Ramayana, Book VI, Canto 48: Sítá’s Lamentयुद्धकाण्डम्

Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 6.48.

48Sanskrit sarga 6.48 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

श्रीमद्वाल्मीकियरामायणे युद्धकाण्डे सप्तत्रिंशः सर्गः ॥६-४८॥
भर्तारं निहतं दृष्ट्वा लक्ष्मणं च महाबलम्।
विललाप भृशं सीता करुणं शोककर्शिता॥ १॥
ऊचुर्लाक्षणिका ये मां पुत्रिण्यविधवेति च।
तेऽद्य सर्वे हते रामे ज्ञानिनोऽनृतवादिनः॥ २॥
यज्वनो महिषीं ये मामूचुः पत्नीं च सत्रिणः।
तेऽद्य सर्वे हते रामे ज्ञानिनोऽनृतवादिनः॥ ३॥
वीरपार्थिवपत्नीनां ये विदुर्भर्तृपूजिताम्।
तेऽद्य सर्वे हते रामे ज्ञानिनोऽनृतवादिनः॥ ४॥
ऊचुः संश्रवणे ये मां द्विजाः कार्तान्तिकाः शुभाम्।
तेऽद्य सर्वे हते रामे ज्ञानिनोऽनृतवादिनः॥ ५॥
इमानि खलु पद्मानि पादयोर्वै कुलस्त्रियः।
आधिराज्येऽभिषिच्यन्ते नरेन्द्रैः पतिभिः सह॥ ६॥
वैधव्यं यान्ति यैर्नार्योऽलक्षणैर्भाग्यदुर्लभाः।
नात्मनस्तानि पश्यामि पश्यन्ती हतलक्षणा॥ ७॥
सत्यनामानि पद्मानि स्त्रीणामुक्तानि लक्षणैः।
तान्यद्य निहते रामे वितथानि भवन्ति मे॥ ८॥
केशाः सूक्ष्माः समा नीला भ्रुवौ चासंहते मम।
वृत्ते चारोमके जङ्घे दन्ताश्चाविरला मम॥ ९॥
शङ्खे नेत्रे करौ पादौ गुल्फावूरू समौ चितौ।
अनुवृत्तनखाः स्निग्धाः समाश्चाङ्गुलयो मम॥ १०॥
स्तनौ चाविरलौ पीनौ मामकौ मग्नचूचुकौ।
मग्ना चोत्सेधनी नाभिः पार्श्वोरस्कं च मे चितम्॥ ११॥
मम वर्णो मणिनिभो मृदून्यङ्गरुहाणि च।
प्रतिष्ठितां द्वादशभिर्मामूचुः शुभलक्षणाम्॥ १२॥
समग्रयवमच्छिद्रं पाणिपादं च वर्णवत्।
मन्दस्मितेत्येव च मां कन्यालाक्षणिका विदुः॥ १३॥
आधिराज्येऽभिषेको मे ब्राह्मणैः पतिना सह।
कृतान्तकुशलैरुक्तं तत् सर्वं वितथीकृतम्॥ १४॥
शोधयित्वा जनस्थानं प्रवृत्तिमुपलभ्य च।
तीर्त्वा सागरमक्षोभ्यं भ्रातरौ गोष्पदे हतौ॥ १५॥
ननु वारुणमाग्नेयमैन्द्रं वायव्यमेव च।
अस्त्रं ब्रह्मशिरश्चैव राघवौ प्रत्यपद्यत॥ १६॥
अदृश्यमानेन रणे मायया वासवोपमौ।
मम नाथावनाथाया निहतौ रामलक्ष्मणौ॥ १७॥
नहि दृष्टिपथं प्राप्य राघवस्य रणे रिपुः।
जीवन् प्रतिनिवर्तेत यद्यपि स्यान्मनोजवः॥ १८॥
न कालस्यातिभारोऽस्ति कृतान्तश्च सुदुर्जयः।
यत्र रामः सह भ्रात्रा शेते युधि निपातितः॥ १९॥
न शोचामि तथा रामं लक्ष्मणं च महारथम्।
नात्मानं जननीं चापि यथा श्वश्रूं तपस्विनीम्॥ २०॥
सा तु चिन्तयते नित्यं समाप्तव्रतमागतम्।
कदा द्रक्ष्यामि सीतां च लक्ष्मणं च सराघवम्॥ २१॥
परिदेवयमानां तां राक्षसी त्रिजटाब्रवीत्।
मा विषादं कृथा देवि भर्तायं तव जीवति॥ २२॥
कारणनि च वक्ष्यामि महान्ति सदृशानि च।
यथेमौ जीवतो देवि भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ॥ २३॥
नहि कोपपरीतानि हर्षपर्युत्सुकानि च।
भवन्ति युधि योधानां मुखानि निहते पतौ॥ २४॥
इदं विमानं वैदेहि पुष्पकं नाम नामतः।
दिव्यं त्वां धारयेन् नेदं यद्येतौ गतजीवितौ॥ २५॥
हतवीरप्रधाना हि गतोत्साहा निरुद्यमा।
सेना भ्रमति संख्येषु हतकर्णेव नौर्जले॥ २६॥
इयं पुनरसम्भ्रान्ता निरुद्विग्ना तपस्विनि।
सेना रक्षति काकुत्स्थौ मया प्रीत्या निवेदितौ॥ २७॥
सा त्वं भव सुविस्रब्धा अनुमानैः सुखोदयैः।
अहतौ पश्य काकुत्स्थौ स्नेहादेतद् ब्रवीमि ते॥ २८॥
अनृतं नोक्तपूर्वं मे न च वक्ष्यामि मैथिलि।
चारित्रसुखशीलत्वात् प्रविष्टासि मनो मम॥ २९॥
नेमौ शक्यौ रणे जेतुं सेन्द्रैरपि सुरासुरैः।
तादृशं दर्शनं दृष्ट्वा मया चोदीरितं तव॥ ३०॥
इदं तु सुमहच्चित्रं शरैः पश्यस्व मैथिलि।
विसंज्ञौ पतितावेतौ नैव लक्ष्मीर्विमुञ्चति॥ ३१॥
प्रायेण गतसत्त्वानां पुरुषाणां गतायुषाम्।
दृश्यमानेषु वक्त्रेषु परं भवति वैकृतम्॥ ३२॥
त्यज शोकं च दुःखं च मोहं च जनकात्मजे।
रामलक्ष्मणयोरर्थे नाद्य शक्यमजीवितुम्॥ ३३॥
श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तस्याः सीता सुरसुतोपमा।
कृताञ्जलिरुवाचेमामेवमस्त्विति मैथिली॥ ३४॥
विमानं पुष्पकं तत्तु संनिवर्त्य मनोजवम्।
दीना त्रिजटया सीता लङ्कामेव प्रवेशिता॥ ३५॥
ततस्त्रिजटया सार्धं पुष्पकादवरुह्य सा।
अशोकवनिकामेव राक्षसीभिः प्रवेशिता॥ ३६॥
प्रविश्य सीता बहुवृक्षखण्डां
तां राक्षसेन्द्रस्य विहारभूमिम्।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य संचिन्त्य च राजपुत्रौ
परं विषादं समुपाजगाम॥ ३७॥
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये युद्धकाण्डे अष्टचत्वारिंशः सर्गः ॥ ४८ ॥

English Griffith

“False are they all, proved false to-day,
The prophets of my fortune, they
Who in the tranquil time of old
A blessed life for me foretold,
Predicting I should never know
A childless dame’s, a widow’s woe,
False are they all, their words are vain,
For thou, my lord and life, art slain.
False was the priest and vain his lore
Who blessed me in those days of yore
By Ráma’s side in bliss to reign:
For thou, my lord and life, art slain.
They hailed me happy from my birth,
Proud empress of the lord of earth.
They blessed me—but the thought is pain—
For thou, my lord and life, art slain.
Ah, fruitless hope! each glorious sign
That stamps the future queen is mine,
With no ill-omened mark to show
A widow’s crushing hour of woe.
They say my hair is black and fine,
They praise my brows’ continuous line;
My even teeth divided well,
My bosom for its graceful swell.
They praise my feet and fingers oft;
They say my skin is smooth and soft,
And call me happy to possess
The twelve fair marks that bring success.⁹⁵⁵
But ah, what profit shall I gain?
Thou, O my lord and life, art slain.
The flattering seer in former days
My gentle girlish smile would praise,
And swear that holy water shed
By Bráhman hands upon my head
Should make me queen, a monarch’s bride:
How is the promise verified?
Matchless in might the brothers slew
In Janasthán the giant crew.
And forced the indomitable sea
To let them pass to rescue me.
Theirs was the fiery weapon hurled
By him who rules the watery world;⁹⁵⁶
Theirs the dire shaft by Indra sped;
Theirs was the mystic Brahmá’s Head.⁹⁵⁷
In vain they fought, the bold and brave:
A coward’s hand their death-wounds gave.
By secret shafts and magic spell
The brothers, peers of Indra, fell.
That foe, if seen by Ráma’s eye
One moment, had not lived to fly.
Though swift as thought, his utmost speed
Had failed him in the hour of need.
No might, no tear, no prayer may stay
Fate’s dark inevitable day.
Nor could their matchless valour shield
These heroes on the battle field.
I sorrow for the noble dead,
I mourn my hopes for ever fled;
But chief my weeping eyes o’erflow
For Queen Kauśalyá’s hopeless woe.
The widowed queen is counting now
Each hour prescribed by Ráma’s vow,
And lives because she longs to see
Once more her princely sons and me.”

Then Trijaṭá,⁹⁵⁸ of gentler mould
Though Rákshas born, her grief consoled:
“Dear Queen, thy causeless woe dispel:
Thy husband lives, and all is well.
Look round: in every Vánar face
The light of joyful hope I trace.
Not thus, believe me, shine the eyes
Of warriors when their leader dies.
An Army, when the chief is dead,
Flies from the field dispirited.
Here, undisturbed in firm array,
The Vánars by the brothers stay.
Love prompts my speech; no longer grieve;
Ponder my counsel, and believe.
These lips of mine from earliest youth
Have spoken, and shall speak, the truth.
Deep in my heart thy gentle grace
And patient virtues hold their place.
Turn, lady, turn once more thine eye:
Though pierced with shafts the heroes lie,
On brows and cheeks with blood-drops wet
The light of beauty lingers yet.
Such beauty ne’er is found in death,
But vanishes with parting breath.
O, trust the hope these tokens give:
The heroes are not dead, but live.”

Then Sítá joined her hands, and sighed,
“O, may thy words be verified!”
The car was turned, which fleet as thought
The mourning queen to Lanká brought.
They led her to the garden, where
Again she yielded to despair,
Lamenting for the chiefs who bled
On earth’s cold bosom with the dead.

Griffith’s notes (4)

On each foot, and at the root of each finger.
Varuṇ.
The name of one of the mystical weapons the command over which was given by Viśvámitra to Ráma, as related in Book I.
One of Sítá’s guard, and her comforter on a former occasion also.