The Brahmin's Lament for His Dead Son

Shloka 1 (uttara.73.1)

प्रस्थाप्य तु स शत्रुघ्नं भ्रातृभ्यां सह राघवः । प्रमुमोद सुखी राज्यं धर्मेण परिपालयन् ।। 73.1 ।।

prasthāpya tu sa śatrughnaṃ bhrātṛbhyāṃ saha rāghavaḥ | pramumoda sukhī rājyaṃ dharmeṇa paripālayan || 73.1 ||

Having sent Shatrughna off, together with his brothers, Raghava rejoiced, happily governing his kingdom in accordance with dharma.

Shloka 2 (uttara.73.2)

ततः कतिपयाहःसु वृद्धो जानपदो द्विजः । मृतं बालमुपादाय राजद्वारमुपागमत् ।। 73.2 ।।

tataḥ katipayāhaḥsu vṛddho jānapado dvijaḥ | mṛtaṃ bālamupādāya rājadvāramupāgamat || 73.2 ||

Then, after some days, an aged brahmin of the countryside came to the palace gate, carrying his dead child.

Shloka 3 (uttara.73.3)

रुदन्बहुविधा वाचः स्नेहदुःखसमन्विताः । असकृत्पुत्र पुत्रेति वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह ।। 73.3 ।।

rudanbahuvidhā vācaḥ snehaduḥkhasamanvitāḥ | asakṛtputra putreti vākyametaduvāca ha || 73.3 ||

Weeping, pouring out many words heavy with love and grief, he cried out again and again, "O my son, my son!"

Shloka 4 (uttara.73.4)

किं नु मे दुष्कृतं कर्म पुरा देहान्तरे कृतम् । यदहं पुत्रमेकं त्वां पश्यामि निधनं गतम् ।। 73.4 ।।

kiṃ nu me duṣkṛtaṃ karma purā dehāntare kṛtam | yadahaṃ putramekaṃ tvāṃ paśyāmi nidhanaṃ gatam || 73.4 ||

"What sin did I commit in some past life, that I should now see you, my only son, brought to death?"

Shloka 5 (uttara.73.5)

अप्राप्तयौवनं बालं पञ्चवर्षसहस्रकम् । अकाले कालमापन्नं मम दुःखाय पुत्रक ।। 73.5 ।।

aprāptayauvanaṃ bālaṃ pañcavarṣasahasrakam | akāle kālamāpannaṃ mama duḥkhāya putraka || 73.5 ||

"O child, you were but a boy of five thousand years, not yet come to youth, when you met an untimely death—a sorrow to me."

Shloka 6 (uttara.73.6)

अल्पैरहोभिर्निधनं गमिष्यामि न संशयः । अहं च जननी चैव तव शोकेन पुत्रक ।। 73.6 ।।

alpairahobhirnidhanaṃ gamiṣyāmi na saṃśayaḥ | ahaṃ ca jananī caiva tava śokena putraka || 73.6 ||

"In just a few days, without doubt, both I and your mother shall die of grief for you, my child."

Shloka 7 (uttara.73.7)

न स्मराम्यनृतं ह्युक्तं न च हिंसां स्मराम्यहम् । सर्वेषां प्राणिनां पापं कृतं नैव स्मराम्यहम् ।। 73.7 ।।

na smarāmyanṛtaṃ hyuktaṃ na ca hiṃsāṃ smarāmyaham | sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ pāpaṃ kṛtaṃ naiva smarāmyaham || 73.7 ||

"I do not recall ever speaking a falsehood, nor do I recall any act of violence; I do not recall committing any sin against any living being whatsoever."

Shloka 8 (uttara.73.8)

केनाद्य दुष्कृतेनायं बाल एव ममात्मजः । अकृत्वा पितृकार्याणि गतो वैवस्वतक्षयम् ।। 73.8 ।।

kenādya duṣkṛtenāyaṃ bāla eva mamātmajaḥ | akṛtvā pitṛkāryāṇi gato vaivasvatakṣayam || 73.8 ||

"By what sin of mine has this son of mine, still a child, gone to the realm of Vaivasvata—death—without ever performing the rites owed to his ancestors?"

Shloka 9 (uttara.73.9)

नेदृशं दृष्टपूर्वं मे श्रुतं वा घोरदर्शनम् । मृत्युरप्राप्तकालानां रामस्य विषये यथा ।। 73.9 ।।

nedṛśaṃ dṛṣṭapūrvaṃ me śrutaṃ vā ghoradarśanam | mṛtyuraprāptakālānāṃ rāmasya viṣaye yathā || 73.9 ||

"Never before have I seen or heard so terrible a sight—the untimely death of one whose time had not yet come—as now, within Rama's realm."

Shloka 10 (uttara.73.10)

रामस्य दुष्कृतं किञ्चिन्महदस्ति न संशयः । यथा हि विषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युरागतः ।। 73.10 ।।

rāmasya duṣkṛtaṃ kiñcinmahadasti na saṃśayaḥ | yathā hi viṣayasthānāṃ bālānāṃ mṛtyurāgataḥ || 73.10 ||

"Without doubt some grave fault exists in Rama, for death has come upon the children of those who dwell within his kingdom."

Shloka 11 (uttara.73.11)

नह्यन्यविषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युतो भयम् । त्वं राजञ्जीवयस्वैनं बालं मृत्युवशं गतम् ।। 73.11 ।।

nahyanyaviṣayasthānāṃ bālānāṃ mṛtyuto bhayam | tvaṃ rājañjīvayasvainaṃ bālaṃ mṛtyuvaśaṃ gatam || 73.11 ||

"For children who live in other realms have no such fear of death. O king, bring this child, who has fallen into death's grip, back to life."

Shloka 12 (uttara.73.12)

राजद्वारि मरिष्यामि पत्न्या सार्धमनाथवत् । ब्रह्महत्यां ततो राम समुपेत्य सुखी भव ।। 73.12 ।।

rājadvāri mariṣyāmi patnyā sārdhamanāthavat | brahmahatyāṃ tato rāma samupetya sukhī bhava || 73.12 ||

"Otherwise I shall die right here at the palace gate, with my wife, like one bereft of any protector—and then, Rama, having thus incurred the guilt of killing a brahmin, may you live happily!"

Shloka 13 (uttara.73.13)

भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजन्दीर्घमायुरवाप्स्यसि । उषिताः स्म सुखं राज्ये तवास्मिन्सुमहाबल ।। 73.13 ।।

bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito rājandīrghamāyuravāpsyasi | uṣitāḥ sma sukhaṃ rājye tavāsminsumahābala || 73.13 ||

"O king, together with your brothers, may you attain long life. O mighty one, we have lived happily until now within this your realm."

Shloka 14 (uttara.73.14)

इदं तु पतितं तस्मात्तव राम वशे स्थिताः । कालस्य वशमापन्नाः स्वल्पं हि नहि नः सुखम् ।। 73.14 ।।

idaṃ tu patitaṃ tasmāttava rāma vaśe sthitāḥ | kālasya vaśamāpannāḥ svalpaṃ hi nahi naḥ sukham || 73.14 ||

"But now this calamity has struck; and so, Rama, we who live under your rule, having fallen into the grip of death, are left with scarcely any happiness at all."

Shloka 15 (uttara.73.15)

सम्प्रत्यनाथो विषय इक्ष्वाकूणां महात्मनाम् । रामं नाथमिहासाद्य बालान्तकरणं ध्रुवम् ।। 73.15 ।।

sampratyanātho viṣaya ikṣvākūṇāṃ mahātmanām | rāmaṃ nāthamihāsādya bālāntakaraṇaṃ dhruvam || 73.15 ||

"The realm of the great-souled Ikshvakus is now, it seems, without a true protector—for even having obtained Rama as its lord, it faces the certain destruction of its children."

Shloka 16 (uttara.73.16)

राजदोषैर्विपद्यन्ते प्रजा ह्यविधिपालिताः । असद्वृत्ते तु नृपतावकाले म्रियते जनः ।। 73.16 ।।

rājadoṣairvipadyante prajā hyavidhipālitāḥ | asadvṛtte tu nṛpatāvakāle mriyate janaḥ || 73.16 ||

"Through faults in the king, subjects perish, governed contrary to right order; when a king's conduct is corrupt, his people die before their time."

Shloka 17 (uttara.73.17)

यद्वा पुरेष्वयुक्तानि जना जनपदेषु च । कुर्वते न च रक्षा ऽस्ति तदा कालकृतं भयम् ।। 73.17 ।।

yadvā pureṣvayuktāni janā janapadeṣu ca | kurvate na ca rakṣā 'sti tadā kālakṛtaṃ bhayam || 73.17 ||

"Or when people in the towns and in the countryside commit wrongful acts and there is no proper safeguard against it, then a peril arises that seems the work of fate."

Shloka 18 (uttara.73.18)

सुव्यक्तं राजदोषो हि भविष्यति न संशयः । पुरे जनपदे चापि ततो बालवधो ह्ययम् ।। 73.18 ।।

suvyaktaṃ rājadoṣo hi bhaviṣyati na saṃśayaḥ | pure janapade cāpi tato bālavadho hyayam || 73.18 ||

"It is quite clear, without doubt, that some fault of the king—whether in city or countryside—lies behind this, and from it has come this death of a child."

Shloka 19 (uttara.73.19)

एवं बहुविधैर्वाक्यैरुपरुध्य मुहुर्मुहुः । राजानं दुःखसन्तप्तः सुतं तमुपगूहते ।। 73.19 ।।

evaṃ bahuvidhairvākyairuparudhya muhurmuhuḥ | rājānaṃ duḥkhasantaptaḥ sutaṃ tamupagūhate || 73.19 ||

Thus, pressing the king again and again with many such words, that grief-stricken father clasped his dead son to his breast.