Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 72 of 119 · 54 verses
Kaikeyi Tells Bharata
Not finding his father in his father’s apartments, Bharata goes to see his mother in hers. Kaikeyi, seeing her son return from abroad, jumps up from her golden seat with joy. Entering his own home, now without splendour, righteous Bharata clasps his mother’s auspicious feet. She kisses his head, embraces him, takes him on her lap and asks: “How many nights is it since you left your grandfather’s house? Weren’t you tired, coming so fast by chariot? Is your grandfather well, and your uncle Yudhajit? Was your stay happy, son? Tell me everything.” Lotus-eyed Bharata tells her: “It is the seventh night since I left grandfather’s house. Mother’s father is well, and my uncle Yudhajit. The wealth and jewels the king gave me tired out on the road, so I came ahead. I came hurried by the king’s messengers. Mother, please tell me what I want to ask. This gold-adorned couch of yours is empty, and the Ikshvaku people do not seem happy. The king is mostly here in mother’s house; I came wanting to see him, and I do not see him. I want to clasp my father’s feet. Tell me; or is he in eldest Kausalya’s house?”
Kaikeyi, deluded by greed for the kingdom, knowing everything, tells her unknowing son the terrible news as if it were pleasant: “Your father has gone the way all beings go: the great-souled, splendid king, a constant sacrificer, the refuge of the good.” Hearing this, pure Bharata, of righteous birth, falls suddenly to the ground, struck by the force of grief for his father. Crying piteously, “Ha, I am lost!”, the mighty-armed one falls, flinging out his arms. Clothed in grief, pained by his father’s death, he laments, his mind reeling: “This bed of my father’s used to shine so beautifully, like the clear night sky with the moon after the rains. Today, without that wise man, it does not shine, like the sky without the moon, like a dried-up ocean.” Shedding tears, choked in his throat, covering his lovely face with his cloth, the best of victors lies on the ground, like the trunk of a sala tree cut by an axe in the forest. Kaikeyi lifts up the grieving one, godlike, like a rutting elephant, like the sun and moon, and says: “Get up, get up! Why are you lying there, glorious prince? Good men like you, honoured in assemblies, do not grieve. Your mind, wise one, given to charity and sacrifice, following character, learning and speech, is like the sun’s light in its house.”
After weeping long and rolling on the ground, enveloped in many griefs, he says to his mother: “I set out joyfully, thinking the king would consecrate Rama or perform a sacrifice. It has turned out otherwise, and my heart is torn, since I do not see my father, always devoted to what was dear and good to me. Of what illness did the king pass away, mother, before I came? Blessed are Rama and the others, who performed my father’s last rites themselves. Surely the glorious great king does not know I have come; otherwise father would have bent down quickly and kissed my head. Where is that hand of my father’s, of unwearied deeds, so pleasant to the touch, with which he used to wipe me clean when I was covered with dust? Tell me quickly of Rama, of unwearied deeds, who is my brother, father and kinsman, whose servant I am. For to one who knows dharma, the eldest brother is a father. I will clasp his feet; he is my refuge now. What did the king, my father, of true valour, say, noble one, knowing dharma, devoted to it, true to his word, firm in his vows? I want to hear his last message for me.” Asked so, Kaikeyi tells the truth: “Lamenting ‘Rama!’, ‘Ha Sita!’, ‘Lakshmana!’, the great-souled king, best of those who go, went to the other world. These were your father’s last words, bound by the law of time as a great elephant is bound by ropes: ‘Fortunate are the men who will see Rama return with Sita, and mighty-armed Lakshmana come back.’” Hearing this second unwelcome news, Bharata, his face falling, asks his mother again: “And where now is that righteous one, who increases Kausalya’s joy, gone with his brother Lakshmana and with Sita?” Asked so, his mother begins to tell him the truth, unpleasant news, thinking it pleasant: “That prince, son, has gone in bark clothes to the great forest of Dandaka, with Vaidehi, followed by Lakshmana.” Hearing this, Bharata, frightened, suspecting his brother’s conduct, begins to ask, out of pride in his own family: “Has Rama stolen the wealth of some brahmana? Has he harmed some innocent man, rich or poor? Has the prince desired another man’s wife? Why has he been banished to the Dandaka forest like a killer of an embryo?” Then his fickle mother begins to tell him what she has done, just as it was, with that same woman’s nature. Asked by great-souled Bharata, Kaikeyi, deluded, thinking herself clever, says joyfully: “Rama took no brahmana’s wealth; he harmed no innocent man, rich or poor; Rama does not even look at other men’s wives. But I, son, when I heard of Rama’s consecration, asked your father for the kingdom for you and the banishment of Rama. Keeping to his word, your father did so. Rama was sent away with Saumitri and Sita. Not seeing his dear son, the glorious lord of the earth, consumed by grief for his son, died. Now, knower of dharma, take up the kingship. I did all of this for your sake. No grief, no anguish: hold to courage, son. The city and this untroubled kingdom are yours. So, son, quickly, with Vasishtha and the other best of brahmanas who know the rites, perform the king’s funeral and, with undaunted spirit, have yourself consecrated over the earth.”
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अपश्यंस्तु ततस्तत्र पितरं पितुरालये । जगाम भरतो द्रष्टुं मातरं मातुरालये ॥ १ ॥
Not seeing his father there in his father’s dwelling, Bharata went to see his mother in his mother’s dwelling.
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Kaikeyi Tells Bharata 1 min read.
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अनुप्राप्तं तु तं दृष्ट्वा कैकेयी प्रोषितं सुतम् । उत्पपात तदा हृष्टा त्यक्त्वा सौवर्णमासनम् ॥ २ ॥
Seeing her son, who had been away, arrive, Kaikeyi then sprang up joyfully, leaving her golden seat.
स प्रविश्यैव धर्मात्मा स्वगृहं श्रीविवर्जितम् । भरतः प्रेक्ष्य जग्राह जनन्याश्चरणौ शुभौ ॥ ३ ॥
As soon as he entered his own house, bereft of splendour, righteous Bharata, looking on, clasped his mother’s auspicious feet.
सा तं मूर्ध्नि समुपाघ्राय परिष्वज्य यशस्विनम् । अङ्के भरतमारोप्य प्रष्टुं समुपचक्रमे ॥ ४ ॥
Kissing him on the head and embracing the glorious one, she lifted Bharata on to her lap and began to ask:
अद्य ते कतिचिद्रात्र्यश्च्युतस्यार्यकवेश्मनः । अपि नाध्वश्रमः शीघ्रं रथेनापततस्तव ॥ ५ ॥
“How many nights is it today since you left your grandfather’s house? Was there no tiredness from the road, as you came quickly by chariot?
आर्यकस्ते सुकुशली युधाजिन्मातुलस्तव । प्रवासाच्च सुखं पुत्र सर्वं मे वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ ६ ॥
“Is your grandfather well, and Yudhajit, your uncle? And was your stay away happy, son? You must tell me everything.”
एवं पृष्टस्तु कैकेय्या प्रियं पार्थिवनन्दनः । आचष्ट भरतः सर्वं मात्रे राजीवलोचनः ॥ ७ ॥
Asked so kindly by Kaikeyi, Bharata, delight of the lord of the earth, lotus-eyed, told his mother everything:
अद्य मे सप्तमी रात्रिश्च्युतस्यार्यकवेश्मनः । अम्बायाः कुशली तातो युधाजिन्मातुलश्च मे ॥ ८ ॥
“Today is the seventh night since I left grandfather’s house. Mother’s father is well, and my uncle Yudhajit.
यन्मे धनं च रत्नं च ददौ राजा परंतपः । परिश्रान्तं पथ्यभवत्ततोऽहं पूर्वमागतः ॥ ९ ॥
“The wealth and jewels the king, scorcher of foes, gave me grew weary on the road; so I came ahead.
राजवाक्यहरैर्दूतैस्त्वर्यमाणोऽहमागतः । यदहं प्रष्टुमिच्छामि तदम्बा वक्तुमर्हति ॥ १० ॥
“I came hurried by messengers carrying the king’s message. You should tell me, mother, what I wish to ask.
शून्योऽयं शयनीयस्ते पर्यङ्को हेमभूषितः । न चायमिक्ष्वाकुजनः प्रहृष्टः प्रतिभाति मे ॥ ११ ॥
“This couch of yours, adorned with gold, is empty, and these Ikshvaku people do not seem happy to me.
राजा भवति भूयिष्ठमिहाम्बाया निवेशने । तमहं नाद्य पश्यामि द्रष्टुमिच्छन्निहागतः ॥ १२ ॥
“The king is mostly here in mother’s house. I do not see him today, though I have come here wishing to see him.
पितुर्ग्रहीष्ये चरणौ तं ममाख्याहि पृच्छतः । आहोस्विदम्बज्येष्ठायाः कौसल्याया निवेशने ॥ १३ ॥
“I will clasp my father’s feet; tell me as I ask. Or is he, mother, in the house of eldest Kausalya?”
तं प्रत्युवाच कैकेयी प्रियवद् घोरमप्रियम् । अजानन्तं प्रजानन्ती राज्यलोभेन मोहिता ॥ १४ ॥
Kaikeyi, deluded by greed for the kingdom, knowing, told her unknowing son the dreadful, unpleasant thing as if it were pleasant:
या गतिः सर्वभूतानां तां गतिं ते पिता गतः । राजा महात्मा तेजस्वी यायजूकः सतां गतिः ॥ १५ ॥
“Your father has gone the way that is the way of all beings: the great-souled, splendid king, the constant sacrificer, the refuge of the good.”
तच्छ्रुत्वा भरतो वाक्यं धर्माभिजनवाञ्छुचिः । पपात सहसा भूमौ पितृशोकबलार्दितः ॥ १६ ॥
Hearing those words, Bharata, of righteous lineage and pure, suddenly fell to the ground, struck by the force of grief for his father.
हा हतोऽस्मीति कृपणां दीनां वाचमुदीरयन् । निपपात महाबाहुर्बाहु विक्षिप्य वीर्यवान् ॥ १७ ॥
Uttering pitiful, wretched words, “Ha, I am lost!”, the mighty-armed, valiant one fell, flinging out his arms.
ततः शोकेन संवीतः पितुर्मरणदुःखितः । विललाप महातेजा भ्रान्ताकुलितचेतनः ॥ १८ ॥
Then, enveloped by grief, pained by his father’s death, the splendid one lamented, his mind whirling and confused:
एतत् सुरुचिरं भाति पितुर्मे शयनं पुरा । शशिनेवामलं रात्रौ गगनं तोयदात्यये ॥ १९ ॥
“This bed of my father’s used to shine so beautifully, like the spotless night sky with the moon at the end of the rains.
तदिदं न विभात्यद्य विहीनं तेन धीमता । व्योमेव श्शिना हीनमप्भुष्क इव सागरः ॥ २० ॥
“Bereft of that wise one, it does not shine today, like the sky without the moon, like a dried-up ocean.”
बाष्पमुत्सृज्य कण्ठेन स्वात्मना परिपीडितः । प्रच्छाद्य वदनं श्रीमद्वस्त्रेण जयतां वरः ॥ २१ ॥
Shedding tears, choked in his throat, tormented in himself, covering his glorious face with his cloth, the best of the victorious
तमार्तं देवसंकाशं समीक्ष्य पतितं भुवि । निकृत्तमिव सालस्य स्कन्धं परशुना वने ॥ २२ ॥
lay there, afflicted, godlike, fallen on the ground, like the trunk of a sala cut by an axe in the forest.
मत्तमातङ्गसंकाशं चन्द्रार्कसदृशं भुवः । उत्थापयित्वा शोकार्तं वचनं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥ २३ ॥
Lifting the grief-stricken one from the ground, like a rutting elephant, like the sun and moon, she said these words:
उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ किं शेषे राजन्नत्र महायशः । त्वद्विधा न हि शोचन्ति सन्तः सदसि सम्मताः ॥ २४ ॥
“Rise, rise! Why do you lie here, glorious king? Good men like you, honoured in assemblies, do not grieve.
दानयज्ञाधिकारा हि शीलश्रुतिवचोनुगा । बुद्धिस्ते बुद्धिसम्पन्न प्रभेवार्कस्य मन्दिरे ॥ २५ ॥
“Your mind, wise one, entitled to charity and sacrifice, following good character, scripture and speech, is like the sun’s light in its house.”
स रुदित्वा चिरं कालं भूमौ विपरिवृत्य च । जननीं प्रत्युवाचेदं शोकैर्बहुभिरावृतः ॥ २६ ॥
Having wept a long time and rolled on the ground, enveloped by many griefs, he said this to his mother:
अभिषेक्ष्यति रामं तु राजा यज्ञं नु यक्ष्यते । इत्यहं कृतसंकल्पो हृष्टो यात्रामयासिषम् ॥ २७ ॥
“’The king will consecrate Rama, or perform a sacrifice’: with this resolve, I set out on my journey joyfully.
तदिदं ह्यन्यथा भूतं व्यवदीर्णं मनो मम । पितरं यो न पश्यामि नित्यं प्रियहिते रतम् ॥ २८ ॥
“This has turned out otherwise; my mind is torn apart, since I do not see my father, always devoted to my good and pleasure.
अम्ब केनात्यगाद्राजा व्याधिना मय्यनागते । धन्या रामादयः सर्वे यैः पिता संस्कृतः स्वयम् ॥ २९ ॥
“Of what illness did the king pass away, mother, before I came? Blessed are all those, Rama and the rest, by whom father’s rites were done in person.
न नूनं मां महाराजः प्राप्तं जानाति कीर्तिमान् । उपजिघ्रेद्द्हि मां मूर्ध्नि तातः संनम्य सत्वरम् ॥ ३० ॥
“Surely the glorious great king does not know that I have come; for father would have bent down quickly and kissed me on the head.
क्व स पाणिः सुखस्पर्शस्तातस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः । येन मां रजसा ध्वस्तमभीक्ष्णं परिमार्जति ॥ ३१ ॥
“Where is that hand of my father’s, of unwearied deeds, pleasant to the touch, with which he would always wipe me clean when I was covered with dust?
यो मे भ्राता पिता बन्धुर्यस्य दासोऽस्मि धीमतः । तस्य मां शीघ्रमाख्याहि रामस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः ॥ ३२ ॥
“Tell me quickly of that Rama, of unwearied deeds, wise, who is my brother, my father, my kinsman, whose servant I am.
पिता हि भवति ज्येष्ठो धर्ममार्यस्य जानतः । तस्य पादौ ग्रहीष्यामि स हीदानीं गतिर्मम ॥ ३३ ॥
“For to the noble one who knows dharma, the eldest is a father. I will clasp his feet; he is now my refuge.
धर्मविद्धर्मनित्यश्च सत्यसन्धो दृढव्रतः । आर्ये किमब्रवीद् राजा पिता मे सत्यविक्रमः ॥ ३४ ॥
“Knowing dharma, always devoted to dharma, true to his promise, firm in his vows: what did the king, my father, of true valour, say, noble lady?
पश्चिमं साधु संदेशमिच्छामि श्रोतुमात्मनः । इति पृष्टा यथातत्त्वं कैकेयी वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ ३५ ॥
“I wish to hear his last good message for me.” Asked so, Kaikeyi said the words as they truly were:
रामेति राजा विलपन्हा सीते लक्ष्मणेति च । स महात्मा परं लोकं गतो गतिमतां वरः ॥ ३६ ॥
“Lamenting ‘Rama!’, and ‘Ha Sita!’, and ‘Lakshmana!’, the great-souled king, best of those who go, went to the other world.
इमां तु पश्चिमां वाचं व्याजहार पिता तव । कालधर्मपरिक्षिप्तः पाशैरिव महागजः ॥ ३७ ॥
“These were the last words your father spoke, caught by the law of time as a great elephant by ropes:
सिद्धार्थास्तु नरा राममागतं सीतया सह । लक्ष्मणं च महाबाहुं द्रक्ष्यन्ति पुनरागतम् ॥ ३८ ॥
“’Fortunate are the men who will see Rama come back with Sita, and mighty-armed Lakshmana returned.’”
तच्छ्रुत्वा विषसादैव द्वितीयाप्रियशंसनात् । विषण्णवदनो भूत्वा भूयः पप्रच्छ मातरम् ॥ ३९ ॥
Hearing that, he grew still more dejected at the telling of a second unwelcome thing; his face downcast, he asked his mother again:
क्व चेदानीं स धर्मात्मा कौसल्यानन्दवर्धनः । लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा सीतया च समं गतः ॥ ४० ॥
“And where now is that righteous one, increaser of Kausalya’s joy, gone together with his brother Lakshmana and with Sita?”
तथा पृष्टा यथातत्त्वमाख्यातुमुपचक्रमे । मातास्य युगपद्वाक्यं विप्रियं प्रियशङ्कया ॥ ४१ ॥
Asked so, his mother began to tell the truth, words unwelcome, all at once, supposing them welcome:
स हि राजसुतः पुत्र चीरवासा महावनम् । दण्डकान्सह वैदेह्या लक्ष्मणानुचरो गतः ॥ ४२ ॥
“That prince, son, has gone in bark clothes to the great forest of Dandaka, with Vaidehi, followed by Lakshmana.”
तच्छ्रुत्वा भरतस्त्रस्तो भ्रातुश्चारित्रशङ्कया । स्वस्य वंशस्य माहात्म्यात् प्रष्टुं समुपचक्रमे ॥ ४३ ॥
Hearing that, Bharata, frightened, suspecting something in his brother’s conduct, because of the greatness of his own line, began to ask:
कच्चिन्न ब्राह्मणधनं हृतं रामेण कस्यचित् । कच्चिन्नाढ्यो दरिद्रो वा तेनापापो विहिंसितः ॥ ४४ ॥
“Has some brahmana’s wealth been taken by Rama? Has some innocent man, rich or poor, been harmed by him?
कच्चिन्न परदारान्वा राजपुत्रोऽभिमन्यते । कस्मात्स दण्डकारण्ये भ्रूणहेव विवासितः ॥ ४५ ॥
“Or does the prince desire the wives of others? Why has he been banished to the Dandaka forest like a killer of an unborn child?”
अथास्य चपला माता तत्स्वकर्म यथातथम् । तेनैव स्त्रीस्वभावेन व्याहर्तुमुपचक्रमे ॥ ४६ ॥
Then his fickle mother began to tell that deed of her own just as it was, out of that same woman’s nature.
एवमुक्ता तु कैकेयी भरतेन महात्मना । उवाच वचनं हृष्टा मूढा पण्डितमानिनी ॥ ४७ ॥
Spoken to so by great-souled Bharata, Kaikeyi, deluded, thinking herself clever, said joyfully:
न ब्राह्मणधनं किंचिद्धृतं रामेण कस्यचित् । कश्चिन्नाढ्यो दरिद्रो वा तेनापापो विहिंसितः ॥ ४८ ॥
“No brahmana’s wealth at all was taken by Rama; no innocent man, rich or poor, was harmed by him.
न रामः परदारांश्च चक्षुर्भ्यामपि पश्यति । मया तु पुत्र श्रुत्वैव रामस्यैवाभिषेचनम् ॥ ४९ ॥
“Rama does not even look at other men’s wives with his eyes. But I, son, as soon as I heard of Rama’s consecration,
याचितस्ते पिता राज्यं रामस्य च विवासनम् । स स्ववृत्तिं समास्थाय पिता ते तत्तथाकरोत् ॥ ५० ॥
“asked your father for the kingdom for you and the banishment of Rama. Keeping to his own conduct, your father did so.
रामश्च सह सौमित्रिः प्रेषितः सह सीतया । तमपश्यन् प्रियं पुत्रं महीपालो महायशाः ॥ ५१ ॥
“And Rama was sent away with Saumitri and with Sita. Not seeing that dear son, the greatly glorious protector of the earth,
पुत्रशोकपरिद्यूनः पञ्चत्वमुपपेदिवान् । त्वया त्विदानीं धर्मज्ञ राजत्वमवलम्ब्यताम् ॥ ५२ ॥
“consumed by grief for his son, met his death. Now, knower of dharma, take up the kingship.
त्वत्कृते हि मया सर्वमिदमेवंविधं कृतम् । मा शोकं मा च संतापं धैर्यमाश्रय पुत्रक ॥ ५३ ॥
“For it was for your sake that I did all this, in this way. No grief, no anguish: hold to courage, little son.
त्वदधीना हि नगरी राज्यं चैतदनामयम् । तत्पुत्र शीघ्रं विधिना विधिज्ञैर्वसिष्ठमुख्यैः सहितो द्विजेन्द्रैः । संकाल्य राजानमदीनसत्त्वमात्मानमुर्व्यामभिषेचयस्व ॥ ५४ ॥
“This city and this untroubled kingdom depend on you. So, son, quickly, with Vasishtha and the other chief brahmanas who know the rites, having had the king cremated, with undaunted spirit, have yourself consecrated on the earth.”