Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 119 of 119 · 21 verses
Into the Great Forest
Hearing that great story, Anasuya, who knows dharma, embraces Maithili and kisses her head: “You have told it sweetly and vividly, with clear syllables and words; I have heard all of how the svayamvara happened. I delight in your story, sweet-spoken one. The glorious sun has set, bringing on the auspicious night. The sound is heard of birds that scattered by day for food and now, at twilight, have settled to sleep. These sages, wet from bathing, their bark garments soaked, are coming together carrying their water-jars. Smoke, red as a pigeon’s limbs, is seen, stirred by the wind, from the seers’ fire-offerings duly made. The trees, though their leaves are few, have grown dense on every side; even in this open place the directions are no longer visible. The creatures that move by night are roaming everywhere, and these deer of the penance-forest are lying down at the altars and fords. The night has deepened, Sita, adorned with stars; the moon, wrapped in moonlight, is seen risen in the sky. Go; I give you leave; be Rama’s companion. You have pleased me with your sweet story. But first adorn yourself here before my eyes, Maithili; give me joy, child, shining with these heavenly ornaments.” Adorned so, Sita, like a daughter of the gods, bows her head to her and goes toward Rama. Seeing Sita so adorned, Raghava, best of speakers, rejoices at the ascetic woman’s gift of love. Sita Maithili tells Rama everything about the ascetic’s gift: the clothes, the ornaments, the garlands. Rama and Lakshmana, the great chariot-warrior, are delighted to see the honour done to Maithili, so rare among humans. Pleased, his face like the moon, honoured by the ascetics and siddhas, the delight of the Raghus spends that holy night there.
When the night has passed and the ascetics have bathed and made their fire-offerings, the two tigers among men take leave of the forest-dwelling ascetics. The righteous ascetics of the forest tell them about the paths of that forest, overrun by rakshasas: “Rakshasas, man-eaters of many forms, and blood-drinking beasts of prey, live in this great forest, Raghava. They eat any ascetic walking in dharma who is impure or careless in this great forest; keep them away, Raghava. This is the path the great seers use to fetch fruit in the forest; by it, Raghava, you can enter the difficult forest.” With these words of the ascetic brahmanas, who join their palms and pronounce blessings for his journey, Raghava, scorcher of foes, enters the forest with his wife and Lakshmana, as the sun enters a mass of clouds.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
अनसूया तु धर्मज्ञा श्रुत्वा तां महतीं कथाम् । पर्य्यष्वजत बाहुभ्यां शिरस्याघ्राय मैथिलीम् ॥ १ ॥
Anasuya, who knew dharma, having heard that great story, embraced Maithili with both arms and kissed her on the head:
Commentary on the whole sarga
Into the Great Forest 1 min read.
Read the commentary
व्यक्ताक्षरपदं चित्रं भाषितं मधुरं त्वया । यथा स्वयम्वरं वृत्तं तत्सर्वं हि श्रुतं मया । रमे ऽहं कथया ते तु दृढं मधुरभाषिणि ॥ २ ॥
“What you have said is clear in syllables and words, wonderful and sweet; I have heard all of it, how the svayamvara took place. I delight greatly in your story, sweet-spoken one.
रविरस्तं गतः श्रीमानुपोह्य रजनीं शिवाम् । दिवसं प्रतिकीर्णानामाहारार्थं पतत्ऺित्रणाम् । सन्ध्याकाले निलीनानां निद्रार्थं श्रूयते ध्वनिः ॥ ३ ॥
“The glorious sun has set, bringing on the auspicious night. The sound is heard of birds that scattered by day for food, settling at twilight to sleep.
एते चाप्यभिषेकार्द्रा मुनयः कलशोद्यताः । सहिता उपवर्तन्ते सलिलाप्लुतवल्कलाः ॥ ४ ॥
“And these sages, wet from bathing, carrying their water-jars, are coming together, their bark garments drenched with water.
ऋषीणामग्निहोत्रेषु हुतेषु विधिपूर्वकम् । कपोताङ्गारुणो धूमो दृश्यते पवनोद्धतः ॥ ५ ॥
“When the seers’ fire-offerings have been made according to rule, smoke red as a pigeon’s limbs is seen, stirred by the wind.
अल्पपर्णाहि तरवो घनीभूताः समन्ततः । विप्रकृष्टेपि देशे ऽस्मिन्न प्रकाशन्ति वै दिशः ॥ ६ ॥
“The trees, though with few leaves, have become dense on every side; even in this distant place the directions do not show.
रजनीचरसत्त्वानि प्रचरन्ति समन्ततः । तपोवनमृगा ह्येते वेदितीर्थेषु शेरते ॥ ७ ॥
“The creatures that move by night are roaming everywhere; and these deer of the penance-forest lie down at the altars and the fords.
सम्प्रवृद्धा निशा सीते नक्षत्रसमलङ्कृता । जोत्स्नाप्रावरणश्चन्द्रो दृश्यते ऽभ्युदितो ऽम्बरे ॥ ८ ॥
“The night has grown deep, Sita, adorned with stars; the moon, cloaked in moonlight, is seen risen in the sky.
गम्यतामनुजानामि रामस्यानुचरी भव । कथयन्त्या हि मधुरं त्वयाहं परितोषिता ॥ ९ ॥
“Go; I give you leave; be Rama’s companion. For I have been fully pleased by you as you told your sweet story.
अलङ्कुरु च तावत्त्वं प्रत्यक्षं मम मैथिलि । प्रीतिं जनय मे वत्से दिव्यालङ्कारशोभिता ॥ १० ॥
“But first adorn yourself before my eyes, Maithili; give me joy, child, shining with heavenly ornaments.”
सा तथा समलंकृत्य सीता सुरसुतोपमा । प्रणम्य शिरसा तस्यै रामं त्वभिमुखी ययौ ॥ ११ ॥
Adorned so, Sita, like a daughter of the gods, bowing her head to her, went toward Rama.
तथा तु भूषितां सीतां ददर्श वदतां वरः । राघवः प्रीतिदानेन तपस्विन्या जहर्ष च ॥ १२ ॥
Raghava, best of speakers, saw Sita adorned so, and rejoiced at the ascetic woman’s gift of love.
न्यवेदयत्ततः सर्वं सीता रामाय मैथिली । प्रीतिदानं तपस्विन्या वसनाभरणस्रजम् ॥ १३ ॥
Then Sita Maithili told Rama everything: the ascetic woman’s gift of love, the clothes, ornaments and garlands.
प्रहृष्टस्त्वभवद्रामो लक्ष्मणश्च महारथः । मैथिल्याः सत्क्रियां दृष्ट्वा मानुषेषु सुदुर्लभाम् ॥ १४ ॥
Rama was delighted, and Lakshmana the great chariot-warrior, seeing the honour done to Maithili, so very rare among humans.
ततस्तां शर्वरीं प्रीतः पुण्यां शशिनिभाननः । अर्चितस्तापसैः सिद्धैरुवास रघुनन्दनः ॥ १५ ॥
Then, pleased, his face like the moon, honoured by the ascetics and siddhas, the delight of the Raghus spent that holy night there.
तस्यां रात्र्यां व्यतीतायामभिषिच्य हुताग्निकान् । आपृच्छेतां नरव्याघ्रौ तापसान् वनगोचरान् ॥ १६ ॥
When that night had passed and the ascetics had bathed and made their fire-offerings, the two tigers among men took leave of the forest-going ascetics.
तावूचुस्ते वनचरास्तापसा धर्मचारिणः । वनस्य तस्य सञ्चारं राक्षसैः समभिप्लुतम् ॥ १७ ॥
Those forest-dwelling ascetics, walking in dharma, told them of the paths of that forest, overrun by rakshasas:
रक्षांसि पुरुषादानि नानारूपाणि राघव । वसन्त्यस्मिन् महारण्ये व्यालाश्च रुधिराशनाः ॥ १८ ॥
“Rakshasas, man-eaters of many forms, Raghava, live in this great forest, and blood-drinking beasts of prey.
उच्छिष्टं वा प्रमत्तं वा तापसं धर्मचारिणम् । अदन्त्यस्मिन् महारण्ये तान्निवारय राघव ॥ १९ ॥
“They eat an ascetic walking in dharma who is impure or careless in this great forest. Keep them off, Raghava.
एष पन्था महर्षीणां फलान्याहरतां वने । अनेन तु वनं दुर्गं गन्तुं राघव ते क्षमम् ॥ २० ॥
“This is the path of the great seers who fetch fruit in the forest. By this, Raghava, you can go into the difficult forest.”
इतीव तैः प्राञ्जलिभिस्तपस्विभिर्द्विजैः कृतः स्वस्त्ययनः परं तपः । वनं सभार्य्यः प्रविऺवेश राघवः सलक्ष्मणः सूर्य्यमिवाभ्रमण्डलम् ॥ २१ ॥
With such words, the ascetic brahmanas with joined palms having pronounced blessings for his journey, Raghava, scorcher of foes, entered the forest with his wife and with Lakshmana, like the sun entering a mass of clouds.