Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 103 of 119 · 32 verses
The Mothers Come to Rama
Vasishtha, longing to see Rama, comes to the place with Dasharatha’s wives in front of him. Going slowly toward the Mandakini, the king’s wives see the ford used by Rama and Lakshmana. Kausalya, her face drying and full of tears, says wretchedly to Sumitra and the other royal women: “This is the ford in the forest, the only one, of those helpless ones of unwearied deeds who have been driven from their land. From here, Sumitra, your son Saumitri, tireless, always fetches water himself for my son’s sake. Your son has done even a menial thing, but it is not blameworthy; everything done for his brother’s sake is made noble by its virtue. Today let your son, who does not deserve such hardships, give up this lowly work.” On darbha grass with its tips to the south, the large-eyed one sees on the ground the ingudi paste offered to his father. Seeing it placed on the ground by the grieving Rama, Queen Kausalya says to all Dasharatha’s women: “Look: this was given by Raghava to his father, the great-souled Raghava, lord of the Ikshvakus, according to rule. I do not think this is fit food for that godlike, great-souled king, who knew every enjoyment. Having enjoyed the four-cornered earth, like great Indra, how does the lord of the earth eat ingudi paste? Nothing in the world seems sadder to me than that Rama, so rich, should give his father ground ingudi. Seeing the ingudi paste Rama gave his father, how does my heart not burst into a thousand pieces with sorrow? This popular saying seems true to me: whatever food a man eats, his gods eat too.” Comforting her in her grief, her co-wives go on and see Rama in the hermitage, like an immortal fallen from heaven.
Seeing Rama deprived of every enjoyment, the mothers, grief-worn, weep aloud. Rama, tiger among men, true to his promise, rises and clasps the auspicious feet of all his mothers. With their soft hands, pleasant to touch, the large-eyed women wipe the dust from Rama’s back. Saumitri too, seeing all the mothers, grieving, salutes them devotedly and slowly after Rama. All the women treat Lakshmana, Dasharatha’s son of auspicious marks, as they treat Rama. Sita too, grieving, clasps her mothers-in-law’s feet and stands before them, her eyes full of tears. Kausalya embraces the grieving girl as a mother her daughter, wasted and wretched from forest life, and says: “How has the daughter of the Videha king, Dasharatha’s daughter-in-law, Rama’s wife, come to sorrow in the lonely forest? Seeing your face, like a lotus scorched by the sun, like a crushed water-lily, like gold covered with dust, like the moon dimmed by clouds, grief born of the fire-stick of calamity burns my heart, Vaidehi, as fire burns what it rests on.” As his mother speaks so in her distress, Raghava, Bharata’s elder, goes and clasps Vasishtha’s feet. Having clasped the feet of the radiant priest, like fire, as Indra, lord of the immortals, clasps Brihaspati’s, Raghava sits down with him. Then righteous Bharata sits down behind his elder brother, with the ministers, the leading citizens, the soldiers and the people who know dharma best. Sitting near, the mighty Bharata, palms joined, looks at Raghava, blazing with splendour in an ascetic’s dress, as great Indra, composed, looks at Prajapati. “What good words will Bharata speak today to Raghava, having bowed and honoured him?” Such is the great curiosity of all those noble people. Raghava, steadfast in truth, the great Lakshmana and righteous Bharata, surrounded by their friends, shine like the three sacred fires at a sacrifice surrounded by the priests.
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वसिष्ठः पुरतः कृत्वा दारान् दशरथस्य च । अभिचक्राम तं देशं रामदर्शनतर्षितः ॥ १ ॥
Placing the wives of Dasharatha in front, Vasishtha went to that place, thirsting to see Rama.
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राजपत्न्यश्च गच्छन्त्यो मन्दं मन्दाकिनीं प्रति । ददृशुस्तत्र तत्तीर्थं रामलक्ष्मणसेवितम् ॥ २ ॥
And the king’s wives, going slowly toward the Mandakini, saw there the ford frequented by Rama and Lakshmana.
कौसल्या बाष्पपूर्णेन मुखेन परिशुष्यता । सुमित्रामब्रवीद्दीना याश्ऺचान्या राजयोषितः ॥ ३ ॥
Kausalya, wretched, her face drying and full of tears, said to Sumitra and the other royal women:
इदं तेषामनाथानां क्लिष्टमक्लिष्टकर्मणाम् । वने प्राक्केवलं तीर्थं ये ते निर्विषयीकृताः ॥ ४ ॥
“This is the ford in the forest, used before only by those helpless ones of unwearied deeds, who were driven from their land.
इतः सुमित्रे पुत्रस्ते सदा जलमतन्द्रितः । स्वयं हरति सौमित्रिर्मम पुत्रस्य कारणात् ॥ ५ ॥
“From here, Sumitra, your son Saumitri, untiring, always fetches water himself for my son’s sake.
जघन्यमपि ते पुत्रः कृतवान्न तु गर्हितः । भ्रातुर्यदर्थसहितं सर्वं तद्विहितं गुणैः ॥ ६ ॥
“Your son has done even a menial thing, yet he is not to be blamed; whatever is done for his brother’s sake is all made right by its virtue.
अद्यायमपि ते पुत्रः क्लेशानामतथोचितः । नीचानर्थसमाचारं सज्जं कर्म प्रमुञ्चतु ॥ ७ ॥
“Today let this son of yours, unused to such hardships, give up this lowly, unprofitable work that he is engaged in.”
दक्षिणाग्रेषु दर्भेषु सा ददर्श महीतले । पितुरिङ्गुदिपिण्याकं न्यस्तमायतलोचना ॥ ८ ॥
On darbha grass with its tips to the south, the large-eyed one saw on the ground the ingudi paste placed for his father.
तं भूमौ पितुरार्तेन न्यस्तं रामेण वीक्ष्य सा । उवाच देवी कौसल्या सर्वा दशरथस्त्रियः ॥ ९ ॥
Seeing it placed on the ground for his father by the grieving Rama, Queen Kausalya said to all Dasharatha’s women:
इदमिक्ष्वाकुनाथस्य राघवस्य महात्मनः । राघवेण पितुर्दत्तं पश्यतैतद्यथाविधि ॥ १० ॥
“See this, given according to rule by Raghava to his father, the great-souled Raghava, lord of the Ikshvakus.
तस्य देवसमानस्य पार्थिवस्य महात्मनः । नैतदौपयिकं मन्ये भुक्तभोगस्य भोजनम् ॥ ११ ॥
“I do not think this is fitting food for that godlike, great-souled king, who had enjoyed every enjoyment.
चतुरन्तां महीं भुक्त्वा महेन्द्रसदृशो विभुः । कथमिङ्गुदिपिण्याकं स भुङ्क्ते वसुधाधिपः ॥ १२ ॥
“Having enjoyed the four-cornered earth, like great Indra, the lord: how does that lord of the earth eat ingudi paste?
अतो दुःखतरं लोके न किञ्चित् प्रतिभाति मा । यत्र रामः पितुर्दद्यादिङ्गुदीक्षोदमृद्धिमान् ॥ १३ ॥
“Nothing seems to me more sorrowful in the world than that Rama, so prosperous, should give his father ground ingudi.
रामेणेङ्गुदिपिण्याकं पितुर्दत्तं समीक्ष्य मे । कथं दुःखेन हृदयं न स्फोटति सहस्रधा ॥ १४ ॥
“Seeing the ingudi paste given by Rama to his father, how does my heart not burst into a thousand pieces with sorrow?
श्रुतिस्तु खल्वियं सत्या लौकिकी प्रतिभाति मा । यदन्नः पुरुषो भवति तदन्नास्तस्य देवताः ॥ १५ ॥
“This popular saying seems true to me indeed: whatever food a man eats, that is the food of his gods.”
एवमार्त्तां सपत्न्यस्ता जग्मुराश्वास्य तां तदा । ददृशुश्चाश्रमे रामं स्वर्गच्युतमिवामरम् ॥ १६ ॥
Comforting her, so distressed, her co-wives then went on, and saw Rama in the hermitage, like an immortal fallen from heaven.
सर्वभोगैः परित्यक्तं रामं सम्प्रेक्ष्य मातरः । आर्त्ता मुमुचुरश्रूणि सस्वरं शोककर्शिताः ॥ १७ ॥
Seeing Rama deprived of all enjoyments, the mothers, distressed, wasted by grief, shed tears aloud.
तासां रामः समुत्थाय जग्राह चरणान् शुभान् । मातऽणां मनुजव्याघ्रः सर्वासां सत्यसङ्गरः ॥ १८ ॥
Rama, tiger among men, true to his promise, rose and clasped the auspicious feet of all his mothers.
ताः पाणिभिः सुखस्पर्शैर्मृद्वङ्गुलितलैः शुभैः । प्रममार्जू रजः पृष्ठाद्रामस्यायतलोचनाः ॥ १९ ॥
With their auspicious hands, pleasant to the touch, with soft fingers and palms, the large-eyed women wiped the dust from Rama’s back.
सौमित्रिरपि ताः सर्वाः मातऽः सम्प्रेक्ष्य दुःखितः । अभ्यवादयतासक्तं शनै रामादनन्तरम् ॥ २० ॥
Saumitri too, seeing all those mothers, grieving, saluted them devotedly and slowly after Rama.
यथा रामे तथा तस्मिन् सर्वा ववृतिरे स्त्रियः । वृत्तिं दशरथाज्जाते लक्ष्मणे शुभलक्षणे ॥ २१ ॥
As toward Rama, so all the women behaved toward Lakshmana, son of Dasharatha, of auspicious marks.
सीतापि चरणांस्तासामुपसंगृह्य दुःखिता । श्वश्रूणामश्रुपूर्णाक्षी सा बभूवाग्रतः स्थिता ॥ २२ ॥
Sita too, grieving, clasped the feet of her mothers-in-law and stood before them, her eyes full of tears.
तां परिष्वज्य दुःखार्त्तां माता दुहितरं यथा । वनवासकृशां दीनां कौसल्या वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ २३ ॥
Kausalya embraced her, grief-stricken, as a mother her daughter, thin and wretched from forest life, and said:
विदेहराजस्य सुता स्नुषा दशरथस्य च । रामपत्नी कथं दुःखं सम्प्राप्ता निर्जने वने ॥ २४ ॥
“How has the daughter of the king of Videha, the daughter-in-law of Dasharatha, Rama’s wife, come to sorrow in the lonely forest?
पद्ममातपसन्तप्तं परिक्लिष्टमिवोत्पलम् । काञ्चनं रजसा ध्वस्तं क्लिष्टं चन्द्रमिवाम्बुदैः ॥ २५ ॥
मुखं ते प्रेक्ष्य मां शोको दहत्यग्निरिवाश्रयम् । भृशं मनसि वैदेहि व्यसनारणिसम्भवः ॥ २६ ॥
“Seeing your face, like a lotus scorched by the sun, like a crushed water-lily, like gold covered with dust, like the moon dimmed by clouds, grief, born from the fire-stick of calamity, burns my mind fiercely, Vaidehi, as fire burns its fuel.”
ब्रुवन्त्यामेवमार्त्तायां जनन्यां भरताग्रजः । पादावासाद्य जग्राह वसिष्ठस्य च राघवः ॥ २७ ॥
As the mother spoke so in her distress, Raghava, Bharata’s elder, went and clasped the feet of Vasishtha.
पुरोहितस्याग्निसमस्य वै तदा बृहस्पतेरिन्द्र इवामराधिपः । प्रगृह्य पादौ सुसमृद्धतेजसः सहैव तेनोपविवेश राघवः ॥ २८ ॥
Then, having clasped the feet of the priest, equal to fire, of abundant splendour, as Indra, lord of the immortals, clasps those of Brihaspati, Raghava sat down together with him.
ततो जघन्यं सहितैः समन्त्रिभिः पुरप्रधानैश्च सहैव सैनिकैः । जनेन धर्मज्ञतमेन धर्मवानुपोपविष्टो भरतस्तदाग्रजम् ॥ २९ ॥
Then righteous Bharata sat down behind his elder, together with the ministers, the leading citizens and the soldiers, and the people who knew dharma best.
उपोपविष्टस्तु तथा स वीर्यवांस्तपस्विवेषेण समीक्ष्य राघवम् । श्रिया ज्वलन्तं भरतः कृताञ्जलिर्यथा महेन्द्रः प्रयतः प्रजापतिम् ॥ ३० ॥
Seated close by, the mighty Bharata, palms joined, looked at Raghava, blazing with splendour in an ascetic’s dress, as great Indra, composed, looks at Prajapati.
किमेष वाक्यं भरतो ऽद्य राघवं प्रणम्य सत्कृत्य च साधु वक्ष्यति । इतीव तस्यार्यजनस्य तत्त्वतो बभूव कौतूहलमुत्तमं तदा ॥ ३१ ॥
“What good words will Bharata speak to Raghava today, having bowed and honoured him?” Such was the true and great curiosity of those noble people.
स राघवः सत्यधृतिश्च लक्ष्मणो महानुभवो भरतश्च धार्मिकः । वृताः सुहृद्भिश्च विरेजुरध्वरे यथा सदस्यैः सहितास्त्रयो ऽग्नयः ॥ ३२ ॥
Raghava, steadfast in truth, and the great Lakshmana, and righteous Bharata, surrounded by their friends, shone like the three fires at a sacrifice with the members of the assembly.