Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 24 of 119 · 38 verses
Kausalya Gives Her Blessing
Seeing Rama resolved to keep his father’s command, Kausalya, choked with tears, says: “How will my son, who has never known sorrow, who speaks kindly to all, live by gleaning in the forest? He whose servants eat fine food, how will he eat roots and fruit? Who could believe that the king’s virtuous, beloved son is being banished? Surely Death is mighty, ordering all, if you, delight of the world, must go to the forest. The fire of grief, fanned by the wind of not seeing you, fed by lament, with tears as offerings and the smoke of worry, will burn me up like dry grass in spring. As a cow follows her calf, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Rama tells her: “Deceived by Kaikeyi, with me in the forest and abandoned by you, the king will surely not survive. For a woman to abandon her husband is cruel and condemned; you must not even think of it. While my father lives, serve him; that is the eternal dharma.” Kausalya agrees. Rama continues: “We must both do father’s word; the king is husband, guru, master and lord of all. I will spend these fourteen years in the great forest and then stand by your word with great joy.” She says: “I cannot live among these co-wives; take me too to the forest like a wild doe.” Weeping, Rama answers: “While a woman lives, her husband is her deity and master; the king is master of you and me today. We are not without a protector with the wise king, lord of the world, and righteous Bharata, kind to all, will serve you, for he is always devoted to dharma. Act so that this terrible grief does not destroy the king. A woman devoted to vows and fasts who does not follow her husband goes to an evil end; by serving her husband a woman reaches the highest heaven. Honour the gods with fire rituals and flowers for my sake, and the brahmanas; wait for my return, disciplined, serving your husband.”
Kausalya, tormented by grief for her son, says: “I cannot turn back your resolve to go, hero; time is hard to cross. Go, my son, single-minded; blessings on you always. When you return, your vow fulfilled and your father’s debt repaid, I will sleep in perfect happiness. The way of fate is always unknowable on earth, since it drives you, Raghava, setting aside my word. Go now, mighty-armed one; come back safely and gladden me with your gentle words. May the time come soon when I see you return from the forest, wearing matted hair and bark.” Seeing Rama resolved, the queen, with her whole heart, prepares to perform the rites for his safe journey.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
तं समीक्ष्य व्यवसितं पितुर्निर्देशपालने । कौसल्या बाष्पसंरुद्धा वचो धर्मिष्ठमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Seeing him resolved to keep his father’s command, Kausalya, choked with tears, spoke righteous words:
Commentary on the whole sarga
Kausalya Gives Her Blessing 1 min read.
Read the commentary
अदृष्टदुःखो धर्मात्मा सर्वभूतप्रियंवदः । मयि जातो दशरथात् कथमुञ्छेन वर्तयेत् ॥ २ ॥
“He who has never seen sorrow, righteous, kind of speech to all beings, born of me by Dasharatha: how will he live by gleaning?
यस्य भृत्याश्च दासाश्च मृष्टान्यन्नानि भुञ्जते । कथं स भोक्ष्यते रामो वने मूलफलान्ययम् ॥ ३ ॥
“He whose servants and slaves eat fine food: how will this Rama eat roots and fruit in the forest?
क एतच्छ्रद्दधेच्छ्रुत्वा कस्य वा न भवेद् भयम् । गुणवान् दयितो राज्ञः काकुत्स्थो यद् विवास्यते ॥ ४ ॥
“Who would believe this on hearing it, or who would not be afraid, that the virtuous, beloved Kakutstha of the king is being banished?
नूनं तु बलवाँल्लोके कृतान्तः सर्वमादिशन् । लोके रामाभिरामस्त्वं वनं यत्र गमिष्यसि ॥ ५ ॥
“Surely Death, who commands all, is mighty in the world, since you, delight of the world, Rama, will go to the forest.
अयं तु मामात्मभवस्तवादर्शनमारुतः । विलापदुःखसमिधो रुदिताश्रुहुताहुतिः ॥ ६ ॥
चिन्ताबाष्पमहाधूमस्तवागमनचिन्तजः । कर्शयित्वाधिकं पुत्र निःश्वासायाससम्भवः ॥ ७ ॥
त्वया विहीनामिह मां शोकाग्निरतुलो महान् । प्रधक्ष्यति यथा कक्ष्यं चित्रभानुर्हिमात्यये ॥ ८ ॥
“This fire of grief born in me, whose wind is not seeing you, whose fuel is the pain of lament, whose oblations are the tears of weeping, whose great smoke is the vapour of anxiety, born of thinking of your return, arising from the labour of sighs, will waste me further, my son, and burn me up here, bereft of you, matchless and great, as fire burns dry brushwood at the end of winter.
कथं हि धेनुः स्वं वत्सं गच्छन्तमनुगच्छति । अहं त्वानुगमिष्यामि यत्र वत्स गमिष्यसि ॥ ९ ॥
“How does a cow follow her own calf as it goes? So I will follow you, my child, wherever you go.”
यथा निगदितं मात्रा तद् वाक्यं पुरुषर्षभः । श्रुत्वा रामोऽब्रवीद् वाक्यं मातरं भृशदुःखिताम् ॥ १० ॥
Hearing those words spoken by his mother, the bull among men said to his mother, deeply grieved:
कैकेय्या वञ्चितो राजा मयि चारण्यमाश्रिते । भवत्या च परित्यक्तो न नूनं वर्तयिष्यति ॥ ११ ॥
“Deceived by Kaikeyi, with me gone to the forest and abandoned by you too, the king surely will not survive.
भर्तुः किल परित्यागो नृशंसः केवलं स्त्रियाः । स भवत्या न कर्तव्यो मनसापि विगर्हितः ॥ १२ ॥
“Abandoning a husband is simply cruel for a woman. You must not do it; it is condemned even in thought.
यावज्जीवति काकुत्स्थः पिता मे जगतीपतिः । शुश्रूषा क्रियतां तावत् स हि धर्मः सनातनः ॥ १३ ॥
“As long as my father, the Kakutstha lord of the world, lives, let him be served; that is the eternal dharma.”
एवमुक्ता तु रामेण कौसल्या शुभदर्शना । तथेत्युवाच सुप्रीता राममक्लिष्टकारिणम् ॥ १४ ॥
So addressed by Rama, lovely Kausalya, well pleased, said “So be it” to Rama, unwearied in action.
एवमुक्तस्तु वचनं रामो धर्मभृतां वरः । भूयस्तामब्रवीद् वाक्यं मातरं भृशदुःखिताम् ॥ १५ ॥
So addressed, Rama, best of upholders of dharma, spoke again to his deeply grieving mother:
मया चैव भवत्या च कर्तव्यं वचनं पितुः । राजा भर्ता गुरुः श्रेष्ठः सर्वेषामीश्वरः प्रभुः ॥ १६ ॥
“Father’s word must be carried out by me and by you. The king is husband, guru, best, master and lord of all.
इमानि तु महारण्ये विहृत्य नव पञ्च च । वर्षाणि परमप्रीत्या स्थास्यामि वचने तव ॥ १७ ॥
“Having spent these nine years and five in the great forest, I will abide by your word with the greatest joy.”
एवमुक्ता प्रियं पुत्रं बाष्पपूर्णानना तदा । उवाच परमार्ता तु कौसल्या सुतवत्सला ॥ १८ ॥
So addressed, her face full of tears, Kausalya, loving her son, in great distress, said to her beloved son:
आसां राम सपत्नीनां वस्तुं मध्ये न मे क्षमम् । नय मामपि काकुत्स्थ वनं वन्यां मृगीमिव ॥ १९ ॥
“It is not right for me, Rama, to live among these co-wives. Take me too, Kakutstha, to the forest, like a forest doe,
यदि ते गमने बुद्धिः कृता पितरपेक्षया । तां तथा रुदतीं रामो रुदन् वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ २० ॥
“if you have made up your mind to go out of regard for your father.” To her, weeping so, Rama, weeping, said:
जीवन्त्या हि स्त्रिया भर्ता दैवतं प्रभुरेव च । भवत्या मम चैवाद्य राजा प्रभवति प्रभुः ॥ २१ ॥
“While a woman lives, her husband is her deity and her lord. The king is lord over you and me today.
न ह्यनाथा वयं राज्ञा लोकनाथेन धीमता । भरतश्चापि धर्मात्मा सर्वभूतप्रियंवदः ॥ २२ ॥
“We are not without protection, with the wise king, lord of the world. And righteous Bharata too, kind of speech to all beings,
भवतीमनुवर्तेत स हि धर्मरतः सदा । यथा मयि तु निष्क्रान्ते पुत्रशोकेन पार्थिवः ॥ २३ ॥
“will attend on you, for he is always devoted to dharma. When I have gone, see that the king, grieving for his son,
श्रमं नावाप्नुयात्किंचिदप्रमत्ता तथा कुरु । दारुणश्चाप्ययं शोको यथैनं न विनाशयेत् ॥ २४ ॥
“suffers no hardship at all; take care. And act so that this terrible grief does not destroy him.
राज्ञो वृद्धस्य सततं हितं चर समाहिता । व्रतोपवासनिरता या नारी परमोत्तमा ॥ २५ ॥
भर्तारं नानुवर्तेत सा च पापगतिर्भवेत् । भर्तुः शुश्रूषया नारी लभते स्वर्गमुत्तमम् ॥ २६ ॥
“Always attentive, do what is good for the aged king. The woman who, though excellent and devoted to vows and fasts, does not follow her husband goes to an evil end. By serving her husband a woman gains the highest heaven.
अपि या निर्नमस्कारा निवृत्ता देवपूजनात् । शुश्रूषामेव कुर्वीत भर्तुः प्रियहिते रता ॥ २७ ॥
“Even a woman who does no obeisance and has given up the worship of the gods should serve her husband, devoted to what is dear and good to him.
एष धर्मः स्त्रिया नित्यो वेदे लोके श्रुतः स्मृतः । अग्निकार्येषु च सदा सुमनोभिश्च देवताः ॥ २८ ॥
पूज्यास्ते मत्कृते देवि ब्राह्मणाश्चैव सत्कृताः । एवं कालं प्रतीक्षस्व ममागमनकांक्षिणी ॥ २९ ॥
“This is a woman’s eternal dharma, heard in the Veda and remembered in the world. And with fire rites and flowers, queen, worship the gods for my sake, and honour the brahmanas too. Wait for the time in this way, longing for my coming,
नियता नियताहारा भर्तृशुश्रूषणे रता । प्राप्स्यसे परमं कामं मयि पर्यागते सति ॥ ३० ॥
यदि धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठो धारयिष्यति जीवितम् । एवमुक्ता तु रामेण बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणा ॥ ३१ ॥
“disciplined, restrained in food, devoted to serving your husband. You will gain your highest wish when I have returned, if the best of upholders of dharma keeps his life.” So addressed by Rama, her eyes brimming with tears,
कौसल्या पुत्रशोकार्ता रामं वचनमब्रवीत् । गमने सुकृतां बुद्धिं न ते शक्नोमि पुत्रक ॥ ३२ ॥
विनिवर्तयितुं वीर नूनं कालो दुरत्ययः । गच्छ पुत्र त्वमेकाग्रो भद्रं तेऽस्तु सदा विभो ॥ ३३ ॥
Kausalya, stricken with grief for her son, said to Rama: “I cannot turn back your well-made resolve to go, my son. Surely, hero, time is hard to overcome. Go, my son, single-minded; may good fortune always be with you, lord.
पुनस्त्वयि निवृत्ते तु भविष्यामि गतक्लमा । प्रत्यागते महाभागे कृतार्थे चरितव्रते । पितुरानृण्यतां प्राप्ते स्वपिष्ये परमं सुखम् ॥ ३४ ॥
“When you come back I shall be free of weariness. When you have returned, fortunate one, your purpose achieved, your vow completed, your debt to your father repaid, I shall sleep in perfect happiness.
कृतान्तस्य गतिः पुत्र दुर्विभाव्या सदा भुवि । यस्त्वां संचोदयति मे वच आविध्य राघव ॥ ३५ ॥
“The course of fate is always hard to understand on earth, my son, since it drives you, Raghava, setting aside my word.
गच्छेदानीं महाबाहो क्षेमेण पुनरागतः । नन्दयिष्यसि मां पुत्र साम्ना श्लक्ष्णेन चारुणा ॥ ३६ ॥
“Go now, mighty-armed one; returning safely, you will gladden me, my son, with your gentle, kind and lovely words.
अपीदानीं स कालः स्याद् वनात् प्रत्यागतं पुनः । यत् त्वां पुत्रक पश्येयं जटावल्कलधारिणम् ॥ ३७ ॥
“May that time come soon, when I see you again, my son, returned from the forest, wearing matted hair and bark.”
तथा हि रामं वनवासनिश्चितं ददर्श देवी परमेण चेतसा । उवाच रामं शुभलक्षणं वचो बभूव च स्वस्त्ययनाभिकांक्षिणी ॥ ३८ ॥
So the queen saw Rama, resolved on living in the forest, with her whole heart; she spoke auspicious words to Rama and became eager to perform the rites for his safe journey.