Read together
News after a long wait
For fourteen years Rama had been away from Ayodhya. Sita and Lakshmana had shared his life in the forest, and the journey had taken them far from home. Now the struggle in Lanka was over and Sita was with Rama again. They were returning with friends who had helped them through their hardest days.
Before arriving, Rama sent Hanuman ahead with news for Bharata. Bharata had cared for the kingdom during his brother’s absence, keeping Rama’s sandals as a sign of the responsibility entrusted to him. The waiting was nearly over. Hanuman could tell him that Rama, Sita and Lakshmana were coming back safely.
Bharata’s joy was almost too great for words. The news spread, and preparations began. The route was made ready and people brought flowers to welcome the travellers. A homecoming needs many small efforts: someone carries a garland, someone prepares the way, and someone passes the good news to a neighbour who has not heard.
The brothers meet again
As everyone waited, Bharata looked eagerly for a sign of his brother. At last the returning company came into view in Pushpaka, the flying vehicle described in the Ramayana. The long journey was ending. Among the travellers were the familiar faces that Bharata had so often thought about during the years apart.
Bharata approached Rama with reverence. Rama raised him and embraced him. Then Bharata welcomed Sita and Lakshmana and greeted the friends who had come with them. This was more than a prince returning to a city. It was a family meeting again, with room in its happiness for the companions who had helped along the way.
Bharata returned Rama’s sandals and the care of the kingdom to him. Rama greeted his mothers, and the people welcomed him back. The years apart could not be undone, but they had brought the family to this new beginning. The city could look towards life together again, with Rama returning to his responsibilities.
A welcome remembered in light
Many families connect this homecoming with Diwali. In the popular festival tradition, the people of Ayodhya light rows of diyas to welcome Rama, Sita and Lakshmana. Picture small points of light continuing from one doorway to the next. Each lamp is little, yet together they make the welcome visible across a whole city.
When families tell this story today, the lamps can invite a question: how do we help someone feel that they belong? A welcome might include a favourite story, a place to sit, a drawing or the simple time to listen. A person does not have to return from a great adventure to be glad that someone has made room for them.
This is one Diwali tradition among several, and families celebrate in different ways. Some honour Lakshmi; others remember different sacred stories or a new year. Here we have followed the thread of homecoming. Its light is a reminder of the joy of seeing loved ones again—and of the care that turns a place into a welcome.