Sundara Kanda · Sarga 66 of 68 · 15 verses
Rama Weeps over the Jewel
Holding the jewel to his heart, Rama weeps with Lakshmana. With his eyes full of tears he tells Sugriva: as a cow’s milk flows for love of her calf, so my heart melts at the sight of this jewel. It was given to Vaidehi by my father-in-law at her wedding and looked lovely on her head; it was born of the waters and given to Janaka by Indra, pleased at a sacrifice. Seeing it, it is as if I see my father, and the lord of Videha. This jewel shone on my beloved’s head; seeing it now, I feel as if she had come.
“What did Sita say? Tell me again and again, gentle one, sprinkling me with the water of her words as one sprinkles a fainting man. What could be more painful than this, Saumitri, to see this jewel born of the waters come back without Vaidehi? She will live long if she holds on for a month; I could not live a moment without her. Take me to the place where you saw my beloved; I cannot stay still now that I have news of her. How can my timid, lovely wife live among those terrible rakshasas? Surely her face, like the autumn moon covered by clouds, no longer shines. Tell me truly what she said, Hanuman; I will live on that, as a sick man lives on medicine. What did my sweet-spoken wife say, deprived of me? How does Janaki live, gone from sorrow to greater sorrow?”
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एवमुक्तो हनुमता रामो दशरथात्मजः । तं मणिं हृदये कृत्वा रुरोद सहलक्ष्मणः ॥ १ ॥
Spoken to so by Hanuman, Rama, son of Dasharatha, placing that jewel on his heart, wept with Lakshmana.
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Rama Weeps over the Jewel 1 min read.
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तं तु दृष्ट्वा मणिश्रेष्ठं राघवः शोककर्शितः । नेत्राभ्यामश्रुपूर्णाभ्यां सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
Seeing that best of jewels, Raghava, worn by grief, with eyes full of tears, said this to Sugriva:
यथैव धेनुः स्रवति स्नेहाद् वत्सस्य वत्सला । तथा ममापि हृदयं मणिश्रेष्ठस्य दर्शनात् ॥ ३ ॥
“As a loving cow’s milk flows from love for her calf, so does my heart at the sight of this best of jewels.
मणिरत्नमिदं दत्तं वैदेह्याः श्वशुरेण मे । वधूकाले यथा बद्धमधिकं मूर्ध्नि शोभते ॥ ४ ॥
“This jewel was given to Vaidehi by my father-in-law; tied on at the time of her wedding, it shone splendidly on her head.
अयं हि जलसम्भूतो मणिः प्रवरपूजितः । यज्ञे परमतुष्टेन दत्तः शक्रेण धीमता ॥ ५ ॥
“This jewel, born of the waters, honoured by the noblest, was given to him by wise Shakra, greatly pleased, at a sacrifice.
इमं दृष्ट्वा मणिश्रेष्ठं तथा तातस्य दर्शनम् । अद्यास्म्यवगतः सौम्य वैदेहस्य तथा विभोः ॥ ६ ॥
“Seeing this best of jewels, today, gentle one, it is as if I have seen my father, and the lord of Videha too.
अयं हि शोभते तस्याः प्रियाया मूर्ध्नि मे मणिः । अद्यास्य दर्शनेनाहं प्राप्तां तामिव चिन्तये ॥ ७ ॥
“This jewel shone on the head of my beloved; today, seeing it, I think of her as if she had come.
किमाह सीता वैदेही ब्रूहि सौम्य पुनः पुनः । परासुमिव तोयेन सिञ्चन्ती वाक्यवारिणा ॥ ८ ॥
“What did Sita, Vaidehi, say? Tell me again and again, gentle one, sprinkling me with the water of her words as one sprinkles a man near death with water.
इतस्तु किं दुःखतरं यदिमं वारिसम्भवम् । मणिं पश्यामि सौमित्रे वैदेहीमागतां विना ॥ ९ ॥
“What could be more painful than this, Saumitri, that I see this jewel born of the waters come without Vaidehi?
चिरं जीवति वैदेही यदि मासं धरिष्यति । क्षणं वीर न जीवेयं विना तामसितेक्षणाम् ॥ १० ॥
“Vaidehi will live long if she holds out a month; I could not live a moment, hero, without the dark-eyed one.
नय मामपि तं देशं यत्र दृष्टा मम प्रिया । न तिष्ठेयं क्षणमपि प्रवृत्तिमुपलभ्य च ॥ ११ ॥
“Take me too to the place where my beloved was seen; having got news of her, I cannot stay here even a moment.
कथं सा मम सुश्रोणी भीरुभीरुः सती तदा । भयावहानां घोराणां मध्ये तिष्ठति रक्षसाम् ॥ १२ ॥
“How does my lovely-hipped one, timid of the timid, virtuous, stay then in the middle of those terrible, fearsome rakshasas?
शारदस्तिमिरोन्मुक्तो नूनं चन्द्र इवाम्बुदैः । आवृतो वदनं तस्या न विराजति साम्प्रतम् ॥ १३ ॥
“Surely her face, like the autumn moon freed from darkness but then covered by clouds, does not shine now.
किमाह सीता हनुमंस्तत्त्वतः कथयस्व मे । एतेन खलु जीविष्ये भेषजेनातुरो यथा ॥ १४ ॥
“What did Sita say, Hanuman? Tell me truly. On this I will live, as a sick man on medicine.
मधुरा मधुरालापा किमाह मम भामिनी । मद्विहीना वरारोहा हनुमन् कथयस्व मे । दुःखाद् दुःखतरं प्राप्य कथं जीवति जानकी ॥ १५ ॥
“What did my sweet, sweet-spoken, lovely wife say, the fair-hipped one, deprived of me? Tell me, Hanuman. Having gone from sorrow to greater sorrow, how does Janaki live?”