Lakshmana's Counsel

Shloka 1 (aranya.66.1)

तम् तथा शोक संतप्तम् विलपंतम् अनाथवत् । मोहेन महता आविष्टम् परिद्यूनम् अचेतनम् ॥ 66.1 ॥

tam tathā śoka saṃtaptam vilapaṃtam anāthavat | mohena mahatā āviṣṭam paridyūnam acetanam || 66.1 ||

Seeing Rama thus scorched by grief, wailing like one forlorn, overwhelmed by a great delusion, wretched and bereft of his senses—

Shloka 2 (aranya.66.2)

ततः सौमित्रिः आश्वास्य मुहूर्तात् इव लक्ष्मणः । रामम् संबोधयामास चरणौ च अभिपीडयन् ॥ 66.2 ॥

tataḥ saumitriḥ āśvāsya muhūrtāt iva lakṣmaṇaḥ | rāmam saṃbodhayāmāsa caraṇau ca abhipīḍayan || 66.2 ||

Lakshmana, son of Sumitra, consoled him for a moment and, clasping his feet, began to speak to Rama.

Shloka 3 (aranya.66.3)

महता तपसा राम महता च अपि कर्मणा । राज्ञा दशरथेन असि लब्धो अमृतम् इव अमरैः ॥ 66.3 ॥

mahatā tapasā rāma mahatā ca api karmaṇā | rājñā daśarathena asi labdho amṛtam iva amaraiḥ || 66.3 ||

"O Rama, by great austerity and by great deeds as well, King Dasharatha obtained you, just as the immortals obtained nectar."

Shloka 4 (aranya.66.4)

तव चैव गुणैः बद्धः त्वत् वियोगात् महिपतिः । राजा देवत्वम् आपन्नो भरतस्य यथा श्रुतम् ॥ 66.4 ॥

tava caiva guṇaiḥ baddhaḥ tvat viyogāt mahipatiḥ | rājā devatvam āpanno bharatasya yathā śrutam || 66.4 ||

"Our father, the king, bound by your very virtues, attained godhood through separation from you — so we have heard from Bharata."

Shloka 5 (aranya.66.5)

यदि दुःखम् इदम् प्राप्तम् काकुत्स्थ न सहिष्यसे । प्राकृतः च अल्प सत्त्वः च इतरः कः सहिष्यति ॥ 66.5 ॥

yadi duḥkham idam prāptam kākutstha na sahiṣyase | prākṛtaḥ ca alpa sattvaḥ ca itaraḥ kaḥ sahiṣyati || 66.5 ||

"O Kakutstha, if you cannot bear this sorrow that has befallen you, what other ordinary man of little strength could bear it?"

Shloka 6 (aranya.66.6)

आश्वसिहि नरश्रेष्ठ प्राणिनः कस्य न आपद । संस्पृशन्ति अग्निवत् राजन् क्षणेन व्यपयान्ति च ॥ 66.6 ॥

āśvasihi naraśreṣṭha prāṇinaḥ kasya na āpada | saṃspṛśanti agnivat rājan kṣaṇena vyapayānti ca || 66.6 ||

"Take heart, best of men! To which living being does calamity not come? O king, calamities touch like fire, and in a moment they pass away again."

Shloka 7 (aranya.66.7)

दुःखितो हि भवान् लोकान् तेजसा यदि धक्ष्यते । आर्ताः प्रजा नर व्याघ्र क्व नु यास्यन्ति निर्वृतिम् ॥ 66.7 ॥

duḥkhito hi bhavān lokān tejasā yadi dhakṣyate | ārtāḥ prajā nara vyāghra kva nu yāsyanti nirvṛtim || 66.7 ||

"If you, in your grief, O tiger among men, were to burn up the worlds with your fiery power, where indeed would the suffering people go for peace?"

Shloka 8 (aranya.66.8)

लोक स्वभाव एव एष ययातिः नहुष आत्मजः । गतः शक्रेण सालोक्यम् अनयः तम् समस्पृशत् ॥ 66.8 ॥

loka svabhāva eva eṣa yayātiḥ nahuṣa ātmajaḥ | gataḥ śakreṇa sālokyam anayaḥ tam samaspṛśat || 66.8 ||

"Such indeed is the nature of the world: even Yayati, son of Nahusha, who had attained equal standing with Indra, was touched by misfortune."

Shloka 9 (aranya.66.9)

महाऋषि यः वसिष्ठः तु यः पितुः नः पुरोहितः । अह्ना पुत्र शतम् जज्ञे तथैव अस्य पुनर् हतम् ॥ 66.9 ॥

mahāṛṣi yaḥ vasiṣṭhaḥ tu yaḥ pituḥ naḥ purohitaḥ | ahnā putra śatam jajñe tathaiva asya punar hatam || 66.9 ||

"The great sage Vasishtha, who is our father's priest — a hundred sons were born to him in a single day, and in that same way they were, again, slain."

Shloka 10 (aranya.66.10)

या च इयम् जगतो माता सर्व लोक नमस्कृता । अस्याः च चलनम् भूमेः दृश्यते कोसलेश्वर ॥ 66.10 ॥

yā ca iyam jagato mātā sarva loka namaskṛtā | asyāḥ ca calanam bhūmeḥ dṛśyate kosaleśvara || 66.10 ||

"And this earth, who is the mother of the world and worshipped by all beings — O lord of Kosala, even in her, tremors are seen."

Shloka 11 (aranya.66.11)

यौ धर्मौ जगताम् नेत्रे यत्र सर्वम् प्रतिष्ठितम् । आदित्य चन्द्रौ ग्रहणम् अभ्युपेतौ महाबलौ ॥ 66.11 ॥

yau dharmau jagatām netre yatra sarvam pratiṣṭhitam | āditya candrau grahaṇam abhyupetau mahābalau || 66.11 ||

"The Sun and Moon, that duteous pair who are the eyes of the world and on whom everything rests — mighty as they are, even they are overtaken by eclipse."

Shloka 12 (aranya.66.12)

सुमहान्ति अपि भूतानि देवाः च पुरुष ऋषभ । न दैवस्य प्रमुंचन्ति सर्व भूतानि देहिनः ॥ 66.12 ॥

sumahānti api bhūtāni devāḥ ca puruṣa ṛṣabha | na daivasya pramuṃcanti sarva bhūtāni dehinaḥ || 66.12 ||

"O bull among men, even the very great elements, the gods, and all embodied creatures — none of them is released from destiny."

Shloka 13 (aranya.66.13)

शक्र आदिषु अपि देवेषु वर्तमानौ नय अनयौ । श्रूयेते नर शार्दूल न त्वम् व्यथितुम् अर्हसि ॥ 66.13 ॥

śakra ādiṣu api deveṣu vartamānau naya anayau | śrūyete nara śārdūla na tvam vyathitum arhasi || 66.13 ||

"Even among the gods headed by Indra, right and wrong conduct and their fruits are said to prevail, O tiger among men; it is not fit for you to be distressed."

Shloka 14 (aranya.66.14)

हृतायाम् अपि वैदेह्याम् नष्टायाम् अपि राघव । शोचितुम् न अर्हसे वीर यथा अन्यः प्राकृतः तथा ॥ 66.14 ॥

hṛtāyām api vaidehyām naṣṭāyām api rāghava | śocitum na arhase vīra yathā anyaḥ prākṛtaḥ tathā || 66.14 ||

"O Raghava, whether Vaidehi has been abducted or is lost, O hero, it is not fitting for you to grieve like any ordinary man."

Shloka 15 (aranya.66.15)

त्वत् विधा नहि शोचन्ति सततम् सर्व दर्शिनः । सुमहत्सु अपि कृच्छ्रेषु राम अनिर्विण्ण दर्शनाः ॥ 66.15 ॥

tvat vidhā nahi śocanti satatam sarva darśinaḥ | sumahatsu api kṛcchreṣu rāma anirviṇṇa darśanāḥ || 66.15 ||

"Men like you, ever equable in outlook, do not grieve; O Rama, even amid the greatest hardships their vision remains undespairing."

Shloka 16 (aranya.66.16)

तत्त्वतो हि नरश्रेष्ठ बुद्ध्या समनुचिंतय । बुद्ध्या युक्ता महाप्राज्ञा विजानन्ति शुभ अशुभे ॥ 66.16 ॥

tattvato hi naraśreṣṭha buddhyā samanuciṃtaya | buddhyā yuktā mahāprājñā vijānanti śubha aśubhe || 66.16 ||

"O best of men, reflect truly with your intellect; those endowed with great wisdom discern good and evil through their intellect alone."

Shloka 17 (aranya.66.17)

अदृष्ट गुण दोषाणाम् अधृवाणाम् च कर्मणाम् । न अंतरेण क्रियाम् तेषाम् फलम् इष्टम् च वर्तते ॥ 66.17 ॥

adṛṣṭa guṇa doṣāṇām adhṛvāṇām ca karmaṇām | na aṃtareṇa kriyām teṣām phalam iṣṭam ca vartate || 66.17 ||

"The merits and faults of actions are unseen and uncertain; and without performing the action, their desired fruit does not come about either."

Shloka 18 (aranya.66.18)

माम् एवम् हि पुरा वीर त्वम् एव बहुशो उक्तवान् । अनुशिष्यात् हि को नु त्वाम् अपि साक्षात् बृहस्पतिः ॥ 66.18 ॥

mām evam hi purā vīra tvam eva bahuśo uktavān | anuśiṣyāt hi ko nu tvām api sākṣāt bṛhaspatiḥ || 66.18 ||

"O hero, formerly you yourself repeatedly told me this very thing. Who indeed could instruct you — even Brihaspati himself, in person?"

Shloka 19 (aranya.66.19)

बुद्धिः च ते महाप्राज्ञ देवैः अपि दुर्अन्वया । शोकेन अभिप्रसुप्तम् ते ज्ञानम् सम्बोधयामि अहम् ॥ 66.19 ॥

buddhiḥ ca te mahāprājña devaiḥ api duranvayā | śokena abhiprasuptam te jñānam sambodhayāmi aham || 66.19 ||

"O greatly wise one, your intellect is hard for even the gods to follow; I am merely awakening your own understanding, now lulled to sleep by grief."

Shloka 20 (aranya.66.20)

दिव्यम् च मानुषम् च एवम् आत्मनः च पराक्रमम् । इक्ष्वाकु वृषभ अवेक्ष्य यतस्व द्विषताम् वधे ॥ 66.20 ॥

divyam ca mānuṣam ca evam ātmanaḥ ca parākramam | ikṣvāku vṛṣabha avekṣya yatasva dviṣatām vadhe || 66.20 ||

"O bull of the Ikshvakus, consider the divine and the human, and your own valour as well, and strive for the destruction of the enemy."

Shloka 21 (aranya.66.21)

किम् ते सर्व विनाशेन कृतेन पुरुष ऋषभ । तम् एव तु रिपुम् पापम् विज्ञाय उद्धर्तुम् अर्हसि ॥ 66.21 ॥

kim te sarva vināśena kṛtena puruṣa ṛṣabha | tam eva tu ripum pāpam vijñāya uddhartum arhasi || 66.21 ||

"O bull among men, what use is there to you in bringing about the destruction of everything? Having identified that very sinful enemy, it befits you to root him out alone."