Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 29 of 119 · 24 verses
Sita’s Prophecy
Grieving, her face wet with tears, Sita says softly: “The dangers you have named, know that with your love before me they are virtues. Deer, lions, elephants, tigers, sharabhas, yaks and every forest creature, never having seen anyone like you, will run from you in fear. I must go with you at my elders’ command; parted from you, I would give up my life. Not even Shakra, lord of the gods, could harm me while I stand by you. A woman without her husband cannot live; you yourself have shown me that.
“And, wise one, long ago in my father’s house I heard from brahmanas who read the signs that I would truly live in the forest. Since then I have always been eager for forest life. That command must be fulfilled; I will go with you, my husband, and no other way. Let the brahmana’s word come true; the time has come. I know the forest brings many hardships, but they fall on those who are not self-controlled. As a girl in my father’s house I heard of forest life from a mendicant woman of calm conduct, before my mother. And I have asked you often before to take me to the forest with you. I have been waiting for this. Following my husband, I will become free of stain, for a husband is the highest god. Our union will be blessed after death too; the brahmanas say a woman given by her father with water is her husband’s in the next world as well. Why will you not take me, your own faithful wife? Take me, devoted, faithful, wretched, equal in joy and sorrow. If you will not, I will take poison, enter fire or drown myself.” Though she pleads in many ways, the mighty-armed one does not agree to take her to the lonely forest. Sita falls into thought, bathing the ground with hot tears, and Rama, steadying himself, tries again and again to soothe the angry Vaidehi.
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एतत् तु वचनं श्रुत्वा सीता रामस्य दुःखिता । प्रसक्ताश्रुमुखी मन्दमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Hearing these words of Rama, Sita, grieved, her face streaming with tears, spoke softly:
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ये त्वया कीर्तिता दोषा वने वस्तव्यतां प्रति । गुणानित्येव तान् विद्धि तव स्नेहपुरस्कृता ॥ २ ॥
“The faults you have named in living in the forest, know them to be virtues, with your love before me.
मृगाः सिंहा गजाश्चैव शार्दूलाः शरभास्तथा । चमराः सृमराश्चैव ये चान्ये वनचारिणः ॥ ३ ॥
अदृष्टपूर्वरूपत्वात् सर्वे ते तव राघव । रूपं दृष्ट्वापसर्पेयुस्तव सर्वे हि बिभ्यति ॥ ४ ॥
“Deer, lions, elephants, tigers and sharabhas, yaks and srimaras and the other forest creatures, never having seen a form like yours, Raghava, will all run away at the sight of you; for all fear you.
त्वया च सह गन्तव्यं मया गुरुजनाज्ञया । त्वद्वियोगेन मे राम त्यक्तव्यमिह जीवितम् ॥ ५ ॥
“And I must go with you by the command of my elders; separated from you, Rama, I would have to give up my life here.
नहि मां त्वत्समीपस्थामपि शक्रोऽपि राघव । सुराणामीश्वरः शक्तः प्रधर्षयितुमोजसा ॥ ६ ॥
“For not even Shakra, lord of the gods, could overpower me by force while I stand beside you, Raghava.
पतिहीना तु या नारी न सा शक्ष्यति जीवितुम् । काममेवंविधं राम त्वया मम निदर्शितम् ॥ ७ ॥
“A woman without her husband cannot live; you yourself have shown me this clearly, Rama.
अथापि च महाप्राज्ञ ब्राह्मणानां मया श्रुतम् । पुरा पितृगृहे सत्यं वस्तव्यं किल मे वने ॥ ८ ॥
“And besides, wise one, I heard long ago in my father’s house from brahmanas that it is truly my lot to live in the forest.
लक्षणिभ्यो द्विजातिभ्यः श्रुत्वाहं वचनं गृहे । वनवासकृतोत्साहा नित्यमेव महाबल ॥ ९ ॥
“Having heard those words at home from twice-born men who read the marks, I have always been eager to live in the forest, mighty one.
आदेशो वनवासस्य प्राप्तव्यः स मया किल । सा त्वया सह भर्त्राहं यास्यामि प्रिय नान्यथा ॥ १० ॥
“That command to live in the forest must surely be fulfilled by me. So I will go with you, my husband, beloved, and not otherwise.
कृतादेशा भविष्यामि गमिष्यामि त्वया सह । कालश्चायं समुत्पन्नः सत्यवान् भवतु द्विजः ॥ ११ ॥
“I shall have fulfilled the command; I will go with you. The time has come; let the brahmana be proved true.
वनवासे हि जानामि दुःखानि बहुधा किल । प्राप्यन्ते नियतं वीर पुरुषैरकृतात्मभिः ॥ १२ ॥
“I know there are many kinds of hardship in forest life; but surely they come to men whose selves are not disciplined, hero.
कन्यया च पितुर्गेहे वनवासः श्रुतो मया । भिक्षिण्याः शमवृत्ताया मम मातुरिहाग्रतः ॥ १३ ॥
“As a girl in my father’s house I heard of life in the forest from a mendicant woman of calm conduct, here in front of my mother.
प्रसादितश्च वै पूर्वं त्वं मे बहुतिथं प्रभो । गमनं वनवासस्य कांक्षितं हि सह त्वया ॥ १४ ॥
“And many times before, lord, I pleaded with you; going to live in the forest with you was what I longed for.
कृतक्षणाहं भद्रं ते गमनं प्रति राघव । वनवासस्य शूरस्य मम चर्या हि रोचते ॥ १५ ॥
“Bless you, Raghava, I have made my moment ready for going. The life of a hero’s forest-dweller pleases me.
शुद्धात्मन् प्रेमभावाद्धि भविष्यामि विकल्मषा । भर्तारमनुगच्छन्ती भर्ता हि परदैवतम् ॥ १६ ॥
“Pure one, through love I shall become free of stain, following my husband; for a husband is the highest deity.
प्रेत्यभावे हि कल्याणः संगमो मे सदा त्वया । श्रुतिर्हि श्रूयते पुण्या ब्राह्मणानां यशस्विनाम् ॥ १७ ॥
“And after death my union with you will always be blessed; for the holy saying of glorious brahmanas is heard:
इहलोके च पितृभिर्या स्त्री यस्य महाबल । अद्भिर्दत्ता स्वधर्मेण प्रेत्यभावेऽपि तस्य सा ॥ १८ ॥
“’The woman who in this world is given to a man by her father with water, by his own dharma, is his even after death.’
एवमस्मात् स्वकां नारीं सुवृत्तां हि पतिव्रताम् । नाभिरोचयसे नेतुं त्वं मां केनेह हेतुना ॥ १९ ॥
“So why do you not wish to take me from here, your own wife, of good conduct and faithful to her husband?
भक्तां पतिव्रतां दीनां मां समां सुखदुःखयोः । नेतुमर्हसि काकुत्स्थ समानसुखदुःखिनीम् ॥ २० ॥
“You should take me, Kakutstha, devoted, faithful, wretched, the same in happiness and sorrow, sharing your happiness and sorrow.
यदि मां दुःखितामेवं वनं नेतुं न चेच्छसि । विषमग्निं जलं वाहमास्थास्ये मृत्युकारणात् ॥ २१ ॥
“If you do not want to take me, grieving like this, to the forest, I will resort to poison, fire or water to bring about my death.”
एवं बहुविधं तं सा याचते गमनं प्रति । नानुमेने महाबाहुस्तां नेतुं विजनं वनम् ॥ २२ ॥
So she begged him in many ways to let her go; but the mighty-armed one did not consent to take her to the lonely forest.
एवमुक्ता तु सा चिन्तां मैथिली समुपागता । स्नापयन्तीव गामुष्णैरश्रुभिर्नयनच्युतैः ॥ २३ ॥
So addressed, Maithili fell into thought, as if bathing the earth with the hot tears falling from her eyes.
चिन्तयन्तीं तदा तां तु निवर्तयितुमात्मवान् । क्रोधाविष्टां तु वैदेहीं काकुत्स्थो बह्वसान्त्वयत् ॥ २४ ॥
Then self-possessed Kakutstha, to turn her back, soothed Vaidehi again and again as she brooded, filled with anger.