Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 47 of 119 · 19 verses
The Citizens Wake to Find Him Gone
When night ends, the citizens, without Raghava, are stunned and paralysed with grief. Worn with tears, looking this way and that, they cannot see even a trace of Rama. Bereft of the wise one, faces drawn with despair, they speak pitifully: “Damn that sleep that robbed us of our senses! Today we cannot see broad-chested, mighty-armed Rama. How could mighty Rama, whose deeds are always true, abandon his devoted people and go into exile as an ascetic? He who always protected us like a father his own sons, how could the best of the Raghus leave us and go to the forest? Let us die here, or set out on the great final journey; what good is life without Rama? There is plenty of dry wood; let us light a pyre and enter it. What shall we say? How can we say ‘We brought back mighty Raghava, free of envy, kind of speech’? The city, seeing us without Raghava, will surely be joyless, its women, children and elders wretched. We went out with that hero, the great soul; how can we see that city again without him?”
Raising their arms, they lament like cows that have lost their calves. They follow the track a short way, then lose it and are overwhelmed with despair. Following the chariot ruts, they turn back: “What is this? What shall we do? We are struck down by fate.” Weary at heart, they return by the way they came to Ayodhya, where the good are grieving. Seeing the city, their minds shaken by its ruin, they weep with eyes tormented by grief: “Without Rama this city does not shine, like a river whose serpent Garuda has lifted out of the pool.” They see the city like the sky without the moon, like the ocean without water, its joy destroyed. Entering their rich houses in sorrow, struck by grief, they do not recognise their own people or strangers; their joy is gone.
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प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां पौरास्ते राघवं विना । शोकोपहतनिश्चेष्टा बभूवुर्हतचेतसः ॥ १ ॥
When the night had dawned, the citizens, without Raghava, were paralysed and struck with grief, their minds lost.
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शोकजाश्रुपरिद्यूना वीक्षमाणास्ततस्ततः । आलोकमपि रामस्य न पश्यन्ति स्म दुःखिताः ॥ २ ॥
Worn by tears born of grief, looking here and there, the grieving people did not see even a glimpse of Rama.
ते विषादार्तवदना रहितास्तेन धीमता । कृपणाः करुणा वाचो वदन्ति स्म मनीषिणः ॥ ३ ॥
Bereft of that wise one, their faces stricken with despair, those thoughtful men spoke wretched, pitiful words:
धिगस्तु खलु निद्रां तां ययापहतचेतसः । नाद्य पश्यामहे रामं पृथूरस्कं महाभुजम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Damn that sleep, by which our senses were stolen! Today we do not see broad-chested, mighty-armed Rama.
कथं रामो महाबाहुः स तथावितथक्रियः । भक्तं जनमभित्यज्य प्रवासं तापसो गतः ॥ ५ ॥
“How has mighty-armed Rama, whose deeds are always true, abandoned his devoted people and gone into exile as an ascetic?
यो नः सदा पालयति पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान् । कथं रघूणां स श्रेष्ठस्त्यक्त्वा नो विपिनं गतः ॥ ६ ॥
“He who always protected us as a father protects his own sons, how has that best of the Raghus left us and gone to the forest?
इहैव निधनं याम महाप्रस्थानमेव वा । रामेण रहितानां नो किमर्थं जीवितं हितम् ॥ ७ ॥
“Let us go to our death right here, or on the great final journey. Without Rama, what good is life to us?
सन्ति शुष्काणि काष्ठानि प्रभूतानि महान्ति च । तैः प्रज्वाल्य चितां सर्वे प्रविशामोऽथवा वयम् ॥ ८ ॥
“There are plenty of dry, great logs; with them let us all light a pyre and enter it.
किं वक्ष्यामो महाबाहुरनसूयः प्रियंवदः । नीतः स राघवोऽस्माभिरिति वक्तुं कथं क्षमम् ॥ ९ ॥
“What shall we say? How could we say, ‘Mighty-armed Raghava, free of envy, kind of speech, has been brought back by us’?
सा नूनं नगरी दीना दृष्ट्वास्मान् राघवं विना । भविष्यति निरानन्दा सस्त्रीबालवयोऽधिका ॥ १० ॥
“Surely that city, wretched, seeing us without Raghava, will be joyless, its women, children and old people.
निर्यातास्तेन वीरेण सह नित्यं महात्मना । विहीनास्तेन च पुनः कथं द्रक्ष्याम तां पुरीम् ॥ ११ ॥
“We went out with that hero, the great soul, always; bereft of him, how shall we see that city again?”
इतीव बहुधा वाचो बाहुमुद्यम्य ते जनाः । विलपन्ति स्म दुःखार्ता हृतवत्सा इवाग्र्यगाः ॥ १२ ॥
Saying such words in many ways, raising their arms, those people lamented, stricken with grief, like the best of cows robbed of their calves.
ततो मार्गानुसारेण गत्वा किंचित् ततः क्षणम् । मार्गनाशाद् विषादेन महता समभिप्लुताः ॥ १३ ॥
Then, following the track a little way for a while, they were overwhelmed with great despair at the loss of the trail.
रथमार्गानुसारेण न्यवर्तन्त मनस्विनः । किमिदं किं करिष्यामो दैवेनोपहता इति ॥ १४ ॥
Following the chariot track, the thoughtful ones turned back: “What is this? What shall we do? We are struck down by fate.”
तदा यथागतेनैव मार्गेण क्लान्तचेतसः । अयोध्यामगमन् सर्वे पुरीं व्यथितसज्जनाम् ॥ १५ ॥
Then, by the same road they had come, weary at heart, they all went to the city of Ayodhya, where the good were in distress.
आलोक्य नगरीं तां च क्षयव्याकुलमानसाः । आवर्तयन्त तेऽश्रूणि नयनैः शोकपीडितैः ॥ १६ ॥
Seeing that city, their minds shaken by its ruin, they shed tears from eyes tormented by grief:
एषा रामेण नगरी रहिता नातिशोभते । आपगा गरुडेनेव ह्रदादुद्धृतपन्नगा ॥ १७ ॥
“This city, without Rama, does not shine much, like a river whose serpent has been lifted from its pool by Garuda.”
चन्द्रहीनमिवाकाशं तोयहीनमिवार्णवम् । अपश्यन् निहतानन्दं नगरं ते विचेतसः ॥ १८ ॥
Like the sky without the moon, like the ocean without water, the bewildered ones saw the city, its joy destroyed.
ते तानि वेश्मानि महाधनानि दुःखेन दुःखोपहता विशन्तः । नैव प्रजग्मुः स्वजनं परं वा निरीक्ष्यमाणाः प्रविनष्टहर्षाः ॥ १९ ॥
Entering those richly furnished houses in sorrow, struck down by sorrow, they did not recognise their own people or others, looking about with their joy destroyed.