Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 66 of 119 · 29 verses
The King’s Body Kept in Oil
Seeing the king gone to heaven, like a fire gone out, an ocean without water, a sun without light, Kausalya, her eyes full of tears, wasted by grief, takes the king’s head in her lap and says to Kaikeyi: “Have your wish, Kaikeyi; enjoy the kingdom without a thorn, now that you have cast off the king, cruel, wicked woman, single-minded in your aim. Rama has gone, leaving me, and my husband has gone to heaven. Like one lost on a bad road without companions, I cannot live. What woman, having lost her husband, her god, would want to live, except Kaikeyi, who has thrown away dharma? A greedy person does not see faults, like one eating poisonous fruit. Because of the hunchback, Kaikeyi has destroyed the family of the Raghavas. When Janaka hears that Rama and his wife were banished by the king at her improper command, he will grieve as I do. The righteous one does not know today that I am a widow without a protector; lotus-eyed Rama has gone from here as if his life were lost. Sita, the devoted daughter of the Videha king, unused to sorrow, will be distressed in the forest. Hearing the terrible cries of beasts and birds at night, she will surely cling to Raghava in fear. Old Janaka, who has few children, always thinking of Vaidehi, he too, overcome by grief, will surely give up his life. I, faithful to my husband, will go to my end today; embracing this body, I will enter the fire.”
The attendants embrace the lamenting, devoted Kausalya, deeply grieved, and lead her away. The ministers lay the lord of the earth in a vessel of oil and carry out all the king’s rites as instructed. The ministers, knowing everything, do not wish to cremate the king without a son present, so they keep the king’s body. When the women see him laid in the oil vessel by the ministers and know he is dead, they lament: raising their arms, their faces streaming, they weep pitifully: “Ha, great king! We have lost Rama, always kind of speech, true to his word; why do you abandon us too? Separated from Raghava by Kaikeyi of wicked heart, how shall we widows live near her who killed her husband? He who was our lord, and yours, master of himself, glorious Rama, has gone to the forest, leaving royal splendour. Without you and that hero, bewildered by calamity, how shall we live, defiled by Kaikeyi? She who abandoned the king, and Rama, and mighty Lakshmana with Sita, whom will she not abandon?” Covered in tears and great grief, the noble wives of Raghava writhe, joyless. Without its great-souled king, Ayodhya does not shine, like a night without stars, like a woman without her husband. Its people blinded by tears, its noblewomen crying “Ha!”, its squares and house-ends empty, it does not shine as before. Like the sky without the sun, or night without its stars, the city without its great soul does not shine, its roads and squares crowded with people whose throats are choked with tears. Men and women gather in crowds, reviling Bharata’s mother; with the god among men gone, they are stricken in the city and find no peace.
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तमग्निमिव संशान्तमम्बुहीनमिवार्णवम् । हतप्रभमिवादित्यं स्वर्गस्थं प्रेक्ष्य भूमिपम् ॥ १ ॥
कौसल्या बाष्पपूर्णाक्षी विविधं शोककर्शिता । उपगृह्य शिरो राज्ञः कैकेयीं प्रत्यभाषत ॥ २ ॥
Seeing the lord of the earth gone to heaven, like a fire gone out, like an ocean without water, like the sun with its light destroyed, Kausalya, her eyes full of tears, wasted by grief in many ways, taking the king’s head in her lap, said to Kaikeyi:
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सकामा भव कैकेयि भुङ्क्ष्व राज्यमकण्टकम् । त्यक्त्वा राजानमेकाग्रा नृशंसे दुष्टचारिणि ॥ ३ ॥
“Have your desire, Kaikeyi; enjoy the kingdom without a thorn, having cast off the king, single-minded one, cruel one of wicked conduct.
विहाय मां गतो रामो भर्ता च स्वर्गतो मम । विपथे सार्थहीनेव नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे ॥ ४ ॥
“Rama has gone, leaving me, and my husband has gone to heaven. Like a woman without companions on a wrong road, I cannot bear to live.
भर्तारं तं परित्यज्य का स्त्री दैवतमात्मनः । इच्छेज्जीवितुमन्यत्र कैकेय्यास्त्यक्तधर्मणः ॥ ५ ॥
“What woman, having lost that husband, her own god, would wish to live on, except Kaikeyi, who has abandoned dharma?
न लुब्धो बुध्यते दोषान्किंपाकमिव भक्षयन् । कुब्जानिमित्तं कैकेय्या राघवाणान् कुलं हतम् ॥ ६ ॥
“The greedy one does not see faults, like one eating the kimpaka fruit. Because of the hunchback, the family of the Raghavas has been destroyed by Kaikeyi.
अनियोगे नियुक्तेन राज्ञा रामं विवासितम् । सभार्यं जनकः श्रुत्वा परितप्स्यत्यहं यथा ॥ ७ ॥
“Hearing that Rama was exiled with his wife by the king, enjoined to an improper injunction, Janaka will grieve as I do.
स मामनाथां विधवां नाद्य जानाति धार्मिकः । रामः कमलपत्राक्षो जीवनाशमितो गतः ॥ ८ ॥
“The righteous one does not know today that I am a widow without protection. Lotus-eyed Rama has gone from here as if to the loss of life.
विदेहराजस्य सुता तथा सीता तपस्विनी । दुःखस्यानुचिता दुःखं वने पर्युद्विजिष्यति ॥ ९ ॥
“The daughter of the king of Videha, devoted Sita, unused to sorrow, will be distressed by sorrow in the forest.
नदतां भीमघोषाणां निशासु मृगपक्षिणाम् । निशम्य नूनं संत्रस्ता राघवं संश्रयिष्यति ॥ १० ॥
“Hearing at night the beasts and birds crying with dreadful sounds, she will surely, frightened, cling to Raghava.
वृद्धश्चैवाल्प पुत्रश्च वैदेहीमनुचिन्तयन् । सोऽपि शोकसमाविष्टो ननु त्यक्ष्यति जीवितम् ॥ ११ ॥
“And old Janaka, who has few children, constantly thinking of Vaidehi, he too, overcome by grief, will surely give up his life.
साहमद्यैव दिष्टान्तं गमिष्यामि पतिव्रता । इदं शरीरमालिङ्ग्य प्रवेक्ष्यामि हुताशनम् ॥ १२ ॥
“I, devoted to my husband, will go to my end this very day; embracing this body, I will enter the fire.”
तां ततः सम्परिष्वज्य विलपन्तीं तपस्विनीम् । व्यपनिन्युः सुदुःखार्तां कौसल्यां व्यावहारिकाः ॥ १३ ॥
Then the attendants, embracing the lamenting, devoted Kausalya, deeply grieved, led her away.
तैलद्रोण्यामथामात्याः संवेश्य जगतीपतिम् । राज्ञः सर्वाण्यथादिष्टाश्चक्रुः कर्माण्यनन्तरम् ॥ १४ ॥
Then the ministers, laying the lord of the world in a vessel of oil, as instructed, performed all the king’s rites in order.
न तु संकालनं राज्ञो विना पुत्रेण मन्त्रिणः । सर्वज्ञाः कर्तुमीषुस्ते ततो रक्षन्ति भूमिपम् ॥ १५ ॥
But the ministers, who knew everything, did not wish to cremate the king without a son; therefore they kept the lord of the earth.
तैलद्रोण्यां तु सचिवैः शायितं तं नराधिपम् । हा मृतोऽयमिति ज्ञात्वा स्त्रियस्ताः पर्यदेवयन् ॥ १६ ॥
When the ministers had laid that lord of men in the vessel of oil, the women, knowing “Alas, he is dead,” lamented.
बाहूनुद्यम्य कृपणा नेत्रप्रस्रवणैर्मुखैः । रुदन्त्यः शोकसंतप्ताः कृपणं पर्यदेवयन् ॥ १७ ॥
Raising their arms, wretched, their faces streaming from their eyes, weeping, burning with grief, they lamented pitifully:
हा महाराज रामेण सततं प्रियवादिना । विहीनाः सत्यसंधेन किमर्थं विजहासि नः ॥ १८ ॥
“Ha, great king! Bereft of Rama, always kind of speech, true to his promise, why do you abandon us?
कैकेय्या दुष्टभावाया राघवेण वियोजिताः । कथं पतिघ्न्या वत्स्यामः समीपे विधवा वयम् ॥ १९ ॥
“Separated from Raghava by Kaikeyi of wicked nature, how shall we widows live near her, the killer of her husband?
स हि नाथः सदास्माकं तव च प्रभुरात्मवान् । वनं रामो गतः श्रीमान्विहाय नृपतिश्रियम् ॥ २० ॥
“He who was always our lord, and yours, the master, self-possessed, glorious Rama, has gone to the forest, leaving the splendour of a king.
त्वया तेन च वीरेण विना व्यसनमोहिताः । कथं वयं निवत्स्यामः कैकेय्या च विदूषिताः ॥ २१ ॥
“Without you and that hero, bewildered by calamity, how shall we live, defiled by Kaikeyi?
यया तु राजा रामश्च लक्ष्मणश्च महाबलः । सीतया सह संत्य्क्ताः सा कमन्यं न हास्यति ॥ २२ ॥
“She by whom the king, and Rama, and mighty Lakshmana with Sita were abandoned: whom else will she not abandon?”
ता बाष्पेण च संवीताः शोकेन विपुलेन च । व्यवेष्टन्त निरानन्दा राघवस्य वरस्त्रीयः ॥ २३ ॥
Covered with tears and great grief, the noble wives of Raghava writhed, joyless.
निशा नक्षत्रहीनेव स्त्रीव भर्तृविवर्जिता । पुरी नाराजतायोध्या हीना राज्ञा महात्मना ॥ २४ ॥
Like a night without stars, like a woman deprived of her husband, the city of Ayodhya, bereft of its great-souled king, did not shine.
बाष्पपर्याकुलजना हाहाभूतकुलाङ्गना । शून्यचत्वरवेश्मान्ता न बभ्राज यथापुरम् ॥ २५ ॥
Its people overwhelmed with tears, its noblewomen crying “Alas!”, its squares and the ends of its houses empty, it did not shine as before.
गते तु शोकात्त्रिदिवं नराधिपे महीतलस्थासु नृपाङ्गनासु च । निवृत्तचारः सहसा गतो रविः प्रवृत्तचारा रजनी ह्युपस्थिता ॥ २६ ॥
When the lord of men had gone to heaven in his grief, and the royal women lay on the ground, the sun, its course finished, suddenly set, and night, beginning its course, came on.
ऋते तु पुत्राद्दहनं महीपतेर्न रोचयन्ते सुहृदः समागताः । इतीव तस्मिञ्शयने न्यवेशयन्विचिन्त्य राजानमचिन्त्यदर्शनम् ॥ २७ ॥
“The friends who had gathered did not approve of the cremation of the lord of the earth without a son.” So, having considered, they laid the king, of inconceivable appearance, in that resting place.
गतप्रभा द्यौरिव भास्करं विना व्यपेतनक्षत्रगणेव शर्वरी । पुरी बभासे रहिता महात्मना न चास्रकण्ठाकुलमार्गचत्वरा ॥ २८ ॥
Like the sky without the sun, its light gone, like the night with its hosts of stars departed, the city without the great soul did not shine, its roads and squares crowded with people whose throats were choked with tears.
नराश्च नार्यश्च समेत्य संघशो विगर्हमाणा भरतस्य मातरम् । तदा नगर्यां नरदेवसंक्षये बभूवुरार्ता न च शर्म लेभिरे ॥ २९ ॥
And men and women, gathering in crowds, reviling Bharata’s mother, were then distressed in the city at the death of the god among men, and found no peace.