duty, and His temperament does not change. His balance of mind, His equilibrium, is not disturbed. He is not a slave to any event, be it good or bad; He is perfectly equipoised to carry out His duty. Even if He must go to hell, He is not in any way disturbed.
Such a quality is also manifest in the exclusive devotees of the Lord:
nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ1
Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation, and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.
- Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.17.28 [↩]
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