Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 104 of 119 · 27 verses
Bharata Asks, Rama Refuses
Knowing his brother to be devoted to his elders, Rama, with Lakshmana, begins to question him: “I want to hear you tell me why you have come to this place in rags, matted hair and deerskin. Why have you left the kingdom and come here wearing a black deerskin and matted hair? You should tell me all of it.” Asked so by great-souled Kakutstha, Kaikeyi’s son, holding himself firmly, joins his palms and says: “Noble one, our mighty-armed father, having done a very hard thing and abandoned you, has gone to heaven, tormented by grief for his son. Commanded by a woman, my mother Kaikeyi, scorcher of foes, he committed this great sin, which robbed him of his fame. Not having gained the fruit of the kingdom, a widow wasted by grief, my mother will fall into a most dreadful hell. Show favour to me, your servant; have yourself consecrated in the kingdom today, like Maghavan. All these subjects and the widowed mothers have come to you; show them favour. Take the kingdom by right, as is fitting by order of birth and fitting for yourself, giver of honour, and fulfil your friends’ wishes. Let the whole earth be no longer a widow, with you as its husband, like an autumn night with the spotless moon. I, with these ministers, beg you with my head: show favour to your brother, your pupil, your servant. Do not pass over this eternal, ancestral assembly of all the subjects, which honours you, tiger among men.” Saying this, the mighty-armed son of Kaikeyi, in tears, clasps Rama’s feet again with his head, as is proper.
Rama embraces his brother Bharata, sighing again and again like a rutting elephant, and says: “How could a man like you, well-born, strong, splendid and keeping his vows, commit a sin for the sake of a kingdom? I see no fault in you at all, slayer of foes. Nor should you blame your mother out of youthful impulse. Elders always have the right to act as they will toward their wives and sons, very wise, sinless one. As we are counted by the good in this world, gentle one, so you should know us: wives, sons and pupils. The great king had the right to make me live in the forest in rags and deerskin, gentle one, or in the kingdom. As much honour, honoured by the world, as is due to a father who knows dharma, so much is due to a mother too, best of those who keep dharma. Told by these two of righteous character, mother and father, ‘Go to the forest’, Raghava, how could I do anything else? You must obtain the kingdom in Ayodhya, honoured by the world; I must live in the Dandaka forest in bark clothes. Having made this division in the presence of the people, and having so commanded, the great king Dasharatha of great splendour went to heaven. That righteous king, teacher of the world, is your authority; you should enjoy the share your father gave you. I, for fourteen years, living in the Dandaka forest, will enjoy the share given me by our great-souled father. What my great-souled father, honoured by the world of men, like the lord of the gods, told me, I think that alone is my highest good, not even lordship over all the worlds.”
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तं तु रामः समाज्ञाय भ्रातरं गुरुवत्सलम् । लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा प्रष्टुं समुपचक्रमे ॥ १ ॥
Rama, recognising that brother of his as devoted to his elders, began to question him together with his brother Lakshmana:
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Bharata Asks, Rama Refuses 1 min read.
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किमेतदिच्छेयमहं श्रोतुं प्रव्याहृतं त्वया । यस्मात्त्वमागतो देशमिमं चीरजटाजिनी ॥ २ ॥
“What is this? I want to hear it spoken by you: why you have come to this place in rags, matted hair and deerskin.
किं निमित्तमिमं देशं कृष्णाजिनजटाधरः । हित्वा राज्यं प्रविष्टस्त्वं तत्सर्वं वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ ३ ॥
“For what reason have you left the kingdom and entered this place, wearing a black deerskin and matted hair? You should tell all of it.”
इत्युक्तः कैकयीपुत्रः काकुत्स्थेन महात्मना । प्रगृह्य बलवद्भूयः प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ ४ ॥
Spoken to so by great-souled Kakutstha, Kaikeyi’s son, holding himself firmly again, joined his palms and said:
आर्य्यं तातः परित्यज्य कृत्वा कर्म सुदुष्करम् । गतः स्वर्गं महाबाहुः पुत्रशोकाभिपीडितः ॥ ५ ॥
“Noble one, our mighty-armed father, having abandoned you and done a very hard deed, has gone to heaven, tormented by grief for his son.
स्त्रिया नियुक्तः कैकेय्या मम मात्रा परन्तप । चकार सुमहत्पापमिदमात्मयशोहरम् ॥ ६ ॥
“Commanded by a woman, by my mother Kaikeyi, scorcher of foes, he committed this very great sin, which took away his own fame.
सा राज्यफलमप्राप्य विधवा शोककर्शिता । पतिष्यति महाघोरे निरये जननी मम ॥ ७ ॥
“Not having obtained the fruit of the kingdom, widowed, wasted by grief, my mother will fall into a most dreadful hell.
तस्य मे दासभूतस्य प्रसादं कर्त्तुमर्हसि । अभिषिञ्चस्व चाद्यैव राज्येनप मघवानिव ॥ ८ ॥
“You should show favour to me, who am your servant; and have yourself consecrated in the kingdom this very day, like Maghavan.
इमाः प्रकृतयः सर्वा विधवा मातरश्च याः । त्वत्सकाशमनुप्राप्ताः प्रसादं कर्त्तुमर्हसि ॥ ९ ॥
“All these subjects, and the mothers who are widows, have come to your side; you should show favour.
तदानुपूर्व्या युक्तं च युक्तं चात्मनि मानद । राज्यं प्राप्नुहि धर्मेण सकामान् सुहृदः कुरु ॥ १० ॥
“So, as is proper by order of birth and proper for yourself, giver of honour, obtain the kingdom by dharma, and fulfil the wishes of your friends.
भवत्वविधवा भूमिः समग्रा पतिना त्वया । शशिना विमलेनेव शारदी रजनी यथा ॥ ११ ॥
“Let the whole earth be no widow, with you as its husband, like an autumn night with the spotless moon.
एभिश्च सचिवैः सार्द्धं शिरसा याचितो मया । भ्रातुः शिष्यस्य दासस्य प्रसादं कर्त्तुमर्हसि ॥ १२ ॥
“Begged with my head by me, together with these ministers, you should show favour to your brother, your pupil, your servant.
तदिदं शाश्वतं पित्र्यं सर्वं प्रकृतिमण्डलम् । पूजितं पुरुषव्याघ्र नातिक्रमितुमर्हसि ॥ १३ ॥
“This whole circle of subjects, eternal, ancestral, honoured, you should not pass over, tiger among men.”
एवमुक्त्वा महाबाहुः सबाष्पः कैकयीसुतः । रामस्य शिरसा पादौ जग्राह विधिवत्पुनः ॥ १४ ॥
Having said this, the mighty-armed son of Kaikeyi, in tears, again clasped Rama’s feet with his head according to rule.
तं मत्तमिव मातङ्गं निःश्वसन्तं पुनःपुनः । भ्रातरं भरतं रामः परिष्वज्येदमब्रवीत् ॥ १५ ॥
Embracing his brother Bharata, sighing again and again like a rutting elephant, Rama said this:
कुलीनः सत्त्वसम्पन्नस्तेजस्वी चरितव्रतः । राज्यहेतोः कथं पापमाचरेत्त्वद्विधो जनः ॥ १६ ॥
“How could someone like you, well-born, endowed with strength, splendid, keeping his vows, commit a sin for the sake of a kingdom?
न दोषं त्वयि पश्यामि सूक्ष्ममप्यरिसूदन । न चापि जननीं बाल्यात्त्वं विगर्हितुमर्हसि ॥ १७ ॥
“I see no fault in you, not even a slight one, slayer of enemies; and you should not blame your mother out of childishness.
कामकारो महाप्राज्ञ गुरूणां सर्वदा ऽनघ । उपपन्नेषु दारेषु पुत्रेषु च विधीयते ॥ १८ ॥
“The right to act as they wish is always laid down for elders, very wise, sinless one, toward wives and sons who are fit.
वयमस्य यथा लोके सङ्ख्याताः सौम्य साधुभिः । भार्य्याः पुत्राश्च शिष्याश्च त्वमनु ज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥ १९ ॥
“As we are counted in the world by the good, gentle one, as wives, sons and pupils, you should understand.
वने वा चीरवसनं सौम्य कृष्णाजिनाम्बरम् । राज्ये वापि महाराजो मां वासयितुमीश्वरः ॥ २० ॥
“The great king had the power to make me live in the forest, gentle one, dressed in rags and black deerskin, or in the kingdom.
यावत्पितरि धर्मज्ञे गौरवं लोकसत्कृतम् । तावद्धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठ जनन्यामपि गौरवम् ॥ २१ ॥
“As much honour, honoured by the world, as there is for a father who knows dharma, so much honour, best of those who bear dharma, is there for a mother too.
एताभ्यां धर्मशीलाभ्यां वनं गच्छेति राघव । मातापितृभ्यामुक्तो ऽहं कथमन्यत् समाचरे ॥ २२ ॥
“Told by these two of righteous character, mother and father, ‘Go to the forest’, Raghava, how could I do anything else?
त्वया राज्यमयोध्यायां प्राप्तव्यं लोकसत्कृतम् । वस्तव्यं दण्डकारण्ये मया वल्कलवाससा ॥ २३ ॥
“The kingdom in Ayodhya, honoured by the world, is to be obtained by you; living in the Dandaka forest, dressed in bark, is for me.
एवं कृत्वा महाराजो विभागं लोकसन्निधौ । व्यादिश्य च महातेजा दिवं दशरथो गतः ॥ २४ ॥
“Having made this division in the presence of the people, and having commanded it, the great king Dasharatha of great splendour went to heaven.
स च प्रमाणं धर्मात्मा राजा लोकगुरुस्तव । पित्रा दत्तं यथाभागमुपभोक्तुं त्वमर्हसि ॥ २५ ॥
“And that righteous king, teacher of the world, is your authority. You should enjoy the share given you by your father.
चतुर्दशसमाः सौम्य दण्डकारण्यमाश्रितः । उपभोक्ष्ये त्वहं दत्तं भागं पित्रा महात्मना ॥ २६ ॥
“I, for fourteen years, gentle one, sheltering in the Dandaka forest, will enjoy the share given by my great-souled father.
यदब्रवीन्मां नरलोकसत्कृतः पिता महात्मा विबुधाधिपोपमः । तदेव मन्ये परमात्मनो हितं न सर्वलोकेश्वरभावमप्यहम् ॥ २७ ॥
“What my great-souled father, honoured by the world of men, like the lord of the gods, told me: that alone I consider the highest good for myself, not even the lordship of all the worlds.”