Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 48 of 119 · 37 verses
The Women of Ayodhya Lament
The citizens who followed Rama and turned back are crushed, their eyes swimming with tears, longing to die, as if their life had left them. Each returns home among sons and wives and weeps, faces covered with tears. Merchants do not rejoice or open their shops; goods lose their shine; householders do not cook. No one rejoices at recovering what was lost or at a great gain of wealth; a mother does not rejoice at the birth of her firstborn son. In every house the women weep and scold their husbands as they come in, goading them with words like elephant-hooks: “What use are houses, wives, wealth, sons or pleasures to those who cannot see Raghava? The one good man in the world is Lakshmana, who follows Kakutstha with Sita, serving him in the forest. Fortunate are the rivers, lotus pools and lakes where Kakutstha will bathe in the pure water. The forests, lovely woods, rivers with wide banks and peaked mountains will adorn him; whatever forest or mountain he goes to will not be able to keep from honouring him, like a beloved guest. The mountains, out of compassion, will show him the finest flowers and fruits even out of season, and pour clear waters from many bright waterfalls; the trees on the peaks will delight him. Where Rama is there is no fear and no defeat. Let us follow Raghava before he gets far; the shade of such a great master’s feet is happiness; he is the protector, the way and the refuge of these people. We will serve Sita; you serve Raghava.” So the city women say to their husbands, stricken with grief.
“In the forest Raghava will see to your welfare, and Sita to the welfare of us women. Who could be happy in this dreary dwelling, with its anxious people and stolen hearts? If the kingdom is Kaikeyi’s, lawless and unprotected, we have no use for life, sons or wealth. She who abandoned her son and husband for power, whom else would that disgrace of her family spare? We will not live as servants in Kaikeyi’s kingdom while she lives; we swear it by our sons. Who could live happily under that cruel, lawless woman of evil conduct who banishes the son of the lord of kings? Everything is overrun, without support or leader; because of Kaikeyi everything will perish. With Rama in exile the king will not live, and after Dasharatha dies there will surely be ruin. Mix poison and drink it, you whose merit is spent, or follow Raghava, or go where no one has heard of you. Rama has been falsely exiled with his wife and Lakshmana, and we have been handed over to Bharata like cattle to a butcher. Rama, Lakshmana’s elder brother, with a face like the full moon, dark, his collarbones hidden, arms reaching his knees, lotus-eyed, first to speak, sweet, truthful, mighty, gentle to all the world, lovely as the moon, surely that tiger among men, walking like a rutting elephant, will adorn the forests as he wanders.” So the city women wail, burning with grief, as at the approach of death. As they lament for Raghava in their houses, the sun sets and night comes on. The city seems smeared with darkness: no fires lit, no recitation or holy talk, merchants’ goods put away, joy gone, like a sky without stars. The women, as distressed for Rama as if a son or brother had been exiled, weep senseless, for he was more to them than their sons. Ayodhya, its songs, festivals, dances and music silent, its joy gone, its shops closed, is like a great ocean drained of water.
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तेषामेवं विष्ण्णानाम्पीडितानामतीव च । बाष्पविप्लुतनेत्राणां सशोकानां मुमूर्षया ॥ १ ॥
अनुगम्य निवृत्तानां रामं नगरवासिनाम् । उद्गतानीव सत्त्वानि बभूवुरमनस्विनाम् ॥ २ ॥
Of those who had followed Rama and turned back, the people of the city, so dejected, so deeply pained, their eyes swimming with tears, grieving, wishing to die, despondent, it was as if their life-breaths had left them.
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The Women of Ayodhya Lament 1 min read.
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स्वं स्वं निलयमागम्य पुत्रदारैः समावृताः । अश्रूणि मुमुचुः सर्वे बाष्पेण पिहिताननाः ॥ ३ ॥
Coming each to his own home, surrounded by sons and wives, they all shed tears, their faces covered with weeping.
न चाहृष्यन् न चामोदन्वणिजो न प्रसारयन् । न चाशोभन्त पण्यानि नापचन्गृहमेधिनः ॥ ४ ॥
They did not rejoice, did not make merry; merchants did not spread out their wares, the goods did not shine, and householders did not cook.
नष्टं दृष्ट्वा नाभ्यनन्दन् विपुलं वा धनागमम् । पुत्रं प्रथमजं लब्ध्वा जननी नाभ्यनन्दत ॥ ५ ॥
They did not rejoice on seeing what was lost recovered, or a great gain of wealth; a mother did not rejoice on having her firstborn son.
गृहे गृहे रुदन्त्यश्च भर्तारं गृहमागतम् । व्यगर्हयन्त दुःखार्ता वाग्भिस्तोत्रैरिव द्विपान् ॥ ६ ॥
In house after house the women, weeping, afflicted with grief, reproached their husbands as they came home, with words like goads on elephants:
किं नु तेषां गृहैः कार्यं किं दारैः किं धनेन वा । पुत्रैर्वा किं सुखैर्वापि ये न पश्यन्ति राघवम् ॥ ७ ॥
“What use are their houses, what use their wives or wealth, sons or pleasures, to those who do not see Raghava?
एकः सत्पुरुषो लोके लक्ष्मणः सह सीतया । योऽनुगच्छति काकुत्स्थं रामं परिचरन्वने ॥ ८ ॥
“The one good man in the world is Lakshmana, who with Sita follows Kakutstha, serving Rama in the forest.
आपगाः कृतपुण्यास्ताः पद्मिन्यश्च सरांसि च । येषु स्नास्यति काकुत्स्थो विगाह्य सलिलं शुचि ॥ ९ ॥
“The rivers, lotus pools and lakes have earned merit, in which Kakutstha will bathe, plunging into the pure water.
शोभयिष्यन्ति काकुत्स्थमटव्यो रम्यकाननाः । आपगाश्च महानूपाः सानुमन्तश्च पर्वताः ॥ १० ॥
“The woods with their lovely groves will adorn Kakutstha, and the rivers with their wide banks, and the peaked mountains.
काननं वापि शैलं वा यं रामोऽभिगमिष्यति । प्रियातिथिमिव प्राप्तं नैनं शक्ष्यन्त्यनर्चितुम् ॥ ११ ॥
“Whatever forest or mountain Rama goes to, they will not be able to keep from honouring him, like a beloved guest who has come.
विचित्रकुसुमापीडा बहुमञ्जरिधारिणः । राघवं दर्शयिष्यन्ति नगा भ्रमरशालिनः ॥ १२ ॥
“Wearing crowns of many-coloured flowers, bearing many clusters of blossom, the trees, alive with bees, will show themselves to Raghava.
अकाले चापि मुख्यानि पुष्पाणि च फलानि च । दर्शयिष्यन्त्यनुक्रोशाद्गिरयो राममागतम् ॥ १३ ॥
“Out of compassion the mountains will show Rama, when he comes, the finest flowers and fruits even out of season.
प्रस्रविष्यन्ति तोयानि विमलानि महीधराः । विदर्शयन्तो विविधान् भूयश्चित्रांश्च निर्झरान् ॥ १४ ॥
“The mountains will pour out clear waters, showing again and again their many bright waterfalls.
पादपाः पर्वताग्रेषु रमयिष्यन्ति राघवम् । यत्र रामो भयं नात्र नास्ति तत्र पराभवः ॥ १५ ॥
“The trees on the mountain peaks will delight Raghava. Where Rama is, there is no fear there, and no defeat.
स हि शूरो महाबाहुः पुत्रो दशरथस्य च । पुरा भवति नो दूरादनुगच्छाम राघवम् ॥ १६ ॥
“For he is the hero, the mighty-armed son of Dasharatha. Before he gets far from us, let us follow Raghava.
पादच्छाया सुखा भर्तुस्तादृशस्य महात्मनः । स हि नाथो जनस्यास्य स गतिः स परायणम् ॥ १७ ॥
“The shade of the feet of such a great-souled master is happiness; he is the protector of these people, he is the way, he is the final refuge.
वयं परिचरिष्यामः सीतां यूयं तु राघवम् । इति पौरस्त्रियो भर्तॄन्दुःखार्तास्तत्तदब्रुवन् ॥ १८ ॥
“We will serve Sita, and you will serve Raghava.” So the women of the city, afflicted with grief, said this and that to their husbands.
युष्माकं राघवोऽरण्ये योगक्षेमं विधास्यति । सीता नारीजनस्यास्य योगक्षेमं करिष्यति ॥ १९ ॥
“In the forest Raghava will see to your welfare, and Sita will see to the welfare of the women of these people.
को न्वनेनाप्रतीतेन सोत्कण्ठितजनेन च । सम्प्रीयेतामनोज्ञेन वासेन हृतचेतसा ॥ २० ॥
“Who could be pleased with this dwelling, joyless, with its anxious people, its unlovely life, its stolen hearts?
कैकेय्या यदि चेद् राज्यं स्यादधर्म्यमनाथवत् । न हि नो जीवितेनार्थः कुतः पुत्रैः कुतो धनैः ॥ २१ ॥
“If the kingdom is Kaikeyi’s, lawless, as if without a protector, we have no need of life; how much less of sons, how much less of wealth?
यया पुत्रश्च भर्ता च त्यक्तावैश्वर्यकारणात् । कं सा परिहरेदन्यं कैकेयी कुलपांसनी ॥ २२ ॥
“She by whom son and husband were abandoned for the sake of power, whom else would Kaikeyi, disgrace of her family, spare?
कैकेय्या न वयं राज्ये भृतका निवसेमहि । जीवन्त्या जातु जीवन्त्यः पुत्रैरपि शपामहे ॥ २३ ॥
“We will not live as servants in Kaikeyi’s kingdom while she lives, ever, as long as we live; we swear it even by our sons.
या पुत्रं पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य प्रवासयति निर्घृणा । कस्तां प्राप्य सुखं जीवेदधर्म्यां दुष्टचारिणीम् ॥ २४ ॥
“She who mercilessly exiles the son of the lord of kings: who could live happily under her, lawless and of wicked conduct?
उपद्रुतमिदं सर्वमनालम्बमनायकम् । कैकेय्या हि कृते सर्वं विनाशमुपयास्यति ॥ २५ ॥
“All this is overrun, without support or leader; because of Kaikeyi, all of it will go to destruction.
न हि प्रव्रजिते रामे जीविष्यति महीपतिः । मृते दशरथे व्यक्तं विलोपस्तदनन्तरम् ॥ २६ ॥
“With Rama gone into exile, the lord of the earth will not live; and when Dasharatha is dead, ruin will clearly follow.
ते विषं पिबतालोड्य क्षीणपुण्याः सुदुर्गताः । राघवं वानुगच्छध्वमश्रुतिं वापि गच्छत ॥ २७ ॥
“Mix poison and drink it, you whose merit is spent, who have fallen so low; or follow Raghava; or go where no one has heard of you.
मिथ्या प्रव्राजितो रामः सभार्यः सहलक्ष्मणः । भरते संनिसृष्टाः स्मः सौनिके पशवो यथा ॥ २८ ॥
“Rama has been falsely exiled with his wife and Lakshmana, and we have been handed over to Bharata like cattle to a butcher.
पूर्णचन्द्राननः श्यामो गूढजत्रुररिंदमः । आजानुबाहुः पद्माक्षो रामो लक्ष्मणपूर्वजः ॥ २९ ॥
“With a face like the full moon, dark, his collarbones hidden, subduer of enemies, his arms reaching his knees, lotus-eyed: Rama, Lakshmana’s elder brother,
पूर्वाभिभाषी मधुरः सत्यवादी महाबलः । सौम्यश्च सर्वलोकस्य चन्द्रवत्प्रियदर्शनः ॥ ३० ॥
“first to speak, sweet, truthful, mighty, gentle to the whole world, lovely to see as the moon,
नूनं पुरुषशार्दूलो मत्तमातङ्गविक्रमः । शोभयिष्यत्यरण्यानि विचरन्स महारथः ॥ ३१ ॥
“surely that tiger among men, with the gait of a rutting elephant, the great chariot-warrior, will adorn the forests as he wanders.”
तास्तथा विलपन्त्यस्तु नगरे नागरस्त्रियः । चुक्रुशुर्दुःखसंतप्तामृत्योरिव भयागमे ॥ ३२ ॥
So, lamenting, the women of the city wailed, burning with grief, as at the coming of the terror of death.
इत्येव विलपन्तीनां स्त्रीणां वेश्मसु राघवम् । जगामास्तं दिनकरो रजनी चाभ्यवर्तत ॥ ३३ ॥
As the women lamented for Raghava in their houses like this, the sun set and night came on.
नष्टज्वलनसम्पाता प्रशान्ताध्यायसत्कथा । तिमिरेणाभिलिप्तेव तदा सा नगरी बभौ ॥ ३४ ॥
With no fires lit, with study and holy talk stilled, the city seemed as if smeared with darkness then.
उपशान्तवणिक्पण्या नष्टहर्षा निराश्रया । अयोध्या नगरी चासीन्नष्टतारमिवाम्बरम् ॥ ३५ ॥
With the merchants’ goods put away, its joy gone, without support, the city of Ayodhya was like a sky whose stars have vanished.
तथा स्त्रियो रामनिमित्तमातुरा यथा सुते भ्रातरि वा विवासिते । विलप्य दीना रुरुदुर्विचेतसः सुतैर्हि तासामधिको हि सोऽभवत् ॥ ३६ ॥
The women, distressed on Rama’s account as if their son or brother had been exiled, lamented wretchedly and wept senseless; for he was more to them than their sons.
प्रशान्तगीतोत्सवनृत्तवादना व्यपास्तहर्षा पिहितापणोदया । तदा ह्ययोध्या नगरी बभूव सा महार्णवः संक्षपितोदको यथा ॥ ३७ ॥
With song, festival, dance and music stilled, its joy cast off, its shops closed, the city of Ayodhya was then like a great ocean whose water has been drained away.