Ramayana, Book II, Canto 81: The Assemblyअयोध्याकाण्डम्

Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 2.81.

81Sanskrit sarga 2.81 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकियरामायणे अयोध्याकाण्डे एकाशीतितमः सर्गः ॥२-८१॥
ततः नान्दी मुखीम् रात्रिम् भरतम् सूत मागधाः ।
तुष्टुवुर् वाग् विशेषज्ञाः स्तवैः मन्गल सम्हितैः ॥२-८१-१॥
सुवर्ण कोण अभिहतः प्राणदद् याम दुन्दुभिः ।
दध्मुः शन्खामः च शतशो वाद्यामः च उच्च अवच स्वरान् ॥२-८१-२॥
स तूर्य घोषः सुमहान् दिवम् आपूरयन्न् इव ।
भरतम् शोक सम्तप्तम् भूयः शोकैः अरन्ध्रयत् ॥२-८१-३॥
ततः प्रबुद्धो भरतः तम् घोषम् सम्निवर्त्य च ।
न अहम् राजा इति च अपि उक्त्वा शत्रुघ्नम् इदम् अब्रवीत् ॥२-८१-४॥
पश्य शत्रुघ्न कैकेय्या लोकस्य अपकृतम् महत् ।
विसृज्य मयि दुह्खानि राजा दशरथो गतः ॥२-८१-५॥
तस्य एषा धर्म राजस्य धर्म मूला महात्मनः ।
परिभ्रमति राज श्रीर् नौर् इव अकर्णिका जले ॥२-८१-६॥
यो हि नः सुमहान्नाथः सोऽपि प्रव्राजितो वनम् ।
अनया धर्ममुत्सृज्य मात्रा मे राघवः स्वयम् ॥२-८१-७॥
इति एवम् भरतम् प्रेक्ष्य विलपन्तम् विचेतनम् ।
कृपणम् रुरुदुः सर्वाः सस्वरम् योषितः तदा ॥२-८१-८॥
तथा तस्मिन् विलपति वसिष्ठो राज धर्मवित् ।
सभाम् इक्ष्वाकु नाथस्य प्रविवेश महा यशाः ॥२-८१-९॥
शात कुम्भमयीम् रम्याम् मणि रत्न समाकुलाम् ।
सुधर्माम् इव धर्म आत्मा सगणः प्रत्यपद्यत ॥२-८१-१०॥
स कान्चनमयम् पीठम् पर अर्ध्य आस्तरण आवृतम् ।
अध्यास्त सर्व वेदज्ञो दूतान् अनुशशास च ॥२-८१-११॥
ब्राह्मणान् क्षत्रियान् योधान् अमात्यान् गण बल्लभान् ।
क्षिप्रम् आनयत अव्यग्राः कृत्यम् आत्ययिकम् हि नः ॥२-८१-१२॥
सराजभृत्यम् शत्रुघ्नम् भरतम् च यश्स्विनम् ।
युधाजितम् सुमन्त्रम् च ये च तत्र हिता जनाः ॥२-८१-१३॥
ततः हलहला शब्दो महान् समुदपद्यत ।
रथैः अश्वैः गजैः च अपि जनानाम् उपगच्चताम् ॥२-८१-१४॥
ततः भरतम् आयान्तम् शत क्रतुम् इव अमराः ।
प्रत्यनन्दन् प्रकृतयो यथा दशरथम् तथा ॥२-८१-१५॥
ह्रदैव तिमि नाग सम्वृतः ।
स्तिमित जलो मणि शन्ख शर्करः ।
दशरथ सुत शोभिता सभा ।
सदशरथा इव बभौ यथा पुरा ॥२-८१-१६॥
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये अयोध्याकाण्डे एकाशीतितमः सर्गः ॥२-८१॥

English Griffith

Ere yet the dawn had ushered in
The day should see the march begin,
Herald and bard who rightly knew
Each nice degree of honour due,
Their loud auspicious voices raised,
And royal Bharat blessed and praised.
With sticks of gold the drum they smote,
Which thundered out its deafening note,
Blew loud the sounding shell, and blent
Each high and low-toned instrument.
The mingled sound of drum and horn
Through all the air was quickly borne,
And as in Bharat’s ear it rang,
Gave the sad prince another pang.

Then Bharat, starting from repose,
Stilled the glad sounds that round him rose,
“I am not king; no more mistake:”
Then to Śatrughna thus he spake:
“O see what general wrongs succeed
Sprung from Kaikeyí’s evil deed!
The king my sire has died and thrown
Fresh miseries on me alone.
The royal bliss, on duty based,
Which our just high-souled father graced,
Wanders in doubt and sore distress
Like a tossed vessel rudderless.
And he who was our lordly stay
Roams in the forest far away,
Expelled by this my mother, who
To duty’s law is most untrue.”

As royal Bharat thus gave vent
To bitter grief in wild lament,
Gazing upon his face the crowd
Of pitying women wept aloud.
His lamentation scarce was o’er,
When Saint Vaśishṭha, skilled in lore
Of royal duty, dear to fame,
To join the great assembly came.
Girt by disciples ever true
Still nearer to that hall he drew,
Resplendent, heavenly to behold,
Adorned with wealth of gems and gold:
E’en so a man in duty tried
Draws near to meet his virtuous bride.
He reached his golden seat o’erlaid
With coverlet of rich brocade,
There sat, in all the Vedas read,
And called the messengers, and said:
“Go forth, let Bráhman, Warrior, peer,
And every captain gather here:
Let all attentive hither throng:
Go, hasten: we delay too long.
Śatrughna, glorious Bharat bring,
The noble children of the king,³⁵⁷
Yudhájit³⁵⁸ and Sumantra, all
The truthful and the virtuous call.”

He ended: soon a mighty sound
Of thickening tumult rose around,
As to the hall they bent their course
With car, and elephant, and horse,
The people all with glad acclaim
Welcomed Prince Bharat as he came:
E’en as they loved their king to greet,
Or as the Gods Lord Indra³⁵⁹ meet.
The vast assembly shone as fair
With Bharat’s kingly face
As Daśaratha’s self were there
To glorify the place.
It gleamed like some unruffled lake
Where monsters huge of mould
With many a snake their pastime take
O’er shells, sand, gems, and gold.

Griffith’s notes (3)

The commentator says “Śatrughna accompanied by the other sons of the king.”
Not Bharat’s uncle, but some councillor.
Śatakratu, Lord of a hundred sacrifices, the performance of a hundred Aśvamedhas_ or sacrifices of a horse entitling the sacrificer to this exalted dignity.