Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 71: Sītā’s Noble Lineage
Text 1.71.14
मां तु ज्येष्ठं पिता राज्ये सोऽभिषिच्य नराधिपः।
कुशध्वजं समावेश्य भारं मयि वनं गतः॥
māṁ tu jyeṣṭhaṁ pitā rājye so ’bhiṣicya narādhipaḥ
kuśadhvajaṁ samāveśya bhāraṁ mayi vanaṁ gataḥ
mām tu = me; jyeṣṭham = his elder son; pitā = our father; rājye = to rule the kingdom; saḥ = the; abhiṣicya = anointed; nara-adhipaḥ = king; kuśadhvajam samāveśya bhāram = handing over the responsibility of taking care of Kuśadhvaja; mayi = to me; vanam gataḥ = he retired to the forest [to perform austerities].
Our father, the king, anointed me, his elder son, to rule the kingdom. Handing over the responsibility of taking care of Kuśadhvaja to me, he retired to the forest [to perform austerities].
NOTE. Janaka’s father retired to the forest to perform austerities as a vānaprastha. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes this as follows:
“Tapas, or austerity, is especially meant for the retired life. One should not remain a householder throughout his whole life; he must always remember that there are four divisions of life—brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So after gṛhastha, householder life, one should retire.”
(Bhagavad-gītā 16.1-3)