Chapter 108

Ayodhya Kanda - Book Of Ayodhya

VERSE 1

आश्वासयन्तम् भरतम् जाबालिर् ब्राह्मण उत्तमः
उवाच रामम् धर्मज्नम् धर्म अपेतम् इदम् वचः

āśvāsayantam bharatam jābālir brāhmaṇa uttamaḥ
uvāca rāmam dharmajnam dharma apetam idam vacaḥ

SYNONYMS

brahmaṇottamaḥ: A Brahmana | jābāliḥ: named Jabali | uvāca: spoke | idam: the following | dharmāpetam: unrighteous | vacaḥ: words | rāmam: to Rama | dharmajñam: who knew righteousness | āśvāsayantam: and who was assuaging | bharatam: Bharata. |

TRANSLATION

A brahmana called Jabali spoke the following unrighteous words to Rama, who knew righteousness and who was assuaging Bharata as aforesaid

VERSE 2

साधु राघव मा भूत् ते बुद्धिर् एवम् निरर्थका
प्राकृतस्य नरस्य इव आर्य बुद्धेः तपस्विनः

sādhu rāghava mā bhūt te buddhir evam nirarthakā
prākṛtasya narasya iva ārya buddheḥ tapasvinaḥ

SYNONYMS

rāghava: O | sādhu: well! | mābhūt: Let not | buddhiḥ: your wisdom | nivarthikā: be rendered void | narasyeva: like a common man | te: you | ārya buddheḥ: who are distinguished for your intelligence | manasvinaḥ: and virtue. |

TRANSLATION

"Enough, O Rama! Let not your wisdom be rendered void like a common man, you who are distinguished for your intelligence and virtue."

VERSE 3

कः कस्य पुरुषो बन्धुः किम् आप्यम् कस्य केनचित्
यद् एको जायते जन्तुर् एक एव विनश्यति

kaḥ kasya puruṣo bandhuḥ kim āpyam kasya kenacit
yad eko jāyate jantur eka eva vinaśyati

SYNONYMS

kaḥ puruṣaḥ: which person | bandhuḥ: is a relative | kasya: by whom? yat = because | kim: what | āpyam: can be obtained | kena cit: from whom | jantuḥ: a living | jāyate: is born | ekaḥ: alone | vinaśyati: and dies | eka eva: alone. |

TRANSLATION

"Who is related to whom? What is there to be obtained by anything and by whom? Every creature is born alone and dies alone."

VERSE 4

तस्मान् माता पिता च इति राम सज्जेत यो नरः
उन्मत्त इव स ज्नेयो न अस्ति काचिद्द् हि कस्यचित्

tasmān mātā pitā ca iti rāma sajjeta yo naraḥ
unmatta iva sa jneyo na asti kācidd hi kasyacit

SYNONYMS

rāma: O | ṭasmāt: hence | yaḥ naraḥ: which person | sajjeta: clings to another (saying) | pitā ceti: 'this is my father | mātā: this is my mother | saḥ: he | vijñeya: should be known | unmatta iva: as one who has lost his wits | nāsti hi: there is none | kaścit: whosoever | kasya cit: to another. |

TRANSLATION

"O, Rama! He who clings to another, saying, 'This is my father, this is my mother, he should be known as one who has lost his wits. There is none who belongs to another."

VERSE 5

यथा ग्राम अन्तरम् गग्च्छन् नरः कश्चिद् क्वचिद् वसेत्
उत्सृज्य च तम् आवासम् प्रतिष्ठेत अपरे अहनि

yathā grāma antaram gagcchan naraḥ kaścid kvacid vaset
utsṛjya ca tam āvāsam pratiṣṭheta apare ahani

SYNONYMS

6| kākutthsa: O | yathā: as | kaścit: a certain | naraḥ: person | gacchan: who passes | grāmantaram: through a strange village | vaset: spends the night | kvacit: at that certain place | apare ahami: and the next day | utsṛjya: leaves | tam āvāsam: that place | pratiṣṭheta: and continues is journey | evameva: so are | pitā: father | mātā: mother | gṛham: home | vasu: and possessions | manuṣyāṇām: to men | āvāsamātram: they are but a resting place | sajjanāḥ: the wise | na sajjante: do not become attached | atra: in this. |

TRANSLATION

"O, Rama! As one who passes the a strange village spends the night the and the next day leaves that place and continues his journey, so are mother, father, home and possessions to a man; they are but a resting place. The wise do not become attached to them".

VERSE 7

पित्र्यम् राज्यम् समुत्सृज्य स न अर्हति नर उत्तम
आस्थातुम् कापथम् दुह्खम् विषमम् बहु कण्टकम्

pitryam rājyam samutsṛjya sa na arhati nara uttama
āsthātum kāpatham duhkham viṣamam bahu kaṇṭakam

SYNONYMS

narottama: O | saḥ: you as such | nārhasi: ought not | parityajya: abandon | pitrayam: your father's | rājyam: kingdom | āsthātum: in order to dwell | kāpatham: in a lonely forest | duḥkham: that is painful | viṣamam: hard to traverse | bahukaṅṭakam: and full of thorny thickets. |

TRANSLATION

"O, chief of men! You as such should not abandon your father's kingdom in order to dwell in a lonely forest, that is excruciating hard to traverse and full of thorny thickets."

VERSE 8

समृद्धायाम् अयोध्यायाम् आत्मानम् अभिषेचय
एक वेणी धरा हि त्वाम् नगरी सम्प्रतीक्षते

samṛddhāyām ayodhyāyām ātmānam abhiṣecaya
eka veṇī dharā hi tvām nagarī sampratīkṣate

SYNONYMS

ātmānām abhiṣecaya: get yourself crowned | samṛddhāyām: in the prosperous | ayodhyāyām: kingdom of Ayodhya | nagarī: that city | sampratīkṣate: is waiting | tvām: fro you | eka veṇīdharā: with your locks unfound. |

TRANSLATION

"Get yourself crowned in the prosperous kingdom of Ayodhya. That city is waiting for you, with your locks duly unfound."

VERSE 9

राज भोगान् अनुभवन् महा अर्हान् पार्थिव आत्मज
विहर त्वम् अयोध्यायाम् यथा शक्रः त्रिविष्टपे

rāja bhogān anubhavan mahā arhān pārthiva ātmaja
vihara tvam ayodhyāyām yathā śakraḥ triviṣṭape

SYNONYMS

pārthivātmaja: O | prince! tvam: you | anubhavan: enjoy | rāja bhogān: the royal luxuries | mahārhān: worthy of you | ayodhyāyām: in Ayodhya | śakraḥ yathā: as Indra the Lord of Celestials |

TRANSLATION

"O, prince! Enjoy the royal luxuries worthy of you. Move around in Ayodhya as Indra the Lord of celestials does in heaven!"

VERSE 10

न ते कश्चिद् दशरतह्ः त्वम् च तस्य न कश्चन
अन्यो राजा त्वम् अन्यः च तस्मात् कुरु यद् उच्यते

na te kaścid daśaratahḥ tvam ca tasya na kaścana
anyo rājā tvam anyaḥ ca tasmāt kuru yad ucyate

SYNONYMS

daśarathaḥ: Dasaratha | na kaścit: is none | te: to you | na: nor | tvam ca: you | kaścana: in anyway | tasya: to him | saḥ rāja: that king | anyaḥ: are another | tvam: and you | tasmāt: hence | kuru: do | yat: what is uchyate = told (by me). |

TRANSLATION

"Dasaratha is none to you nor you in anyway to him. That king is another and your are another. Hence, do what is told by me?"

VERSE 11

बीजमात्रम् पिता जन्तोः शुक्लं रुधिरमेव च
संयुक्तमृतुमन्मात्रा पुरुषस्येह जन्म तत्

bījamātram pitā jantoḥ śuklaṃ rudhirameva ca
saṃyuktamṛtumanmātrā puruṣasyeha janma tat

SYNONYMS

pitā: the father | bīja mātram: is only the seed | jantoḥ: of a being | śuklam: the sperm | samyuktam: blend | ṛtumat: at the right time | mātrā: in the mother's womb | tat: so that | puruṣasya: man | janma: is born | iha: in this world. |

TRANSLATION

"The father is only the seed of a being. The sperm and the ovum blend at the right time in the mother's womb, so that a human being is born in this world."

VERSE 12

गतः स नृपतिः तत्र गन्तव्यम् यत्र तेन वै
प्रवृत्तिर् एषा मर्त्यानाम् त्वम् तु मिथ्या विहन्यसे

gataḥ sa nṛpatiḥ tatra gantavyam yatra tena vai
pravṛttir eṣā martyānām tvam tu mithyā vihanyase

SYNONYMS

saḥ nṛpatiḥ: that king | gataḥ: has gone | yatra: where | tena: he | gantavyam: had to go | eṣā: this | pravṛttiḥ: is the fate | martyānām: of (all) beings | mithyā: unnecessarily | tvam tu: you are still | vihanyase: frustrated. |

TRANSLATION

"The king has gone, where he had to go. This is the fate of all being unnecessarily, you are still frustrated over the matter."

VERSE 13

अर्थ धर्म परा ये ये ताम्ः तान् शोचामि न इतरान्
ते हि दुह्खम् इह प्राप्य विनाशम् प्रेत्य भेजिरे

artha dharma parā ye ye tāmḥ tān śocāmi na itarān
te hi duhkham iha prāpya vināśam pretya bhejire

SYNONYMS

śocāmi: I pity | tāmstān: all those | ye ye: whosoever | artha dharmaparāḥ: devoted to wealth and religious merit | na: not | itarān: others (who are devoted to sense-enjoyment) | te: for | prāpya: having undergone | duḥkham: suffering | iham: in this life | bhejire: they have met with | vināśam: extermination | pretya: after death. |

TRANSLATION

"I pity all those whosoever, devoted to wealth and religious merit, not other (who are devoted to sense-enjoyment), for, they, having undergone suffering in this life, have met with extermination after death."

VERSE 14

अष्टका पितृ दैवत्यम् इत्य् अयम् प्रसृतो जनः
अन्नस्य उपद्रवम् पश्य मृतो हि किम् अशिष्यति

aṣṭakā pitṛ daivatyam ity ayam prasṛto janaḥ
annasya upadravam paśya mṛto hi kim aśiṣyati

SYNONYMS

ayam: these | janaḥ: people | prasṛtaḥ: say | iti: that | aṣṭakā: the eight day | pitṛdaivatyam: should be given up to sacrifices for the spirits of our ancestors | paśya: see | upadravam: the waste annasya = of food | kim: what | mṛtaḥ: (will) a dead man | aśiṣyati: eat? |

TRANSLATION

"These people say, 'The eighth day should be given up to sacrifices for the spirits of our ancestors.' See the waste of food. What will a dead man eat?"

VERSE 15

यदि भुक्तम् इह अन्येन देहम् अन्यस्य गग्च्छति
दद्यात् प्रवसतः श्राद्धम् न तत् पथ्य् अशनम् भवेत्

yadi bhuktam iha anyena deham anyasya gagcchati
dadyāt pravasataḥ śrāddham na tat pathy aśanam bhavet

SYNONYMS

yadi bhuktam: If food eaten | anyena: by one | iha: here | gacchati: reaches | anyasya: another's | deham: body | śrāddham: (then let) a sacrifice | dadyāt: be offered | pravasataḥ: for those who are setting out on a distant journey | tat na bhavet: will it not become | aśanam: a food | pathi: on their path? |

TRANSLATION

"If food eaten by one here, reaches another's body, then let a sacrifice be offered for those who are setting out on a distant journey. Will it not become a food on their path?"

VERSE 16

दान सम्वनना ह्य् एते ग्रन्था मेधाविभिः कृताः
यजस्व देहि दीक्षस्व तपः तप्यस्व सम्त्यज

dāna samvananā hy ete granthā medhāvibhiḥ kṛtāḥ
yajasva dehi dīkṣasva tapaḥ tapyasva samtyaja

SYNONYMS

yajasva: perform sacrifices dehi = distribute gifts | dīkṣasva: consecrate yourselves | tapyasva: practise | tapaḥ: austerity | samtyaja: and renunciation | ete: there granthaaH = writings | kṛtāḥ: are composed | medhāvibhiḥ: by learned men | dāna samvananāḥ: for the sake of inducing others to give. |

TRANSLATION

"Perform sacrifices, distribute gifts, consecrate yourselves, practise ansterity and renunciation' - These writings are composed by learned men for the sake of inducing others to give."

VERSE 17

स न अस्ति परम् इत्य् एव कुरु बुद्धिम् महा मते
प्रत्यक्षम् यत् तद् आतिष्ठ परोक्षम् पृष्ठतः कुरु

sa na asti param ity eva kuru buddhim mahā mate
pratyakṣam yat tad ātiṣṭha parokṣam pṛṣṭhataḥ kuru

SYNONYMS

mahāmate: O | saḥ: you as such | kuru: arrive at | buddhim: a conclusion | nāsti ityeva: that there is nothing | param: beyond this universe | ātiṣṭha: give precedence | tat: to that | yat: which | pratyakṣam: meets the eye | pṛṣṭhataḥ kuru: and turn your back | parokṣam: on what is beyond our knowledge. |

TRANSLATION

"O, the highly wise! Arrive at a conclusion, therefore, that there is nothing beyond this Universe. Give precedence to that which meets the eye and turn your back on what is beyond our knowledge."

VERSE 18

इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे आदिकाव्ये अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टोत्तरशततमः सर्गः

ityārṣe śrīmadrāmāyaṇe ādikāvye ayodhyākāṇḍe aṣṭottaraśatatamaḥ sargaḥ

SYNONYMS

puraskṛtya: honour | tām buddhim: that judgment of the wise | sarva loker nidarśinīm: and regarding that which is approved by all | pratigṛhṇīṣva: accept | rājyam: the kingdom | prasāditaḥ: a propitiated | bharatena: by Bharata. |

TRANSLATION

"Honour the judgment of the wise and regarding that which is approved by all, accept the kingdom as propitiated by Bharata."