Adhyatma Ramayanam
2.5 Vichinnabhishekam
[Interrupted Coronation]
At the time the Sun rose up,
But the king had not still woken up,
The chief minister Sumanthra
Anxious to know the reason,
Thought a lot and slowly,
Entered the quarters of the queens.
"Oh king who belongs to the clan of friend of lotus flower,
Oh king, Oh best among king of kings, Victory, victory."
Like this he praised the king and saluted him on the floor,
Stood up and again saluted him, and then he saw,
The worried king with shedding tears and lying on the floor,
And also greatly upset and seeing him thus Sumanthra,
Immediately addressed Kaikeyi and asked her,
"Oh queen equal to deva ladies, darling of the king,
Oh Queen Kaikeyi, Always victory, victory,
What is the reason for change of the mood,
Of the king, Oh consort of king of kings, please tell me",
Hearing this Kaikeyi replied like this to Sumanthra.
The great king did not get any sleep,
At night and that is the reason,
For his being not all right and,
Also he is sick in the mind,
And keeps on repeating Rama, Rama,
And always thinking about only Rama,
And also since he was not able to sleep at all,
The king has become greatly worried.
Since the king is sad in not seeing Rama,
Without delay go and get Rama."
Hearing this Sumanthra told,
"I can go and bring that lad easily,
But oh lotus eyed one, how can I go,
Without the orders of the king himself."
Hearing this the king himself told,
"You go and get Rama here quickly,
I have to see without delay the face,
Of that pretty one called Rama Kumara",
Hearing this Sumanthra became scared,
And went to the son of Kausalya and told,
"Your father is calling you urgently,
So without any delay you have to come",
And Rama hearing the words of the minister,
Speedily along with his younger brother,
Lakshmana got in to the chariot,
And reached the house where his father was staying out of love,
And saluted both the feet of his father,
And fell at his feet in the ground".
When the king readied himself,
To take and hug Sri Rama,
And extended his hands,
He fainted and fell on the floor.
Saying Rama, Rama and seeing him,
Rama speedily took the king and also hugged him,
And then with respect he made him lie on his lap,
Seeing this the ladies with heightened sorrow,
Started crying and wailing and hearing their,
Cries sage Vasishta immediately entered the house,
And Sri Rama at that time asked,
"What is the reason for my Father's sorrow,
People who know it, please tell me straight",
And then the daughter of Kekaya told straight,
"You are the only reason for your father's sorrow.
In the world the root of sorrow is pleasure itself,
And you can easily make amends for that,
And make your father leave his sorrow,
And for removing the sorrow of my husband,
You should at least play a role."
You make your father teller of truth,
Because he is a great protector of truth,
The wish in the mind of the king is definitely,
Your duty as you are his first son.
I have been given two boons,
By your father when he was happy.
And those two which can be done only by you,
Were requested by me today.
Ashamed to tell you about them,
He has become disconsolate,
And you are the only one to save,
Your father who has been tied by his oath.
You please understand that Brahma,
Coined the word son (puthra) because,
They would save their parents from hell call "puth".
Hit by the trident of the words of the mother,
Rama who was the son of the ruler of the country,
Told with lots of sorrow as follows,
"Is it necessary to tell all this, mother,
For the sake of father, without any doubt,
I would give up even my soul or my mother,
Or Sita, without any sorrow in mind,
If my father wishes, Oh mother,
I would even give up this country,
I would even give up Lakshmana,
Within no time, If he tells me."
If it is necessary to fall in fire or drink poison,
If father tells, I will do it. There is not even
Little doubt in my mind about it, you understand,
The son who does the wishes in the mind,
Of his father without him telling is great,
The one who does it after he tells is medium,
Though it is proper, a son who says that,
It is not his duty is the poop of his parents,
Say the good people and this is all I have understood.
So it is for sure that I do not have sorrow or pain,
For observing what my father tells me,
This is an oath, this is an oath,
I am taking an oath and there is no two opinions about it.
After hearing the oath of Kaikeyi,
Told the following words to Rama,
"Let all the things that have been collected,
By your father for your coronation,
Be used to celebrate the Coronation of Bharatha,
There is also a second boon, it is that,
You should live inside the forest,
For fourteen years in the garb of a sage,.
The king feels bad to tell you this,
And also it will cause sorrow to him."
Hearing this Sri Rama told like this,
"What is the problem for carrying it out today,
Let the coronation of Bharatha be performed,
And oh mother, I would go to the forest forthwith,
Why did not father tell me about this?
What is the reason for his thought and sorrow?
He is very suitable to protect the country,
And I am prepared to leave this country.
To carry out the burden of a country is a punishment,
But Residence in Dandaka forest is very easy,
It is only because of the mother's love,
That she asked me to rule only my body.
Bhageeratha brought Ganga from the sky,
Speedily to the nether world,
So that his ancestors are satisfied,
And Puru made his father very happy,
By giving his youth and taking his old age,
And both of them became great by the grace of their manes.
Thinking of such an insignificant matter,
There was no need for my father to be sad."
The king after hearing the words of Rama,
With great sorrow told his son,
"Since I am a slave to ladies, a lover,
And a worst king, without any delay,
Tie me with a rope and take the country from me,
You will not have any sin by doing that,
Otherwise I would be suffering the guilt.
Of not following the oath, son,
Ocean of good character, Oh Raghava."
The king of kings Dasaratha again,
Started crying and telling,
"Hey Rama, Hey Lord of the world, Hey hey Rama,
Hey Rama, Hey, hey the lord of my soul,
Oh son how will you go in to the deep forest,
After going away from me?"
He went on telling many such things,
Shed tears and was telling unsteady words and again cried,
Hugged him tightly and again hugged him,
And then left out several hot breaths,
And seeing his father who was greatly upset,
Rama washed his face with cold water,
And told him several words of consolation,
Which were really great and that
Great diplomat further consoled him
Why does my father unnecessarily become sad?
Oh king, how is this a punishment?
For protecting the truth, we have,
No dearth of strength for these two,
My brother will rule over the country,
And I would comfortably live in the forest,
If we analyze It is more comfortable,
To live in the forest rather than to rule the country,
It is good that My mother has allotted to me with love,
A job which is not difficult to do.
I will salute my mother Kausalya,
Tell Maithili about the news,
And would come soon to depart, he said.
That god went to his mother's palace,
And there that mother who was a follower of Dharma,
Was conducting fire sacrifice and worship,
By well acknowledged Brahmins,
For the orderly progress of her son.
She also gave monetary gifts to many,
And she with devotion established the feet of God,
In her mind and was in deep meditation,
And did not see her son who had come there.
At the end Sumithra with happiness,
Went to Kausalya and told,
"Rama has come, have you not seen,
Oh Darling of the king, please see"
And then seeing Rama who is saluting her,
Slowly she caught hold of him and caressed him,
And then she made him sit on her lap,
Then smelt his head and smelled with joy,
That black body which was like blue sapphire,
And slowly patting him she told,
"My son, is there any reason that,
Your face should look wan and faded?
Are you hungry, if so sit down to eat."
And when his mother told him like this,
Rama suppressed his great sorrow,
And told his mother as follows.
"Now there is no time to eat,
I have go urgently to live in the forest,
Long ago my father had given,
Two boons to my mother who is the daughter of Kekaya,
One was to make Bharatha rule the country,
And the other was that I should go to the forest.
And live there for fourteen years,
As soon as it is over, I would come back without delay,
Oh mother, please live with satisfaction till then,"
As soon as Kausalya heard the words of Rama,
She fainted and fell on the ground,
Then when she woke up, she started,
Crying and crying as she was drowned in the ocean of sorrow,
And she then told her son,
"Suppose you go to the forest today,
Without hesitation take me also there,
For I cannot live without you even for half a second."
If you go to the Dandakaranya forest today,
I would go to the home of the god of death,
Is it possible to tell and describe,
The sorrow of the cow which has parted with the calf,
If Bharatha has to rule this country,
Is there a law that you should go to the forest.
"Think whether you have done any errors,
To Kaikeyi or for that matter, your father,
I and your father are equally elders to you,
And suppose father tells you to go and suppose,
I oppose it and tell you not to go,
Suppose you disobey me but obey your father,
I would definitely put an end to my life,
And that will lead to the destruction of humanity."
Hearing the words of Kausalya like this,
Lakshmana who was standing there with a burning mind,
With fire in the eyes and full of sorrow and anger,
Seeing Rama started telling,
As if to burn the entire world in fire,
"What is the reason for all these sorrow?"
Lunatic minded, a zombie, an old man,
One who is slave to ladies, one who is restless,
And one who is adamant is our father,
And I am saying let us arrest our father,
And all those who are against us,
And kill them instead of needlessly,
Being sad about it and without any problem,
Celebrate the coronation and,
There is no need to become sad for this,
Oh mother become happy,
And let us celebrate the coronation of the great son,
And definitely I have the valour to do that,
And if even our Guru starts to do,
Things that are unjust, we have to discipline him.
After telling like this when Lakshmana was,
Standing ferociously as if to burn the entire world,
After breaking in to a slow smile, speedily,
And with joy, he was tightly and firmly embraced by,
The pretty one, one who is the darling of Goddess Lakshmi,
One who is joyful, one who is of the colour of bee,
One who has eyes like blue lotus, One who is,
Worshipped along with music by Indra and the group of devas,
One who is like the full moon, One who is dear to Lord Shiva,
And One who is like a wish giving tree to his devotees.
2.6 Lakshmanopadesam
[Teaching to Lakshmana]
Oh son, Oh son of Sumithra, Oh lad,
Please hear my words leaving out competitive spirit,
I have understood your principles,
And also your love towards me,
And also that no one has love to me as much as you have,
And also it is definite that no job is impossible for you,
But please hear this one from me,
Only if the visible things like kingship, body,
World, incomparable wealth and land are the truth,
Then only your effort will be proper,
And suppose it is not, what will result?
All the pleasures are as temporary as the lightning,
And they vanish quickly like our life, please remember this."
The human life is like a drop of water,
Fallen on a metal piece made red hot by fire,
And something which vanishes in a second,
Like the frog which is in the throat of a snake,
Seeking for food, the beings caught in the grips of time,
With a melting mind, seeks for pleasures.
Understand that the meeting that we have with,
Son, friends, wife and others lasts only for a little time,
Like the wayfarers in a rest house of the high way,
Are getting upset when they meet and part,
And like the wooden pieces floating in the river
The meeting of the people in the world is purely temporary,
And also wealth also is not at all stable for men,
And would the state of youth be with us permanently."
The pleasure out of a wife is like a dream,
And short life also is similar, Oh Lakshmana,
The life between birth and death which,
Is intermixed with pleasures, if properly,
Studied is also like a dream, my friend,
And remember it is like a city of Gandarwas,
Which cannot be seen, and the foolish people,
Observe that the Sun god comes out speedily,
Goes speedily in to the sea, followed by sleep,
And again the sun god comes out fast.
People who have this type of imagination in their brain,
Never think about anything over time,
And they do not know when the soul goes away,
And are lying drowned in the sea of illusion.
With old age, with white hair and wear and tare,
Some people die with enlarged desires,
Though people see using the eye,
They are not able to know the greatness of illusion,
The foolish people think that now it is a day,
After some time it will be night, which would be followed by
day,
Not knowing the acts of God, and without,
Remembering all the sports done by,
The God who is but the form of time,
Live a life like water in an unbaked pot,
And people are never are able to understand the goings of God.
"It is certain that the enemies called diseases,
Would come and destroy the body,
And like the tigress wear and tare will come near,
And definitely attack the body,
And the death is always within us,
Looking for a proper time to attack,
The beings due to their body, mix the pride,
Add desires to it and live,
And chant that, "I am Brahmin", "I am the king",
"I am a noble man", all their life,
And during that time they eat, go poop,
Or even burn in to white ash and disappear,
Or can even become worms under the mud,
And so it is not good to have desire because of the body."
The body is but a mixture of skin, flesh, blood,
Bones, poop, urine and semen and is,
Made of the five elements and it would,
Be pervaded by illusion and that body,
Is subject to change, it is certain.
Due to the desire again due to attachment,
To this body, you are thinking of burning the world,
And that thought of yours in the mind,
Shows that you do not have wisdom, Lakshmana.
All the defects are with those who love their body,
And come to them due to their anger, you please remember,
The feeling of a man that "I am the body",
Is due to ignorance which is the mother of desire.
And once you think that "I am not the body,
But am the soul", that thought is the killer of desires,
And is the real knowledge and please know,
That ignorance is the one that makes the life of birth and
death,
And knowledge is that which completely destroys this thought.
So if you are, one thirsting for salvation,
You should sit alone and develop that deep wisdom,
And then passion, anger, avarice as well as desire,
Would all become your enemies, please understand,
And also please know, that anger is the emotion,
That puts a stop for the aim of getting salvation,
And that gentleman completely destroys,
Mother, father, brother and friends."
Due to anger arise misunderstandings,
Due to anger man gets tied up by domestic life,
And Is not anger the real destroyer of Dharma,
And so the wise man should give up anger,
And is not anger definitely the god of death,
And strong desire is the river Vaitharani, (Indian equivalent of
Styx)
That encircles the city of death.
Happiness is the garden of the devas,
And always hear that peace is the wish giving cow,
Think about this and pray for only peace,
And then always you will never have sorrow,
Hear that the soul lies above the body, sense organs,
The movement, intellect and ego,
Please always think that the soul in you,
As filled up with the pure, dazzling self-filled with joy,
Which is the meaning of all philosophies,
Which does not have any actions, which is forever,
Which can be known in the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi,
As witness of everything and god of everything always.
You who know the essence of everything please hear,
Pleasure, pain, difficult duties have to be undergone,
You have to definitely carry out with utmost sincerity,
All the duties dictated by organs as well as Karma,
Without attaching yourselves to the results of Karma,
And as fated by Karma, dedicating it to the supreme god.
Since none of the karmas can attach,
Themselves to the pure soul,
After understanding all that I told you,
Always meditate on that form of wisdom,
Giving away egoistic feelings, and daily,
Get drowned in divine joy, remove,
From the mind the desires created by illusion,
For egoism is the reason of all dangers.
After telling like this to Lakshmana,
With a happy face he told his mother,
"Please hear mother, Let not my words,
Which are clear cause sorrow to you,
Unlike the people who do not know the soul,
You know that sufferings cannot be caused to it,
All the people who live in this world cannot,
Always live together and since you know everything,
Please understand that I would speedily,
Come back after living in the forest for fourteen years,
And so please throw away all the sorrow,
And bless me with a happy heart.
"If there is one desire in the mind of father,
Mother also should have the same desire,
It is definite that The virtue of a married women,
Is the repetition of all the duties of her husband,
If my mother permits me with happiness,
I do not have any sorrow whatsoever
And the life in the forest would be pleasurable,
Do not have any sorrow in your mind."
Saying this he saluted her,
Again and again at the feet of his mother,
With love and she took him on his lap.
Hugged him and bathed him with her tears,
And then she immediately told words of blessing,
And then Kausalya begged the gods.
"Oh creator, Oh Brahma, Oh God who sits on a lotus,
Oh healthy ocean of mercy, Oh greatest Purusha, Oh Hari,
Oh winner over death, Oh great God, Oh consort of Gauri,
Oh protectors of different directions who have Indra in front,
Oh Durga, Oh Goddess, Oh destroyer of sorrow,
Oh cause of creation, upkeep and dissolution,
Whenever my son takes to walking,
And whenever he sleeps forgetting everything,
Please protect him with great joy."
When her son Rama requested like this,
She hugged him tightly with falling tears and,
She permitted to go to the forest saying,
"Live in the forest for fourteen years and come back",
And immediately Lakshmana with a broken voice,
Told Rama to his satisfaction,
"Whatever doubt that was remaining in my mind,
Has vanished after hearing your words.
For the sake of doing service to your feet,
I also want to accompany you and,
You have to give permission to that with joy,
Oh consort of Sita, Oh Ramachandra, Oh treasure of mercy,
And suppose you do not permit, I will take away my life,
Oh Lord of Raghus, Oh lord with a moon like face."
And then the lotus eyed one told him with love,
"if so you can also come with me."
Then to take leave from Sita,
He entered Sita's house happily.
Seeing her husband who has come,
She got up speedily with a smile,
And with water in a golden pot,
Washed his holy feet with love,
And with shyness and a soft smile,
That pretty one slowly and slowly told.
Oh treasure of mercy, how come you have come,
By walk without anybody accompanying you?
Oh husband where is the valorous elephant,
The ornamental umbrellas, decorative fans,
The pair of chowries, the musical accompaniment,
And the made up look with gold and gem ornaments?
How come you have left the minor kings,
And have come with a very worried look, alas?
Hearing the words of the daughter of Videha,
The son of the lord of earth told like this,
"He gave me the kingdom of Dandakaranya,
For earning good deeds, please know,
I am going immediately to look after that,
And you live here without sorrow in the mind.
Oh wife you live here happily,
Looking after my mother Kausalya."
Hearing the words of her husband that Janaki,
Told like this to the king Rama,
"Your father is in a state that he,
Cannot even part with you at night,
And in such a circumstance, why,
Did this thought of giving a forest kingdom,
To you Come today to his mind, what is the cause?
Was it not the king himself with joy,
Made arrangements for the coronation yesterday,
Tell me speedily whether it is true, my husband,
Please tell me in detail all that has happened?"
Hearing this Sri Rama told her,
"Oh gem in the garland of great ladies, hear,
The king had earlier promised to give,
Two boons to my mother who is the daughter of Kekaya,
In the land of devas during a battle between asuras and devas,
For showing great valour and helping him."
One is to make Bharatha as the king,
And the other is to send me to forest,
Deciding in his mind that he would,
Be going against his oath and being afraid of it,
Father has already given the boon to mother,
And so I am going today to the Dandakaranya,
And live there for fourteen years,
Avoiding any rule and I will come back then.
You please do not tell no to it,
And leaving love life, live with my mother"
After hearing this as told by Sri Rama,
That lady with a face of the full moon told,
"I would be the first to walk to the forest,
And you can only come behind me,
Your going away leaving me is not proper,
And you have to understand that."
That Sri Rama told her who speaks sweet things,
And walks like the elephant king,
"How can I take you there,
For it is full of densely grown trees,
Wild lions, tigers, pigs, bison,
Elephants, pythons wolf and other animals,
The Rakshasas who eat human beings,
And also very many bad wild animals,
Which are innumerable and seeing all of them,
We would become perplexed and filled with fear,
And for ladies there is a special sense of fear, please
understand."
"Oh lady, there for food only roots,
And fruits which are sour and bitter are available,
Clean and tasty foods, sweet pancakes, rice, drinks,
Good quality honey, drinks of milk are not there at any time".
Ups and down caves, holes in the land, harsh stony path,
Would be all over that bad way, which is full of thorns,
Except for that type of harsh path,
You would not be able to see anybody there known to you,
Apart from that the climate would be cold winds, hot weather,
And the suffering due to these are extreme.
We have necessarily walk with our legs,
And when we see the very bad Rakshasas,
Nobody would be able to tolerate it. Understand?
So obey my words and live here,
Looking after my mother in a proper fashion,
And for coming back it would take,
Fourteen years, there is no doubt about this."
After hearing the words of Rama,
With increasing sorrow again told,
"Lord, I am dharmic wife of virtue,
And I do not have any other support,
Oh treasure of mercy, there would not be any problem,
Please do not end my penance of serving your feet,
When I am living in your presence,
Who can ever cause harm to me?"
"Eating some roots and food with water,
As The remains of food eaten by husband,
Is equivalent to nectar to me,
When I am walking with my husband,
Even very sharp pointed stone and thorns,
Is equivalent to walking on spread flowers to me,
Oh Lord equivalent to god of love, do not forsake me,
By me you will not have any problem,
And Oh Husband, I do not have any fear."
Once a Brahmin expert in astrology,
After determination has told me,
"You would be living in the forest,
With your husband and there is no sorrow,
Also I will tell you a truth that I have,
Heard earlier and I would tell you that now,
Though several poets have written the story of Rama,
Along with joy, I have not heard one,
In which Rama has gone to live,
In the forest without Janaki?
Is there any existence of Prakriti from Purusha?
If we properly think are not both the same?
We have to remember the chant during marriage,
That these two will not part till time of death,
When it is like that, if you leave me and go,
To the forest alone and without me,
I would take my life away today itself.
After Hearing what that goddess told,
The king along with a slow smile told,
"So my wife, come along with me soon,
A sorrow need not come due to my telling you something,
Oh Janaki, please give away all the necklaces,
And other ornaments To Arundathi, (wife of Vasishta)"
Then he told like this to Lakshmana,
Please make the noble Brahmins to come,
And as soon as he told this to him,
He got several great Brahmins to come there.
Clothes ornaments cows,
And unlimited money with great respect,
Was given to great Brahmins who had mastered Vedas,
Who were of good character, who were great,
Because of very good character and who were family people.
He also gave gifts to the very great Brahmins,
Who were the assistants of his mother.
Also to all those who live in his private quarters,
And to his servants he gave gifts by various kinds.
Due to his giving gifts to the sages and Brahmins,
They recited words of blessings to him with joy,
Shedding and shedding great amount of tears.
Janaki along with love gave gifts,
To Arundathi who took it with happiness.
Then the valorous Lakshmana, entrusted,
His mother Sumithra to Kausalya,
And saluted her and then Sumithra,
Hugged her son and also blessed him well,
And also told the following advice to him,
"You have to always serve your elder brother,
And always walk by his side without parting from him,
Always daily think that Rama is Dasaratha in your mind,
Also you have to think me as the daughter of Janaka,
And think Ayodhya as the deep forest,
And once You firmly believe these without illusion,
You would be happy there and come back happily."
Lakshamana completely took the advice,
And saluted his mother with respect,
And then along with his bow and arrows,
Stood near Rama and saluted him.
Immediately Rama along with Sita,
And Lakshmana, went to salute,
His father and at that time,
With happiness he saw the citizens of Ayodhya.
The pretty lad, the stealer of the mind,
One has pretty black body, Raghava,
One who can be compared to God of love,
One who is lovely and handsome,
The honourable Rama, the ever pretty Rama,
For all the world, the Rama of the soul,
The one with eyes like lotus,
One who is served by Lord Shiva,
One who pervades in different worlds,
When he was walking towards his father's home,
The citizens who were sad seeing,
That he was walking to the palace,
Told each other with great sorrow.
Alas, alas. alas, see, see, ho,
Oh god why has this come to this alas,
Along with brother and his loving wife,
Without any help, he is walking,
With a path strewn with stones and thorns,
And which is bad path and very difficult to walk,
With their pretty, greatly soft and slippery feet,
Which appears to be softer like a red lotus,
And the mind of the king which asked them,
To daily walk in the forest is very cruel.
Till yesterday no one had the love for son,
As much as king Dasaratha had,
What is the reason for this thought today.
Hearing this immediately another one told,
"It seems he had given two boons to Kaikeyi,
And because of that Rama is going to forest today,
And Bharatha would live as a king,
He could go to the forest along with him,
Because he cannot tolerate parting with him".
Hearing these type of talks between,
The Brahmins of the city, Vamadeva,
Told to the citizens the following.
2.7 Rama Sita Thathwam
[Rama and Sita Principle]
None of you should be sad by thinking of Rama,
And also Due to Janaki who has a pretty form.
I am now telling you the principle,
Please hear with great attention,
Rama is the real Maha Vishnu,
Who is the primeval Narayana with lotus eyes,
Lakshmana is Anantha and the daughter of Janaka,
Is the goddess Lakshmi who is the illusion of this world.
Due to the different properties of Maya* (illusion),
The god assumes several different forms,
Lord Brahma who was born out of the lotus,
Has the Rajasa property and created,
The two worlds in a very clear way,
Assuming the form of Vishnu,
Which has predominantly Sathwa form,
The god, who is divine and is never born,
Always keeps on protecting this world.
* God does not have any properties
But illusions makes us see them.
In the form of Rudra, with the thamas property,
That consort of daughter of Mountain destroys.
Becoming pleased with the devotion of Vaivaswatha Manu,
That God took the incarnation of fish.,
And he killed Hayagreeva and returned
Back all the Vedas and he is this Rama.
When the ocean of milk was being churned,
And when the Mandra Mountain entered the nether world,
The one who took the form of a severe form of a tortoise,
And held the king of the Mountains on his back, is this Rama,
The one who killed the bad Hiranyaksha,
Taking the form of a boar and lifted the earth,
And played in the causal ocean,
Is this Rama who is this causal man.
He who took the form of the roaring Narasimha,
For looking after his devotee Prahlada,
And tore the chest of the horrible Hiranyakasipu,
By using his cruel nails is,
This consort of Lakshmi who is an expert in saving.
When Atithi with great devotion requested him,
And also worshipped him for the birth of a son,
Along with great mercy, he who was born as,
Her son and younger brother of Indra,
And went to his great devotee Mahabali,
Requested for three feet of earth,
And measured the three worlds in three feet,
And got the earth from Mahabali and gave it back to Indra,
As the Trivikrama who likes his devotees is also Rama.
For killing exterminating of kings,
Who were born as hater of Brahmins,
The one who was born as Parasurama,
Is this Rama who is the blessing of this world.
He has been born as the son of Dasaratha,
And the husband of the daughter of earth in this world,
For saving Dharma by killing all the Rakshasas,
And to lighten the burden of this earth.
He is primeval, not born, divine soul, god of gods,
The divine one who is an expert in Vedas though not a Brahmin,
Narayana, the greatest Purusha, one who does not change,
The causal man, Rama, the stealer of the mind,
And the reason for his is going today to the forest,
For killing Ravana for the sake of devas,
Is not because of Mandhara nor Kaikeyi and
None of you get startled, the reason is not even Dasaratha.
The God Vishnu who pervades the earth, the Madhava,
The Vishnu along with the daughter of Janaka,
The great goddess of illusion who
Is the one who creates, upkeeps and destroys,
Is starting now with excess of joy.
Yesterday Narada came here and,
Rama told him "for killing of,
The Rakshasas, I will definitely,
Start to the forest tomorrow"
And from this, please understand,
That he is not sad at going to forest,
And so please do not think of Rama and be sad,
All of you, please chant "Rama", "Rama",
And to all those men who chant "Rama", "Rama" daily,
There would be no fear of death for them and they will get
salvation,
And they will all definitely get these.
He is one who does not have sorrow or pleasure,
He does not decay, he is one without characters,
He is the great one of Raghu clan,
The one who does not have less or more,
He is pure, full of joy, endless and consistent.
How can sorrow ever come,
To one who has a form of God like him,
He was born in this earth due to the prayer,
Of his devotees and he is the lover of his devotees,
For fulfilling the desire of Dasaratha,
And for killing Ravana, and for,
Looking after the three worlds,
He has taken this incarnation.
Oh simple people, that man has become God.
After telling about Rama like this,
Vamadeva retired from there and,
Afterwards those who drank the nectar of Vamadeva,
Those citizens knew that Rama is only Narayana,
And al of them were drowned in the ocean of divine joy.
Those who meditate on this secret of Rama and Sita,
Again and again with utmost joy,
Will get firm devotion towards God Rama,
And sorrows of all of them would be destroyed.
I told the divine meaning of Rama,
Which is secret, which should be hidden from others,
And one that would destroy all your sins,
Thinking that all lovers of Rama are great,
The pain in the minds of the citizens was destroyed,
And that great sage also went back with joy.
2.8 Vana Yathra
[Forest Journey]
Then Rama entered the house of his father,
And without sorrow saluted and told,
Kaikeyi, who was his mother,
"Please leave out sorrow from your mind,
Me, Lalkshmana and the daughter of Janaka,
Have started from here with pleasure,
Please leave out the sorrow far away,
And let my father order me what should be done".
Hearing those pleasant words Kaikeyi immediately,
Got up along with nervousness and,
She gave cloth made of bark individually to,
Rama, Sita as well as Lakshmana,
And Rama forsaking the rich cloths,
Dressed himself in those wooden bark.
With the permission of Lord Rama,
Lakshmana also wore that and at that time,
Sita who was the Goddess Lakshmi,
Holding the bark cloth in her hand, with sorrow,
And For finding out the intention of Rama,
Secretly saw the lotus like face of Rama,
With a thought as to how to wear it tightly,
And Rama the husband of the goddess of auspiciousness,
With diplomacy took it from her, and
Tied that hard bark over her divine dresses,
And stood there with great politeness.
Seeing this the wives of the king,
And all the other people assembled there,
Started weeping due to sorrow and hearing this,
The great sage Vasishta who was standing there,
Berated Kaikeyi with great anger and told her,
"Why you had this thought?, Oh bad woman,
Oh Rakshasi, Oh lady with an unclean mind,
Oh lady who has a hard mind when seeing misery,
Oh base lady, Oh characterless lady,
Was it not your boon that Rama should go to the forest?
And what was the reason for the thought in your mind,
To give the wooden bark cloth to Sita,
Janaki who was devoted and a virtuous wife,
If she travels along with her husband,
She Would go with ornaments all over her body,
And wearing divine cloths, for she is going,
To lighten the sorrow caused by forest to her husband,
And would live there providing happiness to his mind,
And she would be with him and look after him,
With a clean and clear mind and live there."
Hearing what sage Vasishta has told,
Dasaratha saluted the sage and told Sumanthra,
Immediately get here a chariot suitable for kings,
For the sake of travel of the lotus eyed one.
After saying like this and seeing the face of Rama,
Dasaratha cried, "Hey son, Hey Rama,
Hey Lakshmana, Hey daughter of Janaka,
Hey Rama, Rama, Hey Rama who attracts the three worlds,
Hey son who is like my soul, Hey pretty one,
And with sorrow he again fell down on the floor,
And was crying completely losing his grip on himself,
And at that time Sumanthra brought the chariot,
And at that time Sri Rama told
"Please get in to the chariot quickly Sita,
We should not waste any more time now",
And that pretty lady saluted him and got in to the chariot,
Rama who is the husband of Lakshmi,
After leaving out the sorrow in his mind,
Saluted his father on the floor, went round him,
And again bowed and saluted him and got in to the chariot.
At that time Lakshmana loaded the,
Arrows. Bows and quivers in the chariot,
And himself got in to it and Sumanthra with sorrow,
Started driving the chariot and Dasaratha,
Shouted "Stop", Stop" but Lord Rama told,
Let it go, let it go speedily,
And the entire world became still then.
When the lotus eyed one disappeared in the distance,
The king fell down fainted on the floor,
The male, female, children and old people of the town,
With heightened sorrow went crying behind Rama,
"Oh Lord Rama, oh treasure of mercy, do not go, do not go,
How can we tolerate when we are not able to see,
Your body which is like nectar,
Oh God, what a fate, we feel as if our soul has left.
Telling like this and wailing all the people,
Without delay started walking behind the chariot,
And the king after crying a lot,
With sorrow told his helpers,
"Please carry me and put me,
In the house of Rama's mother,
After parting from Rama, I cannot,
And would not now live in this earth.
Hearing these words, those of his servants,
Carried the king and placed.
Him in the house of Kausalya and at that time,
Again the king fell down fainted
And after waking up started crying,
Even with Kausalya who was also sad.
When the night fell Sri Rama,
Went to the bank of river Thamasa and stayed there,
Drinking only some liquids and along with Janaki,
Not taking any food, he slept at the root of a tree.
Lakshmana armed with bow and arrows,
Guarded them and with sorrow,
Spent his time talking of sad things with Sumanthra,
And the citizens also came near them,
Thought firmly in their mind that if,
They are not able to take Rama with them,
They also would live in the forest with them.
Seeing the crying and sorrow of the citizens,
Sri Rama decided in his mind,
"When the sun rises, they would not allow us to go,
And there would be problem for our purpose,
And now they are sleeping tired with sorrow,
And they do not have consciousness and,
We shall go from here before they wake up,
And so immediately get the chariot readied."
As soon as Sumanthra heard the words of Rama,
And when he immediately got the chariot ready,
Both the Raghavas and the daughter of Janaka,
Got in to the chariot and at that time,
The citizens did not know anything,
And Sumanthra drove the chariot,
For little time towards Ayodhya and,
Later drove it fast to the southern direction.
All the citizens who were sleeping round them,
At the time, woke up next day but,
Did not see Rama and cried with deep sorrow,
And went back to Ayodhya and,
By always thinking about Rama with Sita,
In their mind again and again daily,
Lived with a very pure mind,
All of them lived with their sons and friends.
Raghava the husband of the auspicious goddess,
Reached the shores of Ganges and along,
With Sita took the auspicious bath in the river,
And along with his brother reached a place,
Not far from the town of Srungivera,
And happily lived below a Iruvul* tree.
* Acacia holosersia
2.9 Guha Sangamam
[Guha Meeting]
Guha heard the great festival of coming,
Of Rama with great happiness and to see and,
Worship the feet of God Rama who is a youth like him
He came with a mature mind and devotion speedily,
Along with ripened fruits, honey and flowers,
And after placing them near Rama with devotion,
He saluted Rama by falling on the floor.
Rama immediately took and made him stand and,
Hugged him tightly and embraced him,
And with a soft smile sweetly and happily,
Enquired about his news and welfare,
And seeing the lotus eyed one,
With folded hands Guha asked.
Today I have become greatly blessed,
And definitely the life of a tribal has become pure,
And this country which belongs to the tribes,
Is without any faults and please look after me,
Who am your slave and this country,
Without any botheration whatsoever.
Along with great happiness your honoured self,
Should always live here and purify,
My private quarters with the divine dust,
Of your lotus like feet and also,
Bless me with great sympathy.
To Guha who was there after this prayer,
With a happy smile Sri Rama told,
"My friend, please hear my words,
I cannot have better pleasure than that,
But I have to spend fourteen years,
In the forests without taking,
Food given by others till,
The period of the forest life is over."
This country is mine and are you not my friend,
And you being honorable, please look after this country,
And do not mix sorrow with this arrangement,
And go and bring the milk of banyan tree,"
Immediately the milk of banyan tree was brought,
Along with Lakshmana using the mixture,
Of ash and the milk from the banyan tree,
And made a firm matted hair style,
And using the durba grass and leaves brought by his brother,
And spread with respect and adoration,
He slept along with his wife Sita,
Who had taken only a liquid food,
With the same happiness of olden times,
When he used to sleep on a cot in his palace.
Then Lakshmana carrying his bow and arrow,
Stood gurad for them along with Guha,
Seeing Rama the husband of goddess Lakshmi,
And Sita who was the goddess Lakshmi herself,
Sleeping near the roots of a tree,
Guha with flowing tears due to great sorrow,
Started telling Lakshmana as follows,
"Friend, are you not seeing the lotus eyed one?"
Alas the lotus eyed one had to sleep,
On a bed of leaves below a tree,
Instead of a golden cot in a great house,
In a great city, this blessed man,
Along with the daughter of Janaka,
Is sleeping on a bed of leaves,
In a forest and the reason,
For the sorrow of God Rama,
Is Kaikeyi due to the evil words of Mandara,
And has not this Kaikeyi done a very great sin?"
After hearing the words of Guha,
Lakshmana immediately answered him,
"Oh one with balanced thought,
Hear my words and chant the names,
Of Rama always without fail,
In these three words, who is the cause of whose sorrow?
And oh friend, who is the cause of happiness of others?
The reason for pain and pleasure in these worlds,
Is the karma that we have earned in previous births!"
Definitely nobody has thought in his mind,
About giving away of sorrows and pleasures,
Always the ignorant people tend to think,
That so and so is the one who gave pleasure to me,
Or so and so is the one who gave sorrow to me,
And such thoughts will not arise to the wise men.
Hear, due to unnecessary pride some times,
We think that we are the people who are doing it,
And the world is tied up by the thread of karma,
And all pleasures that we enjoy arise from real karma.
Friend, enemy, servant, relatives, those who hate us,
The go in between, people who love us are only a mental
illusion,
And our actions if we think about it are strange,
As we think, so it happens and sorrow and pleasure,
Are completely controllable by our real actions,
And when I thought about all these,
Whatever speedily comes, should over time,
Definitely become all right and we should live contented.
Do not go on desiring for pleasures,
Pleasures come by fate and so there is no need to forsake it,
As far as I can think worrying about them is a waste,
The human body whose mind gives rise,
To the good and bad is the place,
Where sins and blessings are produced,
And so all these are determined by fate.
Pleasures and pains are common to everyone,
And these cannot be removed by devas or asuras,
In the world sorrow comes after pleasure,
And no need to worry, it is followed by pleasure,
And they keep on changing like day and night,
And when we think about it, it does not stop with that,
Pleasure comes in the middle of sorrows,
And sorrows come in the middle of pleasures,
And there are people for whom they are merged together,
And friend they are like water and mud,
And because of these, the learned people,
Live without happiness and sorrow in their mind.
When Guha and the son of Sumithra,
Were talking several subjects,
The Sun came up and immediately Rama,
Finished his morning rituals and told,
"Arrange for a boat" and immediately Guha,
Brought immediately a boat and saluted him.
Oh Lord, please get in to this boat,
Along with Lakshmana and Janaki,
I myself am going to row the boat,
Oh Valorous man, The lord of my soul.
As soon as he heard the words of king of Srungavera,
He first helped Sita, who is the goddess of auspiciousness,
To get in to the boat holding her hands,
Then he got in, holding the hands of Guha,
And along with all the weapons,
Lakshmana also got in and,
With the help extended by his relatives,
Guha rowed the boat with great respect.
The lady Sita who had auspicious characters,
Prayed river Ganges and saluted her,
"Oh Ganges, Oh Goddess, My salutations,
Oh pretty one who lives on the crown of Shiva,
Oh golden lady, my salutations,
Oh slow moving river, Oh goddess, Oh Ganges, salutations,
When we all come back after the life in the forest,
And come here, I would offer you sacrifices and worship."
And after she prayed and saluted her,
They speedily reached the other shore,
Guha got out of the boat, saluted them and told his wish,
"Please give me permission to go with you,
otherwise I will gave away my life here,
Oh Lord of the universe, Oh God with moon like face.
Hearing the words of that tribal,
With a happy frame of mind Rama told him as follows,
"It is an oath, we would live in the forest.
For fourteen years and we surely would come back,
And so please go and live without worries,
Because the words of Rama will never become untrue."
Like this he advised him on several things,
And with wonderful joy hugged him tightly,
And then that Rama send back the devotee,
And he after saluting him with great devotion,
Slowly and slowly Guha rode the boat,
And went to his home and became thoughtful.
2.10 Bharadwaja Ashrama Pravesam
[Bharadwaja Hermitage Entry]
Then Rama along with Vaidehi (Sita),
And his brother, killed a deer,
And happily ate it and slept happily,
On a bed of leaves below a tree.
When the Sun rose up, he finished,
His daily rituals including washing of his feet,
And walked towards the hermitage,
Of sage Bharadwaja and when they,
Were with joy, nearing the hermitage,
They were able to see a student of Vedas.
Then Rama told him,
"Now itself you go and tell the sage,
That Rama the son of Dasaratha is here,
Along with his wife and younger brother,
And has come and reached near the hermitage,
And please go and tell him without any delay".
And that student went immediately and told the sage,
Along with completely brimming happiness,
"Oh lover of people who depend on you,
The son of Dasaratha is near our hermitage",
And hearing this sage Bharadwaja got up,
And taking with him water and other requirements,
Immediately went in front of Sri Rama,
And then he worshipped him along with Lakshmana,
And seeing Rama along with Lakshmi who are full of mercy,
And got drowned in the great joy.
Sri Rama along with his brother and wife,
Saluted the feet of Bharadwaja,
And with the words of blessing that
Sage told with great happiness,
"By the dust of your feet you purify,
Oh soul of Vedas, my hermitage."
After telling this he took Sita,
Rama who is the form of truth
And Lakshmana inside the hut,
He worshipped them according to rules,
And then that great sage told them.
Due to my meeting you today,
Today I am getting the fruit of all my penance,
Oh Lord of Raghu clan, I know all about your story,
The past as well as the future, Oh treasure of mercy,
I understood that you are the divine spirit,
Which has become a man, by illusion in this earth.
Due to being requested by Brahma earlier,
For what purpose you have taken birth,
And also the reason for the life in the forest,
I have understood the reason for it,
With my divine vision which I got by praying you,
Oh personification of wisdom, I have seen everything,
Why should I tell more about it,
I am with a joyful way thankful to you.
Then that divine Lord Rama saluted him,
And told as follows to the great sage,
"Be kind enough to bless us who are,
The friends and helpers of kings, with joy".
Like that after talking with each other,
The night was over in the company of the sage.
2.11 Valmiki Ashrama Pravesam
[Valmiki Hermitage Entry]
They got up at the break of dawn,
And along with the lads who were the sons,
Crossed the river Yamuna,
And after getting down, proceeded,
By the way shown to them by the sages,
And reached the Chithra koota Mountain,
And there they went to the hermitage of Valmiki,
Which was pure, filled by several sages,
Full of various types of animals,
Pretty, shining with good trees and climbers,
And which has flowers, fruits and leaves produced daily,
And saw the sage who was sitting and saluted him.
Seeing Rama, the blessed valorous Rama who is handsome,
Eye catching, black in colour, attractive, pretty,
Who is as pretty as God of love, who has eyes like blue lotus,
Who is worshipped by Indra and the hordes of devas,
Who carries arrows, bow and quiver,
Who is an expert in protecting the world,
Who shines with the matted made up hair,
Who is accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana,
Who is king among men, Valmiki shed tears of joy,
And embraced tightly the body of Rama.
Narayana, the form of divine joy,
The man who is sea of the nectar of mercy,
Was worshipped and the most honorable of the universe,
He who pervades all over universe, One who has lotus like eyes,
The great king and the one who grants salvation was worshipped
with devotion,
By offering him water for drinking and washing his feet
And he was offered food of fully ripe honey like fruits and
roots.
After eating and taking rest to remove tiredness,
And after saluting the sage, Rama told him,
"Due to the orders of father, I started,
Along with my brother and daughter of Janaka,
And I do not think that I should tell the reason,
For you a scholar of Vedas would be knowing it.
Please tell me where I should live,
Happily along with Sita, for,
There is a desire in my mind,
To stay here for a long time,
For these are auspicious places,
Where sages live is suitable for living.
Hearing this the great sage Valmiki,
Smilingly told as follows,
"All the worlds live in you,
And you live all over the world,
And since your place of residence is like this,
What shall I reply to you?
Since you asked for a suitable place,
To live along with Sita, I shall tell you,
About the home where you can live with her happily,
I shall tell you this with description.
For you the house where you can live with happiness,
Is the heart of those who are contented, tolerant,
Who do not have any hatred to any beings,
Who are peaceful and meditate your name.
The lotus like heart of those who have forsaken,
All the daily rituals but pray and sing about you
Is the house which is very suitable for your living.
The lotus like heart of those, who have daily surrendered to
you,
Who consider themselves not any different from you,
Who do not have any jealousy in them,
Who do not have worldly desires,
And who are busy with chanting your name.
The mind of those very intelligent beings,
Who are peaceful, who do not have pride,
Who consider mud and gold as equal is your home.
The house of those who have dedicated,
All their actions to you and live with,
A mind given to you and live,
With great contentment is always,
A suitable place of pleasurable stay to you.
The mind of those who are not happy,
By fulfillment of all their wishes.
Or are sad by non-fulfillment of their desires,
And live with a firm faith that all is illusion,
Is divine and is the temple where you live.
All the emotions in the six stages of life,
Viz birth, childhood, teen age, youth, old age and death,
If we think within our mind affect only the body,
All hunger, thirst, pain and pleasure,
If we think are not applicable to the soul.
The mind of those they believe in this,
And sing about you is a good home for you.
His mind who is able to always see your form,
As the divinely dense form of Vedas,
Which is limitless, which is alone,
Which is the beginning of Vedas and Vedanthas,
Which is the cause of universe, which is form at the end of
sound,
Which is the divine Brahman, Which is Achyutha,
Which is in all homes, which is the basis of all,
Which goes everywhere, which is the called the divine soul,
Which is Vasudeva, Which is the one who blesses,
Which is that wished by all and which lives all over the
universe,
Is a very suitable place for you and daughter of Janaka to live.
Oh God who gives all just by thought, oh sea of mercy,
Along with Sita you please live in the mind of those,
Whose mind has become firm by constant practice
Who are always interested in serving your feet,
Who are always interested in chanting your name,
And who are happy and rich with great devotion,
Along with a form that cannot be known by everyone.
2.12 Valmikiyude Athma Katha
[Valmiki's Biography]
No one can possibly adequately describe,
The greatness of your nectar like name,
And by the greatness of your divine self,
I am a Brahma sage, please understand.
I was evil minded and along with hunters,
I did several disrespectful things several times,
Though I was born in a Brahmin family earlier,
I forsook all the rituals of a Brahmin,
And I got interested in the activities of Shudras,
And I lived with a shudra girl for some time.
I produced several sons,
And without shame joined along with thieves,
I daily became a thief and wearing bow and arrow,
I killed several beings by deceiving them,
I plundered much material from Brahmins,
And once in a forest of sages,
When I saw seven sages coming there.
I went there speedily for plundering,
The cloths of the sages like an idiot.
Those sages with the shine of the noon sun,
Seeing me, a bad man, approaching them,
Without any mercy, speedily in the dense forest,
Without any human beings, with great nervousness,
Told me, "stop, stop, what are you doing?
Oh bad man, tell us the truth",
And when those satisfied sages told like that,
I being a very cruel soul, Oh king,
I told them "That is my wish"
I have several sons and wives,
And they have been affected by hunger and thirst,
And as a profession I steal things,
From the wayfarers and I have,
To take something from you also,
Thinking like that I came speedily here.
As soon as they heard it those great sages told,
To me with great respect and with a smile,
"Then you should obey what we tell,
You go and ask your family members,
Would all of you be prepared to share,
The sins that I do for the sake of you?
Till you go and ask and come back,
Without any doubt, we will stand here.
Hearing this I went to my house and asked,
My wives and sons as follows,
"Daily I do several sins for looking after all of you,
And would you share that sin that I commit with me,
Or should I alone eat all those sins?
Please tell me the truth", When I asked like this,
They told me as a reply to my question,
"For the good and bad that are being done daily,
Who else but the doer will eat the sin?
For all actions that you do yourself,
You yourself should face the consequences."
Hearing that I got disinterested in that life,
Thought and again thought in my mind,
And with sorrow reached the place,
Where the sages were standing and saluted them.
Due to my contact with those sages,
My mind became very pure.
After throwing out the bow and arrows far away,
I saluted their feet with great devotion and told,
"Please save me who was preparing to drowning in the,
Sea of hell with great mercy, for saving those who surrender,
To them is an ornament to great people",
After clearly telling this I fell at their feet,
And seeing that those great sages told me.
Get up, you please get up now,
You will get peace of mind by praying the God,
And by company of good people and learned people,
You would get immediate result and see it soon.
We will teach you even today itself,
So that you will get salvation because of that.
After thinking as well as consulting with each other,
Those honourable sages thought like this,
"He is one with bad character as well as a debased Brahmin,
And though he is being forsaken by divine people,
He has come to surrender to us saying Save, Save,
And so though he is a bad one he is fit to be saved,
By giving him the knowledge of the divine Brahman."
Saying this they taught me two,
"Rama" words in a different way, and told,
"Daily please chant mara mara,
With a concentrated mind without break.
Till we again come back,
You please chant the same thing".
After giving blessing like this, those great sages,
Went along the divine path,
And I started chanting Maraa with great devotion,
For a period of one thousand yugas with devotion,
And I was completely hidden by an ant hill,
And I was completely hidden from outside,
And at that time those great sages came there,
And hearing their words "come out",
And I came out breaking the ant hill.
Since I was born again out of an ant hill (Valmika),
Those great sages also named me,
"You are the great sage called Vamiki,
May you know all the Vedas and become a sage of Brahma",
Saying that those great sages went their way,
And from that day I had come here,
Due to the power of the name of Rama,
Oh Rama, I became as you see me,
And today I got a chance to see you,
Along with Sita and son of Sumithra,
Possibly due to the good deeds that I have done earlier,
Have given me this good result, Oh sea of the water of mercy,
Oh lotus eyed one, Oh Rama, Oh merciful one,
Oh son of a great king, Oh Raghava,
By seeing you by my own eyes,
I have attained freedom from desires,
Oh expert in saving, Oh Lord of the devas.
For comfortably living with Sita,
I would show a place, come with me"
Thus telling he went along.
Surrounded by his various disciple sages,
To a place in between Ganges and Chithrakoota Mountain,
And sage constructed there a very pretty hermitage,
And constructed two roads from east to west and south to north,
Which were extremely pretty to look at,
And requested Rama to live there, along,
With Sita who was equivalent to god of love,
And brother Lakshmana who was pure,
Rama who was the Brahmathma lived there,
Being daily worshipped by Valmiki,
Along with Sita who had pretty limbs,
And along with his brother Lakshmana,
And lived there with great happiness,
Similar to Indra the king of devas being served
By Narada and living on earth.
2.13 Dasarathande Charama Gathi
[Dasaratha's Death]
That minister Sumanthra after getting in to the chariot,
Reached Ayodhya, covering his face with a cloth,
Shedding copious tears, which he again and again wiped.
He parked that chariot outside Dasaratha's home,
And with great courage saluted the king and told,
"Oh lord of earth, Victory to the valorous crown,
Victory to one with intelligence, Victory to the sea of valour,
Victory to treasure of fame, Victory to the master, victory,
victory,
Oh great one born in the clan of sun god, victory,
To that servant who told like this and praised by him,
That great king asked at that time.
"Where is Rama along with the daughter of Janaka,
As well his brother, and what did he tell to inform me,
Who is shameless and a very great sinner,
What message did Lakshmana sent to me?
And also the Goddess Lakshmi like Janaki,
Hey Rama, Hey ocean of good qualities, Hey Lakshmana,
Hey lotus eyed lass who is the daughter of Mithila,
To be near me who due to heightened sorrow,
Am nearing my death, who is there?
And my bad luck is that I am,
Going to die not seeing my children.
To the king who was crying like this after telling like this,
Along with a great pain in the mind Sumanthra told,
"As per your orders, I took in the chariot,
Rama, Sita and son of Sumathra,
And when we reached Srungiverakhyapura,
And when we were living in the banks of Ganges,
The king of Srungiverakhyapura, Guha,
Brought several roots and fruits."
Those lads accepted just by touching them,
And they both wore the matted hair there,
And later Sri Rama told to me as follows,
"Let no one be sad thinking about me,
You have to tell this to my father and request him,
Not to worry too much in his mind about me,
In fact in forests life is more pleasant than Ayodhya,
And it is also the high way to attain salvation,
My salutations to my mother, With a request,
That she should not have special sorrow about me,
And tell this again and again because my father,
Is very old and extremely sad, he should,
Control the sorrow of parting with me,
By the blessed nectar like words."
Janaki also saluted me and told,
From her lotus like face, slowly and slowly,
With shedding tears and stuttering voice,
"My salutations to the feet of my father in law",
And then they got in to the boat along with Guha,
And when they parted with me, I stood there,
Till they reached the other shore and disappear from my vision,
And I stood in this shore like the body of a dead man,
And only after passing five six miles, I got back,
My courage and slowly got free of that feeling.
Then Kausalya started telling as follows,
"The two boons have been given long long ago,
To the very dear Kaikeyi, was it not,
Sufficient to give her a kingdom with happiness?
What bad acts has this sinner done,
So that her son is sent to the forest,
And what is the reason for all this,
Cry and wail from our part?
The king heard the words told by Kausalya,
With great pain and slowly told,
"Without any purpose why are you,
Keeping a burning stick on a wound,
And increasing my sorrow?
Please do not melt my inner feelings,
At a time when I am going to die of sorrow,
And this is because of the curse of a sage,
When he was preparing to die."
Oh darling, you please hear about the history of the boon,
For the real great saints are really gods,
One midnight wearing the bow and collection of arrows,
In my hand, attracted by hunting of animals,
When I was standing on the shore of river in a deep forest,
With great desire to hunt, one sage who was sent,
By his father and mother who were thirsty,
With a great valour came out in the darkness,
With a pot to draw water and when he was drawing water,
Hearing the sound of water entering the pot,
Thinking that it is the sound of water entering the elephant's
trunk,
I sent the arrow called "splitter of sound" from my bow.
"Ho, ho, I am being killed, Ho, ho, I am being killed"
I heard a human sound like that,
"I have not done any harm to anybody,
Then why should I be killed, killed this way, for nothing,
My mother and father are waiting,
Greatly wanting water due to great thirst",
Hearing a human sound like that, I,
Became greatly fear stuck, went there immediately,
And the saintly lad fell at my feet,
And with sorrow I told the son of the sage."
"Sir, I am the king Dasaratha,
I am the culprit, please save me,
I without knowing but interested in hunting,
Thinking that it is the sound of elephant drinking water,
Have shot an arrow and I who am a sinner,
Will soon take away my life."
To me who has fallen at his feet and crying,
With sorrow told that son of the sage with sorrow,
"That is my Karma and so no one can stop it,
You will not have the sin of Brahma hathya,
Because I am a merchant, so without delay,
Go and console my mother and father,
Who are very old, greatly disabled,
And waiting for me without even eyes,
With thirst, so that they can drink water.
You first give them water and later,
Tell all that happened here.
If it is the truth they will save you,
But if father gets really angry,
Understand that he will make you in to ash.
I am having very great suffering,
Because I am not dying, so without delay,
Take out this arrow from my body,
Hearing that, I took out the arrow from him,
And along with the pot of good water,
When I reached with great nervousness,
To the place where the couple were sitting,
"Apart from being old we have also lost our eyes,
And at this midnight for us who are thirsty and hungry,
Our son has gone to bring water. Why this delay?
Has he forgotten us? For us except you,
There is no body to take care of us,
Why is there a delay on your part?
You are a devotee and earlier,
Oh son, you were not neglecting us?"
When they were talking like this,
The sound of my footsteps was being heard there,
And hearing the sound of my foot fall,
With great interest that father told,
"What is the reason for the delay, oh our son,
Give us water, water quickly, immediately",
And when I heard this I saluted the feet,
Of the couple with devotion and with great fear,
Told them about all the happenings that took place,
"I am not your son but I am,
The king and ruler of Ayodhya and my name is Dasaratha,
With interest in hunting I came to forest at night,
And after killing several wild animals,
When I was waiting in the banks of the river for more hunt".
"Hearing the sound of water entering the pot,
Thinking that is the sound of water being,
Taken in a trunk by a great elephant,
I send an arrow to that place with strength,
And when it hit your son, hearing his cry,
I went there greatly afraid,
And saluted your son,
And then he told me as follows,
"What has come to me is due to Karma,
You will not have the sin of Brahma Hathya,
Without eyes and with greatly old age,
My parents due to great hunger and thirst,
Are waiting for me in the hermitage,
And to them please give water."
When he told me like this,
I have come here speedily,
You who are wise people should pardon me,
And this sinner does not have,
Any other support except your lotus like feet,
And you being great sages,
Are people who have great mercy on animals.
Hearing this after crying a lot,
With very great they sorrow told me,
"Where does our son lay, Sir,
You please take us there,
Hearing this I carried them there,
And with humility showed them,
The body of their son, Alas, alas,
They said this is our Karma,
And touched and patted the body of their son."
Then they told several things and cried,
And with great sorrow they told me,
"Now you have to make a good funeral pyre,
And lit the fire to it without delay."
Then I immediately built up a pyre,
And they along with their son entered that pyre,
And with their burnt body, those three,
Went to the heavens and lived there.
That old sage at that time told me,
You would die due to sorrow of parting with your son,
And the period of the curse has arrived,
And the words of the sage can never become a lie."
The king saying this cried a lot,
And again and again started crying,
"Hey Rama, Hey son, Hey Sita, Hey daughter of Janaka,
Hey Rama, Hey Lakshmana, Hey hey ocean of all that is good,
This death has come to me after parting with you due to
Kaikeyi."
Thinking and thinking about the lotus eyed one,
The king Dasaratha entered the heavens.