Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 87 of 119 · 24 verses
The Bed of Grass under the Ingudi Tree
Hearing Guha’s painful words, Bharata falls into brooding right there where he heard them. Delicate, very strong, with a lion’s shoulders and mighty arms, with large lotus eyes, young and handsome, he recovers for a moment, then, deeply troubled, suddenly falls, like an elephant pierced in the heart by goads. Seeing Bharata faint, Guha, his face pale, is shaken like a tree in an earthquake. Shatrughna, standing close by, embraces him and weeps aloud, senseless, wasted with grief. Then all Bharata’s mothers come together, thin from fasting, wretched, wasted by their husband’s death, and surround him weeping as he lies on the ground. Kausalya, sick at heart, embraces him as a loving cow embraces her calf, and weeping, consumed by grief, asks him: “Son, is no illness troubling your body? The life of this royal family now depends on you. Seeing you, son, I live, now that Rama has gone with his brother and King Dasharatha is dead; you alone are our protector now. Son, have you heard something unpleasant about Lakshmana, or about my only son, gone to the forest with his wife?”
Recovering for a moment, still weeping, the glorious one comforts Kausalya and says to Guha: “Where did my brother spend the night? Where were Sita and Lakshmana? On what bed did he sleep, and what did he eat, Guha? Tell me.” Asked so, Guha, lord of the Nishadas, tells Bharata how he treated Rama, his dear and welcome guest: “I brought Rama much food, high and low, things to eat, and many kinds of fruit for his meal. Rama, of true valour, declined it all; remembering the kshatriya’s dharma, he did not accept it. ‘We must not accept, friend; we must always give,’ said the great soul, and so he won us over. Drinking only water brought by Lakshmana, glorious Raghava fasted that night with Sita. Then Lakshmana drank the rest of the water; and the three, silent and composed, performed the twilight worship. Then Saumitri quickly brought sacred grass himself and made a good bed for Raghava. Rama lay down on that bed with Sita, and Lakshmana, having washed their feet, withdrew. This is that ingudi tree, and this is that grass on which Rama and Sita both slept that night. Tying on his finger-guards and his two full quivers, holding his great strung bow, Lakshmana, scorcher of foes, stood all night around him. Then I too, holding the best bow and arrows, stood where Lakshmana stood, and with my tireless kinsmen, bows in hand, we guarded him, who is like great Indra.”
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गुहस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा भरतो भृशमप्रियम् । ध्यानं जगाम तत्रैव यत्र तच्छ्रुतमप्रियम् ॥ १ ॥
Hearing Guha’s very unpleasant words, Bharata fell into brooding right there where he had heard the unpleasant news.
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सुकुमारो महासत्त्वः सिंहस्कन्धो महाभुजः । पुण्डरीकविशालाक्षस्तरुणः प्रियदर्शनः ॥ २ ॥
प्रत्याश्वस्य मुहूर्तं तु कालं परमदुर्मनाः । पपात सहसा तोत्रैर्हृदिविद्ध इव द्विपः ॥ ३ ॥
Delicate, of great strength, lion-shouldered, mighty-armed, with large lotus eyes, young, handsome to see, having recovered for a moment, deeply troubled, he suddenly fell, like an elephant pierced in the heart by goads.
भरतं मुर्च्छितं द्रुष्ट्वा विवर्णवदनो गुहः । बभूव व्यथितस्तत्र भूमिकम्पे यथा द्रुमः ॥ ४ ॥
Seeing Bharata faint, Guha, his face pale, was shaken there like a tree in an earthquake.
तदवस्थं तु भरतं शत्रुघ्नोऽनन्तरस्थितः । परिष्वज्य रुरोदोच्चैर्विसंज्ञः शोककर्शितः ॥ ५ ॥
Shatrughna, standing close by, embracing Bharata in that state, wept aloud, senseless, wasted by grief.
ततः सर्वाः समापेतुर्मातरो भरतस्य ताः । उपवासकृशा दीना भर्तृव्यसनकर्शिताः ॥ ६ ॥
Then all those mothers of Bharata came together, thin from fasting, wretched, wasted by the death of their husband.
ताश्च तं पतितं भूमौ रुदन्त्यः पर्यवारयन् । कौसल्या त्वनुसृत्यैनं दुर्मनाः परिषस्वजे ॥ ७ ॥
Weeping, they surrounded him as he lay fallen on the ground; and Kausalya, following, sick at heart, embraced him.
वत्सला स्वं यथा वत्समुपगूह्य तपस्विनी । परिपप्रच्छ भरतं रुदन्ती शोकलालसा ॥ ८ ॥
Like a loving cow embracing her own calf, the devoted one, weeping, consumed by grief, asked Bharata:
पुत्र व्याधिर्न ते कच्चिच्छरीरं परिबाधते । अद्य राजकुलस्यास्य त्वदधीनं हि जीवितम् ॥ ९ ॥
“Son, is no illness troubling your body? For today the life of this royal family depends on you.
त्वां दृष्ट्वा पुत्र जीवामि रामे सभ्रातृके गते । वृत्ते दशरथे राज्ञि नाथ एकस्त्वमद्य नः ॥ १० ॥
“Seeing you, son, I live, now that Rama has gone with his brother. With King Dasharatha dead, you alone are our protector today.
कच्चिन्न लक्ष्मणे पुत्र श्रुतं ते किंचिदप्रियम् । पुत्रे वा ह्येकपुत्रायाः सहभार्ये वनं गते ॥ ११ ॥
“Son, have you heard something unpleasant about Lakshmana? Or about the son of me who has one son, gone to the forest with his wife?”
समुहूर्तं समाश्वस्य रुदन्नेव महायशाः । कौसल्यां परिसान्त्व्येदं गुहं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १२ ॥
Having recovered for a moment, still weeping, the greatly glorious one comforted Kausalya and said these words to Guha:
भ्राता मे क्वावसद्रात्रिं क्व सीता क्वच लक्ष्मणः । अस्वपच्छयने कस्मिन्किं भुक्त्वा गुह शंस मे ॥ १३ ॥
“Where did my brother spend the night? Where was Sita, and where was Lakshmana? On what bed did he sleep, having eaten what, Guha? Tell me.”
सोऽब्रवीद्भरतं हृष्टो निषादाधिपतिर्गुहः । यद्विधं प्रतिपेदे च रामे प्रियहितेऽतिथौ ॥ १४ ॥
Gladly Guha, lord of the Nishadas, told Bharata how he had treated Rama, his dear and welcome guest:
अन्नमुच्चावचं भक्ष्याः फलानि विविधानि च । रामायाभ्यवहारार्थं बहुचोपहृतं मया ॥ १५ ॥
“Food high and low, things to eat, and fruits of many kinds, in plenty, were brought by me for Rama to eat.
तत्सर्वं प्रत्यनुज्नासीद्रामः सत्यपराक्रमः । न हि तत् प्रत्यगृह्णात्स क्षत्रधर्ममनुस्मरन् ॥ १६ ॥
“Rama of true valour declined it all; he did not accept it, remembering the dharma of kshatriyas.
न ह्यस्माभिः प्रतिग्राह्यं सखे देयं तु सर्वदा । इति तेन वयं राजन्ननुनीता महात्मना ॥ १७ ॥
“’We must not accept, friend; rather, we must always give.’ So, king, we were won over by that great soul.
लक्ष्मणेन समानीतं पीत्वा वारि महायशाः । औपवास्यं तदाकार्षीद्राघवः सह सीतया ॥ १८ ॥
“Having drunk water brought by Lakshmana, glorious Raghava then fasted with Sita.
ततस्तु जलशेषेण लक्ष्मणोऽप्यकरोत्तदा । वाग्यतास्ते त्रयः संध्यां समुपासत संहिताः ॥ १९ ॥
“Then Lakshmana too took the rest of the water; and the three, restraining their speech, composed, performed the twilight worship.
सौमित्रिस्तु ततः पश्चादकरोत्स्वास्तरं शुभम् । स्वयमानीय बर्हींषि क्षिप्रं राघवकारणात् ॥ २० ॥
“Then afterwards Saumitri made a good bed, bringing the sacred grass himself quickly for Raghava’s sake.
तस्मिन्समाविशद्रामः स्वास्तरे सह सीतया । प्रक्षाल्य च तयोः पादावपचक्राम लक्ष्मणः ॥ २१ ॥
“On that bed Rama lay down with Sita; and having washed the feet of both, Lakshmana withdrew.
एतत् तदिङ्गुदीमूलमिदमेव च तत्तृणम् । यस्मिन् रामश्च सीता च रात्रिं तां शयिताउ उभौ ॥ २२ ॥
“This is that ingudi root, and this is that grass on which Rama and Sita both slept that night.
नियम्य पृष्ठे तु तलाङ्गुलित्रवाञ्शरैः सुपूर्णाविषुधी परंतपः । महद्धनुः सज्यमुपोह्य लक्ष्मणो निशामतिष्ठत्परितोऽस्य केवलम् ॥ २३ ॥
“Binding on his finger-guards and his two quivers well filled with arrows, holding his great strung bow, Lakshmana, scorcher of foes, stood all night around him.
ततस्त्वहं चोत्तमबाण चापधृक् स्थितोऽभवं तत्र स यत्र लक्ष्मणः । अतन्द्रिभिर्ज्नातिभिरात्तकार्मुकैर् महेन्द्रकल्पं परिपालयमस्तदा ॥ २४ ॥
“Then I too, holding the best arrows and bow, stood where Lakshmana was; and with my tireless kinsmen, their bows taken up, we guarded him, who is like great Indra.”