Bharat says – no, that’s not mine, my father has given that right to whomever he wanted, he chose you and you are only the rightful heir to the throne being the eldest son. What happened was against his wishes, you know he died hating himself for doing what he did, he died because of heartbreak. How can you say he chose me when he announced your coronation and pronounced you crown prince, were it not the wicked plot where the two boons were so cleverly extracted from him, you have been king, please brother, plz sent me from this burden of guilt, this burden of forced crown, burden of being a traitor, take back what is yours, let us be back again as a family where you rule and the brothers help you as we always did, I don’t want this responsibility
Ram says – you can’t avoid your responsibility, now it’s your duty to rule the kingdom and mine to stay 14 years in exile, you have Shatrughn to help you, I have Lakshman, we should follow our respective paths
Everyone looked at each other. Vashishth says – As the royal prince, it is the best to return to Ayodhya and accept the crown, this is your duty as a prince and representative of your people They love you dearly and want you back, you have obeyed your father’s command faithfully but a situation has risen, Dasharath’s death, the son he has given the throne doesn’t want to be king and requesting you to accept it again, he is begging for your help and as a brother, you should not deny him
Ram says – gurudev, I can’t go against my father’s command, I have to keep his promise kaikeyi – the promise he gave me, I am taking it back, I have no words to offer my justification, I have sinned for which I can’t dare to ask for forgiveness but only repent but I am asking for forgiveness and come back home, all will be well then
Ram says – ma, I have no ill will towards you, you did what you thought is right, now let me do what father has decided, I blame no one, please remove any guilt, there must be a reason what has happened, how can you take back a promise from the person who has passed away.
Jabali says – exactly, your father is no more, no one wants you to continue exile for 14 years, come back and rule the kingdom
Ram says – forgive me but how can I break my father’s promise, it will be a shame for a child not fulfilling his parents wishes
Bharat says – I will fast upto death if you don’t return to Ayodhya
Ram says – don’t be immature, this is not a time to be weak
Bharat says – no, this is my last request to take you back
Ram says – you can’t do this, this is against kshatriya dharm, go, rule the kingdom
Bharat says – if this is a question to keep the father’s world, can I take your place in the forest and you sit on the throne, I will be glad
Ram says – I will not, I understand your feeling but I assure you no one doubts you and your wife
Vashishth says – Bharat, if you rule as Ram’s deputy and under his authority, this will make you feel less guilty and Ram would still be the king
Ram says – yes, this is the best answer to all the doubts and worries, if this is possible, I gift my Kingdom to you for the period of 14 years, take it and rule it
Bharat says – I accept your gift, I will rule the kingdom but I need your token, your sandals to place them on the throne of Ayodhya, I will administrait the kingdom in your name from nandigram outside the city, I will wait for your return, I will live as a hermit till your return. Everyone agreed.
Precap – Bharat Mandavi conversation