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Book 1 - Vairagya Prakaranam

Chapter 8 - Dasharatha's Reply

वाल्मीकिरुवाच ।
तच्छ्रुत्वा राजशार्दूलो विश्वामित्रस्य भाषितम् ।
मुहूर्तमासीन्निश्चेष्टः सदैन्यं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Valmiki added:—On hearing these words of Viswamitra, the tiger among kings remained speechless for a moment, and then besought him in the lowliness of his spirit.
ऊनषोडशवर्षोऽयं रामो राजीवलोचनः ।
न युद्धयोग्यतामस्य पश्यामि सह राक्षसैः ॥ २ ॥
Rama my lotus-eyed boy is only of fifteen years of age. I do not see he is a match for the Rakshasas.
इयमक्षौहिणी पूर्णा यस्याः पतिरहं प्रभो ।
तया परिवृतो युद्धं दास्यामि पिशिताशिनाम् ॥ ३ ॥
Here is a full akshauhini legion of my soldiers; of whom, Oh my Lord! I am the sole commander; surrounded by them I will offer battle to the Rakshasas cannibals.
इमे हि शूरा विक्रान्ता भृत्या मन्त्रविशारदाः ।
अहं चैषां धनुष्पाणिर्गोप्ता समरमूर्धनि ॥ ४ ॥
Here are my brave generals who are well disciplined in warfare; I will be their leader in the height of war with my bow in hand.
एभिः सहैव वीराणां महेन्द्रमहतामपि ।
ददामि युद्धं मत्तानां करिणामिव केसरी ॥ ५ ॥
Accompanied with these, I can offer fight to the enemies of the gods, and to the great Indra himself, in the same manner as the lion withstands the wild elephants.
बालो रामस्त्वनीकेषु न जानाति बलाबलम् ।
अन्तःपुरादृते दृष्टा नानेनान्या रणावनिः ॥ ६ ॥
Rama is but a boy who has no knowledge of the strength of our forces, and whose experience has scarcely stretched to the battle field beyond the inner apartments.
न शस्त्रैः परमैर्युक्तो न च युद्धविशारदः ।
नवास्त्रैः शूरकोटीनां तज्ज्ञः समरभूमिषु ॥ ७ ॥
He is not well trained in arms, nor is he skilled in warfare. He does not know to fight with a foe, arrayed in the order of battle.
केवलं पुष्पखण्डेषु नगरोपवनेषु च ।
उद्यानवनकुञ्जेषु सदैव परिशीलनम् ॥ ८ ॥
He only knows how to walk about in the gardens of this city and amidst the arbours and pleasant groves.
विहर्तुमेष जानाति सह राजकुमारकैः ।
कीर्णपुष्पोपहारासु स्वकास्वजिरभूमिषु ॥ ९ ॥
He only knows how to play with his brother princes, in the flowery parks set apart for his play within the precincts of the palace.
अद्य त्वतितरां ब्रह्मन्मम भाग्यविपर्ययात् ।
हिमेनेव हि पद्माभः संपन्नो हरिणः कृशः ॥ १० ॥
Now a days, Oh Brahman! he has become by a sad reverse of my fortune, as lean and pale as the withering lotus under the dews.
नात्तुमन्नानि शक्नोति न विहर्तुं गृहावनिम् ।
अन्तःखेदपरीतात्मा तूष्णीं तिष्ठति केवलम् ॥ ११ ॥
He has no taste for his food, nor can he walk from one room to another, but remains ever silent and slow brooding over his inward grief and melancholy.
सदारः सहभृत्योऽहं तत्कृते मुनिनायक ।
शरदीव पयोवाहो नूनं निःसारतां गतः ॥ १२ ॥
In my great anxiety about him, O chief of sages, I have been, with my family and dependants, deprived of the gist of our bodies, and become as empty clouds of autumn.
ईदृशोऽसौ सुतो बाल आधिनाऽथ वशीकृतः ।
कथं ददामि तं तुभ्यं योद्धुं सह निशाचरैः ॥ १३ ॥
Can my boy, so young as he is, and thus subjected to distemper, be fit to fight at all, and again with those marauders who rove about at nights.
अपि बालाङ्गनासङ्गादपि साधो सुधारसात् ।
राज्यादपि सुखायैव पुत्रस्नेहो महामते ॥ १४ ॥
Oh thou high-minded sage! it is one’s affection for his son that affords him far greater pleasure than his possession of a kingdom, or his connection with. It is from paternal affection that good people (engage to) perform the hardest duties and austerities of religion, and any thing which is painful in the three worlds. beauteous females, or even his relish for the juice of nectar.
ये दुरन्ता महारम्भास्त्रिषु लोकेषु खेददाः ।
पुत्रस्नेहेन सन्तोऽपि कुर्वते तानसंशयम् ॥ १५ ॥
It is from paternal affection that good people (engage to) perform the hardest duties and austerities of religion, and any thing which is painful in the three worlds.
असवोऽथ धनं दारास्त्यज्यन्ते मानवैः सुखम् ।
न पुत्रो मुनिशार्दूल स्वभावो ह्येष जन्तुषु ॥ १६ ॥
Men are even prepared under certain circumstances to sacrifice their own lives, riches and wives; but they can never sacrifice their children: this is the nature with all living beings.
राक्षसाः क्रूरकर्माणः कूटयुद्धविशारदाः ।
रामस्तान्योधयत्वित्थं युक्तिरेवातिदुःसहा ॥ १७ ॥
The Rakshasas are very cruel in their actions and fight deceitful warfares: so that Rama should fight them, is an idea which is very painful to me.
विप्रयुक्तो हि रामेण मुहूर्तमपि नोत्सहे ।
जीवितुं जीविताकांक्षी च रामं नेतुमर्हसि ॥ १८ ॥
I that have a desire to live, cannot dare to live for a moment in separation from Rama; therefore thou shouldst not take him away.
नववर्षसहस्राणि मम जातस्य कौशिक ।
दुःखेनोत्पादितास्त्वेते चत्वारः पुत्रका मया ॥ १९ ॥
I have O Kausika! passed nine thousand rains in my lifetime, ere these four boys were born to me after much austerity.
प्रधानभूतस्तेष्वेव रामः कमललोचनः ।
तं विनेह त्रयोऽप्यन्ये धारयन्ति न जीवितम् ॥ २० ॥
The lotus-eyed Rama is the eldest of these without whom the three others can hardly bear to live.
स एव रामो भवता नीयते राक्षसान्प्रति ।
यदि तत्पुत्रहीनं त्वं मृतमेवाशु विद्धि माम् ॥ २१ ॥
This Rama is going to be conveyed by you against the Rakshasas; but when I am deprived of that son, know me certainly for dead.
चतुर्णामात्मजानां हि प्रीतिरत्रैव मे परा ।
ज्येष्ठं धर्ममयं तस्मान्न रामं नेतुमर्हसि ॥ २२ ॥
Of my four sons he is the one in whom rests my greatest love. Therefore do not take away Rama—my eldest and most virtuous son from me.
निशाचरबलं हन्तुं मुने यदि तवेप्सितम् ।
चतुरङ्गसमायुक्तं मया सह बलं नय ॥ २३ ॥
If your intention, Oh sage, is to destroy the force of night wanderers, take me there accompanied by the four kinds (elephants, horse, chariots and foot soldiers) of mine army.
किंवीर्या राक्षसास्ते तु कस्य पुत्राः कथं च ते ।
कियत्प्रमाणाः के चैव इति वर्णय मे स्फुटम् ॥ २४ ॥
Describe to me clearly what these Rakshasas are, how strong they are, whose sons they be and what their size and figure.
कथं तेन प्रकर्तव्यं तेषां रामेण रक्षसाम् ।
मामकैर्बालकैर्ब्रह्मन्मया वा कूटयोधिनाम् ॥ २५ ॥
Tell me the way in which the Rakshasas are to be destroyed by Rama or my boys or by myself, when they are known to be treacherous in warfare.
सर्वं मे शंस भगवन्यथा तेषां महारणे ।
स्थातव्यं दुष्टभाग्यानां वीर्योत्सिक्ता हि राक्षसाः ॥ २६ ॥
Tell me all these, Oh great sage! that I can calculate the possibility of our making a stand against the fiercely disposed Rakshasas in the open field, when they are certainly so very powerful.
श्रूयते हि महावीर्यो रावणो नाम राक्षसः ।
साक्षाद्वैश्रवणभ्राता पुत्रो विश्रवसो मुनेः ॥ २७ ॥
The Rakshasa named Ravana is heard as being very powerful, he is brother of Kubera himself, and is the son of the sage Visravas.
स चेत्तव मखे विघ्नं करोति किल दुर्मतिः ।
तत्संग्रामे न शक्ताः स्मो वयं तस्य दुरात्मनः ॥ २८ ॥
If it is he, the evil minded Ravana, that stands in the way of thy rites, we are unable to contend with that pest.
काले काले पृथग्ब्रह्मन्भूरिवीर्यविभूतयः ।
भूतेष्वभ्युदयं यान्ति प्रलीयन्ते च कालतः ॥ २९ ॥
Power and prosperity in all their flourish come within the reach of the living at times, but they disappear at others.
अद्यास्मिंस्तु वयं काले रावणादिषु शत्रुषु ।
न समर्थाः पुरः स्थातुं नियतेरेष निश्चयः ॥ ३० ॥
Now a days we are no match for such foes as Ravana and some others. Such is the decree of destiny.
तस्मात्प्रसादं धर्मज्ञ कुरु त्वं मम पुत्रके ।
मम चैवाल्पभाग्यस्य भवान्हि परदैवतम् ॥ ३१ ॥
Therefore, O you, that are acquainted with law, do this favour to my son, (as not to take him away); unlucky as I am, it is you that are the arbiter of my fate.
देवदानवगन्धर्वा यक्षाः पतगपन्नगाः ।
न शक्ता रावणं योद्धुं किं पुनः पुरुषा युधि ॥ ३२ ॥
The gods, and Asuras, the Gandharvas and Yakshas, the huge beasts, birds and serpents are unable to fight with Ravana: what are we human beings in arms to him.
महावीर्यवतां वीर्यमादत्ते युधि राक्षसः ।
तेन सार्धं न शक्ताः स्म संयुगे तस्य बालकैः ॥ ३३ ॥
That Rakshasa holds the prowess of the most powerful, we cannot afford to fight with him, nor even with his children.
अयमन्यतमः कालः पेलवीकृतसज्जनः ।
राघवोऽपि गतो दैन्यं यतो वार्धकजर्जरः ॥ ३४ ॥
This is a peculiar age in which good people are made powerless; I am moreover disabled by old age and want that spirit (that I was expected to possess) derived as I am from (the most powerful) race of the Raghus.
अथवा लवणं ब्रह्मन्यज्ञघ्नं तं मधोः सुतम् ।
कथयत्वसुरप्रख्यं नैव मोक्ष्यामि पुत्रकम् ॥ ३५ ॥
Tell me O Brahmana! if it is Lavan the son of Madhu (the notorious Asura) that disturbs the sacrificial rites; in that case also I will not part with my son.
सुन्दोपसुन्दयोश्चैव पुत्रौ वैवस्वतोपमौ ।
यज्ञविघ्नकरौ ब्रूहि न ते दास्यामि पुत्रकम् ॥ ३६ ॥
If it be the two sons of Sunda and Upasunda terrible as they are like the sons of the sun, that disturb your sacrifice, in that case also I will not give my son to you.
अथ नेष्यसि चेद्ब्रह्मंस्तद्धतोऽस्म्यहमेव ते ।
अन्यथा तु न पश्यामि शाश्वतं जयमात्मनः ॥ ३७ ॥
But after all, O Brahman, should you snatch him from me (by dint of the supernatural power that you possess), then I am also dead and gone with him. I do not see any other chance of a lasting success of your devotion.
इत्युक्त्वा मृदु वचनं रघूद्वहोऽसौ कल्लोले मुनिमतसंशये निमग्नः ।
नाज्ञासीत्क्षणमपि निश्चयं महात्मा प्रोद्वीचाविव जलधौ स मुह्यमानः ॥ ३८ ॥
Saying these gentle words, the descendant of Raghu was drowned in the sea of suspense with regard to the demand of the sage, but being unable to arrive at a conclusion, the great king was carried away by the current of his thoughts as one by the high waves of the sea.
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