Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 22 of 119 · 30 verses
Rama on Fate
Seeing Lakshmana downcast, indignant, his eyes wide with rage like a furious elephant, Rama, holding himself steady by courage, says: “Restrain anger and grief, rely on fortitude alone, put aside the insult and take up the greatest cheer. Send back everything that was prepared for my consecration, quickly and without loss. Let the eagerness you showed in preparing my consecration go now into undoing it. See that my younger mother, whose heart burns over my consecration, has no anxiety; I cannot bear for a moment that she should suffer doubt. I do not remember ever doing anything unkind, knowingly or unknowingly, to my mothers or my father. Let my father, truthful and afraid of the next world, be free of fear; if this were not carried out, he would grieve that his word was false, and his grief would burn me.
“So, stopping the consecration, I wish to go to the forest at once. With my exile Kaikeyi will have her wish; let her consecrate Bharata without worry. When I am gone in bark and deerskin, with matted hair, her mind will be at ease. I should not trouble the one who gave her this idea and set her mind on it. Fate alone must be seen, Saumitri, in my exile and in the kingdom given and taken back. How else would Kaikeyi have conceived this cruelty toward me, unless fate had ordained it? You know I never made a difference among my mothers, nor did she between me and her son. A princess of good nature and virtues would not speak like a common woman to hurt me before her husband unless fate drove her. What is beyond thought is fate; it is not checked even among beings. Who can fight fate, which is seen only in its effects? Pleasure and pain, fear and anger, gain and loss, birth and death: whatever comes so is the work of fate. Even sages of fierce austerity, driven by fate, abandon their vows and fall through desire and anger. What happens suddenly and unplanned, undoing what was begun, is surely fate’s work.
“With this true understanding I steady myself, and I feel no pain though my consecration is blocked. So you too, free of pain, follow me and quickly stop the consecration rites. With these very jars gathered for the consecration, Lakshmana, my bath for my ascetic vow will be made. Or rather, what use to me is this royal water? Water I draw myself will serve for the vow. Do not grieve over the reversal of fortune; kingdom or forest, the forest is the greater good. Do not suspect our younger mother in this obstacle, nor our father; they are seized by fate, and you know fate’s power.”
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अथ तं व्यथया दीनं सविशेषममर्षितम् । सरोषमिव नागेन्द्रं रोषविस्फारितेक्षणम् ॥ १ ॥
आसाद्य रामः सौमित्रिं सुहृदं भ्रातरं प्रियम् । उवाचेदं स धैर्येण धारयन् सत्त्वमात्मवान् ॥ २ ॥
Then, coming to Saumitri, his loving brother and friend, wretched with pain, especially indignant, like a lord of elephants in rage, his eyes wide with anger, Rama, self-possessed, holding his spirit steady by courage, said this:
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निगृह्य रोषं शोकं च धैर्यमाश्रित्य केवलम् । अवमानं निरस्यैनं गृहीत्वा हर्षमुत्तमम् ॥ ३ ॥
“Restrain anger and grief, rely on fortitude alone, cast off this insult and take up the highest joy.
उपक्लृप्तं यदैतन्मे अभिषेकार्थमुत्तमम् । सर्वं निवर्तय क्षिप्रं कुरु कार्यं निरव्ययम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Everything that was prepared, the best, for my consecration, send it all back quickly; do the task without loss.
सौमित्रे योऽभिषेकार्थे मम सम्भारसम्भ्रमः । अभिषेकनिवृत्त्यर्थे सोऽस्तु सम्भारसम्भ्रमः ॥ ५ ॥
“Saumitri, the eager bustle of preparations you made for my consecration, let that same bustle be for undoing the consecration.
यस्या मदभिषेकार्थे मानसं परितप्यते । माता नः सा यथा न स्यात् सविशङ्का तथा कुरु ॥ ६ ॥
“Act so that our mother, whose heart burns over my consecration, may not be anxious.
तस्याः शङ्कामयं दुःखं मुहूर्तमपि नोत्सहे । मनसि प्रतिसंजातं सौमित्रेऽहमुपेक्षितुम् ॥ ७ ॥
“I cannot bear even for a moment to ignore that grief of hers, made of anxiety, arisen in her mind, Saumitri.
न बुद्धिपूर्वं नाबुद्धं स्मरामीह कदाचन । मातॄणां वा पितुर्वाहं कृतमल्पं च विप्रियम् ॥ ८ ॥
“I do not remember ever doing here anything unkind, however small, knowingly or unknowingly, to my mothers or my father.
सत्यः सत्याभिसंधश्च नित्यं सत्यपराक्रमः । परलोकभयाद् भीतो निर्भयोऽस्तु पिता मम ॥ ९ ॥
“Truthful, true to his promises, always of true valour, afraid out of fear for the other world: let my father be without fear.
तस्यापि हि भवेदस्मिन् कर्मण्यप्रतिसंहृते । सत्यं नेति मनस्तापस्तस्य तापस्तपेच्च माम् ॥ १० ॥
“If this act were not carried out, his mind would be pained that his word was not true, and his pain would pain me.
अभिषेकविधानं तु तस्मात् संहृत्य लक्ष्मण । अन्वगेवाहमिच्छामि वनं गन्तुमितः पुरः ॥ ११ ॥
“So, withdrawing the arrangements for the consecration, Lakshmana, I wish to go from here to the forest at once.
मम प्रव्राजनादद्य कृतकृत्या नृपात्मजा । सुतं भरतमव्यग्रमभिषेचयतां ततः ॥ १२ ॥
“With my exile today the princess will have done what she wished; then let her consecrate her son Bharata without worry.
मयि चीराजिनधरे जटामण्डलधारिणि । गतेऽरण्यं च कैकेय्या भविष्यति मनः सुखम् ॥ १३ ॥
“When I am gone to the forest wearing bark and deerskin, with my circle of matted hair, Kaikeyi’s mind will be at ease.
बुद्धिः प्रणीता येनेयं मनश्च सुसमाहितम् । तं नु नार्हामि संक्लेष्टुं प्रव्रजिष्यामि मा चिरम् ॥ १४ ॥
“I should not trouble the one by whom this idea was put forward and her mind well settled. I will go forth without delay.
कृतान्त एव सौमित्रे द्रष्टव्यो मत्प्रवासने । राज्यस्य च वितीर्णस्य पुनरेव निवर्तने ॥ १५ ॥
“Fate alone, Saumitri, is to be seen in my exile, and in the kingdom given and taken back again.
कैकेय्याः प्रतिपत्तिर्हि कथं स्यान्मम वेदने । यदि तस्या न भावोऽयं कृतान्तविहितो भवेत् ॥ १६ ॥
“How else could Kaikeyi have conceived of paining me, if this thought of hers were not ordained by fate?
जानासि हि यथा सौम्य न मातृषु ममान्तरम् । भूतपूर्वं विशेषो वा तस्या मयि सुतेऽपि वा ॥ १७ ॥
“You know, gentle one, that I made no difference among my mothers, nor was there any special difference before in her between me and her son.
सोऽभिषेकनिवृत्त्यर्थैः प्रवासार्थैश्च दुर्वचैः । उग्रैर्वाक्यैरहं तस्या नान्यद् दैवात् समर्थये ॥ १८ ॥
“I can attribute those harsh, fierce words of hers, about stopping the consecration and about exile, to nothing but fate.
कथं प्रकृतिसम्पन्ना राजपुत्री तथागुणा । ब्रूयात् सा प्राकृतेव स्त्री मत्पीड्यं भर्तृसंनिधौ ॥ १९ ॥
“How could a princess of good nature and such virtues speak like a common woman, in her husband’s presence, to give me pain?
यदचिन्त्यं तु तद् दैवं भूतेष्वपि न हन्यते । व्यक्तं मयि च तस्यां च पतितो हि विपर्ययः ॥ २० ॥
“What is inconceivable is fate, which is not checked even among beings. Clearly a reversal has befallen both me and her.
कश्च दैवेन सौमित्रे योद्धुमुत्सहते पुमान् । यस्य नु ग्रहणं किंचित् कर्मणोऽन्यन्न दृश्यते ॥ २१ ॥
“What man, Saumitri, can bring himself to fight with fate, which cannot be grasped at all except in its effects?
सुखदुःखे भयक्रोधौ लाभालाभौ भवाभवौ । यस्य किंचित् तथाभूतं ननु दैवस्य कर्म तत् ॥ २२ ॥
“Pleasure and pain, fear and anger, gain and loss, coming into being and passing away: whatever comes so is surely the work of fate.
ऋषयोऽप्युग्रतपसो दैवेनाभिप्रचोदिताः । उत्सृज्य नियमांस्तीव्रान् भ्रश्यन्ते काममन्युभिः ॥ २३ ॥
“Even sages of fierce austerity, driven by fate, abandon their severe disciplines and fall through desire and anger.
असंकल्पितमेवेह यदकस्मात् प्रवर्तते । निवर्त्यारब्धमारम्भैर्ननु दैवस्य कर्म तत् ॥ २४ ॥
“What happens here suddenly, unintended, undoing what was begun with effort, is surely the work of fate.
एतया तत्त्वया बुद्ध्या संस्तभ्यात्मानमात्मना । व्याहतेऽप्यभिषेके मे परितापो न विद्यते ॥ २५ ॥
“Steadying myself with this true understanding, I feel no pain, though my consecration has been blocked.
तस्मादपरितापः संस्त्वमप्यनुविधाय माम् । प्रतिसंहारय क्षिप्रमाभिषेचनिकीं क्रियाम् ॥ २६ ॥
“So you too, being free of pain and following me, quickly withdraw the rites of the consecration.
एभिरेव घटैः सर्वैरभिषेचनसम्भृतैः । मम लक्ष्मण तापस्ये व्रतस्नानं भविष्यति ॥ २७ ॥
“With these very jars, all gathered for the consecration, Lakshmana, my bath for my ascetic vow will be made.
अथवा किं मयैतेन राज्यद्रव्यमयेन तु । उद्धृतं मे स्वयं तोयं व्रतादेशं करिष्यति ॥ २८ ॥
“Or rather, what is this to me, made of royal materials? Water drawn by myself will serve the observance of my vow.
मा च लक्ष्मण संतापं कार्षीर्लक्ष्म्या विपर्यये । राज्यं वा वनवासो वा वनवासो महोदयः ॥ २९ ॥
“Do not grieve, Lakshmana, at the reversal of fortune. Kingdom or forest life: forest life is the greater good.
न लक्ष्मणास्मिन् मम राज्यविघ्ने माता यवीयस्यभिशङ्कितव्या । दैवाभिपन्ना न पिता कथंचि- ज्जानासि दैवं हि तथाप्रभावम् ॥ ३० ॥
“In this obstacle to my kingdom, Lakshmana, our younger mother is not to be suspected; nor in any way our father, overtaken by fate. For you know fate has such power.”