The Minister Weeps Like a Child
Ayodhya Kanda, Doha 94
Doha 94 · Movement 2 of 2
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Sumantra places the king's words before Ram and empties his own will with them. Whatever the Lord commands, he will do. The minister who guided the chariot from Ayodhya now stands at the edge of a separation he cannot guide or prevent.
He falls at Ram's feet. Long service, courtly discipline, age, and office offer no shelter against the force of love. His body bends to the ground, and grief breaks through every restraint until he sobs like a child.
The riverbank holds a reversal gentler and more piercing than any royal ceremony. The elder lies before the young prince, yet Ram is his refuge. The trusted servant of a king has no policy left to propose. He can only cling, weep, and wait for the answer that will carry him back alone.
At Ram's feet, Sumantra's rank and years fall away, leaving the helpless, unguarded love of a child.
Read the passage from the Manas
नृप अस कहेउ गोसाईं जस कहइ करौं बलि सोइ। करि बिनती पायन्ह परेउ दीन्ह बाल जिमि रोइ।।94।।
The king said this, my Lord. Whatever you command, I shall do. I am your sacrifice. Saying this, he fell at Rama's feet and wept like a child. The old minister's composure broke completely; love reduced him to helpless weeping.