Chapter 47

Ayodhya Kanda - Book Of Ayodhya

VERSE 1

प्रभातायाम् तु शर्वर्याम् पौराः ते राघवो विना
शोक उपहत निश्चेष्टा बभूवुर् हत चेतसः

prabhātāyām tu śarvaryām paurāḥ te rāghavo vinā
śoka upahata niśceṣṭā babhūvur hata cetasaḥ

SYNONYMS

śarvaryām: As the night | prabhatāyām: was beginning to become day light | te pourāḥ: those citizens | rāghavam vinā: relinquished by Rama | babhūvaḥ: became | hatacetasaḥ: perplexed | śokopahatacetasaḥ: their hearts stricken by grief | niśceṣṭāḥ: and motionless. |

TRANSLATION

As the night was beginning to become dawn, those citizens relinquished by Raghava were perplexed with grief and became motionless.

VERSE 2

शोकज अश्रु परिद्यूना वीक्षमाणाः ततः ततः
आलोकम् अपि रामस्य न पश्यन्ति स्म दुह्खिताः

śokaja aśru paridyūnā vīkṣamāṇāḥ tataḥ tataḥ
ālokam api rāmasya na paśyanti sma duhkhitāḥ

SYNONYMS

śokajāśru paridyūnāḥ: Made miserable with tears born of anguish | duḥkhitāḥ: and agony | vīkṣamāṇāḥ: seeing | tatastataḥ: in that and that place | na paśyantisma: they could not notice | ālokamapi: even a glimmer | rāmasya: of Rama. |

TRANSLATION

Made miserable with tears born of anguish and agony, they could not notice even a glimmer of Rama, though casting their eyes everywhere.

VERSE 3

ते विषादार्तवदना रहितास्तेन धिमता
कृपणाः करुणा वाचो वदन्ति स्म मनस्विनः

te viṣādārtavadanā rahitāstena dhimatā
kṛpaṇāḥ karuṇā vāco vadanti sma manasvinaḥ

SYNONYMS

te: They | manasvinaḥ: the magnanimous | rahitāḥ: bereft of | tena: that Rama | dhīmatā: the intelligent man | viṣadārta vadanāḥ: had their faces afflicted with grief | kṛpaṇāḥ: and non-plused | vadantisma: spoke | vacāḥ: these words | karuṇāḥ: which were compassionate. |

TRANSLATION

Their faces distorted with sorrow, deprived as they were of sagacious Rama and therefore non-pulsed, the citizens broke into piteous exclamations, saying:-

VERSE 4

धिगस्तु खलु निद्राम् ताम् ययापहृतचेतसः
नाद्य पश्यामहे रामम् पृथूरस्कम् महाभुजम्

dhigastu khalu nidrām tām yayāpahṛtacetasaḥ
nādya paśyāmahe rāmam pṛthūraskam mahābhujam

SYNONYMS

dhik astu: cursed be | tām nidrām: that slumber | yayā: by which | apahṛtacetasaḥ: consciousness was taken away | na paśyāmahe: and could not behold | adya: today | pṛthūraskam: broad chested | mahābhujam: and mighty armed | rāmam: Rama." |

TRANSLATION

"Cursed be to that slumber, rendered unconscious, by which we could not behold today that mighty armed Rama with a broad chest."

VERSE 5

कथम् नाम महाबाहुः स तथा।अवितथक्रियः
भक्तम् जनम् परित्यज्य प्रवासम् राघवो गतः

katham nāma mahābāhuḥ sa tathā|avitathakriyaḥ
bhaktam janam parityajya pravāsam rāghavo gataḥ

SYNONYMS

katham nāma: "how | saḥ rāghavaḥ: that Rama | mahābāhuḥ: the strong armed | avitatha kriyaḥ: whose actions are never in ineffectual | gataḥ: leave | pravāsam: for exile | parityajya: abandoning | bhaktam: his devoted | janam: people?" |

TRANSLATION

"How that Rama the strong armed, whose actions are never ineffectual, leave for exile, abandoning his devoted citizens?"

VERSE 6

यो नः सदा पालयति पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान्
कथम् रघूणाम् स श्रेष्ठस्त्यक्त्वा नो विपिनम् गतः

yo naḥ sadā pālayati pitā putrānivaurasān
katham raghūṇām sa śreṣṭhastyaktvā no vipinam gataḥ

SYNONYMS

"yaḥ: which Rama | śreṣṭaḥ: the chief | raghūṇām: of Raghu's | pālayati: who protected | naḥ: us | sadā: always | pita: like father | ourasān putrān iva: the children born of his lions | katham: how | saḥ: he | tyaktvā: could leave | gataḥ: and proceed | vipinam: to the forest?" |

TRANSLATION

"How did the chief of Raghus, who protected us ever, like a father the children born of his loins, could proceed to the forest, leaving us?"

VERSE 7

इहैव निधनम् यामो महाप्रस्थानमेव वा
रामेण रहितानाम् हि किमर्थम् जीवितम् हि नः

ihaiva nidhanam yāmo mahāprasthānameva vā
rāmeṇa rahitānām hi kimartham jīvitam hi naḥ

SYNONYMS

"yāmaḥ: (let us) invoke | nidhanam: death | ihaiva: here itself | mahā prasthānameva vā: or definitely set out for a grand journey( to the north with a resolve to die) kimartham = for what purpose | jīvatam: (can be) life | naḥ: for us | rahitānām: separated | rāmeṇa: from Rama." |

TRANSLATION

"Let us have recourse to death here itself, or definitely set out for a grand journey ( to the north with a resolve to die). For what purpose can life be good for us, separated as we are from Rama?"

VERSE 8

सन्ति शुष्काणि काष्ठानि प्रभूतानि महान्ति च
तैः प्रज्वाल्य चिताम् सर्वे प्रविशामो।अथ पावकम्

santi śuṣkāṇi kāṣṭhāni prabhūtāni mahānti ca
taiḥ prajvālya citām sarve praviśāmo|atha pāvakam

SYNONYMS

"atha: or | santi: there are | prabhūtāni: a number of | mahānti: big | śuṣkāṇi: dry | kāṣṭāni: logs of woods. prajvalya = Lighting | citām: a funeral pile | taiḥ: by them | sarve: let us all | praviśāmaḥ: enter | pāvakam: the fire." |

TRANSLATION

" Or there are a number of big dry logs of wood here. Lighting a funeral fire out of them, let us all enter the fire."

VERSE 9

किम् व्ख्स्यामो महाबाहुरनसूयः प्रियम्वद
नीतः स राघवो।अस्माभिर्ति वक्तुम् कथम् क्षमम्

kim vkhsyāmo mahābāhuranasūyaḥ priyamvada
nītaḥ sa rāghavo|asmābhirti vaktum katham kṣamam

SYNONYMS

kim: what | vakṣyāmaḥ: shall we say? AsmaabhiH = By us | mahābāhuḥ: the great armed | saḥ rāghavaḥ: (that ) Rama | anasūyaḥ: who is free from egoism | priyamvadaḥ: and who speaks kindly (to all) | nītaḥ: has been conveyed (to the forest) | kṣamam: How can we | vaktum: say | iti: so?" |

TRANSLATION

"What shall we say to our fellow citizens? �The great armed Rama who is free from egoism and who speaks kindly ( to all ) has been conveyed to the forest by us!' How can we say so?"

VERSE 10

सा नूनम् नगरी दीना दृष्ट्वा।अस्मान् राघवम् विना
भविष्यति निरानन्दा सस्त्रीबालवयोधिका

sā nūnam nagarī dīnā dṛṣṭvā|asmān rāghavam vinā
bhaviṣyati nirānandā sastrībālavayodhikā

SYNONYMS

"dṛṣṭvā: seeing | asmān: us | rāghavam vinā: bereft of Rama | sā nagarī: that city | nūnam: now | dīnā: desolate | sa strī bāla vayodhikā: together with women and children and the aged | bhaviṣyati: will become | nirānandā: cheerless." |

TRANSLATION

"Seeing us returning without Rama, that city of Ayodhya, already desolate, will with its women, children and the aged, become even deeply cheerless."

VERSE 11

निर्यातास्तेन वीरेण सह नित्यम् जितात्मना
विहिनास्तेन च पुनः कथम् पश्याम ताम् पुरीम्

niryātāstena vīreṇa saha nityam jitātmanā
vihināstena ca punaḥ katham paśyāma tām purīm

SYNONYMS

"niryātāḥ: having left the city | tena vīreṇa saha: thus with that hero | nityam: ever | jitātmanā: self-conquered man | katham: how | paśyāma: can we look on | tām purīm: that city | punaḥ: again | vihīnāḥ: without | tena ca: him?" |

TRANSLATION

"Having left the city thus with that hero, the conqueror of one's own self, how can we look on that city again without him?"

VERSE 12

इतीव बहुधा वाचो बाहुमुद्यम्य ते जनाः
विलपन्तिस्म दुःखर्ता विवत्सा इव धेनवः

itīva bahudhā vāco bāhumudyamya te janāḥ
vilapantisma duḥkhartā vivatsā iva dhenavaḥ

SYNONYMS

udyamya: uplifting | bāhum: (their) arms | te janāḥ: those men | duhkhārtāḥ: stricken with anguish | dhenavaḥ: like cows | vivatsāḥ: bereft of their calves | vilapantisma: lamented | bahudhā: in various ways | itīva vācaḥ: as aforesaid. |

TRANSLATION

Uplifting their arms , those men stricken with anguish, like cows bereft of their calves, lamented in various ways as above.

VERSE 13

ततः मार्ग अनुसारेण गत्वा किंचित् क्षणम् पुनः
मार्ग नाशात् विषादेन महता समभिप्लुतः

tataḥ mārga anusāreṇa gatvā kiṃcit kṣaṇam punaḥ
mārga nāśāt viṣādena mahatā samabhiplutaḥ

SYNONYMS

tataḥ: then | gatvā: proceeding | kimcit: to some distance | mārgānusāreṇa: along the tracks | kṣaṇam: for a while | samabhiplutāḥ: they were overwhelmed with | mahatā: great | viṣadena: despair | punaḥ: again | mārganāśāt: due to disappearance of the tracks. |

TRANSLATION

Then, proceeding to some distance along the tracks for a while, they were overwhelmed with great despair again due to sudden disappearance of tracks.

VERSE 14

रथस्य मार्ग नाशेन न्यवर्तन्त मनस्विनः
किम् इदम् किम् करिष्यामः दैवेन उपहताइति

rathasya mārga nāśena nyavartanta manasvinaḥ
kim idam kim kariṣyāmaḥ daivena upahatāiti

SYNONYMS

manasvinaḥ: the good natured citizens | mārga nāśena: due to disappearance of the tracks | rathasya: of the chariot | nyavartanta: returned (to Ayodhyas) iti = saying thus | kimidam: "how is it? kim karishhyaama = what shall we do? Upa hataaH = we are afflicted | daivena: by providence. |

TRANSLATION

The good-natured citizens, due to disappearance of the tracks of the chariot, returned to Ayodhya, saying thus, " How is it? What shall we do? We are afflicted by providence"

VERSE 15

ततः यथा आगतेन एव मार्गेण क्लान्त चेतसः
अयोध्याम् अगमन् सर्वे पुरीम् व्यथित सज्जनाम्

tataḥ yathā āgatena eva mārgeṇa klānta cetasaḥ
ayodhyām agaman sarve purīm vyathita sajjanām

SYNONYMS

tataḥ: thereafter | sarve: all of them | klānta cetanaḥ: with aggrieved hearts | āgaman: went | āyodhya purīm: to the city of Ayodhya | vyathita sajjanām: with distressed virtuous people | mārgeṇa: by the path | yathāgatenaiva: on which they had come. |

TRANSLATION

Therafter, all of them with aggrieved hearts went to the city of Ayodhya, which was comprising of virtuous people with distress, by the same path on which they had come.

VERSE 16

आलोक्य नगरीम् ताम् च क्षयव्याकुलमानसाः
आवर्तयन्त त्।अश्रूणि नयनैः शोकपीडितैः

ālokya nagarīm tām ca kṣayavyākulamānasāḥ
āvartayanta t|aśrūṇi nayanaiḥ śokapīḍitaiḥ

SYNONYMS

ālokya: beholding | tām nagarīm: that city | te: they | kṣayavyākula mānasāḥ: in their minds distracted through cheerlessness | āvartayanta: shed | aśrūṇi: tears | śoka pīditaiḥ: stricken as they were in grief. |

TRANSLATION

Beholding the city, they shed tears through their eyes stricken as they were in grief , their minds distressed through cheerlessness.

VERSE 17

एषा रामेण नगरी रहिता नातिशोभते
आपगा गरुडेनेव ह्रदादुद्धृतपन्नगा

eṣā rāmeṇa nagarī rahitā nātiśobhate
āpagā garuḍeneva hradāduddhṛtapannagā

SYNONYMS

eṣā nagarī: this city | rāmeṇa rahitā: bereft of Rama | nātiśobhate: was not enchanting even a little | āpagā iva: as a river | uddhhṛta pannagā: whose snakes were uplifted | hradāt: from its pool | garuḍena: by Garuda. |

TRANSLATION

Bereft of Rama, the aforesaid city of Ayodhya was not any more enchanting than a river whose snakes were uplifted from its pool by Garuda.

VERSE 18

चन्द्रहीनमिवाकाशम् तोयहीनमिवार्णवम्
अपश्यन्निहतानन्दम् नगरम् ते विचेतसः

candrahīnamivākāśam toyahīnamivārṇavam
apaśyannihatānandam nagaram te vicetasaḥ

SYNONYMS

ākāśamiva: as the sky | candra hīnam: without the moon | ārṇavam iva: or the sea | toya hīnam: without the water | te vicetasaḥ: those disconcerted men | apaśyan: beheld | nagaram: the city | nihatānandam: from which all joy had fled. |

TRANSLATION

As the sky without the moon or the sea without the water, these disconcerted men beheld the city from which all joy had fled.

VERSE 19

इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये अयोध्य काण्डे एकचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye ayodhya kāṇḍe ekacatvāriṃśaḥ sargaḥ

SYNONYMS

te: they | praviṇaṣṭa harṣāḥ: having lost their joy | viśantaḥ: entering | tāni: those | veśmāni: houses | mahādhanāni: with abundant riches | duḥkhena: uneasily | duḥkhopahatāḥ: having stricken with grief | naiva prajaġ^yuḥ: could not dishtinguish | svajanam: their own people | janam vā: or others | nirīkṣamānāḥ: (even if) being looked at. |

TRANSLATION

Entering their houses full of abundant riches with uneasiness, the citizens could not distinguish between their own people and others, even though being looked at, stricken as they were with grief, their joy having altogether extinguished.