Aranya Kanda · Sarga 62 of 76 · 20 verses
“Go Back to Ayodhya Without Me”
Not seeing Sita, righteous, mighty-armed, lotus-eyed Rama, his mind struck by grief, laments. As if seeing Sita though he does not see her, tormented by love, Raghava speaks words hard to say, born of lamentation: “You, beloved, fonder of flowers, cover your body with the branches of the ashoka, increasing my sorrow. I see your thighs, like plantain stems, hidden by a plantain; you cannot hide them, queen. Laughing, queen, you are going into the karnikara grove, dear one; enough of your joking, which only hurts me. Especially at a hermitage, such laughter is not praised. I know your character, beloved: you love to joke. Come, large-eyed one; this hut of yours is empty. Clearly Sita has been eaten by rakshasas, or carried off; for she does not come to me as I lament, Lakshmana. These herds of deer, Lakshmana, with tears in their eyes, seem to tell me that the queen has been eaten by night-rangers. Ha my noble one, where have you gone? Ha good one, fair one! Ha, today Kaikeyi will have her wish, queen. I went out with Sita and have come back without Sita: how shall I enter my empty inner palace? The world will call me without valour and without pity; my cowardice is plain, now that Sita has been taken away. When my forest life is over, how shall I be able to look at Janaka, lord of Mithila, when he asks after our welfare? Surely the king of Videha, seeing me without her, burning at the loss of his daughter, will fall into a swoon. Or I will not go to the city ruled by Bharata; even heaven without her is empty to me. So leave me in the forest and go to the lovely city of Ayodhya; I could not live in any way without Sita. Embracing Bharata closely, you must tell him from me: ‘You are given leave by Rama: rule the earth.’ And by my command, lord, you must salute my mothers Kaikeyi, Sumitra and Kausalya as is proper, and protect them with effort, doing what is well said. And you must tell my mother in detail of this loss of Sita, and of mine, slayer of enemies.” As Raghava laments so, wretched, gone to the forest without her of the lovely hair, Lakshmana too, his face disturbed by fear, his mind stricken, becomes deeply distressed.
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सीतामपश्यन् धर्मात्मा शोकोपहतचेतनः । विललाप महाबाहू रामः कमललोचनः ॥ १ ॥
Not seeing Sita, the righteous one, his mind struck by grief, mighty-armed, lotus-eyed Rama lamented.
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पश्यन्निव च तां सीतामपश्यन्मन्मथार्दितः । उवाच राघवो वाक्यं विलापाश्रयदुर्वचम् ॥ २ ॥
As if seeing that Sita while not seeing her, tormented by love, Raghava spoke words hard to utter, born of lamentation:
त्वमशोकस्य शाखाभिः पुष्पप्रियतरा प्रिये । आवृणोषि शरीरं ते मम शोकविवर्धनी ॥ ३ ॥
“You, beloved, fonder of flowers, cover your body with the branches of the ashoka, increasing my sorrow.
कदलीकाण्डसदृशौ कदल्या संवृतावुभौ । ऊरू पश्यामि ते देवि नासि शक्ता निगूहितुम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Your two thighs, like plantain stems, covered by a plantain, I see, queen; you are not able to hide them.
कर्णिकारवनं भद्रे हसन्ती देवि सेवसे । अलं ते परिहासेन मम बाधावहेन वै ॥ ५ ॥
“Laughing, queen, you go to the karnikara grove, dear one. Enough of your joking, which brings me pain.
विशेषेणाश्रमस्थाने हासोऽयं न प्रशस्यते । अवगच्छामि ते शीलं परिहासप्रियं प्रिये ॥ ६ ॥
“Especially in the place of a hermitage, this laughter is not praised. I know your character, beloved: fond of joking.
आगच्छ त्वं विशालाक्षि शून्योऽयमुटजस्तव । सुव्यक्तं राक्षसैः सीता भक्षिता वा हृतापि वा ॥ ७ ॥
“Come, large-eyed one; this hut of yours is empty. Very clearly Sita has been eaten by rakshasas, or carried off.
न हि सा विलपन्तं मामुपसम्प्रैति लक्ष्मण । एतानि मृगयूथानि साश्रुनेत्राणि लक्ष्मण ॥ ८ ॥
“For she does not come to me as I lament, Lakshmana. These herds of deer, with tearful eyes, Lakshmana,
शंसन्तीव हि मे देवीं भक्षितां रजनीचरैः । हा ममार्ये क्व यातासि हा साध्वि वरवर्णिनि ॥ ९ ॥
“seem to tell me the queen has been eaten by night-rangers. Ha, my noble one, where have you gone? Ha, good one, fair one!
हा सकामाद्य कैकेयी देवि मेऽद्य भविष्यति । सीतया सह निर्यातो विना सीतामुपागतः ॥ १० ॥
“Ha, Kaikeyi will have her wish today, queen. Having gone out with Sita, I have come back without Sita.
कथं नाम प्रवेक्ष्यामि शून्यमन्तःपुरं मम । निर्वीर्य इति लोको मां निर्दयश्चेति वक्ष्यति ॥ ११ ॥
“How shall I enter my empty inner palace? The world will say of me, ‘without valour’ and ‘without pity’.
कातरत्वं प्रकाशं हि सीतापनयनेन मे । निवृत्तवनवासश्च जनकं मिथिलाधिपम् ॥ १२ ॥
“For my cowardice is manifest through the taking away of Sita. And when my forest life is over, Janaka, lord of Mithila,
कुशलं परिपृच्छन्तं कथं शक्ष्ये निरीक्षितुम् । विदेहराजो नूनं मां दृष्ट्वा विरहितं तया ॥ १३ ॥
“asking after our welfare, how shall I be able to look at him? Surely the king of Videha, seeing me without her,
सुताविनाशसंतप्तो मोहस्य वशमेष्यति । अथवा न गमिष्यामि पुरीं भरतपालिताम् ॥ १४ ॥
“burning at the loss of his daughter, will come under the power of a swoon. Or I will not go to the city protected by Bharata.
स्वर्गोऽपि हि तया हीनः शून्य एव मतो मम । तन्मामुत्सृज्य हि वने गच्छायोध्यापुरीं शुभाम् ॥ १५ ॥
“For even heaven without her is considered empty by me. So, leaving me in the forest, go to the lovely city of Ayodhya.
न त्वहं तां विना सीतां जीवेयं हि कथंचन । गाढमाश्लिष्य भरतो वाच्यो मद्वचनात् त्वया ॥ १६ ॥
“For I could not live in any way without that Sita. Embracing Bharata closely, you must tell him from me:
अनुज्ञातोऽसि रामेण पालयेति वसुंधराम् । अम्बा च मम कैकेयी सुमित्रा च त्वया विभो ॥ १७ ॥
“’You are given leave by Rama; protect the earth.’ And my mother Kaikeyi, and Sumitra, by you, lord,
कौसल्या च यथान्यायमभिवाद्या ममाज्ञया । रक्षणीया प्रयत्नेन भवता सूक्तचारिणा ॥ १८ ॥
“and Kausalya, as is proper, must be saluted at my command, and protected with effort by you, who act well-spoken.
सीतायाश्च विनाशोऽयं मम चामित्रसूदन । विस्तरेण जनन्या मे विनिवेद्यस्त्वया भवेत् ॥ १९ ॥
“And this loss of Sita and of mine, slayer of enemies, must be told by you in full to my mother.”
इति विलपति राघवे तु दीने वनमुपगम्य तया विना सुकेश्या । भयविकलमुखस्तु लक्ष्मणोऽपि व्यथितमना भृशमातुरो बभूव ॥ २० ॥
As Raghava, wretched, lamented so, having gone to the forest without her of the lovely hair, Lakshmana too, his face disturbed by fear, his mind stricken, became deeply distressed.