Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Contents of the Rāmāyaṇa Summarized
Text 1.1.37
स काममनवाप्यैव रामपादावुपस्पृशन्।
नन्दिग्रामेऽकरोद्राज्यं रामागमनकाङ्क्षया॥
sa kāmam anavāpyaiva rāma-pādāv upaspṛśan
nandigrāme ’karod rājyaṁ rāmāgamana-kāṅkṣayā
saḥ = Bharata; kāmam = His desire; anavāpya eva = since was not fulfilled; rāma-pādau = Rāma’s shoes; upaspṛśan = while serving everyday and; nandigrāme = from Nandigrāma; akarot rājyam = ruled the kingdom; rāma-āgamana-kāṅkṣayā = while hankering for Rāma’s arrival.
Since His desire was not fulfilled, Bharata ruled the kingdom from Nandigrāma while serving Rāma’s shoes every day and while hankering for Rāma’s arrival.
This verse points out how a surrendered devotee should serve his object of surrender until his prārabdha-karma is exhausted.
Bharata’s desire to [bring back Rāma to rule over the kingdom and] serve Him personally was not fulfilled. Pādau (literally “feet”) refer to “shoes” [in this context]. He hankered for Rāma’s arrival, that is, He increased His cherished desire to personally serve Rāma at the end of the obstacle of fourteen years of exile. Because residence at Rāma’s place of residence without Rāma brought Bharata extreme distress, He gave up His residence at Ayodhyā and resided at a village near Ayodhyā named Nandigrāma. He ruled the kingdom as a service to Rāma’s order.