Doha 188

Seized with a longing for the sight of Śrī Rāma, all the people, both men and women, headed with the same zeal as male and female elephants rush perceiving water. Realizing in their heart that Sītā and Śrī Rāma were in the woods, Bharata and his younger brother journeyed on foot. (1) Seeing their affection the people were overcome with emotion and dismounting, walked on foot, leaving their horses, elephants and chariots. Going up to Bharata Śrī Rāma’s mother, Kausalyā, stopped her palanquin by his side and spoke in soft accents: (2) “I adjure you by my life to mount the chariot, dear child, or else all our near and dear ones will be put to great hardship. If you walk on foot, the whole party will follow suit and you know they are all wasted with sorrow and hardly fit to undertake the journey on foot.” (3) Reverently obeying her command and bowing their head at her feet, the two brothers mounted their chariot and proceeded on the journey. They halted the first day on the bank of the Tamasā* river and made the next halt on the bank of the Gomatī. (4) * The Tamasā (now popularly known by the name of Tons) is a branch of Ghāgharā which leaves that river about 10 miles from Ayodhyā and after flowing past the town of Azamgarh falls into the Sarayū.

Some of them lived on milk and some on fruit; while others took their meals by night. Renouncing ornaments and luxuries, they observed vows and fasts for the sake of Śrī Rāma. (188)