The City's Lament

Shloka 1 (ayodhya.41.1)

तस्मिंस्तु पुरुषव्याघ्रे निष्क्रामति कृताञ्जलौ। आर्तशब्दो हि संजज्ञे स्त्रीणामन्तःपुरे महान्॥ 41.1 ॥

tasmiṃstu puruṣavyāghre niṣkrāmati kṛtāñjalau| ārtaśabdo hi saṃjajñe strīṇāmantaḥpure mahān

As that tiger among men went forth with joined palms, a great cry of anguish arose among the women of the inner apartments.

Shloka 2 (ayodhya.41.2)

अनाथस्य जनस्यास्य दुर्बलस्य तपस्विनः। यो गतिः शरणं चासीत् स नाथः क्व नु गच्छति॥ 41.2 ॥

anāthasya janasyāsya durbalasya tapasvinaḥ| yo gatiḥ śaraṇaṃ cāsīt sa nāthaḥ kva nu gacchati

"Where indeed is that lord going, who was the refuge and shelter of these helpless, weak, and afflicted people?"

Shloka 3 (ayodhya.41.3)

न क्रुध्यत्यभिशस्तोऽपि क्रोधनीयानि वर्जयन्। क्रुद्धान् प्रसादयन् सर्वान् समदुःखः क्व गच्छति॥ 41.3 ॥

na krudhyatyabhiśasto'pi krodhanīyāni varjayan| kruddhān prasādayan sarvān samaduḥkhaḥ kva gacchati

"Where is he going, who never grew angry even when reviled, who himself avoided giving any cause for anger, and who, sharing equally in others' sorrow, pacified all who were enraged?"

Shloka 4 (ayodhya.41.4)

कौसल्यायां महातेजा यथा मातरि वर्तते। तथा यो वर्ततेऽस्मासु महात्मा क्व नु गच्छति॥ 41.4 ॥

kausalyāyāṃ mahātejā yathā mātari vartate| tathā yo vartate'smāsu mahātmā kva nu gacchati

"That great-souled and mighty one, who behaved toward us just as he behaved toward his mother Kausalya — where indeed is he going?"

Shloka 5 (ayodhya.41.5)

कैकेय्या क्लिश्यमानेन राज्ञा संचोदितो वनम्। परित्राता जनस्यास्य जगतः क्व नु गच्छति॥ 41.5 ॥

kaikeyyā kliśyamānena rājñā saṃcodito vanam| paritrātā janasyāsya jagataḥ kva nu gacchati

"Where is he going — the protector of this people and of the whole world — driven to the forest by the king, who was himself tormented by Kaikeyi?"

Shloka 6 (ayodhya.41.6)

अहो निश्चेतनो राजा जीवलोकस्य संक्षयम्। धर्म्यं सत्यव्रतं रामं वनवासे प्रवत्स्यति॥ 41.6 ॥

aho niścetano rājā jīvalokasya saṃkṣayam| dharmyaṃ satyavrataṃ rāmaṃ vanavāse pravatsyati

"Alas! The thoughtless king will send to the forest that righteous and truth-vowed Rama — he whose loss is the very ruin of the living world!"

Shloka 7 (ayodhya.41.7)

इति सर्वा महिष्यस्ता विवत्सा इव धेनवः। रुरुदुश्चैव दुःखार्ताः सस्वरं च विचुक्रुशुः॥ 41.7 ॥

iti sarvā mahiṣyastā vivatsā iva dhenavaḥ| ruruduścaiva duḥkhārtāḥ sasvaraṃ ca vicukruśuḥ

So lamented all those queens, like cows bereft of their calves; stricken with grief, they wept and cried aloud.

Shloka 8 (ayodhya.41.8)

स तमन्तःपुरे घोरमार्तशब्दं महीपतिः। पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्तः श्रुत्वा चासीत् सुदुःखितः॥ 41.8 ॥

sa tamantaḥpure ghoramārtaśabdaṃ mahīpatiḥ| putraśokābhisaṃtaptaḥ śrutvā cāsīt suduḥkhitaḥ

Hearing that terrible cry of anguish within the inner apartments, the king, already burning with grief for his son, became still more sorrowful.

Shloka 9 (ayodhya.41.9)

नाग्निहोत्राण्यहूयन्त नापचन् गृहमेधिनः। अकुर्वन् न प्रजाः कार्यं सूर्यश्चान्तरधीयत॥ 41.9 ॥

nāgnihotrāṇyahūyanta nāpacan gṛhamedhinaḥ| akurvan na prajāḥ kāryaṃ sūryaścāntaradhīyata

The sacred fire-offerings were not performed, householders did not cook, the people carried out no tasks, and the sun itself seemed to withdraw from sight.

Shloka 10 (ayodhya.41.10)

व्यसृजन् कवलान् नागा गावो वत्सान् न पाययन्। पुत्रां प्रथमजं लब्ध्वा जननी नाभ्यनन्दत॥ 41.10 ॥

vyasṛjan kavalān nāgā gāvo vatsān na pāyayan| putrāṃ prathamajaṃ labdhvā jananī nābhyanandata

Elephants dropped the morsels from their trunks, cows did not suckle their calves, and a mother, having just borne her firstborn child, felt no joy in it.

Shloka 11 (ayodhya.41.11)

त्रिशङ्कुर्लोहिताङ्गश्च बृहस्पतिबुधावपि। दारुणाः सोममभ्येत्य ग्रहाः सर्वे व्यवस्थिताः॥ 41.11 ॥

triśaṅkurlohitāṅgaśca bṛhaspatibudhāvapi| dāruṇāḥ somamabhyetya grahāḥ sarve vyavasthitāḥ

Trishanku, red-bodied Mars, as well as Brihaspati and Budha — all the fearsome planets drew near the moon and stood there in an ominous conjunction.

Shloka 12 (ayodhya.41.12)

नक्षत्राणि गतार्चींषि ग्रहाश्च गततेजसः। विशाखाश्च सधूमाश्च नभसि प्रचकाशिरे॥ 41.12 ॥

nakṣatrāṇi gatārcīṃṣi grahāśca gatatejasaḥ| viśākhāśca sadhūmāśca nabhasi pracakāśire

The stars lost their brightness, the planets their radiance, and even Vishakha shone in the sky as though wrapped in smoke.

Shloka 13 (ayodhya.41.13)

कालिकानिलवेगेन महोदधिरिवोत्थितः। रामे वनं प्रव्रजिते नगरं प्रचचाल तत्॥ 41.13 ॥

kālikānilavegena mahodadhirivotthitaḥ| rāme vanaṃ pravrajite nagaraṃ pracacāla tat

As Rama set out for the forest, that city shook and trembled, like the great ocean rising under the force of a dark, tempestuous wind.

Shloka 14 (ayodhya.41.14)

दिशः पर्याकुलाः सर्वास्तिमिरेणेव संवृताः। न ग्रहो नापि नक्षत्रं प्रचकाशे न किंचन॥ 41.14 ॥

diśaḥ paryākulāḥ sarvāstimireṇeva saṃvṛtāḥ| na graho nāpi nakṣatraṃ pracakāśe na kiṃcana

All the directions grew confused, as though shrouded in darkness; neither planet nor star, nor anything else, shone forth.

Shloka 15 (ayodhya.41.15)

अकस्मान्नागरः सर्वो जनो दैन्यमुपागमत्। आहारे वा विहारे वा न कश्चिदकरोन्मनः॥ 41.15 ॥

akasmānnāgaraḥ sarvo jano dainyamupāgamat| āhāre vā vihāre vā na kaścidakaronmanaḥ

All at once, every citizen of the city fell into wretchedness; no one gave a thought to eating or to any pastime.

Shloka 16 (ayodhya.41.16)

शोकपर्यायसंतप्तः सततं दीर्घमुच्छ्वसन्। अयोध्यायां जनः सर्वश्चुक्रोश जगतीपतिम्॥ 41.16 ॥

śokaparyāyasaṃtaptaḥ satataṃ dīrghamucchvasan| ayodhyāyāṃ janaḥ sarvaścukrośa jagatīpatim

Tormented by wave upon wave of grief, sighing long and continuously, all the people of Ayodhya cried out for the lord of the earth.

Shloka 17 (ayodhya.41.17)

बाष्पपर्याकुलमुखो राजमार्गगतो जनः। न हृष्टो लभ्यते कश्चित् सर्वः शोकपरायणः॥ 41.17 ॥

bāṣpaparyākulamukho rājamārgagato janaḥ| na hṛṣṭo labhyate kaścit sarvaḥ śokaparāyaṇaḥ

The people moving along the royal highway had their faces clouded with tears; not one appeared joyful — all were given over wholly to grief.

Shloka 18 (ayodhya.41.18)

न वाति पवनः शीतो न शशी सौम्यदर्शनः। न सूर्यस्तपते लोकं सर्वं पर्याकुलं जगत्॥ 41.18 ॥

na vāti pavanaḥ śīto na śaśī saumyadarśanaḥ| na sūryastapate lokaṃ sarvaṃ paryākulaṃ jagat

The wind no longer blew coolly, the moon no longer appeared gentle and pleasant, the sun no longer warmed the world — the whole world was thrown into disorder.

Shloka 19 (ayodhya.41.19)

अनर्थिनः सुताः स्त्रीणां भर्तारो भ्रातरस्तथा। सर्वे सर्वं परित्यज्य राममेवान्वचिन्तयन्॥ 41.19 ॥

anarthinaḥ sutāḥ strīṇāṃ bhartāro bhrātarastathā| sarve sarvaṃ parityajya rāmamevānvacintayan

Sons no longer sought their mothers, husbands their wives, nor brothers their sisters; giving up everything else, all of them thought only of Rama.

Shloka 20 (ayodhya.41.20)

ये तु रामस्य सुहृदः सर्वे ते मूढचेतसः। शोकभारेण चाक्रान्ताः शयनं नैव भेजिरे॥ 41.20 ॥

ye tu rāmasya suhṛdaḥ sarve te mūḍhacetasaḥ| śokabhāreṇa cākrāntāḥ śayanaṃ naiva bhejire

All those who were Rama's own friends were bewildered in mind; overwhelmed by the weight of grief, they did not even go to their beds.

Shloka 21 (ayodhya.41.21)

ततस्त्वयोध्या रहिता महात्मना पुरन्दरेणेव मही सपर्वता। चचाल घोरं भयशोकदीपिता सनागयोधाश्वगणा ननाद च॥ 41.21 ॥

tatastvayodhyā rahitā mahātmanā purandareṇeva mahī saparvatā| cacāla ghoraṃ bhayaśokadīpitā sanāgayodhāśvagaṇā nanāda ca

Then Ayodhya, bereft of that great soul, kindled with fear and grief, trembled violently — as the mountain-girded earth would tremble if abandoned by Purandara (Indra) — and, filled with its throngs of elephants, warriors, and horses, it broke into a great, resounding cry.