Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 96 of 119 · 31 verses
Lakshmana Sees the Army
Having shown Maithili the mountain river, Rama sits on a mountain ledge, tempting Sita with meat: “This is pure, this is tasty, this is well roasted on the fire.” So the righteous Raghava sits with Sita. As he sits there, the dust and the noise of Bharata’s approaching army rise, touching the sky. Frightened by the great noise, the rutting herd-leaders flee in every direction with their herds. Raghava hears that sound raised by the army and sees all the herd-leaders fleeing. Seeing them run and hearing the noise, Rama says to Saumitri Lakshmana of blazing splendour: “Ah, Lakshmana, Sumitra has a good son in you. Look: a tumultuous sound, deep and terrible as thunder, is heard. Are herds of elephants, or buffaloes in the great forest, or deer frightened by lions, suddenly fleeing in all directions? Or is a king or prince hunting in the forest, or some other wild beast? Find out, Saumitri. This mountain is very hard to cross, even for birds, Lakshmana. Find out quickly what this really is.”
Lakshmana quickly climbs a flowering sala tree, looks in every direction, and looks east. Facing north, he sees a great army crowded with chariots, horses and elephants, and with armed foot soldiers. He tells Rama of the army, full of horses and elephants and adorned with chariot banners, and says: “Let the noble one put out the fire; let Sita take shelter in a cave. String your bow, take up your arrows and armour.” Rama, tiger among men, answers: “Look carefully, Saumitri: whose army do you think this is?” Lakshmana, as if wanting to burn the army like an angry fire, says: “Clearly Bharata, son of Kaikeyi, having been consecrated and wanting the whole kingdom, is coming to kill the two of us. That huge, splendid tree shines there, its trunk raised high, the kovidara banner on the chariot. These men ride swift horses as they please; these riders shine, delighted, mounted on elephants. Let us take our bows, hero, and go up the mountain; or let us stay here, armed and with weapons raised. Might the kovidara banner come under our power in battle? Might I see Bharata, because of whom this great calamity came to you, Raghava, and to Sita and me? This Bharata, the enemy for whose sake you were thrown out of the eternal kingdom, has come, hero; he must be killed by me. I see no wrong in killing Bharata, Raghava. There is no adharma in casting off those who did us harm first. Bharata did us harm first and has abandoned dharma, Raghava; with him killed, rule the whole earth. Today let Kaikeyi, greedy for the kingdom, see her son killed by me in battle, grieving like a tree broken by an elephant. I will kill Kaikeyi too, with her followers and kin; let the earth be freed today of a great stain. Today, giver of honour, I will release on the enemy army this anger I have held back, and this insult, as fire is released on dry grass. Today, piercing enemy bodies with sharp arrows, I will drench this forest of Chitrakuta with blood. Let the wild beasts drag away the elephants and horses, their hearts split by my arrows, and the men I have killed. In this great battle I will repay my debt to my bow and arrows, having killed Bharata with his army; there is no doubt.”
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तां तथा दर्शयित्वा तु मैथिलीं गिरिनिम्नगाम् । निषसाद गिरिप्रस्थे सीतां मांसेन छन्दयन् ॥ १ ॥
Having shown Maithili the mountain river in that way, he sat on a mountain ledge, tempting Sita with meat:
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इदं मेध्यमिदं स्वादु निष्टप्तमिदमग्निना । एवमास्ते स धर्मात्मा सीतया सह राघवः ॥ २ ॥
“This is pure, this is tasty, this is well roasted by the fire.” So the righteous Raghava sat with Sita.
तथा तत्रासतस्तस्य भरतस्योपयायिनः । सैन्यरेणुश्च शब्दश्च प्रादुरास्तां नभस्स्पृशौ ॥ ३ ॥
As he sat there so, the dust of the army of approaching Bharata and its noise arose, touching the sky.
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे त्रस्ताः शब्देन महता ततः । अर्दिता यूथपा मत्ताः सयूथा दुद्रुवुर्दिशः ॥ ४ ॥
Meanwhile, frightened by that great noise, the rutting herd-leaders, harried, fled with their herds in every direction.
स तं सैन्यसमुद्धूतं शब्दं शुश्राव राघवः । तांश्च विप्रद्रुतान् सर्वान् यूथपानन्ववैक्षत ॥ ५ ॥
Raghava heard that sound raised by the army and saw all those herd-leaders who had fled.
तांश्च विद्रवतो दृष्ट्वा तं च श्रुत्वा च निस्वनम् । उवाच रामः सौमित्रिं लक्ष्मणं दीप्ततेजसम् ॥ ६ ॥
Seeing them running and hearing that noise, Rama said to Saumitri Lakshmana of blazing splendour:
हन्त लक्ष्मण पश्येह सुमित्रा सुप्रजास्त्वया । भीमस्तनितगम्भीरस्तुमुलः श्रूयते स्वनः ॥ ७ ॥
“Ah, Lakshmana, look here: Sumitra has a good son in you. A tumultuous sound is heard, deep with terrible thunder.
गजयूथानि वा ऽरण्ये महिषा वा महावने । वित्रासिता मृगाः सिंहैः सहसा प्रद्रुता दिशः ॥ ८ ॥
“Are herds of elephants in the forest, or buffaloes in the great forest, or deer frightened by lions, suddenly fleeing in every direction?
राजा वा राजमात्रो वा मृगयामटते वने । अन्यद्वा श्वापदं किञ्चित् सौमित्रे ज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥ ९ ॥
“Or is a king, or a prince, roaming the forest hunting, or some other wild beast? You should find out, Saumitri.
सुदुश्चरो गिरिश्चायं पक्षिणामपि लक्ष्मण । सर्वमेतद्यथातत्त्वमचिराज्ज्ञातुमर्हसि ॥ १० ॥
“This mountain is very hard to pass, even for birds, Lakshmana. You should find out quickly all this as it really is.”
स लक्ष्मणः संत्वरितः सालमारुह्य पुष्पितम् । प्रेक्षमाणो दिशः सर्वाः पूर्वां दिशमुदैक्षत ॥ ११ ॥
That Lakshmana, in great haste, climbing a flowering sala tree, looking in every direction, looked toward the east.
उदङ्मुखः प्रेक्षमाणो ददर्श महतीं चमूम् । रथाश्वगजसम्बाधां यत्तैर्युक्तां पदातिभिः ॥ १२ ॥
Looking, facing north, he saw a great army crowded with chariots, horses and elephants, joined with armed foot soldiers.
तामश्वगजसम्पूर्णां रथध्वजविभूषिताम् । शशंस सेनां रामाय वचनं चेदमब्रीत् ॥ १३ ॥
He told Rama of that army full of horses and elephants, adorned with chariot banners, and said these words:
अग्निं संशमयत्वार्यः सीता च भजतां गुहाम् । सज्यं कुरुष्व चापं च शरांश्च कवचं तथा ॥ १४ ॥
“Let the noble one put out the fire, and let Sita take to a cave. String your bow, and take up your arrows and armour.”
तं रामः पुरुषव्याघ्रो लक्ष्मणं प्रत्युवाच ह । अङ्गावेक्षस्व सौमित्रे कस्येमां मन्यसे चमूम् ॥ १५ ॥
Rama, the tiger among men, answered that Lakshmana: “Look closely, Saumitri. Whose do you think this army is?”
एवमुक्तस्तु रामेण लक्ष्मणो वाक्यमब्रवीत् । दिधक्षन्निव तां सेनां रुषितः पावको यथा ॥ १६ ॥
Spoken to so by Rama, Lakshmana said these words, as if wanting to burn that army, like an angry fire:
सम्पन्नं राज्यमिच्छंस्तु व्यक्तं प्राप्याभिषेचनम् । आवां हन्तुं समभ्येति कैकेय्या भरतः सुतः ॥ १७ ॥
“Clearly, having obtained the consecration and wanting the whole kingdom, Bharata, Kaikeyi’s son, is coming to kill us two.
एष वै सुमहान् श्रीमान् विटपी सम्प्रकाशते । विराजत्युद्गतस्कन्धः कोविदारध्वजो रथे ॥ १८ ॥
“That very great, glorious tree shines out, its trunk raised high: the kovidara banner on the chariot shines.
भजन्त्येते यथा काममश्वानारुह्य शीघ्रगान् । एते भ्राजन्ति संहृष्टा गजानारुह्य सादिनः ॥ १९ ॥
“These, mounted on swift horses, move as they please; these riders shine, delighted, mounted on elephants.
गृहीतधनुषौ चावां गिरिं वीरश्रयावहै । अथवेहैव तिष्ठावः सन्नद्धावुद्यतायुधौ ॥ २० ॥
“Let us two take our bows and go up the mountain, hero; or let us stay right here, armoured, our weapons raised.
अपि नौ वशमागच्छेत् कोविदारध्वजो दणे ॥ २१ ॥
“Might the kovidara banner come under our power in battle?
अपि द्रक्ष्यामि भरतं यत्कृते व्यसनं महत् । त्वया राघव सम्प्राप्तं सीतया च मया तथा ॥ २२ ॥
“Might I see Bharata, for whose sake this great calamity came upon you, Raghava, and on Sita and on me?
यन्निमित्तं भवान् राज्याच्च्युतो राघव शाश्वतात् । सम्प्राप्तो ऽयमरिर्वीर भरतो वध्य एव मे ॥ २३ ॥
“That enemy Bharata, because of whom you, Raghava, fell from the eternal kingdom, has come, hero; he must surely be killed by me.
भरतस्य वधे दोषं नाहं पश्यामि राघव । पूर्वापकारिणां त्यागे न ह्यधर्मो विधीयते ॥ २४ ॥
“I see no fault in killing Bharata, Raghava. For no adharma is laid down in casting off those who did harm first.
पूर्वापकारी भरतस्त्यक्तधर्मश्च राघव । एतस्मिन्निहते कृत्स्नामनुशाधि वसुन्धराम् ॥ २५ ॥
“Bharata did harm first and has abandoned dharma, Raghava. With him killed, rule the whole earth.
अद्य पुत्रं हतं सङ्ख्ये कैकेयी राज्यकामुका । मया पश्येत् सुदुःखार्त्ता हस्तिभग्नमिव द्रुमम् ॥ २६ ॥
“Today let Kaikeyi, greedy for the kingdom, see her son killed by me in battle, deeply grieving, like a tree broken by an elephant.
कैकेयीं च वधिष्यामि सानुबन्धां सबान्धवाम् । कलुषेणाद्य महता मेदिनी परिमुच्यताम् ॥ २७ ॥
“And I will kill Kaikeyi with her followers and her kin. Let the earth be freed today from a great stain.
अद्येमं संयतं क्रोधमसत्कारं च मानद । मोक्ष्यामि शत्रुसैन्येषु कक्षेष्विव हुताशनम् ॥ २८ ॥
“Today, giver of honour, I will release this restrained anger and this insult on the enemy armies, like fire on dry grass.
अद्यैतच्चित्रकूटस्य काननं निशितैः शरैः । भिन्दन् शत्रुशरीराणि करिष्ये शोणितोक्षितम् ॥ २९ ॥
“Today, piercing enemy bodies with sharp arrows, I will make this forest of Chitrakuta drenched with blood.
शरैर्निर्भिन्नहृदयान् कुञ्जरांस्तुरगांस्तथा । श्वापदाः परिकर्षन्तु नरांश्च निहतान् मया ॥ ३० ॥
“Let the wild beasts drag away the elephants and horses, their hearts split by my arrows, and the men killed by me.
शराणां धनुषश्चाहमनृणो ऽस्मि महामृधे । ससैन्यं भरतं हत्वा भविष्यामि न संशयः ॥ ३१ ॥
“I shall be free of debt to my arrows and bow in this great battle, having killed Bharata with his army; there is no doubt.”