Dasharatha's Fury

Shloka 1 (ayodhya.38.1)

तस्यां चीरं वसानायां नाथवत्यामनाथवत्। प्रचुक्रोश जनः सर्वो धिक् त्वां दशरथं त्विति॥ 38.1 ॥

tasyāṃ cīraṃ vasānāyāṃ nāthavatyāmanāthavat| pracukrośa janaḥ sarvo dhik tvāṃ daśarathaṃ tviti

Seeing Sita, though under her husband's protection, clad in bark like a helpless woman, all the people cried aloud, "Shame upon you, Dasharatha!"

Shloka 2 (ayodhya.38.2)

तेन तत्र प्रणादेन दुःखितः स महीपतिः। चिच्छेद जीविते श्रद्धां धर्मे यशसि चात्मनः॥ 38.2 ॥

tena tatra praṇādena duḥkhitaḥ sa mahīpatiḥ| ciccheda jīvite śraddhāṃ dharme yaśasi cātmanaḥ

Pained by that outcry, the king lost all interest in his own life, his righteousness, and his good name.

Shloka 3 (ayodhya.38.3)

स निःश्वस्योष्णमैक्ष्वाकस्तां भार्यामिदमब्रवीत्। कैकेयि कुशचीरेण न सीता गन्तुमर्हति॥ 38.3 ॥

sa niḥśvasyoṣṇamaikṣvākastāṃ bhāryāmidamabravīt| kaikeyi kuśacīreṇa na sītā gantumarhati

Sighing hotly, the scion of Ikshvaku spoke thus to his wife: "Kaikeyi, Sita does not deserve to go clad in a robe of kusha-bark."

Shloka 4 (ayodhya.38.4)

सुकुमारी च बाला च सततं च सुखोचिता। नेयं वनस्य योग्येति सत्यमाह गुरुर्मम॥ 38.4 ॥

sukumārī ca bālā ca satataṃ ca sukhocitā| neyaṃ vanasya yogyeti satyamāha gururmama

"She is delicate, young, and ever accustomed to comfort; she is not fit for forest life — so my preceptor has truly said."

Shloka 5 (ayodhya.38.5)

इयं हि कस्यापि करोति किंचित् तपस्विनी राजवरस्य पुत्री। या चीरमासाद्य जनस्य मध्ये स्थिता विसंज्ञा श्रमणीव काचित्॥ 38.5 ॥

iyaṃ hi kasyāpi karoti kiṃcit tapasvinī rājavarasya putrī| yā cīramāsādya janasya madhye sthitā visaṃjñā śramaṇīva kācit

"What wrong has this pitiable daughter of the noblest of kings done to anyone at all, that, having taken up the bark, she stands stunned amidst the people like some bewildered ascetic woman?"

Shloka 6 (ayodhya.38.6)

चीराण्यपास्याज्जनकस्य कन्या नेयं प्रतिज्ञा मम दत्तपूर्वा। यथासुखं गच्छतु राजपुत्री वनं समग्रा सह सर्वरत्नैः॥ 38.6 ॥

cīrāṇyapāsyājjanakasya kanyā neyaṃ pratijñā mama dattapūrvā| yathāsukhaṃ gacchatu rājaputrī vanaṃ samagrā saha sarvaratnaiḥ

"Let Janaka's daughter set these bark-garments aside; no such pledge was ever given by me. Let the princess go to the forest happily, in full state, with all her jewels."

Shloka 7 (ayodhya.38.7)

अजीवनार्हेण मया नृशंसा कृता प्रतिज्ञा नियमेन तावत्। त्वया हि बाल्यात् प्रतिपन्नमेतत् तन्मा दहेद् वेणुमिवात्मपुष्पम्॥ 38.7 ॥

ajīvanārheṇa mayā nṛśaṃsā kṛtā pratijñā niyamena tāvat| tvayā hi bālyāt pratipannametat tanmā dahed veṇumivātmapuṣpam

"This cruel pledge was made under oath by me, unfit though I am to go on living; it was set in motion by you out of sheer childishness — it will consume me, as its own flower consumes a bamboo."

Shloka 8 (ayodhya.38.8)

रामेण यदि ते पापे किंचित्कृतमशोभनम्। अपकारः क इह ते वैदेह्या दर्शितोऽधमे॥ 38.8 ॥

rāmeṇa yadi te pāpe kiṃcitkṛtamaśobhanam| apakāraḥ ka iha te vaidehyā darśito'dhame

"O wicked, base woman! Even if Rama has done you some slight wrong, what harm has Vaidehi shown you here?"

Shloka 9 (ayodhya.38.9)

मृगीवोत्फुल्लनयना मृदुशीला तपस्विनी। अपकारं कमिह ते करोति जनकात्मजा॥ 38.9 ॥

mṛgīvotphullanayanā mṛduśīlā tapasvinī| apakāraṃ kamiha te karoti janakātmajā

"What harm on earth can this daughter of Janaka do to you — gentle in nature and ascetic-souled, with wide eyes like a doe's?"

Shloka 10 (ayodhya.38.10)

ननु पर्याप्तमेतत् ते पापे राम विवासनम्। किमेभिः कृपणैर्भूयः पातकैरपि ते कृतैः॥ 38.10 ॥

nanu paryāptametat te pāpe rāma vivāsanam| kimebhiḥ kṛpaṇairbhūyaḥ pātakairapi te kṛtaiḥ

"Surely, O wicked one, this exile of Rama is punishment enough for you; what use is there in committing these further wretched, sinful acts?"

Shloka 11 (ayodhya.38.11)

प्रतिज्ञातं मया तावत् त्वयोक्तं देवि शृण्वता। रामं यदभिषेकाय त्वमिहागतमब्रवीः॥ 38.11 ॥

pratijñātaṃ mayā tāvat tvayoktaṃ devi śṛṇvatā| rāmaṃ yadabhiṣekāya tvamihāgatamabravīḥ

"Only this much, O queen, did I promise, hearing your words, when you spoke to Rama, who had come here for his coronation."

Shloka 12 (ayodhya.38.12)

तत्त्वेतत् समतिक्रम्य निरयं गन्तुमिच्छसि। मैथिलीमपि या हि त्वमीक्षसे चीरवासिनीम्॥ 38.12 ॥

tattvetat samatikramya nirayaṃ gantumicchasi| maithilīmapi yā hi tvamīkṣase cīravāsinīm

"Transgressing all that, you now wish somehow to go to hell — you, who can even look upon Maithili clad in bark."

Shloka 13 (ayodhya.38.13)

इतीव राजा विलपन्महात्मा शोकस्य नान्तं स ददर्श किंचित्। भृशातुरत्वाच्च पपात भूमौ तेनैव पुत्रव्यसनेन मग्नः॥ 38.13 ॥

itīva rājā vilapanmahātmā śokasya nāntaṃ sa dadarśa kiṃcit| bhṛśāturatvācca papāta bhūmau tenaiva putravyasanena magnaḥ

Thus lamenting, the great-souled king found no end at all to his sorrow; utterly overwhelmed, he fell to the ground, sunk in that very anguish for his son.

Shloka 14 (ayodhya.38.14)

एवं ब्रुवन्तं पितरं रामः सम्प्रस्थितो वनम्। अवाक्शिरसमासीनमिदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥ 38.14 ॥

evaṃ bruvantaṃ pitaraṃ rāmaḥ samprasthito vanam| avākśirasamāsīnamidaṃ vacanamabravīt

While his father, sitting there with head bowed low, was speaking thus, Rama, about to set out for the forest, spoke these words to him.

Shloka 15 (ayodhya.38.15)

इयं धार्मिक कौसल्या मम माता यशस्विनी। वृद्धा चाक्षुद्रशीला च न च त्वां देव गर्हते॥ 38.15 ॥

iyaṃ dhārmika kausalyā mama mātā yaśasvinī| vṛddhā cākṣudraśīlā ca na ca tvāṃ deva garhate

"This Kausalya, O righteous king, is my glorious mother; being aged and of noble, ungrudging nature, she will not blame you."

Shloka 16 (ayodhya.38.16)

मया विहीनां वरद प्रपन्नां शोकसागरम्। अदृष्टपूर्वव्यसनां भूयः सम्मन्तुमर्हसि॥ 38.16 ॥

mayā vihīnāṃ varada prapannāṃ śokasāgaram| adṛṣṭapūrvavyasanāṃ bhūyaḥ sammantumarhasi

"O bestower of boons, you must honour her all the more, deprived as she now is of me, plunged into an ocean of grief such as she has never known before."

Shloka 17 (ayodhya.38.17)

पुत्रशोकं यथा नर्च्छेत् त्वया पूज्येन पूजिता। मां हि संचिन्तयन्ती सा त्वयि जीवेत् तपस्विनी॥ 38.17 ॥

putraśokaṃ yathā narcchet tvayā pūjyena pūjitā| māṃ hi saṃcintayantī sā tvayi jīvet tapasvinī

"Honoured thus by you, the venerable one, that pitiable woman will not suffer such grief for her son; thinking only of me, she will go on living through you."

Shloka 18 (ayodhya.38.18)

इमां महेन्द्रोपम जातगर्धिनीं तथा विधातुं जननीं ममार्हसि। यथा वनस्थे मयि शोककर्शिता न जीवितं न्यस्य यमक्षयं व्रजेत्॥ 38.18 ॥

imāṃ mahendropama jātagardhinīṃ tathā vidhātuṃ jananīṃ mamārhasi| yathā vanasthe mayi śokakarśitā na jīvitaṃ nyasya yamakṣayaṃ vrajet

"O king equal to great Indra, you must so provide for this mother of mine, so devoted to her son, that, wasted by grief while I dwell in the forest, she does not cast away her life and go to the abode of Yama."