Aranya Kanda · Sarga 63 of 76 · 20 verses
“Has Anyone Done More Evil than I?”
The prince, bereft of his beloved, oppressed by grief and confusion, making his brother despair too, sinks again into bitter despair. Drowned in vast grief, Rama, sighing hot and weeping, says to Lakshmana, himself overcome by grief, words fitting his calamity: “I think there is no second person on earth who has done such evil deeds as I. Grief upon grief comes to me in succession, breaking my heart and mind. Surely I did evil deeds many times before, as I wished; their ripening has fallen on me today, so that I enter sorrow upon sorrow. The loss of my kingdom, separation from my own people, my father’s death, separation from my mother: all of these, Lakshmana, as I think of them, fill up the flood of my grief. All this sorrow of mine, Lakshmana, had calmed in my body when I came to the forest and its hardship; but from separation from Sita it has blazed up again, like a fire suddenly kindled with wood. Surely my noble one, carried by a rakshasa into the sky, timid, her sweet voice turned harsh, cried out again and again in fear. Those round breasts of my beloved, always fit for fine red sandal, lovely to see, are surely smeared with the mud of blood; surely I am not dead. That face of hers, with its smooth, clear, soft speech and its weight of curling hair, in the power of a rakshasa, surely does not shine, like the moon in Rahu’s mouth. Surely the rakshasas, drinkers of blood, have split and drunk in a lonely place the neck of my beloved of good vows, always fit for a string of pearls. Without me in the lonely forest, carried off and dragged by rakshasas, surely she, with her long, lovely eyes, cried out wretchedly like a female osprey. On this rock here, Lakshmana, the noble-natured one sat with me before, smiling lovely, laughing, and said many things to you. This Godavari, best of rivers, was always dear to my beloved; I wonder if she went there, but she never goes alone. The lotus-faced one with eyes like lotus petals may have gone to bring lotuses; but that too is unlikely; she never goes to the lotuses without me. Or she may have gone into this forest with its flowering trees, full of many kinds of birds; but that too is unlikely; alone, the timid one is very afraid. O Sun, knower of what is done and not done in the world, witness of men’s true and false deeds: where has my beloved gone, or has she been carried off? Tell me everything, struck down by grief as I am. There is nothing in all the worlds, Wind, that is not always known to you: tell me of her, the protector of the family: is she dead, carried off, or on the road?” As Rama, his body ruled by grief, senseless, laments so, Saumitri, of undaunted spirit, standing in what is right, speaks timely words: “Give up grief today and take courage; let there be energy in searching for her. Energetic men do not sink in the world, even in very hard tasks.” But the increaser of the Raghu line, distressed, gives no thought to Saumitri, who speaks so with lofty manhood; he has let go of his courage, and falls again into great sorrow.
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स राजपुत्रः प्रियया विहीनः शोकेन मोहेन च पीड्यमानः । विषादयन् भ्रातरमार्तरूपो भूयो विषादं प्रविवेश तीव्रम् ॥ १ ॥
That prince, bereft of his beloved, oppressed by grief and confusion, distressed, making his brother despair, entered again into bitter despair.
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“Has Anyone Done More Evil than I?” 1 min read.
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स लक्ष्मणं शोकवशाभिपन्नं शोके निमग्नो विपुले तु रामः । उवाच वाक्यं व्यसनानुरूप- मुष्णं विनिःश्वस्य रुदन् सशोकम् ॥ २ ॥
That Rama, sunk in vast grief, sighing hot, weeping, with grief, said to Lakshmana, fallen into the power of grief, words fitting the calamity:
न मद्विधो दुष्कृतकर्मकारी मन्ये द्वितीयोऽस्ति वसुंधरायाम् । शोकानुशोको हि परम्पराया मामेति भिन्दन् हृदयं मनश्च ॥ ३ ॥
“I think there is no second person on earth who has done such evil deeds as I; for grief upon grief comes to me in succession, splitting my heart and mind.
पूर्वं मया नूनमभीप्सितानि पापानि कर्माण्यसकृत्कृतानि । तत्रायमद्यापतितो विपाको दुःखेन दुःखं यदहं विशामि ॥ ४ ॥
“Surely evil deeds desired by me were done many times before; their ripening has fallen on me today, so that I enter sorrow with sorrow.
राज्यप्रणाशः स्वजनैर्वियोगः पितुर्विनाशो जननीवियोगः । सर्वाणि मे लक्ष्मण शोकवेग- मापूरयन्ति प्रविचिन्तितानि ॥ ५ ॥
“The ruin of my kingdom, separation from my own people, the death of my father, separation from my mother: all of these, Lakshmana, as I think on them, fill up the force of my grief.
सर्वं तु दुःखं मम लक्ष्मणेदं शान्तं शरीरे वनमेत्य क्लेशम् । सीतावियोगात् पुनरप्युदीर्णं काष्ठैरिवाग्निः सहसोपदीप्तः ॥ ६ ॥
“All this sorrow of mine, Lakshmana, had grown calm in my body, having come to the forest and its hardship; but from separation from Sita it has blazed up again, like a fire suddenly kindled with wood.
सा नूनमार्या मम राक्षसेन ह्यभ्याहृता खं समुपेत्य भीरुः । अपस्वरं सुस्वरविप्रलापा भयेन विक्रन्दितवत्यभीक्ष्णम् ॥ ७ ॥
“Surely my noble one, carried off by the rakshasa, having gone into the sky, timid, her sweet-voiced lament become harsh, cried out again and again through fear.
तौ लोहितस्य प्रियदर्शनस्य सदोचितावुत्तमचन्दनस्य । वृत्तौ स्तनौ शोणितपङ्कदिग्धौ नूनं प्रियाया मम नाभिपातः ॥ ८ ॥
“Those round breasts of my beloved, always fit for the finest red sandal, lovely to see, are surely smeared with the mud of blood; surely I do not fall dead.
तच्छ्लक्ष्णसुव्यक्तमृदुप्रलापं तस्या मुखं कुञ्चितकेशभारम् । रक्षोवशं नूनमुपागताया न भ्राजते राहुमुखे यथेन्दुः ॥ ९ ॥
“That face of hers, with smooth, clear, soft speech, with its weight of curling hair, of her who has come into the power of rakshasas, surely does not shine, like the moon in Rahu’s mouth.
तां हारपाशस्य सदोचितान्तां ग्रीवां प्रियाया मम सुव्रतायाः । रक्षांसि नूनं परिपीतवन्ति शून्ये हि भित्त्वा रुधिराशनानि ॥ १० ॥
“That neck of my beloved of good vows, always fit for a string of pearls, surely the rakshasas, drinkers of blood, having split it in an empty place, have drunk.
मया विहीना विजने वने सा रक्षोभिराहृत्य विकृष्यमाणा । नूनं विनादं कुररीव दीना सा मुक्तवत्यायतकान्तनेत्रा ॥ ११ ॥
“Without me in the lonely forest, carried off and dragged by rakshasas, she, with long, lovely eyes, wretched, surely uttered a cry like a female osprey.
अस्मिन् मया सार्धमुदारशीला शिलातले पूर्वमुपोपविष्टा । कान्तस्मिता लक्ष्मण जातहासा त्वामाह सीता बहुवाक्यजातम् ॥ १२ ॥
“On this rock here, before, the noble-natured one sat with me, Lakshmana; with lovely smile, laughter arising, Sita spoke to you a multitude of words.
गोदावरीयं सरितां वरिष्ठा प्रिया प्रियाया मम नित्यकालम् । अप्यत्र गच्छेदिति चिन्तयामि नैकाकिनी याति हि सा कदाचित् ॥ १३ ॥
“This Godavari, best of rivers, was always dear to my beloved. I think she may have gone there; but she never goes alone.
पद्मानना पद्मपलाशनेत्रा पद्मानि वानेतुमभिप्रयाता । तदप्ययुक्तं नहि सा कदाचि- न्मया विना गच्छति पङ्कजानि ॥ १४ ॥
“Lotus-faced, with eyes like lotus petals, she may have set out to bring lotuses; that too is unfit, for she never goes to the lotuses without me.
कामं त्विदं पुष्पितवृक्षषण्डं नानाविधैः पक्षिगणैरुपेतम् । वनं प्रयाता नु तदप्ययुक्त- मेकाकिनी सातिबिभेति भीरुः ॥ १५ ॥
“Or else she has gone into this forest with its groves of flowering trees, filled with many kinds of flocks of birds; that too is unfit; alone, the timid one is very afraid.
आदित्य भो लोककृताकृतज्ञ लोकस्य सत्यानृतकर्मसाक्षिन् । मम प्रिया सा क्व गता हृता वा शंसस्व मे शोकहतस्य सर्वम् ॥ १६ ॥
“O Sun, knower of what is done and not done in the world, witness of the true and false deeds of the world: where has that beloved of mine gone, or has she been carried off? Tell me everything, struck by grief.
लोकेषु सर्वेषु न नास्ति किंचिद् यत् ते न नित्यं विदितं भवेत् तत् । शंसस्व वायो कुलपालिनीं तां मृता हृता वा पथि वर्तते वा ॥ १७ ॥
“There is nothing in all the worlds that is not always known to you. Tell, Wind, of her, the guardian of the family: is she dead, or carried off, or on the road?”
इतीव तं शोकविधेयदेहं रामं विसंज्ञं विलपन्तमेव । उवाच सौमित्रिरदीनसत्त्वो न्याय्ये स्थितः कालयुतं च वाक्यम् ॥ १८ ॥
As that Rama, his body ruled by grief, senseless, lamented so, Saumitri, of undaunted spirit, standing in what is fitting, spoke timely words:
शोकं विसृज्याद्य धृतिं भजस्व सोत्साहता चास्तु विमार्गणेऽस्याः । उत्साहवन्तो हि नरा न लोके सीदन्ति कर्मस्वतिदुष्करेषु ॥ १९ ॥
“Giving up grief today, take courage; and let there be energy in the searching for her. For energetic men in the world do not sink in very hard tasks.”
इतीव सौमित्रिमुदग्रपौरुषं ब्रुवन्तमार्तो रघुवंशवर्धनः । न चिन्तयामास धृतिं विमुक्तवान् पुनश्च दुःखं महदभ्युपागमत् ॥ २० ॥
To Saumitri, of lofty manhood, speaking so, the increaser of the Raghu line, distressed, gave no thought; having let go of courage, he went again into great sorrow.