The City Grieves at Dawn

Shloka 1 (ayodhya.47.1)

प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां पौरास्ते राघवं विना। शोकोपहतनिश्चेष्टा बभूवुर्हतचेतसः॥ 47.1 ॥

prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ paurāste rāghavaṃ vinā| śokopahataniśceṣṭā babhūvurhatacetasaḥ

As night turned to dawn, the citizens, bereft of Raghava, stood frozen with grief, their senses numbed.

Shloka 2 (ayodhya.47.2)

शोकजाश्रुपरिद्यूना वीक्षमाणास्ततस्ततः। आलोकमपि रामस्य न पश्यन्ति स्म दुःखिताः॥ 47.2 ॥

śokajāśruparidyūnā vīkṣamāṇāstatastataḥ| ālokamapi rāmasya na paśyanti sma duḥkhitāḥ

Worn down by tears of grief, they looked about on every side, but, sorrowing, could not catch even a glimpse of Rama.

Shloka 3 (ayodhya.47.3)

ते विषादार्तवदना रहितास्तेन धीमता। कृपणाः करुणा वाचो वदन्ति स्म मनीषिणः॥ 47.3 ॥

te viṣādārtavadanā rahitāstena dhīmatā| kṛpaṇāḥ karuṇā vāco vadanti sma manīṣiṇaḥ

Separated from that wise prince, their faces marked with anguish, those pitiable, thoughtful people spoke words of sorrow.

Shloka 4 (ayodhya.47.4)

धिगस्तु खलु निद्रां तां ययापहतचेतसः। नाद्य पश्यामहे रामं पृथूरस्कं महाभुजम्॥ 47.4 ॥

dhigastu khalu nidrāṃ tāṃ yayāpahatacetasaḥ| nādya paśyāmahe rāmaṃ pṛthūraskaṃ mahābhujam

Cursed be that sleep which robbed us of our senses — today we cannot even see broad-chested, mighty-armed Rama.

Shloka 5 (ayodhya.47.5)

कथं नाम महाबाहुः स तथाऽवितथक्रियः। भक्तं जनं परित्यज्य प्रवासं राघवो गतः॥ 47.5 ॥

kathaṃ nāma mahābāhuḥ sa tathā'vitathakriyaḥ| bhaktaṃ janaṃ parityajya pravāsaṃ rāghavo gataḥ

How could mighty-armed Rama, whose every deed bears fruit, abandon his devoted people and go away into exile?

Shloka 6 (ayodhya.47.6)

यो नः सदा पालयति पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान्। कथं रघूणां स श्रेष्ठस्त्यक्त्वा नो विपिनं गतः॥ 47.6 ॥

yo naḥ sadā pālayati pitā putrānivaurasān| kathaṃ raghūṇāṃ sa śreṣṭhastyaktvā no vipinaṃ gataḥ

He who, like a father, has always nurtured us as his own children — how could that noblest of the Raghus abandon us and go to the wilderness?

Shloka 7 (ayodhya.47.7)

इहैव निधनं याम महाप्रस्थानमेव वा। रामेण रहितानां नो किमर्थं जीवितं हितम्॥ 47.7 ॥

ihaiva nidhanaṃ yāma mahāprasthānameva vā| rāmeṇa rahitānāṃ no kimarthaṃ jīvitaṃ hitam

Let us either die right here or set out on the great final journey — separated from Rama, of what use is life to us?

Shloka 8 (ayodhya.47.8)

सन्ति शुष्काणि काष्ठानि प्रभूतानि महान्ति च। तैः प्रज्वाल्य चितां सर्वे प्रविशामोऽथवा वयम्॥ 47.8 ॥

santi śuṣkāṇi kāṣṭhāni prabhūtāni mahānti ca| taiḥ prajvālya citāṃ sarve praviśāmo'thavā vayam

There is plenty of dry, large timber here — let us kindle a pyre with it and, all of us, enter the flames.

Shloka 9 (ayodhya.47.9)

किं वक्ष्यामो महाबाहुरनसूयः प्रियंवदः। नीतः स राघवोऽस्माभिरिति वक्तुं कथं क्षमम्॥ 47.9 ॥

kiṃ vakṣyāmo mahābāhuranasūyaḥ priyaṃvadaḥ| nītaḥ sa rāghavo'smābhiriti vaktuṃ kathaṃ kṣamam

How shall we ever tell our fellow citizens, 'We ourselves sent the mighty-armed Rama, so free of envy, so gentle of speech, away into the forest'?

Shloka 10 (ayodhya.47.10)

सा नूनं नगरी दीना दृष्ट्वास्मान् राघवं विना। भविष्यति निरानन्दा सस्त्रीबालवयोऽधिका॥ 47.10 ॥

sā nūnaṃ nagarī dīnā dṛṣṭvāsmān rāghavaṃ vinā| bhaviṣyati nirānandā sastrībālavayo'dhikā

Seeing us return without Raghava, this city, though full of women, children, and the old, will surely become wretched and joyless.

Shloka 11 (ayodhya.47.11)

निर्यातास्तेन वीरेण सह नित्यं महात्मना। विहीनास्तेन च पुनः कथं द्रक्ष्याम तां पुरीम्॥ 47.11 ॥

niryātāstena vīreṇa saha nityaṃ mahātmanā| vihīnāstena ca punaḥ kathaṃ drakṣyāma tāṃ purīm

We who always set out together with that noble hero — now, deprived of him, how shall we bear to look upon that city again?

Shloka 12 (ayodhya.47.12)

इतीव बहुधा वाचो बाहुमुद्यम्य ते जनाः। विलपन्ति स्म दुःखार्ता हृतवत्सा इवाग्र्यगाः॥ 47.12 ॥

itīva bahudhā vāco bāhumudyamya te janāḥ| vilapanti sma duḥkhārtā hṛtavatsā ivāgryagāḥ

So lamenting in many ways, arms raised, those grief-stricken people wept like cows robbed of their new-born calves.

Shloka 13 (ayodhya.47.13)

ततो मार्गानुसारेण गत्वा किंचित् ततः क्षणम्। मार्गनाशाद् विषादेन महता समभिप्लुताः॥ 47.13 ॥

tato mārgānusāreṇa gatvā kiṃcit tataḥ kṣaṇam| mārganāśād viṣādena mahatā samabhiplutāḥ

Then, having followed the wheel-tracks a little way further, they were overwhelmed with deep despair when the tracks disappeared.

Shloka 14 (ayodhya.47.14)

रथमार्गानुसारेण न्यवर्तन्त मनस्विनः। किमिदं किं करिष्यामो दैवेनोपहता इति॥ 47.14 ॥

rathamārgānusāreṇa nyavartanta manasvinaḥ| kimidaṃ kiṃ kariṣyāmo daivenopahatā iti

With the chariot's tracks lost, those thoughtful men turned back, saying, 'What is this? What shall we do? Fate itself has struck us down.'

Shloka 15 (ayodhya.47.15)

तदा यथागतेनैव मार्गेण क्लान्तचेतसः। अयोध्यामगमन् सर्वे पुरीं व्यथितसज्जनाम्॥ 47.15 ॥

tadā yathāgatenaiva mārgeṇa klāntacetasaḥ| ayodhyāmagaman sarve purīṃ vyathitasajjanām

Then, by the very road they had come, weary at heart, all of them made their way back to Ayodhya, that city now full of grieving, good people.

Shloka 16 (ayodhya.47.16)

आलोक्य नगरीं तां च क्षयव्याकुलमानसाः। आवर्तयन्त तेऽश्रूणि नयनैः शोकपीडितैः॥ 47.16 ॥

ālokya nagarīṃ tāṃ ca kṣayavyākulamānasāḥ| āvartayanta te'śrūṇi nayanaiḥ śokapīḍitaiḥ

Looking upon that city, their minds troubled by the fear of its ruin, they let their tears flow again and again from grief-stricken eyes.

Shloka 17 (ayodhya.47.17)

एषा रामेण नगरी रहिता नातिशोभते। आपगा गरुडेनेव ह्रदादुद्धृतपन्नगा॥ 47.17 ॥

eṣā rāmeṇa nagarī rahitā nātiśobhate| āpagā garuḍeneva hradāduddhṛtapannagā

Without Rama this city no longer shines, as a river loses its beauty when Garuda has snatched away the serpent from its waters.

Shloka 18 (ayodhya.47.18)

चन्द्रहीनमिवाकाशं तोयहीनमिवार्णवम्। अपश्यन् निहतानन्दं नगरं ते विचेतसः॥ 47.18 ॥

candrahīnamivākāśaṃ toyahīnamivārṇavam| apaśyan nihatānandaṃ nagaraṃ te vicetasaḥ

Beholding that joyless city — like a moonless sky or a waterless ocean — they became as if bereft of their senses.

Shloka 19 (ayodhya.47.19)

ते तानि वेश्मानि महाधनानि। दुःखेन दुःखोपहता विशन्तः। नैव प्रजज्ञुः स्वजनं परं वा। निरीक्ष्यमाणाः प्रविनष्टहर्षाः॥ 47.19 ॥

te tāni veśmāni mahādhanāni| duḥkhena duḥkhopahatā viśantaḥ| naiva prajajñuḥ svajanaṃ paraṃ vā| nirīkṣyamāṇāḥ pravinaṣṭaharṣāḥ

Stricken with sorrow, they went into their own great and wealthy houses, yet, their joy utterly gone, they could no longer tell their own kin from strangers even as they looked upon them.