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Chapter 65

Aranya Kanda - Book Of Forest

VERSE 1

तप्यमानम् तथा रामम् सीता हरण कर्शितम्
लोकानाम् अभवे युक्तम् सांवर्तकम् इव अनलम्

tapyamānam tathā rāmam sītā haraṇa karśitam
lokānām abhave yuktam sāṃvartakam iva analam

SYNONYMS

tathā: then | tapyamānam: one who is searing [by his anguish] | rāmam: at such Rama | sītā haraṇa karśitam: Seetha's, by abduction, careworn | sāmvartakam: that which is related to the doomsday | analam iva: inferno, alike | lokānām a bhave yuktam: for [rendering] worlds, in non, being [destruction,] twinned with [the notion of] | sa jyam = vith, bovstring: stringed to bow | dhanuḥ: at bow | vīkṣamāṇam = one vho is sīing: concentrating on, kenning | punaḥ punaḥ niḥśvasantam: again, again, one who is suspiring | yuga ante haram yathā: at era, end, [seeing at] God Hara [Rudra,] as with | sarvam jagat dagdhu kāmam = entire, universe, to blaze avay at, one vho is viśing to: Rama | a dṛṣṭa pūrvam = un, sīn, earlier: unseen is such a wrathful mien | sankruddham: highly infuriated one | dṛṣṭvā: having seen | saḥ lakṣmaṇaḥ: he that, Lakshmana | prānjaliḥ: with adjoined palms | mukhena pariśuṣyatā: by face, dried up [pale-facedly] | vākyam abravīt: sentence, said [to Rama.] |

TRANSLATION

Lakshmana on seeing Rama who is searing and careworn owing to the abduction of Seetha, blazing like the doomsday inferno, twinned with the notion of rendering the worlds into nonentity, kenning at his stringed bow, keen to blaze away entire universe, suspiring again and again, and who is alike Rudra at the end of era, and whose highly infuriated persona Lakshmana has not seen previously, became pale-faced and spoke to Rama with folded palms. [3-65-1]

VERSE 4

पुरा भूत्वा मृदुः दांतः सर्व भूत हिते रतः
न क्रोध वशम् आपन्नः प्रकृतिम् हातुम् अर्हसि

purā bhūtvā mṛduḥ dāṃtaḥ sarva bhūta hite rataḥ
na krodha vaśam āpannaḥ prakṛtim hātum arhasi

SYNONYMS

purā: previously | mṛduḥ = [you are] soft: self-collected | dāntaḥ: self-controlled | sarva bhūta hite rataḥ: all, beings, wellbeing, delighted in | bhūtvā: you were | krodha vaśam āpannaḥ: in fury's, control, slipped into [presently] | prakṛtim hātum na arhasi: [your own] disposition, to discard, not, apt of you. |

TRANSLATION

"Previously, you were self-collected and self-controlled and delighted in the wellbeing of all the beings. But presently, slipping into fury you are discarding your own disposition, which is unapt of you... [3-65-4]

VERSE 5

चन्द्रे लक्ष्मीः प्रभा सूर्ये गतिः वायौ भुवि क्षमा
एतत् च नियतम् सर्वम् त्वयि च अनुत्तमम् यशः

candre lakṣmīḥ prabhā sūrye gatiḥ vāyau bhuvi kṣamā
etat ca niyatam sarvam tvayi ca anuttamam yaśaḥ

SYNONYMS

candre lakṣmīḥ: in moon, grandeur | sūrye prabhā: in sun, splendour | vāyau gatiḥ: in wind, motion | bhuvi kṣamā: in earth, composure | niyatam: perpetual | etat ca: this [perpetuity,] also | sarvam: all | tvayi: in you [available] | ca an uttamam yaśaḥ: besides, unexcelled, honour. |

TRANSLATION

"Grandeur in moon, splendour in sun, motion in wind, and composure in earth are perpetual and all this perpetuity is available in you, besides an unexcelled honour... [3-65-5]

VERSE 6

एकस्य न अपराधेन लोकान् हन्तुम् त्वम् अर्हसि
न तु जानामि कस्य अयम् भग्नः सांग्रामिको रथः

ekasya na aparādhena lokān hantum tvam arhasi
na tu jānāmi kasya ayam bhagnaḥ sāṃgrāmiko rathaḥ

SYNONYMS

, 7a| ekasya aparādhena: of single soul's, by felony | lokān hantum: worlds, to vandalise | tvam: you are | na arhasi: not, apt of you | sa āyudhaḥ: with, weaponry | sa paricchadaḥ: with, paraphernalia | ayam sāngrāmikaḥ rathaḥ: this, one used in war /combatant's, chariot | kasya: whose is | kena vā: by whom, or | kasya vā hetoḥ: by which, or, reason | bhagnaḥ: shattered | na jānāmi = not, but, ī knov: we do not know. |

TRANSLATION

"It will be unapt of you to vandalise worlds for a single-soul's felony. It is unclear as to whose combat-chariot is this, or by whom, or by what reason it is shattered with its weaponry and paraphernalia... [3-65-6, 7a]

VERSE 7

खुर नेमि क्षतः च अयम् सिक्तो रुधिर बिन्दुभिः

khura nemi kṣataḥ ca ayam sikto rudhira bindubhiḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 8a| pārthiva ātmaja = oh, king's, son: oh, prince | khura: hooves | nemi = outer circle of horseśoes: like felloies | kṣataḥ: grooved | rudhira bindubhiḥ siktaḥ: with blood, drops, wetted with | su ghoraḥ: very, ghastly | ayam deśaḥ: this, place is | nivṛtta sangrāmaḥ: fought and stalled, combat. |

TRANSLATION

"This has become a very ghastly place since it is grooved by the hooves of ungulates and by the felloies of chariot-wheels, and it is wetted with drops of blood, oh, prince, thereby a combat is fought and stalled at this place... [3-65-7b, 8a]

VERSE 8

एकस्य तु विमर्दो अयम् न द्वयोः वदताम् वर

ekasya tu vimardo ayam na dvayoḥ vadatām vara

SYNONYMS

b, 9a| vadatām vara: oh, among articulators, the best | ayam: this [combat is] | ekasya vimardaḥ: of a single [combatant's,] combat | dvayoḥ na: among two | mahataḥ balasya vṛttam: huge, by army, eventuated | padam: stamps, footptints | na hi paśyāmi: not, indeed, I observe. |

TRANSLATION

"This is just a solo-combatant's combat but not among duo, oh, best articulator one among best articulators, I indeed observe that no huge army is eventuated here, nor its stamp... [3-65-8b, 9a]

VERSE 9

न एकस्य तु कृते लोकान् विनाशयितुम् अर्हसि

na ekasya tu kṛte lokān vināśayitum arhasi

SYNONYMS

b, 10a| ekasya kṛte = by an individual, done: perpetuated wrongdoing | lokān vināśayitum na arhasi: all worlds, wish to wreck havoc upon, not, apt of you | hi: why because | vasudhā adhipāḥ: earth's, lords [kings are] | yukta daṇḍā: tenable, imposers of punishment | mṛdavaḥ: good-hearted ones | praśāntā: good-natured ones. |

TRANSLATION

"It will be inapt of you to wish for wrecking a havoc upon all worlds for an individual's wrongdoing. Why because, the good-hearted, good-natured kings are they who impose tenable punishment... [3-65-9b, 10a]

VERSE 10

सदा त्वम् सर्व भूतानाम् शरण्यः परमा गतिः

sadā tvam sarva bhūtānām śaraṇyaḥ paramā gatiḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 11a| tvam sarva bhūtānām: you are, for all, beings | sadā śaraṇyaḥ: always, a shelterer | paramā gatiḥ: ultimate, recourse | rāghava: oh, Raghava | te dāra praṇāśam: your, wife's, ravagement | kaḥ nu: who, really | sādhu manyeta: appreciable [act of grace,] they deem. |

TRANSLATION

"You are always the shelterer for all beings, for you're above all the good-natured and good-hearted ordinary kings, and who can really deem the ravagement of you wife as an act of grace... [3-65-10b, 11a]

VERSE 11

सरितः सागराः शैला देव गन्धर्व दानवाः

saritaḥ sāgarāḥ śailā deva gandharva dānavāḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 11a saritaḥ sāgarāḥ śailā deva gandharva dānavāḥ: rivers, oceans, mountains, gods, celestials, cacodemons | te: to you | sādhavaḥ: gentle people [altruists] | dīkṣitasya iva: to one who took a vow to conduct a Vedic-ritual [hallowed person,] as with such a hallowed person | vi priyam: without, pleasance [unpleasant, evoke indignation] | kartum: to do | na alam = not, easily: honestly they cannot do so. |

TRANSLATION

"As no altruist can evoke indignation in a hallowed person who is performing Vedic-ritual, honestly, these rivers, oceans, mountains, gods, celestials, and cacodemons too cannot evoke indignation in you, because they are always gentle to you... isn't so... [3-65-10b, 11a]

VERSE 12

येन राजन् हृता सीता तम् अन्वेषितुम् अर्हसि

yena rājan hṛtā sītā tam anveṣitum arhasi

SYNONYMS

b, 13a| rājan: oh, king | dhanuṣ pāṇiḥ: bow, in hand [you wielding your bow] | mat dvitīyaḥ: with me, as second [as standby, me as your squire] | sahāyaiḥ parama ṛṣibhiḥ: as helping hands, with sublime, sages | sītā yena hṛtā: Seetha is, by whom, abducted | tam: him [who abducted Seetha] | anveṣitum arhasi: to search, apt of you. |

TRANSLATION

"Oh, king, it will be apt of you to wield your bow and search for him who abducted Seetha, along with me as your squire and standby, and with the help of sublime sages available in this forest... [3-65-12b, 13a]

VERSE 13

समुद्रम् च विचेष्यामः पर्वतान् च वनानि च

samudram ca viceṣyāmaḥ parvatān ca vanāni ca

SYNONYMS

b, 14a| samudram ca parvatān ca vanāni ca: ocean, also, mountains, also, forests, also | vividhā ghorāḥ guhāḥ ca: divers, dreadful, caves, also | thathā vividhāḥ padminyaḥ: likewise, different, lotus-lakes | viceṣyāmaḥ: let us search. |

TRANSLATION

"Let us search the oceans, rivers and forests, and even divers dreadful caves and different lotus-lakes... [3-65-13b, 14a]

VERSE 14

देव गन्धर्व लोकान् च विचेष्यामः समाहिताः

deva gandharva lokān ca viceṣyāmaḥ samāhitāḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 15a| samāhitāḥ: intently | tava bhāryā apa hāriṇam: your, wife, for abductor | yāvat na adhigamiṣyāmaḥ: as long as, not, accessible [apprehended] | deva gandharva lokān ca: gods, celestial, worlds of | viceṣyāmaḥ: let us search. |

TRANSLATION

"Let us intently search the worlds of gods and celestials as long as the abductor of your wife is unapprehended... [3-65-14b, 15a]

VERSE 15

न चेत् साम्ना प्रदास्यन्ति पत्नीम् ते त्रिदश ईश्वराः
कोसल इन्द्र ततः पश्चात् प्राप्त कालम् करिष्यसि

na cet sāmnā pradāsyanti patnīm te tridaśa īśvarāḥ
kosala indra tataḥ paścāt prāpta kālam kariṣyasi

SYNONYMS

b, c| kosala indra: oh, Kosala kingdom's, lord of | tridaśa īśvarāḥ: heavenly, lords | te patnīm: your, wife | sāmnā: propitiously | na pradāsyanti cet: not, going to bestow, if | tataḥ paścāt: there, after | prāpta kālam: chanced, time [seasonably] | kariṣyasi: you may do. |

TRANSLATION

"Oh, Lord of Kosala kingdom, if the heavenly lords are not going bestow your wife propitiously, rather after our humanly effort, then you may do whatever you want, seasonably... [3-65-15b, c]

VERSE 16

शीलेन साम्ना विनयेन सीताम्
नयेन न प्राप्स्यसि चेत् नरेन्द्र
ततः समुत्सादय हेम पुंखैः
महेन्द्र वज्र प्रतिमैः शर ओघैः

śīlena sāmnā vinayena sītām
nayena na prāpsyasi cet narendra
tataḥ samutsādaya hema puṃkhaiḥ
mahendra vajra pratimaiḥ śara oghaiḥ

SYNONYMS

narendra: oh, king | śīlena: with your traits of good conduct [sincerity] | sāmnā: placating enemies and making friendship [solidarity] | vinayena: humbleness in your behaviour [simplicity] | nayena: gaining in scrupulous way [scrupulosity] | sītām na prāpsyasi cet: Seetha, not, you redeem, if | tataḥ: then | hema punkhaiḥ = vith golden, the arrov: handles where eagle feathers are stuffed - thereby which have swift egress | mahendra: mahendra' vajra pratimaiH = Indra's, Thunderbolt, which mirrors up | śara oghaiḥ: arrows, by torrents of | sam ut sādaya = completely, up, heave: put whole of universe to turmoil. |

TRANSLATION

"If, oh, king, you with your traits of sincerity, solidarity, simplicity, and scrupulosity are not going to get back Seetha, then you may you may put whole of the universe to turmoil with the torrents of your arrows which have swift egress as they are with golden-handles which are stuffed with eagle feathers, and which mirror up the Thunderbolts of Mahendra in their trajectories..." Thus Lakshmana appealed to ireful Rama. [3-65-16]

VERSE 17

इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये अरण्य काण्डे पंच षष्टितमः सर्गः

iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye araṇya kāṇḍe paṃca ṣaṣṭitamaḥ sargaḥ

TRANSLATION