Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 17 of 119 · 22 verses
Through the City to the Palace
Rama rides on through the city, past houses white as clouds, along the royal road fragrant with aloe and heaped with sandal, perfumes, linen and silk, unpierced pearls and crystal, flowers and foods, its squares honoured with curd, rice, offerings and garlands, as Indra looks on heaven. He hears blessings from friends and greets everyone as is fitting. People call out: “Walk the path your forefathers walked, once you are consecrated. As your father and grandfathers cared for us, we will live even more happily under King Rama. We need no food or wealth today if we can see Rama come out established in the kingdom.” Rama hears all this calmly.
No one can take his eyes or mind away from him even after he has passed; whoever does not see Rama, or whom Rama does not see, is blamed by all and blames himself. For the righteous one shows kindness to all four orders, and all are devoted to him. Circling the crossroads, temples, shrines and sacred places respectfully, he reaches the royal palace, with its towers like Kailasa, and, blazing with splendour, enters his father’s house. He passes three courtyards guarded by archers in his chariot and two more on foot, sends back all the people, and goes into the private inner apartments. The crowd waits joyfully for him to come out again, as the ocean waits for the moonrise.
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स रामो रथमास्थाय सम्प्रहृष्टसुहृज्जनः । पताकाध्वजसम्पन्नं महार्हागुरुधूपितम् ॥ १ ॥
अपश्यन्नगरं श्रीमान् नानाजनसमन्वितम् । स गृहैरभ्रसंकाशैः पाण्डुरैरुपशोभितम् ॥ २ ॥
Rama, mounted on his chariot, his friends delighted, saw the city, rich with banners and flags, perfumed with costly aloe, full of people of many kinds; and, adorned by white houses like clouds,
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राजमार्गं ययौ रामो मध्येनागुरुधूपितम् । चन्दनानां च मुख्यानामगुरूणां च संचयैः ॥ ३ ॥
उत्तमानां च गन्धानां क्षौमकौशाम्बरस्य च । अविद्धाभिश्च मुक्ताभिरुत्तमैः स्फाटिकैरपि ॥ ४ ॥
शोभमानमसम्बाधं तं राजपथमुत्तमम् । संवृतं विविधैः पुष्पैर्भक्ष्यैरुच्चावचैरपि ॥ ५ ॥
Rama went along the middle of the royal road, perfumed with aloe. That excellent royal road, shining and uncrowded, with heaps of fine sandal and aloe, of excellent perfumes, of linen and silk cloth, with unpierced pearls and excellent crystal, covered with flowers of many kinds and with foods of every sort,
ददर्श तं राजपथं दिवि देवपतिर्यथा । दध्यक्षतहविर्लाजैर्धूपैरगुरुचन्दनैः ॥ ६ ॥
नानामाल्योपगन्धैश्च सदाभ्यर्चितचत्वरम् । आशीर्वादान् बहून् शृण्वन् सुहृद्भिः समुदीरितान् ॥ ७ ॥
he saw, as the lord of the gods sees heaven, its squares always honoured with curd, unbroken rice, offerings and parched grain, with incense, aloe and sandal, and with garlands and perfumes of many kinds. Hearing many blessings spoken by his friends,
यथार्हं चापि सम्पूज्य सर्वानेव नरान् ययौ । पितामहैराचरितं तथैव प्रपितामहैः ॥ ८ ॥
अद्योपादाय तं मार्गमभिषिक्तोऽनुपालय । यथा स्म पोषिताः पित्रा यथा सर्वैः पितामहैः । ततः सुखतरं सर्वे रामे वत्स्याम राजनि ॥ ९ ॥
and honouring all the men as they deserved, he went on. “That path walked by your grandfathers and great-grandfathers, take it up from today and keep it, once you are consecrated. As we were cared for by your father and by all your forefathers, we shall all live even more happily under Rama as king.
अलमद्य हि भुक्तेन परमार्थैरलं च नः । यदि पश्याम निर्यान्तं रामं राज्ये प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥ १० ॥
“Enough of eating for us today, enough of wealth, if we can see Rama come out established in the kingdom.
ततो हि नः प्रियतरं नान्यत् किंचिद् भविष्यति । यथाभिषेको रामस्य राज्येनामिततेजसः ॥ ११ ॥
“Nothing will be dearer to us than that: the consecration of Rama of boundless splendour with the kingdom.”
एताश्चान्याश्च सुहृदामुदासीनः शुभाः कथाः । आत्मसम्पूजनीः शृण्वन् ययौ रामो महापथम् ॥ १२ ॥
Hearing these and other auspicious words of his friends, honouring himself, Rama went along the great road, unmoved.
न हि तस्मान्मनः कश्चिच्चक्षुषी वा नरोत्तमात् । नरः शक्नोत्यपाक्रष्टुमतिक्रान्तेऽपि राघवे ॥ १३ ॥
No man could draw his mind or his eyes away from that best of men, even when Raghava had passed.
यश्च रामं न पश्येत्तु यं च रामो न पश्यति । निन्दितः सर्वलोकेषु स्वात्माप्येनं विगर्हते ॥ १४ ॥
Whoever does not see Rama, and whom Rama does not see, is blamed in all the worlds, and his own self reproaches him.
सर्वेषु स हि धर्मात्मा वर्णानां कुरुते दयाम् । चतुर्णां हि वयःस्थानां तेन ते तमनुव्रताः ॥ १५ ॥
For that righteous one shows compassion to all the four orders, to people of every age; therefore they are devoted to him.
चतुष्पथान् देवपथांश्चैत्यांश्चायतनानि च । प्रदक्षिणं परिहरज्जगाम नृपतेः सुतः ॥ १६ ॥
Passing by the crossroads, the roads of the gods, the shrines and temples, keeping them on his right, the king’s son went on.
स राजकुलमासाद्य मेघसङ्घोपमैः शुभैः । प्रासादशृङ्गैर्विविधैः कैलासशिखरोपमैः ॥ १७ ॥
आवारयद्भिर्गगनं विमानैरिव पाण्डुरैः । वर्धमानगृहैश्चापि रत्नजालपरिष्कृतैः ॥ १८ ॥
Reaching the royal palace, with its many lovely towers like masses of clouds, like peaks of Kailasa, as if blocking the sky like white celestial chariots, and with its vardhamana houses adorned with nets of jewels,
तत् पृथिव्यां गृहवरं महेन्द्रसदनोपमम् । राजपुत्रः पितुर्वेश्म प्रविवेश श्रिया ज्वलन् ॥ १९ ॥
the king’s son, blazing with splendour, entered his father’s house, the best house on earth, like the abode of great Indra.
स कक्ष्या धन्विभिर्गुप्तास्तिस्रोऽतिक्रम्य वाजिभिः । पदातिरपरे कक्ष्ये द्वे जगाम नरोत्तमः ॥ २० ॥
The best of men passed three courtyards guarded by archers with his horses, and two more on foot.
स सर्वाः समतिक्रम्य कक्ष्या दशरथात्मजः । संनिवर्त्य जनं सर्वं शुद्धान्तःपुरमत्यगात् ॥ २१ ॥
Having passed all the courtyards, the son of Dasharatha sent back all the people and entered the private inner apartments.
तस्मिन् प्रविष्टे पितुरन्तिकं तदा जनः स सर्वो मुदितो नृपात्मजे । प्रतीक्षते तस्य पुनः स्म निर्गमं यथोदयं चन्द्रमसः सरित्पतिः ॥ २२ ॥
When the king’s son had gone in to his father, all the people, joyful, waited for him to come out again, as the lord of rivers waits for the rising of the moon.