Aranya Kanda · Sarga 66 of 76 · 21 verses
“If You Cannot Bear This Grief, Who Can?”
Seeing him so burning with grief, lamenting like one without a protector, filled with great confusion, worn out and senseless, Saumitri Lakshmana, having recovered himself after a moment, rouses Rama, pressing his feet: “You were won by King Dasharatha with great austerity and great deeds, as the immortals won the nectar. Bound by your virtues, the lord of the earth reached godhood through separation from you, as we heard from Bharata. If you will not bear this sorrow that has come, Kakutstha, what other person, common and of little strength, will bear it? Take heart, best of men. Whom do calamities not touch, king? They touch like fire and pass in a moment. If you, in your grief, burn the worlds with your splendour, where will the afflicted people find peace, tiger among men? This is the very nature of the world. Yayati, son of Nahusha, who reached the world of Shakra, was touched by misfortune. The great seer Vasishtha, our father’s priest, had a hundred sons born in a day, and they were killed in the same way. The earth, mother of the world, honoured by all the worlds, is seen to tremble, lord of Kosala. The sun and moon, the two eyes of the world in which everything is established, mighty ones, are subject to eclipse. Very great beings and gods, bull among men, all embodied beings, are not free of fate. Even among the gods led by Shakra, good and bad policy are heard of, tiger among men; you should not grieve. Even if Vaidehi is dead, even if she is lost, Raghava, you should not grieve like another, a common man, hero. Those like you, always seeing everything, do not grieve, Rama, even in very great hardships, their vision not dejected. Consider truly with your mind, best of men; the very wise, joined with understanding, know good and bad. Of deeds whose merits and faults are unseen and uncertain, the desired fruit does not come without action. You yourself told me this many times before, hero; who could instruct you, even Brihaspati himself? Your understanding, very wise one, is hard even for the gods to follow; I am awakening your knowledge, put to sleep by grief. Considering your divine and human valour, bull of the Ikshvakus, make efforts to kill your enemies. What would you gain by destroying everything, bull among men? You should find that wicked enemy and uproot him.”
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तं तथा शोकसंतप्तं विलपन्तमनाथवत् । मोहेन महता युक्तं परिद्यूनमचेतसम् ॥ १ ॥
ततः सौमित्रिराश्वस्य मुहूर्तादिव लक्ष्मणः । रामं सम्बोधयामास चरणौ चाभिपीडयन् ॥ २ ॥
Seeing him so burning with grief, lamenting like one without a protector, filled with great confusion, exhausted and senseless, Saumitri Lakshmana, having recovered after a moment, then roused Rama, pressing his feet:
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“If You Cannot Bear This Grief, Who Can?” 1 min read.
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महता तपसा चापि महता चापि कर्मणा । राज्ञा दशरथेनासील्लब्धोऽमृतमिवामरैः ॥ ३ ॥
“With great austerity and with great deeds you were obtained by King Dasharatha, as the nectar by the immortals.
तव चैव गुणैर्बद्धस्त्वद्वियोगान्महीपतिः । राजा देवत्वमापन्नो भरतस्य यथा श्रुतम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Bound by your virtues, the lord of the earth, the king, reached godhood through separation from you, as was heard from Bharata.
यदि दुःखमिदं प्राप्तं काकुत्स्थ न सहिष्यसे । प्राकृतश्चाल्पसत्त्वश्च इतरः कः सहिष्यति ॥ ५ ॥
“If you will not bear this sorrow that has come, Kakutstha, what other person, common and of little strength, will bear it?
आश्वसिहि नरश्रेष्ठ प्राणिनः कस्य नापदः । संस्पृशन्त्यग्निवद् राजन् क्षणेन व्यपयान्ति च ॥ ६ ॥
“Take heart, best of men. For whom do calamities not touch? Like fire they touch, king, and go away in a moment.
दुःखितो हि भवाँल्लोकांस्तेजसा यदि धक्ष्यते । आर्ताः प्रजा नरव्याघ्र क्व नु यास्यन्ति निर्वृतिम् ॥ ७ ॥
“If you, grieving, burn the worlds with your splendour, where will the afflicted people go for peace, tiger among men?
लोकस्वभाव एवैष ययातिर्नहुषात्मजः । गतः शक्रेण सालोक्यमनयस्तं समस्पृशत् ॥ ८ ॥
“This is the very nature of the world. Yayati, son of Nahusha, who had gone to the world of Shakra, was touched by misfortune.
महर्षिर्यो वसिष्ठस्तु यः पितुर्नः पुरोहितः । अह्ना पुत्रशतं जज्ञे तथैवास्य पुनर्हतम् ॥ ९ ॥
“The great seer Vasishtha, who is our father’s priest, had a hundred sons born in a day, and again they were killed.
या चेयं जगतो माता सर्वलोकनमस्कृता । अस्याश्च चलनं भूमेर्दृश्यते कोसलेश्वर ॥ १० ॥
“And this earth, mother of the world, saluted by all the worlds: her trembling is seen, lord of Kosala.
यौ धर्मौ जगतो नेत्रौ यत्र सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् । आदित्यचन्द्रौ ग्रहणमभ्युपेतौ महाबलौ ॥ ११ ॥
“Those two, the dharma and the eyes of the world, in whom everything is established, the sun and moon, very mighty, undergo eclipse.
सुमहान्त्यपि भूतानि देवाश्च पुरुषर्षभ । न दैवस्य प्रमुञ्चन्ति सर्वभूतानि देहिनः ॥ १२ ॥
“Very great beings and gods, bull among men, all embodied beings, are not released from fate.
शक्रादिष्वपि देवेषु वर्तमानौ नयानयौ । श्रूयेते नरशार्दूल न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि ॥ १३ ॥
“Even among the gods led by Shakra, good policy and bad policy are heard of, tiger among men; you should not grieve.
मृतायामपि वैदेह्यां नष्टायामपि राघव । शोचितुं नार्हसे वीर यथान्यः प्राकृतस्तथा ॥ १४ ॥
“Even if Vaidehi is dead, even if she is lost, Raghava, you should not grieve, hero, like another common person.
त्वद्विधा नहि शोचन्ति सततं सर्वदर्शनाः । सुमहत्स्वपि कृच्छ्रेषु रामानिर्विण्णदर्शनाः ॥ १५ ॥
“For those like you, always seeing all, do not grieve, Rama, even in very great hardships, their vision undejected.
तत्त्वतो हि नरश्रेष्ठ बुद्ध्या समनुचिन्तय । बुद्ध्या युक्ता महाप्राज्ञा विजानन्ति शुभाशुभे ॥ १६ ॥
“Consider truly with your understanding, best of men. For the very wise, joined with understanding, know good and bad.
अदृष्टगुणदोषाणामध्रुवाणां तु कर्मणाम् । नान्तरेण क्रियां तेषां फलमिष्टं च वर्तते ॥ १७ ॥
“Of deeds whose merits and faults are unseen and which are uncertain, the desired fruit does not come about without action.
मामेवं हि पुरा वीर त्वमेव बहुशोक्तवान् । अनुशिष्याद्धि को नु त्वामपि साक्षाद् बृहस्पतिः ॥ १८ ॥
“For you yourself said this to me many times before, hero. Who could instruct you, even Brihaspati himself?
बुद्धिश्च ते महाप्राज्ञ देवैरपि दुरन्वया । शोकेनाभिप्रसुप्तं ते ज्ञानं सम्बोधयाम्यहम् ॥ १९ ॥
“Your understanding, very wise one, is hard even for the gods to follow. I am awakening your knowledge, put to sleep by grief.
दिव्यं च मानुषं चैवमात्मनश्च पराक्रमम् । इक्ष्वाकुवृषभावेक्ष्य यतस्व द्विषतां वधे ॥ २० ॥
“Considering your divine and human valour, bull of the Ikshvakus, make efforts in the killing of your enemies.
किं ते सर्वविनाशेन कृतेन पुरुषर्षभ । तमेव तु रिपुं पापं विज्ञायोद्धर्तुमर्हसि ॥ २१ ॥
“What would be gained by the destruction of everything, bull among men? You should find out that wicked enemy and uproot him.”