When he saw the spots where Rama rested and the trees under which he had halted, his heart could not contain its devotion. The gods who beheld his condition showered down flowers; the earth became soft and the road a source of blessing.

The clouds afford him shade and a soft, gentle breeze is blowing; the road had not been so agreeable to Rama as it is now to Bharata.

All created beings, dead or alive, that had seen the Lord or were seen by him had been rendered fit for the highest state, and now the sight of Bharata finally rid them of the disease of rebirth.

And yet this was no great thing for Bharata, whom Rama himself ever cherishes in his heart. Even they who in this world utter the name of Rama but once not only reach the other shore themselves but are also able to take others across.

As for Bharata, he is dearly loved by Rama and is his younger brother. No wonder, then, that the road should bring him every blessing! Thus observed adepts and saints and sages, and rejoiced at heart when they saw Bharata.

But when Indra marked the intensity of Bharata’s love, he was filled with anxiety (lest Rama should return to Ayodhya and spoil what the immortals had already accomplished). The world seems good to the good and vile to the vile. He said to his preceptor (the sage Brihaspati), ‘Something must be done, my lord, to prevent the meeting between Rama and Bharata.

Rama is modest by nature and is won by love, and Bharata is a very ocean of affection. The scheme we have devised threatens to be spoilt, so think out some guileful stratagem and use it as a remedial measure.’