Ayodhya Kanda — Sarga 73

श्रुत्वा च स पितुर्वत्तं भ्रातरौ च विवासितौ। भरतो दुःखसंतप्त इदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥

Hearing of his father's death and the exile of his brothers, Bharata burning in grief, said these words.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.1

किं नु कार्यं हतस्येह मम राज्येन शोचतः। विहीनस्याथ पित्रा च भ्रात्रा पितृसमेन च॥

Deprived of my father as well as my brother like to a father, what shall I bewailing them and undone by you do with the kingdom?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.2

दुःखे मे दुःखमकरोत्रणे क्षारमिवाददाः। राजानं प्रेतभावस्थं कृत्वा रामं च तापसम्॥

You, like one throwing alkali on a sore, have, by bringing about the death of the king and making Rāma an ascetic, heaped grief on grief.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.3

कुलस्य त्वमभावाय कालरात्रिरिवागता। अङ्गारमुपगूह्य स्म पिता मे नावबुद्धवान् ॥

You have come like the fatal night for the destruction of this race. Not under-standing it, my father embraced live coal.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.4

मृत्युमापादितो राजा त्वया मे पापदर्शिनि। सुखं परिहतं मोहाद् कुलेऽस्मिन् कुलपांसनि ॥

O you that have your gaze fixed on sin, it is through you that my sovereign has come by death; and that, O stainer of the line, this race has by your infatuation been deprived of its happiness.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.5

त्वां प्राप्य हि पिता मेऽद्य सत्यसंधो महायशाः। तीव्रदुःखाभिसंतप्तो वृत्तो दशरथो नृपः॥

Having got you, my illustrious sire intent upon truth, king Dasaratha, afflicted by extreme sorrow, has departed this life.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.6

विनाशितो महाराजः पिता मे धर्मवत्सलः। कस्मात् प्रवाजितो रामः कस्मादेव वनं गतः॥

Why has the king, my father, ever loving virtue, been deprived of life? Why has Rāma been banished; and wherefore has he gone to the woods?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.7

कौसल्या च सुमित्रा च पुत्रशोकाभिपीडिते। . दुष्करं यदि जीवेतां प्राप्य त्वां जननी मम॥

Afflicted with grief for their son, even if Kausalya and Sumitrā live, it will be hard for them to do so in the presence of you, my mother.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.8

नन्वार्योऽपि च धर्मात्मात्वयि वृत्तिमनुत्तमाम्। वर्तते गुरुवृत्तिज्ञो यथा मातरि वर्तते॥

Surely the noble and virtuous Råma, well knowing his duties towards his superiors, regards you as highly as he does his own mother.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.9

तथा ज्येष्ठा हि मे माता कौसल्या दीर्घदर्शिनी। त्वयि धर्म समास्थाय भगिन्यामिव वर्तते॥

In the same way, my eldest mother, the farsighted Kausalyā, doing her duties by you, bears herself like a sister.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.10

तस्याः पुत्रं महात्मानं चीरवल्कलवाससम्। प्रस्थाप्य वनवासाय कथं पापे न शोचसे॥

Why, O sinful one, having sent to the woods her magnanimous son, clad in bark, do you not grieve?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.11

अपापदर्शिनं शूरं कृतात्मानं यशस्विनम्। प्रव्राज्य चीरवसनं किं नु पश्यसि कारणम्॥

Having exiled the famous and heroic Rāma seeing no sin, clad in bark, what benefit do you perceive as yours?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.12

लुब्धाया विदिती मन्ये न तेऽहं राघवं यथा। तथा ह्यनर्थो राज्यार्थं त्वयानीतो महानयम्॥

I deem that you did not know how very highly I regarded Rāghava; and therefore it is that you have brought this mighty calamity.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.13

अहं हि पुरुषव्याघ्रावपश्यन् रामलक्ष्मणौ। केन शक्तिप्रभावेण राज्यं रक्षितुमुत्सहे॥

Not seeing those chiefs of men, Rāma and Lakşmaņa, by virtue of whose energy can I venture to rule the kingdom?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.14

तं हि नित्यं महाराजो बलवन्तं महौजसम्। उपाश्रितोऽभूद् धर्मात्मा मेरुमैरुवनं यथा ॥

The monarch was ever protected by that powerful one possessed of mighty energy, as Meru is protected by its forest.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.15

सोऽहं कथमिमं भारं महाधुर्यसमुद्यतम्। दम्यो धुरमिवासाद्य सहेयं केन चौजसा ॥

Like a calf burdened with a load capable of being borne by a mighty ox, by what energy shall I bear this burden which was borne by an exceedingly strong person?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.16

अथवा मे भवेच्छक्तिर्योगैर्बुद्धिबलेन वा। सकामां न करिष्यामि त्वामहं पुत्रगर्धिनीम्॥

And even if this strength be mine through yoga or vigour of intellect, I will not crown with success the hopes of you, proud of your son.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.17

न मे विकाङ्क्षा जायेत त्यक्तुं त्वां पापनिश्चयाम्। यदि रामस्य नावेक्षा त्वयि स्यान्मातृवत् सदा॥

Nor, had Rāma not always regarded you as his mother, would I hesitate to renounce you, whose heart has been set on sin.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.18

उत्पन्ना तु कथं बुद्धिस्तवेयं पापदर्शिनी। साधुचारित्रविभ्रष्टे पूर्वेषां नो विगर्हिता॥

O you that views unrighteousness, O you that have fallen off from the way of the good, how could such thoughts unworthy of our line, arise in your mind?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.19

अस्मिन् कुले हि सर्वेषां ज्येष्ठो राज्येऽभिषिच्यते। अपरे भ्रातरस्तस्मिन् प्रवर्तन्ते समाहिताः॥

In this race, the eldest brother of al} is installed in the kingdom: the other brothers remain under him.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.20

न हि मन्ये नृशंसे त्वं राजधर्ममवेक्षसे। गतिं वा न विजानासि राजवृत्तस्य शाश्वतीम्॥

O fell one, you did not, I think, know the morality of kings, or the consequence that attends its faithful observance.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.21

सततं राजपुत्रेषु ज्येष्ठो राजाभिषिच्यते। राज्ञामेतत् समं तत् स्यादिक्ष्वाकूणां विशेषतः॥

Of all the princes, the eldest is always installed as the king. Even this is the accepted principle of all sovereigns, specially the descendants of Ikşvāku.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.22

तेषां धर्मैकरक्षाणां कुलचारित्रशोभिनाम्। अद्य चारित्रशौटीर्यं त्वां प्राप्य विनिवर्तितम्॥

But to-day the pride of character of those whose virtue was their sole concern,* and who shone in the character of their line, has been humbled through they instrumentality. *Another interpretation is;, Whose virtue is their sole protector.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.23

तवापि सुमहाभागे जनेन्द्रकुलपूर्वके। बुद्धिमोहः कथमयं सम्भूतस्त्वयि गर्हितः॥

And how, O highly exalted lady, O you that born in a royal race, could such reprehensible fatuity take possession of your senses?

Ayodhya Kanda 73.24

न तु कामं करिष्यामि तवाहं पापनिश्चये। यया व्यसनमारब्धं जीवितान्तकरं मम॥

But, O you bent upon sin, I will by no means fulfil the wish of you by whom has been brought in the first instance this calamity calculated to end my existence.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.25

एष त्विदानीमेवाहमप्रियार्थं तवानघे। निवर्तयिष्यामि वनाद् भ्रातरं स्वजनप्रियम्॥

Further, O sinless one, I will do this at present was to displease you: I will bring from the forest my brother dear to his relatives.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.26

निवर्तयित्वा रामं च तस्याहं दीप्ततेजसः। दासभूतो भविष्यामि सुस्थितेनान्तरात्मना॥

And having brought back Rāma, I will in a perfectly contented spirit, became the slave of that one of flaming energy.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.27

इत्येवमुक्त्वा भरतो महात्मा प्रियेतरैर्वाक्यगणैस्तुदंस्ताम्। शोकार्दितश्चापि ननाद भूयः सिंहो यथा मन्दरकन्दरस्थः॥

The high-souled Bharata afflicted (his mother) with multitudes of words causing pain; and distressed with grief, emitted sounds like to a lion in the cave of Mandāra.

Ayodhya Kanda 73.28