Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 77 of 119 · 26 verses
Gathering the Bones
When ten days have passed, the prince, purified, performs the shraddha rites on the twelfth day. For the king’s afterlife he gives the brahmanas jewels, wealth and abundant food, costly clothes, many gems, many white goats, cows by the hundred, female and male servants, carriages and great houses. On the morning of the thirteenth day, mighty-armed Bharata, faint with grief, comes to gather the bones. His voice choked, at the foot of the pyre he says in deep sorrow: “Father, the brother Raghava to whom you entrusted me has gone to the forest, and I am abandoned and empty. The son who was the refuge of a helpless woman has been sent to the forest; where have you gone, king, abandoning mother Kausalya?” Seeing the circle of red ash and burnt bones where his father’s body was extinguished, he groans and sinks down, and, weeping, falls to the ground, like Indra’s banner falling as it is raised. His ministers rush to him, pure in his vows, as the seers rushed to Yayati when he fell at the end of his merit.
Seeing Bharata overwhelmed by grief, Shatrughna too, remembering the king, falls senseless to the ground. Like a madman, out of his mind, he laments, deeply grieved, recalling again and again his father’s virtues: “The ocean of grief, sprung from Manthara, its crocodile Kaikeyi, made of the boons, unshakable, has drowned us. Where have you gone, father, leaving Bharata lamenting, tender and young, whom you always cherished? Surely you used to give us all our choice of food, drink, clothes and ornaments; who will do that for us now? The earth does not split open at the time for splitting, bereft of you, the righteous, great-souled king! With father gone to heaven and Rama in the forest, what strength have I to live? I will enter the fire. Without my brother and father, I will not enter empty Ayodhya, protected by the Ikshvakus; I will enter a forest of penance.” Hearing the two of them lament and seeing their misfortune, all the followers are more deeply grieved than ever. Dejected and exhausted, Shatrughna and Bharata both writhe on the ground like bulls with broken horns. Then Vasishtha, their father’s priest, steady, learned, lifts Bharata and says: “This is the thirteenth day since your father died, lord. Why do you linger here, with the gathering of bones still unfinished? Three pairs of opposites, hunger and thirst, grief and delusion, old age and death, come to all beings without distinction. They cannot be avoided, so you should not behave like this.” And Sumantra, who knows the truth, lifts and calms Shatrughna and tells him of the coming into being and passing of all creatures. Risen, the two glorious tigers among men shine like two separate banners of Indra, soaked by rain and sun, wiping their tears, their eyes red, speaking wretchedly.
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ततो दशाहेऽतिगते कृतशौचो नृपात्मजः । द्वादशेऽहनि सम्प्राप्ते श्राद्धकर्माण्यकारयत् ॥ १ ॥
Then, when ten days had passed, the prince, having purified himself, had the shraddha rites performed when the twelfth day came.
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ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ रत्नं धनमन्नं च पुष्कलम् । वासांसि च महार्हाणि रत्नानि विविधानि च ॥ २ ॥
He gave the brahmanas jewels, wealth and abundant food, very costly clothes, and many kinds of gems,
बास्तिकं बहु शुक्लं च गाश्चापि शतशस्तथा । दासीदासं च यानं च वेश्मानि सुमहान्ति च ॥ ३ ॥
many white goats, and cows by the hundred, female and male servants, carriages and very large houses.
ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ पुत्रो राज्ञस्तस्यौर्ध्वदैहिकम् । ततः प्रभातसमये दिवसेऽथ त्रयोदशे ॥ ४ ॥
The son gave these to the brahmanas for the king’s afterlife. Then, at dawn on the thirteenth day,
विललाप महाबाहुर्भरतः शोकमूर्च्छितः । शब्दापिहितकण्ठस्तु शोधनार्थमुपागतः ॥ ५ ॥
mighty-armed Bharata, faint with grief, lamented; his throat choked by the sound, he came to gather the bones.
चितामूले पितुर्वाक्यमिदमाह सुदुःखितः । तात यस्मिन्निषृष्टोऽहं त्वया भ्रातरि राघवे ॥ ६ ॥
At the foot of the pyre he said these words to his father, deeply grieved: “Father, when the brother Raghava to whom I was entrusted by you
तस्मिन्वनं प्रव्रजिते शून्ये त्यक्तोऽस्म्यहं त्वया । यथा गतिरनाथायाः पुत्रः प्रव्राजितो वनं ॥ ७ ॥
“has gone to the forest, I am left empty, abandoned by you. The son who was the refuge of a helpless woman has been banished to the forest.
तामम्बां तात कौसल्यां त्यक्त्वा त्वं क्व गतो नृप । दृष्ट्वा भस्मारुणं तच्च दग्धास्थिस्थानमण्डलम् ॥ ८ ॥
“Abandoning that mother Kausalya, father, where have you gone, king?” And seeing that circle, red with ash, the place of burnt bones,
पितुः शरीरनिर्वाणं निष्टनन्विषसाद ह । स तु दृष्ट्वा रुदन्दीनः पपात धरणीतले ॥ ९ ॥
the extinguishing of his father’s body, he groaned and sank down. Seeing it, weeping, wretched, he fell to the ground,
उत्थाप्यमानः शक्रस्य यन्त्रध्वज इव च्युतः । अभिपेतुस्ततः सर्वे तस्यामात्याः शुचिव्रतम् ॥ १० ॥
like Indra’s banner falling from its frame as it is being raised. Then all his ministers rushed to him, pure in his vows,
अन्तकाले निपतितं ययातिमृषयो यथा । शत्रुघ्नश्चापि भरतं दृष्ट्वा शोक परिप्लुतम् ॥ ११ ॥
as the seers rushed to Yayati fallen at the end of his time. And Shatrughna too, seeing Bharata overwhelmed with grief,
विसंज्ञो न्यपतद्भूमौ भूमिपालमनुस्मरन् । उन्मत्त इव निश्चेता विललाप सुदुःखितः ॥ १२ ॥
fell senseless to the ground, remembering the protector of the earth. Like a madman, out of his mind, he lamented, deeply grieved,
स्मृत्वा पितुर्गुणाङ्गानि तानि तानि तदा तदा । मन्थराप्रभवस्तीव्रः कैकेयीग्राहसंकुलः ॥ १३ ॥
recalling his father’s virtues, one by one, again and again: “The fierce ocean of grief, sprung from Manthara, full of the crocodile Kaikeyi,
वरदानमयोऽक्षोभ्योऽमज्जयच्छोकसागरः । सुकुमारं च बालं च सततं लालितं त्वया ॥ १४ ॥
“made of the boons, unshakable, has drowned us. Tender, a child, always cherished by you:
क्व तात भरतं हित्वा विलपन्तं गतो भवान् । ननु भोज्येषु पानेषु वस्त्रेष्वाभरणेषु च ॥ १५ ॥
“where have you gone, father, leaving Bharata lamenting? Surely in food, drink, clothes and ornaments
प्रवारयसि नः सर्वांस्तन्नः कोऽद्य करिष्यति । अवदारणकाले तु पृथिवी नावदीर्यते ॥ १६ ॥
“you used to give all of us our choice. Who will do that for us today? At the time for splitting apart, the earth does not split,
विहीना या त्वया राज्ञा धर्मज्ञेन महात्मना । पितरि स्वर्गमापन्ने रामे चारण्यमाश्रिते ॥ १७ ॥
“bereft of you, the king who knew dharma, the great soul! With father gone to heaven and Rama taken to the forest,
किं मे जीवितसामर्थ्यं प्रवेक्ष्यामि हुताशनम् । हीनो भ्रात्रा च पित्रा च शून्यामिक्ष्वाकुपालिताम् ॥ १८ ॥
“what strength have I to live? I will enter the fire. Bereft of my brother and my father, I will not enter empty Ayodhya, protected by the Ikshvakus;
अयोध्यां न प्रवेक्ष्यामि प्रवेक्ष्यामि तपोवनम् । तयोर्विलपितं श्रुत्वा व्यसनं च अन्ववेक्ष्य तत् ॥ १९ ॥
“I will enter a forest of penance.” Hearing the two of them lament, and seeing that calamity,
भृशमार्ततरा भूयः सर्व एवानुगामिनः । ततो विषण्णौ श्रान्तौ च शत्रुघ्नभरतावुभौ ॥ २० ॥
all the followers were again more deeply afflicted. Then Shatrughna and Bharata, both dejected and weary,
धरण्यां संव्यचेष्टेतां भग्नशृङ्गाविवर्षभौ । ततः प्रकृतिमान्वैद्यः पितुरेषां पुरोहितः ॥ २१ ॥
writhed on the ground like two bulls with broken horns. Then the steady, learned Vasishtha, their father’s priest,
वसिष्ठो भरतं वाक्यमुत्थाप्य तमुवाच ह । त्रयोदशोऽयं दिवसः पितुर्वृत्तस्य ते विभो ॥ २२ ॥
lifting Bharata, said these words to him: “This is the thirteenth day, lord, since your father died.
सावशेषास्थिनिचये किमिह त्वं विलम्बसे । त्रीणि द्वन्द्वानि भूतेषु प्रवृत्तान्यविशेषतः ॥ २३ ॥
“Why do you linger here, with the heap of bones still remaining? Three pairs of opposites act upon all beings without distinction.
तेषु चापरिहार्येषु नैवं भवितुमर्हति । सुमन्त्रश्चापि शत्रुघ्नमुत्थाप्याभिप्रसाद्य च ॥ २४ ॥
“Since they cannot be avoided, it is not right to be like this.” And Sumantra too, lifting and calming Shatrughna,
श्रावयामास तत्त्वज्ञः सर्वभूतभवाभवौ । उत्थितौ तौ नरव्याघ्रौ प्रकाशेते यशस्विनौ ॥ २५ ॥
knowing the truth, made him hear of the coming into being and passing away of all beings. Risen, those two glorious tigers among men shone
वर्षातपपरिक्लिन्नौ पृथगिन्द्रध्वजाविव । अश्रूणि परिमृद्नन्तौ रक्ताक्षौ दीनभाषिणौ ॥ २६ ॥
like two separate banners of Indra, drenched by rain and sun, wiping away their tears, their eyes red, speaking wretchedly.