Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 41 of 119 · 21 verses
Ayodhya in Mourning
As the tiger among men departs with joined palms, a great cry of grief rises in the inner palace: “He who was the refuge of these helpless, weak, suffering people, where is our protector going? He who never grew angry even when reviled, who avoided giving offence, who soothed all who were angry and shared our sorrows, where is he going? He who treated us as he treated his own mother Kausalya, where is the great soul going? Sent to the forest by the king, tormented by Kaikeyi, where is the protector of these people, of the world, going? The king is senseless, banishing righteous, truthful Rama, the ruin of the world of the living.” All the queens weep like cows without their calves. Hearing that terrible cry, the king, burning with grief for his son, is in deep sorrow.
No fire offerings are made; householders do not cook; people do no work; the sun disappears. Elephants drop their mouthfuls of food; cows do not suckle their calves; a mother who has just borne her firstborn son does not rejoice. Trishanku, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury and all the dreadful planets close in on the moon; the stars lose their light, the planets their radiance, and the Vishakha stars shine in the sky veiled in smoke. With Rama gone to the forest, the city heaves like the ocean before a storm wind. The directions are dark; no planet or star shines. Suddenly the whole city falls into dejection; no one cares for food or pleasure. Sighing, burning with grief, everyone in Ayodhya cries out against the king. On the royal road every face is wet with tears; no one is happy. No cool wind blows, the moon is not gentle to see, the sun does not warm the world; everything is confused. Sons, husbands and brothers want nothing; abandoning everything, they think only of Rama. All Rama’s friends, bewildered, weighed down with grief, do not go to bed. Bereft of that great soul, Ayodhya shakes terribly, burning with fear and grief, like the earth with its mountains when Indra is gone, and its elephants, warriors and horses cry out.
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तस्मिंस्तु पुरुषव्याघ्रे निष्क्रामति कृताञ्जलौ । आर्तशब्दो हि संजज्ञे स्त्रीणामन्तःपुरे महान् ॥ १ ॥
As that tiger among men went out with joined palms, a great cry of grief rose among the women in the inner palace:
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Ayodhya in Mourning 1 min read.
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अनाथस्य जनस्यास्य दुर्बलस्य तपस्विनः । यो गतिः शरणं चासीत् स नाथः क्व नु गच्छति ॥ २ ॥
“He who was the way and the refuge of these helpless, weak, suffering people, where is that protector going?
न क्रुध्यत्यभिशस्तोऽपि क्रोधनीयानि वर्जयन् । क्रुद्धान् प्रसादयन् सर्वान् समदुःखः क्व गच्छति ॥ ३ ॥
“He who never grew angry even when reviled, avoided what gave offence, soothed all who were angry, and shared our sorrows, where is he going?
कौसल्यायां महातेजा यथा मातरि वर्तते । तथा यो वर्ततेऽस्मासु महात्मा क्व नु गच्छति ॥ ४ ॥
“The radiant one who behaved toward us as toward his mother Kausalya, where is that great soul going?
कैकेय्या क्लिश्यमानेन राज्ञा संचोदितो वनम् । परित्राता जनस्यास्य जगतः क्व नु गच्छति ॥ ५ ॥
“Sent to the forest by the king, who was tormented by Kaikeyi, where is the protector of these people, of the world, going?
अहो निश्चेतनो राजा जीवलोकस्य संक्षयम् । धर्म्यं सत्यव्रतं रामं वनवासे प्रवत्स्यति ॥ ६ ॥
“Ah, the king is senseless, who will make righteous Rama, true to his vow, the very life of the world, live in exile in the forest.”
इति सर्वा महिष्यस्ता विवत्सा इव धेनवः । रुरुदुश्चैव दुःखार्ताः सस्वरं च विचुक्रुशुः ॥ ७ ॥
So all those queens, like cows bereft of their calves, wept, afflicted with grief, and cried aloud.
स तमन्तःपुरे घोरमार्तशब्दं महीपतिः । पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तः श्रुत्वा चासीत् सुदुःखितः ॥ ८ ॥
Hearing that terrible cry of grief in the inner palace, the lord of the earth, burning with sorrow for his son, was in deep distress.
नाग्निहोत्राण्यहूयन्त नापचन् गृहमेधिनः । अकुर्वन् न प्रजाः कार्यं सूर्यश्चान्तरधीयत ॥ ९ ॥
No fire offerings were made; householders did not cook; the people did no work; and the sun disappeared.
व्यसृजन् कवलान् नागा गावो वत्सान् न पाययन् । पुत्रं प्रथमजं लब्ध्वा जननी नाभ्यनन्दत ॥ १० ॥
Elephants let fall their mouthfuls; cows did not suckle their calves; a mother, having borne her firstborn son, did not rejoice.
त्रिशङ्कुर्लोहिताङ्गश्च बृहस्पतिबुधावपि । दारुणाः सोममभ्येत्य ग्रहाः सर्वे व्यवस्थिताः ॥ ११ ॥
Trishanku, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury, and all the dreadful planets, approached the moon and stood there.
नक्षत्राणि गतार्चींषि ग्रहाश्च गततेजसः । विशाखाश्च सधूमाश्च नभसि प्रचकाशिरे ॥ १२ ॥
The stars lost their brightness and the planets their splendour; the Vishakha stars shone in the sky wrapped in smoke.
कालिकानिलवेगेन महोदधिरिवोत्थितः । रामे वनं प्रव्रजिते नगरं प्रचचाल तत् ॥ १३ ॥
Like the great ocean raised by the force of a storm wind, the city shook when Rama went into exile in the forest.
दिशः पर्याकुलाः सर्वास्तिमिरेणेव संवृताः । न ग्रहो नापि नक्षत्रं प्रचकाशे न किंचन ॥ १४ ॥
All the directions were confused, as if covered by darkness; no planet, no star, nothing at all shone.
अकस्मान्नागरः सर्वो जनो दैन्यमुपागमत् । आहारे वा विहारे वा न कश्चिदकरोन्मनः ॥ १५ ॥
Suddenly all the people of the city fell into dejection; no one set their mind on food or pleasure.
शोकपर्यायसंतप्तः सततं दीर्घमुच्छ्वसन् । अयोध्यायां जनः सर्वश्चुक्रोश जगतीपतिम् ॥ १६ ॥
Burning with waves of grief, sighing long and continually, all the people in Ayodhya cried out against the lord of the world.
बाष्पपर्याकुलमुखो राजमार्गगतो जनः । न हृष्टो लभ्यते कश्चित् सर्वः शोकपरायणः ॥ १७ ॥
The people on the royal road had faces flooded with tears; no one happy was to be found; everyone was given over to grief.
न वाति पवनः शीतो न शशी सौम्यदर्शनः । न सूर्यस्तपते लोकं सर्वं पर्याकुलं जगत् ॥ १८ ॥
No cool wind blew; the moon was not gentle to look at; the sun did not warm the world; the whole world was in confusion.
अनर्थिनः सुताः स्त्रीणां भर्तारो भ्रातरस्तथा । सर्वे सर्वं परित्यज्य राममेवान्वचिन्तयन् ॥ १९ ॥
Sons, women’s husbands and brothers had no wishes; all, abandoning everything, thought only of Rama.
ये तु रामस्य सुहृदः सर्वे ते मूढचेतसः । शोकभारेण चाक्रान्ताः शयनं नैव भेजिरे ॥ २० ॥
And all who were Rama’s friends, their minds bewildered, oppressed by the weight of grief, did not go to their beds.
ततस्त्वयोध्या रहिता महात्मना पुरन्दरेणेव मही सपर्वता । चचाल घोरं भयशोकदीपिता सनागयोधाश्वगणा ननाद च ॥ २१ ॥
Then Ayodhya, bereft of the great soul, shook terribly, burning with fear and grief, like the earth with its mountains bereft of Purandara, and it roared with its elephants, warriors and horses.