Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 27 of 119 · 24 verses
“I Will Walk Ahead of You”
Sita, who deserves only kindness and speaks only kindly, is angered by love itself: “What is this you say so lightly, Rama? It is laughable, unworthy of a hero and a prince skilled in arms, and not fit to be heard. A father, mother, brother, son or daughter-in-law each enjoys the fruit of their own merit and lives their own fortune; only a wife shares her husband’s fortune. So I too have been commanded to live in the forest. For a woman, neither father, son, self, mother nor friends, but the husband alone is her refuge, here and hereafter. If you leave for the hard forest today, I will walk ahead of you, trampling the kusha grass and thorns. Put aside jealousy and anger like water left after drinking, and take me, trusting me; there is no fault in me. Whether on palace terraces, in celestial chariots or flying through the sky, a husband’s footshade is best in every state. My mother and father taught me how to behave; I need no instruction now.
“I will go to the hard forest, empty of men, full of beasts and tigers, and live happily there as in my father’s house, thinking not of the three worlds but of my duty to you. Serving you, disciplined, living chastely, I will delight with you in the honey-scented forests. You can protect anyone there, much more me. I am going with you today, without doubt; I cannot be turned back. I will live on fruit and roots and never trouble you. I will walk ahead of you and eat after you. I long to see mountains, ponds and lakes everywhere, fearless with you as my protector, lotus pools full of swans and ducks, and bathe in them with you. A thousand years with you would not seem long. Even heaven without you I would not want. Take me; grant my plea. I am resolved to die if parted from you; I will be no burden.” Even so, Rama does not want to take her, and speaks to her at length to turn her back.
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एवमुक्ता तु वैदेही प्रियार्हा प्रियवादिनी । प्रणयादेव संक्रुद्धा भर्तारमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
So addressed, Vaidehi, who deserved kindness and spoke kindly, angry from love itself, said to her husband:
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किमिदं भाषसे राम वाक्यं लघुतया ध्रुवम् । त्वया यदपहास्यं मे श्रुत्वा नरवरोत्तम ॥ २ ॥
“What is this you say so lightly, Rama? Having heard it, best of men, I find it laughable.
वीराणां राजपुत्राणां शस्त्रास्त्रविदुषां नृप । अनर्हमयशस्यं च न श्रोतव्यं त्वयेरितम् ॥ ३ ॥
“What you have said is unworthy and inglorious for heroes, princes learned in arms and missiles, king; it should not even be heard.
आर्यपुत्र पिता माता भ्राता पुत्रस्तथा स्नुषा । स्वानि पुण्यानि भुञ्जानाः स्वं स्वं भाग्यमुपासते ॥ ४ ॥
“Son of a noble man, a father, a mother, a brother, a son and a daughter-in-law, each enjoying their own merits, live each their own fortune.
भर्तुर्भाग्यं तु नार्येका प्राप्नोति पुरुषर्षभ । अतश्चैवाहमादिष्टा वने वस्तव्यमित्यपि ॥ ५ ॥
“A wife alone shares her husband’s fortune, bull among men. So I too have been commanded to live in the forest.
न पिता नात्मजो वात्मा न माता न सखीजनः । इह प्रेत्य च नारीणां पतिरेको गतिः सदा ॥ ६ ॥
“Neither father nor son nor self, neither mother nor friends: for women the husband alone is always the refuge, here and after death.
यदि त्वं प्रस्थितो दुर्गं वनमद्यैव राघव । अग्रतस्ते गमिष्यामि मृद्नन्ती कुशकण्टकान् ॥ ७ ॥
“If you set out today for the hard forest, Raghava, I will go ahead of you, trampling the kusha grass and thorns.
ईर्ष्यां रोषं बहिष्कृत्य भुक्तशेषमिवोदकम् । नय मां वीर विस्रब्धः पापं मयि न विद्यते ॥ ८ ॥
“Casting out jealousy and anger like water left over after drinking, take me, hero, with confidence; there is no wrong in me.
प्रासादाग्रे विमानैर्वा वैहायसगतेन वा । सर्वावस्थागता भर्तुः पादच्छाया विशिष्यते ॥ ९ ॥
“On palace terraces, in celestial chariots, or moving through the sky, in every condition the shade of a husband’s feet is best.
अनुशिष्टास्मि मात्रा च पित्रा च विविधाश्रयम् । नास्मि सम्प्रति वक्तव्या वर्तितव्यं यथा मया ॥ १० ॥
“I have been taught by my mother and father how to conduct myself in every situation; I need not be told now how I should behave.
अहं दुर्गं गमिष्यामि वनं पुरुषवर्जितम् । नानामृगगणाकीर्णं शार्दूलगणसेवितम् ॥ ११ ॥
“I will go to the hard forest, empty of men, crowded with many herds of beasts and frequented by packs of tigers.
सुखं वने निवत्स्यामि यथैव भवने पितुः । अचिन्तयन्ती त्रीँल्लोकांश्चिन्तयन्ती पतिव्रतम् ॥ १२ ॥
“I will live happily in the forest just as in my father’s house, not thinking of the three worlds, thinking of my vow to my husband.
शुश्रूषमाणा ते नित्यं नियता ब्रह्मचारिणी । सह रंस्ये त्वया वीर वनेषु मधुगन्धिषु ॥ १३ ॥
“Always serving you, disciplined, chaste, I will delight with you, hero, in the honey-scented forests.
त्वं हि कर्तुं वने शक्तो राम सम्परिपालनम् । अन्यस्यापि जनस्येह किं पुनर्मम मानद ॥ १४ ॥
“You are able to protect anyone else in the forest, Rama; how much more me, giver of honour.
साहं त्वया गमिष्यामि वनमद्य न संशयः । नाहं शक्या महाभाग निवर्तयितुमुद्यता ॥ १५ ॥
“So I will go with you to the forest today, without doubt. I cannot be turned back, fortunate one; I am resolved.
फलमूलाशना नित्यं भविष्यामि न संशयः । न ते दुःखं करिष्यामि निवसन्ती त्वया सदा ॥ १६ ॥
“I will always eat fruit and roots, without doubt. Living with you always, I will cause you no trouble.
अग्रतस्ते गमिष्यामि भोक्ष्ये भुक्तवति त्वयि । इच्छामि परतः शैलान् पल्वलानि सरांसि च ॥ १७ ॥
द्रष्टुं सर्वत्र निर्भीता त्वया नाथेन धीमता । हंसकारण्डवाकीर्णाः पद्मिनीः साधुपुष्पिताः ॥ १८ ॥
“I will go ahead of you and eat after you have eaten. I long to see mountains beyond, ponds and lakes, fearless everywhere with you, my wise protector, and lotus pools full of swans and ducks, beautifully in flower.
इच्छेयं सुखिनी द्रष्टुं त्वया वीरेण संगता । अभिषेकं करिष्यामि तासु नित्यमनुव्रता ॥ १९ ॥
“Happy, united with you, my hero, I would like to see them; and following you always, I will bathe in them.
सह त्वया विशालाक्ष रंस्ये परमनन्दिनी । एवं वर्षसहस्राणि शतं वापि त्वया सह ॥ २० ॥
“With you, large-eyed one, I will delight in the highest joy. So, for thousands of years, or a hundred thousand, with you
व्यतिक्रमं न वेत्स्यामि स्वर्गोऽपि हि न मे मतः । स्वर्गेऽपि च विना वासो भविता यदि राघव । त्वया विना नरव्याघ्र नाहं तदपि रोचये ॥ २१ ॥
“I will not notice time passing; I do not even think of heaven. If I were to live in heaven without you, Raghava, tiger among men, I would not want even that.
अहं गमिष्यामि वनं सुदुर्गमं मृगायुतं वानरवारणैश्च । वने निवत्स्यामि यथा पितुर्गृहे तवैव पादावुपगृह्य सम्मता ॥ २२ ॥
“I will go to the forest, so hard to enter, full of beasts, monkeys and elephants. Holding your feet, honoured, I will live in the forest as in my father’s house.
अनन्यभावामनुरक्तचेतसं त्वया वियुक्तां मरणाय निश्चिताम् । नयस्व मां साधु कुरुष्व याचनां नातो मया ते गुरुता भविष्यति ॥ २३ ॥
“Take me, who have no thought but you, whose heart is devoted to you, who am resolved to die if parted from you. Grant my plea; I shall be no burden to you.”
तथा ब्रुवाणामपि धर्मवत्सलां न च स्म सीतां नृवरो निनीषति । उवाच चैनां बहु संनिवर्तने वने निवासस्य च दुःखितां प्रति ॥ २४ ॥
Even as she spoke so, devoted to dharma, the best of men did not wish to take Sita, and spoke to her at length to turn her back, distressed about life in the forest.