Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 57 of 119 · 34 verses
Sumantra Returns to a Silent City
After Rama reaches the south bank, Guha, deeply grieved, talks long with Sumantra and goes home. Guha’s spies report Rama’s visit to Bharadvaja at Prayaga, his stay there and his going on to the mountain. Sumantra, given leave, yokes the fine horses and drives back to Ayodhya, heavy-hearted, quickly passing fragrant forests, rivers, lakes, villages and towns. On the evening of the third day he reaches Ayodhya and finds it joyless, empty and silent. Struck by grief, he wonders: “Has the city, with its elephants, horses, people and their lord, been burned by the fire of grief for Rama?” He drives swiftly through the gate. Hundreds and thousands of people run to him asking, “Where is Rama?” He tells them: “I took leave of Raghava at the Ganga; the righteous great soul sent me back.” Knowing they have crossed, the people, faces full of tears, sigh “Alas! Shame!” and cry “Ha Rama!” He hears groups say: “We are lost, who will not see Raghava here. Never again shall we see righteous Rama at gifts, sacrifices, weddings and great gatherings. Rama protected this city like a father, thinking what was fitting, dear and comforting for its people.” From the windows of the shops he hears the women’s lament, burning with grief for Rama.
Covering his face, Sumantra goes down the royal road straight to Dasharatha’s palace, gets down, and passes through seven crowded courtyards. The women, wasted from longing to see Rama, look down from mansions and palaces and cry out; with long, clear eyes flooded with tears they look at one another, more distressed than ever. From the palaces he hears the soft talk of Dasharatha’s wives: “The charioteer went out with Rama and has come back without him; what will he tell grieving Kausalya? As life is hard, so surely this is not easy, that Kausalya still lives with her son torn from her.” Hearing these true words, he enters the house as if burning with grief. In the eighth courtyard he sees the king in a white house, wretched, wasted by grief for his son. He salutes the seated lord of men and reports Rama’s words as they were spoken. Hearing them in silence, his mind reeling, the king faints and falls, tormented by grief for Rama. The inner palace is stricken; the women raise their arms and cry out at the king fallen to the ground. Kausalya, with Sumitra, raises her husband and says: “Fortunate one, here is the messenger of the one who has done the hard thing, come back from his forest home; why do you not speak to him? Having done this wrong, are you ashamed, Raghava? Rise; let good come of it; there can be no help in grief. Lord, Kaikeyi, out of fear of whom you do not question the charioteer, is not here; speak freely.” Saying this, Kausalya, consumed by grief, her words choked with tears, falls to the ground. Seeing her fallen and lamenting, and looking at their husband, all the women weep aloud. Seeing the cry rise from the inner palace, men old and young and all the women weep on every side, and the city is in turmoil once more.
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कथयित्वा सुदुःखार्तः सुमन्त्रेण चिरं सह । रामे दक्षिणकूलस्थे जगाम स्वगृहं गुहः ॥ १ ॥
Having talked long with Sumantra, deeply grieved, Guha went to his own house when Rama had reached the southern bank.
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भरद्वाजाभिगमनं प्रयागे च सहासनम् । आ गिरेर्गमनं तेषां तत्रस्थैरभिलक्षितम् ॥ २ ॥
The going to Bharadvaja, the sitting together at Prayaga, and their going on to the mountain were observed by those stationed there.
अनुज्ञातः सुमन्त्रोऽथ योजयित्वा हयोत्तमान् । अयोध्यामेव नगरीं प्रययौ गाढदुर्मनाः ॥ ३ ॥
Then Sumantra, given leave, yoking the fine horses, set out for the city of Ayodhya, very heavy at heart.
स वनानि सुगन्धीनि सरितश्च सरांसि च । पश्यन्नतिययौ शीघ्रं ग्रामाणि नगराणि च ॥ ४ ॥
Looking at fragrant forests, rivers and lakes, villages and towns, he passed them quickly.
ततः सायाह्नसमये तृतीयेऽहनि सारथिः । अयोध्यां समनुप्राप्य निरानन्दां ददर्श ह ॥ ५ ॥
Then at evening on the third day the charioteer reached Ayodhya and saw it joyless.
स शून्यामिव निःशब्दां दृष्ट्वा परमदुर्मनाः । सुमन्त्रश्चिन्तयामास शोकवेगसमाहतः ॥ ६ ॥
Seeing it as if empty and silent, Sumantra, deeply downcast, struck by the force of grief, thought:
कच्चिन्न सगजा साश्वा सजना सजनाधिपा । रामसंतापदुःखेन दग्धा शोकाग्निना पुरी ॥ ७ ॥
“Has the city, with its elephants and horses, its people and the lord of the people, been burned by the fire of grief, the sorrow of pain for Rama?”
इति चिन्तापरः सूतो वाजिभिः श्रीघ्रपातिभिः । नगरद्वारमासाद्य त्वरितः प्रविवेश ह ॥ ८ ॥
Lost in this thought, the charioteer, reaching the city gate with his swift horses, entered quickly.
सुमन्त्रमभियान्तं तं शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः । क्व राम इति पृच्छन्तः सूतमभ्यद्रवन् नराः ॥ ९ ॥
As Sumantra drove in, men by hundreds and by thousands ran toward the charioteer asking: “Where is Rama?”
तेषां शशंस गङ्गायामहमापृच्च्य राघवम् । अनुज्ञातो निवृत्तोऽस्मि धार्मिकेण महात्मना ॥ १० ॥
He told them: “I took leave of Raghava at the Ganga; dismissed by the righteous great soul, I have returned.”
ते तीर्णा इति विज्ञाय बाष्पपूर्णमुखा जनाः । अहो धिगिति निःश्वस्य हा रामेति च चुक्रुशुः ॥ ११ ॥
Knowing that they had crossed, the people, their faces full of tears, sighed “Ah! Shame!” and cried out “Ha Rama!”
शुश्राव च वचस्तेषां बृन्दं बृन्दं च तिष्ठताम् । हताः स्म खलु ये नेह पश्याम इति राघवम् ॥ १२ ॥
And he heard the words of those standing in group after group: “We are lost indeed, who will not see Raghava here.
दानयज्ञविवाहेषु समाजेषु महत्सु च । न द्रक्ष्यामः पुनर्जातु धार्मिकं राममन्तरा ॥ १३ ॥
“At gifts, sacrifices and weddings, and at great gatherings, we shall never again see righteous Rama among us.
किं समर्थं जनस्यास्य किं प्रियं किं सुखावहम् । इति रामेण नगरं पितृवत् परिपालितम् ॥ १४ ॥
“’What is fitting for these people, what is dear, what brings happiness?’ So did Rama protect the city, like a father.”
वातायनगतानां च स्त्रीणामन्वन्तरापणम् । रामशोकाभितप्तानां शुश्राव परिदेवनम् ॥ १५ ॥
And he heard the lament of the women in the windows, along the shops, burning with grief for Rama.
स राजमार्गमध्येन सुमन्त्रः पिहिताननः । यत्र राजा दशरथस्तदेवोपययौ गृहम् ॥ १६ ॥
Through the middle of the royal road Sumantra, his face covered, went straight to the house where King Dasharatha was.
सोऽवतीर्य रथाच्छीघ्रं राजवेश्म प्रविश्य च । कक्ष्याः सप्ताभिचक्राम महाजनसमाकुलाः ॥ १७ ॥
Getting down quickly from the chariot and entering the royal palace, he passed through seven courtyards crowded with people.
हर्म्यैर्विमानैः प्रासादैरवेक्ष्याथ समागतम् । हाहाकारकृता नार्यो रामादर्शनकर्शिताः ॥ १८ ॥
From mansions, from upper storeys and from palaces, seeing him arrived, the women, wasted from longing to see Rama, cried “Alas!”
आयतैर्विंमलैर्नेत्रैरश्रुवेगपरिप्लुतैः । अन्योन्यमभिवीक्षन्तेऽव्यक्तमार्ततराः स्त्रीयः ॥ १९ ॥
With long, clear eyes flooded with streams of tears, the women looked at one another indistinctly, more distressed still.
ततो दशरथस्त्रीणां प्रासादेभ्यस्ततस्ततः । रामशोकाभितप्तानां मन्दं शुश्राव जल्पितम् ॥ २० ॥
Then he heard faintly, here and there from the palaces, the talk of Dasharatha’s wives, burning with grief for Rama:
सह रामेण निर्यातो विना राममिहागतः । सूतः किं नाम कौसल्यां शोचन्तीं प्रतिवक्ष्यति ॥ २१ ॥
“The charioteer went out with Rama and has come here without Rama. What will he say to grieving Kausalya?
यथा च मन्ये दुर्जीवमेवं न सुकरं ध्रुवम् । आच्छिद्य पुत्रे निर्याते कौसल्या यत्र जीवति ॥ २२ ॥
“As I think life is hard to bear, so surely this is not easy: that Kausalya lives, when her son has been torn from her and gone.”
सत्यरूपं तु तद्वाक्यं राज्ञः स्त्रीणां निशामयन् । प्रदीप्तमिव शोकेन विवेश सहसा गृहम् ॥ २३ ॥
Hearing those words of the king’s women, true in form, he suddenly entered the house, as if blazing with grief.
स प्रविश्याष्टमीं कक्ष्यां राजानं दीनमातुरम् । पुत्रशोकपरिद्यूनमपश्यत्पाण्डुरे गृहे ॥ २४ ॥
Entering the eighth courtyard, he saw the king, wretched and afflicted, withered by grief for his son, in a white house.
अभिगम्य तमासीनं नरेन्द्रमभिवाद्य च । सुमन्त्रो रामवचनं यथोक्तं प्रत्यवेदयत् ॥ २५ ॥
Approaching the seated lord of men and saluting him, Sumantra reported Rama’s words exactly as they had been spoken.
स तूष्णीमेव तच्छ्रुत्वा राजा विभ्रान्तचेतनः । मूर्च्छितो न्यपतद्भूमौ रामशोकाभिपीडितः ॥ २६ ॥
Hearing them in silence, his mind confused, the king fainted and fell to the ground, tormented by grief for Rama.
ततोऽन्तः पुरमाविद्धं मूर्चिते पृथिवीपतौ । उद्धृत्य बाहू चुक्रोश नृपतौ पतिते क्षितौ ॥ २७ ॥
Then, with the lord of the earth fainted, the inner palace was struck; raising their arms, they cried out at the king fallen on the ground.
सुमित्रया तु सहिता कौसल्या पतितं पतिम् । उत्थापयामास तदा वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥ २८ ॥
Kausalya, with Sumitra, then raised her fallen husband and said these words:
इमं तस्य महाभाग दूतं दुष्करकारिणः । वनवासादनुप्राप्तं कस्मान्न प्रतिभाषसे ॥ २९ ॥
“Fortunate one, here is the messenger of the one who has done a hard thing, come back from his forest life; why do you not answer him?
अद्येममनयं कृत्वा व्यपत्रपसि राघव । उत्तिष्ठ सुकृतं तेऽस्तु शोके न स्यात्सहायता ॥ ३० ॥
“Having done this wrong today, are you ashamed, Raghava? Rise; let your good deeds be with you; there can be no help in grief.
देव यस्या भयाद्रामं नानुपृच्छसि सारथिम् । नेह तिष्ठति कैकेयी विश्रब्धं प्रतिभाष्यताम् ॥ ३१ ॥
“Lord, she out of fear of whom you do not question the charioteer about Rama, Kaikeyi, is not here; speak freely.”
सा तथोक्त्वा महाराजं कौसल्या शोकलालसा । धरण्यां निपपाताशु बाष्पविप्लुतभाषिणी ॥ ३२ ॥
Having said this to the great king, Kausalya, consumed by grief, speaking through tears, fell quickly to the ground.
एवं विलपतीं दृष्ट्वा कौसल्यां पतितां भुवि । पतिं चावेक्ष्य ताः सर्वाः सुस्वरं रुरुदुः स्त्रियः ॥ ३३ ॥
Seeing Kausalya lamenting so, fallen on the ground, and looking at their husband, all the women wept aloud.
ततस्तमन्तः पुरनादमुत्थितं समीक्ष्य वृद्धास्तरुणाश्च मानवाः । स्त्रियश्च सर्वा रुरुदुः समन्ततः पुरं तदासीत्पुनरेव संकुलम् ॥ ३४ ॥
Then, seeing that cry arise from the inner palace, old and young men and all the women wept on every side; the city was then in turmoil again.