Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 61 of 119 · 27 verses
Kausalya Reproaches the King
With Rama gone to the forest, Kausalya, weeping, says to her husband: “Though your fame is great in the three worlds, that Raghava is compassionate, generous and kind of speech, how, best of men, will those two sons with Sita, raised in comfort, bear hardship in the forest? How will young, dark, delicate Maithili, used to comfort, bear heat and cold? How will large-eyed Sita, who ate fine food with soups and relishes, live on wild rice? How will the faultless one, who heard the lovely sound of song and music, hear the harsh roars of flesh-eating lions? Where does the mighty-armed one, tall as Indra’s banner, sleep, with his arm like an iron bar for a pillow? When shall I see Rama’s lotus-coloured face, his fine hair, his breath like a lotus’s, his lotus eyes? My heart must surely be made of diamond, since it does not burst into a thousand pieces when I cannot see him. By your pitiless act my kin, deserving comfort, have been cast out and wander wretched in the forest.
“If Raghava returns in the fifteenth year, Bharata will not give up the kingdom and the treasury. Some feed their own kin first at a shraddha and only then look for the best brahmanas; but learned, virtuous brahmanas, godlike, will not afterwards accept even nectar; wise brahmanas do not come to eat after others have eaten their fill, as bulls will not accept having their horns cut. So, lord of the people, why would the eldest, best brother not scorn a kingdom enjoyed by his younger brother? A tiger does not want to eat what another has brought; the tiger among men will not accept what another has licked. Offerings, ghee, cakes, kusha grass and khadira posts, once used, are not used again in a sacrifice; so Rama will not accept this kingdom, enjoyed by another, like wine whose essence is gone, like a sacrifice whose soma is lost. Raghava will not bear such an insult, as a mighty tiger will not bear its tail being touched. Not all the worlds together could frighten him in battle; but the righteous one would bring the world back to dharma by dharma. With golden arrows the mighty one could burn up all beings and even the oceans, as at the end of an age. Such a man, with a lion’s strength and a bull’s eyes, has been killed by his own father, as a fish kills its own young. If this is the eternal dharma seen in the shastras and practised by the twice-born, that you, devoted to dharma, should banish your son... A woman’s first refuge is her husband, the second her son, the third her kin; there is no fourth. Of these, you are not mine, Rama has gone to the forest, and I do not want to go to the forest. In every way I am destroyed by you. You have destroyed this kingdom and the country, and yourself with your ministers; you have destroyed me and my son, and the citizens; only your son and your wife are happy.” Hearing these harsh words, the king, grieving, faints; then, sunk in grief, he remembers again a wrong he did long ago.
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वनं गते धर्मपरे रामे रमयतां वरे । कौसल्या रुदती स्वार्ता भर्तारमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
When Rama, devoted to dharma, best of those who delight others, had gone to the forest, Kausalya, weeping, deeply afflicted, said to her husband:
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यद्यपि त्रिषु लोकेषु प्रथितं ते महद्यशः । सानुक्रोशो वदान्यश्च प्रियवादी च राघवः ॥ २ ॥
“Though your fame is great and famous in the three worlds that Raghava is compassionate, generous and kind of speech,
कथं नरवरश्रेष्ठ पुत्रौ तौ सह सीतया । दुःखितौ सुखसंवृद्धौ वने दुःखं सहिष्यतः ॥ ३ ॥
“how, best of the best of men, will those two sons with Sita, raised in comfort, afflicted, bear hardship in the forest?
सा नूनं तरुणी श्यामा सुकुमारी सुखोचिता । कथमुष्णं च शीतं च मैथिली प्रसहिष्यते ॥ ४ ॥
“How will that young, dark, delicate Maithili, used to comfort, bear heat and cold?
भुक्त्वाशनं विशालाक्षी सूपदंशान्वितं शुभम् । वन्यं नैवारमाहारं कथं सीतोपभोक्ष्यते ॥ ५ ॥
“Having eaten fine food with soups and relishes, how will large-eyed Sita eat the forest’s wild rice?
गीतवादित्र निर्घोषं श्रुत्वा शुभमनिन्दिता । कथं क्रव्यादसिंहानां शब्दं श्रोष्यत्यशोभनम् ॥ ६ ॥
“Having heard the lovely sounds of songs and music, how will the faultless one hear the unlovely roar of flesh-eating lions?
महेन्द्रध्वजसंकाशः क्व नु शेते महाभुजः । भुजं परिघसंकाशमुपधाय महाबलः ॥ ७ ॥
“Where does the mighty-armed one, like great Indra’s banner, sleep, the mighty one, pillowing his head on his arm like an iron bar?
पद्मवर्णं सुकेशान्तं पद्मनिःश्वासमुत्तमम् । कदा द्रक्ष्यामि रामस्य वदनं पुष्करेक्षणम् ॥ ८ ॥
“When shall I see Rama’s face, the colour of a lotus, with fine hair, with breath like a lotus, excellent, with lotus eyes?
वज्रसारमयं नूनं हृदयं मे न संशयः । अपश्यन्त्या नतं यद्वै फलतीदं सहस्रधा ॥ ९ ॥
“Surely my heart is made of the essence of diamond, without doubt, since, not seeing him, it does not burst into a thousand pieces.
यत्त्वयाऽकरुणं कर्म व्यपोह्य मम बान्धवाः । निरस्ताः परिधावन्ति सुखार्हाः कृपणा वने ॥ १० ॥
“Since by your pitiful deed my kinsmen, deserving comfort, have been cast out and run about wretched in the forest,
यदि पञ्चदशे वर्षे राघवः पुनरेष्यति । जह्याद्राज्यं च कोशं च भरतो नोपल्स्ख्यते ॥ ११ ॥
“if Raghava comes back in the fifteenth year, Bharata will not give up the kingdom and the treasury, I think.
भोजयन्ति किल श्राद्धे केचित्स्वनेव बान्धवान् । ततः पश्चात्समीक्षन्ते कृतकार्या द्विजर्षभान् ॥ १२ ॥
“Some, they say, feed their own kin first at a shraddha, and then afterwards, their business done, look for the best brahmanas.
तत्र ये गुणवन्तश्च विद्वांसश्च द्विजातयः । न पश्चात्तेऽभिमन्यन्ते सुधामपि सुरोपमाः ॥ १३ ॥
“But those twice-born there who are virtuous and learned, godlike, will not afterwards accept even nectar.
ब्राह्मणेष्वपि तृप्तेषु पश्चाद्भोक्तुं द्विजर्षभाः । नाभ्युपैतुमलं प्राज्ञाः शृङ्गच्छेदमिवर्ष्भाः ॥ १४ ॥
“Even when brahmanas have been satisfied, the best of brahmanas, wise, cannot bring themselves to come and eat afterwards, like bulls having their horns cut.
एवं कनीयसा भ्रात्रा भुक्तं राज्यं विशां पते । भ्राता ज्येष्ठो वरिष्ठश्च किमर्थं नावमंस्यते ॥ १५ ॥
“So, lord of the people, why would the eldest, best brother not scorn a kingdom enjoyed by his younger brother?
न परेणाहृतं भक्ष्यं व्याघ्रः खादितुमिच्छति । एवमेव नरव्याघ्रः परलीढं न मंस्यते ॥ १६ ॥
“A tiger does not wish to eat food brought by another; in the same way the tiger among men will not accept what another has licked.
हविराज्यं पुरोडाशाः कुशा यूपाश्च खादिराः । नैतानि यातयामानि कुर्वन्ति पुनरध्वरे ॥ १७ ॥
“Oblations, ghee, cakes, kusha grass and khadira posts: once used, these are not used again in a sacrifice.
तथा ह्यात्तमिदं राज्यं हृतसारां सुरामिव । नाभिमन्तुमलं रामो नष्टसोममिवाध्वरम् ॥ १८ ॥
“So Rama cannot accept this kingdom taken over, like wine whose essence has been drawn off, like a sacrifice whose soma is lost.
नैवंविधमसत्कारं राघवो मर्षयिष्यति । बलवानिव शार्दूलो बालधेरभिमर्शनम् ॥ १९ ॥
“Raghava will not bear such an insult, as a mighty tiger will not bear the touching of its tail.
नैतस्य सहिता लोका भयं कुर्युर्महामृधे । अधर्मं त्विह धर्मात्मा लोकं धर्मेण योजयेत् ॥ २० ॥
“All the worlds together could not frighten him in a great battle; but the righteous one would join the world to dharma by dharma, here, where there is adharma.
नन्वसौ काञ्चनैर्बाणैर्महावीर्यो महाभुजः । युगान्त इव भूतानि सागरानपि निर्दहेत् ॥ २१ ॥
“Surely that mighty, mighty-armed one could burn up beings, and even the oceans, with golden arrows, as at the end of an age.
स तादृशः सिंहबलो वृषभाक्षो नरर्षभः । स्वयमेव हतः पित्रा जलजेनात्मजो यथा ॥ २२ ॥
“Such a bull among men, with a lion’s strength and a bull’s eyes, has been killed by his own father, as a fish kills its own offspring.
द्विजातिचरितो धर्मः शास्त्रदृष्टः सनातनः । यदि ते धर्मनिरते त्वया पुत्रे विवासिते ॥ २३ ॥
“If this is the eternal dharma, seen in the shastras and practised by the twice-born, that you, devoted to dharma, have banished your son...
गतिरेका पतिर्नार्या द्वितीया गतिरात्मजः । तृतीया ज्ञातयो राजंश्चतुर्थी नेह विद्यते ॥ २४ ॥
“A woman’s first refuge is her husband, king; the second is her son; the third her kin; a fourth is not found here.
तत्र त्वं चैव मे नास्ति रामश्च वनमाश्रितः । न वनं गन्तुमिच्छामि सर्वथा हि हता त्वया ॥ २५ ॥
“Of these, you are not mine, and Rama has gone to the forest; and I do not wish to go to the forest. In every way I have been destroyed by you.
हतं त्वया राज्यमिदं सराष्ट्रं हतस्तथात्मा सह मन्त्रिभिश्च । हता सपुत्रास्मि हताश्च पौराः सुतश्च भार्या च तव प्रहृष्टौ ॥ २६ ॥
“You have destroyed this kingdom with its country; you have destroyed yourself with your ministers; I am destroyed with my son, and the citizens are destroyed; only your son and your wife are delighted.”
इमां गिरं दारुणशब्दसंश्रितां निशम्य राजापि मुमोह दुःखितः । ततः स शोकं प्रविवेश पार्थिवः स्वदुष्कृतं चापि पुनस्तदास्मरत् ॥ २७ ॥
Hearing these words, full of cruel sounds, the king too, grieving, fainted. Then the lord of the earth entered into grief, and then remembered once more a wrong he himself had done.