Kishkindha Kanda · Sarga 24 of 67 · 44 verses
Sugriva’s Remorse; Tara Asks to Die
Seeing her swept away by the vast ocean of grief, so hard to approach, Valin’s mighty younger brother burns with remorse over his brother’s death. Looking on with a tearful face, his high mind sickened in a moment, he goes slowly to Rama, surrounded by his servants, in anguish. Approaching Raghava, who stands bow in hand, with his arrows like venomous snakes, glorious, his body marked with auspicious signs, he says: “As you promised, king of men, this deed has been done, and its fruit is seen. But today, prince, my mind has turned away from enjoyments, now that his life has been taken. With this queen weeping so bitterly, with the city crying out in pain, with the king killed and Angada’s life in doubt, my mind takes no pleasure in the kingdom, Rama. Out of anger, resentment and great humiliation, I agreed beforehand to my brother’s killing. Now that this leader of monkey troops has been killed, best of the Ikshvakus, I will burn with sharp remorse. Better for me, I think, would have been to live long on that chief of mountains, Rishyamuka, getting by somehow on my own means, than to gain heaven itself by killing him. ‘I do not want to kill you; go’: that is what this great-souled, wise one said to me, Rama; those words were worthy of him, and these words and this deed are worthy of me. How, Rama, could a brother approve the killing of a brother of great virtues, even one driven by desire, weighing the substance of kingdom against sorrow? He did not intend to kill me, out of his own greatness; it was the wickedness of my mind that brought the transgression that took his life. Broken by tree branches, groaning for a moment, I was comforted and told by him, ‘You must not do this again.’ He preserved brotherhood, nobility and dharma; I have shown anger, lust and monkey nature. I have fallen into this unthinkable, avoidable, undesirable, unbearable sin, friend, by killing my brother, as Indra did by killing Tvashtri’s son. The earth, the waters, the trees and women took on Indra’s sin willingly; but who would bear this sin, who would wish to take it on, of a branch-deer? I do not deserve this honour from the people, nor the post of heir apparent, let alone the kingdom, having done such a deed, Raghava, joined with unrighteousness and with the destruction of my family. I am the doer of a condemned evil, petty and harmful to the world. This great grief overwhelms me, like a rush of rainwater flowing down to low ground. The elephant of sin, whose tail and hind parts are the killing of a brother, whose trunk, eyes, head and tusks are anguish, strikes me, proud and grown huge, as an elephant strikes a riverbank. This unbearable sin, best of men, keeps turning in my heart, as the dross of gold, discoloured, burns away in the fire, Raghava. Because of me, Raghava, this family of mighty monkey troop-leaders, and this Angada too, from the burning of grief, are, I think, half alive. A son is easy to get, a good, obedient one; but where is a son like Angada? And there is no land, hero, where one could again be near one’s brother born of the same womb. Today Angada, best of heroes, will not live; his mother might live to protect him, but without her son, wretched with anguish, she will certainly not live; that is my conclusion. So I will enter a blazing fire, wishing to be with my brother and his son. These best of monkey heroes will search for Sita, obeying your command. Your whole purpose will be accomplished even when I have gone, prince. Give me leave, Rama, me, the destroyer of my family, unworthy to live, guilty of this offence.”
Hearing these words of Valin’s anguished younger brother, Rama, best of the Raghus, slayer of enemy heroes, his tears risen, is troubled for a moment. At that moment, looking again and again, Rama, patient as the earth, protector of the world, eagerly sees Tara weeping, sunk in calamity. The chief ministers raise the queen of the king of the monkeys, of lovely eyes, of undaunted spirit, who lies embracing her husband, the lion among monkeys. Trembling, embraced, being led away from her husband’s side, she sees Rama, bow and arrow in hand, blazing like the sun with his own splendour, well clad in the marks of a king, with lovely eyes; and the fawn-eyed one, who has never seen him before, knows: “This is Kakutstha.” Noble Tara, in anguish, fallen into calamity, staggering, goes very quickly to that great soul, like Indra, hard to approach. Reaching him, of pure goodness, her body shaken by grief, high-minded Tara speaks to Rama, who had found his target through prowess in battle: “You are immeasurable and hard to approach, master of your senses, of the highest dharma, of undiminished fame, discerning, patient as the earth, with eyes red as blood. With bow and arrows in hand, very mighty, of perfect build, you have left behind the glory of a human body and are joined with the glory of a divine one. With the same arrow by which my beloved was killed, kill me. Killed, I will go to his side; Valin will not be happy without me, hero. Even in heaven, you whose eyes are like spotless lotus petals, when he meets the apsarases with their many-coloured dress and red crests and does not see me, he will not take to them. Without me, hero, Valin will find only grief and pallor even in heaven, as you, on the lovely slopes of the king of mountains, are without Videha’s daughter. You know what grief a man, even a young one, suffers without his wife. Knowing this, kill me, so that Valin will not suffer the pain of not seeing me. And if you, great soul, think, ‘The sin of killing a woman would be mine,’ then kill me, thinking, ‘She is his very self’; it will not be the killing of a woman, prince. By the application of the shastras and by the various Vedas, a man’s wife is not different from himself; in the world of the wise no gift is seen greater than the gift of a wife. And you too, seeing dharma, hero, will be giving me to my beloved; by this gift you will not incur the wrong of killing me, hero. You should not refuse to kill me, in anguish, without protector, being led away, in such a state. Without that wise bull among the leapers, who moved with the grace of a proud elephant, wearing the finest golden garland, I cannot live long, king.” Spoken to so, the great-souled lord comforts Tara and speaks to her for her good: “Do not despair, wife of a hero; the whole world has been ordained by the Creator. People say that all this joining with joy and sorrow is made by the Creator. The three worlds do not go beyond what has been ordained; they are under his power. You will find supreme joy again, just as before, and your son will receive the post of heir apparent. So it has been ordained by the Creator; the wives of heroes do not lament.” Comforted by that great soul, powerful, scorcher of foes, Tara, the hero’s wife, lovely in dress and form, falls silent, her face still sobbing.
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तामाशु वेगेन दुरासदेन त्वभिप्लुतां शोकमहार्णवेन । पश्यंस्तदा वाल्यनुजस्तरस्वी भ्रातुर्वधेनाप्रतिमेन तेपे ॥ १ ॥
Seeing her then, swept quickly by the great ocean of grief with a force hard to approach, Valin’s mighty younger brother burned with remorse at the unequalled killing of his brother.
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Sugriva’s Remorse; Tara Asks to Die 1 min read.
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स बाष्पपूर्णेन मुखेन पश्यन् क्षणेन निर्विण्णमना मनस्वी । जगाम रामस्य शनैः समीपं भृत्यैर्वृतः सम्परिदूयमानः ॥ २ ॥
Looking with a face full of tears, his high mind sickened in a moment, he went slowly near to Rama, surrounded by servants, in anguish.
स तं समासाद्य गृहीतचाप- मुदात्तमाशीविषतुल्यबाणम् । यशस्विनं लक्षणलक्षिताङ्ग- मवस्थितं राघवमित्युवाच ॥ ३ ॥
Approaching Raghava, standing there with bow taken up, with arrows like lofty venomous snakes, glorious, his limbs marked with auspicious marks, he said this:
यथा प्रतिज्ञातमिदं नरेन्द्र कृतं त्वया दृष्टफलं च कर्म । ममाद्य भोगेषु नरेन्द्रसूनो मनो निवृत्तं हतजीवितेन ॥ ४ ॥
“As promised, king of men, this deed has been done by you, and its fruit seen. But today, prince, my mind has turned away from enjoyments, now that his life is struck down.
अस्यां महिष्यां तु भृशं रुदत्यां पुरेऽतिविक्रोशति दुःखतप्ते । हते नृपे संशयितेऽङ्गदे च न राम राज्ये रमते मनो मे ॥ ५ ॥
“With this queen weeping greatly, with the city crying out in pain, with the king killed and Angada in doubt, my mind does not delight in the kingdom, Rama.
क्रोधादमर्षादतिविप्रधर्षाद् भ्रातुर्वधो मेऽनुमतः पुरस्तात् । हते त्विदानीं हरियूथपेऽस्मिन् सुतीक्ष्णमिक्ष्वाकुवर प्रतप्स्ये ॥ ६ ॥
“From anger, resentment and great humiliation, my brother’s killing was agreed by me before. But now, with this leader of monkey troops killed, best of the Ikshvakus, I will burn very sharply.
श्रेयोऽद्य मन्ये मम शैलमुख्ये तस्मिन् हि वासश्चिरमृष्यमूके । यथा तथा वर्तयतः स्ववृत्त्या नेमं निहत्य त्रिदिवस्य लाभः ॥ ७ ॥
“I think it would have been better for me to live long on that chief of mountains, Rishyamuka, getting by somehow on my own means; there is no gaining of heaven by killing him.
न त्वा जिघांसामि चरेति यन्मा- मयं महात्मा मतिमानुवाच । तस्यैव तद् राम वचोऽनुरूप- मिदं वचः कर्म च मेऽनुरूपम् ॥ ८ ॥
“’I do not wish to kill you; go’: that this great-souled, wise one said to me, those words, Rama, were worthy of him, and these words and deed are worthy of me.
भ्राता कथं नाम महागुणस्य भ्रातुर्वधं राम विरोचयेत । राज्यस्य दुःखस्य च वीर सारं विचिन्तयन् कामपुरस्कृतोऽपि ॥ ९ ॥
“How indeed, Rama, would a brother approve the killing of a brother of great virtues, even one driven by desire, weighing the substance of kingdom and of sorrow, hero?
वधो हि मे मतो नासीत् स्वमाहात्म्यव्यतिक्रमात् । ममासीद् बुद्धिदौरात्म्यात् प्राणहारी व्यतिक्रमः ॥ १० ॥
“For my killing was not intended by him, from his own greatness; from the wickedness of my mind came the life-taking transgression.
द्रुमशाखावभग्नोऽहं मुहूर्तं परिनिष्टनन् । सान्त्वयित्वा त्वनेनोक्तो न पुनः कर्तुमर्हसि ॥ ११ ॥
“Broken by tree branches, groaning for a moment, I was comforted and told by him, ‘You should not do this again.’
भ्रातृत्वमार्यभावश्च धर्मश्चानेन रक्षितः । मया क्रोधश्च कामश्च कपित्वं च प्रदर्शितम् ॥ १२ ॥
“Brotherhood and nobility and dharma were protected by him; anger and lust and monkey nature were shown by me.
अचिन्तनीयं परिवर्जनीय- मनीप्सनीयं स्वनवेक्षणीयम् । प्राप्तोऽस्मि पाप्मानमिदं वयस्य भ्रातुर्वधात् त्वाष्ट्रवधादिवेन्द्रः ॥ १३ ॥
“The unthinkable, the avoidable, the undesirable, the unbearable sin: this I have reached, friend, by the killing of my brother, like Indra by the killing of Tvashtri’s son.
पाप्मानमिन्द्रस्य मही जलं च वृक्षाश्च कामं जगृहुः स्त्रियश्च । को नाम पाप्मानमिमं सहेत शाखामृगस्य प्रतिपत्तुमिच्छेत् ॥ १४ ॥
“The earth, the water, the trees and women took Indra’s sin willingly. Who indeed would bear this sin, would wish to take on that of a branch-deer?
नार्हामि सम्मानमिमं प्रजानां न यौवराज्यं कुत एव राज्यम् । अधर्मयुक्तं कुलनाशयुक्त- मेवंविधं राघव कर्म कृत्वा ॥ १५ ॥
“I do not deserve this honour from the people, nor the post of heir apparent, much less the kingdom, having done such a deed, Raghava, joined with unrighteousness and joined with the destruction of the family.
पापस्य कर्तास्मि विगर्हितस्य क्षुद्रस्य लोकापकृतस्य लोके । शोको महान् मामभिवर्ततेऽयं वृष्टेर्यथा निम्नमिवाम्बुवेगः ॥ १६ ॥
“I am the doer of an evil, condemned, petty, harmful to the world in the world. This great grief comes over me, like the rush of rainwater to low ground.
सोदर्यघातापरगात्रवालः संतापहस्ताक्षिशिरोविषाणः । एनोमयो मामभिहन्ति हस्ती दृप्तो नदीकूलमिव प्रवृद्धः ॥ १७ ॥
“With the killing of my brother as its tail and hind limbs, with anguish as its trunk, eyes, head and tusks, the elephant made of sin strikes me, proud, grown huge, as a riverbank.
अंहो बतेदं नृवराविषह्यं निवर्तते मे हृदि साधुवृत्तम् । अग्नौ विवर्णं परितप्यमानं किट्टं यथा राघव जातरूपम् ॥ १८ ॥
“Alas, this unbearable sin, best of men, turns in my heart, like the discoloured dross of gold burning in the fire, Raghava.
महाबलानां हरियूथपाना- मिदं कुलं राघव मन्निमित्तम् । अस्याङ्गदस्यापि च शोकतापा- दर्धस्थितप्राणमितीव मन्ये ॥ १९ ॥
“This family of very mighty monkey troop-leaders, Raghava, because of me, and this Angada too, from the burning of grief, I think are as if half alive.
सुतः सुलभ्यः सुजनः सुवश्यः कुतस्तु पुत्रः सदृशोऽङ्गदेन । न चापि विद्येत स वीर देशो यस्मिन् भवेत् सोदरसंनिकर्षः ॥ २० ॥
“A son is easy to get, a good one, obedient; but where is a son like Angada? And there would be no place, hero, where there could be nearness to one’s brother.
अद्याङ्गदो वीरवरो न जीवे- ज्जीवेत माता परिपालनार्थम् । विना तु पुत्रं परितापदीना सा नैव जीवेदिति निश्चितं मे ॥ २१ ॥
“Today Angada, best of heroes, would not live; his mother would live for the sake of protecting him; but without her son, wretched with anguish, she would not live at all; this is certain to me.
सोऽहं प्रवेक्ष्याम्यतिदीप्तमग्निं भ्रात्रा च पुत्रेण च सख्यमिच्छन् । इमे विचेष्यन्ति हरिप्रवीराः सीतां निदेशे परिवर्तमानाः ॥ २२ ॥
“So I will enter a very blazing fire, wishing companionship with my brother and his son. These best of monkey heroes, abiding by your command, will search for Sita.
कृत्स्नं तु ते सेत्स्यति कार्यमेत- न्मय्यप्यतीते मनुजेन्द्रपुत्र । कुलस्य हन्तारमजीवनार्हं रामानुजानीहि कृतागसं माम् ॥ २३ ॥
“This whole purpose of yours will be accomplished even when I have passed away, prince. Give leave to me, Rama, the destroyer of my family, unworthy to live, having committed an offence.”
इत्येवमार्तस्य रघुप्रवीरः श्रुत्वा वचो वालिजघन्यजस्य । संजातबाष्पः परवीरहन्ता रामो मुहूर्तं विमना बभूव ॥ २४ ॥
Hearing so the words of that anguished younger brother of Valin, the best of the Raghus, slayer of enemy heroes, Rama, tears arisen, was troubled for a moment.
तस्मिन् क्षणेऽभीक्ष्णमवेक्षमाणः क्षितिक्षमावान् भुवनस्य गोप्ता । रामो रुदन्तीं व्यसने निमग्नां समुत्सुकः सोऽथ ददर्श ताराम् ॥ २५ ॥
At that moment, looking again and again, patient as the earth, protector of the world, Rama, eager, then saw Tara weeping, sunk in calamity.
तां चारुनेत्रां कपिसिंहनाथां पतिं समाश्लिष्य तदा शयानाम् । उत्थापयामासुरदीनसत्त्वां मन्त्रिप्रधानाः कपिराजपत्नीम् ॥ २६ ॥
Her of lovely eyes, whose lord was the lion among monkeys, lying then embracing her husband, of undaunted spirit, the wife of the king of the monkeys, the chief ministers raised up.
सा विस्फुरन्ती परिरभ्यमाणा भर्तुः समीपादपनीयमाना । ददर्श रामं शरचापपाणिं स्वतेजसा सूर्यमिव ज्वलन्तम् ॥ २७ ॥
Trembling, embraced, being led away from her husband’s side, she saw Rama, bow and arrow in hand, blazing like the sun with his own splendour,
सुसंवृतं पार्थिवलक्षणैश्च तं चारुनेत्रं मृगशावनेत्रा । अदृष्टपूर्वं पुरुषप्रधान- मयं स काकुत्स्थ इति प्रजज्ञे ॥ २८ ॥
well clad with the marks of a king, of lovely eyes; and the fawn-eyed one knew that best of men, never seen before: “This is that Kakutstha.”
तस्येन्द्रकल्पस्य दुरासदस्य महानुभावस्य समीपमार्या । आर्तातितूर्णं व्यसनं प्रपन्ना जगाम तारा परिविह्वलन्ती ॥ २९ ॥
To the side of that one like Indra, hard to approach, of great power, the noble Tara, in anguish, fallen into calamity, staggering, went very quickly.
तं सा समासाद्य विशुद्धसत्त्वं शोकेन सम्भ्रान्तशरीरभावा । मनस्विनी वाक्यमुवाच तारा रामं रणोत्कर्षणलब्धलक्ष्यम् ॥ ३० ॥
Reaching him, of pure goodness, the condition of her body agitated by grief, high-minded Tara spoke words to Rama, who had gained his target through excellence in battle:
त्वमप्रमेयश्च दुरासदश्च जितेन्द्रियश्चोत्तमधर्मकश्च । अक्षीणकीर्तिश्च विचक्षणश्च क्षितिक्षमावान् क्षतजोपमाक्षः ॥ ३१ ॥
“You are immeasurable and hard to approach, with conquered senses and highest dharma, of undiminished fame and discerning, patient as the earth, with eyes like blood.
त्वमात्तबाणासनबाणपाणि- र्महाबलः संहननोपपन्नः । मनुष्यदेहाभ्युदयं विहाय दिव्येन देहाभ्युदयेन युक्तः ॥ ३२ ॥
“With bow and arrows taken in hand, very mighty, endowed with a fine build, leaving the glory of a human body, you are joined with the glory of a divine body.
येनैव बाणेन हतः प्रियो मे तेनैव बाणेन हि मां जहीहि । हता गमिष्यामि समीपमस्य न मां विना वीर रमेत वाली ॥ ३३ ॥
“With the very arrow by which my beloved was killed, with that very arrow kill me. Killed, I will go to his side; Valin would not be happy without me, hero.
स्वर्गेऽपि पद्मामलपत्रनेत्र समेत्य सम्प्रेक्ष्य च मामपश्यन् । न ह्येष उच्चावचताम्रचूडा विचित्रवेषाप्सरसोऽभजिष्यत् ॥ ३४ ॥
“Even in heaven, you whose eyes are like spotless lotus petals, meeting and looking around and not seeing me, he would not take to the apsarases with their high and low red crests and many-coloured dress.
स्वर्गेऽपि शोकं च विवर्णतां च मया विना प्राप्स्यति वीर वाली । रम्ये नगेन्द्रस्य तटावकाशे विदेहकन्यारहितो यथा त्वम् ॥ ३५ ॥
“Even in heaven, without me, hero, Valin will find grief and pallor, as you, on the lovely slopes of the king of mountains, are without Videha’s daughter.
त्वं वेत्थ तावद् वनिताविहीनः प्राप्नोति दुःखं पुरुषः कुमारः । तत् त्वं प्रजानञ्जहि मां न वाली दुःखं ममादर्शनजं भजेत ॥ ३६ ॥
“You know what pain a man, a young one, without a woman, reaches. So, knowing this, kill me, that Valin may not suffer the pain born of not seeing me.
यच्चापि मन्येत भवान् महात्मा स्त्रीघातदोषस्तु भवेन्न मह्यम् । आत्मेयमस्येति हि मां जहि त्वं न स्त्रीवधः स्यान्मनुजेन्द्रपुत्र ॥ ३७ ॥
“And if you, great soul, should think, ‘The fault of killing a woman would be mine,’ kill me thinking, ‘This is his own self’; it would not be the killing of a woman, prince.
शास्त्रप्रयोगाद् विविधाश्च वेदा- दनन्यरूपाः पुरुषस्य दाराः । दारप्रदानाद्धि न दानमन्यत् प्रदृश्यते ज्ञानवतां हि लोके ॥ ३८ ॥
“By the application of the shastras, and from the various Vedas, a man’s wives are not of different form from him. For no gift other than the gift of a wife is seen in the world of the wise.
त्वं चापि मां तस्य मम प्रियस्य प्रदास्यसे धर्ममवेक्ष्य वीर । अनेन दानेन न लप्स्यसे त्व- मधर्मयोगं मम वीर घातात् ॥ ३९ ॥
“And you too, looking to dharma, hero, will give me to that beloved of mine. By this gift you will not incur the joining with unrighteousness from killing me, hero.
आर्तामनाथामपनीयमाना- मेवंगतां नार्हसि मामहन्तुम् । अहं हि मातङ्गविलासगामिना प्लवंगमानामृषभेण धीमता । विना वरार्होत्तमहेममालिना चिरं न शक्ष्यामि नरेन्द्र जीवितुम् ॥ ४० ॥
“You should not leave me unkilled, in anguish, without protector, being led away, gone into such a state. For without that wise bull among leapers, moving with the grace of a proud elephant, wearing the finest golden garland worthy of the best, I will not be able to live long, king.”
इत्येवमुक्तस्तु विभुर्महात्मा तारां समाश्वास्य हितं बभाषे । मा वीरभार्ये विमतिं कुरुष्व लोको हि सर्वो विहितो विधात्रा ॥ ४१ ॥
Spoken to so, the great-souled lord, comforting Tara, spoke what was good: “Do not make despair, wife of a hero. For the whole world is ordained by the Creator.
तं चैव सर्वं सुखदुःखयोगं लोकोऽब्रवीत् तेन कृतं विधात्रा । त्रयोऽपि लोका विहितं विधानं नातिक्रमन्ते वशगा हि तस्य ॥ ४२ ॥
“And all that joining of joy and sorrow, people say, is made by the Creator. The three worlds too do not transgress the ordained ordinance, for they are under his control.
प्रीतिं परां प्राप्स्यसि तां तथैव पुत्रश्च ते प्राप्स्यति यौवराज्यम् । धात्रा विधानं विहितं तथैव न शूरपत्न्यः परिदेवयन्ति ॥ ४३ ॥
“You will obtain supreme joy just as before, and your son will obtain the post of heir apparent. So the ordinance has been ordained by the Creator; the wives of heroes do not lament.”
आश्वासिता तेन महात्मना तु प्रभावयुक्तेन परंतपेन । सा वीरपत्नी ध्वनता मुखेन सुवेषरूपा विरराम तारा ॥ ४४ ॥
Comforted by that great soul, joined with power, scorcher of foes, that hero’s wife Tara, of lovely dress and form, fell silent, her face still sobbing.