Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 13 of 119 · 26 verses
The Long Night
Seeing the king lying there unfit for it, like Yayati fallen from heaven when his merit ran out, Kaikeyi presses again: “You boast that you are truthful and firm in your vows. Why do you want to withhold my boon?” Angry and shaken, the king answers: “When I am dead and Rama gone to the forest, be happy, ignoble enemy. How shall I bear it in heaven when the gods ask after Rama and I must answer that I banished him to please Kaikeyi? I won Rama after great effort when I was sonless; how can I banish the brave, learned, patient, lotus-eyed Rama, dark as a blue lotus, to Dandaka? If I could die without causing him sorrow, I would be happy.”
The sun sets and night falls. The night, though adorned with the moon, does not shine for the lamenting king. Gazing at the sky, the old king cries: “Night adorned with stars, I do not want your dawn. Have mercy; or go quickly. I do not want to see cruel Kaikeyi, the cause of my ruin.” With joined palms he pleads with Kaikeyi once more: “Be gracious to a king who has been good, who is wretched, devoted to you and at the end of his life. Let Rama have the kingdom as your gift, and you will win supreme fame. Do this, lovely one, for me, for Rama, for the people, for the elders and for Bharata.” But hard-hearted Kaikeyi does not do what her pure-hearted, wretched husband asks, though he weeps copper-coloured tears. The king faints again, and the night passes as he sighs; when he is woken at dawn, he forbids it.
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अतदर्हं महाराजं शयानमतथोचितम् । ययातिमिव पुण्यान्ते देवलोकात् परिच्युतम् ॥ १ ॥
The great king lying there, not deserving it, unfit for it, like Yayati fallen from the world of the gods when his merit was spent,
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अनर्थरूपासिद्धार्था ह्यभीता भयदर्शिनी । पुनराकारयामास तमेव वरमङ्गना ॥ २ ॥
the woman, whose purpose was harm and was not yet achieved, unafraid, seeing only her fear, again demanded that same boon:
त्वं कत्थसे महाराज सत्यवादी दृढव्रतः । मम चेदं वरं कस्माद् विधारयितुमिच्छसि ॥ ३ ॥
“You boast, great king, that you are truthful and firm in your vows. Why then do you wish to withhold this boon of mine?”
एवमुक्तस्तु कैकेय्या राजा दशरथस्तदा । प्रत्युवाच ततः क्रुद्धो मुहूर्तं विह्वलन्निव ॥ ४ ॥
So addressed by Kaikeyi, King Dasharatha, angry, reeling for a moment, replied:
मृते मयि गते रामे वनं मनुजपुङ्गवे । हन्तानार्ये ममामित्रे सकामा सुखिनी भव ॥ ५ ॥
“When I am dead and Rama, bull among men, gone to the forest, then, ignoble enemy of mine, have your wish and be happy.
स्वर्गेऽपि खलु रामस्य कुशलं दैवतैरहम् । प्रत्यादेशादभिहितं धारयिष्ये कथं बत ॥ ६ ॥
“Even in heaven, when the gods ask after Rama’s welfare, how, alas, shall I bear the reproach they speak?
कैकेय्याः प्रियकामेन रामः प्रव्राजितो वनम् । यदि सत्यं ब्रवीम्येतत् तदसत्यं भविष्यति ॥ ७ ॥
“’Rama was exiled to the forest by one who wished to please Kaikeyi’: if I tell this truth, it will become falsehood.
अपुत्रेण मया पुत्रः श्रमेण महता महान् । रामो लब्धो महातेजाः स कथं त्यज्यते मया ॥ ८ ॥
“When I was sonless, the great, radiant son Rama was won by me with great effort. How can he be abandoned by me?
शूरश्च कृतविद्यश्च जितक्रोधः क्षमापरः । कथं कमलपत्राक्षो मया रामो विवास्यते ॥ ९ ॥
“Brave and learned, his anger conquered, devoted to patience: how can lotus-eyed Rama be banished by me?
कथमिन्दीवरश्यामं दीर्घबाहुं महाबलम् । अभिराममहं रामं स्थापयिष्यामि दण्डकान् ॥ १० ॥
“How shall I send to the Dandaka forest delightful Rama, dark as the blue lotus, long-armed and mighty?
सुखानामुचितस्यैव दुःखैरनुचितस्य च । दुःखं नामानुपश्येयं कथं रामस्य धीमतः ॥ ११ ॥
“How shall I watch sorrow come to wise Rama, who is used only to happiness and unused to sorrow?
यदि दुःखमकृत्वा तु मम संक्रमणं भवेत् । अदुःखार्हस्य रामस्य ततः सुखमवाप्नुयाम् ॥ १२ ॥
“If I could pass away without causing sorrow to Rama, who does not deserve sorrow, then I would find happiness.
नृशंसे पापसंकल्पे रामं सत्यपराक्रमम् । किं विप्रियेण कैकेयि प्रियं योजयसे मम ॥ १३ ॥
“Cruel woman of sinful purpose, why do you join my beloved Rama of true valour to something so hateful, Kaikeyi?
अकीर्तिरतुला लोके ध्रुवं परिभविष्यति । तथा विलपतस्तस्य परिभ्रमितचेतसः ॥ १४ ॥
अस्तमभ्यागमत् सूर्यो रजनी चाभ्यवर्तत । सा त्रियामा तदार्तस्य चन्द्रमण्डलमण्डिता ॥ १५ ॥
“Matchless disgrace in the world will surely overwhelm me.” As he lamented so, his mind wandering, the sun went to its setting and night came on. That night of three watches, adorned with the moon’s disc,
राज्ञो विलपमानस्य न व्यभासत शर्वरी । सदैवोष्णं विनिःश्वस्य वृद्धो दशरथो नृपः ॥ १६ ॥
विललापार्तवद् दुःखं गगनासक्तलोचनः । न प्रभातं त्वयेच्छामि निशे नक्षत्रभूषिते ॥ १७ ॥
did not shine for the afflicted king as he lamented. Sighing hot breaths, the aged King Dasharatha lamented his sorrow like a sick man, his eyes fixed on the sky: “Night adorned with stars, I do not wish your dawn.
क्रियतां मे दया भद्रे मयायं रचितोऽञ्जलिः । अथवा गम्यतां शीघ्रं नाहमिच्छामि निर्घृणाम् ॥ १८ ॥
नृशंसां केकयीं द्रष्टुं यत्कृते व्यसनं मम । एवमुक्त्वा ततो राजा कैकेयीं संयताञ्जलिः ॥ १९ ॥
“Have mercy on me, good one; I have joined my palms to you. Or else pass quickly; I do not want to see merciless, cruel Kaikeyi, on whose account this ruin has come upon me.” Having said this, the king, knowing the dharma of kings, with joined palms,
प्रसादयामास पुनः कैकेयीं राजधर्मवित् । साधुवृत्तस्य दीनस्य त्वद्गतस्य गतायुषः ॥ २० ॥
प्रसादः क्रियतां भद्रे देवि राज्ञो विशेषतः । शून्ये न खलु सुश्रोणि मयेदं समुदाहृतम् ॥ २१ ॥
tried again to win Kaikeyi’s favour: “To a king of good conduct, wretched, devoted to you, at the end of his life, good lady, show favour, queen, especially as I am the king. Surely I did not say this in an empty place, lovely-hipped one.
कुरु साधुप्रसादं मे बाले सहृदया ह्यसि । प्रसीद देवि रामो मे त्वद्दत्तं राज्यमव्ययम् ॥ २२ ॥
लभतामसितापाङ्गे यशः परमवाप्स्यसि । मम रामस्य लोकस्य गुरूणां भरतस्य च । प्रियमेतद् गुरुश्रोणि कुरु चारुमुखेक्षणे ॥ २३ ॥
“Be truly gracious to me, child; you have a heart. Be gracious, queen; let my Rama receive the imperishable kingdom as your gift, dark-eyed one; you will gain supreme fame. Do this, which pleases me, Rama, the people, the elders and Bharata, you of fair face and eyes.”
विशुद्धभावस्य हि दुष्टभावा दीनस्य ताम्राश्रुकलस्य राज्ञः । श्रुत्वा विचित्रं करुणं विलापं भर्तुर्नृशंसा न चकार वाक्यम् ॥ २४ ॥
Having heard the strange, pitiful lament of her husband, the king of pure feeling, wretched, his eyes streaming copper-coloured tears, the woman of corrupt feeling, cruel, did not do as he asked.
ततः स राजा पुनरेव मूर्च्छितः प्रियामतुष्टां प्रतिकूलभाषिणीम् । समीक्ष्य पुत्रस्य विवासनं प्रति क्षितौ विसंज्ञो निपपात दुःखितः ॥ २५ ॥
Then the king, seeing his beloved unappeased, speaking against him, and looking toward the banishment of his son, fainted again and fell senseless on the ground, grief-stricken.
इतीव राज्ञो व्यथितस्य सा निशा जगाम घोरं श्वसतो मनस्विनः । विबोध्यमानः प्रतिबोधनं तदा निवारयामास स राजसत्तमः ॥ २६ ॥
So, as it were, that terrible night passed for the stricken king as he lay sighing, high-minded; and when he was being woken, that best of kings forbade the waking.