Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 117 of 119 · 27 verses
Atri and Anasuya
After the ascetics have gone, Raghava, thinking it over, no longer likes living there, for many reasons: “Here I saw Bharata, and my mothers with the citizens; the memory of them follows me as I grieve for them always. And the camp of that great soul’s army, with the dung of horses and elephants, has badly trampled the place. So let us go elsewhere.” So thinking, Raghava sets out with Vaidehi and Lakshmana. Reaching the hermitage of Atri, the glorious one salutes him, and the lord Atri receives him like a son. Himself ordering hospitality, he honours everything for him and comforts Saumitri and the fortunate Sita. Calling his aged, honoured wife, who has come, the righteous one, devoted to the good of all beings, comforts her and says: “Receive Vaidehi.” And the best of seers tells Rama about the ascetic woman who walks in dharma, Anasuya: “When the world was burned by ten years without rain, she created roots and fruits and made the Jahnavi flow. Joined to fierce austerity, adorned with vows, she practised great austerity for ten thousand years. Anasuya, bathed in vows, removed obstacles; for the sake of the gods’ work she, in haste, made one night into ten. She is like a mother to you, sinless one. Let Vaidehi go to this glorious woman, to be saluted by all beings, old, never angry, who has won fame in the world by her deeds under the name Anasuya, ‘free of envy’.” Saying “So be it,” Raghava says to Sita, who knows dharma: “Princess, you have heard what this sage has said. Go quickly to the ascetic woman for your own good.”
Hearing Raghava, who wishes her well, Maithili goes to Atri’s wife, who knows dharma: loose-limbed, wrinkled, old, her hair white with age, her limbs always trembling like a plantain in the wind. Calmly Sita salutes the fortunate Anasuya, devoted to her husband, and says her own name. Having saluted the blameless ascetic, Vaidehi, joyful, with joined palms, asks after her health. Seeing the fortunate Sita walking in dharma, she, delighted, comforts her: “By good fortune you look to dharma. By good fortune, Sita, passionate one, leaving your kin, your pride and your wealth, you follow Rama, confined to the forest. Women who love their husbands, whether in the city or in the forest, bad or good, gain worlds of great prosperity. Though ill-natured, wanton or without wealth, a husband is the highest god for women of noble nature. Reflecting, I see no kinsman better than him, Vaidehi, fitting in every way, like austerity practised, imperishable. Bad women, whose hearts are ruled by desire and who treat their husbands as their servants, do not understand his virtues and faults. Women like that, Maithili, fallen under the power of wrong deeds, gain disgrace and lose dharma. But women like you, endowed with virtues, who have seen the high and low of the world, will move in heaven like those who have done dharma. So, devoted to him, faithful, following the rule of devoted wives, be your husband’s companion in dharma, and you will gain fame and dharma.”
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राघवस्त्वथ यातेषु तपस्विषु विचिन्तयन् । न तत्रारोचयद्वासं कारणैर्बहुभिस्तदा ॥ १ ॥
Then, when the ascetics had gone, Raghava, thinking it over, did not then like living there, for many reasons:
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इह मे भरतो दृष्टो मातरश्च सनागराः । सा च मे स्मृतिरन्वेति तान्नित्यमनुशोचतः ॥ २ ॥
“Here I saw Bharata, and my mothers with the citizens; and that memory follows me as I always grieve for them.
स्कन्धावारनिवेशेन तेन तस्य महात्मनः । हयहस्तिकरीषैश्च उपमर्द्दः कृतो भृशम् ॥ ३ ॥
“And by the encampment of that great soul’s army, by the dung of horses and elephants, great damage has been done.”
तस्मादन्यत्र गच्छाम इति सञ्चिन्त्य राघवः । प्रातिष्ठत स वैदेह्या लक्ष्मणेन च सङ्गतः ॥ ४ ॥
So, having thought, “Let us go elsewhere,” that Raghava set out together with Vaidehi and Lakshmana.
सो ऽत्रेराश्रममासाद्य तं ववन्दे महायशाः । तं चापि भगवानत्रिः पुत्रवत् प्रत्यपद्यत ॥ ५ ॥
Reaching Atri’s hermitage, the greatly glorious one saluted him, and the lord Atri received him like a son.
स्वयमातिथ्यमादिश्य सर्वमस्य सुसत्कृतम् । सौमित्रिं च महाभागां सीतां च समसान्त्वयत् ॥ ६ ॥
Himself ordering hospitality, he honoured everything for him well, and comforted Saumitri and the fortunate Sita.
पत्नीं च समनुप्राप्तां वृद्धामामन्त्र्य सत्कृताम् । सान्त्वयामास धर्मज्ञः सर्वभूतहिते रतः ॥ ७ ॥
And calling his aged, honoured wife, who had come, the righteous one, devoted to the good of all beings, comforted her.
अनसूयां महाभागां तापसीं धर्मचारिणीम् । प्रतिगृह्णीष्व वैदेहीमब्रवीदृषिसत्तमः । रामाय चाचचक्षे तां तापसीं धर्मचारिणीम् ॥ ८ ॥
The best of seers said to the fortunate ascetic woman Anasuya, who walked in dharma: “Receive Vaidehi.” And he told Rama about that ascetic woman who walked in dharma:
दशवर्षाण्यनावृष्ट्या दग्धे लोके निरन्तरम् । यया मूलफले सृष्टे जाह्नवी च प्रवर्त्तिता ॥ ९ ॥
“When the world was burned continuously by ten years without rain, she created roots and fruits, and made the Jahnavi flow.
उग्रेण तपसा युक्ता नियमैश्चाप्यलङ्कृता । दशवर्षसहस्राणि यया तप्तं महत्तपः ॥ १० ॥
“Joined to fierce austerity and adorned with restraints, she practised great austerity for ten thousand years.
अनसूया व्रतैः स्नाता प्रत्यूहाश्च निवर्त्तिताः । देवकार्यनिमित्तं च यया संत्वरमाणया । दशरात्रं कृता रात्रिः सेयं मातेव ते ऽनघ ॥ ११ ॥
“Anasuya, bathed in vows, removed obstacles; and for the sake of the gods’ work, in haste, she made a night into ten nights. She is like a mother to you, sinless one.
तामिमां सर्वभूतानां नमस्कार्य्यां यशस्विनीम् । अभिगच्छतु वैदेही वृद्धामक्रोधनां सदा । अनसूयेति या लोके कर्मभिः ख्यातिमागता ॥ १२ ॥
“Let Vaidehi go to her, glorious, to be saluted by all beings, old, always free of anger, who has gained fame in the world by her deeds as Anasuya.”
एवं ब्रुवाणं तमृषिं तथेत्युक्त्वा स राघवः । सीतामुवाच धर्मज्ञामिदं वचनमुत्तमम् ॥ १३ ॥
Saying “So be it” to the seer who spoke so, Raghava said these excellent words to Sita, who knew dharma:
राजपुत्रि श्रुतं त्वेतन्मुनेरस्य समीरितम् । श्रेयोर्थमात्मनः श्रीघ्रमभिगच्छ तपस्विनीम् ॥ १४ ॥
“Princess, you have heard this, spoken by this sage. For your own good, go quickly to the ascetic woman.”
सीता त्वेतद्वचः श्रुत्वा राघवस्य हितैषिणः । तामत्रिपत्नीं धर्मज्ञामभिचक्राम मैथिली ॥ १५ ॥
Hearing these words of Raghava, who wished her well, Sita Maithili went to that wife of Atri, who knew dharma,
शिथिलां वलितां वृद्धां जरापाण्डरमूर्द्धजाम् । सततं वेपमानाङ्गी प्रवाते कदली यथा ॥ १६ ॥
loose-limbed, wrinkled, old, her hair white with age, her limbs always trembling like a plantain in the wind.
तां तु सीता महाभागामनसूयां पतिव्रताम् । अभ्यवादयदव्यग्रा स्वनाम समुदाहरत् ॥ १७ ॥
Sita, composed, saluted that fortunate Anasuya, devoted to her husband, and announced her own name.
अभिवाद्य च वैदेही तापसीं तामनिन्दिताम् । बद्धाञ्जलिपुटा हृष्टा पर्यपृच्छदनामयम् ॥ १८ ॥
Having saluted that blameless ascetic woman, Vaidehi, delighted, with joined palms, asked after her health.
ततः सीतां महाभागां दृष्ट्वा तां धर्मचारिणीम् । सान्त्वयन्त्यब्रवीद्धृष्टा दिष्ट्या धर्ममवेक्षसे ॥ १९ ॥
Then, seeing that fortunate Sita who walked in dharma, she, delighted, comforting her, said: “By good fortune you look to dharma.
त्यक्त्वा ज्ञातिजनं सीते मानमृद्धिं च भामिनि । अवरुद्धं वने रामं दिष्ट्या त्वमनुगच्छसि ॥ २० ॥
“By good fortune, Sita, having left your kinsfolk, pride and wealth, passionate one, you follow Rama, confined to the forest.
नगरस्थो वनस्थो वा पापो वा यदि वा शुभः । यासां स्त्रीणां प्रियो भर्ता तासां लोका महोदयाः ॥ २१ ॥
“Whether he lives in the city or in the forest, whether he is bad or good, women whose husband is dear to them have worlds of great prosperity.
दुःशीलः कामवृत्तो वा धनैवा परिवर्जितः । स्त्रीणामार्यस्वभावानां परमं दैवतं पतिः ॥ २२ ॥
“Whether ill-natured, wanton, or without wealth, the husband is the highest deity for women of noble nature.
नातो विशिष्टं पश्यामि बान्धवं विमृशन्त्यहम् । सर्वत्रयोग्यं वैदेहि तपःकृतमिवाव्ययम् ॥ २३ ॥
“Reflecting, I see no kinsman better than him, Vaidehi, fit in every place, imperishable like austerity performed.
न त्वेनमवगच्छन्ति गुणदोषमसत्स्त्रियः । कामवक्तव्यहृदया भर्तृनाथा श्चरन्ति याः ॥ २४ ॥
“But bad women do not understand his virtues and faults, women whose hearts are ruled by desire, who go about treating their husbands as subject to them.
प्राप्नुवन्त्ययशश्चैव धर्मभ्रंशं च मैथिलि । अकार्यवशमापन्नाः स्त्रियो याः खलु तद्विधाः ॥ २५ ॥
“Women of that kind, Maithili, fallen under the power of wrong deeds, gain disgrace and loss of dharma.
त्वद्विधास्तु गुणैर्युक्ता दृष्टलोकपरावराः । स्त्रियः स्वग चरिष्यन्ति यथा धर्मकृतस्तथा ॥ २६ ॥
“But women like you, endowed with virtues, who have seen the high and low of the world, will move in heaven like those who have done dharma.
तदेवमेनं त्वमनुव्रता सती पतिव्रतानां समयानुवर्तिनी । भवस्व भर्त्तुः सहधर्मचारिणी यशश्च धर्मं च ततः समाप्स्यसि ॥ २७ ॥
“So, devoted to him, faithful, following the rule of women devoted to their husbands, be your husband’s companion in dharma; from that you will gain fame and dharma.”