Aranya Kanda · Sarga 7 of 76 · 24 verses
Sutikshna’s Hermitage
Rama, scorcher of foes, with his brother and Sita, goes with those brahmanas to Sutikshna’s hermitage. Having gone a long way and crossed rivers full of water, he sees a spotless mountain, tall as great Meru. The two best of the Ikshvakus, with Sita, enter a forest always full of many kinds of trees, and in that dense forest, with many flowering and fruiting trees, Rama sees a solitary hermitage hung with strings of bark garments. There he sees the ascetic Sutikshna sitting, covered in dirt and mud, and addresses him properly: “I am Rama, lord; I have come to see you. Speak to me, knower of dharma, great seer of true valour.” The steady sage looks at Rama, embraces him and says: “Welcome, best of the Raghus, Rama, best of the truthful. Now that you have come, this hermitage seems to have found its protector. I have been waiting for you alone, glorious one, and so I have not left my body on earth and risen to the world of the gods. I heard you had lost your kingdom and taken to Chitrakuta. Shatakratu, the king of the gods, came here, the great god, lord of the gods, and told me I had won all the worlds by my holy deeds. In those worlds, frequented by divine seers, won by my austerity, by my grace, amuse yourself with your wife and Lakshmana.” Self-possessed Rama answers that fiercely austere, radiant, truthful great seer as Vasava answers Brahma: “I will win the worlds myself, great sage. I want a dwelling place pointed out here in the forest. You are skilled in everything and devoted to the good of all beings, as the great-souled Gautama Sharabhanga told me.” The world-famous great seer, filled with joy, says sweetly: “This very hermitage is good, Rama; enjoy yourself here. It is frequented by companies of seers and always has roots and fruit. Herds of great deer come to this hermitage, tempt us, and go away unharmed, fearing nothing. There is no other trouble here except the deer, know that.” Hearing the great seer, Lakshmana’s steady elder brother, raising his bow with its arrow, says: “If I killed those herds of deer when they came, fortunate one, with a sharp arrow with smooth joints, you would be distressed by it; what could be more painful than that? I do not think I should live in this hermitage for long.” Saying this, Rama falls silent and goes to the evening worship. Having performed the western twilight worship, he settles to stay with Sita and Lakshmana in Sutikshna’s lovely hermitage. Seeing that the night has come, the great-souled Sutikshna himself, having honoured them well, gives the two bulls among men, their twilight rites done, auspicious food fit for ascetics.
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रामस्तु सहितो भ्रात्रा सीतया च परंतपः । सुतीक्ष्णस्याश्रमपदं जगाम सह तैर्द्विजैः ॥ १ ॥
Rama, scorcher of foes, together with his brother and with Sita, went with those brahmanas to the hermitage of Sutikshna.
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स गत्वा दूरमध्वानं नदीस्तीर्त्वा बहूदकाः । ददर्श विमलं शैलं महामेरुमिवोन्नतम् ॥ २ ॥
Having gone a long way and crossed rivers with much water, he saw a spotless mountain, lofty like great Meru.
ततस्तदिक्ष्वाकुवरौ सततं विविधैर्द्रुमैः । काननं तौ विविशतुः सीतया सह राघवौ ॥ ३ ॥
Then those two best of the Ikshvakus, the Raghavas, with Sita, entered a forest always full of many kinds of trees.
प्रविष्टस्तु वनं घोरं बहुपुष्पफलद्रुमम् । ददर्शाश्रममेकान्ते चीरमालापरिष्कृतम् ॥ ४ ॥
Having entered the dense forest, with trees bearing many flowers and fruits, he saw a hermitage in a solitary place, adorned with strings of bark garments.
तत्र तापसमासीनं मलपङ्कजधारिणम् । रामः सुतीक्ष्णं विधिवत् तपोधनमभाषत ॥ ५ ॥
There Rama properly addressed the ascetic Sutikshna, rich in austerity, sitting covered in dirt and mud:
रामोऽहमस्मि भगवन् भवन्तं द्रष्टुमागतः । तन्माभिवद धर्मज्ञ महर्षे सत्यविक्रम ॥ ६ ॥
“I am Rama, lord; I have come to see you. So speak to me, knower of dharma, great seer of true valour.”
स निरीक्ष्य ततो धीरो रामं धर्मभृतां वरम् । समाश्लिष्य च बाहुभ्यामिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ ७ ॥
Then that steady one, looking at Rama, best of those who uphold dharma, and embracing him with both arms, said these words:
स्वागतं ते रघुश्रेष्ठ राम सत्यभृतां वर । आश्रमोऽयं त्वयाऽऽक्रान्तः सनाथ इव साम्प्रतम् ॥ ८ ॥
“Welcome to you, best of the Raghus, Rama, best of those who keep truth. This hermitage, now that you have come into it, is as if it had a protector.
प्रतीक्षमाणस्त्वामेव नारोहेऽहं महायशः । देवलोकमितो वीर देहं त्यक्त्वा महीतले ॥ ९ ॥
“Waiting for you alone, greatly glorious one, I have not risen from here to the world of the gods, leaving my body on the earth, hero.
चित्रकूटमुपादाय राज्यभ्रष्टोऽसि मे श्रुतः । इहोपयातः काकुत्स्थ देवराजः शतक्रतुः ॥ १० ॥
“I heard that you had lost your kingdom and taken to Chitrakuta. Shatakratu, the king of the gods, came here, Kakutstha.
उपागम्य च मे देवो महादेवः सुरेश्वरः । सर्वाल्ँ लोकाञ्जितानाह मम पुण्येन कर्मणा ॥ ११ ॥
“And the god, the great god, lord of the gods, coming to me, said that all the worlds had been won by my holy deeds.
तेषु देवर्षिजुष्टेषु जितेषु तपसा मया । मत्प्रसादात् सभार्यस्त्वं विहरस्व सलक्ष्मणः ॥ १२ ॥
“In those worlds frequented by divine seers, won by my austerity, by my grace, amuse yourself with your wife and with Lakshmana.”
तमुग्रतपसं दीप्तं महर्षिं सत्यवादिनम् । प्रत्युवाचात्मवान् रामो ब्रह्माणमिव वासवः ॥ १३ ॥
Self-possessed Rama answered that radiant, fiercely austere, truthful great seer, as Vasava answers Brahma:
अहमेवाहरिष्यामि स्वयं लोकान् महामुने । आवासं त्वहमिच्छामि प्रदिष्टमिह कानने ॥ १४ ॥
“I myself will win the worlds, great sage. But I wish for a dwelling place to be pointed out here in the forest.
भवान् सर्वत्र कुशलः सर्वभूतहिते रतः । आख्यातं शरभङ्गेन गौतमेन महात्मना ॥ १५ ॥
“You are skilled in everything and devoted to the good of all beings: so I was told by the great-souled Gautama Sharabhanga.”
एवमुक्तस्तु रामेण महर्षिर्लोकविश्रुतः । अब्रवीन्मधुरं वाक्यं हर्षेण महता युतः ॥ १६ ॥
Spoken to so by Rama, the world-famous great seer, filled with great joy, said these sweet words:
अयमेवाश्रमो राम गुणवान् रम्यतामिति । ऋषिसंघानुचरितः सदा मूलफलैर्युतः ॥ १७ ॥
“This very hermitage is good, Rama; enjoy yourself here. It is frequented by companies of seers and always provided with roots and fruits.
इममाश्रममागम्य मृगसंघा महीयसः । अहत्वा प्रतिगच्छन्ति लोभयित्वाकुतोभयाः ॥ १८ ॥
“Herds of great deer come to this hermitage, tempt us, and go back without killing, fearing nothing from anywhere.
नान्यो दोषो भवेदत्र मृगेभ्योऽन्यत्र विद्धि वै । तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य महर्षेर्लक्ष्मणाग्रजः ॥ १९ ॥
“Know that there would be no other trouble here except from the deer.” Hearing those words of the great seer, Lakshmana’s elder brother,
उवाच वचनं धीरो विगृह्य सशरं धनुः । तानहं सुमहाभाग मृगसंघान् समागतान् ॥ २० ॥
the steady one, raising his bow with its arrow, said these words: “If I, fortunate one, were to kill those herds of deer that come,
हन्यां निशितधारेण शरेणानतपर्वणा । भवांस्तत्राभिषज्येत किं स्यात् कृच्छ्रतरं ततः ॥ २१ ॥
“with an arrow with a sharp edge and smooth joints, you would be distressed by it; what could be more painful than that?
एतस्मिन्नाश्रमे वासं चिरं तु न समर्थये । तमेवमुक्त्वोपरमं रामः संध्यामुपागमत् ॥ २२ ॥
“So I do not approve of living long in this hermitage.” Having said this, Rama fell silent and went to the twilight worship.
अन्वास्य पश्चिमां संध्यां तत्र वासमकल्पयत् । सुतीक्ष्णस्याश्रमे रम्ये सीतया लक्ष्मणेन च ॥ २३ ॥
Having performed the western twilight worship, he made his dwelling there, in Sutikshna’s lovely hermitage, with Sita and with Lakshmana.
ततः शुभं तापसयोग्यमन्नं स्वयं सुतीक्ष्णः पुरुषर्षभाभ्याम् । ताभ्यां सुसत्कृत्य ददौ महात्मा संध्यानिवृत्तौ रजनीं समीक्ष्य ॥ २४ ॥
Then the great-souled Sutikshna himself, seeing that night had come, having honoured them well, gave those two bulls among men, their twilight worship done, auspicious food fit for ascetics.