The sorrowful Shri Ram immediately called for a counsel to discuss the next course of action. It was certain that an untimely death has happened because someone had broken the law of nature.

Hence Shri Ram sat in a room, with Rameshwari, Bharat, Lakshman, and his wise counselors Vasisth, Vamdev, Jabali, Markandeya, Maudgalya, Kashyap, Katyayan, Gautam and Devarshi Narad.

Shri Ram told them all about the wailing Brahmin and the sudden death of his 5 year old son who was completely healthy and free of any disease.

The resplendent Narad Muni, knew exactly what the reason was, and hence he enlightened the counsel with his auspicious words.

"Maharaj, uss balak ki akaal mrityu ka karan suniye. Satyug mei keval Brahmin hi tapasvi the, Treta yug mei Kshatriya bhi tapasvi banne ke yogya ho gaye. Dwapar mei Vaishya yogya ho jayenge aur Kaliyug mei Shudra bhi. Kintu iss samaye, Treta Yug mei, aapke Rajya ki seema koi shudra hai jo tapasya kar raha hai." Narad Muni said.

"Munivar, kintu tapasviyo ka toh koi varn nahi hota. Maharishi Matang ek chandaal the, Maha-tapasvini shabri bhi ek bahiskrit samaaj ki thi, Brahmarishi Valmiki bhi toh ek daaku the. Yadi treta yug mei keval Brahmin aur Kshatriya hi tapasya kar sakte hai toh inhone kaise kiya ?" Rameshwari asked.

"Rajkumari, yeh satya hai ki tapasviyo ka koi varn nahi hota. Pata hai kyu ? Kyuki varn toh karm par aadharit sansarik bandhan hai, aur tapasvi inn sansarik bandhano se upar uth jaate hai. Kintu yadi koi vyakti, bina sansarik bandhano se mukt ho, tapasya karne ka abhilashi hai, toh woh adharm hai. Kyuki woh vyakti iss deh ko hi aatma samajh leta hai, aur iss karan uske tapasya ka karan prakriti ke niyamo se virudh hi hoga. Aapne jin Mahatapasviyo ka naam liya, woh sab sansarik bandhano ko tyaag chuke the." Narad Muni said.

"Toh aapka kathan hai ki Kosal mei koi hai, jo bina sansarik bandhano ko tyaage, tapasya kar raha hai ? Bina aatma ko jaane, paramatma ko prapt karna chaah raha hai ? Maya se bane nashwar tan ko hi koi Satya samajh baitha hai ?" Rameshwari asked.

"Ji Rajkumari. Aisi hi bhul aapke purvaj Trishanku ne bhi ki thi, jinhe tan sahit swarg chahiye tha. Maharaj, aapke Rajya ke kisi kone mei awashya aisa hi koi vyakti hai. Use dandit kare Maharaj, kyuki koi bhi dusht yadi Rajya mei adharm kare, toh uska paap Raja ko bhi milta hai." Narad Muni said.

Shri Ram nodded, and the looked at the elder son of Sumitra.

"Lakshman, jaao aur uss Brahmin ke parivaar ko sahanubhuti do. Uske putra ke deh ko tel mei rakhdo, sugandhiyo ke sahit, jisse uska deh sad na jaaye. Sunishchit karna ki uss balak ka tan sanrakshit ho." Shri Ram said so the body of the boy does not decompose.

"Jo aagya bhaiya." Lakshman nodded.

Shri Ram then summoned the resplendent Pushpak vimaan, which came at once.

Taking up his bow, his quiver, and his brightly gleaming sword, he entrusted the city with, Rameshwari, Lakshman and Bharat, and proceeded to the west, searching the wastelands on every side.

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A/N

So it's not that Shudra cannot perform penance, we have the example of Maharishi Matang, Shabri and Valmiki here.

We know that Varn system was very flexible. But if you're in a Varn, you have certain duties towards it which you must fulfill.

But in order to do tapasya you have to leave behind the sansarik bandhan.

Now Brahmin is a varn that is there but not bound to societal order but Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra are essential to maintain that order.

And if we see the progression of each Yug, there is only degradation of Dharma. And penance leads to upliftment of entire mankind.

So in Satyug, only Brahmins were enough, so the rest three varnas would stay in the sansarik bandhan and fulfil duties towards material world.

Degradation is there in Treta yug, so it's ordained ki chalo Kshatriyas, don't foresake the societal order, but come do penance. For example Maharaj Sagar, Bhagirath, etc.

In dwapar, more degradation in dharm is there so it's ordained, ki chalo Vaishya you also don't foresake the order but do penance, like Ved Vyas who was the son a fisherwoman.

In Kaliyug, the degradation is so bad, that it states ki Shudras, don't foresake the societal order, but come do penance.

BUT NOTE HERE, this is talking about doing penance while still staying somewhat in the sansarik bandhan.

But in Treta yug, if you are a Vaishya or a Shudra and if you want to do penance, then YOU MUST COMPLETELY FORESAKE the sansarik bandhan, otherwise you can't.

Like Maharishi Matang, Shabri and Valmiki, these were Shudras but they had COMPLETELY foresaken all the sansarik bandhan of Varn, Jaati, etc.

And Shambuk vadh ka bas yeh reason nahi hai, there is one more reason, that'll be revealed in the next chapter.