,

Sri Rama

The Beloved and Victorious Hero

 Published by
Shubhra Ketu Foundation
and The Mother's Institute of Research

This monograph is part of a series on Value-oriented Education

centered on three values : Illumination, Heroism and Harmony.
The research, preparation and publication of the monographs that
form part of this series are the result of the work and cooperation
of several research teams of the Sri Aurobindo International Insti­
tute of Educational Research (SAUER) at Auroville.

General Editor: KIREET JOSHI

Author of this monograph: Jyoti Madhok

(Compilation of texts by Jyoti Madhok
from Srimad Valmiki-Ramayana)

Art work: Auroville Press Publishers

Printed at Auroville Press, 2009
© Shubhra Ketu Foundation
and
The Mother's Institute of Research
192 Sukhdev Vihar, New Delhi 110025

ISBN 978-81-908788-3-8
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Sri Rama

The Beloved and Victorious Hero

General Editor: KIREET JOSHI

 Contents

1. Preface 8
2. Introduction 13
3. Story of Ramayana i n a nutshe l l 31
4. Selected episodes from Ra maya n a :

i) Sri Ra ma i s exiled 45
ii) Dia logue of Bharata and Sri Ram a in the forest 1 22
iii) Hanuman conveys Sri Ra ma's message to Sita 158
iv) Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana 189
v) Sita's 'Ordeal and return of Sri Ra ma, Sita and
Lakshmana to Ayod hya 230
vi) Sita is exi led 259
vii) Kusa and Luva sin g the Ram ayana in
Sri Rama's court
The last ordea l of Sita 273

Appendices

1. Sri Au robi ndo on the Ra maya na 284

2. Sri Aurobir.do's translations: A few passages
from the Ramayana 293
3. Letters of Sri Aurobindo o n Sri Rama 315
4. Sri Aurobindo on Val niiki and Vyasa :
A compa rison 325

* * *
 The Ramayana,
the greatest and most remarkable poem of its kind,
that most sublime and beautiful epic of ethical idealism
and a heroic semi-divine human life

- Sri Aurobindo
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Preface

he task of preparing teaching-learning materi a l for val ue­

T oriented education is enormous.

There is, first, the idea that va lue-oriented education
should be exploratory rather than prescriptive, and that the
teaching-learning material should provide to the lea rners a
growi ng experience of exploration .
Secondly, it is rightly contended that the proper inspira­
tion to tu rn to 'va l ue-orientation is provided by biographies,
autobiographica l accounts, personal a necdotes, epistles, short
poems, stories of h umour, stories of human i nterest, brief pas­
sages fil led with p regnant mea nings, reflective short essays
written in wel l-chiselled language, plays, powerful accounts of
historical events, statements of personal experiences of va l ues
in actual situations of life, and si milar other statements of sci­
entific, philosophical, a rtistic and litera ry expression.
Thirdly, we may take into account the contem pora ry fact
that the entire world is moving ra pidly towards the synthe­
sis of the East and the West, and in that context, it seems
. obvious that our teachi ng-learning materia l should foster the
gradual fa miliarisation of students with gl obal themes of uni­
versal significance as a lso those that underline the importan ce
of diversity in unity. This implies that tHe material should bring
the students nea re r to their cultura l heritage, but a l so to the
highest that is availa ble in the cultura l experiences of the world
at large.

8
 General Preface

Fourthly, an attem pt should be made to select from Indian

and world history such exa mples that cou ld i llustrate the theme
of the upward prog ress of h u mankind. The selected research
material could be mu lti-sided, and it should be presented in
such a way that teachers can make use of it in the manner and
in the context that they need in specific situations that might
obtain or that can be created in respect of the students.
The resea rch team at the Sri Aurobindo International Insti­
tute of Ed ucational Research (SAIIER)" has attempted the cre­
ation of the relevant teachi ng-learning material, and they have
decided to present the sa me in the form of monogra phs. The
tota l number of these monographs will be a round eighty.
It appea rs that there a re three major powers that u p lift life
to higher and higher normative levels, and the value of these
powers, if well i l l ustrated, could be effectively conveyed to the
lea rners for thei r u p liftment. These powers a re those of i l l umi­
nation, heroism and harmony.
It may be usefu l to explore the meanings of these terms
i l l u mination, heroism and harmony - si nce the a i m of these
monogra phs is to provide material for a study of what is sought
to be conveyed th rough these three terms. We offer here ex­
ploratory statements in rega rd to these three terms.
I l l um i nation is that ignition of inner l ight in which meaning
and val u e of substa nce and life-movement a re seized, under­
stood, com p rehended, held, a n d possessed, stimulati ng and in­
spi ring guided action and appl ication and creativity culmi nating
in joy, deli ght, even ecstasy. The width, depth and height of
the light a n d vision determine the degrees of i l l u mination, and
when they reach the splendour and glory of synthe sis and har­
_
mony, i l l u m i nation ripens into wisdom. Wisdom, too, has va ry­
ing degrees that ca n uncover powers of knowledge and action,
which reveal unsuspected secrets and unimagined ski l ls of a rt
and craft of creativity and effectiveness.
Heroism is, essentia l ly, i nspired force a n d self-giving and
sacrifice i n the operations of wil l that is applied to the quest,
rea l isation and triumph of meaning and va lue agai nst the resis-

9
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

tance of l i mitations and obstacles by means of courage, battle

and adventure . There a re deg rees and heights of heroism de­
termined by the i ntensity, persistence and vastness of sacrifice.
Heroism attains the highest states of g reatness and refinement
when. it is guided by the highest wisdom and inspired by the
sense of service to the ends of justice and harmony, as well as
when tasks a re executed with consummate ski l l .
Harmony i s a prog ressive state a n d action o f synthesis and
eq uili bri um generated by the creative force of joy and bea uty
and delight that com bi nes and unites knowledge and peace
and stability with will and action and g rowth and development.
Without harmony, there is no perfection, even though there
cou ld be maxim isation of one or more elements of our nature.
When i l l u m i nation and heroism join and engender rel ations of
mutua lity and u nity, each is perfected by the other and creativ­
ity is end less.
This monog raph presents a glorious illustration and descri p­
tion of that personality who was devoted to the consta nt sea rch
for and obedience to, the ideal of Truthful ness derived from the
hig hest pea ks of i l l u mi nation and wisdom, as a lso to magnifi­
cent va lour and heroism that fights aga inst obscurity, fa lsehood
and evi l . It a lso i l l ustrates the majesty of love that never stoops
to mere sentimenta lism but expresses itself in total sacrifice of
one's personal happi ness i n order to u phold equal ly the g reat
val ue of the i mperative cal l of the highest action that aims at
col lective and public welfa re . Sri Ra ma, the hero of this story,
a few glim pses of which a re given in this monograph, has been
engraved in the hea rts of the people of India and in the gen­
eral ethos of the culture of India. He shi nes out as a n incom­
pa rable wa rrior and victor as also an embodiment of the ideal
of ha rmony that can be secured only if one l ives in union with
a l l and in a love that is intense and suffused with truthfu lness,
i mpartial ity, j ustice and constant sacrifice . Truth, - at a ny cost,
whatever the consequences, is bri lliantly exemplified by the
life of Sri Rama . The concept of Dharma signifies not merely
d uty for duty's sake, but obedience to the Supreme Law of the

10
 General Preface

Supreme H a rmonies of the progressive movement of evolution,

and can best be studied by exa mi nation of the inti mate details
of thoug hts a nd actions of this great person a lity, which have
been described by one of the g reatest poets of a l l ti mes, Va l mi­
ki, who is also recognized as a most a n cient poet of classical
Sanskrit l iterature . I l l u mination, Heroism and Ha rmony, - a l l
t h e three a re found t o b e u nited in a l l the episodes that have
been chosen i n the monogra ph . It is hoped that the teachers
who wi l l study this monogra ph wi l l fi n "d va l u a ble hel p from its
study and wi l l tel l the chi ld re n the story contained in it.

11
 Vishnu and Lakshmi on Ananta
(Kangra, Karan Singh Collection, early 19'h century)
 Introduction

he epical story of Sri Rama has been an undying power

T of sustenance of the three great qualities that have

characterised the idealism of Indian culture, viz., hero-
ism that is spontaneously fearless and valorous, a human-di­
vine tenderness that imparts restraint to exuberance, an over­
flowing sweetness to the ingathered strength of virtue, and
an indefatigable austerity that must end in triumph and cel­
ebration of victory. Sri Rama, the hero of the Ramayana is the
human-divine light as fierce as the summer sun and also as
tender as the rain of love, each drop of which, bears the heal­
ing charm of the splendid moon of the autumn. He is a mass of
virtue and a thunderstorm in the battles where evil is crushed
leaving no trace.
Valmiki, one of the greatest poets of history, wrote the im­
mortal epic to describe the immortal hero, lover and victor, not
only in order to record poetically an account of a critical mo­
ment of evolution that ended with the establishment of a per­
fect manhood, but also to provide to the world an inspirational
force to repeat that manhood in innumerable warriors who
could clear the ground for the manifestation of divinity that is
always concealed in the highest peaks of manhood. Valmiki's
Ramayana is comparable to Homer's Iliad and Vyasa's Mahab­
harata; all the three are great epics and all the three stand out
as great hymns of heroism; each has its own excellence and

13
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

even superiority over the others, but the Ramayana alone pres­
ents to Man in his ascent/ a shining example, of one who is very
much like him and yet, is infinitely greater than he can become.
It is rightly said that Sri Rama was the Supreme Lord himself,
who had descended on the earth concealing his divinity so that
his dazzling light could be revealed in silence; in omnipotent
silence rather than in explicit declaration.
As one reads the story of Sri Rama, as told by Valmiki, one
feels the presence and eloquence of divinity; in the masterful
strokes of torrents of events that crowd the immense Rama­
yana there rings out the triumph of God, the echoes of which
continue to reverberate in the heart and soul of the listener
whose ears are not sealed.
The very first major event of the Ramayana brings to us the
great Vishwamitra, himself a hero-warrior and yet a profound
sage of supreme wisdom, who marks out Sri Rama - who was
at that time an adolescent lad - to be so competently heroic
that among all who could vanquish the demoniac giants/ as
the most valian f conqueror. Sri Rama accomplishes the tasks
of a victor and on his return, is taken on the way to the court
of Janaka, the king of Mithila, whose daughter would be wed­
ded only to that lion among men who could lift the formidable
bow of Shiva. None of the assembled kings and princes had
succeeded/ but Sri Rama, whose arms were a solid mass of
strength, could lift that bow with one stroke and even break it.
In that event was concealed the union of the divine master of
man and the celestial goddess who had also descended on the
earth to lead the human story of struggle against evil, to secure
imperishable victory of the Good, and to redeem the burden of
human love so that the divine love and its glory can perennially
aspire to live divinely beyond the ordinary ties and knots of hu­
man comedy and tragedy.
Sri Rama, the most beloved prince of basaratha and his Ayo­
dhya and its people, was to be anointed as king, and trumpets
of triumph and celebration had filled the air, awaiting eagerly
and regally, the morning hour when the crown was to be placed

14
 Introduction

on a born sovereign, who was to remain a sovereign, even

when at the appointed hour that crown was denied to him. As
in historical moments, centuries are summarised in a few days
even so on tha t fateful night which was to break into the dawn
of the crowning of Sri Rama, the king was compelled to take a
decision to send his beloved Rama into exile for fourteen years
and to bestow the crown on Bharata, the younger prince and
the son of the youngest queen Kaikeyi._ Only Valmiki has been
able to describe the majesty and the divinity of Sri Rama, who
even though dimmed by the unexpected turn of events, rose
immediately to the supreme heights of firm resolve, golden
virtue, supreme sacrifice and imperturbable strength of equa­
nimity. And only Valmiki could describe that tender love of Sri
Rama for Sita and also the fierce love of Sita for Rama. Valmiki's
Ramayana should be read in the original if one wants to experi­
ence the profundities of human love, where utter renunciation
vibrates in every tremor of emotion, in every pulsation of senti­
ment and every flash of thought. Sri Rama and Sita stand out
in an unforgettable dialogue as a crowning glory of love that is
human and yet divine.

II
Sri Rama's story can be read as the theme of a great mes­
sage: Truth and Right,- incessant striving to discern the Truth
and the heroic manifestation of Truth in actions that are Right,
at any cost and irrespective of consequences; whether they
are lauded or condemned, whether pleasant or unpleasant. We
see that when Lakshmana implored Sri Rama to disobey the
command of their father, king Dashratha, Sri Rama explained
to him tha t their father was right in honouring the promise that
he had given to queen Kaikeyi and that it was to uphold that
right action of his father that he had accepted to be exiled.
Bharata, the younger brother, given the crown by the father in
fulfillm ent of his promise to queen Kaikeyi, refused to accept

15
 In the dark forest, Rama kills Tadaka the demoness
on Vishwamitra's command (Mewar)

Rama and Lakshmana at the court of Janaka, the king of Mithila, Pahari.
Courtesy: Govt. Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)
 Introduction

that crown and entreated Rama to accept it; Sri Rama, with
unflinching firmness declined, and persuaded Bharata to accept
the crown. And yet when Bharata, accepting Sri Rama's advice,
and therefore in his capacity as king, prayed to Sri Rama to be­
stow upon him the boon of his wooden sandals which would be
installed in the kingdom as a token of Sri Rama's sovereignty,
Sri Rama without argument, granted him the boon.
Sri Rama undertook a tireless journey in search of Sita, raised
·
an army, built a bridge over the ocean between the southern
tip of India and Lanka, fought a fierce war and ultimately van­
quished and killed the gigantic ogre Ravana, who was regarded
as invincible. All this he did because it was right, and despite
that all this involved unimaginably difficult adventure and feats.
And yet, when Lanka was conquered and Sita was brought to
him by the new king of Lanka, Vibhishana, he refused to take
Sita back and gave her freedom to choose the future course of
her life on the ground that her chastity was in doubt; she hav­
ing lived in the abode of Ravana. He accepted the gift of Sita
only when Agni, the lord of the mystic fire of purity, declared
Sita to be pure and it was only then that Sri Rama expressed
his own personal belief in regard to Sita and her purity. For Sri
Rama, Sita was not only his beloved wife but also she was the
queen of the kingdom of Ayodhya. As the husband of Sita, he
needed no proof of her chastity as he was inwardly convinced
of the unquestionable character of Sita. But it was right for
him as king, to demand from Sita the queen, proof, which the
people of the kingdom would require of their queen. Despite
all this, when Sri Rama heard that the people of Ayodhya were
critical of Sri Rama's acceptance of Sita, he decided at once to
exile Sita into the forest, where she could, if she wanted, live
in the hermitage of Valmiki, the great rishi and the great poet
of his times.
Many in the modern world have indicted Sri Rama and con­
sidered him to have been unjust to Sita. The question, how­
ever, is whether the decision that he took was the right deci­
sion, no matter whether praised or censured. If Sri Rama were

17
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

merely a householder, and if he were simply to deal with the

situation as a husband in regard to his wife about whose chas­
tity he had no doubt, it is not difficult to infer that he would
have disregarded the criticism of the people and dealt with the
matter as one concerning his private life. But Sri Rama was a
king,. and Sita was the queen, and therefore the problem had
complex dimensions. While judging events of the past, people
of the present day tend to apply the ethos of their own times
as if that ethos were applicable at all times. In the days of Sri
Rama, society was passing through a cycle where public duty
was held supreme and to that duty all domestic duties and do­
mestic pleasures and sufferings were required to be sublimat­
ed. Moreover, the ethos of the time of Sri Rama imposed upon
the king not only rights and privileges of monarchy but also a
very hea vy burden of creating and maintaining the standards
of democratic monarchy.
Should Rama have abdicated his kingdom so that he could
live a private and happy domestic life with Sita?
Did the kirfg have the right to abdicate?
Kingship was not a privilege, not an ornament which one
could decide to enjoy or renounce at the kings own personal
choice of pleasure. Kingship was conferred on the king by the
free will of the people and the king was bound to serve and
protect the people as an imperative duty. The choice to abdi­
cate the throne was not available to Sri Rama. It cannot be said
that Sri Rama was so attached to his kingship that renunciation
of that attachment was impossible or difficult for him. He had
already, earlier on, renounced the right to the throne when it
had been demanded of him, under the command of his father.
Did Sri Rama have the right to inflict the pain of separation
on himself and on Sita? This question was to be decided by Sri
Rama alone, and he had no difficulty in inflicting upon him­
self the suffering of the separation from Sita. As king, he also
had the duty to decide how he should deal with Sita with full
respect to the demands of justice. Indeed, it requires no argu­
ment to prove that Sri Rama knew that his duty towards Sita in

18
 Introduction

his capacity as her husband was to secure the highest possible

happiness for his wife. And that duty could have been fulfilled
if he were to abdicate his duties of a monarch.
What would be the right choice in this condition? As a king,
on the other hand, it was his duty to provide to the kingdom a
queen, who would be held in the eyes of the people as an ex­
emplar of a character without blemish. He could not abdicate,
because he was under an obligation tq serve and protect the
people. What was then the duty of the king while dealing with
the queen? To accept pain for himself and even to accept pain
for his wife for the sake of serving the duties of a monarch was
the only acceptable solution. It is remarkable that Sita, when she
heard that she stood exiled in that desolate forest; fainted at first
and on recovering cried and blamed the situation for her sorrow
and misfortune; but in full dignity, she sent a message through
Lakshmana to Sri Rama in the following immortal words:
"The following should be communicated to the king who is
embedded in the righteousness appropriate to a king. Treat
citizens like your brothers always. This is the greatest dharma;
it will provide you unparalleled glory. What you can achieve
through the impartial and rightful treatment to the citizens will
indeed be the best and the most appropriate ... "

In their personal life Sri Rama and Sita suffered irreparably,

and both of them accepted their suffering because acceptance
of that suffering was right and just, for the sake of upholding
the highest standards of public duty and conduct. How many
martyrs have accepted to sacrifice personal happiness and also
the happiness of all those nearest and dearest, and even when
irreparable suffering was inevitable as a result of the accep­
tance of capital punishment!
That Sri Rama took a decision to exile Sita courageously
and heroically and took the full responsibility upon himself and
forbade even his brothers to give him any advice in this matter
can be seen as proof of his courage, heroism and intense dedi­
cation to the call of the highest duty, - a call of the highest di­
vine duty.

19
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

III
I n all the critical and decisive moments o f his life, one feels
Sri Rama standing out not only as an outstanding man, a Vib­
huti, but even as an Incarnation, an Avatar1 of the Divine Con­
sciousness. It is wrongly supposed by many that the concept
of an Avatar is unsustainable, and that at best, that concept
contains no more than our highest sense of admiration for a
personality whose dimensions seem to us to be immeasurable.
It may be argued that the Supreme Lord cannot Himself be
contained in a limited individuality, and that whatever purposes
the Supreme Lord may have for working out an aim can be
carried out by Him without limiting Himself in any individual
formation. If at all a human instrumentality is needed, He can
choose any individual through whom he can work out His ends.
But these arguments are not conclusive, and they miss out
some of the essential aspects of the relationship between the
Infinite and the ,
finite and the manner and method by which
the Supreme Consciousness works in the world. The Infinite
is indivisible, and there is no gulf between the Infinite and the
finite. Every finite is a form of the Infinite, and every finite is
essentially the Infinite. The finite is only a form but its essence
is the Infinite. It is true that every finite form is only a partial
manifestation of the Infinite, and no finite form can fully mani­
fest the Infinite. The Infinite Himself does not become divided
by partially manifesting Himself and by becoming Himself a
finite form, which is only a demarcation in an unending series
of formations. Therefore it may be said that every finite is an
avatar of the Infinite, - but the word avatar can be reserved
for a more specific method of manifestation of the Infinite in
the finite. This brings us to the manner and method of evolu-

1. For those who wish to study a detailed examination of the concept

of Avatarhood, we may refer them to Sri Aurobindo's Essays on the Gita,
chapters entitled: 'The Possibility and Pu rpose of Avatarhood", "The Process
of Avatarhood", "The Divine Birth and Divine Works", as also Sri Aurobindo's
Letters on Avatarhood i n sABCL Vol. 22.

20
 Introduction

tion of the world that we see all around us. The world mani­
fests a pattern of finite forms and a number of relations and
interrelations among them and although every form is a partial
manifestation of the Infinite, there are variations and degrees
of manifestation. Although every manifestation has behind it
one and the same essential and indivisible Infinite, the man­
ner and method of manifestation show a play of variations and
inequalities and an unequal distributiQn of energy. The Con­
sciousness of the Infinite and the Delight of the Infinite are
not equally manifest in the world. There are vast differences,
and it can be said tha t the world that is around us is a gradual
process of evolution from the Infinite Consciousness that is
totally veiled in the state of Inconscience, which awakes gradu­
ally from level to level and from gradation to gradation. The
veiling of the Consciousness, however, does not imply aboli­
tion of Consciousness or annihilation of Consciousness. There
is a distinction between the Infinite Consciousness that always
remains unabridged, even when in the frontal levels of mani­
festation it remains veiled and therefore in appearance and
effectivity a sea of Inconscience. The question is to discover
the relationship between the Supreme Infinite Consciousness
that is behind the Inconscience and the method by which the
apparent Inconscience wakes up gradually to manifest higher
and higher states of consciousness.
Can we study carefully and methodically this method? Fortu­
nately, this method seems to have been studied right from the
Vedic times, and modern studies also indicate that the world
that is around us is a process of evolution and that this evolu­
tionary process is carried out by an intricate play of the Infinite
and the finite. According to the ancient tradition of knowledge,
- the tradition which is still alive in India, there is the Infinite
that remains forever self-luminous in its own highest status,
and there is the Infinite that accepts in another status a self­
veiling in the frontal state of Inconscience. There is thus the
Infinite Consciousness behind the veil of the Inconscience and
there is yet the status of unveiled Infinite Consciousness. The

21
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

veil of the Inconscience is sought to be lifted by a pressure of

the Infinite Consciousness which is behind the Inconscience,
but it is also aided constantly by the Infinite Consciousness
that is above and that is forever unveiled .. The action of the
Infinite Consciousness which is above and which is forever un­
veiled is a process of descent, and that process of descent can
be regarded as a constant process of Avatar. (Etymologically
'avatar' consists of two words 'ava' and 'tr; where 'tr' stands
for stretching and 'ava' means down. Thus 'avatar' means a
process of stretching downwards.) The Infinite Consciousness
which is behind the veil of the Inconscience is constantly at
work to gradually break the trance of the Inconscient, so that
the underlying consciousness manifests drop by drop or in jets
of varying degrees of manifest consciousness. That process is
a process of ascent which can be described as a process of
'aroh(la' which etymologically means the process of upward ris­
ing. The process we call evolution is thus a process of ascent
which is constantly aided by the process of descent. Even this
,
process of ascent and descent manifests a discernible pattern.
The Inconscience appears to be a sleeping rock that resists the
pressure of the Infinite Consciousness that is below and the
Infinite Consciousness that is above. A law seems to work that
permits the resistance of the Inconscient which continues to be
worked upon until the Inconscience consents to be awakened.
It may be said that the Inconscience is being constantly teased
and it is constantly sought to be entertained by the processes
of ascent and descent so that every stage of awakening of
the Inconscience is effected through the increasing consent
to grow into higher and higher states of awakening. It is this
process which can be seen in the evolution of Matter and the
original ocean of the Inconscience (apraketam salilam to use
the Vedic phrase), and the evolution of life in Matter as the
seed of the Mind (Kama asit agre man'asal) retam, to use again
the Vedic phrases of the Nasadiya Sukta). At the mental level
of which we are now conscious, we can detect the play of the
ascent and descent of consciousness with greater and greater

22
 Introduction

discernment, and we find here more and more clearly a double

process. We find that there is an outward visible process of
physical evolution with birth as its machinery. In this process,
each evolved form of body houses its own evolved power of
consciousness, and it is maintained and kept in continuity by
heredity. There is, at the same time, an invisible process of
soul evolution with rebirth1 into ascending grades of form and
consciousness as its machinery. Indeecf. the process of rebirth is
invisible, and it can be discerned only by a very close observa­
tion of the phenomena of human consciousness and its gradual
evolution. Each grade of cosmic manifestation, each type of
form that can house the indwelling soul, is turned by rebirth
into a means for the individual soul, and the psychic entity, to
manifest more and more of its concealed consciousness.
If we examine closely, we find that there is a pattern in the
process of evolution at the human level. The soul itself seems
to be a mysterious entity in the entire process of evolution,
but although mysterious, it is capable of being studied. Those
who have studied the nature of the soul have described it as
a psychic entity which has entered from above as a partial
portion of the Infinite Consciousness, during an early stage of
descent, so as to aid the more decisive pressure from above
in order that the Inconscient give its consent to be awakened
more and more rapidly. Every soul may, therefore, be regarded
as an avatar,- a portion of the Infinite Consciousness that has
descended to work on the Inconscience and on varying forms
of evolution that have emerged from the Inconscience, to carry
out more and more rapid processes of evolution. A closer ex­
amination of the process of the working of the psychic entity
shows how it has acted as the vehicle and as a field of various
battles that are constantly taking place, between the gradu­
ally awaking Inconscience on the one part, and the concealed

1. For those who are i nterested in studying a rational exposition and jus­
tification of rebirth, may refer to the chapters: "The Philosophy of Rebirth",
"The Order of the Worlds", "Rebirth and Other Worlds" and "Ka rma, the Sou l
a n d Immorta lity" o f Sri Aurobindo's Life Divine.

23
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Infinite Consciousness tha t arose from below and, the Infinite

Consciousness tha t is forever manifest and that is working con­
stantly from above, on the other. In this process of battle there
are defeats and triumphs, and the journey of the soul can be
described as a constant field of Kurukshetra, where each pro­
cess of triumph marks an exceptional manifestation of the In­
finite Consciousness in some exceptional degree of awakening
and glory. These exceptional manifestations tend to become
crystallized, and the states and the souls in which this crystalli­
zation takes place are called in the Indian terminology, Vibhutis
(etymologically consisting of two words 'vi' and 'bhfiti; where
'vi' means special [vise?a] and 'bhilti' means becoming). In the
ninth chapter of the Gita we have an elaborate description of
the Vibhutis of various levels of evolution, - physical, vegetal,
animal and human. All the vibhutis may be regarded as special
manifestations of the higher consciousness, and, in a sense,
they indicate special descents of consciousness tha t have come
down from above from the ever-awakelnfinite Consciousness.
However, th ere are moments in the history of evolution that
are marked by the most intense resistance of the evolving con­
sciousness and the necessity of breaking tha t resistance with
an unprecedented power that can triumphantly overcome that
resistance. These are critical moments, and it can be left to
a discerning observer to mark out such overwhelmingly dif­
ficult and critical periods of human history, where events have
occurred in such immeasurable dimensions that one can feel
in them the working of a descent of the Infinite Conscious­
ness in such a remarkable manner that one could be justified
in discerning the descent of the Infinite Consciousness Itself.
These are the moments where something more than the spe­
cial manifestation has taken place. And if greater and greater
descents of higher and higher levels of consciousness are a
part of the machinery of evolution, what is it that prevents the
Infinite Consciousness Itself descending into a human evolving
psychic entity, adequately prepared through a long process of
evolution? There is logically no such impossibility, and there

24
 Introduction

have been practical examples where the Infinite Consciousness

has descended at exceptional periods of the evolving psychic
entities on the earth and even at the very birth of these evolv­
ing psychic entities. In the Indian spiritual tradition, there is a
clear recognition of those who have manifested the presence
and action of the Infinite Consciousness right from the birth of
certain individuals like Sri Rama, Sri Krishna and Buddha, and
others who have manifested the Infinite Consciousness at cer­
tain levels of their development in certain human births such
as those of Sri Chaitanya and others. This tradition is marked
by a number of sages and saints who discerned and identified
and confirmed and reconfirmed in their own yogic processes
of development the action of these avatars, and received their
conscious help in their own individual development. To them,
a vatarhood of the Supreme Infinite Consciousness in individu­
als like Sri Rama and Sri Krishna is not a matter of specula­
tion but a matter of their own direct experience and a living
and constant confirmation and reconfirmation. The most recent
testimony of the fact of a vatarhood is to be found in Sri Au­
robindo, who has quite categorically declared his personal and
daily experience and realization of Sri Krishna as an a vatar; and
who has in some of his letters to disciples declared quite clearly
Sri Rama as an Avatar.
To the logical mind, which insists on consistency and veri­
fication and experience for arriving at a rational justification
of belief, we can only refer to the pattern that we see in the
evolutionary process and consistency of the idea of the avatar
as a part of the process of evolution and to the experiences
of those who can be justifiably regarded as those having the
right qualification to experience and verify truths of the spir­
itual domain and spiritual aspects of evolution. What is more,
we can even present the methods by which the logical mind,
if it wants to verify by personal experience, can adopt for per­
sonal experimentation and personal verification. These meth­
ods are available in great works such as the Bhagavadgita,
which is a well known episode in the Mahabharata, and in the

25
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

latest scientific work on Yoga/ entitled The Synthesis of Yog a

presented to contemporary humanity by Sri Aurobindo. What
more can be suggested for the aid of the reader other than, as
a minimum effort, the study of the great work of Valmiki, en­
titled Ramayana. The reader who is impartial and earnest will,
we trust, find in the Ramayana an account of such events that
will be found vibrating with the presence of the Infinite Con­
sciousness acting at the most difficult moments of transition of
evolution with triumphant love and heroism. That is the reason
why we have chosen to present a few select passages from the
original Ramayana, the study of which may help to discern in a
great personality the presence of the Supreme Lord. We hope
that our trust will be justified.

IV
The aim of this monograph is not only to present a brief ac­
count of a few ilnportant episodes of the Ramayana, but also to
present this account in the very words of the author; one of the
greatest poets in the history of the world, Valmiki (as rendered
from the original Sanskrit into English.) Our presentation is an
adaptation of the translation of SrTmad Va l mTki-Ramayar:ia into
English by Gita Press. It is felt that many readers may like to
have the experience of the literary beauty, charm and strength
of Valmiki's style and his genius, even though in the first intro­
ductory encounter with this great epic, they may not have the
time to go through the entire original Ramayana. In that situa­
tion, what is presented in the monograph may serve to give to
them something of the original and authentic experience of the
epic. While the original is in poetic form, the translation that is
presented here is in prose, and therefore it does not capture all
the vividity, colour; charm and rhythm of the original Sanskrit
poetry of Valmiki; but a few passages of the Ramayana, which
Sri Aurobindo has translated in poetic form in English, have
been presented in Appendice 2, to which readers may turn in

26
 Introduction

order to appreciate the beauty and the grandeur of the original

epic.
In the very first chapter, we find a dialogue between Valmiki
and Narada, which provides not only a brief statement of the
great qualities and virtues that single out Sri Rama as the fore­
most among the most illustrious personalities witnessed in the
history of humankind, but also a brief narration of the life of Sri
Rama that is described with great detail in the major part of the
Ramayana. In a sense, therefore, th e readers will find in the
first canto the main story of the life of Sri Rama, barring what is
narrated in the 'Uttarakanda; which includes the painful story
of the exile of Sita and the remaining part of the Ramayana.
The episodes that have been described in this monograph
are related to the following:

1. Sri Rama ready for coronation is exiled.

(This episode includes the description of the preparations
for the coronation of Sri Rama, that was to take place that
very morning, and the summoning of Sri Rama by his father;
Sri Rama's entry into the chamber of his father and his step­
mother Kaikeyi; Kaikeyi's disclosure of the king's command for
Sri Rama to go into exile for fourteen years to the forest and for
the installation of Bharata as the king; Sri Rama's undisturbed
state of mind even at this sudden reversal from coronation to
exile; Sri Rama's dialogues with Kaikeyi, with Kausalya his own
mother, Lakshmana and Sita and the departure of Sri Rama to
the forest in the company of Sita and Lakshmana.)

2. Bharata meets with Sri Rama in the forest to urge him to

accept the crown. Sri Rama declines firmly.
(This episode includes the dialogue between Bharata and
Sri Rama, Bharata's insistence on Sri Rama's return to assume
kingship of Ayodhya; Sri Rama's steadfast resolution to abide
by the command of Dasaratha for his exile; Bharata's request
for Sri Rama's "paduka" (wooden sandals), which he declares,
he would install in the kingdom as a token of Sri Rama's saver-

27
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

eignty and his own role as Sri Rama's servant to carry out the
burden of the affairs of the state of Ayodhya.)

Hanuman's dialogue with Sita in Ashok Vatika, the garden

3.
in Lanka which is the abode of Sita during her captivity after
her abduction by Ravana.
(The dialogue is a sequel to a long story of the years spent
by Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita in the forest/ towards the
end of which Ravana/ by means of deception, abducts Sita and
carries her to Lanka and the subsequent search by Sri Rama
and Lakshmana in the course of which they receive the help of
Sugriva, the king of Kishkindha and Hanuman/ the most valiant
hero and ally of Sugriva. Hanuman/ who has found in Sri Rama
the Supreme Lord of his heart and being, succeeds in his bid to
find Sita by crossing the ocean between India and Lanka and
discovers Sita in Ashoka Vatika in Ravana's palace.)

4. Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana.

(Having recefved Hanuman's report of his meeting with Sita
in Lanka, Sri Rama prepares for invasion of Lanka with a huge
army of Sugriva 's kingdom/ has a bridge built between Ramesh­
waram/ the southern tip of India and Lanka/ and engages in a
. fierce battle with the huge army of Ravana. The episode de­
scribed here is centred on the last lap of the battle/ in which
Sri Rama and Ravana confront each other, and it ends in the
epical victory of Sri Rama when he succeeds in vanquishing and
killing Ravana.)

Sita's ordeal and the departure of Sri Rama/ Sita and oth­
5.
ers to Ayodhya in an aerial vehicle called Pushpak.
(After the victory in Lanka/ Sita is brought by Vibhishana
to the presence of Sri Rama. Instead of being accepted by Sri
Rama/ she is required to choose any another course in life,
since in the eyes of the people her purity of character would
always remain greatly questioned. Unbearably challenged in
regard to her purity, Sita passes through a burning pyre of fire

28
 Introduction

and emerges unscathed and protected by the god of fire who

announces publicly the purity of Sita. Although personally he
needed no proof, but now publicly proved to be pure, Sri Rama
gladly accepts Sita and undertakes the voyage to Ayodhya by
an aerial vehicle which carries Sri Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and
Hanuman and Vibhishana and some others within the short
course of a day. On arrival at Nandigram near Ayodhya, Bharata
receives Sri Rama and Sita along with the others and leads
them to a glorious welcome in Ayodhya, where Sri Rama is then
anointed as the king.)

6. Sita is exiled.
(Sri Rama, on being told by his group of friends of the ugly
remarks made by the citizens about Sita and of the doubt re­
garding the character of Sita due to her long residence in Ra­
vana 's abode, summons his brothers Lakshmana, Bharata and
Shatrughna. Despite his conviction that Sita was chaste and
had been proved by the god of fire to have been chaste, he de­
clares his resolve to exile her on account of the rumours which
were spread among the people about her character. On the
order of Sri Rama, Lakshmana conducts Sita the next morning
in the chariot which carries them both to the bank of the river
across which lies the ashram of Valmiki. Both Lakshmana and
Sita cross the river in a boat and on arriving at the other bank
of the river, Lakshmana discloses_ to Sita, Sri Rama's order for
Sita's exile. Sita faints on hearing this, but on recovery sends
a message through Lakshmana of her acceptance of her mis­
fortune and its consequences. Lakshmana departs returning to
Ayodhya, and Sita left alone, laments. On being informed by
those hearing her lamentation, Valmiki approaches Sita and as­
sures her of refuge in his Ashram.)

7. Kusa and Luva come to Ayodhya, and Sita enters the

earth.
(In the last episode Kusa and Lava, twin brothers born to Sita
arrive at Sri Rama's magnificent sacrifice called Aswamedha

29
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

and chant the great poem depicting the heroic life of Sri Rama/
casting a spell on the listeners - the citizens of Ayodhya and
all who have assembled for the sacrifice. Sri Rama himself is
charmed by their song of the Ramayana and requests the two
young boys to continue to chant during the ceremony. The as­
sembled viewers, remark on the physical resemblance of the
boys to Sri Rama, and Sri Rama on being told by the twins that
the great poem was composed by the great sage Valmiki, sends
a message to Valmiki to bring with him Sita. Valmiki arrives
with Sita and declares the purity of Sita and that the twin boys
were born to her. Sri Rama, however; asks that Sita should pub­
licly declare her chastity. Sita on her part remains steadfast and
while declaring her chastity prays to Mother Earth to open so
that she may take refuge inside the interior of the earth. Sud­
denly the earth parts and there appears a golden throne arising
on which is seated the goddess Mother Earth, who receives Sita
and seats her on the throne and disappears into the interior of
the earth. Sri Rama overpowered by the unexpected disappear­
ance of Sita an & overwhelmed by his love for Sita, roars with
desolation and threatens to destroy the whole earth unless Sita
is restored to him. Sri Rama is appeased by the gods and sages
and he is reminded of the tasks that still remain to be accom­
plished in fulfillment of the aim for which he had taken birth on
the earth.)

30
 Story of Ramayana i n a Nutshell

Canto I (Balaka o9a)

he sage Va l miki put the fol lowing question di rect to Nara­

T da, the heavenly sage, the foremost of those ski l led in

expression, who remains (ever) engaged in askesis and
the study of the self (the study of the Vedas) : - ( 1) "Who can
possi bly be fu l l of vi rtues in this world at present? Who is pos­
sessed of prowess and knows what is rig ht? Who is conscious
of services done, truthful of speech and fi rm of resolve? (2)
Who is possessed of right conduct and who is friendly to a l l
livi n g beings? Who i s a m a n of knowledge? Nay, who is power­
fu l a nd who has a singu larly lova ble appearance? (3) Who has
subdued his self? Who has conquered anger? Who is endowed

31
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

with splendour and who is above fa ultfi nding, and whom do

the very gods d read when his wrath has been (appa rently) pro­
voked in battle? (4) I wish to hear a bout th is and I am curious
to know, as you a re ca pa ble of knowing such a man. O eminent
seer!" (5) Hearing this appeal of Valmiki, the sage N a rada, who
possessed knowledge of the three worlds, said, " Listen ! " and
greatly delighted, addressed the following words : - (6) "I shall
(du ly) consider and tel l you (of such a hero) . Be pleased to
hear (from me) of the man endowed with the manifold and ra re
virtues that have been described by you ." (7)
"There is one descended in the l i ne of I k�wa ku, and known
by men by the n a me of Rama. He has ful ly contro l l ed his mind,
is very powerfu l, radiant and resolute and has brought his
senses u nder control. (8) He is intel l igent, sagacious, eloq uent,
g lorious and an exterminator of foes. He is disti nguished with
broad shoulders, powerfu l arms, a neck-sh a ped as a conch and
a stout chin . (9) He is ma rked with a broad chest, a mighty
bow and a col la rbone covered with flesh, and is ca pable of
subduing his 'foes. His (unusua l ly long) a rms extend rig ht up
to his knees. He has a well-formed head, a shapely forehead
and a charming gait. ( 1 0) He is of medium stature (neither
very ta l l nor very short), has wel l-proportioned l im bs, has a
charming complexion, is mighty, has a rounded chest, large
eyes, is endowed with splendour and has auspicious ma rks on
his body. ( 1 1 ) He knows the secret of virtue, and is true to his
promise and intent on the good of the people. He is i l lustrious,
ful l of wisdom, p u re in his dea l ings, a man of self-control and
concentrated mind. ( 12) He is a supporter of the creation like
Brahma (the lord of created beings), possessor of wea lth, the
slayer of his enemies, a protector of living beings and a stau nch
protector of righteousness. ( 1 3 ) He is a vindicator of his own
virtue and the p rotector of his own people. He knows the truth
of the Vedas and the (six) sciences (grammar etc.) auxilia ry to
them and is a master of a rchery. ( 14) He knows the real mea n­
ing of a l l the scriptures, is possessed of a sharp memory and
quick wit. He is loved in all the worlds, pious, high-minded and

32
Modern illustration
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

endowed with discrimi nation. ( 1 5) He is always sought by the

rig hteous (even) as the ocean is by rivers. He is noble, a l i ke
to a l l and always wea rs a pleasing cou ntenance . ( 16) He is
endowed with all excellences and enhances the delight of (his
mother) Ka usa lya . He vies with the ocea n i n profu ndity and
compa res with the Himalaya in point of fi rmness. ( 17) He is a
repl ica of Lord Vi$1JU in prowess and is pleasi ng of a spect as
the moon. In (show of) a nger he resem bles the destructive fire
at the end of creation and is a cou nterpart of Mother Earth in
forbea ra nce. ( 18) He equals Ku bera (the god of riches, the be­
stower of wea lth) in li berality and is another Dha rma (the god
of piety) as it were in point of truthfu l ness.
With inte nt to g ratify the people the ki ng (Empe ror Dasa ratha)
lovingly sought to invest with the office of Regent his beloved
son, S ri Rama, who possessed unfai ling prowess and was
adorned with the above qual ities, who was not only the eldest
(of his four sons) but was also endowed with the highest vir­
tues and devoted to the i nterests of the people. Witnessing the
preparation�in connection with the insta l lation of Sri Rama, the
ill ustrious Queen Kaikeyi (the youngest of the th ree principal
consorts of Emperor Dasaratha), who had been g ranted a boon
(by the Emperor) on a former occasion (in recognition of her
outstanding personal courage and service to her h usba nd on
the field of battle), however, asked of h i m (against the p rom­
ised boon) the exi le of Sri Rama and the insta llation of Bharata
(her own son). ( 19-22) Bound (as he was) by the tie of duty (in
the form of his plighted word) due to his (ever) speaki ng the
truth, King Dasa ratha exiled his beloved son, Rama. (23)
In obedience to his father's com mand, in the form of the
boon (granted by him in favou r of Kaikeyi) and with a view to
pleasing Kaikeyi, the heroic Ra ma retired to the woods i n order
to implement the pledge. (24) H is lovi ng (you nger) brother,
La k$mar:ia - who enhanced the delight of (his own mother)
Sumitra (the younger of the two othe r principal consorts of
Em peror Dasa ratha) and who was not only endowed with mod­
esty but a favourite of his brother (Sri Rama) - followed his

34
 Story in a Nutshell

brother out of affection as the latter set out ( o n his jou rney to
the forest), thus testifying to his a micable rel ation. Sri Rama's
newly wedded spouse, Sita, (so-ca l led because she was un­
earthed from the track of a ploug hsha re) - who was dear to
. him as l ife a n d was ever frien d ly to h i m , who (though n ot born
in the ord i n a ry way from a mother's womb) was (taken as)
descended in the l i ne of Janaka (a ki ng of M ithila, Siradhwaja
by na me, Janaka bei ng his fa m i ly title)� was endowed with a l l
a uspicious marks ( o n h e r person) and was a (veritable) jewel
a mong women and who looked l i ke the Lord's own wonderfu l
potency manifested by the Lord Hi mself - a lso accom pan ied
Sri Rama as Rohir:ti (the spouse of the moon-god a l so a constel­
lation of that name, fol lows the moon-god) . He was fol lowed
afa r by the citizens (of Ayod hya) as wel l as by his (aged) father,
Dasarath a . (25-28)
Meeting his beloved Guha, the chief of the N isadas (a mixed
tribe sprung from a Brahmana through a SOdra woman), at
Srrigaverapura on the bank of the Ga ri g a . Sri Ra m a (who was vi r­
tue incarnate), accom pan ied by Guha, Lak$mar:ia and Sita, sent
the cha rioteer back to Ayodhya . Goi ng from forest to forest, and
crossing rivers of deep water, they saw the sage Bharadwaja at
Prayaga and, d ismissing Guha there, later on reached CitrakGta
according to the instructions of Bharadwaja and, erecting a
lovely cottage, the th ree sojou rned ha ppily there sporti ng i n
the woods l i ke gods a n d Gandharvas (celestia l m usicia ns) . Sri
Rama had proceeded to CitrakOta on fo ot (as reported by the
charioteer, who had si nce retu rned to Ayod hya) and hearing
this Empero r Dasaratha, stricken as he was with grief and be­
wai ling his son, fo rthwith left his body and ascended to heave n .
Bharata, w h o was very powerfu l, though bei ng u rged t o accept
the throne by the Brahmar:ias headed by the sage Vasi$tha (the
family priest a nd p receptor of the kings of Ayodhya), on the
ki ng havi ng departed (to the other world), did not covet the
throne. He proceeded to the forest in order to please the ven­
erable Rama (and persuade him to return to Ayodhya and ac­
cept his father's throne). (29-34) Approachi n g the high-souled

35
 Story in a Nutshell

Ra ma of unfa iling prowess, Bharata, rich in noble sentiments,

a ctu a l ly implored (Sri Rama) h is (elder) brother (accordingly).
(35) He add ressed the following words to Sri Rama : - "You
a lone are the ruler, since you know rig ht conduct." In defer­
ence to his father's decree, (conferring the throne of Ayodhya
on Bharata ) Sri Rama, who was supremely magnanimous and
enjoyed a very g reat renown and who (a lways) wore a gra­
cious aspect, did not hanker for the ki_ngdom . Ha nding over to
Bha rata his (own) pair of wooden sandals as his representative
to rule over the kingdom, Sri Ra ma, Bharata's elder brother
who was possessed of great m ight persuaded him to return
from CitrakGta after repeatedly importu ning h im . Without rea l­
izing his mind's desire (of seeing Ra ma back in Ayodhya and
crowning him king), Bharata retu rned to Ayod hya, touching the
feet of Sri Ra ma (and ta king leave of him ) . (35-38) Longing for
the return of Sri Ra ma, he ruled (over the kingdom while living)
at Na ndigrama (a lonely retreat fourteen miles from Ayodhya ) .
When Bharata, however, h a d left, the glorious Ra ma o f u n ­
failing vow, w h o had conquered his senses and was intent on
one object (that of im plementing the pledge of his father),
e ntered the Daoc;la ka forest, they say, a nticipating the renewed
visit of the people of Ayod hya to that regio n . (39-40) Enter­
ing the great forest (of Daoc;la ka ) and having dispatched the
rakshasa Viradha, the lotus-eyed Rama saw one after another
the two sages Sarabhar'tga and Sutik$Qa as well as Agastya and
his brother (Idhmavahana). At the instan ce of Agastya himself
he accepted with su preme delig ht a bow, a sword, a pair of
quivers, containing an inexhaustible store of a rrows, (all) be­
stowed (u pon the sage) by Indra . While the aforesaid Ra ma was
sojou rning in the forest with foresters, a l l the seers (dwel ling in
the forest) cal led (on him) with a req uest to make short work
of the demons and rakshasas (hau nting the fo rest) . Sri Rama,
glorious as fire, in the presence of those seers dwelling in the
forest of Daoc;laka, then agreed to kil l the ra kshasas in that
forest. The destruction of the rakshasas in an encou nter was
solemnly promised by Ram a . (41-45) The og ress, SGrpa oakha

37
 Story in a Nutshell

Ra ma of unfailing prowess, Bharata, rich in noble senti ments,

actu a l ly implored (Sri Rama) his (elder) brother (accordingly).
(35) He add ressed the fol lowi ng words to Sri Rama : - "You
alone are the ruler, si nce you know right conduct." In defer­
ence to his father's decree, (conferring the throne of Ayodhya
on Bharata) Sri Ra ma, who was supremely magnanimous and
enjoyed a very great renown and who (a lways) wore a gra­
cious aspect, did not hanker for the ki_ngdom. Handing over to
Bha rata his (own) pai r of wooden sandals as h is representative
to rule over the ki ngdom, Sri Ra ma, Bha rata's elder brother
who was possessed of great might persuaded him to return
from Citrakuta after repeatedly importu ning h i m . Without real­
izin g his mind's desi re (of seeing Ra ma back in Ayodhya and
crowning h i m ki ng), Bharata returned to Ayod hya, touching the
feet of Sri Ra ma (and ta kin g leave of him). (35-38) Longing for
the return of Sri Ra ma, he ru led (over the kingdom while living)
at Na ndigrama (a lonely retreat fourteen mi les from Ayod hya ) .
When Bharata, however, h a d left, the glorious Ra ma o f u n ­
fai l i n g vow, who had conquered his senses and was i ntent on
one object (that of im plementi ng the pledge of his father),
entered the Dar:ic;laka forest, they say, antici pati ng the renewed
visit of the people of Ayodhya to that region. (39-40) Enter­
ing the great forest (of Dar:ic;la ka) and havi ng dispatched the
rakshasa Viradha, the lotus-eyed Rama saw one after another
the two sages Sara b h a riga and Sutik$r:ia as well as Agastya and
his brother (Idhmava hana). At the instance of Agastya hi mself
he accepted with su preme delight a bow, a sword, a pair of
quivers, containing an inexha usti ble store of arrows, (all) be­
stowed (upon the sage) by Indra . While the afo resaid Rama was
sojourning i n the forest with foresters, a l l the seers (dwelling i n
the forest) cal led (on h i m ) with a request to make short work
of the demons and rakshasas (ha u nti ng the forest) . Sri Rama,
glorious as fire, i n the presence of those seers dwell i ng in the
forest of Dar:ic;laka, then agreed to ki l l the ra kshasas in that
forest. The destruction of the rakshasas in an encou nter was
solemnly promised by Ra ma . (41-45) The og ress, SOrpa r:iakha

37
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

(so-ca l led because she possessed nails as big as a winnowi ng

fa n), who dwelt i n Janasthana (a portion of the Dar:ic;laka for­
est) and was capable of assu ming any form at will, was disfi g­
u red by Sri Rama (by having her nose and ears lopped off by
Lak�mar:ia whi l e living in that very forest. (46)
Sri Rama then kil led on the field of battle a l l the rakshasas
that came prepa red (for an encou nter) at the i nstigation of
SOrpa r:iakha, including (their leaders) Khara, Trisira and the
ra kshasa DO�ar:ia as also thei r fol l owers. (No less tha n) four­
teen thousand ra kshasas dwel ling in Janasthana were made
short work of by Rama while sojourning i n that forest. Stupefied
through anger to h ear of the destruction of his ki nsmen, Rava r:ia
(the ki ng of La n ka) sought the help of a fel low-ra kshasa (one of
the two sons of the og ress Tac;laka), Marica by name. Though
repeatedly discou raged by Marica sayi ng, "It is not advisable
for you to make enemies with that powerful pri nce (Sri Rama),
O Rava r:i a ! " yet turning a deaf ear to his advice and i m pelled by
death, the aforesaid Rava r:ia, who made people scream (in ter­
ror wherever fi e went out in exped ition) then proceeded to the
site of Ra ma's hermitage a long with Marica . Havi ng ca used the
two princes ( Ra ma a n d Lak�mar:ia) to be removed afar (from
the hermitage) by the wily Marica, he stole away Sri Ra ma's
spouse (Sita), ki l l i ng the vu ltu re Jatayu (who tried to intercept
h i m ) . Now tormented with g rief to perceive the vultu re morta l ly
wounded and to hear (from it) of Sita (the princess of Mith ila),
having been forci bly carried off ( by Ravar:ia), Sri Rama (a scion
of Raghu) tormented with grief, loudly wailed. Then, having
cremated the vulture Jatayu and hunti ng for Sita in the for­
est in that very state of grief, Sri Rama descried a rakshasa,
Kabandha by na me, who was deformed of body and terrible to
look at: so the tradition g oes. (47-55) Havi ng made short work
of him, the mighty-armed prince cremated him and the demon
(regained his ori g i na l form of a Ganaharva and) ascended to
heaven. (Wh ile rising to heaven) he said to Sri Rama, "Seek,
O Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u), Sabari, a pious woma n, who is
well -versed in the principles of righteousness." The highly effu l-

38
 Story in a Nutshell

gent Rama, the destroyer of his foes, (according ly) approached

Saba ri. (56-57)
Duly worshipped by Sabari, Sri Ra ma, son of Dasaratha,
cam e into contact with the monkey chief, HanOman, on the
bri n k of the Pa mpa Lake : so the tradition goes. (58) At the
intercession of HanOman alone he further made friends with
Sugriva . To Sugriva the exceed ingly powerfu l Ra ma duly nar­
rated from the very begi nning the whole of his popu lar story
and the well-known story of Sita (his consort) in particular.
Pleased to hear the whole na rrative of Sri Ra ma, the mon­
key chief Sug riva too decla red friendsh i p with Sri Ra ma in the
presence of (the sacred) fire as a witness. In response to an
inquiry (made by Sri Ra ma) with rega rd to his enmity (with his
own elder brother, Va li), the whole incident was then related
by Sugriva (the ruler of the monkeys), affl icted as he was, to
Sri Rama out of affection. Again, Sri Ra ma took a vow that
(very) moment that Va li would be ki l led by h i m . (59-62) And,
there (on Mount 13,�ya mOka) the monkey chief described (to Sri
Rama) the ( u nique) strength of Vali (his elder brother), si nce
Sug riva was ever ful l of misgivings concerning Sri Ra ma (a sci­
on of Ragh u ) in the matter of prowess (vis-a-vis his opponent,
Va li) . (63) In order to convi nce Sri Ra ma (of Va li's strength)
Sug riva actu a l ly showed to him the (exceptionally) ta l l skeleton
of (the demon) Dund ubhi ( killed by Va li), which looked l i ke a
big mountain (and wh ich had been disdai nfu l ly kicked away to
a long dista nce by Va li) . (64) Sm iling (at this) and gazing on
the skeleton, the mighty-a rmed Rama, who possessed extraor­
d i n a ry strength, h urled it with his big toe to a dista nce of ful l
eig hty miles. (65) Sri Rama, in order t o i nspire confidence i n
(the mind of) Sug riva, fu rther pierced on that (very) occasion
with a single mig hty shaft seven pal myra trees (sta ndi ng in a
line adjacent to one another), a hil lock (sta nding by) as well
as Rasata la (the sixth su bterranea n plane including the five
preceding ones) . (66)
Reassured by the latter feat and accompa nied by Sri Ra ma,
that great monkey (Sugriva) then ma rched at once with a mind

39
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

ful l of delight to Ki�ki ndha (the ca pita l of Va li), situated cave­

like (in the midst of mou ntai ns) . (67) Then roared Sugriva, the
monkey chief, who was tawny gold (in a p pearance) . Distracted
by that great (u nusual ) roar, Vali (the king of the mon keys)
sall ied forth (to meet Sugriva). (68) Reassuring Ta ra (his de­
voted and sagacious wife, who discouraged him by pleading
that Sugriva had since secu red the alliance of Sri Rama and
as such cou ld no longer be conquered ), he then closed with
Sugriva and in the course of that (very) encou nter Sri Ra ma
(the celebrated scion of Raghu) disposed of Vali with a single
arrow. (69) Havin g (thus) killed Vali on the field of battle at the
instance of Sugriva, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) then insta l led
Sugriva himself on Va li's throne. (70) Bringing together a l l the
monkeys, the said Sugriva (the jewel among the monkeys) too
despatched them, in a l l d i rections, keen as he was to have Sita
(the daughter of Janaka) traced out. (71)
Then, according to the cou nsel of Sampati, the vulture king
(who could see Sita in La ri ka from that dista nce), the mig hty
Hanuman le apt across the brackish sea, eight hundred miles
broad, (that pa rted the mainland of India from Lari ka ) . (72)
Duly reaching the city of Lari ka, ruled over by (the demon ki ng)
Rava r:ia, he found there Sita confi ned in a g rove of Asoka trees,
contemplating (on the feet of Sri Ra ma). (73) Presenti ng (to
her) the souvenir (in the shape of a sig net ring ha nded over
to him by Sri Ra ma) and relati ng the news (about Sri Ra ma's
a l l iance with Sugriva and the latter's insta l lation on the throne
of Ki�ki ndha after Va li, his elder brother and morta l enemy,
had been got rid of by Sri Rama) and having consoled the
da ughter of King Janaka (with the assuran ce that her consort
would shortly come and rescue her after disposi ng of the ty­
ra nnical Ravar:ia), Hanuman demolished the outer gate of the
orchard . (74) Having made short work of five a rmy-command­
ers (Pingala netra and others) as a lso seven sons of min isters
(Ja mbumali and so on), and crushed the gallant Ak�a (a son
of Ravar:ia), he a llowed hi mself to be bound (under the spe l l of
a Brahmastra or missi le presided over by Brahma, the creator,

40
 Story in a Nutshell

and discharged by Ravaoa's heir-a pparent Meghanada). (75)

Though knowi ng hi mself as released by the (aforesaid) missi le
in conseq uence of a boon g ranted by Brahma (to the effect that
after undergoing bondage for a bout a couple of h o u rs, the mis­
sile associated with his name being infa l l i ble, he would be rid of
it) the hero (Hanu man, who was keen to meet Ravao a ) deli ber­
ately bore with those ra kshasas who ca rried h i m in bondage (to
Rava oa ) (76) Having set on fire the s=ity of La ri ka ba rring (the
.

. a bode of) Sita, the pri ncess of M ithila, a lone, the g reat monkey
(Ha numan) then ca me back (by the sa me route to Ki$kindha)
to break the delightfu l news (of Sita havin g been found) to Sri
Ra ma. (77) Approaching the high-souled Rama and circumam­
bu lating him (as a mark of respect), Hanuman (who was pos­
sessed of i nfinite inte ll igence) submitted (to him) that Sita, had
been seen ( by him) i n real ity. (78)
Moving to the shore of the ocean ( i n the extreme south),
accompanied by Sugriva, Sri Rama then shook the ocea n to its
lowest depths (in Patala, the nethermost su bterranean plane)
by his a rrows g lorious as the sun (on the latter refusing to a l­
low passage to the a rmy of mon keys, that sought to march
across it in order to reach La rika in their bid to recover Sita) .
(79) (At this) Ocea n, the lord of the rivers, not only revealed
himself (in person to Sri Rama) but also apologized to h i m
a n d o n l y at his inte rcession Sri Rama ca used N a la t o b u i l d a
.bridge (across the sea) . (80) Reaching the city of La ri ka along
the bridge a n d ki l l i n g Ravaoa in a (single) combat, Sri Ram a
experienced a sense of great shame o n getting back Sita (who
had remai ned so long at the house of a demon and could be
easily pronounced by critics as polluted). ( 8 1 ) Sri Rama then
spoke harsh words to her in the assem bly of mon keys a n d
others. Resenting those words Sita chaste as s h e w a s entered
fire . (82) Coming to know Sita as si nless from the words of the
fi re-god (who testified to her chastity), Sri Ra ma thereupo n
accepted h e r. All the three worlds, comprising the an imate a n d
inani mate creation, a long with the hosts o f gods and �$iS, were
pleased with that remarkable feat of the high-souled Rama ( i n

41
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

the shape of the overthrow of Rava r:ia and the delivera nce of
Sita) . Honoured by a l l the gods, Sri Rama (there u pon) l ooked
extremely delighted . (83-84) Having i nsta lled Vi bhi$a r:ia, the
chief of the rakshasas, on the throne of La ri ka, Sri Ra ma felt
accompl ished of purpose and, rid of a nxiety, greatly rejoiced :
so the tradition goes. (85)
Having received a boon (to the effect that all the com bat­
ants that had fought on the side of Sri Ra ma and fa l len in battle
be restored to life) from the gods (who came in their aerial ca rs
to felicitate Sri Rama on his victory, that had brought solace
to all the th ree worlds) and aroused (as though from sleep)
the monkeys (fa llen in battle), Sri Rama flew to Ayodhya i n
(the aerial ca r known by the name of) Pu$paka (that had been
snatched by Ravar:ia from his half-brother, Kubera, the god of
riches), accompa nied by his relations (Sita and Lak$mar:ia) and
friends (Vibhi$a Qa, Sugriva and others) . (86) Reachi n g the her­
mitage of the sage Bharadwaja (in the vicinity of Prayaga), Sri
Rama of unfai ling prowess despatched HanOman (in adva n ce)
to the presen ce of Bha rata (in order to apprise him of his safe
return lest he should be ta ken unawa res) . (87) Na rrati ng past
history (the circu mstances that had led to his exi le in the for­
est) and boarding the celebrated Pu$paka once more, he then
flew to Na ndigrama (then a part of Ayodhya), accompa nied by
Sugriva (and others) . (88) Havi ng disenta ngled his matted hair
at Nandigrama a long with his (three) brothers a n d got back
Sita, the sin less Rama regained his ki ngdom (too) . (89)
( Du ring the reign of Sri Rama) people wil l be positively
much delighted and cheerful, contented and well fed, exceed­
i ng ly pious, free from mental agony and bodily ailments and rid
of (the scou rge of) fa mine and fea r (of theft etc.,) . (90) N o­
where will any men witness the death of their son or daughter;
women w i l l never be widows and w i l l be ever devoted to their
h usba n d . (91) There wi ll be no fea r from fire nor wi l l living be­
ings be d rowned in water. There will be neither fea r from wind
nor a ny fea r of fever. (92) Neither wi l l there be fea r of starva­
tion in his ki ngdom nor that of thieves. Cities and states wil l be

42
 Story in a Nutshell

fu l l of riches and food-gra i ns. (93) All wi l l be ever extremely

happy as in Satyayuga . Having propitiated the Lord through
h u n d reds of horse-sacrifices and (other) sacrifices i nvolving
the use of a bundant gold, (nay) bestowed with due ceremony a
bill ion cows on the lea rned and given away u ntold riches to the
Brahma r:ias, the highly renowned Ra ma wil l establish roya l dy­
nasties a hu ndred ti mes more prosperous tha n before (by not
only recognizing and confirming their .sovereignty but even by
l i berally subsidizing them). He will d i rect the people belongin g
to ( a l l ) the four grades o f society to follow their respective du­
ties on this terrestri al pla ne. (94-96) Having served his ki ngdom
for eleven thousan d years, Sri Rama will ascend to Brahmaloka
(the highest heave n ) . (97) He who reads this sacred na rrative
of Sri Ra ma, which is capa ble of pu rifyi ng the mind a n d wi ping
out sins and is treated on par with the Vedas, is completely
absolved from a l l sins. (98) Reading this na rrative centering
round Sri Ra ma and cond ucive to longevity, a man sha l l be, on
departi ng from this world, honoured in heaven along with his .
sons and g ra ndsons as wel l as his fo l lowers and attenda nts.
(99) Reading it, a Brahmar:ia bids fa i r to atta in eminence in elo­
quence; if he is a K�atriya, he is sure to atta in lordship over the
earth ; a man belonging to the mercanti le community is sure to
secure profit in trade and a man belonging to the SOdra class
ca n hope to attain superiority (in his own class) . ( 1 00)

43
Rama hurries to his father for the coronation ceremony
Western Pahari, c. 1 6 90/ 1 7 1 0
Museum Rietberg,. Zurich
 Selected Episodes

(i) Sri Rama is Exi led

Canto XVI (Ayod hya ka oc;ja)

assing th rough the outermost gate of the inner cha mbers

P (for women), which was crowded with men, Suma ntra

(who knew many old legends) next reached the inner
gate, which was sol ita ry and was guarded by young men wield-
ing a Prasa (a barbed missile) and a bow and adorned with
ear-rings of burnished gold, unfailing in their duty and sing le­
minded of pu rpose and fu l ly devoted (to their master) ( 1 -2)
Here he saw stationed at the gate, staff in hand, aged men clad
in ochre-coloured l iveries and richly adorned, most attentive to
their duty and guarding the inmates of the i n ner apartments.
(3) Perceiving him coming near they a l l sprang up from their
seats, fu l l of awe, eager as they (all) were, to do lovi ng service
to Sri Rama . (4) Sumantra, the son of a bard, who had a disci­
pli ned mind and was highly expert in deli beration etc., said to
them, "(Please) tel l Prince Rama at once, that Sumantra wa its
at the door." (5) Approach ing Sri Ra ma, they speed ily reported
the matter to the heir apparent, who was closely seated with
his spouse. Receivi ng the information, Sri Rama (a scion of Ra­
ghu) caused the bard, who was in the confidence of his father
(Emperor Dasaratha), to be brought in the same room where
he was, prompted as he was with a desire to please Sumantra .
(6-7)

45
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

The ba rd saw Sri Ra ma, the chastiser of his foes, resplen­

dent as Kubera (son of Visrava seated, richly adorned, on a gold
couch overspread with a cover, nay, besmea red with holy and
fragrant sandal- paste of superb excellence and cri mson as the
blood of a boa r, and fu rther accompan ied by Princess Sita too,
standing by his side, chowrie in hand, (even as the moon-god is
accompanied by Citra, the goddess presiding over an asterism
of the same name). (8- 10) Like a h u mble petitioner, the bard,
who knew the rules of decorum , greeted Sri Ra ma, a bestower
of boons, who possessed the flam ing splendour of an inherent
light just l i ke the sun. ( 1 1 ) Seeing the heir apparent with a
cheerful countena nce on his couch i ntended for repose at the
time of relaxation, Sumantra, who was honoured by the ki ng,
spoke (to him) with joined palms as follows: - ( 1 2) " Ka usa lya
is blessed in havi ng you for a son ! Along with Queen Kai keyi
your father ( Emperor Dasaratha) too desi res to see you . Be
pleased to go there : let there be no delay." ( 13) Highly pleased,
Sri Rama (a lion a mong men), who was as fu lgent as a flash of
lightning, thereupon showed his g reat esteem for Sita - so the
tradition goes - and spoke to her as fol lows : - ( 14)
" Meeti ng together, 0 a uspicious one, the ki ng (my father)
and the q ueen ( mother Ka ikeyi) too a re surely having some
ta lk concerning me on the topic of my insta llation (as Pri nce
Regent) . ( 1 5) Reading his mind and desirous of pl easi ng him,
that dark-eyed mother of mine the daug hter of the king of the
Kekayas, who is very clever and favourable to the king, (who)
wishes well of him and is obedient to him and is my well-wisher
(too), is surely pressing the ki ng, who is the ki ng of kings, on
my behalf, highly delig hted as she is (over the prospect of my
installation) . ( 1 6-17) Luckily enough (for me) has the em peror
(my father) with his beloved queen (mother Kai keyi) sent as his
messenger Sumantra, who is the cause of my prosperity and
ha ppiness. ( 18) This messenger has come to me as though the
whole assembly has come. (From this I conclude that) the ki ng
will surely i nsta l l me in the office of Pri nce Regent this very
day. ( 19) Ah, departi ng from this place soon, I shall see the

46
 Sri Rama is Exiled

emperor. Abide you comfortably with you r fema le com panions

(here) and rejoice." (20)
Invoking (divine) blessi ngs (on her husband), the dark-eyed
Sita, who was greatly esteemed by her spouse, fol lowed her
h usband up to the g ate. ( 2 1 ) " (Having once insta l led you i n
the office of Prince Regent), the ki ng ought to consecrate you
(in cou rse of time), as Bra h ma (the maker of the u n iverse)
consecrated Indra, for the RajasOya sacrifice, as his ki ngdom is
inhabited by (learned) Brah mar:ias (well-versed in ritua l acts) .
(22) Seeing you consecrated (for the sa id sacrifice) and rich i n
religious a usterities (a ppropriate to the occasion), wea ring ex­
cel lent deerskin (for loi n-cloth) and leading a pure (chaste) l ife
a n d carrying a horn of an a ntelope i n you r hand, I wish to serve
you ( i n that state). �23) May Indra (the wielder of the thu nder­
bolt) g u a rd your eastern side; Yama (the god of pu nishment),
you r southern side; Va rur:ia (the god of water), you r western
side and Kubera (the lord of riches) you r northern side." (24)
Ta ki ng leave of Sita and having gone through auspicious
rites appropriate to the solemn occasion, Sri Rama forthwith
departed from his palace a long with Suma ntra . (25) Issuing
forth from the palace as a lion dwelling in a mountain-cave
woul d emerge from a mountainous va l ley, he beheld La k�mar:ia
sta nding at the (very first) gate bent low with joined palms.
(26) Then, at the middle gate, he met h is friends a n d relations.
Seei ng those who longed for his sight or for his insta l l ation a n d
havi ng met and addressed them ki nd ly, the h e i r apparent, who
was a tiger a mong men, mou nted next his splendid and excel ­
lent chariot, which shone brightly l i ke fire and was upholstered
with tiger ski n . (27-28) Rid ing his cha riot, which moved ra pidly
with a sound as of thunder and was commodious, was i n laid
with gems and gold, which shone l i ke Mount Meru (the gold
mou ntain) a n d blinded one's eyes with its splendour as it were,
which was driven by super-excellent horses a lmost as big as
, _ young elepha nts - (even) as Indra (the thousa n d-eyed god)
' cloes his own cha riot, driven by swift horses - Sri Ra ma (a sci­
on of Raghu), fla ming with glory, quickly depa rted . Th undering

47
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Top : Sita giving away posses­

sions
Bottom : Ram distributing
away his wealth (Mewar)

48
 Sri Rama is Exiled

l i ke a cloud in the sky a nd m a king the quarters resound (with

its rattle), that glorious chariot proceeded from the palace as
the moon emerges from a large cloud. Ta ki ng his seat i n the
chariot behind Sri Rama, with a wonderful chowrie in his hand,
Lak�mar:ia, younger brother of Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu)
guarded his (elder) brother, a brother ( i n the true sense of the
word) as he was. Thereupon an uproarious shout of a ppla use
rose from the concourse of men that had gathered a l l round,
(even ) as the chariot departed on its course. Then, excel lent
horses a nd the fo remost of elephants lookin g l i ke mountains
followed Sri Rama in hundreds and thousands. In front of Sri
Rama, again, marched mai led warriors daubed with paste of
sandalwood and aloe and wielding a sword a n d bow each and
men i nvoking blessings (on Sri Rama ) . Then were heard on the
road (a long which Sri Ra ma d rove in his chariot) the notes of
musical instruments as wel l as the words of praise uttered by
the panegyrists and afterwa rds the shouts of warriors resem­
bling the roa ring of l ions. Sri Rama' (the subduer of his enemies)
d rove along while bei ng covered on a l l sides with showers of
excel lent flowers rained by women adorned with jewels and
standing at the windows of their mansions. With i ntent to please
Sri Rama, women who were fau ltless of every l i m b a n d stood i n
thei r mansions o r o n the ground (along the road ) extolled him
in excellent words (as foll ows) : - "Your moth e r, Kausalya, O
delighter of your mother, will rejoice to see you i nstal led on the
throne of you r father a n d with the obj ect of you r visit (to your
father) accomplished ." Those women indeed looked u pon Sita,
beloved of the heart of Sri Rama as the fo remost of those aus­
piciously ma rried women (and observed) : "Surely g reat auster­
ity has been duly practised by Sita in her past l ives i n that she
has (in her present bi rth) attai ned union with Sri Ra ma (even)
as Rohir:ii (wife of the moon-god, the goddess presiding over
an asterism of the same name) got united with the moon-god ."
So did Sri Rama (the foremost among men) hear, on the public
road, the delightfu l words uttered by young lad ies on the tops
of ma nsions (as wel l as on the road). (29-42) There (on the

49
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

road) Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) heard on that occasion the

tal ks of visitors (from outside), on va rious topics (con nected
with the line of Raghu) as wel l as the diverse observations
concerning hi mself of the people of Ayodhya (itself), who wore
a highly delig hted appea rance : - (43) "Here goes Sri Ra ma (a
scion of Raghu), who is about to i n herit a great ( roya l) fortu ne
by the g race of the king. We too sha l l have all our desi res fu l­
fi lled i n that he sha l l be our suzerain ruler. (44) This wi l l be our
(supreme) gain that Sri Rama wi l l for long acq u i re (sovereignty
over) th is enti re state. For, so long as he is the ruler of men
none wi l l ever undergo a ny disag reea ble experience, much less
sufferi ng." (45) Being gl orified by Swasti kas (who pronou nced
benedictions by ra isi ng shouts of victory), SOtas (chroniclers)
and Magadhas (who glorified descent), who marched a head
of him and extol led by eloquent eu log ists, Sri Ra ma drove l i ke
Kubera a long with neighing horses accompanied by elepha nts.
(46) Sri Rama (also) beheld the clean road thronged with el­
ephants in rut and female elepha nts, cha riots and horses, with
their crossi n�s packed to the fu l l by large crowds of men, l ined
with (shops containing) abundant jewels and large stocks of
sa leable goods. ( 47)

Canto XVII
Mou nti ng his cha riot, the glorious Sri Rama, who brought
immense joy to his friends and relations (wherever he went),
beheld (from his cha riot) the city (of Ayodhya), which was richly
provided with bu ntings and flags, fu migated with the incense of
precious aloe-wood and was crowded with va rious types of men.
(In this way) Sri Ra ma d rove through the middle of the road,
which was adorned with white houses looking l i ke (so many)
clouds and was fumigated with the Incense of aloe-wood . Li ke
Indra (the ruler of gods) in heaven, he (a lso) saw that excellent
road, the right roya l road, which was u ntroubled by thieves and
robbers and looked charming with (shops containing) hea ps of

50
 Sri Rama is Exiled

superb sa nda lwood and aloe-wood and (other) fragrant sub­

sta n ces as well as of li nen a n d silk, u n pierced pearls and excel­
lent crystals too, which was heaped on the sides with flowe rs
a n d edibles of various kinds, a n d whose crossings were ever
adorned with curds, grains of un broken rice, materials worth
offe ring as oblation to the sacred fi re, parched grains of paddy,
incense of va rious ki nds and paste of sanda lwood and aloe­
wood and va rious ki nds of flowers a n d perfu mes. Hearing the
_
n u merous blessings i nvoked by friends and d u ly honouring all
men (who invoked such blessi ngs) according to their respective
position, Sri Ra ma d rove along.
(Addressi ng Sri Rama, they sai d : -) " Resorting to the well­
known path (of righteousness) trodden by you r (father and)
g ra ndfather and g reat g randfather, when instal led (in the of­
fice of Prince Regent) today, keep to it." (Again, they said to
one another) : -"When Sri Ra ma is crowned ki ng, we shall a l l
l ive (even) more ha ppily than w e d i d when w e were sustai ned
by his father (King Dasaratha) and by a l l his forefathers. ( 1 -9)
Indeed, we shall have no use for enjoyment (of any sort) or for
the varieties of Mok$a (final beatitude), if we can only see Sri
Rama corning out (of the palace of King Dasaratha) after being
insta l led (as Prince Regent) today. ( 1 0) For, nothing else wi ll
be d ea rer to us tha n the installation o n the throne of S ri Rama,
who is invested with i mmense g lory." ( 1 1)
S ri Rama drove along the main road hearing unconcerned ly
these and other favourable ta l ks of his friends and relations,
eulogizing h i m . ( 1 2) Even when Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
had passed by, no man ( m uch less woman) cou ld turn his mind
or eyes away from that jewel a mong men . ( 1 3) He who did not
behold Sri Rama and whom Sri Ra ma did not notice was indeed
despised in the eyes of a l l men; even his own self would re­
proach h i m . ( 14) Si nce that pious-mi nded prince would show
compassion, commensurate of cou rse with their age, to a l l peo­
ple belonging to the fo u r g rades of society (and even outside
their pale), they were accordi ngly devoted to him (in thoug ht,
word and deed). ( 1 5) The heir apparent drove along leavi ng

51
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

crossroads, temples, and places sacred to the tutelary deities

of a village and schools to his right (as a token of respect) .
( 16)
He rea ched the royal palace with its beautiful towers of vari­
ous designs resembling auspicious assem blage of clouds a n d
compara ble t o t h e pea k o f Kai lasa as wel l as with its pleasure­
houses adorned with bunches of precious stones and rising
a bove the sky l i ke (so ma ny) aerial ca rs, the heir apparent, who
was glowing with his i n born splendou r entered the wel l-known
palace of his father, the foremost of (all) ma nsions on the globe
and resembling the pa lace of the mighty Indra . ( 17-19) H aving
passed through (the fi rst) three gates, guarded (as they were)
by bowmen, in a cha riot d rawn by horses; that jewel among
men wal ked through the other two gates on fo ot. (20) Passing
through all the (five) gates and politely sending back all men
(who accompanied him) Sri Ra ma, son of Dasa ratha, entered
the hallowed i n ner cham bers . ( 2 1 ) The pri nce havi ng made his
way into the presence of his (roya l) father on that occasion,
the whole crow d, ful l of joy, awaited his coming back (from the
palace even) as the ocea n awa its the risi ng of the moon. (22)

Ca nto XVIII
The said Sri Rama beheld his father seated o n a lovely couch
with Kai keyi, dejected a n d distressed and ma rked with a with­
ered face. ( 1) Bowing first at his father's feet with a modest
demeanour, he then laid hi mself low at Kai keyi's feet, fu lly com­
posed in mind. (2) Having ba rely uttered the word " Rama", the
afflicted monarch cou l d neither cast a look (at him) nor spea k,
his eyes bli nded with tea rs. (3) Seeing that unusual a ppea ra nce
of the monarch, which gave rise to apprehension, Sri Rama too
was seized with dismay, (even) as he. would on touching a ser­
pent with his foot. (4) H e saw the monarch withered through
g rief a n d agony with h is senses d ivested of joy, sighing with a
d istressed and perturbed mind ; l i ke a mighty and unshakeable

52
 Sri Rama is Exiled

ocean rendered tu rbu lent with a succession of waves, l i ke a

�$i who has spoken a lie a n d therefore l i ke the sun obscu red
by a n ecl ipse. (5-6) Bestowing his thought on the sai d grief of
the monarch, which was a lmost inconceivable, SrT Rama g rew
extremely agitated as the ocea n is on the ful l moon. (7) The
insig htfu l Sri Rama, devoted, as he was to the welfare of his
father, said to hi mself, "How is it, that on this day alone, the
em peror does not j oyfu l ly respond to fl}Y g reeti ng? (8) On other
days my ( roya l) father wou ld be pleased on seei ng me, even
though in an angry mood . How is it that he feels agonized to
behold me today?" (9) Li ke one distressed a nd stricken with
grief and with the l ustre of his face overshadowed with mel­
a ncholy, SrT Rama saluted KaikeyT and spoke to her alone as
fol lows :
- ( 10)
" I hope no offen ce has been unwittingly committed by me
(against my father). (Pray) tel l me the reason why father is
a n g ry with me. Only you ca n propitiate h i m . ( 1 1) Why is he
though a lways fond of me, displeased? With his face downcast
he does not even speak to me, affl icted as he is. ( 1 2) I hope
no agony caused by bodily distemper or menta l anguish afflicts
him; truly speaking, everlasti ng ha ppiness is hard to secure.
( 1 3) I hope no offence has been committed (by me) against
Pri nce Bharata of pleasi ng aspect or Satrughna possessing
g reat val o u r or against my m others. ( 14) Unable to please the
em peror or fa iling to do my father's bidding and in the event
of His Majesty bei ng angry (with me) I wou l d not su rvive even
for an hou r or so. ( 1 5) How ca n a man fai l to be devoted to
his father, his verita ble and l ivi ng deity, to whom he owes his
own birth i n this world? ( 16) (Or) has my father been spoken
to - through va nity or anger - a harsh word by you, by which
his heart has been stu ng to the quick? ( 17) What is this un­
precedented agitation i n the mind of the e m peror due to? 0,
a uspicious one, I bristle with questions therefore, explain to
me, i n essential terms." ( 18)
Questioned thus by the hig h-sou led Rama (a scion of Ra­
g h u ) , KaikeyT, who had g rown utterly impudent, made the fol-

53
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

lowi ng bold reply, which was calculated to adva nce her own
interest : - ( 19) "The ki ng is neither angry nor is there any an­
g uish troubling h i m . 0 Ra ma! There is, however, somethi n g i n
h i s mind, which h e is not disclosi ng (to you) for fea r of hurting
you . (20) Words do not proceed from his mouth to tel l you , his
darling, something disagreeable (to you ) . You however, m ust
i m plement the promise that was given to me, by h i m . ( 2 1 ) Hav­
ing granted me a boon i n the past and (thereby) honoured me,
this (ill ustrious) monarch (now) repents in the sa me way as
a ny other common ma n . (22) H aving given a pledge to me i n
the words 'I grant (you) a boon' the celebrated monarch seeks
in vai n to construct a dam across a stream whose water has
already flowed away. (23) Truth is the root of piety - th is is (a
fact) well known even to the rig hteous, O Ra ma! Bewa re l est
the ki ng should forsa ke that truth, angry as he is (with me) for
you r sake. (24) If you undertake to i m plement whatever the
ki ng says, whether it is good or evi l (for you), in that case of
course I sha ll repeat everything (to you). (25) If what has been
resolved by the ki ng is not disobeyed by you then I shall lay it
a l l before you . In no case wi l l he utter a word to you ." (26)
Distressed to hear the words uttered by KaikeyT, the ag­
grieved Sri Rama spoke (as fol lows) to the said q ueen in the
presence of the emperor: (27) "Oh Sham e ! You do not need to
speak such words to me, O glorious one! At the bidding of my
father, I am prepared to leap into a fi re . (28) Com manded by
the emperor, who is my teacher, father a n d friend (all in one),
I might (as wel l) swa l low deadly poison and take a plunge into
the ocean . (29) (Therefore) speak out to me what is desi red by
the ki ng, 0 auspicious one! I shall accomplish, I firmly pro mise.
( Know that) Ra ma does not speak twice." (30) To the said Sri
Ra ma, who always spoke the truth and was richly endowed with
erect truthful ness, the ignoble Kai keyi addressed the fol lowing
exceptionally cruel words: - ( 3 1 ) " Formerly in the course of a
conflict between gods and demons, 0 scion of Raghu, a couple
of boons were g ranted to me by you r father, who had been
rescued ( by me) in a major battle with a shaft (which remai ned

54
 Sri Rama is Exiled

d u g into his body and was extracted afterwa rds by me). (32) As
against those boons the ki n g was solicited by me this very day
(to acquiesce in) the i nsta l lation (as Pri nce Regent) of Bha rata
a n d your departu re to the Dar:u;laka forest, 0 scion of Raghu .
(33) If you want to prove your father and yourself to be true
to you r promises, O jewel a mong men, (please) l isten to the
fol l owing exhortation of mine. (34) Be fa ithfu l to the word of
you r father: as promised by him, yo!:J ought to retire to the
woods for n i ne yea rs and five. (35) And let Bharata be conse­
crated with a l l the material that has been g ot together by the
ki n g for you r consecration, 0 scion of Raghu ! (36) Forgoing the
forthcoming instal lation a n d ensconced in the Dar:ic;laka forest,
wea r matted locks a nd the bark of trees for seven a n d seven
years. (37) Let Bharata rule over this earth that is owned by
Dasaratha (the ki ng of Ayodhya) a n d is ful l of precious stones
of various kinds a n d crowded with cha riots driven by horses.
(38) Overwhel med with com passion (for you ) d u e to this ci r­
cumstance (of havi ng g ranted a couple of boons in my favour),
this monarch can not (even ) look at you, his face withered from
g rief. (39) Implement th is pledge of the em peror, 0 delight of
the Raghus! ( Pray) Deliver the em peror (from a delicate situa­
tion) by vi ndicating his outstanding veracity." (40) Even though
Kai keyi spoke unkindly as above, Sri Ram a did not yield to grief
at a l l . The ki ng, h owever, even though he was possessed of
g reat strength of mind, felt sore distressed, afflicted as he was
by the agony of (impending) sepa ration from his son . (4 1 )

Ca nto XIX
Sri Rama, the destroyer of his enemies, did not feel dis­
tressed to hear that message, which was (so) un pleasant to
hea r and was like death (itself), and spoke to Kaikeyi as fol­
lows: - ( 1 ) "Amen ! Honouri n g the promise made by the kin g
a n d wea ring matted locks and the ba rk o f trees, I wil l undoubt­
edly proceed from Ayodhya to the forest to ta ke up my abode

55
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

(there) . (2) I, however, desire to know wherefore His Maj esty,

who is ca pable of chastisi ng his enemies and is (hi mself) hard
to assa i l , does not welcome me as before. (3) Nor should dis­
pleasure be shown by you (to me), 0 queen, beca use I a m put­
ting this question to you . Wea ri n g the ba rk of trees and matted
locks I w i l l (certa inly) proceed to the forest. Be fully pleased
(with me). (4) Enjoined by the e m peror, who is my friend, pre­
ceptor a n d father (all in one) a n d appreciates a service done
(to him), what ki ndly act shall I not do u n hesitatingly (to him)?
(5) A menta l ang uish pains my heart that His Majesty should
not persona l ly speak to me a bout Bharata's installatio n . (6)
For, com manded by you, I wou l d myself joyful ly part with, in
favou r of Bharata, not only the ki ngdom (of Ayod hya) and my
(persona l ) property but (even) Sita (my wedded wife), my be­
loved life (itself) . (7) How m uch more (glad ly) sha l l I pa rt with
(all) these when enjoi ned by my father, the em peror h i m self,
and (that too) with intent to please you and in order to honour
the pledge given by him (to you)? (8) (Therefore) reassu re
'
to that effect the bashfu l monarch. But why shou l d it be that
the emperor gently sheds tears with his eyes riveted on the
g rou nd? (9) Let messengers proceed this very day on horses
possessing a swift speed u nder orders of the ki ng in order to
bring Bharata from his materna l u n cle's home. ( 1 0) Here do I
actually proceed with quick steps without fa i l to the Daoc;laka
forest in order to live there for fourteen years, without ca lling
in q uestion the command of my father." ( 1 1)
Kaikeyi felt rejoiced to hear that reply of Sri Ra m a . Confident
of his departure (to the forest), she u rged (in the fol lowi ng
words) Sri Rama (a scion of Rag hu) to look sharp : -( 1 2) " Let it
be so ! Messengers and (other) men sha l l depart on horses pos­
sessing a swift speed to bring back Bharata from his maternal
u ncle's a bode here. ( 13) I do not in any case deem it advisa ble
for you to ta rry (any longer), keen as you a re to depart (for
the woods), O Ram a ! Therefore you ought to proceed qu ickly
to the forest from this place. ( 14) That the king does not speak
to you h i mself, ashamed as he is (in asking you, his favourite

56
 Sri Rama is Exiled

son, to relinquish the throne and leave Ayodhya), matters little,

O j ewel a mong m e n ! Let this compu nction be ba nished (from
you r mind). ( 15) So long as you do not depart posthaste from
this city, your father, O Ra ma, wou ld neither bathe nor have his
brea kfast." ( 16)
The king, drawi ng a deep audible breath , with the words :
"What a shame! How painfu l ! " on his li ps, overwhelmed with
grief, dropped down u nconscious on tt)atcouch inlaid with gold .
( 17) Lifti ng u p the ki ng, Sri Ra ma too, when urged on face to
face by Kai keyi, made haste to proceed to the forest (even) as
a h o rse lashed with a whip. ( 1 8) Hearing that ignoble a nd cruel
utterance of Kaikeyi, Sri Rama, who was un known to a n guish,
spoke to her as follows : - ( 19) "I do not desire to live in the
world as a slave to material gains. Know me to be devoted
to immaculate righteousness l i ke the �!?is. (20) Whatever is
a g reeable to my a do rable father a n d capable of bein g a ccom­
plished by me even at the cost of my life has verita bly bee.n a c­
complished in everyway. ( 2 1 ) Indeed there is no greater piety
than or as good as service to one's father or doing his bidding .
(22) At your com mand, thou9h not (directly) enjoined by my
revered father, I shal l l ive i n the forest for fourteen years. (23)
Surely you have found a d eficiency i n my vi rtues otherwise why
should you have spoken to the king ( a bout such a trivia l thing);
you have g reater a uthority over me, 0 pri ncess of Kekaya ! (24)
(Pray) bear with me til l I ta ke leave of my mother ( Ka usa lya)
a nd win Sita to consent. Then I shal l proceed to the g reat for­
est of Dar:H;laka1 this very d ay. (25) An attem pt shoul d be made
by you to see that Bharata protects the ki ngdom (from i nterna l
disorder and foreign aggression) and serves his (aged) father;
for such is the eterna l code of mora lity." (26)
Sore distressed to hear Sri Rama's uttera nce, and u n a bl e to
1. What then wen t by the name of the Dar:ic;laka forest was at one
time a principal i ty ruled over by a Ksatriya clan known by the name of the
Da r:ic;lakas, who claimed their descent from Da r:ic;la, son of Ik�waku, The
tract, which was bounded on the north by the Na rmada and on the south
by the Godava ri, was. laid waste through a shower of dust under a curse
pronounced by Sage Sukra .

57
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

speak because of grief, his father wept bitterly at the pitch of

his voice. (27) Bowing at the feet of his roya l father, who was
lying unconscious (even) then, as well as of the ignoble Kai keyl,
Sri Rama (who was endowed with great splendour) departed.
(28) Ci rcu mambu lating his father as well as Ka ikeyl and com­
ing out of the inner chambers, the celebrated Sri Rama saw his
friends (standing at the gate). (29) Highly enraged, La k�mar:ia,
who enha nced the joy of (his mother) Su mitra, fol l owed at his
heels, so the tradition goes, his eyes brimfu l with tears. (30)
Circumambu lating the vessel containing the req uisites for the
(projected) consecration, Sri Ra ma moved slowly a long without
casting his eyes on it, keen, as he was to leave the place. ( 3 1 )
Loss of sovereig nty, however, d i d not detract ( i n the least) from
his extraordinary splendour beca use of his bei ng (natu ra l ly)
pleasing (of aspect), any more tha n the wa ning of (the orb of)
the moon (disti nguished by its cool rays), which is delig htfu l to
the world, detracts from the latter's charm . (32) No change of
mood was perceived in him - any more than in a master-Yogi
who su rpasse s all (common) men ( beca use of his having risen
above a l l pairs of opposites) - even though he was ready to
retire to the woods and was renouncing the sovereignty to the
(enti re) earth . (33)
Forbidding the use of the beautiful umbrella as well as of a
pair of richly adorned chowries and sending away his own peo­
ple, the chariot a nd the citizens, inhibiting his agony (ca used
by the agony of his own people) with his mind and controlling
his senses, Sri Rama (who had fu l l mastery over his self) en­
tered his mother's apartments in order to break the unpalat­
able news (to her). (34-35) Al l the people around him who
were fi lled with auspicious thoug hts of glory, did not notice
a ny change on the face of the truthful a n d glorious Sri Ra m a .
(36) The mighty-a rmed Sri Ra ma (who was noted for h i s self­
control) did not shed his characteristic' and native joy any more
than the a utumnal moon with its intensely bright rays loses its
natural splendour. (37) Duly honouri ng a l l men with his suave
speech, the highly ill ustrious Sri Rama (whose mind was given

58
 Sri Rama is Exiled

to piety) entered the presence of his mother. (38) Controlling

the agony ca used in h is m i n d (by the interruption of Sri Rama's
installation and the news of his i m pending exile), his (you nger)
brother, Lak!?mar:ia (son of Sumitra ), who had attained equality
with Sri Ra ma by vi rtue of his excel lences and was possessed
of g reat prowess, fol l owed h i m . (39) Enterin g the palace (of
Kausalya), (which was) fu l l of i m mense joy (at the projected
insta llation of Sri Ra ma), Sri Ra ma diq not u ndergo any change
of mood at all even on perceiving that loss of (world ly) fortune,
that had come u pon him at this moment, for fea r of bringing
a bout the loss of life of his near a n d dear ones. ( 40)

Canto XXII
Approaching the celebrated Lak$mar:ia (son of Su m itra), his
beloved brother and well-wisher, who felt distressed through
agony and was g reatly indignant a n d was looki ng with eyes
wide open through rage l i ke an i nfu riated elephant, the said Sri
Ra ma, who had mastered his self, spoke (to him) as follows, re­
stra ining his mind with firmn ess: - ( 1-2) "Curbing your anger
(against our father and Kai keyi) a n d g rief (over my i m pending
exi le) and embracin g u ncom mon fortitude, ignoring this affront
a n d derivi ng the highest j oy (from the idea of havin g hel ped
o u r father in implementing his plighted word a n d thereby en­
suring his p lace i n the highest h eaven), (pray) cause to be sent
back all the exq uisite materia l that has been got ready for my
consecration and quickly and uni nterruptedly accom pl ish what
req u i res to be done (now in the shape of preparations for the
journey) . (3-4) Let the sa me zeal be evinced in preparing for
the exil e (which i m pl ies the cessation of the consecration) a s
w a s shown in col lecting materials for my insta llation, 0 beloved
of Sumitra ! (5) Ta ke steps to ensure that that mothe r of ours
(viz., Ka ikeyi) whose mind is g reatly troubled over the q uestio n
o f m y installation is not fi l led with apprehension. ( 6 ) I ca nnot
afford to i gnore even for a while, 0 beloved of Sumitra, the

59
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

agony in the form of apprehension a roused in her mind. (7)

"I do not remember the least offence ever given (by me)
consciously or u nwittingly to my mothers or to my father in this
l ife. (8) Let my father - who is ever truthful, true to his prom­
ise, truly valiant and afraid of fa lsehood (which brings disaster
in the other world) - be rid of fea r (in the other world by my
redeem i n g the promise m ade by him to Kaikeyi) . (9) Indeed,
so long as this business (of insta llation) is not liquidated the
painfu l consciousness that his veracity has not been vindicated
wi l l lurk in his (father's) mind too and his agony is sure to dis­
tress me as wel l . ( 1 0) Therefore, having done away with this
ceremony of installation, O Lak�mar:ia, I wish to proceed from
this city to the forest soo n . ( 1 1 ) Accompl ished of purpose as
a result of my banishment, let Kaikeyi (the daughter of King
Aswapati) then i nsta l l her son, Bharata, this (very) day, with­
out any distraction of mind. ( 1 2) On my having proceeded to
the forest clad in the bark of trees and deerskin and wea ring a
coil of m atted locks, the mind of Kaikeyi wil l be gratified. ( 1 3)
Surely I oughf not to give offence to Providence (by crossing
His purpose), as it is by Him that this idea has been infused
(into the mind of Kaikeyi through the machi nation of Manthara)
and her mind fully set at rest (on the question). I shall (accord­
ingly) go i nto exile, let there be n o delay. ( 14)
" Providence alone should be regarded, O son of Sumitra,
as responsible for sending me i nto exil e as wel l as for tak­
ing back (from me) the sovereig nty (of Ayodhya) offered to
me. ( 1 5 ) How could the resolution of persecuti ng me (by way
of sendi n g me into exile) enter the mind of Kai keyi (my own
mother) if this idea of hers were not prompted by Providence?
( 16) You (already) know, O gentle brother, that I have never
made any discri m ination between my mothers, nor did Kaikeyi
make any distinction, between her son and me. ( 17) As such
I cannot hold a nything other than ttie wil l of Providence re­
sponsible for her tormenti ng the king with harsh words, hard
to utter (even for others), urgin g him to stop my i nstallation
and sending me into exi le. ( 18) How (else) could she, a prin-

60
 Sri Rama is Exiled

cess of gentle disposition a n d possessing such ( ra re) qua lities

(of head and heart) utter l i ke a vulgar woma n in the pres­
ence of her h usband words intended to torment me? ( 19) That
w h ich can not be fo reseen is surely a d ecree of Providence a n d
it can not b e set aside b y any a mong created beings. Evi dently,
therefore, it is by the wi ll of Providence that the unexpected
has befa l len me as well as her. (20) Again, what man can dare
contend, 0 son of Sumitra, with desti �y, of which no indication
can be fou nd other than the consequence of an act? ( 2 1 ) Joy
a n d sorrow, fea r a n d anger, gain and loss, bi rth and death and
whatever si milar experience comes to a particular i ndividual,
that is unq uestiona bly the work of Providence. (22) Strongly
i m pel led by destiny, even sages practising severe austerities
a re led astray by concupiscence a n d a nger etc., a ba ndoning
their strict observa nces. (23) Setting aside a n u nderta king (al­
ready) commenced with the help of requisite materia ls, that
which takes place unexpectedly without any (ostensi ble) cause
is u ndoubtedly the doing of Providence. (24)
"In spite of my i nstallation having been interrupted, I ex­
perience no agony, havi ng ful ly steadied my mind of myself
by recourse to this true wisdom . (25) Therefore, rid of agony
and fol lowing my line of thought, ca use you the proceedi ngs of
insta llation to be stopped at once. (26) With all these jars (con­
tai ning sacred waters) brought together for my consecration, 0
Lak$mar:ia, wi ll be accomplished my bath at the inauguration of
my vow of austerity. (27) Or what have I to do in rea l ity with
this water accompanied in abundance by (a uspicious) a rticles
collected for the insta l lation? Water drawn by me persona l ly
w i l l serve to inaugurate my vow of a usterity. (28) Moreover, 0
La k$ma r:ia, do not give way to remorse over the loss of fortune.
To me it matters little whether sovereig nty fa lls to my lot, or
exile, the latter bei ng of g reater consequence (in that it wi l l be
free from worries and favourable fo r austerity and wi l l afford
me an opportunity to redeem father's pledge g iven to Kai keyi) .
(29) Our youngest mother ( Kai keyi) ought not to be suspected
on any accou nt, of havi ng brought about this interruption i n

61
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

my insta l lation, nor our father, both of whom a re subject to

the control of Providence; for you know Providence to be pos­
sessed of unfa i ling power." (30)

Canto XXIII
Pondering with his head bent l o w as i t were w h i l e Sri Ra m a
spoke th us, La k$mar:ia quickly a n d suddenly began to swing be­
tween dejection (at the interruption of Sri Ra ma's i nstal lation)
a n d delight (over the latter's steadfast devotion to righteous­
ness) . ( 1 ) Knitting his brows together, at that ti me, La k$maQa
(a jewel a mong men) hissed like an enraged cobra i n a hole.
(2) That frowning aspect of his, which was d ifficult to gaze on,
a ppea red at that moment l i ke the face of a n infuriated l ion . (3)
Violently shaking his forea rm precisely as an elephant would
shake its proboscis, and fl inging his neck horizonta lly as well
as u pwards on his body, and gazing obliquely with a comer of
his eye, La k$rrfar:ia spoke (as fol lows) to his brother (Sri Ra ma) :
- "At an inopportune moment indeed has this inordinate fl u rry
a ppea red in you for fea r of lapsing from the path of d uty a n d
with a view to disarming the grave suspicion in t h e m i n d o f the
people (that a pri nce who is disloyal to his father could not be
expected to rule his subj ects righteously). Indeed, how ca n a
man l i ke you rself speak as you a re doing, u n less he is agitated?
I wonder how you repeatedly g lorify in this way fate - which
is indeed ineffectual, pitiable and i mpotent - powerful and
foremost a mong the K$atriyas as you are . (4-7)
"It is a matter of surprise how there is no suspicion in you r
mind about that wicked cou ple ( Dasaratha and Ka ikeyi) . Don't
you know, O pious Rama, that there a re men devoted to sem­
bla nce of piety?" (8) Had this not actua lly been at the very out­
set the i ntention, 0 scion of Raghu, of the couple - who seek
throug h frau d for their own selfish end, to forsake you who
have such a noble conduct - the instal lation, woul d not h ave
been undertaken at a l l . If (the story of) the boon g ra nted by

62
 Sri Rama is Exiled

the one a n d received by the other had been rea l ; it would have
been g ra nted even before (the prepa rations for the insta llation
were taken in hand). (9) What has now com menced, is disliked
by the people. I can not brook, 0 heroic Ra ma, the insta l lation
of a nyone other than you . Be pleased to forgive my intolerance
in this matter. (10) Repellent to m e is that piety too by (the
thought of) which your mind (which was once inclined to ac­
cept the office of Pri nce Regent) has Shus been diverted from
the pu rpose, O noble-minded brother, and through devotion
to which, you are fa l ling a prey to del usion. ( 1 1 ) (Had it not
been so) how are you going to redeem the most u n righteous
and reproachful pledge of your father who is u nder the thumb
of Kai keyT, even though you a re able to set things right by re­
cou rse to a ction ? ( 1 2) Si nce this interru ption (in you r insta l la­
tion), though brought a bout through machination (in the shape
of connecting the story of a boon g ra nted by the emperor), is
not bei ng recogn ized ( by you) as such, agony is ca used to me
on that account and partia l ity to (such fa lse) piety is reprehen­
sible (in my eyes) . ( 13)
"This adherence of yours to piety is conde mned in the eyes
of these people (of Ayodhya) . How can a nyone other than you
fulfi l !, even in thought, the desire of the two enemies, bear­
ing the name of pa rents, who fol low thei r own pleasure and
are ever hosti le to you? ( 14) Although it is you r belief that
(even) the decision of you r parents (to stop you r insta l l ation)
is inspi red by fate, it nonetheless d eserves to be ignored by
you rself. Such a decree even of fate does not please me. ( 15)
He (a lone) who is cowardly and powerless trusts in fate. The
va lia nt, who a re possessed of a strong mind, never seek shelter
in fate. ( 1 6) A man who is ca pable of setti ng aside the decree
of fate through personal effort never feels disheartened on his
pu rpose being thwarted _ by destiny. ( 17) People wil l see today
the relative strength of fate and a h u man bei ng. The disti nction
between fate and a h u m a n being wi l l be man ifest today. ( 1 8)
People by whom your insta l lation on the throne has been seen
interrupted throug h destiny today w i l l find fate worsted this

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

very day by my va lour. ( 19) By (sheer) d i nt of bravery I sha l l re­

pulse destiny rushing headlong l i ke an u ncontrollable and u n re­
strained elephant haughty with fl uid exuding from its tem ples.
(20) Neither all the g u a rdians of the spheres nor (the denizens
of) all the th ree worlds, O Rama, ca n i nterrupt you r consecra­
tion today; how, then, can father do it? (21) They {alone) by
whom, 0 ki ng, has you r exi le to the forest been unani mously
supported wi ll li kewise l ive in exi le for fourteen yea rs. (22) I
sha ll bring to naught that hope of father as well as of hers
(Kai keyi) which is directed towards securing sovereig nty for her
son th rough interruption of you r consecration. (23)
" For him who is antagonistic to my strength, the power
of destiny wil l not prove helpfu l to the same extent since my
fierce might wi ll redound to his suffering. (24) Later on when
you have retired to ta ke up you r abode in the forest at the
end of thousa nds of yea rs, sons of you r worthy self wi ll rule
over the people without interruption (leaving no room for oth­
ers even then). (25) In conformity with the conduct of a ncient
roya l sages, fesidence in the forest is recommended (for ki ngs
only) when they have com mitted the people to the ca re of their
sons for being protected as sons. (26) If, constituted as you
a re, O pious-minded Ra ma, you d o not rea lly seek sovereignty
for you rself for fear of disaffection i n the state, the ki n g be­
ing i rresolute ( i n the matter of renouncing the kingshi p a n d
reti ring to the forest); you need not ha rbour a ny m isgiving
on that score . (27) I promise to you, O va liant brother, that I
shall g u a rd you as well as you r ki ngdom (even) as the coastline
guards the ocea n (and keeps it within bounds). Let me not earn
the rea l ms that fa ll to the share of heroes (after death) if I fai l
to do s o . (28) Allow you rself t o b e consecrated (by Vasi!?tha
and others), with auspicious a rticles and be up and doing i n
that direction . I a m enough to repel (hosti le) monarchs forci bly
single-handed . (29) These a rms (of ·mine) a re not i nten ded to
add to my cha rm nor this bow meant to serve as a n ornament
(for my body). Nor is my sword meant for bei ng tied to my belt
(and hanging by my side as a badge of honour) nor a re my a r-

64
 Sri Rama is Exiled

rows meant to serve as a support (for some stru cture). (30) All
these fou r exist (on ly) for crushing the enemy. Nor do I wish
that I should n ot hew, with my upl ifted keen-edged sword pos­
sessing an i nconstan t sheen l i ke a flash of lightning, him who is
considered to be my i nveterate enemy, be he Indra (the wielder
of the th underbolt) . (3 1-32)
"The ea rth will be thickly set (in no ti me) with the tru n ks
(or ha nds) of elepha nts, horses and warriors fig hti ng i n ca rs,
severed with the blows of my sword, and wi l l become h a rd to
tread . (33) Ki l led with the edge of my sword today (and conse­
q uently bathed in blood), enemies wi l l drop on the grou nd l i ke
(so many) blazing fi res or clouds accompanied by (flashes of)
l ig htning. (34) While I stand (on the battlefield) with finger­
protectors (made of the skin of iguana) fastened (gl ove-l i ke
roun d the left hand) to prevent inj u ry from a bowstri ng and
with upl ifted bow, how can anyone a mong men remain proud
of his va lour (and dare sta nd before me)? (35) Th rowi ng down
a single wa rrior with many shafts and many men with a single
a rrow, I sha l l dig a rrows into the vita l s of men, horses and el­
epha nts. (36) Today the efficacy of the power of my weapons
will manifest itself in order to prove the hel plessness of the ki ng
( Dasa ratha) and demonstrate you r sovereignty, O lord ! (37)
These a rms of mine, which a re worthy of ( being daubed with)
sandal-paste a n d putting on a pair of armlets, as wel l as of giv­
i n g away riches a n d protecti n g friends and relations, 0 Ra ma,
wi l l exert themselves today to stop those who a re i nterrupti ng
you r consecration. ( 38-39) Spea k, which enemy of you rs may
be deprived this very day of his life, fa me (of i nvi nci bi lity) and
relations. ( Pray) instruct me how to proceed so that the earth
may be brought under your contro l . I am at you r service." ( 40)
Wiping the tea rs of La k�mar:ia and comforti ng him more than
once Sri Ra ma, the p romoter of Rag h u 's race, replied, " Know
me, g entle brother, to be firmly obedient to the command of my
parents; for such is the path trodden by the righteous."(4 1)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Ca nto XXIV
Perceivi ng Sri Ra ma resolved on carrying out the com mand
of his father, Ka usa lya spoke as follows to her most pious son,
her voice choked with tea rs : - ( 1 ) "(Ah) born of me through
Dasa ratha, how wi l l the pious-m inded boy, who has never
known sorrow and who spea ks ki ndly to a l l created beings, live
on g rains g lea ned from a m arket-place (after the hea ps col­
lected there for sale have been disposed of)? (2) How shall this
boy, the sa me Rama whose (very) dependants and servants
pa rtake of dai nty dishes, eat roots and fruits in the forest? (3)
Who will bel ieve this story that Ra ma (a scion of Kakutstha),
the favou rite child of the emperor and rich in excellences, is be­
ing exi led? And who wi l l not be a l a rmed to hea r this? (4) Sure
enough, in this world, 0 Ra ma, where you, who a re so cha rm­
ing, a re going to retire to the forest, desti ny (alone) is mighty
and ru les a l l . (5) Emaciati ng me to a rema rka ble deg ree, my
son, this h uge and incompa rable fire of g rief - which has its
source in the mind, is fa nned by the wind of you r (i mpending)
absence and fed by the firewood of angu ish ca used by weeping
and is nourished by oblations poured in the shape of tea rs well­
ing u p at the ti me of weepi ng, which is crowned with vol umi­
nous smoke in the form of intensity of thought, which springs
up from anxiety concerning you r retu rn from exile at the end of
fou rteen years and which g rows in intensity th rough pumping
in the form of respiration - will consume me, bereft of you,
here i n the sa me way as a forest fire bu rns away dry wood and
grass etc., at the end of wi nter. (6-8) It is wel l known how a
milch cow fol lows its roaming ca lf. I (too) sha l l (according ly)
follow you whithersoever, my child, you will go."(9)
Duly hearing this speech uttered by his mother, Sri Ra ma,
a jewel a mong men, replied as fol l ows to his mother, who was
extremely distressed : - ( 10) " Betrayed by Ka ikeyi and (par­
ticula rly) when I have retired to the forest, the ki ng wi l l surely
not s u rvive if he is fu rther deserted by you . ( 1 1 ) Moreover,

66
 Sri Rama is Exiled

it is sheer cruelty on the part of a woman to desert her hus­

band. You should not d o this even in thoug ht; (for) it is highly
deprecated. ( 1 2) So long as my father, Emperor Dasa ratha (a
scion of Ka kutstha) su rvives, let servi ce be rendered to him (by
you) ; for such is the eternal moral code." ( 13) Feeling highly
delighted when ad monished thus by Sri Ra m a , Ka usa lya of be­
nign aspect, for her pa rt, said "So be it!" to Sri Ra ma, who
did things without u n dergoing a ny exertio n . ( 14) Add ressed
in the foregoing words, Sri Ra ma, the foremost among those
u pholding the cause of rig hteousness, however, fu rther spoke
as follows to his mother, who was feeling deeply distressed :
- ( 15) "Father's command m u st be ca rried out by you as well
as by me. He is the ki ng, su pporter, elder, su perior, controller
a nd master of (us) a l l . ( 16) H aving sported in some great forest
d u ring the ensuing nine yea rs a nd five, with supreme delig ht, I
shal l (then) continue to be at you r service ." ( 1 7) Spoken to in
these words, Ka usalya, for her pa rt, who was fu l l of affection
for her son and was extremely misera ble, then replied to her
beloved son (as follows), her face bathed in tea rs : - ( 18) "It
is not desi ra ble for me, O Rama, to l ive i n the midst of these
co-wives. If you have made up you r mind to depart in defer­
ence to the wish of you r father, (pray) ta ke me as well to the
forest, 0 scion of Ka kutstha, (even) as one would ta ke a wild
female deer."
Sri Rama spoke as fol lows to his mother, who was weepi ng :
- ( 19-20) " For a (ma rried) woman, so long as she is a live, her
h usband indeed is her deity as wel l as her lord . The king, our
master, holds sway over you as wel l as over me today. ( 2 1 )
With the wise king contin uing as the r u l e r o f t h e world, surely
we a re not without a master. And Bharata too is pious m i nded,
speaks ki ndly to all created beings and is ever devoted to righ­
teousness. He wi ll undoubted ly serve you . Ca refu lly a ct in such
a way that when I have depa rted (for the woods) the king may
not suffer agony in the least on account of g rief caused by
sepa ration from his son . And, rema i ning (ever) vigila nt, con­
sta ntly do good to the aged king, so that this poignant g rief

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

may n ot bri ng a bout his extinction . The woman, who, though

extremely noble and keenly devoted to sacred observa nces and
fasts, does not serve her husband, is sure to attain the destiny
of a sin ner. Th rough service to one's h usband (on the other
hand) even that woman who does not offer sal utations (to a ny­
one other than her h usband) a n d is averse to the worshi p of
gods secu res the hig hest heaven. Intent on doing that wh ich is
pleasi ng and good to her husband, a (ma rried) woman should
therefore do service to him alone: this is the lasti ng d uty en­
joi ned on a woman in the Vedas as wel l as in the Smrti texts.
While offering oblations to the fi re, gods as wel l as celebrated
Brahmar:ias of noble vows should be worshipped with flowers
and other a rticles for my sa ke, 0 a uspicious one! Leading a
regulated life and pa rtaking of an austere fare, devoted to the
service of you r h usba nd, bide ti me, long ing for my return . (In
this way) you will atta in the hig hest object of you r d esire when
I have duly retu rned, provided (of course) the emperor (the
foremost of those upholding the cause of rig hteousness) re­
tains his l ife.4'
Spoken to in these words by Sri Ra ma, however, Kausa lya,
who was stricken with g rief ca used by the i mpending sepa­
ration from her son, spoke as follows to Sri Rama, her eyes
bli nded with tears : - "I can not change your resolution to de­
part, which has been deli berately made, 0 dear and heroic son !
Surely desti ny is hard to supervene. (Therefore) depart you, my
son, with an u nwavering mind. Let good betide you at a l l times,
O mig hty son ! (22-33) I sha l l be rid of affliction once more
only when you have returned (to Ayodhya ) . I shal l sleep most
soundly (only) when you (my highly blessed son) return having
accompl ished you r object and concl uded your vow (of leading a
forest l ife for fourteen long years) and (thereby) fulfi l ling your
father. (34) The cou rse of desti ny in this world is always hard
to perceive, my son - the destiny wtiich is urging you to depart
setting aside my protest, 0 scion of Ragh u ! (35) Depart now,
0 mig hty-armed pri nce ! When safely retu rned, you shall delight
me, my son, with delightful a n d sweet words of consolation .

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

(36) Would that the time when I see you once more, my dea r
son, come back from the forest wearing matted locks and the
bark of trees, turn into this (very) moment!" (37) In as m uch as
the pious lady (Ka u sa lya) perceived with her penetrati ng mind
that Sri Ra ma was resolved to ta ke up his a bode in the forest
she spoke benedictory words to him and got incli ned to perform
rites of averti ng evi l through recitation of sacred texts. (38)

Ca nto XXVI
Saluting Kausa lya whi le a bout to set out for the forest, Sri
Ra ma, on whom blessi ngs had been invoked by his mother and
who remains steadfast on the most righteous path, agitated
as it were the hearts of the people (that had gathered there)
th rough his rich ness in excellences (of va rious kinds), i l l u min­
ing (at the same time by his very proxi mity) the ki ng's hig hway
crowded with men (a nxious to have a look at the pri nce). ( 1 -2)
Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha territory), in her turn, who had
been observi ng austere vows, had not so fa r hea rd all that
had ha ppened in the meantime so that the i nsta l l ation of Sri
Ra m a i n the office of Pri nce Regent a lone, stood foremost in
her h ea rt. (3) Having offered worship to the gods, the celebrat­
ed pri ncess, who knew her duty and was conversa nt with the
mora l code prescribed for ki ngs, was waiti ng for her husba nd
with thri lled expectation. ( 4)
In the meantime Sri Rama entered his i n ner apartment,
which was most tastefu l ly decorated and was crowded with
overjoyed attendants, his head bent somewhat low. (5) Forth­
with springing up from her seat, Sita tremblingly saw her cel­
ebrated husband stricken with grief, his mind perplexed with
anxiety. (6) Seei ng her, the said Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu),
whose m i n d was given to righteousness, cou l d not contain that
g rief existi ng in his mind; hence it became manifest. (7)
Seeing h i m pa le of countenance, bathed in perspiration and
una ble to restrain his grief, Sita (who felt sore stricken with

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

grief) said, "What is this now, my lord? (8) The auspicious con­
stellation Pu�ya (which is presided over by the sage B�haspati
a nd) that is propitious (for insta l l ation) is in the ascendant
today. The ceremony is recommended by learned Brah mar:ias
when the moon is in conj unctio n with the said asterism, O
scion of Raghu ! Wherefore (then) a re you i l l at ease? (9) You r
lovely cou ntena nce does not shine splendidly a s i t should when
ca nopied by an umbrella white as foa m and provided with a
hu ndred ribs. ( 1 0) Nor is you r lotus-eyed face ( I fi nd) being
fa nned (as it should) with a pair of excellent chowries shining
like the moon and the swa n . ( 1 1 ) Nor (again) a re overjoyed
mi nstrels and ba rds or even eloq uent panegyrists seen extol­
ling you in words ful l of benedictions today, 0 jewel a mong
men ! ( 12) Bra h ma r:ias well versed in the Vedas have not poured
with due ceremony honey and curds along with water from holy
places on you r head after you had ta ken a fu l l bath d rench­
ing you r head too. ( 13) Nor do all the ki ng's min isters and the
foremost a mong the traders, decked with ornaments, nor again
the citizens and people belong ing to the countryside seek to
fol low you (in state). ( 14) How does not an excel lent cha riot
used for travelling or pleasure a n d d riven by fou r swift horses
decked with gold ornaments, go ahead of you? ( 1 5 ) Nor is a
glorious elepha nt, adorned with a l l noble characteristics and
resembling a mountain crowned with a dark cloud, seen a head
of you in you r drive, 0 heroic prince? ( 16) Nor again do I per­
ceive m a rching before you a serva nt ca rryi ng an excel lent seat
embroidered with a gold fig u re, 0 va liant pri nce of delightfu l
a ppea ra nce! ( 17) When the preparations for you r consecration
a re complete, how is it that the colour of your face a ppears
so changed and no great joy is perceived (in you) at this mo­
ment?" ( 18)
Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) replied (as follows) to the wai l­
ing Sita : - "My adorable father, 0 Sifa, is sending me into exi le
to the forest. ( 19) Hea r in order of seq uence, 0 daughter of
Janaka, descended (as you a re) i n a noble fa mily, knowi ng (as
you do) what is right and practising vi rtue, wherefore this exi le

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

has fa llen to my lot today. ( 20) Indeed a cou ple of momentous

boons were actually g ranted in the days gone by, i n favou r of
my mother, Kaikeyi, by my father, King Dasaratha, who is (so)
true to his promise. ( 2 1 ) The preparations for my consecration,
(! rra nged through the emperor's endeavour, being com plete to­
day, the ki ng was pressed hard by her to g rant those boons
and, having been bound with an oath, was completely broug ht
u nder her th u m b on grounds of rigl)teousness. (22) I must
ta ke up my a bode in the forest of Dar:i<;laka for fourteen years
a n d fu rthermore, Bharata has been nomi nated by my father for
the office of Pri nce Regent. (23) As such I have come to see
you while on my way to the solita ry forest. In the presence of
Bha rata, I should never be pra ised by you . (24) For men en­
dowed with fortune a nd power, do not brook to hear the g lorifi­
cation of others. Therefore my virtues should never be extolled
by you before Bha rata . (25) I should never be exa lted to the
skies by you (even before you r com panions) . You ca n stay with
h i m (on ly) by behaving conformably to h i m . (26) The ki ng has,
once for a l l , conferred on h i m the office of Prince Regent. You
O Sita shou l d see that he is pleased by you, more so beca use
he is going to be the ki ng as wel l . (27) Duly implementing the
pledge of my father, I sha l l proceed to the forest this very day.
(Please) remain firm, O one of steadfast m i n d ! ( 28)
"When I have left for the forest, inhabited by sages, 0 pro­
pitious one, you should ta ke to sacred observa nces a n d fasts,
0 pure one! (29) Risi ng at dawn, after performing worship of
the gods according to the scri ptu ra l ordinance, you must sal ute
King Dasaratha, my father. (30) My mother, Ka usalya too, aged
as she is and emaciated through agony, deserves to be duly
respected by you si nce you must keep right conduct foremost
in your m i n d . ( 3 1 ) Those others too who a re related to me
as mothers deserve to be sal uted by you everyday si nce (all)
mothers are equal in my eyes in point of affection and goodwi l l
(they cherish me) a n d the way i n which they have looked after
me (when I was a child). (32) Bharata and Satrughna too, who
a re dearer to me than life, should be particularly reg a rded by

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

you as your (own) brothers or sons. (33) No offence should

be given to Bha rata at any ti me; for he is (now) as it were the
ruler of our country as wel l as of our fa m ily, O princess of the
Videha territory! (34) Kings, rea l ly spea ki ng, get highly pleased
when propitiated through good conduct and served with con­
tinued endeavour and feel enraged otherwise. (35) Rulers of
men forsake even sons sprung from their own loins if they
a re adverse, and duly accept as their own even stra ngers who
a re friendly to them . (36) Dwe l l you as such in Ayod hya un­
der the protection of the emperor and conforming to the will
of Bharata, remaining devoted to righteousness and fol lowing
sacred o bservances of unfailing efficacy, 0 blessed one! ( 37) I
shall ( i mmediately) proceed to the great forest (of Dal)c;laka),
my beloved; wh i le you should live here, 0 beautiful one! You
should cond uct yourself in such a way as not to offend anyo n e :
this is m y advice (to you ) ." (38)

' Ca nto XXVII

Roused to indig nation through sheer love when admonished
thus, Sita (the daughter of the king of the Videhas), who de­
served kin dness (from her husband) and (always) spoke kindly
(to him), repl ied to her h usband as follows: - ( 1 ) "Wherefore
do you tender me this advice, which makes me look i ndeed so
sma ll, O Ra ma, a n d which I am a m used to hear, 0 jewel a mong
the foremost of men! (2) Your uttera nce is u nworthy of va liant
princes adept i n the use of wea pons and missiles, and disgrace­
ful to them, O ruler of men, and is not worth listening to. (3)
Father, mother, brother, son and daughter-in-law, my darling,
reap each his or her desti ny, enjoyi ng their own merits (ea rned
in previous lives) . (4) A wife alone actually shares the fortune
of her husband, O jewel among men ! For this very reason I
too stan d enjoined that I shou ld as well take u p my a bode in
the forest. ( 5) In the case of women neither father nor son nor
their own body nor mother nor their female companions serve

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

as a n asylum here or hereafter. The husba n d a lone is their ref­

uge at a l l times. (6) If you depart this very day for the forest
(of Dar:ic;laka ) which is difficult to penetrate, 0 scion of Raghu,
I shall wa l k ahead of you crushing ( under my soles) blades of
(the sacred) Kusa grass a n d thorns (that lie in the way) . (7)
Casting away envy (at my courage in vol u nta ri ly offering to
accompany you to the forest) and wrath (at my insolence in
flouting you r command to stay in Ay_odhya), confidently ta ke
me (with you) as one wou l d take water remaining (in o ne's pot)
after one has drunk it once, 0 va liant prince! No sin (that may
d eter you from ta ki ng me with you ) a bides i n me. (8) Protec­
tion under the feet of one's husband under a l l ci rcu msta nces is
preferable (for a woman) to residence at the top of a palace, or
l iving i n aerial ca rs or cou rsing through the h eavens ( by virtue
of mystic powers acquired through proficiency in Yoga). (9) I
have been taught i n many ways by my mother and father how
I should conduct myself. (As such) I need not be instructed
at this j u ncture. ( 10) Unattended by any male serva nt I sha l l
proceed with you to the forest (of Dar:ic;la ka ) which i s difficult to
penetrate and teems with m u ltitudes of beasts of va rious spe­
cies and is i nfested with herds of tigers. ( 1 1 ) Ca ri ng n ot for the
sovereignty of the th ree worlds and concentrati ng my thought
on the vow of serving my h usband, I shall live ha ppily in the
forest as I would in my paternal home. ( 1 2) Servin g you ev­
eryday with self-restraint and practicing bra h macharya, I sha l l
sport with you in woodlands fra g ra nt with (stores of) honey, 0
va liant prince! ( 13)
"(As for yourself), you a re indeed capable of duly support­
i n g in the forest (even) other men m uch more myself (who a m
your wedded wife a n d enti rely dependent on you), O Ra ma,
who bestow honour on others! ( 14) Such a s I a m I shal l un­
doubted ly accompany you to the forest today. Bent as I a m (on
going) I can not be diverted (from my pu rpose), O prince of
g reat fortun e ! ( 15) I sha l l without d oubt live on fruits a n d roots
(alone) from day to day and shall not cause a ny an noyance to
you while l ivi ng with you . ( 1 6) I sha l l wa l k a h ead of you a n d

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

shall take my food (only) when you have fi nished you r mea l .
After that I long to see mountains, ponds a n d l a kes, remaining
fearless everywhere with you a s my wise protector. Accompa­
nied by you, a heroic prince, I wish ha ppily to see lotus-ponds
teeming with swa ns and waterfowls and a bounding in lotuses.
Remaining devoted to you I sha l l daily bathe in them and, fu ll
of supreme joy, sport with you, in this way, 0 la rge-eyed lord !
Spending with you (say) thousa nds of yea rs or even a hundred
thousand yea rs I sha l l never experience any sorrow. Heaven
too will not be accepta ble to me otherwise. Even if an a bode
devoid of you is vouchsafed to me in heaven, 0 scion of Rag h u,
I shal l never fi nd pleasure i n it without you, O tiger a mong
men ! ( 17-2 1) I sha l l proceed to the forest (of Dar:ic;laka), which
is most difficult to penetrate and is ful l with deer (of various
kinds) as wel l as with monkeys and elepha nts. Clinging to you r
feet alone a n d honoured by you I sha l l dwe l l i n the forest a s
though in m y father's home. (22) (Therefore) grant m y prayer
and take me (with you) - me, who am exclusively devoted to
you, whose n1ind is fondly attached to you and who am deter­
mi ned to die if disunited from you . You shall not be burdened
by my being taken a long with you ." (23)
Sri Rama (the foremost a mong men) did not feel i nclined in
the least to ta ke (to the forest) Sita, who was (so) devoted to
righteousness a n d even though she spoke as she d i d . In order
to turn her away (from her resolve) he spoke to her a lot a bout
the miseries attendant u pon forest life. (24)

Ca nto XXVIII

Bearing in mind the hardships o n e wi l l be ca l led upon to bear

i n the forest, Sri Rama, who was devoted to righteousness, did
not favou r the idea of ta ki ng (along with him to the forest) Sita,
who knew what is right and who had spoken thus. ( 1 ) Sooth ing
with ki nd words Sita, whose eyes were bedim med with tea rs,
Sri Rama (whose mind was given to piety), so the tradition

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

goes, then spoke as follows with a view to turning her back

from her purpose : - (2) "Sita, you a re born of a high pedigree
a n d a re ever devoted to righteousness. Practise you virtue here
so that gratification may be ca used to my mind . (3) You should
act as I a m going to tel l you, O Sita ! A dweller in the forest,
rea l ly speaking, suffers from many a handica p : (please) know
them (from me). (4) Let this idea of living in a forest be finally
reli nquished, O Sita ; for a d ense forest is spoken of as fraught
with manifold dangers. (5) My advice to you is tendered with
an eye to you r welfa re a lone (and not because you wi l l prove a
bu rden to m e) . Not only there is no joy in a forest at all ti mes;
I know it to be a n a bode of perpetual misery. (6)
"Intensified by (the noise of) h i l l -streams, the roa rs of lions
dwelling in mountai n caves a re unpleasant to hear. Hence a for­
est is fu l l of misery. (7) Again, on seeing a human being, wild
beasts i n rut sportin g fearlessly i n a lonely retreat attack him
on all sides. Hence a forest is fu l l of suffering. (8) Rivers a re
ful l of a l l igators a n d m a rshy too a n d as such difficult to cross
even for elephants in rut. Hence a forest is ever exceedingly
un pleasant. (9) The paths a re waterless and extremely rug­
ged, covered with creepers and thorns and rendered noisy by
wild cocks. A forest is therefore ful l of misery. ( 10) Exhausted
through toil (enta i led by search for food in the shape of fruits
etc.) one has to lie down d u ring nig hts on beds of (d ry) leaves
fal len of themselves. Hence a forest is a source of g reat suffer­
ing. ( 1 1 ) By day a n d by night hunger has to be appeased with
one's mind fu lly controlled by means of fruits fa l len of them­
selves from trees, 0 Sita ! Hence a forest is ful l of privations.
( 1 2) Fasti ng has to be observed according to one's stamina, 0
pri ncess of M ithila ! A mass of matted hair has to be worn (on
the head) and one has to remain clad in the bark of trees. ( 13 )
Worship must b e offered everyday t o the gods a n d the manes
according to the scriptura l ordinance and hospitality shown to
unexpected g uests a rrived at his door. ( 14) Those living strictly
in accorda nce with the scri ptu ral ordina nce must perform ablu­
tions thrice at the a ppoi nted ti me everyday. Hence a forest is

75
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

ful l of g reat hardships. ( 15) Worship must be offered, accord­

ing to the ordinance laid down by sages, at the a lta r (prepa red
with one's own hands) by mea ns of flowers gathered by one,
o S�ta ! H ence a forest is a source of sufferi n g . ( 16) Eati ng
sparingly dwellers in forests have to appease their h unger with
fruits etc. obtained according to season, 0 Sita, pri ncess of
M ith i l a ! H ence a forest is ful l of hardshi ps. ( 17)
"The wind blows furiously everyday, thick da rkness prevai l s
and hu nger (too) is ra pacious. Besides, there a re g reat perils
in the forest. Hence a forest is a sou rce of great hardsh ips.
( 18) Wel l - known serpents of various ki nds proudly move on
the tracks in large numbers, 0 proud one! A forest therefore
is a source of g reat miseries. ( 19) Serpents havi ng their home
i n rivers and movi ng tortuously l i ke rivers lie blocking the way.
Hence a forest is fu l l of great suffering. (20) Moths, scorpions,
worms a n d gnats a long with mosquitoes harass everyone dai ly,
0 fra il pri ncess! H ence a forest is ful l of suffering. ( 2 1 ) Thorny
trees, blades of (the sacred) Kusa grass and gnarled shru bs
known by the f'lame of Kasas a re seen with the ends of their
l i m bs spreading on all sides in the forest, 0 proud one! Hence a
forest is thick beset with hardships. ( 22) M a n ifold bodily suffer­
ings torment and perils of va rious ki nds threaten a man ta king
· u p his a bode in a forest dwel ling. A forest is (thus) a perennial
source of sufferi n g . (23) Anger and greed have to be complete­
ly a bandoned, one's heart has to be set on a usterity and one
must not d read even that which deserves to be d readed. Hence
a forest is a perpetual sou rce of suffering. (24) Therefore have
done with the idea of proceeding to the forest. A forest is n ot
secu re for you . Bestowing my thought on the subject I perceive
the forest as fraught with many evils as it were." (25)
When the high-souled Sri Rama did not agree to ta ke Sita to
the forest, she did not readily accept his verdict. Sore afflicted,
she then spoke as fol lows to the i l lustrrous Rama. (26)

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

Ca nto XXIX

Distressed to hear this plea of Sri Ra ma, Sita, who was

deeply attached to the latter, gently spoke as fol lows, her face
wet with tears: - ( 1 ) "The d isadvantages ensuing from an
abode in the forest, that have been enu merated by you, know
them to be (so many) blessings (in disguise) in view of the fact
that I am foremost in you r affections. (2) Antelopes, lions and ·

even so elephants, tigers a n d Sarabhas (a legendary animal

with eight legs and said to be more powerfu l even than the
lion), wild buffa loes and many other beasts that roa m about i n
t h e forest a re a l l sure to r u n away on seeing you r countenance
since they have never seen you r face before and because a l l
are afraid of you . (3-:4) I n p u rsua nce of the orders of you r par­
ents I too m ust accompany you (to the forest in as m uch as I
a m you r cou nterpa rt and ca n not live apart from you) . Life i n
this world m u st be cast away by me i n the event of separation
from you, 0 Ra ma! (5) In fact not eve n Indra, the ruler of gods,
is ca pable of overpowering me by his might so long as I am by
you r side. (6)
" It has been a mply brought home to me by you, O Ram a
that a (devoted) wife, woul d not be a ble t o survive, without
her husba nd. (7) Moreover, in the days gone by while living
at my father's, 0 highly e n l ig htened prince, the prophecy -
which must come true - was heard by me from the mouth
of BrahmaQas (we l l -versed in astrology) that I m ust dwell i n
the forest. (8) Having hea rd the prophecy a t my (parents')
home from BrahmaQas able to interpret ma rks on the body I
have ever cherished a longi n g for forest life, 0 highly power­
fu l prince ! (9) The truth of that prediction about forest life
must be rea lized by me. I m u st accordingly accom pany you, my
h usband, 0 beloved ; it can not be otherwise. ( 1 0) (I am sure)
I shall be permitted by you and shall (eventu a lly) accompany
you . The ti me (for the fu lfi l ment of the prophecy) has now
a rrived . Let the utterance of the Bra h maQas prove true. ( 1 1 )

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

I certa i n ly know there a re sufferings only of various ki nds i n

the forest. They a re, (however) invariably experienced by men
of u nsubd ued mind (alone), 0 heroic prin ce ! ( 1 2) While I was
(still) unmarried, the prediction a bout my dwelling in the forest
was heard by me i n my father's house from (the mouth of) a fe­
male hermit livi n g in tra nquility, in the presence of my mother.
Here too, my lord, you have been actu a l ly asked on many a n
occasion i n the past the favour o f ta kin g me to the forest and
spending some ti me there . Indeed to go and spend some time
i n the forest with you is longed for by m e . ( 1 3- 14)
"I am feeling j u bilant over (the prospect of) my departure (for
the forest) . May a l l be well with you, 0 scion of Ragh u ! Service
to you a heroic pri nce while dwe l l i ng in the forest is surely de­
lightfu l to me. ( 1 5) Following my h usband with loving devotion
I shal l surely be a bsolved from all gui lt, 0 pure-mi nded prince;
for the husband is the supreme deity. ( 1 6) My union with you
will conti nue forever and will be a source of blessedness (to
both) even hereafter. On this subject, O h i g h ly powerful pri nce,
is heard from'the l ips of celebrated Brah mar:ias the fol lowing
holy Sruti text - Even in the other world a woman contin ues
to be the wife of that very man to whom she was given away
in this world by her parents with water in their ha nds (to sol­
emnize the gift) according to the moral code binding on the m .
( 1 7- 18) Such being the case, for what reason o n earth d o you
not agree to take me, you r own wife, actua l ly (so) devoted to
her husband and of (such) good character, from this city? ( 19)
You ought (therefore) to take me, so devoted and fa ithfu l to
my husband, miserable, a l i ke to pleasure and pain and shari n g
your joys a n d sorrows O scion o f Kakutstha ! (20) I f you do not
feel incli ned at a l l to take me, affl icted as I am, to the forest, I
shal l resort to poison, fire or water to hasten my e n d ."( 2 1 )
In this way Sita entreated h i m in m any ways to let h e r ac­
company hi m . ( Nevertheless) Sri Rama (the m i ghty-armed
prince) did not consent to take her to the forest, which was
d estitute of friends. (22) Discou raged th us, the celebrated Sita
(the pri ncess of M ithila), fell a prey to a nxiety, moisteni ng the

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

ea rth as it were with burnin g tea rs d roppi ng from her eyes.

(23) In order, however, to divert her (from her resolve), the
self-possessed Sri Rama (a scion of Ka kutstha) for his part then
pacified in many ways the said princess of the Videha ki ngdom,
who was overwhelmed with indignation ( roused by love) and
fel l a brooding. (24)

Ca nto XXX

Being consoled by Sri Rama, Sita (Janaka's daug hter), the

pri ncess of M ithila, replied thus to her husband in order to ob­
tain his permission to live (with him) in the forest: ( 1) Highly
agitated (at the thought of her sepa ration from Sri Ra ma), Sita
ta u nted him, who was disti nguished by a broad chest, from af­
fection and pride, in the following words: - (2) "Securing you
as his son-in-law, O Rama, did my father, Janaka (descended
in the line of the Videhas), the king of M ithila, recog nise you to
be a woman in the form of a man? (3) It wou ld be a m atter for
pity (to me) if (in the event of your n ot taki ng me with you) the
people of Ayodhya utter through ignorance the falsehood that
'Supreme va lour is l acki ng in Sri Ra ma, even though he blazes
l i ke the sun' (4) On what g round a re you cast down or whence
the fea r in you for which you are inclined to desert me, exclu­
sively devoted as I a m (to you)? (5) Know you me to be as obe­
dient to you r will as Savitri (of historical fame) was devoted to
the valiant Satyava n , son of King Dyumatsena. (6) I wil l not cast
my eyes even in thought on a nyone else tha n you as a ny other
woman bringing disgrace to her fam i ly would, 0 sinless one! I
m ust accompany you, O scion of Rag h u ! (7) O Ra ma, of exem­
pla ry character, fol lowing the dharma of a ma rried man who is
always accompanied by his wife, yet you you rself wa nt, to leave
me to others, even though I have been you r wife since pu berty
a n d l ived with you for a long time and have been faithful ? (8)
"O sinless one, be you a menable to the one whom you a re
asking me to fol low and the one for whose sake you a re re-

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

strai ned, to h i m you be ever a menable a nd obedient. (9) But

you cannot legitimately, proceed to the forest without ta k­
ing me (with you ) . Be it a cou rse of austerities, forest life or
heavenly life, let it be with you . ( 1 0) No more exertion wi l l be
ca used to me in fol lowi ng at you r heels on the paths in the for­
est tha n in stro l l i ng ( i n a garden) or in sleep. ( 1 1) Blades of the
sacred Kusa grass, shrubs known by the name of ·Kasa, reeds
and rushes and whatever prickly bushes fa l l in my way in you r
company wi l l touch my soles l i ke a heap of cotton or soft deer­
ski n . ( 1 2) The dust raised by a storm that will cover my body,
I shal l take a s m ost exq u isite sandal dust, my lord ! ( 13) When,
while living i n the forest, I sha l l lie dow n on the grasses in the
heart of a forest (with you), will lying on beds covered with
woolen rugs be more comfortable than that? ( 14) Anything you
wi l l give ( me) in the shape of leaves, roots or fruits, bringing
it you rself in a small or large q u antity will taste l i ke nectar to
me. ( 1 5) Enjoyi ng the seasonal flowers and fruits too, I sha l l
neither remember m y mother nor father nor home. ( 1 6) You
ought not to foresee anything u nwelcome followi ng from my
departu re to the forest. Nor wi l l (any) g rief, come to you there
on my a ccount, nor shall I prove hard to susta i n . ( 17)
"An a bode shared with you, will be heaven (to me); while
that which wi l l be shorn of you will be hell. Knowi ng thus my
su preme love for you proceed to the forest with me, O Ra ma !
( 18) If you decidedly do not take me to the forest, even though
I am n ot the least afraid (of going there), I shal l d ri n k poison
this very day but would on no account submit to the wi l l of en­
emies. ( 19 ) Surely as a resu lt of g rief I a m not going to live af­
ter bei ng a bandoned by you, 0 lord ! It is therefore better that
I should die in your very presence. (20) I indeed ca nnot endure
even for less than an hour the grief caused by separation from
you . How, then ca n I, an afflicted woman, bea r it for ten yea rs
and fou r?" ( 2 1 ) H avi ng wailed a lot in a piteous way and closely
embracing her husband, tormented as she was with grief, STta,
who ( now) felt exhausted, cried at the top of her voice . (22)
Tortured with many hom i l i es like a female elephant pierced with

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

poisoned shafts, she shed tea rs that had long been restrained
even as a piece of wood wou ld emit fire through attrition with
a nother. (23) Tea r-dro ps sparkling as crystal a n d born of agony
slipped from her eyes as water from a pair of lotuses. ( 24) Her
countenance, that shone l i ke the u neclipsed moon o n a ful l
moon night a n d was disting u ished by large eyes, was withered
with (hot) tears as a lotus ta ken out of wate r is withered by
heat. (25) Folding i n his arms Sita, who .felt distressed a n d had
fainted as it were, Sri Ra ma then spoke to her as fol l ows, fu lly
reassu ring her: - (26)
"Alas, I fi nd no delight even in heaven obtai ned by causing
agony to you, 0 auspicious one! Nor is there fea r to me from
any quarter a ny more than to Lord N a raya r:i a . ( 27) Not know­
i n g you r ful l m i nd, 0 beautiful one, I did not a pprove of your
sojourn in the forest, though capable of protecti ng you . (28)
. Since you were (obviously) born to dwell with me in the forest,
O princess of Mithila, you a re inca pable of being aba ndoned
by me even as com passion can not be given u p by a man of
self-knowledge. (29) I sha l l a bide by the moral law actua l ly fol­
lowed by the virtuous (dwel lers in the forest) in the past, 0 one
with comely li mbs! Follow me (now even) as Suva rca la (wife of
the sun-god) does the sun god . (30) Of cou rse it ca nnot be that
I may not proceed to the forest, 0 daughter of J a na ka ; (for)
that p l ighted word of my father is u rging me to proceed. ( 3 1 )
Obedience t o one's father a nd mother - this is one's sacred
duty, 0 beautiful one! And violating their command I d a re not
survive. (32) Disrega rding one's mother, father and teacher,
whose command ca n be di rectly obta ined, how ca n it be pos­
sible to propitiate one's chosen deity, who is not so man ifest,
through (traditional) modes of worship? ( 33) N o other worship
is so sacred on earth as service to the aforesa id three, th rough
wh ich all the th ree worlds ( h eaven, earth and the space inter­
vening them) can be propitiated and ( a l l ) the three o bj ects of
h u m a n pursuit (viz., religious merit, earthly possessions and
g ratification of senses) can be obtai ned, 0 one with charming
gla nces! Hence the a bove-mentioned three a re sought to be

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

propitiated (by me). (34)

"Neither truthful ness nor gifts and honour (bestowed on the
deserving) nor sacrificial performa nces in which sacrifici a l fees
a re handsomely paid a re so potent ( i n securing happi n ess i n
the oth er world) a s service to one's father i s believed t o be.
(35) Heavenly b liss or (earth ly) riches, food grains or learning,
sons and a menities of life - nothing is hard to obtain th rough
compliance with the wishes of one's elders. (36) High-souled
men (exclusively) devoted to their parents secu re (after their
death) the regions of the gods and the Gandharvas, the sev­
enth heaven presided over by Bra h ma (the creator) and other
regions, nay, (even) Goloka . (37) I wish to do precisely as my
celebrated father, devoted to the path of truthfu lness a n d vir­
tue, enjoins me to do; for such is the eternal law of right con­
duct. (38) In as much as you a re fu lly determi ned to fol low me
(to the forest) with a resol ution to sojourn (there), my decision
about (not) ta ki ng you to the forest of Dar:ic;laka has g rown
weak, O Sita . (39) Since you a re (now) al lowed (by me) to
proceed to (he forest (with me), 0 ti mid one of flawless l i m bs
and intoxicating eyes, fol low me as such and be my pa rtner i n
the practice of austerities (incu m bent on the dwellers in a for­
est) . (40)
"Beloved Sita, you have a rrived at a most welcome deci­
sion worthy in every way of my race as well as of yours. (41)
Proceed with the duties preliminary to a sojourn in the woods,
0 one of charming li mbs! Without you even heaven does at­
tract me at this moment. ( 42) Bestow va luable gifts on the
Brahmar:ias and also offer food to mendicants asking for it.
Again, be very quick. M a ke no delay. ( 43) Give to the va rious
grades of you r dependa nts whatever costly ornaments, fi ne a r­
ticles of wea ri ng appare l and whatever lovely a rticles of house­
hold use and those meant for d iversion, couches and convey­
ances, (both) mine as well as you rs·, a n d whatever a rticles a re
left after satisfying the B ra hmar:ias." ( 44-45) Overjoyed to know
her departure (to the forest) accepta ble to her h usba nd, the
a uspicious one (Sita), q u ickly and defi nitely set a bout making

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

gifts accord ingly. ( 46) Feeling reassu red in m i n d and overjoyed

to ponder over the speech of her h usband, the i l l ustrious and
strong-minded Sita, forthwith commenced gifti ng riches and
jewels to virtuous souls. ( 47)

Ca nto XXXI

Hearing the dialog u e (that passed between Sri Rama and

Sita), the illustrious La k$mar:ia, who had a l ready come there
(from Ka usalya's apartments a long with Sri Ra ma) cou ld not
bea r the grief ( born of his i m pending separation from Sri Ra ma),
his face covered with tea rs. (1) Tightly pressi ng the feet of his
(eldest) b rother, Lak$mar:ia, the delight of the Rag h us, spoke
(as follows) to Sita, who enjoyed great renown, as also to Sri
Ram a (a scion of Raghu), who had u nderta ken a great vow :
- ( 2 ) "If you r mind i s set o n proceeding to the forest fu l l of
deer and elephants, I sha l l accom pa ny you to the woodland,
wa l king a head of you a rmed with a bow. (3) Accompanied by
me you wi l l roa m a bout in delig htful woodlands rendered noisy
a l l round by birds a n d swa rms of deer. ( 4) Without you I do not
wish to ascend to heaven nor do I solicit godhood nor again
d o I crave for the rulership of the spheres." (5) Speaki ng thus,
Lak$mar:ia (son of S u m itra), who was determined to dwell i n
the forest with his eldest brother, was discouraged by Sri Ra ma
in ( so) many soothi n g words, submitted once more (as fol­
lows): - (6) " Even though I sta nd a l ready permitted by you
(to accompa ny you to the forest), how am I being prohibited
a new this moment? (7) I wish to know definitely wherefore I
a m being disal lowed though longing to proceed (with you); for
there is doubt in my m i nd, 0 sin less brother (as to how permis­
sion was g ranted in the begin ning a n d is being witheld now)."
(8) Sri Rama, who was endowed with g reat effu lgence, then
replied (as fol l ows) to the strong-minded Lak$mar:ia, who stood
before him eager to precede Sri Ra ma and soliciti ng the latter's
permission with joined pal m s : - (9)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

"Full of affection (for me), devoted to virtue, resol ute, con­

stantly firm on the right path (as shown by the Vedas), dear
to me as life, a menable to my control and obedient, you a re
my boon com pa nion too (and therefore worthy i n every way
of accompa nyi ng me). ( 10) (Yet) if you proceed with me to
the forest for which I a m leaving today, O son of Sumitra, who
wi l l serve the illustrious Ka usa lya and Sumitra? ( 1 1) That high­
ly glorious king (our father) who showered blessi ngs on the
people (even) as the god of rain sends down rai n on the ea rth
sta nds fettered by the cord of love . ( 1 2) Obtaining this ki ngdom
Kai keyl, the daug hter of King Aswa pati, wi l l certai n ly not accord
good treatment to her afflicted co-wives. ( 13) Having attained
sovereig nty Bharata (too) wil l not mai ntain the extremely mis­
erable Kausalya and S u mitra, devoted, as he (natu ra l ly) wi ll
be to Ka ikeyl, (his own mother) . ( 14) By your own effort or
by secu ri ng the goodwil l of the ki ng, 0 son of S u mitra, pl ease
look after her, Ka usalya, who is worthy of the utmost respect.
(Pray) ca rry p ut this design (of mi ne) . ( 15) On service being
thus rendered to elders, 0 knower of what is rig ht, devotion to
me wi l l have been fu l ly demonstrated by you and incompa rably
great religious merit too wi l l accrue to you . ( 16) For my sake
(therefore), 0 son of Sumitra, do as aforesaid; (for) there wil l
b e no ha ppi ness for m y mother bereft o f us, O scion of Ragh u !"
( 17) Spoken to thus by Sri Ra ma, La k�ma r:ia, for his part, who
knew how to speak, then replied in sweet words (as fol lows) to
his eldest brother, a master of expression (himself) : - ( 18)
"Inspired by your bri l l iance itself the devout Bharata will
treat with respect Ka usa lya and Sumitra too : there is no doubt
(a bout it), 0 va liant prince! ( 19) If led astray i n consequence
of havi ng obtai ned this first-rate ki ngdom, Bharata does not
protect his mothers through perversity and particu larly from
pride, O heroic brother, I shal l make short work not only of that
evi l-minded and cruel fel low but a l l · his wel l-known adherents
too, nay, a l l the three worlds (if they side with him) : there is no
doubt a bout it. The celebrated Ka usalya, worthy of the highest
respect and (even) by whose dependa nts, thousa nds of vil lages

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 Sri Rama is Exiled

have been d u ly o btai ned, (as g rants), ca n su pport thousa nds

l i ke me. (20-22) As such the high-mi nded Ka usa lya is ca pable of
maintai ning her as well as me and even so my mother (Su mitra )
and those l i ke me. (23) Therefore ki ndly make me your atten­
dant: there w i l l be n o u nrighteousness in it. I shall (thereby)
have accomplished my object and your pu rpose too wil l be
adequately served . (24) Ta ki ng my stringed bow and ca rrying a
spade and a basket I shal l wa l k ahead .of you showi ng you the
way. (25) I sha l l procure for you from day to day, wild roots
and fruits and other prod ucts as well, fit for bei ng consigned
as o blation into the sacred fi re . (26) You wi ll sport at wi l l with
Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha clan) on mounta intops. I sha ll do
everyth ing for you whether you are wa ki ng or sleeping." (27)
H ig hly pleased at this subm ission, Sri Ra m a for his part re­
plied (as fol lows) to Lak$mar:ia : - "Go, take leave, O son of
Su m itra, of a l l your near and dear ones. (28) The two heavenly
bows, dreadfu l to look at, which the hig h-sou led Va rur:ia (the
god of water) persona l ly gave to King Janaka at a grand sacri­
fice ( performed by the latter), a pa i r of im penetra ble pieces of
armour, a cou ple of quivers containing an i n exhausti ble stock
of a rrows and a pa ir of swords shedding a spotless lustre like
that of the sun and decked with gold - a l l these (which had
· been presented to me by King Janaka as part of my dowry) lie
deposited after payin g (due) reverence at the residence of our
preceptor (Sage Vasi$tha). Ta ki ng all those a rms return soon,
0 Lak$ma r:i a ! " (29-3 1) Ta king leave of his near and dear ones
and approaching Vasi$tha (the preceptor of the Ik$Wa kus), the
prin ce, who was now assured of his sojourn i n the forest, took
(all) the excel lent a rm s etc. ( 32) Lak$mar:ia (son of Sumitra),
a tiger among pri nces, showed to Sri Ra ma a l l these excellent
and divine wea pons, that were decorated with garla nds. (33)
To La k$mar:ia who had come back, Sri Ra ma, who had (ful ly)
brought his mind u nder control , lovi ngly said, "You have re­
turned at the hour desired by me, 0 gentle Lak$mar:ia ! (34)
With you, O chastiser of foes, I wish to give away whatever
wea lth of my own there is (with me) to Bra h mar:ias engaged

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

in austerities a s also to those j ewels a mong B ra h mar:ias who

a re firmly devoted to their preceptors and live here (in my pal­
ace) and again to a l l my dependa nts (too). (35-36) Meanwhile
bring you speedily, the most adorable Suyajfia, son of Vasi$tha
and the foremost a mong the Brah mar:ias, as also other cu ltu red
Bra h m a l)as. Fully adorin g a l l, I sha l l proceed forthwith to the
forest." (37)

Ca nto XXXII

Bowing to the delig htfu l and saluta ry command of his broth­

er (the execution of which involved su bsta ntial service to de­
serving B rahmar:ias) and departing, La k$mar:ia speedi ly entered
the house of Suyajfia. ( 1 ) Sa l uti ng the said Brahmar:ias, who
was present in the fire-sanctuary, he said, "O friend, visit you
the palace of Sri Rama (who is going to do something hard to
accomplish) and witness his doing (with your own eyes) ." (2)
,

Concluding forthwith his periodical fire-worshi p (for midday)

and proceeding with La k$mar:ia, he entered (in no ti me) the
l ovely palace of Sri Ram a , overflowing with wealth (of every
kind). (3) Seeing him a rrived, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) rose
from his seat with joi ned palms a long with Sita to receive Suy­
ajfia, a knower of the Vedas, (even) as one would welcome a
flame offered worship (in the form of oblations) . ( 4) Sri Ra ma
( a scion of Kakutstha) gratified S uyajfia with (presents of) ex­
cel lent Angadas (armlets) and bea utifu l ea rri ngs of gold, gems
stru ng on gold threads as also with KeyOras (another orna­
ment similar in shape to an Angada but worn a bove it near
the a rm pit) and bracelets as well as with many other superb
ornaments. Sri Rama, u rg ed by Sita, then spoke to Suyajfia
(as follows) : - (5-6) "The i l l u strious Sita, you r wife's friend,
wishes to bestow a pea rl necklace a·s well as a stri ng of goid
and also a girdle on you r wife, 0 gentle sage ! ( Please) ca use
them to be conveyed to her. (7) Leavi ng for the forest (with
me this very day) the friend of your wife offers to you for (the

86
 Sri Rama is Exiled

use of) you r wife Arigadas adorned with fig u res cut in it and
beautifu l KeyO ras too. (8) Sita (a princess of the Videha clan)
a lso i ntends to have sent to you r house (as a gift) a wel l-known
couch inlaid with various jewels and provided with an excellent
cover. (9) I g ift to you a long with a thousa n d gold coi ns, the
elepha nt, Satrunjaya by name, which my materna l uncle gave
as a present to me, O jewel a mong the Brah mar:ias!" ( 10) Ac­
cepting the gift, when requested as afo_resa id by Sri Rama, the
celebrated Suyajn a for his part pronounced benign blessings on
Sri Rama, La k!?mar:i a and Sita . ( 1 1)
As Bra h m a (the creator) wou ld address Indra (the ruler of
gods), Sri Ra ma then spoke as follows to his celebrated and
beloved brother, La k!?mar:ia (son of Su mitra), who was polite
of speech and stood u n pertu rbed (by his side) : - ( 1 2) "Ca l l­
ing Agastya (a son of the sage Agastya) and Ka usika (a son of
Viswa mitra), both of whom a re foremost among the Brahmar:ias,
0 son of Sumitra honour them by offering va l uable gifts (to
the m ) and (then) satiate them with (presents of) a thousand
cows (each) as well as with gold a n d silver pieces a n d costly
gems (even) as a cloud would d rench the ea rth with showers, O
scion of Rag h u ! ( 1 3- 14) Further see that to the Bra h mar:ia who
waits upon Ka usa lya with bened ictions (everyday), devoted as
he is to her, who is a teacher of those studying the Taitti riya
recension of the Black Yaju rveda, is a knower of a l l the Vedas
and (as such) worthy ( i n everyway), O son of S u mitra, a re d u ly
gifted a conveyance a n d serva nt-maids and silken robes and as
much wea lth as that Bra h m a r:ia may feel satisfied with . ( 1 5- 1 6)
The re is the venerab l e Citra ratha, a cha rioteer cum minister
of very long standing. Gratify him with (presents of) costly
jewels, a rticles of wearing a pparel and riches a n d even so with
a n i m a ls of a l l kinds (such as female goats and buffa loes) and a
thousa nd cows. Besides, here are many religious students ca r-:
ryin g staffs (as a disti nguishing mark of celibacy) and studying
the Katha and Kal a pa recensions of the Vedas, who, being ever
engaged in the study of the Vedas, do not practise any other
austerities, but a re ( nevertheless) held in g reat esteem even

87
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

by the great (for their d evotion to study), a re inactive (in the

sense that they do not move out for begging a l ms) and (yet)
hanker for delicacies. ( 1 7- 19) Cause them to be given eighty
camels loaded with jewels, a thousand bullocks ca rrying loads
of rice and even so two hundred bullocks usefu l for cultiva­
tion. (20) Gift a thousand cows m ore (to Bra h mai:ias mainta i n­
ing the sacred fire) for yielding m i l k products (cu rds and g hee
etc.), 0 Lak$mai:ia ! A l a rge m u ltitude of cel i bates (wil ling to
ma rry on the i mpending expi ry of their vow of celi bacy) wa its
u pon Ka usalya ( my mother) - see that they are given a thou­
sa nd cows or gold coins each (so as to enable them to pay
the preceptor's fee and defray the nuptia l expenses), O son of
Sumitra ! ( 2 1 ) Honour a l l the aforesaid Bra h mai:ias in everyway
so libera l ly that our mother, Ka usa lya, may rejoice to see my
gift (to the cel ibates depending on her), 0 Lak$mai:ia !" (22)
Like Kubera (the bestower of riches), Lak$mai:ia, a (veri­
ta ble) tiger among men, there u pon distri buted that wealth (of
Sri Ra ma) a mong the foremost of the Bra h mar:ias as instructed
(by him). (23) Havi ng bestowed a bundant wea lth, enough to
sustain each one of them (for the entire period of his impend­
ing exil e into the forest), Sri Rama then spoke (as fol lows) to
his dependa nts standi ng there with th roats choked with tea rs :
-(24) "Ti l l my retu rn (from the forest) the h ouse which belongs
to La k$mar:ia and also this house which is (now) occu pied by
me should (a lways) be guarded by each one (of you) by tu rn."
(25) Having instructed thus a l l his dependants, distressed as
they were (at the thoug ht of his exi le), Sri Rama spoke as fol- ·
lows to his treasu rer, " Let my wealth be brought (here) ." (26)
All his dependa nts thereu pon brought his wea lth (before h i m ) .
That h u g e heap (of wealth collected there) really presented a
splendid spectacle. (27) With the help of La k$mar:ia, that tiger
a mong men then actually caused that wea lth to be distri buted
a mong Bra h mai:ias who were (yet mere) boys, the aged, a n d to
the afflicted . (28)
They say there lived in those days in the forest (near a bout
Ayodhya ) a B ra h mana, Trijata by name, born in the l i n e of

88
 Sri Rama is Exiled

Garga, who looked pa le (due to privations) and, ( a l l ) his means

of subsistence havi ng fa i led, a lways carried an axe, a spade
and a ploug hshare living as he did by digging the soil (in order
to get roots and b u l bs etc.). (29) Taki ng her young children
(with her) his wife, who was (sti l l ) young, (approached and)
spoke to the said Bra h mar:ia, who had grown old, a s follows:
- "Although the husband is a (verita ble) god to the weaker sex
(does not deserve to be com manded by his wife), (pray) follow
my instructions, disca rding the hatchet and the spade. Seek the
presence of Sri Ra ma, who knows his duty (by the Bra h mar:ias)
a n d you a re sure to get something at least." (30-3 1 ) Hea ring
the request of his wife a n d wrapping a loin-cloth that cou l d
hard ly cover h i s body (tattered as i t was) he set o u t on the
track which led to Sri Rama's pa lace. (32) Up to the fifth gate
none in the (large) concourse of men (collected at the gates of
the palace) stopped this Trijata, who vied with the sages Bhrn u
a n d Angira i n spiritual radiance (befitti ng a Brahmar:ia). (33)
Approaching Sri Ra ma, the sa id Trijata then spoke as fol lows :
- " I have many ch i l d ren, though destitute, O pri nce of extraor­
d i n a ry might! (34) (Al l) my means of su bsistence havi ng fai led,
I perpetually dwell in the forest, (Pray) look to me." S ri Ram a
thereupon replied jesti ngly t o him ( a s follows) : ( 3 5 ) " N ot even
one thousan d of my cows have been given away by me so fa r.
You wi ll get as many (of them) as you wi l l cover by throwing
you r staff across the m ." (36)
Tightening his aforesaid loin-cloth round his waist and twi rl­
ing his staff he violently t h rew it with all his m ight, excited
as he was. (37) Released from his hand a n d flyi ng across the
Sa rayO, that staff fel l close to a b u l l in the midst of the m u lti­
tude of cows n u m bering many thousand (grazi n g there). (38)
Embracin g h i m, Sri Rama of devout mind caused to be driven
to Trijata's hermitage (all) the cows (from the spot w here the
staff fel l right) u p to that ba n k of the SarayO ( beyon d which
the cows stood grazi ng). (39) Consoling the said scion of Garga
in everyway, Sri Ra ma then said to him, " N o offence should be
taken by you , since this was only a j est indulged in by m e . ( 40)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

You were requested by me to undergo this trial wishing (as I

did) precisely to test this remarka ble strength of you rs, which
is rea l ly h a rd to excel . If you desi re a nything else, (please) ask
for it. ( 41) I tel l you the truth : l et there be no hesitation on
your part; for whatever wealth belongs to me has been earned
by me for the sa ke of Brahmar:ias alone. Th rough bestowa l on
you (Brah mai:ias) according to the scri ptu ra l ordi nance it wi ll
bring me renown." ( 42) Ta king the herd of cows ( bestowed
u pon h i m by Sri Ra ma) the great ascetic, Trijata, who felt re­
joiced with his wife, thereupon pronounced on Sri Ram a at that
ti me, blessi ngs calculated to enha nce his reputation, strength,
delight and ha ppiness. (43) Encouraged by words expressive of
highest regard befitting his ra nk, the i l l ustrious Sri Ra ma, who
was endowed with perfect va lour, portioned out to his near
and dea r ones in no time his enormous wea lth ea rned through
righteous might. (44) At that time in Ayodhya there was no
Brahmai:ia, relation, dependant or pau per who was living on
alms, who was not gratified with honour, gifts and attention
commensurate.' to his deserts. ( 45)

Ca nto XXXIII

Havi ng portioned out with Sita (a princess of the Videha clan)

a bundant riches to the Brahmal)as, Sri Ra ma and La k�maQa
(the two scions of Raghu), proceeded with her to see their
father ( E m peror Dasaratha). (1) Next to them shone the weap­
ons of the two brothers, held by a couple of servants and deco­
rated with a n u mber of garlands and worshi pped by Sita ( per­
sona l ly with sandal paste etc.) . (2) Ascending (the roofs of)
temples a n d mansions and the tops of seven-storied buildings
wealthy people gazed despondently on the m . (3) The streets
could not be easily passed through, crowded as they were with
many men; mounting, therefore, to (the top of) seven-storeyed
buildings, people looked sorrowful ly on Sri Rama (a scion of
Raghu) from those mansions. (4) Seeing Sri Rama walking with

90
 Sri Rama is Exiled

Sita and La k$maoa (his you nger brother) at that time, many
men offered rema rks (as follows), their minds overpowered by
g rief: - (5)
" Lo! the sa me Sri Ra ma, who was (at one time) fol l owed by
a strong detachment consisti ng of a l l the fou r li mbs (viz., in­
fa ntry, caval ry, elephants and cha riots), is wa l king u nattended
by bodygua rds with Sita, fol l owed by La k$maoa (alone). (6)
He who, havi ng tasted the delights of �overeignty, vested with
objects of enjoyment is anxious not to belie the plighted word
(of his father), prom pted as he is by respect for vi rtue. (7)
( Even) people on the roads a re able today to behold Sita, who
coul d not formerly be seen even by bei ngs coursing in the a i r.
(8) Rain, heat and cold wi l l q uickly reduce to pa llor Sita, who
deserves to be daubed with pigments (such as musk-paste)
and habitu a l ly pai nts her body with the paste of red sandal.
(9) Surely Ki ng Dasa ratha has a nnou nced today his decision to
banish Sri Rama identifying hi mself with some (evi l) spi rit, for
otherwise (had he been his normal self) he ought not to have
sent his dea rest son into exi le. ( 10) How could ba nishment
be i nfl icted even on a son devoid of virtue, much less on him
whose character a lone has won the affection of the (enti re)
world? ( 1 1) Harmlessness, compassion, learning, a m iabi lity of
disposition, subjugation of the senses and tranquil ity of mind
- these six excellences adorn Sri Ra ma, the foremost of men.
( 12) People, therefore, feel extremely pained by the inj u ry
which is bei ng done to him ( by way of unmerited banishment)
(even) as aquatic creatu res a re afflicted by d epletion of water.
( 1 3 ) The whole world feels i nj u red by the suffering infl icted on
this protector of the world, (even) as a tree with its flowers and
fruit is damaged by inj u ry caused to its root. ( 14) For S ri Rama,
whose strength is vi rtue and who is possessed of extraordinary
effu lgence, is the root of the tree of humanity, while other men
a re its flowers and fruits, leaves and boughs. ( 15)
"As such even as Lak$maoa we wil l also with our wives and
relations forthwith fol low the departi ng Sri Rama (a scion of
Raghu), on the path the former is going to tread . ( 16) Relin-

91
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

quishing for good our gardens and fields and houses, let us
fol low the virtuous Sri Rama, sharing his joys and sorrows.
( 17) Let Kaikeyi enjoy as her share the dwellings deserted by
us and robbed of their su bstance in everyway - their treasu res
u neartred, their courtya rds neg lected, thei r wea lth and (stocks
of) food g rains removed - covered by d ust on a l l sides and (as
such) deserted by the deities (presiding over them), overru n by
mice coming out of thei r holes and scu rrying here and there,
water and smoke havi ng disappea red from them, unswept, di­
lapidated as though by adverse ti mes and strewn with broken
vessels, the rites of offering oblations to a l l creatu res as well
as to the sacred fire, worship of gods, the chanti ng of sacred
texts and muttering of prayers having a ltogether ceased. ( 18-
2 1 ) Let the forest itself, for which Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu)
is leaving, turn into a city and let the city (of Ayod hya), (when)
deserted by us, be converted into a forest. (22) Sca red by fea r
o f us, a l l the sna kes wi l l forsake their holes; the deer and birds,
(their a bode on) the mountain-pea ks and elepha nts and lions,
the forests. (i3) Let them abandon the region going to be in­
ha bited by us a n d flee for protection to the one forsaken by
us. Let Kaikeyi with her son and relations actually obtain (as
her share) the region where grass, meat and fruits ca n be had
(in abunda nce) and which is inha bited by ferocious beasts and
birds. We shall (on the other hand) live happily in the forest
with Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)." (24-25)
Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) heard these remarks of diverse
kinds uttered by va rious men; hearing them (however) his mind
was not ( i n the least) disturbed . (26) The pri nce, whose mind
was given to piety, wal ked once more with the strides of an el­
ephant i n rut to the palace of his (step) mother ( Ka i keyi), which
shone as a peak of the Ka i lasa mou ntain (and in which his fa­
ther was sti ll li ngering). (27) Entering the royal palace, howev­
er, which was bei ng guarded by disci pli ned and va lia nt soldiers,
he saw Su mantra standing disconsolate not very fa r away. (28)
Appearing in no way affl icted, even though seeing the people
of Ayod hya distressed at that ti me, Sri Rama as though smil-

92
 Sri Rama is Exiled

ing, forthwith approached his father, eager to see h i m and de­

sirous of d uly carrying out h is behest. (29) Catching sight of
Sumantra before that, while approaching the ki ng; who wore
a wretched a ppeara nce, the g reat-souled and high-minded Sri
Ra ma, son of Dasa ratha (a scion of I k$Wa ku), waited awhile to
annou nce his presence to his father. (30) Perceivi ng Sumantra,
the i l l ustrious Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), who was devoted to
rig hteousness and had del i berately ma.de up his mind to retire
to the woods in obedience to the command of his father, said
to h i m, "An nou nce my arriva l to His Majesty." (3 1)

Ca nto XXXVII

Hearing the remonstrance of the chief mi nister Sri Ra ma,

who was a n adept in courtesy, pol itely add ressed on that oc­
casi on the fol lowi ng words to Dasarath a : - ( 1) "What purpose
of mi ne, who has renounced (a l l ) enjoyment and shaken off
attachment for everything a nd a m going to live on the prod­
ucts of the forest (a lone), wi ll be served, O ki ng, with an a rmy
fol lowi ng me? (2) He who, having pa rted with an excel lent el­
ephant, seeks to reta i n the tether is indeed a foo l . What is to
be gai ned th rough attachment to a tether by him who has for­
gone an excellent elephant? (3) Simila rly, 0 jewel a mong the
virtuous, what purpose of m i ne wi l l be served with a n a rmy,
0 ruler of the world ? I a llow a l l things to be used by Bharata .
Let the servant-maids of mother Kaikeyi bri ng me robes fit for
a dwel ler in forests a lone. ( 4) (Add ressi ng the maid-servants
he contin ues,) go a n d d u ly bri ng a spade and a basket both for
me, who am going to ta ke u p my abode in a forest for fou rteen
yea rs." (5) Persona l ly bringing pieces of ba rk (for being put on
by S ri Ra ma and others), Kaikeyi, who was lost to ( a l l ) shame,
forthwith said to Sri Rama in the midst of that concourse of
men, " Put these o n ! " (6) Receivi ng from Ka ikeyi two pieces of
bark (for being used as a loi n-cloth and a cover respectively)
a n d discard ing his rai ment of fi ne ya rn, that tiger among men,

93
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

put on the g a rb of ascetics : so the tradition goes. (7) Leaving

his exquisite robes on that very spot, La k!?mar:ia too put on in
the presence of his father two pieces of bark fit for ascetics.
(8)
Gazing with reverence on the piece of bark intended for
being don ned by her, Sita, who was clad in silken robes, felt
dismayed as a doe would on seeing a snare . (9) Feeling m uch
a bashed as it were while ta king from (the hand of) Kai keyi the
two a rticles of wea ring a pparel made of Kusa grass a nd greatly
troubled in mind, Sita (daug hter of Janaka), who was endowed
with auspicious bodily ma rks, knew what is right and served as
an i llustration of vi rtue, spoke as follows, her eyes overflowi ng
. with tea rs, to her h usband, who vied with Citraratha (the ruler
of the Gandharvas) : - ( 1 0- 1 1 ) " I wonder how ascetics dwelling
in forests put on the bark of trees." Saying so, the celebrated
Sita, who was in no way adept in wea ring the bark of trees,
erred again and again (in her attempt to do so) . ( 1 2) Placing
one piece a bout her neck and taking another in her hand, the
daughter of Janaka stood abashed, inefficient as she was (in
wea ri ng the bark) . ( 13) Quickly goi ng near her, Sri Ra ma, the
foremost of those u pholding the cause of virtue, then person­
a l ly fastened the bark over her silken garment. ( 14) Perceiving
Sri Ra m a fastening the excellent ba rk a bout Sita, the female
in mates of the inner cha m bers began to shed tea rs and, sore
distressed (as they were), spoke (as fol l ows) to Sri Ram a of
dazzling splendou r: - "Th is self-respecting pri ncess has not
been so com manded to reside in the forest (as you), dear child !
( 1 5- 16) (At least) let her ( blessed) sight (conti nue to) bring its
reward to us during the period when you have depa rted to the
lonely forest in obedience to you r father's com mand, 0 lord !
( 1 7) Proceed to the forest, dear son, with Lak!?mar:ia ( alone)
as your companion. This blessed pri ncess does not deserve to
dwell in the forest like a n ascetic. ( fa) Gra nt our solicitation
0 dear one! Let Sita, the bea utifu l one, (conti nue to) stay (in
Ayodhya) though su rely you a re not personally incli ned to stay
a ny longer, righteousness being your eterna l companion." ( 19)

94
 Sri Rama is Exiled

( Even though) hearing such (loving) remonstra n ces of those

women, Sri Ra ma (son of Dasaratha) persisted in fastening the
bark (over her si l ken garment) as desired by Sita, whose con­
d uct was in l i ne with his own . (20) Stopping Sita, as she took
the bark from the ha nds of Kai keyi, Sage Vasi�tha, the ki ng's
preceptor, for his part spoke to Kaikeyi with tears (in his eyes)
as follows: - (21).
" H aving hoodwi n ked the ki ng, O eyi l -mi nded Kai keyi, who
have exceeded you r l imits a n d brought disgra ce to you r fa mi ly,
you do not keep with in bounds yet! (22) 0 woman dead to (all)
decorum, Pri ncess Sita sha l l not proceed to the forest. She wi ll
occupy the th rone that was offered to Ra m a . (23) A wife is the
very self to a l l householders. As the (other) self of Rama she
wil l rule over the ea rth . (24) If Sita (a princess of the Videha
territory) retires to the forest along with Ra ma, we who a re
present here (at th is moment) shal l fol l ow suit and (the people
of) this city (too) will go. (25) The soldiers g u a rding the roya l
women's cha mbers too, wi l l go where Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
stays with his wife . The (enti re) state (of Kosa l a ) including (all)
its resou rces as wel l as the city (of Ayod hya) with its goods and
chattel wi ll (also) go. (26) Clad in the bark of trees and dwell­
ing i n a forest, Bharata too with Satrug hna will adopt the mode
of life of his elder brother, Ra ma (a scion of Ka kutstha), living
in the forest. (27) Rule you a lone after that, the desolate earth,
deserted by men, with its trees (because it wi l l be red u ced to a
mere forest), vile as you a re and bent u pon doing harm to the
people. (28) The state in which Rama is no longer the ki ng wi l l
not survive; while the forest, which Rama i s going to inhabit, is
sure to develop into a (flourishing) state. (29)
"Bharata surely would not rule over the earth that has not
been (volu nta ri ly) alienated by his father, nor would he live with
you as a son, if he is sprung from the loins of the emperor. (30)
Even if you soar into the heavens leavi ng the earth's su rface,
he would not do anyth ing contra ry to the esta blished custom,
knowing as he does the practice of his forbears. ( 3 1 ) There­
fore, you a lone have done an unfriend ly act to you r son, even

95
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

though you covet his well bei ng; for there is none in the world
who is not devoted to Ra ma. (32) O Kaikeyi, you will see this
very day beasts, snakes, deer and birds going with Ra ma (to
the forest) and trees (too) eager to accompany h i m . (33) There­
fore, laying aside the bark of trees, give your dau·ghter-in-law
excel lent jewels, 0 quee n ! The ba rk of trees is not meant for
her." Saying so, Vasi$tha, forbade her wea ri ng it. (34) The sage
conti nued, "The sojourn in the forest of Ra ma alone has been
asked for by you , 0 pri ncess of the Kekaya territory! (Hence)
let Sita, who deserves to be ornamented dai ly, dwell in the for­
est with Ra ma (a scion of Rag hu) richly adorned . (35) Nay, let
the pri ncess proceed fu lly provided with excel lent conveya nces
and attenda nts as wel l as with costu mes of va rious ki nds and
a l l usefu l accessories; (for) while asking for the boons her exi le
was not solicited by you." (36) Even thoug h the said preceptor
of the ki ng, the foremost among the Bra h mar:ias, who wielded
an influence which had no pa ra l lel, spoke as above, Sita, who
wished to fol low the ways of her husba nd, did not desist from
her pu rpose (n the least. (37)

Ca nto XXXVIII

On seeing Sita, wearing the bark of trees as if a helpless

woman, though protected by her h usba nd, a l l the people (pres­
ent there) loudly exclaimed, " Fie upon you, (the powerless)
Dasa ratha (who does not stop this flagrant injustice) ! " ( 1)
Pai ned to hear that loud cry, the said emperor lost (all) his
interest in life, religious merit and renown . (2) Heaving a sigh
of g rief, that scion of Ik$waku spoke to his wife ( Kai keyi) as
fol lows : - "Sita (surely) does not deserve to depart in a robe
made of Kusa g rass, o Ka ikeyi! (3) My teacher truly says that
delicate (of body), young and ever used to a menities of life as
she is, she is not fit for residence in a forest. (4) Has this in no­
cent daughter of Janaka (a jewel a mong ki ngs) rea l ly done any
i nj u ry to a nyone whomsoever that, having received a robe of

96
 Sri Rama is Exiled

bark she sta nds dumbfounded l i ke an ord i n a ry h ermitess in the

midst of men? (5) Let Sita, (the daughter of Janaka) shed her
robes of ba rk. I did not pledge that, she wou ld accompany her
husband, in robes of bark. Let the princess (therefore) proceed
at pleasure to the forest fu lly equi pped (with clothes and orna­
ments) and provided with a l l va luable possessions. (6) I who
no longer deserve to survive, made on oath a cruel promise in
the first place; and on top of that you have initiated th is (un­
just) act (of providing the robes of a hermitess to Sita) th rough
(sheer) childish ness. That is sure to consume me (even) as the
blossoming of a bam boo bri ngs a bout its own destruction . (7)
" Even supposi ng some offen ce was given to you by Rama,
what wrong on earth was done to you by Sita, (a princess of
the Videha territory), 0 vile woman? (8) What inj u ry on ea rth
could the lofty-mi nded Sita, (the daughter of Ja naka) do to
you - Sita, who is disti ng uished by a pair of blooming eyes
like a female gazelle and is possessed of a soft d isposition? (9)
Indeed sending Ra ma into exi le (in the robes of a herm it), as
you a re doi ng, O si nfu l woman, is enough for you . What more
do you seek to gain through these (fu rther) sins (in the shape
of exil i ng Sita, and that too in the robes of a hermitess) which
a re going to be perpetrated by you and which a re calcu lated
to land you in untold sufferi ng? ( 10) Hearing you r command,
which you gave to Ra ma, who ca l led here in connection with
his instal lation (as Pri nce Regent), 0 q ueen, that m uch was (si­
lently) acquiesced to by me. ( 1 1) Distin ctly goi ng beyond that,
however, as you a re doing now, you seek to go to hell in that
you wou ld have Sita (a princess of Mithila) too clad in the ba rk
of trees." ( 1 2)
To his father, who sat with his head bent low, while speak­
ing thus, Sri Rama, who was ( now) actually on his way to the
forest, submitted as fol lows : - ( 13) "Th is i l lustrious mother of
mi ne, Kausalya, has not only g rown old but is of a generous
disposition too and never spea ks ill of you, 0 pious monarch!
( 14) When she is bereft of me and (conseq uently) drowned in
a sea of grief, althou g h she has known no suffering before, O

97
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

oestower of boons, you ought to show g reater regard to her, so

that the poor lady may not fal l a prey to g rief caused by separa­
tion from me (her son) a nd, treated with respect by you, who
a re worthy of adoration (to her), a n d contemplating on me,
may su rvive under your care . ( 1 5- 16) Kindly handle my mother,
who is sure to pine for me (her son), in such a way, O compeer
of the mighty Indra, as to ensure that, stricken with grief, when
I am sojourning in the forest, she may not depart to the a bode
of Ya ma (the god of death), giving up her l ife." ( 17)

Ca nto XXXIX

Hearing the i ntercession of Sri Ra ma and perceiving him clad

in the garb of a hermit, the ki ng for his part with his consorts
fel l unconscious. ( 1) Sore stricken with a gony he neither cou ld
regale his eyes o n Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) nor could he
accost h i m even on casti ng a look at h i m awhile, disconsolate
as he was. �2) Remaining senseless as it were for an hour
or so and feeling distressed, the mig hty-a rmed monarch re­
pented in va rious ways (as fol lows), thi n king a l l the ti me of Sri
Rama a lone : - (3) "I think in my past life many a cow i ndeed
was rob bed of its calf or in any case many livi ng beings were
destroyed by m e . Hence this (calamity) has befa l len me. (4)
Surely life does not depart from the body u nti l the (appoi nted)
hour has a rrived. (It i s therefore that) death does not cla i m me
even though Kaikeyl torments me and even though I behold my
son, effu lgent as fire, standing before me clad in the robes of
an ascetic, having shed garments of fi ne fabric. (5-6) Indeed
(all) these people have to suffer on account of Kaikeyl alone,
who, having resorted to this roguery, is striving hard to gain
her object." (7)
Having uttered these words and sayi ng "O Ra m a ! " only once,
the emperor, however, whose voice was choked by tears, could
not spea k any more. J ust rega i n i ng his consciousness after an
hour or so the said emperor for his pa rt spoke to Sumantra with

98
 Sri Rama is Exiled

his eyes flooded with tea rs as follows : - (8-9)

" Fitti ng with the best of horses a chariot used for pleasure­
drives, return you (soon) a n d take this highly blessed prince
beyon d this territory. ( 10) Since a pious a nd val i a nt son is being
exiled to the forest by his (very) father and mother, such I be­
lieve is decla red (by the scri ptu res) to be the reward of virtues
of the vi rtuous." ( 1 1) Bowing to the ki ng's comm a n d and fitti ng
with horses a chariot decked with orna.ments, Suma ntra, who
was swift of pace, returned ( q uickly) to that (ve ry) spot (where
Sri Ra ma stood ready with Sita and La k?mar:ia to depart for
the forest) . ( 1 2) Joining his palms (as a token of subm ission),
the cha rioteer annou nced to the Crown prince (Sri Ra ma) the
a rriva l of that cha riot, decked with gold and fitted with excel­
lent horses. ( 1 3) Promptly summoning (to his presence) the
officer placed in cha rge of the treasury, the king, who knew
what should be done at a particular place a n d ti me and was
free from a l l impurities (in the shape of d u plicity etc.), spoke in
a decisive tone (as follows) : - ( 14) "Ta king i nto consideration
(all) these yea rs (that Sita has to spend in exile), (pray) speedi­
ly bri ng for Sita (a pri n cess of the Videha ki ngdom) costly robes
and va luable orna ments." ( 15) Proceeding to the treasury when
commanded thus by the ki ng, and bringing everything (that he
was instructed to fetch), the officer for his part i m mediately
delivered the (whole) l ot to Sita . ( 1 6)
Bound as she was for the forest, Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha
kingdom), of noble ( u ncommon) bi rth (in that she was not born
from a wom b), adorned her l i m bs, which were endowed with
propitious ma rks, with those m a rvellous jewels. ( 17) Splendidly
a n d profusely decked (with ornaments) Sita ( a pri ncess of the
Videha ki ngdom) i l l u mi ned that palace (where she stood) in the
same way as the radia nce of the risi ng sun with its bright rays
i l l u mines the sky in the morn ing (particu la rly when there is no
mist or cloud). ( 18) Folding in her arms that pri ncess of M ith ila,
who never behaved in a n unseemly way, and smelling her head
(as a token of affection), her mother-i n-law (Kausalya) spoke
in the following word s : - ( 19)

99
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

"Women who though consta ntly adored by their beloved

consorts, cease to esteem their h usband who has fal len on evi l
days a re du bbed a s wicked th roughout this world . (20) Having
enjoyed happiness in the past they malign and even d esert
thei r h usband on meeti ng with the least misfortune: such is
the natu re of (wicked) women . ( 2 1 ) Wicked are those women
who a re ever untruthful by nature and swayed by passion, a re
difficult to com prehend, heartless and of si nful resolve and who
get estra nged in a moment. (22) Neither (noble) birth nor g ood
turn, nor lea rning, nor gift nor even ma rriage ties capture the
heart of (such) women, fickle of heart as they a re . (23) In the
case, however, of virtuous women, who a re in fact devoted to
good conduct, truthfulness and the precepts of their elders and
keep withi n the bounds of decorum (laid d own for their fam ily),
their husband is the most sacred object and he alone exce ls a l l .
(24) Though ( being) sent into exi le to the forest, you should
not despise my son, Sri Ra ma. Endowed with means or without
resources, he is s u rely as g ood as a deity to you ." (25)
Perceivi ng 'her advice to be in consonance with righteous­
ness, which constituted her aim ( i n life), a n d joining her pal ms,
Sita replied to her mother-i n-law as fol lows, standing in front of
her: - ( 26) "I shall surely do a l l that you r worthy self instructs
me to do. I know how I should behave towards my husband
and I have (also) heard a bout it (from my elders). (27) You r
noble self ought not to equate me with wicked women. I a m un­
a ble to d eviate from virtue (even) as moonlight is i nca pable of
parti ng from the moon. (28) A Vlr:ia is of no use without chords
and a chariot is of no use without wheels. Nor can a wife who
is bereft of her h usband prosper in a happy state even though
she may have a h undred sons. (29) Indeed a father bestows
limited j oy, a brother (too) bestows lim ited joy and a son (as
well ) bestows limited happiness. What woma n, then, would not
adore her husband, the bestower of unlimited joy? (30) Having·
heard about the special and ordinary d uties of a wife from my
superiors and thus convin ced that the husband is a verita ble
d eity to a (married) woman, how can I, such as I a m, despise

100
 Sri Rama is Exiled

my h usba nd, 0 venera ble one?" (3 1 )

Hearing Sita's reply, which touched (the chords of) her
heart, Kausalya of pure mind suddenly beg a n to shed tears
born of agony (at the thought of the i mpending separation
from her sons and daughter-in-law) and delight (over the pi­
ous sentiments expressed by Sita) . (32) Gazing at Kausa lya
( h i s own mother), who was h ig hly respected a mong h i s moth­
ers, Sri Rama, who had a su premely p,ious m i n d , spoke to her
with joined palms a s fol lows: - (33) "(Pray) do not regard my
father with a dolefu l countenance. The end of exi le too wi l l
come rather soo n . (34) N i ne years a n d five will sli p past you
(even ) whi l e you a re asleep. (One fine morning) you will find
me d u ly a rrived (back) here ( i n Ayod hya) i n my entire bein g
(along with Sita and Lak$mal)a), surrounded by m y friends a n d
· rel ations." (35) Having m a d e this comprehensive submission
to his mother, and gazing on his three h u n d red and fifty step­
mothers he actually found those mothers too distressed i n the
sam e way (as his own mother was) . Joining h i s palms the said
son of Dasaratha (once more) made the fol lowi ng submission,
which was in consona nce with (the spirit of) righteousness : -

(36-37) " (Pray) forgive whatever u n ki n d word or even a ct may

have been uttered or done by me through i g norance because
we l ived together. Now I take leave of you a l l ." (38) All those .
. ( royal ) ladies whose mind was agitated through g rief, heard
th e cal m submission of Sri Rama (a scion of Ragh u ), which
conformed to (the princi ples of) righteousness. (39)
While Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) was speaking thus, an out­
cry resembling the wail of female cranes rose from the mouth
of those consorts of Dasaratha (a ruler of men). (40) The same
palace of Dasaratha which was formerly marked with the sou n d
o f tom-toms, large d rums a nd Meghas (a m usica l i n stru ment
the sound of which resem bled the rumbling of clouds) was now
filled with extreme agony, agitated a s it was through wai ls a n d
cries a nd fallen o n evil days. ( 4 1 )

101
 Preparation for the exile.
Dasharatha sits sunk in grief. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana don the
garments of exile. On the right the chariot leaves, accompanied by
the citizens of Ayodhya. (Pahadi painting, c. 1 7 7 5 -80)
Museum Rietberg, Zurich
 Sri Rama is Exiled

Ca nto X L

Clasping the feet o f a n d bowi ng to the king, Sri Ra ma and

Sita as wel l as La k$mar:ia felt miserable (beca use of their in­
a b i lity to be of a ny service to their aged parents) forthwith cir­
cumambu lated him with joined pa lms. ( 1 ) Duly obtaining leave
of h i m and accompanied by Sita, Sri R�ma (a scion of Raghu),
who knew what is right, a n d stood stupefied through grief,
bowed to Ka usalya . (2) Fol lowi ng at the heels of his brother,
Lak$mar:ia too g reeted Kausalya; then he clasped the feet of his
(own) mother, Sumitra. (3) Smel ling (as a token of affection)
the head of the mig hty-armed La k$mar:ia, who was sa l uti ng her,
the mother, who wished wel l of him, spoke weeping to that son
of hers (as fol lows) :- (4) " Excessively fond as you a re of you r
kinsman, Rama, you have been permitted ( by m e ) t o dwell i n
the forest. ( But) do not neglect, my son, the service of your
brother, Ra ma, who is going (with you ) . (5) He (alone) is you r
refuge, whether in adversity or affluent (circu mstances), 0 sin­
less one! Such is the rule of conduct fol lowed by the vi rtuous i n
the world that a you nger brother should b e subject t o the con­
trol of his elder brother. (6) To practise charity, to consecrate
oneself for sacrificial performa nces and to d rop ones body on
the field of battle alone - thi s indeed constitutes the cond uct
appropriate to this race (of the Ragh us) for a l l time." (7) Havi ng
exhorted Lak$mar:ia th us, the said Sumitra repeatedly said to
the celebrated Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), who was loved by
a l l and was bent on leavi ng (for the forest), "Fare forth ! Fare
forth ! ! (May a l l be well with you ! ) ." (8) (She said to Lak$mar:ia
again,) "Know Ra ma to be Dasarath a (your father), look upon
Sita (the daughter of J a na ka ) as myself (yo u r mother) and es­
teem the forest as Ayodhya (your home) and depa rt dear son,
ha ppily." (9)
Then Sumantra, who was meek and knew how to behave
politely, submitted with joi ned palms as follows to Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Kakutstha) even a s Mata l i (the charioteer of Indra )

103
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

would to Indra (the ruler of gods) : - ( 1 0) "Mount the cha riot,

o highly i l lustrious prince; may a l l be wel l with you . I shall
speedily ta ke you to whatever place you will direct me to go.
( 1 1) Indeed those fou rteen years that have to be spent by
you in the forest as di rected by the queen (Ka i keyi) a re to be
considered as having com menced (this very day) ." ( 1 2) H av­
ing adorned herself (with the a rticles of wearing a pparel and
ornaments bestowed on her by her father-i n-law), Sita, who
had comely l i m bs, mou nted with a delighted mind that cha riot,
which was resplendent l ike the s u n . ( 13) Havi ng ca refully a r­
ra nged in the hind part of the cha riot the raiments a nd jewels
which her father-in-law, d u ly ta ki ng i nto account (the period
of) her exi le in the forest, had bestowed on Sita while she was
ready to accompany her h usba nd (to the forest), and even so
the sets of weapons and the pieces of a rmour he had given to
the two brothers, as wel l as the basket, covered with leather,
and the spade, the two brothers, Sri Rama and Lak!?mar:ia, then
quickly mou nted the chariot, which was decked in gold and
shone l i ke fire. ( 14- 16)
Seeing the exiles, of whom Sita constituted the third, mou nt­
ed on the cha riot, Suma ntra drove the horses, which were
thought highly of and vied in speed with the velocity of the
wind. ( 1 7) Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) having departed for
the great forest (of Dar:ic;laka) for a long term, confusion and
a n unconsciousness preva iled (a mong the people) in the city
and a lso i n the a rmy (including even horses and elepha nts) as
well as a mong the people visiti ng Ayodhya (from the districts) .
( 18) Confou nded and fl urried with its elephants i n rut highly
excited, a n d resonant with the tinkling of the orna ments of its
horses, the city was fil led with g reat sound. ( 19) Sore stricken
with agony, that city including the youth as wel l as the old
people rushed towards Sri Rama in the same way as one op­
pressed with the sun would rush towards water. (20) Clinging
to the sides and back (of the cha ri ot) with their faces turned
towards h i m a nd bathed with tea rs, all subm itted to Sumantra
i n a loud voi ce :
- (21)

104
 Sri Rama is Exiled

"Hold in the reins of the horses, 0 charioteer, a nd drive

slowly and slowly. We wou ld behold the cou ntenance of Sri
Rama, which wou ld (henceforth) be difficult to behold. (22)
The heart of Kausalya (Sri Rama's mother) is su rely and un­
doubtedly made of steel in that it does not get riven (even)
when her son, who resembles an offspring of gods, is depart-
. ing for the forest! (23) Sita ( a princess of the Videha kingdom)
has done what ought to be done inas]Tiuch as she fol lows her
husband l i ke a shadow and, devoted to her duty, does not leave
h i m any more than the light of the sun forsa kes Mount Meru .
(24) Oh La k$ma r:ia, you a re accom plished of pu rpose in that
you a re going to serve you r godlike brother, who is ever dis­
posed to speak ki nd words (to a l l ) . (25) Indeed this constitutes
you r great wisdom; this is you r great good fortune a n d this i s
t h e way to heaven (for you ) that you a re fol lowi ng Sri Ra m a ! "
(26) Saying so those m e n could not restra in .their tea rs, that
had (already) wel led up (in their eyes), and fol lowed their be­
loved Sri Ra ma (the delight of the I k$wakus). (27)
Meanwhi le, su rrounded by his consorts - who were (all)
feeling miserable - and distressed in mind, the king moved
forth from his palace, sayi ng, "I sha l l see my beloved son ." (28)
In front of him was heard the high sound of cryi ng women, re­
sembling the tru mpeting of she-elephants on a lordly elephant
(the leader of their herd) having been bou nd (with chains) .
(29) At that time, the father (of Sri Ra ma), the glorious Ki ng
Dasaratha (a scion of Kakutstha), looked lustreless i n deed l i ke
the ful l moon overshadowed by Rahu d u ring a l u n a r eclipse.
(30) The i l l ustrious son of Dasaratha, Sri Ra ma, on the other
hand of inconceivable fi rmness commanded the cha rioteer in
the words " Let the chariot be driven fast." ( 3 1 ) Sri Ra ma com­
manded the celebrated cha rioteer in the words "Move o n ! " And
the people (following the cha riot) li kewise said to him, "Stop!"
U rged ( both ways) on the road, the charioteer (however) could
d o neither. (32) The dust raised on the road (even ) as the
mighty-a rmed Sri Rama d rove out (of the city for the forest)
settled down due to the tea rs that fel l (from the eyes) of the

105
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

citizens (fol lowi ng at his heels). (33) Full of la mentation and

tears and (therefore) doleful (in a ppea rance) at the departu re
of Sri Rama, the citizens (of Ayodhya), who were stricken with
deep agony and commenced wa iling loudly, beca me uncon­
scious. (34) Tea rs born of agony (ca used by separation from
Sri Rama) flowed from the eyes of women l i ke (dro ps of) water
from lotuses shaken by the com motion of fish . (35)
Seei ng the city red uced to singleness of mind, the glorious
king fel l down precipitately like a tree cut at the root. (36)
Perceivi ng the ki ng sore distressed and suffering agony, an
outcry thereupon rose from (the mouths of) men in the rear
of Sri Ra ma. (37) Seeing him wa il ing with the in mates of his
gynaeceum some people cried out, "Oh Ra ma", while others
exclaimed, "Oh Rama's mother!" ( 38) Looking back, Sri Rama
forthwith beheld the ki ng, dejected and perplexed in mind, as
well as his mother (Ka usalya) fol lowing ( h i m ) on the road. (39)
Bound by the c·o rd of duty, he did not openly gaze on them
any more than a foal, ca ught in a snare would look at its da m .
( 40) Seeing th�m wa l king, though worthy of a cha riot, unwor­
thy of suffering a n d deservi ng of comfort, he commanded the
charioteer in the words "Drive fast! " ( 41) ( Even) as an elephant
u rged on with goads is unable to look behind, Sri Rama (a tiger
among men) too was unable to bear the distressing sight of
his father and mother (following h i m on foot) . ( 42) Kausa lya
(Sri Rama 's mother) rushed forth (after Sri Rama) as a cow
that has given birth to a calf and whose calf sta nds tied (at the
sta ll) wou ld run to meet it while returning ,to its stal l (from the
pasture) . (43)
Sri Rama repeated ly gazed on his mother, Ka usa lya, who
was weeping and followi ng that cha riot as though dancing, cry­
ing "Rama, O Ra ma, O Sita, o La k$mar:ia !" and shedding tea rs
for the sake of Sri Rama, Lak$mar:ia and Sita . ( 44-45) The kin g
( o n the o n e hand) exclai med sayi ng "Stop!", while Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Ragh u ) cal led out "Go on ! Proceed ! ! " (In this way)
Sumantra's mind was placed in a dilemma as one would feel
while standing between two (revolving) wheels. (46) Sri Ra ma

106
 Sri Rama is Exiled

said to h i m , "Even when reproached ( by the king on going

batk to Ayod hya, for not carryi ng out his orders), you wi ll say,
'I did not hear (your ca l l ) .' Prolongation of this agony (ca used
by witnessi ng the sad plight of my aged a n d feeble pa rents)
wou ld prove most ca lamitous." ( 47) Ca rryi ng out the behest of
Sri Rama a nd taki ng l eave of that crowd (which was fol lowing
at his heels), the charioteer u rged on the horses that were
(already) moving (a head), to go fast� (48) ( Menta l ly) ci rcum­
a m b ulating Sri Ram a the ki ng's men retu rned (to the ki ng's
presence with their body, wh ich could not keep pace with the
chariot, though they acco m pa nied S ri Rama with their mind to
the forest); the com mon people (however) d i d not return even
with their body as they did not return with their mind, being
possessed of a qu ick speed . (49) (On retu rning to the ki ng's
presence) the ministers submitted to Emperor Dasaratha as
fol l ows : - " One should not fol l ow to a long distance h i m whom
one wishes to see come back." (50) Hearing their submission,
the king, who was endowed with all virtues and felt miserable,
stopped short, gazing with his consorts, on his celebrated son
(Sri Rama), perspi ring a l l over his body and wearing a most
dejected a p peara nce. ( 5 1 )

Ca nto XLV

People d evoted to the high-sou led Sri Rama of unfa i ling

prowess followed him on his way to the forest for exile. ( 1 )
Even when the ki ng was made to return much against his
wi l l , governed as he was by the code of conduct prescri bed
for friends and relations (accompa nyi ng a departi ng friend to
some d istan ce only), they would n ot return on a ny account
a n d contin u ed to follow the cha riot; for Sri Rama, who enjoyed
great renown and was richly endowed with excellences, had
become the favou rite like the fu ll moon of the people resid­
ing in Ayodhya . (2-3) Even though bei ng i m plored by those
(devoted) people (to return), the said Sri Rama (a scion of

107
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Kakutstha) pressed on to the forest, (thereby) provi ng his fa­

ther to be true (to his word ) . ( 4) Fondly gazing on those people
as though dri n ki n g them with his eyes, Sri Rama lovingly spoke
to them (as fol lows) as though they were his own children :
- (5) "The love and high esteem that has been bestowed u pon
me by you (the inhabitants of Ayodhya) may for my pleasu re
be bestowed in a special measure on Bha rata . (6) For Bha rata,
who enha nces the delight of Kai keyi and who is possessed of
an excellent conduct wil l properly do th ings, which a re not only
pleasing but conducive to you r (best) interests too. (7) Elderly
in wisdom, though juvenile in age, tender though adorned with
heroic q ualities, he wil l prove to be a worthy master and wi l l
dispel you r fea rs. (8) Endowed a s he is with kingly vi rtues, h e
h a s been thought fit to be the Prince Regent. For this reason
too the behest of your master must be ca rried out by you a n d
also beca use you a re enjoi ned b y me. ( 9 ) Moreover, with intent
to oblige me, the said em peror should be treated by you in
such a way that he may not suffer agony when I have gone into
exile to the fofest." ( 1 0)
The more did Sri Rama (son of Dasa ratha) hold fast to righ­
teousness (in the form of obedience to his father's wishes), the
more did the people desire him to be their ruler. ( 1 1) Sri Ra m a
with La k$mar:ia d rew a s i t were b y their virtues t h e residents
of Ayodhya - who were afflicted and covered with tea rs - as
though bound with cords. ( 1 2) (Of them) such Bra h mar:ias as
were senior in th ree ways, viz., in poi nt of wisdom, age a n d
power acq u i red through austerities, and whose heads were
shaking under the weight of their years, spoke from a dista nce
as follows (una bl e as they were to keep pace with the cha riot
of Sri Ra ma) : - ( 1 3) "Retu rn, 0 swift steeds of excellent breed
d rawing the cha riot conveying Sri Ra ma, and be friendly to
your master (sin ce by taking Sri Rama against our wishes you
will be doing a disservice to him); you ought not to proceed fur­
ther. ( 14) Indeed, (all) created beings which are endowed with
ears, more so horses, sta nd apprised of our entreaty. Therefore
please return. ( 1 5) The sa id master of you rs is exceedingly

108
 Sri Rama is Exiled

pure-minded, heroic a n d a m a n of virtuous and firm resolve .

A s such he justly deserves t o b e conveyed b y you nea rer the
city and not to be ca rried away from the city to the forest."
( 16) Perceivi ng those aged B ra h m a oas utteri ng such plai ntive
words, Sri Rama precipitately got down from the cha riot : so the
tradition goes. ( 1 7) Taki ng small strides (in order to enable the
aged Bra h maoas to overtake h i m ), SrT Ra ma now proceeded o n
foot with Sita a n d with Lak$maoa i n the di rection of the for­
est, which constituted his fi nal desti nation (without stopping or
receding to meet and console the Bra h mar:ias since that woul d
a mount to a breach o f the vow undertaken b y him to depart for
the forest) . ( 18) For, the said Sri Rama, who was affectionate
by d isposition and had com passion in his eyes, could not send
back those Brahmaoas wa l king on foot while conti n uing to be
in the chariot himself. ( 19) Perplexed in mind, sore distressed
to see the celebrated Sri Ra ma stil l pressi ng on, the Brah mar:ias ·

spoke to h i m as fol l ows : - (20)

"The whole of this Brah maoas com mu nity is following you,
devoted (as you a re) to the Bra h m a oas. ( N ay) borne on the
shoulders of the Brahmaoas (through the medium of the two
pieces of wood used for ki ndling the fire by attrition and the
vessel intended for holding it), these sacred fires too are fol­
lowing them . (21) ( Pray) look at these canopies obtai n ed by us
d u ring the performa nce of a Vaja peya sacrifice and fol lowi ng
at you r heels like (white) clouds a ppea ri ng in a utum n ( marki ng
the end of the monsoon). (22) With these canopies of ours, ob­
ta ined during a Vaja peya sacrifice, we sha l l give shade to you,
who have got no canopy1 a n d (as such) a re bei ng scorched with
rays (of the sun). (23) Indeed o u r minds which were (hereto­
fore) engaged in pursuing the study of Ved ic texts have (now)
been made to fol low the cou rse of exi le to the forest for you r
sake, 0 son ! (24) The Vedas, which constitute o u r supreme
riches, sta nd preserved in our hea rts ( memory); and protected

1. It is laid down in the Veda s that he who performs a Vajapeya sacrifice

must be supplied with a white canopy.

109
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

by their character, our consorts too will (conti n ue to) stay in

our homes alone. (We need not therefore be deterred by any
anxiety on their score). ( 25) No fresh decision need be taken
by us (on the matter), (si nce) our mind is ful ly determined to
fol low you (to the forest) . Yet (we should like to tell you that)
in the event of you r turning indifferent to piety (in the form of
listening to the advice of Brahma r:ias), what being wi ll remain
devoted to the path of virtue? (26)
"Solicited by us with our heads bent low - heads which a re
covered with hair white as the down of swa ns and are soiled
with dust as a result of their fa l l i ng on the ground ( i n the course
of our prostration to you, whom we know to be none other than
Lord Vi�r:i u) - (pray) turn back, O prince, resol ute of conduct!
(27) Sacrifices have been started by many of those Brahmar:ias
that have come here (to fol low you ) . Their concl usion, 0 son,
depends on your return. (28) (Al l ) created bei ngs - both in­
animate a n d animate - here are fu l l of devotion to you . (Pray)
show you r affection to such devotees, who a re imploring you
to return (by a'cceding to their request) . ( 29) Ta l l trees, whose
power of locomotion sta nds com pletely hampered by their roots
(penetrating deep i nto the earth) a n d which a re (therefore) un­
able to fol low you, are crying as it were through the_ crea king
sound produced by the force of wind (and thus asking you to
return). (30) Birds too, which sit motion less and a re u nable to
go out in search of food and which remain fixed to one spot on
(the boughs of) trees, solicit you to retu rn, com passionate as
you are to all created beings." ( 3 1 ) While the Bra h mar:ias were
crying thus with a view to persuading SrT Ra ma to return, the
river Tamasa cam e to view as though reta rding the progress
of SrT Ra ma (a scion of Raghu). (32) Releasing the horses, fa ­
tigued as they were, from the cha riot and quickly making them
rol l afterwards, Su mantra too allowed them to graze not very
fa r from (the bank of) the Ta masa once they had drunk water
and had their body washed in the river. (33)

* * *

1 10
 Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in exile (detail)
Pahari, c. 1 7 75/80. Museum Rietberg, Zurich
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Ca nto XLVI

Then, taki ng his sta nd on the delightful ba nk of the Ta masa

and gazing on Sita, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) spoke to the
son of Sumitra, as fol l ows: - ( 1) "Today, O Lak�mal)a, is the
(very) first night of our exi le in the forest. And since it is to
the forest that we have been sent away, you ought not to feel
anxious (for those that have been left behind); may a l l be well
with you ! (2) Look here : sought for shelter by beasts and birds
retiring to their respective abode, the desolate woods a re cryi ng
as it were on all sides. (3) The city of Ayod hya, the capita l of my
father ( King Dasaratha), with its men and women wi l l for its part
la ment today for us, that have departed (for the forest) : there is
no doubt about it. (4) For, the people (of Ayodhya) a re devoted
to the king no less than to you and me, as also to Bha rata and
Satrughna, for our manifold virtues, 0 tiger among men ! (5) I
bewail (the kJt of) my father as well as my ill ustrious mother
( Ka usalya ) . I fea r lest those parents of ours, who m ust be inces­
santly weeping, should be deprived of their eyesight. (6) I am
sure that the pious-minded Bharata will console my father and
mother by means of words assuring them of religious merit, ma­
terial welfare and sense gratification. (7) Reflecti ng again and
again on the tender-hea rted ness of Bharata, 0 mig hty-a rmed
pri nce, I do not lament for my father and mother. (8) By fol low­
ing me (to the forest), O tiger a mong men, a (great) purpose
(of mine) has been served by you for (otherwise) aid would
have to be sought for by me for looki ng after Sita (a princess
of the Videha ki ngdom). (9) I shall certa inly live on water alone
tonight. 0 son of Sumitra ! Although there are va rious kinds of
wi ld fruits and roots, this a lone pleases me." ( 10)
Having told La k�mal)a (son of Su mitra) as above, Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Raghu), so the tradition goes, spoke to Suman­
tra too as follows : -"Attend you to the horses (now), 0 good
sir!" ( 1 1) Fastening the horses tightly, the sun having corn-

112
 Sri Rama is Exiled

pletely set, and supplying them with a b u ndant g rass, the said
Suma ntra returned (to the presence of Sri Ra m a ) . ( 1 2) Havi ng
. worshipped (the goddess presiding over) the benign evening
twi light and seeing the night fal len, the charioteer a long with
Lak$mar:ia (son of S u mitra) prepa red a g round su itable for Sri
Ra ma to sleep on ( by brushi n g aside gravel a n d pa rticles of
d ust etc.) as well as a bed (of leaves) . ( 13 ) Perceiving the bed
overspread (by Suma ntra) with (fresh) leaves of trees on the
bank of the Tamasa with the help of Lak$mar:ia (son of Su mitra)
Sri Ra ma with his consort lay down on it: so they say. ( 14) Ob­
serving Sri Ra ma buried in deep sleep with his spouse, fatigued
as he was, La k$ma r:ia for his part began to recount the va rious
virtues of Sri Rama before the charioteer. ( 1 5) The sun rose
past La k$mar:ia (son of Sum itra) even as he was recou nting to
the cha rioteer on the ban k of the Tamasa the excellences of
Sri Ra ma, both (La k$mar:ia and Suma ntra) keeping awake that
night. ( 16) At a respectable d ista nce from the Ta masa, whose
bank was crowded with herds of cows, Sri Rama spent that
night with the citizens on that stretch of land. ( 17) Getting up
and seeing those people (lyi n g at som e dista nce), Sri Rama,
who was possessed of extraordinary splendo u r, spoke (as fol­
lows) to his brother, La k$mar:ia, who was endowed with auspi­
cious bod i ly marks :
- ( 18)
"Behold, O Lak$mar:ia, the citizens, fu l l of g reat longing for
us a n d a bsolutely u n m i ndful of their homes a s also of their
near and dear ones, lying close to the roots of trees ti l l this
(late) hour, 0 son of Sumitra ! ( 19) From the way in which these
citizens are ta king pains to ta ke us back (to Ayod hya) it seems
they will even lay down their l ives but would in no case give
u p their resolve. (20) Therefore, while they a re fast asleep let
us meantime quickly mount the chariot and ta ke a route which
has no fea r from any qua rter, so that the citizens of Ayodhya
(the ancient capital of Ik$wa ku), who a re (so keen ly) devoted
to me, may not henceforth ( have to) repose leaning aga inst
the roots of trees as now. (2 1-22) The residents of a city ( ruled
over by a ki ng) should indeed be completely and fi na l ly rid

1 13
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

by the sons of thei r ru lers of suffering brought about by (the

citizens) themselves. The citizens should on no account be bur­
dened with affliction caused by the princes themselves as i n
o u r case ." (23) Lak$ma r:i a replied a s follows to Sri Rama, who
was fir m as virtue inca rnate : - "What you say a ppeals to me,
O wise brother; (pray) ascend the cha riot quickly." (24)
Sri Rama then said to the charioteer, " Please get the chariot
ready soon. On it I shall p roceed to the forest. Depart from this
place at once, my lord ! " (25) Having got the chariot ready with
those excel lent horses yoked to it with great expedition, the
charioteer for his part thereupon submitted (as follows) with
joined pa lms to Sri Ram a : - (26) "Here is your chariot ready,
O mighty-armed prince ! ( Pray) ascend it quickly with Sita and
with La k$mar:ia, 0 jewel a mong chariot-warriors; may prosper­
ity attend you !" (27) M o u nting the cha riot with (all) necessities
for traveling (viz., his bow, a rmour, quiver, spade, basket and
so on), Sri Ram a (a scion of Rag h u) speedily crossed (thereby)
the swift-going Tamasa thickly set with eddies. (28) Havin g d u ly
crossed the 'stream, the g lorious Sri Ra ma (who was possessed
of mighty a rms) reached a smooth road, free from obstacles
and safe even for those who a re apprehensive of danger. (29)
With a view to putting the citizens off the scent, Sri Ram a for
his part spoke to the c h arioteer as follows : - " M ountin g the
cha riot (alone), 0 charioteer, proceed you northwa rd and, g o­
i n g a pa ce awhile, bring the cha riot back again. Remaining ca re­
ful, drive the chariot i n such a way that the citizens may not (be
able to) locate me." (30-3 1)
Hearing the command of Sri Rama, the said cha rioteer for
his pa rt did as he was told and, returning ( by a different route)
reported to Sri Rama the arrival of the cha riot. (32) The n Sri
Ram a and La k$mar:ia (the promoters of the race of Raghu)
a long with Sita comforta bly took their seats in the chariot that
was d u ly kept ready. The said charibteer thereu pon urged the
horses a long the route by which they could reach a forest suit­
ed to the practice of a usterities. (33) Having duly occu pied
the chariot, Sri Rama (son of Dasa ratha), who was a g reat

1 14
 Sri Rama is Exiled

chariot-wa rrior, thereupon proceeded to the forest along with

the cha rioteer. At the outset, (however) the cha rioteer placed
the chariot facing the north ; for he saw omens a uspicious for
journey (in that q u a rter) . (34)

Ca nto XLVII

The night havi ng ended in dawn, the citizens, who were

stu n ned with g rief, beca me u nconscious (as it were) . ( 1 ) Made
misera ble by tears born of g rief and fu ll of agony, they could
not catch even a g l i m pse of S rT Ra ma, thoug h casti ng their eyes
a l l round. (2) Their faces withered through despondency, de­
prived as they were of SrT Ra ma (who was fu l l of wisdom), and
(therefore) nonplussed, the citizens, even though they were
wise, uttered plaintive words (as follows) : - (3)
"Woe is to that slum ber, rendered u nconscious by which we
cou l d not perceive today SrT Rama, who is distinguished by a
broad chest and mighty a rms! (4) How did that mighty-armed
SrT Ra ma, whose actions, as is well-known, a re never ineffec­
tual, leave for other la nds i n the garb of an ascetic, a bandon­
ing (us) his devoted subjects? (5) How did that jewel a mong
the Raghus, who ever protected us as a father does his own
chi ldren, proceed to the forest a bandoning us? (6) Let us meet
our end at this very place ( by fasti ng) or d efinitely set out
on the grand journey (to the north with a resolve to die). For
what purpose can life be good for us, deprived as we a re of SrT
Rama? (7) Or, there a re any nu mbers of big logs of d ry wood
(here). Lig hti ng a fu neral pile let us a l l enter the fire (si m u lta-

115
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

neously). (8) Shall we break the news (when asked by those

left behind in Ayodhya) that Sri Rama (a scion of Ragh u ) of
mighty a rms, who is free from jealousy and speaks ki ndly (to
a l l), has been conveyed to the forest by us? How ca n we utter
such words? (9) Seeing us (back) without Sri Ra ma, that dty
(of Ayod hya) wil l surely assume a wretched and cheerless as­
pect with its womenfolk, chi ldren and elderly people. ( 10) How
sha l l we, who left with that high-sou led hero for good, behold
that city again without h i m ?" ( 1 1 )
Holding up their arms, the a bove-mentioned men, stricken
with agony l i ke cows of excel lent breed bereft of thei r calf,
lamented in various ways as a bove. ( 12) Then proceedi ng to
some dista nce along the tracks, ( left by Sri Ra ma's cha riot) for
some moments, they were overwhel med with great despon­
dency, the tracks havi ng disappea red i m mediately afterwards
(due to the chariot havi ng retu rned by another route) . ( 1 3) The
high-mi nded citizens (eventua l ly) returned (to Ayodhya) a long
the tracks left by the cha riot (wh ile leaving Ayod hya ), saying,
" How is it (th'at the tracks have disa ppea red so soon)? What
sha l l we do? We a re doomed by Providence." ( 14) Depressed
in spirits they a l l then retu rned, by the same route a long which
they had come, to the city of Ayod hya, where all good people
were feel i ng distressed. ( 1 5) Seeing the city (which presented
a sorry spectacle), they shed tea rs in profusion through their
eyes tormented with grief, thei r mind distracted through cheer­
lessness. ( 16) Bereft of Sri Rama, the city (of Ayodhya) did not
look any more charming than a river whose snakes have been
u prooted from its pool by Garu<;la. ( 1 7) Those bewi ldered men
beheld the city joyless l i ke the firmament bereft of the moon
and an ocean without water. ( 18) Enteri ng thei r dwellings fu l l
of a bund a nt riches with difficulty, the citizens cou ld not dis­
tinguish between thei r own people and others, though castin g
their eyes a l l round, stricken a s they w·e re with sorrow, their joy
havi ng a ltogether disappea red for good . ( 1 9)

* * *

1 16
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana at Panchavati (Pahari, 1" century)
Courtesy: Govt. Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)
Rama visits the sage Bharadwaja, then the three are crossing the
river with a raft for Sita, on their way to Chitrakoot.
Guler 1 7 75/80, Museum Rietberg, Zurich
 Rama, Sita and Lakshmana in the forest
Kangra late 18'h century.
Courtesy: Govt. Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)
Bharat approaches Chitrakut with the army
Me ar
(ii) Dialogue of Sri Ra ma and Bharata in the Forest

Ca nto XCVI

aving shown on that occasion the h �l ly stream ( M a ndakini)

H to Sita (the Pri ncess of Mithila), Sri Ra ma sat down on

a single flat rock hu mouring Sita with a descri ption of
the pulp of fruits fit for the consumption of austere sages (as
fol lows) : - ( 1) "This (fruit) is fit for being offered as an obla-­
tion into the s�cred fire, this is l uscious and this (bulb) has
been roasted well i n fire." In this way the celebrated Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Raghu), whose mind was devoted to righteousness,
spent his ti me with Sita . (2) While he rema ined sitting there,
the dust raised by the a rmy of Bharata - who was approach­
ing Sri Ram a - as wel l as the sou n d of the tra m p of the a rmy
rose to the skies. (3) In the meantime a l a rmed and agitated
by that great noise the lordly elepha nts in rut ra n away from
their herd in various di rections. ( 4) Sri Rama heard that noise
ca used by the a rmy and (a lso) perceived a l l those leaders of
herds of elephants that had taken fl ight (from their herd). (5)
Seeing them run away and also hearing that great noise, Sri
Rama spoke (as fol lows) to Lak$mar:ia, son of Sumitra, of radi­
a nt effu l gence : - (6) "O Lak!;imar:ia, Su mitra in this world is
blessed with a worthy son i n you . See now this confused noise
is being heard, deep as a terrible crash of thunder. (7) How is
it that herds of elephants in the forest a nd (wild) buffaloes in
the great forest a n d the deer are a l l of a sudden taking flight

122
 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

helter-skelter in various di rections as thoug h sca red by lions?

(8) Is any ki ng or prince going about hunting in the forest? Or
has any other beast of prey appeared (here)? You ought to
find this out, O son of Su mitra ! (9) Moreover th is mountain,
0 Lak$mar:ia, is most difficult of access even to birds (of other
parts) . You ought (therefore) to ascertain a l l this accurately."
( 10)
Enjoined thus the celebrated Lak$mar:ia climbed up with
g reat speed a sal tree in blossom and: surveying a l l the quar­
ters, fixed his gaze on the eastern quarter. ( 1 1 ) Looking in­
tently with his face ( n ow) turned northward he espied a large
a rmy thick with elephants, horses a n d chariots a n d conjoi ned
with vigi lant foot soldiers. ( 1 2) He an nou nced to Sri Rama the
a pproach of that a rmy abounding in horses a n d cha riots a n d
adorned with ensigns borne on chariots, and m a d e t h e follow­
ing submission : - ( 13) " Let your worthy self fu lly extinguish
the fire and let Sita seek a cave and keep ready your bow,
as well as a rrows a nd a rmour." ( 14) To La k$mar:ia, they say,
Sri Ra ma, a (verita ble) tiger a mong men, replied (as fol lows) :
- " Dear La k$ma r:ia (son of Sumitra), please look ca refully (at
the device of the ensign) and tell me whose a rmy you consider
it to be." ( 1 5) Com m a nded thus by Sri Rama, La k$mar:ia said
as follows, (gazi ng at the a rmy) as though keen to consume it
l i ke an angry fire :
- ( 1 6) " Evidently having secured consecra-
tion on the th rone of Ayodhya a n d keen to attain u ndisputed
sovereignty, Bharata, son of Kai keyi, comes fu l ly prepared to
kil l us (both ) . ( 17) An ensi g n bearing the device of a Kovida ra
tree with a white tru n k rea lly shi nes promi nently over there on
a chariot standing where that giga ntic tree rich i n flowers and
fruits etc., is clea rly visi ble. ( 1 8) Mou nting swift horses as they
would, these horsemen a re heading towa rds this spot. Mount­
i n g elepha nts these riders on elepha nts (too) a ppear highly
rejoiced (while m arching towards this place). ( 19) Ta kin g u p
our bows l e t u s both station ourselves o n t h e summit o f the
mountain, 0 hero ! Or clothed with mail let us contin u e on this
very spot with uplifted wea pons. (20)

123
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

"The ensign bearing the device of a Kovidara tree wi ll surely

be broug ht under our control, and I a m glad I sha l l ( be able to)
see (face to face) Bharata, on whose account great suffering
has been u ndergone by you , 0 scion of Raghu, as wel l as by
Sita and myself, and for whose sake, O Rama, you have been
deprived of a ki ngdom which was ever you rs. (21-22) Bha rata,
who has arrived in state as an adversa ry, surely deserves to be
ki l led outrig ht, O heroic pri nce! I see no wrong in kil l ing Bhara­
ta, O scion of Rag h u ! (23) Killing a man who has wronged one
before, one surely does not get contaminated with sin. Bhara­
ta has wronged you ; hence there is sin (on ly) in leaving him
alone, 0 scion of Raghu ! (24) When Bharata has been ki l led,
rule over the entire world. Sore stricken with sorrow, Kaikeyi,
who is covetous of sovereignty, will find her son kil led i n battle
by me like a tree uprooted by an elephant. I sha l l ki l l Kai keyi
too with her dependa nts and relations. (25-26) Let the ea rth
be purged of this sin (in the shape of Ka ikeyi) . Today I sha ll
release my repressed fury and scorn (in the shape of a rrows)
agai nst the enemy's forces even as one would spit fire on d ried
bushes, 0 bestower of honour! Tea ring to pieces the bodies
of the enemies with sha rp-poi nted a rrows I sha l l th is very day
d rench the forest of Citrakuta with blood . Let beasts of prey
d rag hither and thither the elephants and horses, whose heart
is pierced through with a rrows, as well as the men (that wil l be)
slain by me. Havin g ki lled Bharata with his a rmy in this great
forest I sha l l fu lfi l ! my arrows and bow (by su pplying them with
a bundant food) : there is no doubt a bout it." (27-30)
/
'

Ca nto XCVII

Sri Ra ma, for his part, pacified in every way La k�mar:ia, who
actually bore an utterly bellicose attitude towa rds Bharata and
was beside hi mself with rage, and then spoke to h i m a s fol lows :
- ( 1) "When the very mighty Bharata, ful l of great long ing (to
see me), has tu rned up in person, what pu rpose wi l l be served

124
 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

at this moment with a blow or with a sword accompanied by

a shield? (2) Havi ng given (in the first insta nce) my word of
honour to i mplement the pledge of my father and then ki lling
Bha rata in an encounter, O Lak$ma r:ia, what shal l I do with a
kingdom stained with infa my? (3) I a m not going to accept a
fortune that wi l l descend on the destruction of my kinsfol k or
friends any m ore than one wou ld pa rta ke of dishes mixed with
poison . ( 4) I seek virtue, fortune, a n d g ratification of senses
and even (sovereig nty of) the earth , 0 La k$ma r:ia, (on ly) for
you (my brothers, and not for any personal gain); I give this
word of honour to you . ( 5) I seek sovereignty too (on ly) for
the protection and gratification of my brothers, O La k$mar:ia; I
swear by my weapon (bow). (6)
" (The sovereig nity of) this earth, hemmed in by the sea, 0
gentle brother, is not difficult for me to acq u i re; but I do not
covet even the position of Indra through u n righteousness, O
Lak$mar:ia! (7) If any joy comes to me without Bharata and
you or even without Satrug h na 0 respecter of others, let fire
red uce it to ashes. (8) I bel ieve, 0 gallant brother, that hearing,
when back in Ayodhya, of myself having been exi led with Sita
(daughter of Jana ka) and yourself, (and havi ng proceeded to
the forest) wea ring matted locks and clad in the bark of trees,
O j ewel a mong men, Bharata, who is (so) fond of his brothers,
and is dearer to me than life (itself), m ust have found his heart
overwhelmed with affection and his mind distracted through
g rief and has surely come a l l the way to see me, beari ng in
m i nd the custom of his race (in the shape of i nsta l ling the
eldest son on the throne on the death of a ki ng) and that the
s�id Bharata has not come with any other motive . (9- 1 1 ) Get­
ting angry with mother Kaikeyi and speaking unkind words to
her and havi ng obtained the consent of our father, the glorious
Bharata has (evidently) come to offer the throne to me. ( 1 2)
" It is ( but) opportune that Bharata sees us - (in fact) he de­
serves to see us. He wou ld not do any harm to us even with his
mind. ( 13) I wonder when and what offence did Bha rata give
to you in the past and when he said any such alarming thing

125
Bharat with Sri Rama ( detail of page 1 20)
Mewar
 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Chitrakuta
Datia-Jaipur style
top: the queens meet Sita
right: Rama bowing at the
feet of Kaushalya
bottom: Vasishtha and Sri
Rama
circa AD 1 740
National Museum, Delhi

127
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

that you mistrust Bha rata today. ( 14) Bha rata should under no
circumsta nces be spoken to harshly nor should u nkind words
be addressed to him. If a ny offence were given to Bharata,
indeed it wou ld mean that I am told u n pleasant things. ( 1 5)
How on earth can sons take the life of their father in any tryi ng
situation or how can a brother ki l l his (own) brother, his (very)
l ife, O son of Sumitra? ( 16) If you utter these words (sig nify­
ing you r intention to kill Bharata) for the sake of sovereignty,
I shal l speak to Bharata as fol lows on seeing h i m : ' Let the
kingdom be given away for good to La k$mar:ia' ( 1 7) Being ad­
d ressed by me in the words 'Bestow the ki ngdom on Lak$mar:ia,'
Bharata, O Lak$mar:ia, wi l l surely accept my command saying
'So be it!' "( 18)
Admon ished thus by his brother (Sri Ra ma) of virtuous dis­
position, La k$mar:ia, who was devoted to the interests of the
latter, hid hi mself in his own limbs as it were out of shame. ( 1 9)
Put out of countenance to hear this admonition, La k$mar:ia,
they say, submitted as fol lows : -'- "I believe our father, Em­
peror Dasarat�a himself, has come to see you ." ( 20) Fi nding
Lak$mar:ia abashed, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), they say,
repl ied (as follows) : - "I (too) believe that the mig hty-a rmed
emperor has ( personally) come to see us here . ( 2 1 ) Consider­
ing us to be deservi ng of comfort and bea ring in m i nd the pri­
vations attendant on residence in a forest, father wi ll, I believe,
surely ta ke us back home. (22) Aga i n, my father, the g lorious
Dasaratha (a scion of Rag h u), will return (to the ca pital) ta ki ng
(with him) from the forest this Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha
kingdom) too, who has (always) enjoyed the utmost a men ities
(of life) . (23) Here are to be clearly seen the two spirited and-­
excel lent fleet horses of noble breed, pleasing to the mind and
vyi ng with the wind in swiftness. (24) Here is the wel l-known
g igantic and aged elepha nt, Satrunjaya by name, of our wise
father, rocki ng a bout at the head of the a rmy. (25) I, however,
do not behold that white heavenly u mbrel la of my father, well
known in the world, 0 highly blessed one! Doubt o n this poi nt
fills my mind. (26) Do my bidding, O La k$mar:ia, and climb

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

you down from the tree-top." In these precise words did Sri
Ra ma, whose mind was given to piety, add ress the celebrated
La k$ma r:i a (son of Su mitra ) : so the tradition goes . (27)
Getti ng down from that top of the sa l tree, La k$mar:ia, the
conqueror of hostile forces, for his pa rt, stood by the side of
Sri Rama with joi ned pa lms. ( 28) Ad monished by Bha rata in
the words " Let there be no molestation (to the hermitage of
Sri Ra ma)", his army enca m ped round a bout that mounta i n .
(29) Occu pyi ng an a rea o f o n e Yojana a ri d a ha lf, they say the
army of Bharata (of Ik$wa ku's l i ne), ful l of elepha nts, horses
and men, enca m ped by the side of the mounta i n . (30) Brought
with the pu rpose of propitiating Sri Rama (the delight of the
Ragh us) by Bharata, who was rich in the sense of propriety,
placing rig hteou�ness i n the forefront and sha king off va nity,
the aforesaid a rmy shone brig htly in the vici nity of CitrakOta .
(31)

Ca nto XCIX

The a rmy having enca m ped, Bharata, keen as he was to see

his (elder) brother, then proceeded to look for h i m , pointi n g out
(on the way) to Satrug hna the ma rks indicati ng the presence
of a hermitage near by. ( 1 ) Req uesti ng Sage Vasi$tha i n the
fol lowi ng words "( Pray) fetch my mothers promptly," Bharata,
who was fond of his elder brother, hasti ly pressed forward. (2)
Suma ntra too for his pa rt closely fol lowed Satrughna; (for) a n
ardent longing for the sight of Sri Ra ma possessed his heart
too as Bha rata 's. (3) Even while proceeding, Bharata, who was
(now) radiant (with joy at the prospect of meeti ng Sri Ra ma),
beheld the hut made of leafy twigs belonging to his (elder)
brother and built after the style of hermits' dwe l l ings, as well
as another cottage (enclosed with a wooden wall and provided
with doors, intended for Sita) : so the tradition goes. (4) In
front of that h ut Bha rata saw at that ti me hewn pieces of wood
as wel l as flowers gathered for worshi p . (5) He (also) perceived

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

tokens for indicating the way made on trees here and there
with blades of Kusa grass and strips of cloth by Lak�mai:ia and
Sri Ra ma while returning to the hermitage (from the riverside
after a bath or with water fetched from the river) . (6) He fur­
ther beheld in the vicinity of that cottage large heaps made
of the d ried d u ng of deer and (wild) buffaloes for protection
agai nst cold . (7)
While going the mig hty-armed Bharata, who was ful l of glory,
spoke with delight (as fol lows) on that occasion to Satrughna
as wel l as to all those ministers (that had accompa nied him): -

(8) "I believe we have reached that reg ion of which Bharadwaja
spoke (to us) . I concl ude the river Mandakini to be not very fa r
from this place. (9) Since strips of cloth a re seen fastened (to
the trees) high u p, this may be the path provided with tokens
by La k�mar:ia wishing to go out (for a bath or in order to bring
water from the river) at an odd hour. ( 10) On this side do swift­
footed elephants disting u ished by huge tusks roa m about tru m­
peti ng at one a n other in the fla n ks of the mounta i n . ( 1 1 ) There
can be seen the thick smoke of the (sacred) fire, which ascetics
in a forest seek to preserve incessa ntly (for pouring oblations
into it both morni n g and even ing). ( 1 2) Here I sha l l ( be a b l e to)
see Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), my elder brother, a (veritable)
tiger a mong men, who shows respect to his elders, highly de­
lighted l i ke an em inent sage." ( 1 3 )
Then, going awhile, the celebrated Bharata ( a scion of Ra­
ghu) reached CitrakOta on the ban k of the Mandaki ni and spoke
as follows to those men (that had accompanied hi m ) : - ( 14)
"Havi ng reached a lonely place Sri Ra ma (a tiger a mong men),
a ruler of the people, sits delig hted on the ( ba re) g round in the
posture of a hero (with his left foot placed on his right knee). _
Woe to my birth a long with my l ife! ( 1 5) ' Fallen i n adversity (in
the shape of being deprived of his inheritance and exi led) on
my account, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), the protector of the
world, who is possessed of great splendour, is dwel ling in a
forest having completely given u p a l l enjoyments.' ( 16) Reviled
thus by the world I sha l l fal l at the feet of Sri Rama, Sita and

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Lak$mar:ia today with a view to propitiati ng the m ." ( 1 7)

Wailing thus, the celebrated Bha rata (son of Dasaratha) be­
held in that forest a large a n d holy hut of leafy twigs pleasing
to the mind and thatched with abundant leaves of sa l , pal myra
and Aswa ka rr:ia trees, and (th us) a ppearing (from a dista nce)
l i ke an extensive alta r softly overspread with blades of Kusa
grass in a sacrificial performa nce. ( 18-19) The hut was adorned
with very strong bows pl ated with gold �t the back and shining
like rainbows, instru mental i n accom plishing g reat deeds and
ca pable of harassi ng the enemy. (20) It was (fu rther) graced
with fea rfu l a rrows encased in quivers and shining l i ke sun­
beams, in the sa me way as Bhogavatl (the rea l m of N agas) is
g raced by serpents with incandescent hoods. ( 2 1 ) The hut was
(a lso) adorned with a couple of swords encased in sheaths of
gold and further adorned with two shields embl azoned with
flowers of gold. (22) Disti ng u ished by gloves of iguana skin
embe l lished with excel lent gold and suspended on wa l ls, the
h ut was unassai lable by hordes of enemies even as the lair of a
lion is inca pable of bei ng assa iled by deer. (23) In that habitat
of Sri Ra ma, Bharata (a lso) beheld a spacious holy alta r inclin­
ing towards the southeast and with a lig hted fire placed on it.
(24)
Fixi ng his gaze awhile Bharata for his part descried his elder
brother, Sri Ra ma, seated in the hut wea ring a rounded mass
of matted hair (on his head). {25) He saw the said Sri Ra ma
wea ring the skin of a black buck and clad in a strip of bark and
resembling a fire ( i n bri l l ia nce), seated close by. (26) He saw
the mighty-a rmed Sri Ra ma, the protector of the ea rth extend­
ing up to the ocean, who had shoulders rese m b l i ng a lion's and
eyes resembling a pa i r of lotuses and was given to the prac­
tice of virtue, seated like the eternal Brahma (the creator) on
a levelled a n d squ a red piece of ground strewn with blades of
(the sacred) Kusa g rass, along with Sita and La k$mar:ia. (27-28)
Overwhelmed with agony and confusion, the g lorious Bharata,
son of Kai keyi, whose mind was given to piety, rushed towards
him on seeing him . (29) Distressed at his very sight, he wai led

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

as fol lows in a voice choked with tears, unable as he was to

restrain his agony and fai ling to utter a rticulate words : - (30)
"Here is that very elder brother of mine sitti ng in the com pany
of wild deer, who deserves to be attended u pon by ministers in
a royal assembly. ( 3 1 ) The sa me exa lted sou l who was used to
wea ring clothes worth many thousands in the city (of Ayodhya)
puts on in this forest today pieces of deerskin, discharging his
sacred obl igation (towards his father) . (32) How does the same
Sri Ram a (a scion of Ragh u ) who ever adorned his head with
bea utifu l flowers of every description endure now this burden
of matted locks (on his head)? ( 33) He who deserved to acq u i re
merit through sacrificial performances undertaken as enjoi ned
(by the scriptu res) is striving after merit ea rned through morti­
fication of the flesh! (34) How is it that the person of my cele­
brated elder brother that used to be adorned with sa ndal-paste
of great va lue is (now) covered with dirt? (35) Sri Rama, who
deserves (all kinds of) comforts, has met with this misfortune
on my accou nt. Woe to my life, condemned by the world, cruel
as I am." (36)'
Loudly wail ing, Bharata, who was feeling miserable, his lo­
tus-like countena nce covered with perspiration, fel l down crying,
unable, as he was to place his hands on the feet of Sri Ram a .
(37) Pitifully saying, " O worshi pful brother!" but once, the very
mighty prince Bharata, tormented as he was with agony, said '
nothing further. (38) Cryi ng at the top of his voice "My noble
brother!" only, on perceiving the i l l ustrious Sri Ra ma, he could
not spea k further, his throat choked with tears. (39) Shedding
tears Satrughna as wel l bowed down at the feet of Sri Rama. And
closely embracing them both Sri Rama too began dropping tears. ,
(40) The two pri nces (Sri Rama and Lak�maoa) then embrace(
Sumantra as wel l as Guha in the forest, (even) as the Sun apd
the Moon conjoin with Ven us and J u piter in the heavens. (41)
Perceiving the princes, who deserved to ride on lordly elephants
( lit., the leaders of herds of elephants), come together in that
forest, a l l those dwel lers in forests for thei r part began to shed
tears losing the joy (born of his blessed sight) . ( 42)

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Ca nto CII

Hearing the exhortation of Sri Ra ma, Bha rata, it is said, re­

plied as fol lows: - "How wi l l the code of conduct prescribed
for a ki ng ava i l me, who sta nd outside the ra nge of that code
(disq u a lified as I a m for sovereig nty, being a you nger issue of
the ki ng-em peror)? ( 1 ) This has ever _been the perpetual l aw
amongst us (the K$atriyas of the sol a r dynasty), 0 jewel a mong
men, that so long as the eldest pri nce is a l ive, a younger one
ca n never be king. (2) Therefore, return with me to the af­
fl uent (city of) Ayod hya, 0 scion of Raghu, a nd get you rself
consecrated (for the kingship) for the conti n u ance of this race
of o u rs. (3) The ki ng, whom (the com mon) people spea k of as
a h u ma n bei ng a nd (yet) whose conduct, which goes hand in
hand with righteousness and world ly prosperity, they de·clare
as su perhu m a n, is esteemed by me as verg i n g on divinity. (4)
While I was away in the ki ngdom of Kekaya a nd you had pro­
ceeded to the forest, the sagacious king, who was g iven to the
performance of sacrifices a nd was esteemed by the virtuous,
ascended to heave n . ( 5) Accompa n ied by Sita and La k$mar:ia
you had j ust gone out (of Ayodhya) when overwhel med with
sorrow a nd g rief, the king departed for heave n . (6)
"Get u p, 0 tiger a mong men ! Let water be offered to (the
spirit of o u r deceased) father. Satrughna sta nding here and I
too have al ready offered water to h i m . (7) For, the knowers of
Truth decl a re that water etc., offered by a beloved son surely
becomes inexhaustible in the rea l m of ma nes, 0 scion of Ra­
g h u ; and you a re u ndoubted ly the beloved of our (deceased)
father. (8) Bereft of you and stricken with grief caused by sepa­
ration from you and unable to divert his m i n d that was solely
attached to you a tone, our father departed (from this world)
g rieving only for you, longing for you r sight a nd fondly remem­
beri ng you a lone." (9)

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Canto CV

The night subsequently passed away in sorrow in the case

of the (said) tigers a mong men, accompanied by those near
and dear ones, while the former were grievi ng . ( 1 ) Having of­
fered oblations into the sacred fire and muttered their prayers
on the bank of the Manda ki ni, when the night had been vividly
relieved by dawn, the brothers, accompanied by their near and
dear ones, sought the presence of Sri Ram a . (2) They (all) sat
down m ute none spoke anything. Bharata for his part made the
fol lowi ng submission to Sri Rama in the midst of his near and
dear ones: - ( 3) "My mother (Ka i keyi) has been consoled (by
you) and this ki ngdom (of Ayodhya) bestowed on me. I (hereby)
return it to your own self. ( Please) enjoy it without i m pediment.
(4) (Just) as a dam breached by a mighty onrush of water
d uring the ra i ns ca nnot be easi ly repaired, this large state (of
Ayod hya) can not be easi ly held in one's grip by a nyone other
tha n you . (5) The power to emulate you r ruling capacity does
not lie in me, 0 ruler of the world, a ny more than the power to
emulate the gait of a horse in a donkey and the flight of Garu<;la
(the carrier of Lord Vi$Q U) in a (common) bird. (6) Know his life
to be blessed from day to day, whoever is depended upon by
others. Life is, however, d ragged on with h a rdsh i p by him who '
d epends for his life u pon others, O Ra m a ! (7)
"For example a tree planted a nd n u rtured by a man develops
(in cou rse of time) into a mighty tree with a stout tru nk hard
to scale for a dwa rf. (8) But when, though laden with flowers,
it does not bea r fru its, the man does not experience the sa me
delight that he expected from it due to his failu re to reach the
consu mmation for which it was pla nted with effort. (9) This
is (only) a n ana logy, O mig hty-armed brother: be pleased to
make out it's mea n i ng, since you, our su preme master, do not
(care to) instruct us, your serva nts, on this occasion (when it
behoves you to protect us) . ( 10) Let the guilds of traders (of
every class) and their leaders behold you, the subduer of en-

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

emies, seated on the throne l i ke the sun blazing on a l l sides, O

great king! ( 1 1) Likewise let the elepha nts in rut tru m pet in the
cou rse of you r retu rn journey (to Ayod hya) a n d let the women
l ivi ng in the ( roya l) i nner chambers, ful ly col lected in m ind, re­
joice (to see you retu rned)". ( 12)
Hearing the submission of the celebrated Bharata, sup­
plicating S ri Rama, the citize ns of every class (assembled at
Citra kOta ) acclai med it in the words "yi!ell sai d ! " ( 1 3) Perceiv­
ing the said i l lustrious Bharata wai ling as a bove, afflicted as
he was, Sri Rama, who was self-possessed a nd self-d isciplined
comforted h i m thus: - ( 14) " Freedom of action does not be­
long to the em bodied sou l, since this sou l is powerless (un­
like God ) . Providence alone forci bly drags the sou l hither and
thither. ( 1 5) All accu m u l ations end in attenuation; all elevations
end in degradation; a l l unions end in separation; all life has its
end i n death . ( 16) As no fea r from a ny quarter other than a fa ll
awaits ripe fruits, so no fea r from any quarter other than death
awaits a man come into the world. ( 17) ( Even) as a house
(though supported by stout pillars) col lapses on getting old, so
men fa llen i nto the clutches of old age and d eath breathe thei r
last. ( 18)
"The night that passes away does not retu rn in any case;
the Yam u na (river) meets without fa i l the a l l-sufficient ocea n,
abounding in water. ( 19) Passing days and nights quickly end the
l ife-span of a l l living beings in this world, (even) as sunbea ms
suck up water in sum mer. (20) Grieve for you rself (a lone), why
do you g rieve for a n other? In fact, the l ife span of each and
every creatu re, whether staying (at home) or departed (for
another place), gets shortened (every moment) . ( 2 1 ) Death
ever wal ks with us and remains seated with us (whi le we are
sitti ng). Having travel led a very long dista nce (with us) death
returns with us (on o u r retu rn) . (22) When folds have appeared
on (the ski n of) the l i m bs and the hair have turned grey, by
what expedient wil l a man worn out with age be able to control
them? (23) Men rejoice when the sun has risen and (also) re­
joice when the day has ended, but do not perceive the ebbing

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

of their life. (24)

"People rejoice to see the approach of a season as thoug h
'
it h a d a ppea red for the first ti me. But (they forget that) with
a change of season comes about the (gradual) waning of l ife
of living beings. ( 25) (Even) as two pieces of drift-wood come
together on the surface of an ocean (at a pa rticular moment
of time) a nd, having come together (in this way), drift apart
on reaching a particular moment, so wives and sons as well as
relations and riches part company after coming together; for
inevitable is their sepa ration . (26-27) No l iving being in this
world ca n esca pe its desti ny (in the shape of bi rth and death )
when the time comes for it. Hence the power to avert his own
death does not lie in a man mourning again and again for a
dead person . (28) How ca n he who has got on the inevita ble
path trodden by his forbears, viz., his father, grandfather and
so on, and from which there is n o esca pe - (even) as one
standing on the roadside wou ld cry to a company of travellers
passi ng by, 'I sha l l also follow at your heels' (and would forth­
with follow th�m), mourn (for his parents and other departed
.relations)? (29-30)
" Foreseeing the ( inevitable) end of one's ebbing life, which
does not return any more than a stream, one's own self should
be employed i n a pursuit leading to blessedness; (for) l ivi ng
beings a re decla red as pursuing ha ppi ness. (31) O u r father, '
the ki ng (the lord of the ea rth) was a vi rtuous person . He per­
formed almost a l l extremely auspicious sacrifices and paid plen­
tiful sacrificial fees (to the officiating priests and Brah mi ns). All
his sins were washed away and so he went to heave n . ( 3 2)
On accou nt of properly maintain ing the servants, protecti ng
and guarding the subjects and rea l ising taxes in the manner
p rescribed by scri ptures from them, our father has gone to the
heaven. (33) Our father Dasaratha, the lord of the earth has
reached heaven on account of his performing a l l auspicious
acts desi ra ble, and performing many sacrifices involving heavy
sacrificial fees. ( 34) Havin g propitiated the Yajnapuru�a by per­
forming different types of sacrifices, enjoying worldly pleasures

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

i n plenty and havi ng lived a long a nd vi rtuous life the lord of

the earth has gone to the heaven. (35) Havi ng obta i ned a long
life a nd worldly l uxuries the father, from the Rag h u dynasty,
has gone to the heaven coveted and honoured by the virtuous
people, 0 dear one! He is not at a l l to be l a mented upon . (36)
Having shed his worn-out h u man fra me, our father has surely
atta ined celesti al wea lth (in the form of an etherea l body etc.,)
which enables him to sport (even) in tl)e real m of Bra h m a (the
highest heaven). (37) No highly wise, learned a nd exception­
a l ly clever man such as you and I are, ought to g rieve (for the
em peror) . (38) These manifold gri efs as well as wa i l ing and
weeping should i n that case undoubted ly be given up under a l l
circumsta nces by a resol ute m a n possessed o f wisdom. (39)
As such be at ease, let not g ri ef overpower you . And, return­
ing (home), dwell in that city (of Ayod hya ) . So have you been
enjoi ned by father, a master of his will, O jewel a mong the
eloquent! ( 40)
"I (too) shall do the biddi ng of our noble father (conti n u i ng)
i n that very p lace where I have been enjoi ned to stay by that
em peror of virtuous deeds. ( 4 1 ) It is not justifi a ble on my part
to fl out his command, O subduer of foes! He ever deserved
to be honou red even by you , since he was o u r friend; he was
our (very) father. ( 42) Th rough my action in the shape of so­
journing in the forest, 0 scion of Raghu, I s h a l l obey that very
com mand of my father, which is thought h i g h ly of by those
practising virtue. ( 43) A pious man seeki ng to conquer the oth­
er world, O tiger a mong men, ought to be ki nd-hearted a nd
obedient to h is elders (father) and others. ( 44) Keeping i n view
the virtuous conduct of o u r father, King Dasaratha, O jewel
among men, d i rect you r thoug hts only towa rds the welfare ( i n
the other world) o f you r spi rit in consona nce with you r (pious)
natu re." ( 45) Having tendered to his younger brother ( Bharata )
i n a bout a n hour, the significant advice u rg i n g h i m t o ca rry out
the behests of their father, the high-souled and a l m i g hty Sri
Ra ma becam e si lent. (46)

1 37
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Ca nto CVI

When Sri Ra ma beca me silent after making a significa nt

speech, the pious Bharata for his part now addressed to Sri
Rama, who was (so) fond of his people, the fol lowing agree­
able and rig hteous submission on the ba n k of the Mandaki ni:
- "Indeed who ca n there be in this world such as you a re, O
ta mer of foes? ( 1-2) Neither ca n sorrow torment you nor can
joy exhila rate you . Though hig hly thought of by the elders, you
nevertheless refer you r dou bts to them. (3) Wherefore should
he grieve, he who has developed an attitude of mind by virtue
of which, though l ivi ng, he is as good as dead (to the world)
and which makes him as indifferent to the existent as to the
non-existent? (4) He who knows the Self as wel l as the non­
self as you do, O ruler of men, ought not to feel dejected even
on meeti ng with adversity. (5) Possessed of va lou r comparable
with that of gods, and endowed with great fortitude, you a re
true to you r p romise, al l-knowi ng, all-seeing and wise too, o
scion of Rag h u ! (6) ( Even) affliction which is most u n bearable
(for us) ought not to assail you , endowed (as you are) with
such vi rtues and conversant with the origin and end of l iving
bei ngs. (7)
"The sinful deed (in the shape of bringing about your exile) '
which was perpetrated by my sinfu l mother for my sake when
I was away, was not to my liking . (Therefore) be gracious to
me. (8) Fetters of morality bind me (which forbids a warrior to
lay his fi nger u po n a woma n); hence I do not kil l on the spot
with a severe punishment my mother of sinful deeds, who is
deservi ng of punishment. (9) How ca n I, sprung (as I am) from
(the loins of) Dasaratha of noble birth and deeds, and knowi ng
(as I do) right and wrong, perpetrate an odious act (like kil l i ng
my own mother)? ( 10) I do not (wish to) denounce father in an
(open) assembly beca use he had (a n umber of) sacrificial per­
formances to his credit, was aged and worthy of respect, has
joined the majority and was my father and a deity to me. ( 1 1)

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Indeed what man who knows the principles of moral ity would
perpetrate such a si nfu l act, u n p roductive of religious merit and
(worldly) prosperity, with intent to please a woman, 0 knower
of what is right? ( 12) There is an old adage saying that living
beings inva ria bly get deluded at the hour of death . That say­
ing has been ill ustrated to the world by the ki ng while acti ng
as h e has done. ( 1 3) Keeping in mind a noble purpose, null ify
the tra nsg ression that has been com m itted by father for fear of
wrath (of Kaikeyl) or through delusion and preci pitance. ( 14)
"A son who mends the a rrant tra nsg ression of his father is
accou nted a son (in the rea l accepta nce of the term) in the
world ; he who acts otherwise tha n this is (quite) the reverse
(of a son). ( 1 5) Therefore be you a (true) son ; do not counte­
nance the sinful act of our father (by i m plementi ng his word ) .
The act perpetrated b y him is in contravention o f (all princi ples
of) moral ity and is (therefore) utterly condem ned in the world
by the wise . ( 1 6) Be pleased to grant a l l this (prayer of mi ne) in
order to save KaikeyT, myself, fathe r, our friends and relations
as well as a l l the citizens and people of the cou ntryside. ( 17)
What congruity is there between forest life (on the one hand)
and the duty of a K$atriya (on the other), between (wearing)
matted locks (on one's head) and protection of the people?
You ought not to perpetrate such an incongruous act (as may
sta nd in the way of your discharging the duty of a K$atriya,
viz., protection of the people). ( 18) Indeed it is the foremost
duty of a K$atriya to get h i m consecrated as a ki ng, through
which (act alone) it is possi ble to protect the people, O highly
enlightened brother! ( 19) Neg lecti ng a duty yielding visi ble joy,
what K$atriya esteemed by his race would practise a vi rtue
which is of doubtfu l result, which does not promise ha ppiness,
which bri ngs its rewa rd in a future state (only) and wh ich is
undefined? (20) If you desi re to pursue a virtue followi ng from
ha rdsh ip alone, undergo suffering while protecti ng the fou r di­
visions of society by recou rse to rig hteousness." (21)
"The knowers of what is right defi nitely declare the life of a
householder to be the noblest and best of ( a l l ) the fou r stages

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

of _l ife (inasmuch a s it is depended upon by a l l others); how

(then) do you seek to abandon it, O knower of (the principles
of) righteousness? (22) I a m decidedly j u nior to you in point of
learning, ra n k a n d date of birth . As such how sha l l I (be able
to) rule over the earth when you a re present? (23) A ( mere)
child (as I am), of poor understanding and virtues, and also
placed in an inferior position (as compared with you), I ca nnot
even live without you (much less rule over the people). (24) O
knower of what is right, ru le with you r ki nsmen over the whole
of this foremost a n cestral kingdom without opposition accord­
ing to the code of conduct prescri bed for you . (25) Let a l l the
ministers as well as the priests including Vasi$tha, well-versed
in sacred form ulas, conjoi ntly consecrate you (as the ki ng of
Ayodhya ) on this very spot, O knower of sacred texts! (26)
Consecrated by us as Indra by Ma ruts (the wi nd-gods) and
having conquered the worlds by d i nt of you r might march you
(back) to Ayod hya in order to rule over it. (27) Discharging the
th ree obligations (you owe to gods, �$iS and manes severa l ly
by offeri ng obl�tions, studying the Vedas and procreating chil­
d ren), completely destroying the foes and g ratifying your near
and dear ones through thei r desi red objects, instruct you me at
Ayodhya itself." (28)
"Let those who a re friendly (to you) feel rejoiced today on
your consecration (as the king of Ayodhya), O noble brother! '
Let those who a re incli ned to cause pain to you ru n frightened
in every direction today. (29) Wiping off the obloquy attaching
to me as well as to my mother, O jewel a mong men, save our
esteemed father as well from remorse today. (30) I i mplore you
with my head bent low: (pray) ta ke pity on me as wel l as on a l l
your kinsfolk (even) a s Lord Siva (the Supreme Deity) does on
(all) created beings. ( 3 1 ) Else if, setti ng aside my request, you
proceed from this place to a forest a lone, I too sha l l depart with
you. " (32) (Even) while being propitiated as above with bowed
head by Bharata, who was sinking in spirit, the g racefu l Sri
Rama (the ruler of the ea rth), who had a strong wi l l and cl ung
fast to the word of his father giving consent to his exi le, did

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

not feel incli ned to proceed (to Ayodhya ) . (33) Perceiving such
wonderfu l fi rm ness in Sri Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u), the people
(of Ayodhya ) experienced joy and felt disconsolate at the same

fi
tim e . They were d istressed to fi nd that h e was not going to
Ayodhya a n d e lt rejoiced to note his firmness of resolve. (34)
The priests, t e citizens and the leaders of (different) bodies
of men as we I as the -mothers (of Sri Ra ma a n d others), who
had (all) been' rendered senseless (as. it were) and had tea rs
i n their eyes, com pli mented Bharata , who was speaking in that
strain, and bowi ng down l ow to Sri Ra m a , joined Bharata in his
supplication (to Sri Rama). (35)

Canto CVI I

Thereupon the g l orious Sri Rama (eldest brother of

La k$mar:ia), highly respected a mong his cla nsmen, replied to
the said Bha rata, who was spea king again in that strain : - (1)
"The assertion that you - a son born o f Dasaratha, the fore­
most of kings, through Kaikeyl - have made j ust now as a bove
is reasonable. (2) In the past, while ma rryi ng Ka ikeyl (your
mother), 0 brother, our celebrated father promised to your ma­
ternal grandfather the kingdom (of Ayod hya in favou r of her
issue) as the roya l price (for the ma rriage) . (3) Propitiated (by
sta nding h i m in good stead) in a conflict between the gods
a n d the demons, a nd immensely delighted, the powerful king,
who held sway over the (entire) earth, g ra nted a boon to you r
mother. (4) Then, binding him with a solemn oath you r illustri­
ous mother, who was endowed with an excel lent complexion,
sought (the fol lowing) two boons of Dasa ratha (the foremost
of men), viz., 1) rulership for you, 0 tig er among men, and 2)
exile fo r me; and u rged thus, the ki ng g ra nted the aforesaid
boons to her. (5-6)
"I, too, O jewel a mong men, have been enjoined by our
father to dwe l l here in the forest for fou rteen yea rs in conse­
quence of the boon (gra nted by o u r father to your mother) .

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

(7) As such I, who have no riva l (in this world) and sta nd
by the veracity of my father, have come to this lonely forest
accompanied by Lak$mar:ia and Sita . (8) You too, O ruler of
kings, ought l i kewise (as e njoined by our father) to vi ndicate
the truthfulness of you r father by getti ng yourself consecrated
(on the throne of Ayodhya) i mmediately. (9) For my sake, O
Bharata, exonerate the powerful king from the debt (he owes
to Kaikeyi) . Save you r father (by redeem i n g his promise) and
delight you r mother, O knower of what is right! ( 10) The fol low­
ing uttera nce, which is held sacred as a Sruti text, is heard to
have been addressed to the manes by the wise and i l l u strious
(king named) Gaya (who is bel ieved to have founded the city
of Gaya) while performing sacrifices in the territory of Gaya :
- 'Since a son delivers his father from the hell na med Put he
is designated as Putra .' (According to another interpretation) a
son is he who protects his father in a l l (possi ble) ways. ( 1 1- 1 2)
A number of sons, endowed with virtues and versed in many
Sastras, should be desired so that at least one of them may
proceed to Galci (and perform Sraddha there)." ( 1 3)
"So did all royal sages believe, 0 powerful scion of Rag h u !
Therefore, O jewel among men, protect your father from hel l .
( 14) Accompanied by Satrughna and together with a l l Brahmar:ias
return, 0 · gallant Bharata, to Ayodhya and protect the people.
( 15) I too, for my part, accompanied by these two, Sita (a prin- 1

cess of the Videha kingdom) and Lak$mar:ia, sha l l enter the

Dar:ic;iaka forest without tarrying (here) any longer. ( 1 6) Be you,
O Bharata, the ruler of the people themselves. I too sha l l be
the emperor of wild beasts. Return you extremely delighted, to
Ayodhya (the foremost of cities) this (very) day and I too shall
enter the Dal)c;iaka forest highly rejoiced. ( 17) Let the (royal)
umbrella, O Bha rata, repu lsing the rays of the sun, spread a cool
shade over your hea d . I too shall grad ually seek that dense shade
of these forest trees. ( 18) Let Satrughna· of peerless wisdom, for
his part, be your assistant and the wel l-known Lak$mar:ia (son of
Sumitra) be my chief friend. Let us, his fou r worthy sons enable
the king to adhere to truth . Do not feel dejected." ( 19)

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Ca nto CX

Perceiving Sri Rama to be angry, Vasi$tha too pleaded with

him (for Jabali) as follows : - "Ja ba l i also recog nizes the de­
parture of the human soul (from this world) and its return (fo
the mortal plane). ( 1 ) He, however, spoke to you desirous as he
was of persuading you to return (to Ayodhya ) . ( Pray) hear from
me a bout the creation of worlds, 0 protector of the world ! (2)
There was water alone in the beginning of creation; the ea rth
was evolved in water. Thereafter, then appeared, the self-born
Brahma along with gods. (3) Appearing as the Divi ne Boar,
Brahma (who is the same as Vi$QU, the Protector) then lifted
the ea rth out of the water (i nto which it had disa ppea red) and
in conjunction with his sons ( M a rlci and others), who had con­
quered thei r m i nd, evolved the whole universe. (4) The eter­
nal, everlasti ng and i m perishable Brahma sprang out of ether
(which is no other tha n Brahma, the Absol ute), from him came
forth Marki, and Kasya pa was the son of M a rki. (5) Vivaswan
(the su n-god) descended from Kasya pa . Manu himself was the
son of Vivaswa n . M a n u for his part was formerly a lord of cre­
ation, and Manu 's son was Ik$wa ku . (6)
" Know that Ik$wa ku to be the (very) first ruler of Ayodhya,
to whom this prosperous ea rth was entrusted for the first time
by (the said) M a n u . (7) Ik$wa ku's glorious son for his part be­
ca me known simply by the name of Ku k$i; a nd from (the loins
of) Kuk$i, O prince, spra ng u p gallant Vikuk$i. (8) Vi ku k$i's son,
on the other hand, was the mighty Bar:ia, who was endowed
with exceptional glory; and Bar:ia's son was the mig hty-armed
Anara r:iya, who practised great austerities . (9) So long as this
Anara r:iya, who was a jewel a mong the virtuous, contin ued to
be the emperor, there was neither a droug ht nor fa mine nor
was a thief to be seen (in Ayodhya). ( 10) From (the loins of)
Ana ra r:iya, O g reat ki ng, they say, a p peared King Prth u ; from
the said Prth u was descended Trisa ri ku, who was possessed of
great splendou r. ( 1 1) Due to the unfailing vow of Viswam itra

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

the aforesa id hero bodily ascended to heaven. Trisa ri ku's son

was the highly i l l u strious Dhundhumara. ( 1 2)
"From (the loins of) Dhundhu mara sprang up Yuva naswa,
who was endowed with exceptional g lory; the glorious Mandhata
was born as the son of Yuvanaswa . ( 13) Of Mandhata, again,
was born the highly glorious Susandhi; of Susandhi too there
were two sons, Dh ruvasa ndhi and Prasenajit. ( 14) Bharata, for
his part, a destroyer of foes, was the i l l ustrious son of Dh ruva­
sandhi; and of the mighty-armed Bharata was born one Asita
by name, of whom the fol l owing tri butary chiefs, viz., the rulers
of the Haihayas and the Ta lajarighas and the gallant ruler of
the Sasa bind us, ca me to be the enemies. ( 1 5-16) In spite of his
having a rrayed his army agai nst all these the ki ng was (routed
and) exi led . He therefore gladly took up his abode as an ascetic
on a delightfu l and excel lent mounta i n . ( 1 7) In cou rse of ti me
his two consorts ca me to be in the family way : so the tradition
goes. Desi ring to have an excel lent son, one of them, who was
hig hly fortu nate and had eyes resembling the peta ls of a lotus,
(sought the �resence of and) bowed down to Sage Cyavana
(son of Bhrgu), who possessed the splendour of gods; (whi le)
the other administered poison to her co-wife in order to destroy
her foetus. ( 18-19)
"The sage na med Cyava na, son of Bh rgu, had betaken him­
self to the Himalayas. Approaching that sage, the said Kal i n di
for her part greeted h i m . (20) Gratified (to receive her re­
spects), he sa id to the queen, who sought (from him) a boon
ensuring the bi rth of a son (to her), 'A lofty mi nded son, widely
known in the world, pious and most formida ble, the founder of
a dynasty and the destroyer of his foes, wil l be born to you, O
queen ! ' Hearing this (bened iction), and ci rcumambulating the
sage (as a mark of respect) and ta king leave of him, and then
retu rning home, the queen brought forth a son who had lotus­
like eyes and shone like Brahma (the· lotus-born). (2 1-23) The
boy was born along with that very poison that had actua l ly
been administered to the queen by her fel low-consort with the
intention of destroying the foetus; hence he becam e known as

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

Sagara ( lit., with poiso n ) . (24) King Sagara was h e who, getting
consecrated for a sacrifice on a ful l moon day or new moon day,
caused the ocea n to be dug (by his sons, sixteen thousa nd in
number) causi n g fea r to the people here by the speed of dig-
. ging." (25)
" It has been heard by us that Saga ra's (eldest) son, re­
a l ly speaking, was Asa manja . He was a perpetrator of si nful
deeds, and was a bandoned by his father, �ven when alive . (26)
Arilsuman, again, who was ful l of valour, was the son of Asama­
nja . Di lipa was the son of Arhsuman and Bhagiratha, of Dilipa .
(27) Again, from (the loins of) Bhagiratha a ppeared Ka kutstha,
after whose name his d escendants came to be cal led Kakutsthas
(the scions of Ka kutstha ) . And Kakutstha's son was Rag h u, af­
ter whom his descenda nts were known as Raghavas (the scions
of Ragh u ) . (28) Ragh u 's g lorious son for his part came to be
known on earth by the na mes of Pravrddha, P u ru$adaka (lit.,
a man-eater or ogre), Ka lma$apada and Sa udasa . (29) It has
been heard by us that Kalma$a pada's son was Salikhar:ia, who,
(even) on attaining rema rkable valour (on the field of battle)
perished, army and a l l ( i n an encounter)." (30)
"The glorious Sudarsana for his part was the heroic son of
Sar'lkh a r:i a . Agn ivarr:ia was the son of Sudarsana a n d Sigh raga,
of Ag niva rr:ia. ( 3 1 ) M a ru was the son of Sig h raga and Maru's
son was Prasusruva . The highly intell igent Amba ri$a was the
son of Prasusruva . (32) Nah u$a of unfa i l i ng prowess was the
son of Ambari$a, while N a bhaga was the supremely pious son
of Nah u$a. (33) Both Aja and Suvrata were the sons of N a bhaga
and the pious King Dasa ratha was the son of Aja . (34) You a re
his eldest son known a l l round by the n a m e of Rama; therefore
accept this ki ngdom of you r own and look after the world, 0
protector of m e n ! (35) Among a l l the Ik$wakus the eldest son
undoubtedly becomes the ruler. While an elder son is present
a younger son is never consecrated as a ki ng. The eldest a lone
is so consecrated. (36) Being one of the Rag havas, you as such
ought not to violate tod ay the time honoured p ractice of your
House . Like you r father, highly i l lustrious as you a re, rule the

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

earth a bounding in precious stones and consisting of numerous

dominions." (37)

Ca nto CXI

Havi ng spoken to Sri Rama (as aforesa id) on that occasion,

the said Vasi$tha, the fa mily-priest of the ki ng, addressed (to
him) once more the fol lowing words i n consona nce with righ­
teousness : - ( 1 ) "The preceptor, 0 scion of Ka kutstha, as well
as one's father and mother, 0 descendant of Raghu, ever come
to be the adored of a m a n from the time he is born in this world.
(2) The father only procreates (and the mother brings forth) a
h u ma n being, 0 jewel a mong men ; the preceptor, on the other
hand, bestows wisdom on him, he nce he is spoken of as Guru
(superior even to the parents) . (3) I for my part a m the precep­
tor not only of you r father but you rs too, O chastiser of foes!
Doing my bidding (therefore) you wi l l not be tra nsg ressi ng the
path of the �irtuous. (4) Here indeed a re you r subjects, kins­
men and tributa ry princes too. Discharging you r duty by them,
you will not be transgressing the path of the virtuous. (5) You
ought n ot to fail in you r d uty towards your aged mother, who
is given to piety. Doing her bidding you wi l l certa i n ly not be
transg ressing the path of the vi rtuous. (6) Granti ng the prayer
of Bharata, who is supplicating you, you will not be overstep­
ping you r bounds, 0 scio n of Ragh u , who a re (ever) united with
truthfu lness, piety and va lou r!" (7)
Instructed thus in sweet words by his preceptor himself, Sri
Rama (a scion of Ragh u ) , a jewel a mong men, replied (as fol­
lows) to Vasi$tha, who was sitting at ease (there) : - (8) "The
service that the parents render to their son by giving him what­
ever they can, as wel l as by putti ng h i m to bed a n d rubbing ·

his body with oi l etc., by spea king ktndly to him every moment
and (even) so by nourishing him, whatever (good) is done by
them cannot be easily requ ited . (9-10) Indeed that which the
celebrated King Dasaratha, my father, who brought me into

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

being, has asked me to do shall not prove untrue." ( 1 1) When

Sri Ra ma had spoken thus, Bharata for his pa rt, who was dis­
tinguished by a broad chest, and felt extremely sad at hea rt,
com manded as fol l ows Sum antra (the charioteer), who stood
nea rest to h i m : - ( 1 2) "Speedily spread blades of Kusa grass
on this piece of level ground, O charioteer! I shall sit at the
door of my elder brother in order to exert pressure on h i m until
h e gets fu l ly propitiated (and grants m.y request) . ( 13 ) Li ke a
destitute Bra h mar:ia (who has been deprived of his fortu ne by
a debtor fa iling to repay the debt as stipu lated) I sha l l remain
lying down in front of Sri Ra ma's hut without food o r drink and
depriving myself of light (by covering my face) u nti l h e retu rns
to Ayodhya as a concession to me." ( 14)
Perceivi ng Sumantra awaiting the pleasure of Sri Rama,
Bharata for his part sat down disconsolate on the g round
spreading a mat of Kusa g rass with his own hands. ( 15) To
him the highly glorious Sri Rama, the foremost of roya l sages,
said, "What (wrong) have I done (to you), 0 Bharata, that you
wil l sit at my door to exert pressu re on me, my dear one? ( 1 6)
A Brah mar:ia a lone oug ht to restra in people (oppressi ng him)
by lying on one side (at their door), K$atriyas, however, who
a re (or deserve to be), sprin kled with holy water on the head
(when being installed as the head of a state) a re not enjoined
to sit at the door of a nyone (in this way) . ( 17) Get u p, 0 tiger
among men ! Give up this terrible vow, retu rn from this place,
O scion of Raghu, speedily to Ayodhya, the foremost of cities."
( 18) Gazing on a l l sides Bharata, even while sitti ng, said to the
citizens as well as to the people of the cou ntryside, "Wherefore
do you not plead with my elder brother?" ( 19) The people of
the city as well as of the countryside then repl ied as fol l ows
to Bharata ( a n exalted sou l ) : - "We know fu l l well that you
(a scion of Raghu) spea k a right to Sri Rama (a scion of Kakut­
stha ) . (20) Th is highly blessed pri nce (Sri Rama) too sincerely
a bides by the command of his father. For this very reason we
a re truly spea king not easily a ble to divert h i m (from his p u r­
pose) ." (21) Hearing their submission Sri Ram a addressed the

147
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

fol lowing words (to Bharata) : - "Listen to the foregoing words

of our friends, who have their eyes fixed on what is right. ( 22)
Hearing both these uttera nces (mine as well as that of these
people) weigh them fully, 0 sci on of Ragh u . Get you u p, 0
mighty-a rmed prince, a n d touch water (in order to sip it) as
well as myself (as an indication of your resolve to break the
vow that you have just ta ken)." (23)
Getti ng u p i m mediately and touching water, Bharata spoke
as fol lows : - "Let (all) the members of this assembly hear me.
Let the ( king's) counsellors too l isten . (24) I never begged sov­
ereignty of my father nor did I instruct my mother to do it (on
my beha lf). Nor did I approve of this step of Sri Ra ma (a scion
of Raghu), (that h e should go into exile for fourteen years) he
knows best what is right. (25) If the behest of our father must
be carried out a n d if one m ust l ive in the forest at a l l events, I
myself shall do so for (a period of) fourteen yea rs." (26) Fixi ng
his gaze on the citizens (of Ayod hya) as wel l as on the people
of the cou ntryside, Sri Rama, whose mind is set on righteous­
ness and who'felt astonished at the sincere vow of his brother,
said "The sale, d eposit or purchase effected by our father while
alive ca n not be n u l lified either by me or (even) by Bharata .
(27-28) I should not send a proxy into exi le in the woods; for
th_a t wou l d be a matter for reproach (si nce a proxy is al lowed
only in case the man repla ced by him in u nable to discharge tpe
obligation imposed on h i m ) . The d emand of Kaikeyi was ( b ut)
re.asonable (inasm uch as it was based firstly on the stipulation
made by the ki ng while ma rryi ng Kai keyi that a son born to her
. a lone wou ld succeed him on the throne, and secondly on the
debt the former owed to her for the invaluable service rendered
by her on the field of battle); and (on ly) a virtuous act was
done by our father (in granting the boons asked by her) . (29) I
know Bharata to be forgiving (by nature) and fond of payi ng re­
spects to his elders. Indeed all wi ll be Wel l with this high-souled
prince, who is true to his p romise. (30) When returned from the
forest I shall indeed become the para mount ruler of the ea rth
with this pious brother (of mine). ( 3 1 ) I have implemented the

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 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

pledge given by the ki ng, who had been solicited by Kai keyi for
a boo n . (Now) acquit the said king, o u r father, of (the charge
of) falsehood by ruling over Ayodhya (and thereby d ischa rging
your part of the obligation)." ( 32)

Ca nto CXII

The emi nent sages who h a d assembled (there) were aston­

ished to behold at close quarters that thrilling meeting of the
two brothers (Sri Rama and Bharata), who were endowed with
m atchless splendour. ( 1 ) Hosts of sages who stood i nvisible (in
the air) and most eminent ��is (bodily) present (there) applaud­
ed (in the following words) those two highly blessed brothers,
Sri Rama and Bharata (the scions of Kakutstha) : - (2) "Ever ·
noble are the two princes (Sri Rama and Bharata), who not only
know what is right but also tread the path of vi rtue. Indeed,
havi ng heard the dialogue of the two, we long to hea r it (again
and agai n)." (3) Then the hosts of ��is for thei r part, who longed
for the death of Ravar:ia, hastily addressed with one voice the
fo l lowing exhortation to Bharata, a tiger a mong princes: - (4)
"O prince of high birth, endowed with exceptional intelligence,
distinguished by a noble conduct and enjoying g reat renown, the
advice of Sri Rama ought to be accepted by you, if you have (the
least) regard for your father. (5) We wish to see Sri Rama ab­
solved forever from (all) obligations to his father; for due to him
fulfilling Kaikeyi King Dasaratha has ascended to heaven ." (6)
Having uttered these few words, the Gandharvas a long with
the eminent sages as wel l as the royal sages and all (others)
went each thei r own way. (7) Gladdened by this observation, Sri
Rama of blessed a ppearance looked brighter and thri l l ed with
joy, he duly extolled these ��is. (8) The celebrated Bharata for
his part, whose limbs were seized with a tremor, made the fol­
lowing submission to Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) with joined
palms in faltering accents: - (9) "Fully considering, O Rama,
this sacred obligation (of getting yourself consecrated fo r the

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

rulership of Ayodhya and protecti ng the people), (which is a lso)

linked with our family usage, you ought to fulfil it, 0 scion of
Kakutstha, and grant my prayer as well as that of you r mother
(Kausalya). ( 10) I for my part cannot protect the vast dominion
single-handed, nor can I please the citizens and the people of
the countryside, (so) devoted to you . ( 1 1) Indeed our kinsmen,
warriors, friends and relations too wait for you a lone as cultiva­
tors do for the rumbling cloud . ( 1 2) Accepting the kingdom, 0
highly intelligent brother, actua lly place it on a sound footing.
Such as you a re, you a re capable of protecting the people on all
sides, 0 scion of Kakutstha ! " ( 13)
Sayi ng so, Bharata then fel l at the feet of his (elder) brother
and made a fervent appea l to him (to accept the sovereignty),
speaking in most endea ring tones to Sri Rama (a scion of Ra­
ghu). ( 14) Placing on his lap his brother ( Bharata), who was
dark-brown (of complexion) and had eyes resembling the pet­
als of a lotus, Sri Rama, who was himself endowed with a voice
resembling the swa n in rut, replied (to him) as follows : - ( 15)
"You ca n ver{ well protect even the earth (to say nothing of
Ayodhya) throug h this innate wisdom (in the shape of under­
estimation of you r worth) born of humility, that has dawned on
you, my dear one! (16) Calmly deliberating with you r ministers,
friends and wise counsellors too, get through even your major
concerns. ( 17) Splendour would sooner depart from the mopn,
the Himalaya mountain would sooner shed its snow and the
ocean would sooner transgress its limits than I shal l violate the
plighted word of my father. ( 18) No matter whether (all) this
was wrought by your mother in your interest from affection {for
you) or from greed of sovereignty (through your installation as
Prince-Regent), my dear, it should not be taken to heart by you
a nd you should behave towards her as towards a mother." ( 19)
To Sri Rama (the son of Kausalya) - who was speaking thus,
who vied with the sun in glory, and who was pleasing to the
sight as the new moon (a ppearing on the first day of a bright
fortnight) - Bha rata replied (as fol lows) : - (20) " (Pray) stand
with you r feet on the (pair of) wooden sandals embel lished with

1 50
 Dialogue of Sri Rama and Bharata

gold (placed before you), 0 noble brother! Surely these wil l sup­
ply the needs and ensure the safety of men." ( 2 1 ) Placing his
feet on the sa ndals and (immediately) leaving them, Sri Rama,
a tiger a mong men, who was endowed with exceptional glo­
ry, handed them to the high-souled Bharata . (22) Reverentially
bowing down to the wooden sandals, he spoke as fo l lows to Sri
Rama : - "Indeed, having relegated the burden of ruler ship to
the wooden sandals, 0 gallant brothelj I should like to live on
fruits and roots alone fo r fourteen years, 0 delight of the Ra­
ghus, wearing matted locks (on my head) and the bark of trees
(on my person) and actually dwelling outside the city, longing for
your retu rn (to the capital), 0 scorcher of enemies! If, however,
when the fourteenth year (of your exile) has fully ended, 0 jewel
a mong the Raghus, I do not see you ( returned to Ayodhya) the
following day, I shall enter the fire once fo r a l l ."
Giving his approva l in the words "So be it!" and embracing
Bharata with love, embraci ng Satrughna as wel l, Sri Rama spoke
as fol lows : - "Ta ke care of mother Kaikeyi; be not angry with
her. (23-27) You a re (hereby) adju red to do so by me as well as
by Sita, O delight of the Raghus!" Saying so, his eyes suffused
with tears, Sri Ra ma bade good-bye to Bharata . (28) Receiving
with reverence the pair of exceedi ngly bright, ornate wooden
sandals, the celebrated Bharata, who knew what is right, cir­
cumambulated Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), and further placed
the pair of sandals on the head of an excel lent elephant. (29)
Then, payi ng respects in the order of precedence to (all) those
men (who had gathered there) as wel l as to his preceptors,
counsellors, subjects and two younger brothers (Bharata and
Satrughna, who were going to Ayod hya), Sri Rama (the pro­
moter of Raghu's race), who stood by his duty unshaken like the
Himalaya mountain, sent them away. (30) His mothers, whose
throats were choked with tears through agony, could not even
speak to h i m . Greeti ng a l l his mothers, the celebrated Sri Ram a
too re.-entered h i s hut weepi ng. ( 3 1 )

151
Ravana abducts Sita arccr sending Marica in the s:u�• o f a soldcn deer to lure Rama and Laksmana away
Guler, 1775/80, M Ubl Reitbcrg, Zuri ch
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Sri Rama asking all beings

the whereabouts of Sita
Asking the elephant
Asking the deer
Asking the cranes

(Benares school,
1 9th century)

1 54
Rama and Sugreeva
Mewar
Hanuman, bronze, Madras Museum, Chola, circa 1 020
 Hanuman showing Sita's ornaments to Rama
(Guler, Pahari, circa 1 780-90, National Museum, Delhi)
(iii) Hanuman conveys Sri Rama's message to Sita

Ca nto XXXI (Sundara ka oc;Ja)

avi ng indulged in speculation of various kinds, HanOman

H (who was endowed with extraordinary intelligence), they

say, made the following sweet speech within the heari ng
of Sita (a princess of the Videha territory) : - (1) "In the l i ne
of the Ik�wa kus there was a highly ill ustrious and greatly re­
n owned king named Dasaratha, who was given to meritorious
deeds and owned excel lent cha riots, elepha nts and horses. (2)
Born i n a line of u niversal monarchs, he was the fo remost of
roya l sages in point of virtues, vied with seers in austerity and
was a com peer of Indra (the ruler of gods) in might. (3) That
jewel a mong monarchs took delight in harmlessness, was mag­
nanimous, compassionate and distinguished by unfail ing prow­
ess. He enha nced the g lory of the (already) distinguished l i ne
of lk�waku, was ful l of prosperity, adorned with a l l the bodily
marks disting u ishing a ruler of the ea rth, was endowed with a
vast splendour and wel l-known a l l over the earth bounded by
the fou r seas (in the four quarters), and was not only happy
(himself) but conferred happiness on others too. ( 4-5)
" His beloved eldest son, whose countenance resembled the
(full) moon, who was skil led in a rchery and the fo remost of
a l l bowmen, was known by the name ·of Ram a . (6) Sri Ram a
(the scou rge of his foes) was a (zea lous) upholder o f his (own)
cha racter, the protector also of his own people, the protector
of the (whole) world of living beings and the defender of rig h-

158
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

teou sness. (7) In deference to the (plighted) word (g iven to his

own stepmother) of his father, who was aged and true to his
promise, the hero, accompan ied by his consort and his brother,
proceeded i n exi le to the forest. (8) By h i m, while chasi ng game
in that vast forest, were sla i n many gallant rakshasas, able to
change their form at wil l . (9) Havi ng put Sri Ra ma off the scent
in the forest th roug h one disgu ised as a deer by recou rse to a
conju ring trick on hearing of the destr� ction of Janasthana (a
part of the Dar:u;laka forest i n ha bited by ra kshasas) as wel l as
of the death of (his younger half-brothers) Kha ra and DO�ar;ia,
Sita (Ja naka 's daug hter) was then borne away in indignation
by Rava r:i a . ( 10)
"While sea rching for that a uspicious and i rreproacha ble, Sita,
he found in the forest a friend in a monkey na med Sugrlva .
Havi ng made short work of Vall (Sug rlva's elder brother), Sri
Ra ma, ca pable of conquering hosti le cities, for his pa rt there­
u pon bestowed the ki ngsh i p of monkeys on the hig h-sou led
Sugrlva . Com manded by Sugrlva, monkeys able to cha nge their
form at will set out in thousa nds in all (the fou r) q uarters,
sea rching for that auspicious one. Ful l of im petuosity I took a
leap across the sea (stretching between the island of La rika and
the mainland and), extending to (a distance of) a hundred Yo­
janas (or eight hundred mi les) at the instance of Sam pati (the
ki ng of birds and the elder brother of Jatayu) for the sa ke of
that l a rge-eyed lady. She has been found by me here endowed
with comeliness, com plexion and bodi ly ma rks similar to those
of which I had heard from the mouth of Sri Rama (a scion of
Rag h u ) ." Having del ivered this speech, that b u l l among mon­
keys, fell silent. ( 10-16)
Sita (Janaka's daug hter) herself was struck with su preme
wonder to hear that speech . Raising her face screened with (di­
sheveled) hair, Sita with charming cu rly locks thereupon looked
up into the Sirilsapa tree (on which HanO man was perched)
( 17) Hearing the monkey's speech and looking inquiri ng ly into
a l l the (four) quarters as well as into the intermediate points,
Sita experienced supreme ra ptu re thinking ( a l l the ti me) of Sri

159
 Ravana threatening Sita
Courtesy: Govt Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)
Kangra, circa 1 820
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

Ra ma with a l l her bei ng . ( 18) Gla ncing from side to side as wel l
as u p and down, s h e espied H a n u m a n (son of t h e wind-god) of
i nconceivable intel ligence, a min ister of Sugriva (the suzerain
ruler of monkeys), a n d resembling the sun risen on the eastern
mountai n . ( 19)

Ca nto XXXIV.

Hearing the speech of Sita, who was overwhelmed with sor­

row after sorrow, H a n u man, the foremost of monkeys, uttered
the fol lowing reassu ring reply: - ( 1) "I have sought you r pres­
ence, 0 a uspicious one, as a n envoy carryi ng a message sent
by Sri Rama. Sri Rama, O pri n cess of the Videha territory, is
doing wel l . He has comm u nicated his (own) welfa re to you. (2)
Sri Ra ma, the celebrated son of Dasa ratha, and the foremost of
the knowers of Veda, who knows the use of the mystic missile
presided over by Bra h ma (the creator) as well as (the im port
of) the Vedas, O auspicious one, has (a lso) inquired of you
about you r (own) welfa re . (3) Endowed with extraordinary en­
ergy, La k!?mar:ia too, a beloved serva nt of you r h usband has sa­
luted you with his head bent l ow, tormented as he is with g rief."
(4) Th rilled a l l over her body to hear a bout the welfare of those
two l ions a mong men, that a uspicious one now replied (as fo l­
lows) to H a n u man :- (5) "Ah, the fol lowing popular adage that
'joy comes to survivi ng men, even though (it be) at the end
of a hundred yea rs', a ppea rs true to me." (6) Conseq uent on
that meeti ng of Hanuman and Sita a stra nge delight came over
them . And restored to confidence, the two began to converse
with one another. (7) Hearing the reply of Sita who was strick­
en with grief, Hanuman, son of the wind-god, endeavou red to
d raw nea rer to her. (8) The nearer did the celebrated H a n u man
d raw (to her) the more did Sita suspect him to be Ravar:ia . (9)
(She said to h erself: ) "Oh, shame! What a pity that I held (all)
this converse with h i m . Indeed he is the sa me Rava r:ia who
has come here assuming another guise ." ( 10) Letti ng go that

161
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

branch of the Asoka tree, Sita, of flawless l i m bs, sa nk down

on that very ground (on which she stood), exh a usted as she
was through g rief. ( 1 1) Thereupon HanO man (of m ighty a rms)
sal uted the daughter of Janaka . Sore stricken as she was with
fear, Sita, however, no longer raised her eyes to h i m . ( 1 2 ) ·

Drawing a deep (aud ible) breath on seei ng h i m bowing down

(to her), Sita, however, whose countena nce resem bled the (full)
moon, spoke to the monkey i n sweet accents (as fol lows) : -
( 13) ·" If you a re Ravar:i a h imself, g iven to conj uring tricks and,
having entered a deceitfu l form, a re causing agony to me once
m ore, it is not good. ( 14) Surely you a re the sa me Rava r:ia who,
having assumed the g uise of a vagrant recluse, a ba ndoning
your native form, were seen by me in Janastha n a . ( 15) It is not
right, O ra nger of the nig ht, able to change form at wi ll, that
you should once more torment me, emaciated th rough fasting
and miserable as I a m . ( 16) Or that which is feared by me may
not at a l l be true, for delight has spru ng up in my heart at your
sight. ( 17) If (on the other hand) you have ( real ly) come as a
messenger 6f S ri Rama, may good betide you ! (In that case) I
make inquiries of you (a bout Sri Rama); for ta l k a bout Sri Ra ma
is pleasing to me, 0 jewel a mong the monkeys! ( 18) Recount
the virtues of my beloved Sri Rama, O gentle monkey! ( Even)
as the current of a river wea rs away its ba nk, you are l uring
my mind (with the prospect of delighti ng me with the news of
Sri Ra m a ) . ( 19) Oh the sweetness of the drea m (presented to
me), in which the selfsame I, who was borne away (by Ravar:ia)
long since, see with my own eyes a monkey sent by Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Raghu)! ( 20) If I could see the heroic Sri Rama (a
scion of Ragh u ) accompanied by Lak�mar:ia, even in a d ream,
I would not fee l dishea rtened; but even a dream is proving
niggardly in my case. ( 2 1 ) I do not bel ieve this to be a d ream
for good fortune cannot be attai ned on seeing a monkey i n a
d ream ; as placidity of mind (wh ich is a harbi nger of good for­
tune) has been attained by me. (22) Can this (meeting of mine
with a monkey) be a delusion of my mind? Or it may be a delu­
sion caused by my being possessed by a ghost (clothed with

162
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

a n aerial body) . Or (again) it may be a ma lady born of insanity

or it m ay be (on ly) a n optic i l l usion. (23) Or this may not be (a
case of) insanity, nor even del usion showing sym ptoms similar
to those of i nsanity; for I am conscious of my own self as well
as of this mon key." (24)
·

H aving thus d u ly considered in many ways the strength of

rakshasas and the weakness of monkeys (who cannot be ex­
pected to leap across a vast sea), a n d. (also) considering the
fact that the · rakshasas a re a ble to change their form at wi l l ,
Sita concluded Hanuman t o be Rava i:ia (the suzerain ruler of
rakshasas) . (2'5) Having a rrived at this conclusion at that time
that lady of slender waist, Sita, Janaka's daughter, did not speak
a ny more to the monkey. (26) Coming to know the decision of
Sita, Hanuman, sprung from the loins of the wi nd-god, spoke
(as follows) bringing excessive joy to her with his words, which
were delig htful to the ear: - (27)
"Glorious as the sun, beloved of the world as the moon,
Sri Ra ma brings delight to the enti re u niverse (by bestowing
riches and food g ra i ns on a l l ) as the god Ku bera (son of Sage
Visrava) . (28) He is endowed with prowess like the hig hly i llus­
trious Lord Vi$DU and utters truthful and sweet words l i ke the
celestial Sage Brhaspati . (29) He is rich in comeliness, grace-
. ful a n d ful l of splendou r as Love inca rn ate. He punishes (only)
him who deserves anger and is the foremost cha riot-wa rrior in
the world. (30) The (whole) world de pends o n the protection
of the a rms of that exa lted ·so u l . You wil l see (for yourself) the
conseq uence of the sinfu l act of Ravai:ia, by whom you were
borne away in a state of (utter) desolation after diverti ng Sri
Rama (a scion of Raghu) from his site of h is herm itage through
a ra kshasa disguised as a deer.
" I have sought you r presence here as a n envoy despatched by
that powerful prince who will before long kill Ravar:ia i n a com­
bat with his shafts resembling blazi n g fla mes a n d disch a rged i n
anger. (3 1-33) Stricken with agony ca used b y separation from
you, he has made inquiries of you a bout you r welfare. Greeting
you, the mig hty-a rmed and celebrated Lak$mar:ia, the enha ncer

163
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

of Sumitra's joy, who is endowed with extraordinary energy,

has also made inquiries of you a bout your welfa re. Sri Rama's
friend, the cel ebrated monkey named Sugriva, the ruler of the
foremost of monkeys, has also made inquiries of you a bout
your welfa re, 0 auspicious one! Sri Ram a along with Sugriva
and Lak�mar:ia ever remembers you . (34-36) 0 pri ncess of the
Videha territory, you su rvive by good luck, though fallen into
the clutches of ogresses. Before long you will see Sri Ra ma and
the g reat chariot-wa rrior, La k�mar:ia, as also Sug riva of i mmea­
surable strength in the m idst of crores of (other) monkeys. I
a m a monkey named Han Oman, a min ister of Sugriva . (37-38)
Havi ng leapt across the vast sea (dividing the mainland from
· Lar:ika ) I penetrated deep into the city of Lar:ika, setting my foot
(as it were) on the head of the evi l-mi nded Rava r:i a . (39) Rely­
ing on my own prowess I have come to see you . I a m not what
you suppose me to be, 0 auspicious one! Let this misgiving be
shaken off and (pray) believe my words as I spea k." ( 40)

Ca nto XXXVI

In order to inspire confidence in Sita, HanOman, son of the

wind-god, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, o nce
more addressed the fol l owing courteous words (to her) : -( 1)
"I am a monkey and a messenger of the wise Sri Ra ma, O high­
ly blessed one! Also behold, 0 a uspicious one, th is ring ma rked
with the name of Sri Ra ma, ha nded over by that exalted soul
and brought ( by me) to gain your confidence. Be reassu red,
may good betide you . The fru it (of your past deeds) which you
have been reaping in the form of sufferi ng (all these days) has
certainly come to an end ." (2-3) Taking the jewel that had been
adorned (so long) by the hand of her lord and gazing on it, as
though her own h usband had d u ly arrived (in the form of that
ring), Sita (Janaka's daug hter) felt rejoiced . (4) Her charming
countenance with large coppery and white eyes bloomed with
j oy and shone like the moon ( l it., the lord of stars) released by

164
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama :5 Message

Ra h u . (5) Treating HanOman with regard, that youthfu l lady,

who was delighted to receive the message of her lord and felt
a bashed (to see the token of her husband) and fu lly satis­
fied, then paid a tribute to the g reat monkey (in the fol lowing
words) :- (6)
"You a re va liant, you are fu l l of address and you a re lea rned,
0 jewel a mong the monkeys, in that this a bode of rakshasas
has been assai led by you alone. (7) The sea, which extends
to a distance of one hu nd red yojanas (or eight hundred mi les)
and is an abode of a l l igators, has been treated by you like
the i mpression of a cow's hoof on the soi l while crossing it,
la uda ble as you are for you r prowess. (8) Surely I do not look
u pon you as an ordinary monkey, O jewel a mong monkeys,
as i n your mind there exists neither fea r, nor awe for Rava r:ia.
(9) You deserve to be spoken to by me, O jewel among mon­
keys, if the celebrated Sri Ra ma, a knower of the self, has sent
you . ( 10) Surely Sri Ra ma, who is difficult to overpower, would
not send to my presence in particular an untried hand without
fully ascerta ining the latter's prowess. ( 1 1) Luckily (enough for
me) Sri Ra ma, whose mind is given to piety and who is unfail­
ing i n his promise, is well,. as also La k!?mar:ia, who is e ndowed
with extraordinary energy and enha nces the joy of Sumitra (his
mother) . ( 1 2) If Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha) is wel l , where­
fore does he not consume with his wrath the earth enci rcled by
the ocea ns, as the fi re of u niversa l destruction woul d . ( 13) The
. two princes a re able to subdue even gods. But I believe the end
of my sufferings has not a rrived . ( 14)
"I hope Sri Ra ma does not feel affl icted nor does he suf­
fer agony. Does that ideal man discha rge his duties relating
to the futu re? ( 1 5) I hope the prince does not feel hel pless or
nervous and does not get perplexed in the matter of his du­
ties? Does he perform his h u ma n duties? ( 1 6) I hope, acti ng as
a friend towards his a l l ies, Sri Rama (the scourge of his foes)
p u rsues (in relation to them) the twofold pol icy (of con ciliation
and gift and, desirous of victory, follows the th reefold policy of
gift, chastisement and sowin g seeds of dissension) with rega rd

165
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

to his enemies. ( 17) I hope he i s able to gain friends and is

sought (for hel p and protection) by enem ies. Are his friends
well-disposed towards him and do his friends esteem him? ( 18)
Does the pri nce (ever) seek the favour of gods? And does he
fa l l back upon personal effort as well as on Providence (for the
success of his u nderta kings)? ( 19) I hope Sri Ra ma (a scion
of Rag h u ) has n ot become completely devoid of love towards
me as a result of my living a broad. Wi ll Sri Ra ma (a scion of
Raghu) deliver me from this ca lamity? (20) I hope Sri Rama,
who is ever deserving of delig hts and is u ndeserving of woes,
has not sunk into despondency on meeti ng with the greatest
misfortune (of his life in the form of my l oss)? (2 1 ) I hope news
a bout the welfa re of Kausalya and likewise of Sumitra as wel l
-
a s of Bharata, a re frequently brought to h i s ears. (22)
"Does Sri Rama, who is deserving of honour, feel stricken
with grief occasioned by my absence? I hope he has not g rown
indifferent (to me) . (And) will he rescue me? (23) Will Bharata,
who is fond of his brother, send out for my sa ke a formidable
a rmy, consisijng of one Ak�a uhiQI, protected by ministers? (24)
Will the g lorious Sugriva, the suzerain l ord of monkeys, come
to my succour, fo llowed by gallant monkeys using their teeth
and nails for weapons? (25) Wi l l the heroic Lak�mar:ia, who en­
hances the joy of Sumitra (his mother) and is ski lled in the use
of mystic missi les, extermi nate the rakshasas with his vol ley of
a rrows? (26) I hope I shall see Ravar:ia ki lled at no dista nt date
with his near and dear ones in combat by Sri Rama with a n in­
fallible and cruel missi le? (27) I hope that golden col!_ntenance
of his, mela ncholy with g rief and fragrant l i ke a lotus, has not
withered like a lotus does under the sun when the water in a
pond has dried up. (28) I hope Sri Rama, whom neither fea r
n o r grief could flinch from h i s pu rpose w h e n he renounced his
sovereignty in the name of righteousness and led me on foot to
the fo rest, (sti l l ) retains fi rmness in his heart. (29) Neither his
(own) mother ( Ka usalya) nor his father ( Emperor Dasaratha)
nor anyone else is equal, much less superior to me in (the
privilege of) receiving his affection . I (too) wish to survive only

166
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

as long as I (contin u e to) hear the news of my beloved lord ."

(30)
H aving addressed these words of sweet content and fu ll of
g reat i m port to that leader of monkeys, the cha rming Sita be­
·cam e silent i n order (to be a ble) to hear more his delightful
speech dea l i ng with the theme of Sri Ra ma. ( 3 1 ) Placing his
joi ned pa l ms on his head (as a token of subm ission) on hearing
the reply of Sita, H a n u ma n (son of the wind-god) of redou bt­
able prowess made the fol lowing excel lent submission : - (32)
"The lotus-eyed Sri Ra ma d oes not know you to be here. There­
fore he does not take you back soon as did Indra (the destroyer
of strongholds) rescue (his own consort) Saci (borne away by
the demon An uhrada). (33) Leading a h uge a rmy consisting of
monkeys a n d bears, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u ) wil l instantly
com e (here) merely on hearing my report. ( 34) Fil l i ng the sea
(lit., the a bode of Varul)a) through and through with vol leys
of shafts, even tho u g h it cannot (even) be shaken ( by oth­
ers), Sri Rama (a scion of Ka kutstha) wi ll rid the city of Lal)ka
of rakshasas. (35) O n that occasion if Death, gods or (even)
mighty demons stand in the way of Sri Ra ma, he wou ld destroy
them too. (36) Fil led with g rief born of your a bsence, 0 noble
one, Sri Ra ma does not find rest a ny more tha n a n elephant
wou nded by a lion. (37) I swea r to you by the Mandara and
M a l aya, Vindhya, S u meru a n d Dard u ra mountains (constitutin g
t h e a bode o f monkeys) a s wel l as b y roots and fruits (which
serve as our food), O auspicious one, that you wi l l (soon) be­
hold the charming countena nce of Sri Ra ma, resembling the
risen ful l moon, with bea utifu l eyes, li ps like a ( ripe) Bimba fruit
and lovely earrings. (38-39)
"You wi l l shortly see Sri Rama perched on the Prasraval)a
mountain like Indra (who is believed to have performed a hun­
d red horse-sacrifices i n his previous existences as a condition
precedent for being born as Indra) seated on the back of Airavata
(the chief of elephants), O pri ncess of the Videha territory! (40)
Sri Rama (a scion of Ragh u ) does not take meat or honey. H e
pa rtakes everyday o f wild fruits a n d boi led (wi ld) rice, fu lly

167
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

sanctioned i n the evening (the fifth period of the day) . (4 1) Sri

Rama (a scion of Raghu) is no longer able to drive away gnats
or mosquitoes, i nsects or even reptiles from his body, his mind
being fixed on you. (42) Sri Ra ma is ever given to contempla­
tion and ever given over to grief. He does not thi nk of anyth ing
else, as he is u nder the sway of love. (43) Sri Ra ma remains
ever awake. Even when asleep, that jewel a mong men sta rts
up, uttering the name of Sita in sweet accents. ( 44) Heavi ng a
sigh on beholding a fruit or flower or whatever else is l i kely to
captivate the m i nd of women, he often cal ls on you, sayi ng 'Ah,
beloved ! ' (45) Sufferi ng extreme agony (ca used by separation
from you) and ca lling on you alone under the name of Sita,
that magnanimous prince, who has underta ken sacred vows, is
solely engaged in efforts for your recovery." ( 46) That daug hter
of Janaka - whose g rief (over the apparent noncha la nce of Sri
Rama) had (now) completely gone at the detai led descri ption
of (the condition of) Sri Rama, yet who felt equally grieved on
hearing of Sri Ra ma's grief - resembled a night (partly bright
and partly dcfrk) at the commencement of autu m n with the
moon obscured by the remnant of clouds. (47)

Ca nto XXXVII

Hearing the speech (of HanOm an), Sita, whose face re­
sembled the fu l l moon, made the followi ng reply in consonance
with rig hteousness and material good : - ( 1 ) "What has been
said by you, O monkey, viz., that Sri Ra ma does not give his
mind to a ny othe r thing (than me) and that he is g iven-over to
g rief, is necta r m ixed with poison. (2) Tying a man with a cord
as it were, Death snatches away a man, no matter whether
he is rol ling in very extensive fortune or sunk in terrible ad­
versity. (3) Inevita ble indeed is the destiny of living beings, O
jewel a mong monkeys! ( For exa mple) look at La k!;imar:ia (son of
Sumitra), Sri Ra ma and myself distracted by woes. (4) How will
Sri Ra ma reach the end of this (ocean of) g rief a ny more than

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama s Message

a powerful m a n who has suffered a shipwreck and is swim­

ming in a sea? (5) When will my lord (Sri Rama) see me after
com passing the destruction of rakshasas, kil l i ng Ravar:ia and
laying La r:ika waste? (6) He should be asked to act with great
haste; for my l ife is going to last only til l the cu rrent period of
twelve months is not completed . (7) This is (the close of) the
· tenth month and two months stil l remain, 0 monkey, out of the
time-limit that has been fixed by the merci less Rava r:ia for my
su rviva l . (8)
•

" Rava r:i a was perseveri ngly entreated by his brother,

Vibhi$ar:ia, for my restoration (to Sri Ram a ) ; but the former
does not feel i nclined to do it. (9) My restoration does not find
favour with Rava r:i a ; for Death lies in wa it for h i m in combat,
fal le n as he is in the clutches of the Ti me-Spirit (an embodi­
ment of the destructive pri nciple). ( 10) The eldest daughter
born of Vi bhi$a r:ia is cal led by the name of Ka la, 0 monkey! Ka la
herself reported this to me when her mother sent her (to me) .
( 1 1 ) There is a j ewel a mong the rakshasas, Avi ndhya by name,
who is intelligent and learned, fu l l of fortitude and rich i n ami­
a ble disposition, aged and h ighly respected by Rava r:i a . ( 1 2) He
forewa rned Rava r:ia of the. i m m i nent destruction of rakshasas at
the hands of Sri Rama (if h e did not restore me); but the evil­
. mi nded fellow did not heed his sal uta ry advice . ( 13)
"I hope, O jewel a mong monkeys, that my lord wil l regai n
m e soon; for m y heart i s pure and the virtues existi ng i n h i m
a re n u merous. ( 14) Perseverance, m a n l iness, courage, a bsence
of cruelty, g ratitude, prowess and vigour, fig u re i n Sri Ra ma, 0
monkey! ( 1 5) What e nemy would not tre mble befo re h i m, who
slew (as m any as) fourteen thousa nd ra kshasas i n Ja nasthana
unaided by h is brother ( La k$mar:ia)? ( 16) That jewel a mong
men ca n not be shaken by woes. I know his might (even) as
Saci (sprung from the loins of the demon Puloma) knows the
might of (her husband) Indra . ( 17) The va liant Sri Rama, who
is l i ke the sun with his shafts fo r rays, 0 monkey, wi l l (surely)
dry up the water in the form of the hostile rakshasas."( 18)
To Sita, who was speaki ng vol u bl y thus, who had been ema-

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

ciated through g rief on account of (her sepa ration from) Sri

Rama, her face bathed in tears, the mon key, HanOman, su bm it­
ted as fol lows : - ( 19) " Leading a huge a rmy, ful l of monkeys
and be�rs, Sri Ra ma wi l l su rely hasten (to La nka) the moment
h e hears my report. (20) Or I myself shall deliver you from this
ca lamity ca used by the ra kshasa Rava r:ia this very day. ( Please)
climb up my back, O i rreproachable one! ( 2 1 ) I sha l l easily leap
across the sea even after placing you on my back; for I can
ca rry on my back (the whole of) La rika, Ravar:ia and a l l . (22) I
shall transport you this (very) day, 0 princess of M ithi la, to Sri
Rama staying on Mount Prasrava r:ia, (even) as the sacred fire
conveys the oblations thrown into it to Indra (for whom they
a re intended). ( 23) You will see this very day Sri Rama accom­
panied by La k$mar:ia - Sri Ra ma, who (in his determination
to exterminate the rakshasas) resembles Lord Vi$QU, ful l of
determination to destroy the demons, is endowed with extraor­
dinary might and resolved to see you and remains seated in his
hermitage (even) as Indra (the destroyer of strongholds) on a
summit of Mo�nt Meru (the king of mounta i ns), O Sita ! (24-25)
Mount on my back, 0 auspicious one! Do not show rel uctan ce,
O charming one! Seek to be united with Sri Rama even as
Rohir:ii is with the moon. ( 26) You will be un ited with Sri Rama
as Rohir:ii with the moon-god, at the very moment as it were,
that you say that you wish to be so united . ( Pray) climb up my
back and reach beyond the vast sea through space (the very
next moment as it were) . (27) Surely a l l the dwel lers in La nka .
will not be able to fol low my speed as I depart from this place
bearing you (on my back), 0 fai r one! (28) Lo, bearing you _(on
my back), 0 princess of the Videha territory, I shal l undoubt­
edly return through space precisely as I came here." (29)
Thrilled a l l over with j oy to hear the wonderful proposal
from HanOman (the foremost of monkeys), Sita (a pri ncess of
Mithila) forthwith replied (as follows) to HanOman : - " How do
you intend to take me, O HanOman, to (such) a long distance
from this place? Indeed I look upon this proposal (of you rs) to
be precisely monkey-like, O leader of monkey hordes ! (30- 3 1 )

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 3" Message

How do you intend to ta ke m e from this place, dimin utive of

form that you a re, to the p resence of my roya l h usband, 0 jew­
el a mong monkeys?" (32) Hearing the question of Sita, the glo­
rious Hanuman, son of the wind-god, thought it to be the first
affront (of its ki nd) offered (to him). (33) ( H e said to hi mself) :
"The da rk-eyed lady does not know my strength or my power.
Let the pri n cess of the Videha territory, therefore, behold the
form that I ca n assum e at w i l l ." (34) Thinking thus, Hanuman,
the foremost of monkeys and the destroyer of his enemies,
revealed his form to Sita on that occasion. (35) Lea ping down
from that tree (be neath which she stood), that wise leader of
mon keys then began to g row (in size) in order to i nspire confi­
dence in Sita . (36) Hanuman (the foremost of monkeys) looked
l i ke Mount Meru or Mount Mandara and stood in front of Sita,
shining brightly like a blazing fire. (37) The redoubta ble mon­
key, who resembled a mounta in, had a coppery cou ntenance
with adamanti ne teeth and nails and was endowed with ex-­
traordinary might, submitted as fo l lows to Sita : - (38) "There
is capacity in me to carry this (entire city of) Lanka including
its hills and wood lands as well as its ma rket-places, defensive
wa lls and a rches and with its (very) lord ( Rava r:ia ) . (39) There­
fore, let you r mind be settled, O auspicious one, and have done
with hesitation . Rid Sri Ra m a along with Lak�mar:ia, of g rief, 0
pri n cess of the Videha territory!" ( 40)
Finding Hanuman of the size of a mountain, Sita (daughter
of Janaka), who had eyes big as the peta ls of a lotus, repl ied
(as follows) to the son of the wind-god : - (41) "I know ful l well
your courage and strength, 0 mighty mon key! Your speed is
like that of the wind, while your marvel lous b rilliance too is like
that of fire ( itself) . ( 42) H ow could any other ordinary monkey
actual ly reach this land beyond the vast sea, O leader of hordes
of monkeys? ( 43) I know you r power of locomotion as well as
your ability to carry me (on your back) . The accompl ishment of
my object too must ( however) be determined at once (even)
as yours. (44) My going with you, however, 0 jewel a mong
monkeys, is not proper. Your speed, which is equal to that of

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

the wind, may render me u nconscious. ( 45) Besides, in space,

even as you sweep with speed all over the sea, I may actu a l ly
tumble down from you r back. ( 46) Nay, fa llen insensible into
the sea, teeming with sharks, crocodiles and giant fish, I m ay
become the excel lent food of aquatic creatu res. ( 47) For other
reasons too, O destroyer of foes, I shall n ot be able to go with
you. Suspicion of the ra kshasas will undoubtedly fa l l on you
when you will go with a lady (on your back) . (48)
" Enjoined by the evi l-minded Rava r:ia, ra kshasas of terri ble
prowess will su rely pursue you o n seeing me being borne away
(by you). ( 49) Su rrounded by the heroic ra kshasas carrying
darts and clubs i n their hands, and acco m panied by me, you
·· wi l l fa l l i nto danger. (50) There will be n u merous ra kshasas
equipped with arms in space; how (then) will you be able to
fig ht them, as a lso to protect me, unarmed that you a re? ( 5 1)
Stricken with fear, 0 jewel a mong monkeys, I may then fall
down from your back whi le you a re contending with those
rakshasas of cruel deeds. (52) In case the rakshasas, who a re
terri ble, h uge end mighty, a re somehow able to overcome you
in conflict, or if I slip when you have turned you r eyes away
(from me) while fig hti ng them, the si nful ra kshasas may bea r
m e away, laying hold on me when fallen. ( 53-54) Or they may
wrest me from you r grasp or even kil l me afterwa rds; for vic­
tory and defeat in combat a re fou n d to be uncertain . (55) Or
I may even die when intim idated by the rakshasas. You r en­
deavour (to take me to the presence of Sri Rama) may in that
case prove utterly futile, 0 jewel a mong monkeys! (56) Even if
you a re a bl e to kil l a l l the rakshasas, the fame of Sri Rama m ay
suffer diminution because of the ra kshasas havi ng been kil led
by you. ( 57) Or, bearing me away, the rakshasas m ay actually
lodge me in a secret place, where neither those monkeys nor
Sri Rama m ay know anything about me. ( 58) This adventure of
yours on my account wil l then have been in va i n .
"A great advantage lies in Sri Rama's advent with you .
(59) The life of Sri Rama who i s endowed with i mmeasur­
able strength, as wel l as of his (three you nger) brothers, as

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

Sita and the demonesses in the Ashoka grove,

Basohli, circa 1 7 00
Courtesy: Govt Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)

a lso of the house of you r ki ng (SugrTva) is dependent on me,

O mighty-armed monkey! (60) Despondent and emaciated
through grief and agony on my accou nt, the two pri nces, SrT
Rama and La k�mar:ia, wi l l give up their hold on life a long with
a l l the bea rs and monkeys. (61) Keeping (as I do) devotion to
my lord in the forefront, O mon key, I do not wish to touch of
my own free wi l l the body of anyone other than SrT Rama, O
jewel among monkeys ! (62) That I was forced into contact with
Ravar:ia was beca use, bei ng hel pless, without a protector and
having lost control of myself, I cou ld not do a nyth i n g . (63) If,
having ki l led Rava r:ia along with the (other) ra kshasas on this
soi l, and recovering me, SrT Ra ma depa rts from th is pl ace that
wou ld be worthy of h i m . (64) The heroic ach ievements of that
exa lted sou l capa ble of crushing the enemy in combat, have
been heard of, nay, actua l ly witnessed by me. Not even gods,
Gandharvas, Nagas and ra kshasas (combined) can in fact be
a match for SrT Ra ma on the field of battle. (65) Who, havi ng

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

vividly perceived Sri Ram a - who is endowed with extraordi­

nary might and is equal in prowess to Indra (the ruler of gods)
- accom pan ied by La k$marya and a rmed with a bright bow
and rese m bling a fire that fla mes when fan ned by a i r, would
(dare) withsta nd h i m ? (66) Who can, 0 jewel a mong monkeys,
resist Sri Rama, capable of crushing the e nemy i � combat, and
fi rmly stationed on the field of battle like a n elephant gua rding
a quarter in rut and resembling the sun at the end of creation
with the a rrows as its rays? (67) Therefore, 0 j ewel among
monkeys, bring here with all speed my beloved lord along with
Lak$marya and the l eaders of monkey hordes. Bring joy to me,
0 gallant monkey, emaciated (as I am) th rough g rief for long,
o n account of Sri Rama. (68)

Ca nto XXXVIII

Hearing the'reply, that tiger a mong monkeys, who was g rati­

fied by the plea and was a past-master in expression, there­
u pon submitted to Sita (as fo llows) : - ( 1) "What has been ut­
tered by you, 0 d ivine one of cha rming aspect, is most proper,
being in accord with your feminine nature, and with modesty
characteristic of virtuous women . Mounti ng on my back, you
will not be able to cross the vast sea, a h undred Yojanas (or
eight hundred m i l es) wide, beca use of your being a woman .
(2-3) Aga i n , the second plea which you have given (for not ac­
cepting my offer to take you across the sea on my back to the
presence of Sri Ra ma), o daughter of Janaka, ful l of modesty
(as you a re), saying 'I ought not to touch a male other tha n Sri
Rama' is (but) worthy of you, a consort of that exalted sou l , O
a uspicious one! For what woman other tha n you ca n put for­
wa rd such a plea, O divi ne one? (4-5) S ri Rama (a scion of Ka­
kutstha) wil l certainly hea r fu lly (from my l ips) a l l that has been
done and said by you in my presence, O auspicious one! (6)
For m a ny reasons and with intent to do what pleases Sri Ram a

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

this p roposal was made by me with a mind moistened with af­

fection, O divine one! (7) I made this proposa l beca use La oka
is difficult to penetrate; the vast sea is difficult to cross and
beca u se of my own capacity to ta ke you across the sea. (8) I
wished to reu nite you with Sri Rama (the delight of the Raghus)
this very day. ( Hence) that proposal was made by me) out of
affection for the venerable Sri Rama and out of devotion (to
you), not for any other reaso n . (9) If �ou a re u n a bl e to come
with me, 0 i rreproacha ble one, (pray) let me have some token
by means of which Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) may come to
know that I have for certa in met you ." ( 10)
Req uested thus by Han u man, Sita, who resembled the
daughter of a god, rep lied as fo llows in fai nt a ccents, her voice
choked with tea rs: - ( 1 1 ) " (Please) deliver you to my beloved
without fail the most excellent token in the shape of the fol­
lowing message: ' Havi ng sported in water i n the g roves, redo­
lent with the fragrance of va rious flowers, of the well-known
region inha bited by Siddhas and rich in roots, fru its and water,
not very fa r from the Mandakini river, on a sma l l h i l l adjacent
to the Citrakuta mountain on its north-eastern side, you sat
down d ripping on my l a p, while I was living in a hermitage fit
for ascetics. ( 12- 14) Thereupon a crow, g reedy of flesh, began
to peck at me. Picki ng up a clod of ea rth I kept the crow back.
( 1 5) In order to pierce me, the said crow, however, which l ived
on fragments of fo od offered at mea ls, remain ed in hiding on
that very spot and would not leave its prey,- desirous as it was
of fo od. ( 16) As my garment slipped while I was p u l l i ng its
stri ng (in order to tig hten it), angry as I was at the bird, I was
actua l ly seen by you in that state and laughed at. I felt nettled
and a bashed at that moment. Pecked (once more) by the crow,
which was avid of fo od, I sought shelter with you . ( 1 7- 18) Feel­
ing exhausted, I sought you r lap as though a n g ry, seated as
you were, and was d u ly comforted by you, fu lly delighted (as I
was with you r presence). ( 19) Gently wiping my eyes, my face
bathed in tears was ma rked by you, 0 lord, as havi ng been
a nnoyed by the crow." (20) Due to exhaustion, O HanOman, I

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

lay asleep in the a rms of Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) for long .

And Sri Rama (the eldest brother of Bha rata) i n his turn lay fast
asleep in my a rms. ( 2 1 )
" M eantime (while S ri Rama was lying asleep i n m y a rms) the
same crow a ppeared on the scene once more . Descending a l l
of a sudden, t h e crow then clawed me in the breasts ( even)
as I awoke from sl u m ber and rose from the a rms of Sri Ra m a .
(22) Flying u p again, i t forthwith tore me grievously once more .
At the touch of drops o f blood discha rged (from the wound),
Sri Ra ma then a rose . (23) Incensed to see me lacerated at the
breasts, and h issing l i ke a venomous serpent, he then spoke
as fol lows : - ' By whom have your breasts been wounded, 0
one with thighs resembling the proboscis of an elephant? Who
is it who is playing with a n angry five headed serpent?' (24-
25) Gazing a l l round, he then perceived that crow sitti ng with
its face turned towards me a lone, its sharp claws sta ined with
blood . (26) That crow, the foremost of birds, was, they say, no
other than the son of Indra (the ruler of gods) who had q uickly
descended (from the heaven) to the earth, vying with the wind
in speed . (27) His eyes rolling through fu ry, the mighty-a rmed
prince, the foremost of the wise, made a crue l resolve with
regard to that crow. (28) Taki ng a blade of the (sacred) Kusa
grass from his mat, he cha rged it with the potency of the mys­
tic missile presided over by Bra h m a (the creator) . It burst i nto
flames like the blazi ng fire of u n iversal destruction before the
bird. ( 29) He h u rled that fiery blade of the (sacred) Kusa g rass
at the crow. Presently that blade of the (sacred) Kusa g rass
actually fol lowed the crow through the a i r. (30)
"Seeking protection when being chased (by the missi le), the
crow then sought various asylums and thus ra nged this whole
universe: so it is said. ( 3 1 ) Having duly travel led throug h (all)
the three worlds (the earth, heaven and the reg ion lying be­
tween them), deserted by his father (Indra) and a l l the g reat­
est �$is, he sought S ri Rama a lone as h is refuge. (32) Out of
compassion the celebrated S ri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha),
who was fit to protect him, spa red the crow, which had sought

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 3' Message

shelter with h i m and fa llen on the grou nd, thoug h deserving of

death . (33) Even as he was fa lling, Sri Rama said to the crow
whose energy had been exhausted a n d who had g rown pale
(th rough fear) : - 'The missi le presided over by B rahma ca nnot
in a ny case be rendered ineffectua l : it may (therefore) be point­
ed out how to make it effectua l .' (34) Then Sri Rama destroyed
the right eye of the crow. Since he had sacrificed his right eye,
· .he was spa red for l ife. (35) Havi ng made .obeisa nce to Sri Rama
and ( menta l ly) to (his father) King Dasaratha, when dismissed
by that hero, he returned to his a bode. (36) (Addressing Sri
Ra ma again, as though present before her) a missi le presided
over by Brahma was discharged (by you) at a mere crow on
my behalf. How (then), 0 ruler of the ea rth, do you bear with
him who wrested me from you ? (37) Such that you are, (pray)
show compassion to me with g reat vigour, 0 jewel among men !
She who has her lord i n you, O lord, a p pears l i ke one without
any p rotector. (38) I have heard, from you a lone, that (mo­
tiveless) compassion is the highest vi rtue. I know you to be
endowed with extraordinary valour, extraordinary vigou r and
extrao rdinary might, l i mitless (in tim e or space), incapable of
bei ng disturbed and resembling the ocea n in profundity, the
lord of the earth including the ocea ns a n d a com peer of Indra .
(39-40) Wherefore, 0 scion o f Raghu, do you not employ your
missiles against the rakshasas, even though you a re the fore­
most of those p roficient in the use of missiles, mighty and ful l
o f courage?" (41)
(Tu rning to HanOman) " N either Nagas nor Gandharvas (ce­
lesti a l musicians), nor gods nor the M aruts (the forty-nine wind­
gods) a re able to resist the onrush of Sri Rama in combat. ( 42)
If there sti l l exists, a ny rega rd for me in the heart of that pow­
erfu l pri nce, wherefore does he not destroy the rakshasas with
his sharp a rrows? ( 43) Or why does n ot the heroic Lak$mar:ia,
the scou rge of the foes, who is endowed with extraordinary
might, deliver me, taki ng leave of his eldest brother? ( 44) (If)
those two tigers among men, who a re equal to Indra a n d the
wind-god in energy, a re difficult to overcome even by gods,

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

wherefore do they disregard me? ( 45) Some major sin of mine

a lone comes in the way in that those twi n scourges of their
foes, do not take care of me, even though they a re able to do
so : there is no doubt a bout it." ( 46)
Hea ring this piteous a ppea l uttered by Sita with tea rs in her
eyes, HanOman, a leader of mon key hordes, who was endowed
with extraordinary energy, forthwith replied (as follows) : - "I
swea r to you by truth, O a.u spicious one, that Sri Ra m.a has
grown averse to everything else through grief caused by your
absence. And Lak�mai:ta (too) suffers agony d u e to Sri Rama
being overwhelmed with sorrow. (47-48) You have somehow
been discovered (by me) ; (hence) this is not the time for g riev­
ing. From this (very) hour you wi ll see the end of your woes
drawi ng near, 0 charming one ! (49) Both the princes, who a re
tigers a mong men, a re e ndowed with extraordinary might, and
who a re determi ned to see you, wi l l reduce the ra kshasas to
ashes. (50) Ki l l i ng Raval)a, who is ferocious on the field of
battle, a long with his ki nsfolk, Sri Rama, O la rge-eyed one, wi l l
ta ke you b�ck t o h i s own city. ( 5 1 ) Commun icate what mes­
sage is to be delivered ( by me on your behalf) to Sri Ram a ( a
scion o f Raghu) a s well as to La k�ma i:t a, w h o is endowed with
extraordinary m ight, or even to Sugriva, who is fu ll of energy,
or to the monkeys assembled (at Ki�kindha)." (52)
Hanuman having spoken th us, Sita too further spoke forth­
with (as fol l ows) : - " M a ke on my behalf inquiries concerning
the welfa re of that protector of the world whom the high-m ind­
ed Ka usa lya brought forth, and g reet him with you r head bent
low. Inquiries concern ing welfa re should be addressed on my
behalf and in my name to Lak�mal)a, that heroic and powerful
brother of Sri Rama, who, having renou nced garla nds and a l l
kinds o f jewels a s well as women who were agreeable and ex­
cellent, a dominion which was hard to atta in on this vast earth,
and even in heaven, as also u nsurpassed felicity, and having
offered profound respects to and pacified his father a nd moth­
er, followed Sri Rama ( i n the latter's exi le), because of whom
Sumitra has earned the title of a blessed mother, whose mind

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama s Message

is given to piety, who follows his brother, Sri Ra m a (a scion of

Kakutstha) with devotion in the forest watch ing over h i m (as a
bodyg ua rd), who has shoulders (broad) l i ke those of a l ion, is
mighty-armed, steady-minded, and pleasin g to look u pon, who
behaves towa rds Sri Ra ma as towards his father and treated
me as his (own ) mother, who did not know at a l l of my being
borne away at the time of the occu rrence, who serves his el­
ders, is glorious and energetic, yet measu red in speech, who is
the foremost of those beloved of that p rince (Sri Rama) and a
replica (in gallantry) of my father-i n-law ( King Dasa ratha), who
is ever dearer to Sri Rama (even) than I and who willi ngly and
efficiently shou lders the responsibil ity with which he is sadd led
and on seeing whom Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) ceases to
rem em ber his deceased father. (53-6 1 ) The i n q u i ry should be
addressed to him in such a way that Lak�mar:ia, who is ever
gentle, pure and ca pa ble, beloved of Sri Ra ma, O jewel a mong
mon keys, may bri ng my woes to an end. (62) You a re up to
the accomplishment of this task, 0 leader of monkey hordes !
Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) can, by you r effort a lone, become
active on my beha lf. (63)
"Also (please) submit agai n and again to my l ord, the val iant
Sri Ra ma, as follows: - ' I am going to su rvive (only) a month,
O son of Dasaratha ! (64) I sha l l not live beyond a month : I
swear to you by truth . You ought to rescue me, confi n ed (as I
am) by Rava r:i a of sinfu l deeds and subjected to persecution (at
the hands of ogresses), O heroic prince, (even) as Lord Vi�r:iu
(in His descent as the Divine Boa r) rescued Goddess Ea rth from
Pata la (the nethermost subterranean reg ion) .' (65) Untying
"

the bright divine jewel for her head, tied in her garment, Sita
thereu pon gave it to HanOman, sayi ng that it m ight be deliv­
ered to Sri Ra ma ( a scion of Rag h u ) . (66) Ta king (from Sita's
ha nd) the excel lent jewel , which was unsu rpassed (in val ue),
the hero (HanOman) placed it o n his fi nger since his arm (even
though he had resumed his former tiny form) was too thick fo r
it. (67) Ta king a nd g reeting the excel lent j ewel and circumam­
bu lating Sita (as a mark of respect), H a n O m a n (the foremost

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

. of monkeys) stood bent low by her side. (68) Filled with g reat
delight born of Sita's discovery, he menta l ly sou g ht (the pres­
ence of) Sri Rama and La k�ma r:i a ; he who was endowed with
auspicious bodily marks. (69) Rejoiced at heart to receive that
val uable superb jewel, borne (on her person) by the daughter
of King Janaka, which by di nt of her occult power (so that it
remained unnoticed by the ogresses a l l the while), and (thus)
resembling one who was (once) shaken by a blast coming from
(the top of) a h uge mountai n and (then) del ivered from it,
HanOman prepa red to set out on his retu rn jou rney. (70)

Ca nto XXXIX

Havi ng parted with her jewel, Sita then spoke to HanOman

forthwith as fol l ows : - "This token is ful ly known to Sri Ram a
in its real ity. ( 1) Seei ng the jewel, the heroic Sri Ra ma for his
part wi l l surely ca ll to mind three i ndividuals all at once, viz., my
mother, Ki ng 'Dasa ratha and myself (as it was given as a dowry
to me by my mother in the presence of my father-in-law) . (2)
Goaded fu rther by extraordinary zeal, 0 jewel a mong monkeys,
consider careful ly what is to be done next for givi ng i m petus to
this work of rescuing me. (3) You (alone) a re capable of bring­
ing this task to completion, O jewel a mong mon keys! (Please)
consider what effort might bri ng my misfortunes to an end. (4)
Remai n i ng active (therefore), O H anOman, (pray) terminate my
sufferi ng ." Givi ng his assurance in the words "Be it so", and
making obeisance to Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha territory)
with his head bent low, HanOman (son of the wi nd-god) of re­
doubtable prowess made ready to depart.
Perceiving the monkey HanO ma n (sprung from the loins of
the wi nd-god) fully prepared to leave, Sita, a princess of Mithila,
spoke a s fol lows in a voice choked with tea rs : "Communicate
my welfare to Sri Rama and La k�mar:ia together, 0 HanOman!
Make a report in consonance with righteousness rega rding my
welfare, 0 jewel a mong monkeys, to Sugriva and his ministers,

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 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 3" Message

as a lso to a l l elderly monkeys. ( 5-8) You ought to m a ke efforts

to see that that mighty-armed scion of Rag h u delivers me from
this ocean of sorrow. (9) My case should be put by you in such
away, 0 H a n u ma n that the i l lustrious Sri Rama may find me
a l ive. Rea p the vi rtue of rendering help to me by you r words.
( 10) The effort of Sri Rama (son of Dasaratha), who is ever ful l
o f determination t o recover m e , w i l l b e intensified on hearing
the words uttered by me. ( 1 1) Only after hearing from you the
words conveying my m essage, the heroi c Sri Rama wil l d u ly set
his heart on exhibiti ng his va lour." ( 1 2)
Placing his joined palms a bove his head on heari ng the a p­
pea l of Sita , Hanuman, sprung from the loins of the wind-god,
made the fol lowing reply : - ( 13) "Su rrounded by the foremost
of monkeys and bears, Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha), who,
having conquered his enemies on the field of battle, will com­
pletely d rive away you r g rief will soon make his a ppearance
. (here ) . ( 14) I know of none a mong mortals, demons or who
wou ld dare stand before him while he is discha rging arrows.
( 15) Indeed h e would be able to withstand i n combat even the
sun-god, Indra, Yama (the god of retri bution), son of the sun­
god, particula rly fo r you r sake . ( 16) S ri Rama can conquer the .
ea rth bounded by the ocean . H ence Sri Rama's victory in your
cause is certain, O daughter of Janaka !" ( 17)
Hearing the reply of Hanuman, which was reasonable, truth­
ful a n d beautifully worded, the daughter of Janaka held h i m in
g reat esteem and proceeded to speak. ( 18) Gazi ng again and
agai n on H a n Oman, who had then made ready to depart, Sita
uttered the fol lowi ng respectful words, expressive of her hus­
band's affection for her, actuated as she was with goodwill (for
him): - ( 19) " If you deem fit, O hero, halt for a day a tamer of
foes! Resti ng i n some covered place, you may leave tomorrow.
(20) Due to your presen ce, O monkey, I shall be rid for a while,
unfo rtunate as I am, of th is violent g rief. ( 2 1 ) For, if after that
there is a ny doubt about your return, O tiger a mong monkeys,
there is uncertainty of my surviva l too : there is no doubt a bout
it. (22) Grief born of you r a bsence, 0 monkey, wi ll torment me

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

further, burning me, as it were, seized (as I a l ready am) with

agony after agony. (23)
"This very great doubt (ever) sta nds before me as it were
about you r associate monkeys and bea rs, 0 heroic lord of mon­
keys, as to how on earth those hordes of monkeys and bea rs or
(for that matter) thos� two pri nces (lit., sprung from the loins
of a jewel a mong men) wi l l actua l ly (be able to) cross the vast
sea, which is (so) difficult to cross. (24-25) The ca pacity to
cross the sea in this world exists in th ree created beings only,
viz., Ga ru<;la (son of Vi nata), the wind-god and you rself. (26)
What means do you perceive, 0 hero, for the accom plishment
of this task, which is so (very) difficult to get th roug h? For,
you are the foremost of those who know how to accomplish a
task. (27) Although you a re defi nitely eq ual to the accomplish­
ment of this task (of rescuing me) single-ha nded, 0 destroyer
of hosti le warriors, the attain ment of success will redound to
you r glory ( rather than that of SrT Rama ) . (28) If (on the other
hand) conqueri ng Ravar:i a on the battlefield with the hel p of
a l l his forces, 'SrT Rama retu rns victorious in combat to his own
capita l, that (indeed) wou ld be worthy of him. ( 29) If, over­
running La ri ka with his forces, SrT Ra ma (a scion of Kakutstha)
the scourge of hosti le forces, for his part, ta kes me (back from
Larika) that (alone) would be worthy of h i m . (30) Therefore,
act you in such a way that the exa lted soul, va lia nt i n combat,
may exhi bit prowess worthy of h i m ." ( 3 1 )
Hearing the uttera nce o f Sita, which was ful l o f significa nce,
pol ite and logica l, HanO man made the followi ng fi nal reply:
- (32) "The lord of the monkey and bea r hordes and the fore­
most of monkeys, SugrTva, who is richly endowed with truth­
fulness, is determi ned to li berate you, O a uspicious one! (33)
Surrounded by thousa nds of crores of monkeys, 0 pri ncess
of the Videha territory, that destroyer of rakshasas will m a ke
his appea rance soon. (34) Monkeys,· who a re richly endowed
with va lour, fu ll of courage and extraordi narily mighty, who can
leap to a ny distance according to their mental resolve, whose
course is i m peded neither upwa rds nor downwards nor to their

182
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

right or left, who never lose heart (even) i n g reat underta kings
and a re endowed with extraordinary energy, remain standing
at Sugrlva's beck and ca l l . (35-36) They have circu m a m bulated
the earth i ncluding the oceans and mountains clockwise more
than once following the aerial path, endowed as they a re with
extraordinary energy. (37) There exist in that a rmy monkeys
who a re my equals and even superior to me. None is inferior to
me in the com pany of Sugriva . (38) W.hen I have a rrived here,
how easily can they a rrive, who a re endowed with extraordi­
nary might! Su rely these su perior ones a re not sent on erra nds,
only the inferior ones a re so sent. ( 39)
"Therefo re have done with sorrowing, 0 divine one! Let
you r grief disa ppea r. With a single bound those leaders of mon­
key hordes wil l reach Lan ka . (40) Like the sun and the moon
appearing at the horizon those two lions a mong men (Sri Ra ma
and Lak$mar:ia), fol lowed by large mu ltitudes, will a rrive in your
presence mounted on my back. ( 4 1 ) Arriving together, those
two heroic j ewels a mong men wi ll undou btedly blow away
Lan ka with their shafts. (42) M aking short work of Ravar:i a
along with his hordes, Sri Ra ma (a scion o f Ragh u), the delight
of the Ragh us, will return to his own city (Ayodhya) taking you
(with him), O one of excellent limbs! ( 43) Therefo re, ta ke heart
and bide you your time. May good betide you ! Before long you
shall (be able to) see Sri Rama flaming l i ke fi re . (44) When
Ravar:ia (the lord of ra kshasas) is sla i n with his sons, min isters
and ki nsfolk, you shall be u n ited with Sri Rama as RohiQi ( a
consort o f t h e moon god presiding over a constellation o f the
same name) is with the moon-god . (45) Soon you sha l l see the
end of your g rief, O divine princess of M ithi l a ! You will also see
Ravar:ia kil led by Sri Ra ma by force of (superior) might." ( 46)
H aving comforted Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha territory) as
above, and making u p his mind to depart, H a n O man, sprung
from the loins of the wind-god, spoke to Sita (a princess of the
Videha territory) once more (as follows) : - (47)
"You shall soon behold the celebrated Sri Rama (a scion of
Raghu), the destroyer of his foes, who has subdued his soul,

183
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

as also Lak$ma r:ia, a rrived at the gate of Larika, bow in hand.

( 48) At n o distant date you sha l l (a lso) see gathered together
va liant monkeys endowed with the prowess of lions and tigers,
looking l i ke l ordly elepha nts and using their nails a nd teeth
as weapons. (49) You shal l see, O noble one, n umerous com­
panies of the foremost of monkeys, looking like mountains or
clouds and thu ndering o n the peaks of the Malaya mounta i n i n
Larika . (50) H i t i n h i s vulnerable pa rts by the formidable darts
of Love, Sri Rama knows n o more rest than a n elephant h u rt by
a lion. ( 5 1 ) Weep no more, O a uspicious one! Let there be no
fear from g rief to you r mind. You sha l l be united with you r h us­
band in the same way as Saci (the consort of Indra) was with
Indra, 0, charming one! (52) Who else is superior to Sri Ra ma
and who is a match for Lak$mar:ia (son of Sumitra)? Those two
brothers, who resemble fire and the wind, a re your support.
(53) You shall not stay long in this most fearful land inha bited
by rakshasas, O auspicious one! The advent of your beloved
will not take long . ( Pray) have patience only til l the moment of
my meeting with Sri Rama ." (54)

Ca nto X L

Hearing the a ssura nce of that high-souled son of the wind­

god, Sita, who resembled the daughter of a god, gave the fol­
lowing reply, which was ca lculated to adva nce her own inter­
ests: - ( 1) " I feel thrilled to see you speaking ki nd words, O
mon key, even as the ea rth with its crops half ripe is enlivened
o n receivi ng a shower. (2) Show compassion to me by manipu­
lating thi ngs i n such a way that, fu ll of longing, f may be a ble
to embra ce that tiger among men with my li mbs that a re utterly
emaciated through g rief. (3) Again, remind Sri Rama, O j ewel
among hordes of monkeys, as a token {of your having met me),
of the reed h u rled (by him) in a nger, which destroyed one eye
of the son of Indra (who came d isgu ised as a crow). (4)
"Further say to him, 'You oug ht su rely to recall the tilak

184
 Hanuman conveys Sri Rama 's Message

which was pai nted by you o n my cheek with realgar when the
former had got effaced. ( 5 ) Though powerful , how do you shut
your eyes at STta havi ng been borne away and living in the
midst of rakshasas, 0 lord vyi ng with Indra (the ruler of gods)
and Varui:ia (the god of water)? (6) I have preserved this divi ne
jewel for the head with special care; I used to feel overjoyed
in adversity to see it as I . did on seeing you, O sinless one!
(7) This splendid jewel, havi ng its origin in the sea, has been
delivered ( by me) to you . Absorbed in g rief (that I a m ) , I shall
no longer be abl e to su rvive beyond th is month. (8) (Only) for
you r sake have I endured (so long) unbeara ble woes, words
which pierced my heart and l ivi ng in the company of rakshasas.
(9) Somehow I sha l l conti nue to live for a month (more), 0
destroyer of foes! Beyond a month (of course) I a m n ot going
to survive in you r a bsence, 0 prince! ( 10) Frightful is this ruler
of ra kshasas; his attitude towards me is (also) not favoura ble.
And if on hearing of you tarrying, I may not survive even a mo­
ment longer." ( 1 1)
Hearing the plaintive message of Sita, uttered with tears ( i n
h e r eyes), H a n O m a n , sprung from the loins o f the wind-god,
who was endowed with extraordinary energy, forthwith sub­
mitted (as follows) : - ( 12) " I swea r to you by truth, O auspi­
cious one, that Sri Rama has grown averse to everything else
through g rief caused by your a bsence. And Lak$mai:ia (too)
suffers agony due to Sri Ram a being overwhelmed with sorrow.
( 13) You have been discovered (by- me somehow); (hence) this
is not the ti me for g rievi n g . From this (very) hour you wi ll see
the end of your woes (drawing nea r), O, charming one ! ( 14)
Both the princes, who a re tigers a mong men and a re beyond
reproach and who a re determined to see you, will reduce La ri ka
to ashes. ( 1 5) Ki l l i n g in combat the ra kshasa Rava i:i a, along
with his kinsfolk, the two scions of Raghu, 0 la rge-eyed one,
wi l l take you (back) to their own capita l . ( 1 6) You ought to fur­
ther give (me) a token which Sri Rama alone may (be able to)
recognize and which may ca use him delight, 0 i rreproachable
one". ( 17)

185
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

She replied, "An excellent token has a l ready been handed

over (to you) by me, 0 monkey! On his ca refully seei ng this
jewel alone, you r statement, O galla nt HanOman, will actual ly
prove worthy of credence to Sri Ra ma." Having taken that ex­
cellent jewel and made respectful obeisa nce to the divine one
with his h ead bent low, the glorious H a n O man, the foremost of
monkeys, prepa red to depa rt. Observi ng that leader of monkey
hordes, who was possessed of great i mpetuosity, expa nding
and striving to lea p (across the sea), Sita (Janaka's daughter)
spoke (as follows) in a voice choked with sobs, her face bathed
in tears, distressed as she was : -( 18-2 1 )
"(Pray) a pprise, O HanOman, a l l (viz.,) the two brothers, Sri
Ra ma and La k�mar:ia, who resemble a pair of l ions, as wel l as
Sugriva and his ministers, of my welfa re . (22) You ought to
make efforts to see that that mighty-a rmed scion of Rag h u
delivers m e from this ocea n of sorrow. (23) Arrived i n t h e pres­
ence of S ri Rama, speak to him of the acute vehemence of my
g rief as well as of the th reats of these ra kshasas and let your
journey be happy, 0 g reat hero a mong the monkeys !" (24) Ap­
prised by the pri ncess of her object, greatly delighted at hea rt
on his p urpose having been acco mplished a nd thi nking that
(on ly) a sma l l fraction of h is d uty remai ned to be performed,
he menta lly sought the northern d i rection . (25)

* *

186
Ravana with two attendants visits Sita in the Asoka grove where
she is guarded by three rakshasis.
Submission of the Ocean king before Rama, Kangra, early 1 9th century
Courtesy: Govt. Museum and Art Gallery, Chandigarh (India)
 (iv) Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

Canto XCIX (Yudd�akaQ<;la)

0 n seeing Mahodara and Mahapa rswa kil led, the notori­

ous champion Vir0pak$a, who was endowed with ex­
traordinary might, havi ng (already) been struck down,
a g reat rage actu a l ly seized Ravai:ia in the course of the g reat
conflict. He urged on his charioteer and addressed to him the
fol l owing words: so the tradition goes : - ( 1-2) " Ki ll i ng the
two pri nces, Ra ma a n d La k$mai:ia, I sha l l certainly get rid of
the suffering caused (to me) on account of the ministers who
have been ki lled a n d the city which has been laid siege to ( by
the monkeys) . (3) In the fight I shal l cut down the tree i n the
shape of Rama, which is going to yield fru it through its blos­
som in the form of Sita, whose principal boughs a re Sugriva,
J a m bavan, Kumuda, Nala, as wel l as Dwivida and Mainda,
Aligada, Gandhamadana as also HanO man a n d Su$el)a and a l l
the other com manders o f monkey troops." ( 4-5)
(Saying so and) ca using (all) the ten di rections to resound
with the rattling of his cha riot, that mighty and su rpassing char­
iot-warrior d rove ra pidly a n d rushed towards Sri Rama (a scion
of Raghu). (6) Filled by that sound the entire ea rth including
rivers, mou ntains and fo rests, trembled throwing the lions and
other beasts as well as birds into a fright. (7) He ma nifested
an exceedi ng ly formidable a n d terrible mystic missile presided
over by Rah u (a giant presiding over the planet of that name
and consisting of da rkness), and with it he began to consume

189
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

a l l the monkeys, who sta rted fal ling down on a l l sides. (8) Dust
rose on the ea rth as they ran with all speed when frustrated;
for they could no longer end u re the missi le, which had been
brought i nto bei ng by Bra h ma (the creator) himself. (9) Seeing
those n umerous divisions (of the monkeys) routed in hu ndreds
by the excel lent a rrows of Ravar:ia, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
took his sta nd fi rmly (on the battlefield) . ( 10) Having put the
a rmy of the mon keys to fl ig ht, that tiger a mong the ra kshasas
then beheld Sri Ra ma, the tamer of his enemies, who was en­
dowed with long a rms and eyes l a rge as l otus petals standing
u nconquered with his brother Lak$mar:ia - like Indra accompa­
nied by his (you nger brother) U pendra ( Lord Vi$Q U ) - holding
u p his bow as though scra ping the sky.
Perceiving the monkeys routed in combat and Ravar:ia a p­
proaching, the mig hty Sri Ra ma, who was endowed with ex­
traordinary energy and was accompan ied by Lak$mar:ia, there­
u pon joyfully took hold of his bow at the middle. ( 1 1- 14) He
then beg a n to stretch the excel lent bow, wh ich was sonorous
and endowed with great i m pelling force, as though he was going
to rend the ea rth asunder. ( 1 5) Ra kshasas fell (to the g rou nd)
in h u ndreds at the well-known ( buzzing) sound produced by
the streams of Ravar:ia's arrows as wel l as by the twang of
Sri Ram a 's bow. ( 16) Again coming within the ra nge of the
two pri nces ( La k$mar:ia and Sri Ra ma), the notorious Ravar:ia
resembled Ra hu (the Daitya presiding over the planet of that
name). ( 1 7) Desi ri ng to engage him with his own sharpened
a rrows in the first insta nce and stretching his bow, Lak$mar:ia
loosed his shafts resembling tongues of fi re . ( 18) Rava r:ia, who
was endowed with extraordinary energy, intercepted in the a i r
(with h i s own arrows) La k$mar:ia's a rrows a s soon as h e , an
excellent a rcher, loosed them. ( 19) Demonstrating his lightness
of hand, he split the a rrows of La k$mar:ia one with one, th ree
with three and ten with ten arrows. (20)
Over passi ng La k$mar:ia, Rava r:ia, who (ever) won battles,
a pproached Sri Ra ma, sta nding like another mountain on the
battlefield. (21) Duly a pproach ing Sri Ra ma (a scion of Rag hu),

190
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

his eyes turning crimson through anger, Rava r:ia, the lord of
rakshasas, loosed showers of shafts (upon h i m ) . (22) Immedi­
ately on beholding the vol leys of a rrows loosed from the bow of
Ravar:ia approaching, Sri Ra ma thereu pon quickly seized hold of,
in a l l haste, Bhallas (a va riety of arrows with a crescent-sha ped
head). (23) Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) the n tore asunder with
sha rp-edged Bhallas those streams of fla m i ng a rrows - arrows
that were very formidable and resembled venomous serpents.
( 24) Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) and Ravar:i a ra pidly covered
each other with showers of sha rp-poi nted shafts of va rious
ki nds; Sri Ra ma covering Rava r:ia and vice versa . (25) Pushing
back each other with the on rush of their a rrows and remain ing
undefeated, the two wa rriors described ci rcles of va rious kinds
round each other from left to right. (26)
Created beings were seized with terror even as the two re­
doubta ble heroes, who resem bled the god of retribution and
the god of death respectively, simu lta neously struck with vio­
lence loosing a rrows (at each other). (27) The sky was overcast
at that time with a rrows of various kinds even as it is covered
d u ring the monsoon with clouds crowded with flashes of light­
ning. ( 28) The vau lt of heaven was studded with eyeholes as
it were by showers of shafts of extraordinary velocity, which
were extremely sha rp-pointed, were adorned with pl umes of
vultures and were l oosed with g reat i m petuosity. (29) Like two
huge clouds that rose into view at a ti me when the sun had set
and even when it a rose, the two warriors e nveloped the sky
with g reat da rkness with their a rrows. (30) Li ke the duel that
took place (in the hoary past) between the demon Vrtra and
Indra , an unapproachable and u nimaginable major conflict en­
sued between the two warriors, who sought the destruction of
each other. ( 3 1 ) Indeed both were a rmed with excel lent bows,
both were ski lled in fig hting, both were the foremost of those
adept in the use of missiles and both moved u n hampered on
the battlefield. (32) Indeed whichever course they both took
(in their maneuveri ngs) strea ms of shafts were set in motion
l i ke waves in two ocea ns, whipped up by the wind. (33)

191
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Then Ravar:ia, who made people cry (wherever he went) and

whose hands were (constantly) employed (in discharging a r­
rows), dug i nto the brow of Sri Rama a succession of steel a r­
rows, which adorned it like a cha plet. (34) Sri Rama bore that
chaplet, loosed from the terri ble bow of Ravar:ia and shining
like the petals of a blue lotus, o n his head and did not experi­
ence a ny pa i n . (35) Then, seizi ng hold of more a rrows recit­
ing sacred formulas (and thereby invoki ng the mystic missile
sought for) and making use of the m issile presided over by
Rudra (the god of destruction), and stretching his bow, the
va liant Sri Ra ma, who was endowed with extraordi nary energy,
and was seized with a nger, let fly those a rrows i n uninterrupted
succession agai nst the ki ng of rakshasas. (36-37) Fa llen on the
impenetra ble a rmour of Ravar:i a (the ruler of ra kshasas), which
looked l i ke a l a rge cloud, the arrows did not cause a ny pai n
(to him) a t the ti me. (38) Sri Rama, who was a n adept i n the
use of a l l mystic missi les, forthwith pierced that suzerain lord
of rakshasas, seated in his chariot, once more i n the forehead
with an exc�l lent missile. (39) Having pierced the excellent a r­
rows (of Rava r:ia)! the a rrows of Sri Rama (generated by the
missile) penetrated Hke five-headed hissi ng serpents i nto the
earth, when repel led by Ravar:ia ( 40) .
Rendering the missi le of Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) void,
Ravar:ia, who was fi l l ed with wrath, manifested an exceedi ng­
ly dreadful missile presided over by demoniac forces. (41) He
loosed a rrows having the heads of lions and tigers, those of
buzzards and red geese, even of vultu res and falcons, as well
as those of jackals and wolves, also shafts having the heads
of terrible lions with their mouths wide open and even resem­
bling serpents, a lso those having the heads of donkeys and
others havi ng the heads of boars, dogs and cocks, alligators
and venomous snakes. (42-44) H issing like a serpent provoked ·
to anger, Ravar:ia, who was endowed with extraordi nary en­
ergy, l et loose against Sri Rama by his conj uring tricks these
and other whetted a rrows. ( 45) Overwhelmed by that m issile
presided over by demoniac forces, that prince of the Ragh us,

192
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

who was endowed with extraordinary vigour and rese m bled the
god of fire ( i n brilliance), e m ployed the m issile presided over
by the god of fi re . ( 46) He prod uced through it a rrows of every
descri ption, some with heads bright as fire, others with heads
shin i n g like the sun, the moon, the crescent, a comet and a
huge m eteor respectively, othe rs shining like planets a n d l unar
mansions and some resembling flashes of l ig htn i n g . Pierced by
the m issile employed by Sri Ra ma (a sci9n of Raghu) those for­
midable arrows of Ravar:ia melted away in the air; yet ( before
they did so) they ki lled the monkeys in thousa nds. Rejoiced to
see that m issile ( presided over by demoniac forces) rendered
void by Sri Rama of unwearied action, and encompassing Sri
Ra m a (a scion of Rag h u), a l l the mon keys, who were capa ble of
cha n g i ng thei r form at wi l l , thereupon ra ised a clamour facing
Sugriva . (47-50) The high-sou led Sri Ra m a (a scion of Raghu),
son of Dasaratha, was then fil led with joy on havi n g forcibly
rendered void that we ll-known m issi le which had flown from
the a rms of Ravar:ia; while the va l iant monkey chiefs, fu l l of joy,
shouted at the top of their voice . ( 5 1 )

Ca nto C

That missi le havi ng been counteracted (by Sri Rama), Rava r:ia,
the suzerain lord of rakshasas, for his part doubled his fury and
in his wrath the latter, who was endowed with extraordinary
splendour, forthwith proceeded to a i m at Sri Rama (a scion of
Ragh u ) another fearful missile presided over by Rudra (the god
of destruction) and produced by the demon M aya . ( 1-2) Then
issued forth on all sides from his bow flaming pikes and maces
as well as clubs, hard as adamant, m a l lets, deceptive nooses
and fiery thunderbolts of various kinds like piercing ga les at
the end of the world-cycle. (3-4) The glorious Ra ma (a scion
of Rag h u), the foremost of those proficient in the use of excel­
lent m issiles, who was endowed with extraord i n a ry splendour,
neutra lized that missi le with the excel lent m issile presided over

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

by the Gandh a rvas (celestial m usicia ns). (5)

Thi s missil e havi ng been rendered void by the high-sou l ed Sri
Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u), Ravar:ia for his part, his eyes coppery
with wrath, e m ployed the missil e presided over by the sun-god.
(6) Thereupon, issued brilliant and large discuses from the bow
of the resou rceful Rava r:ia (the ten-headed monster) of terri ble
i m petuosity. (7) ( Even ) as they rose i nto view and fel l on a l l
sides the sky was l i t u p a n d t h e quarters illuminated as b y the
sun, the moon and other plan ets. (8) The celebrated Sri Rama
(a scion of Raghu), however, split those discuses and (other)
stra nge weapons with the streams of his shafts in the forefront
of Rava r:ia's a rmy. (9) Seeing that missile frustrated, Rava r:ia,
the suzerain lord of ra kshasas, for his part pierced Sri Rama
with ten arrows i n a l l h is vital parts. ( 10) Though pierced by
Ravar:ia with ten shafts that had shot forth from his huge bow,
Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), who was endowed with extraordi­
nary energy, did not flinch . ( 1 1) Extremely enraged, Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Rag hu), who (ever) won battles, thereupon pierced
Ravar:i a in all his l i m bs with n umerous arrows. ( 12)
In the meantime the mighty Lak�mar:ia, brother of Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Raghu), the destroyer of hosti le champions, pro­
voked to anger, seized hold of seven a rrows. ( 13) With those
shafts, which were impelled with great force, La k�mar:ia (who
was endowed with extraordinary splendour) tore (to begi n with)
into a number of pieces the standard of Ravar:ia, which bore
the device of a man's head . ( 14) With a single a rrow the glori­
ous Lak�mar:ia, who was endowed with extraordi nary might,
also severed the head of the ra kshasa's charioteer, which was
adorned with flaming earrings. ( 1 5) With five whetted shafts
Lak�mar:ia then split asunder the bow of that ki ng of ra kshasas,
which resembled the proboscis of an elepha nt. ( 16) And bound­
ing forward, Vibhi�ar:ia struck down with his mace Ravar:ia's ex­
cel lent horses, which resembled a dark cloud (in h ue) and were
tal l as hi lls. ( 17) Leaping down with a l l speed from his huge
chariot, whose horses had been ki lled, Ravar:ia then exhi bited
a violent rage agai nst his (youngest) brother. ( 18) Thereupon

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

the powerfu l king of rakshasas, who was endowed with ex­

traordinary energy, fl ung at Vibhi$a Qa a fla m i n g jave l i n, which
resembled the thu nderbolt. ( 19) With three shafts La k$mar:ia
(however) tore it asunder even before it reached h i m . A loud
cheer forthwith a rose a mong the mon keys in that m ajor conflict.
( 20) Split into three fragments the javelin, which was wreathed
in gold, fell down l i ke an enormous fla ming meteor, emitti ng
sparks, fa llen from the heavens. ( 2 1 ) Ravana thereupon seized
.
.

hold of a big javelin, which was highly renowned (for its infal-
l i bi lity), was difficult to approach even for Death, and was shin­
ing with its own bri l lia nce. (22) Brandished with violence by
the mighty and evi l-mi nded Rava r:ia, that i m mensely splendid
javel in, which shone l i ke a fla ming th underbolt, gave out a lurid
glea m . (23)
In the meanti me the heroic La k$mar:ia speedily ca me to the
rescue of Vibhi$a r:ia, who had reached a stage in which his l ife
was in danger. (24) Stretchi ng his bow, the gallant La k$mar:ia
actua l ly covered with volleys of a rrows Rava r:ia, who stood,
javelin in hand, in order to save Vibhi$aQ a . ( 25) Being covered
thus with a stream of shafts discha rged by the high-souled
La k$mar:ia, Ravar:ia, whose prowess stood ba l ked, no longer
felt inclined to stri ke. (26) Sta nding with his face turned to­
wards La k$mar:ia on seeing his brother (Vi bhi$a r:ia) rescued by
Lak$mar:ia, the notorious Ravar:ia spoke as follows : - (27) " Let­
ti ng off the rakshasa (Vibhi$a r:ia), th is javelin is being violently
hu rled on you in as much as Vibhi$ar:ia has thus been rescued
by you, O va u nter of your strength ! (28) Pierci ng you r heart,
when hurled by my bludgeon-like a rm, and sta ined with blood,
this javelin, will depart (only) after taking you r life." (29)
Saying so and levelling at La k$mar:ia that infa l li ble javelin,
which was adorned with eight bells a nd made a loud noise
(in the course of its fl ight), which had been designed by the
demon Maya by dint of magic, was ca pable of destroying the
enemy and shone as it were with splendou r, Ravar:ia, who
was extremely enraged, h u rled it and roa red . (30-3 1 ) Flung
with terrible i m petuosity and cracki n g l i ke a thunderbolt, that

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

javelin flew with force towa rds La k$mar:ia in the forefront of

the battle. (32) Addressing that javelin even as it was fa l l ing
(on La k$mar:ia), that scion of Rag hu imprecated it as fol l ows : -
"May a l l be well with Lak$mar:i a ! May you prove ineffectua l ! May
your attempt (to ki l l La k$ma r:ia) be frustrated ! ! " (33) Released
by the enraged Ravar:ia on the battlefield, that javelin, which
was deadly as a venomous snake, fel l at once on the bosom of
Lak$mar:ia, who stood, fearless. ( 34) Flyi ng with g reat violence,
and flaming l i ke the tongue of Vasuki (the lord of serpents), the
javelin, which was fu ll of extraordinary splendour, descended
on the broad chest of La k$mar:ia . (35) Pierced grievously
by the javelin, which had penetrated very deep due to the
(tremendous) force exerted by Rava r:ia, La k$mar:ia there u pon
fell to the grou nd. (36)
Observing La k$mar:ia red uced to that predica ment, Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Rag h u), who stood near, felt despondent at heart
beca use of brotherly affection, even though he was endowed
with extraordinary cou rage. (37) Reflecti ng awh ile as it were,
his eyes be�immed with tea rs, he felt a l l the more enraged
(even) like the fi re at the end of a world-cycle. (38) Rea lizing
that it was not the ti me for feeling disconsolate, and gazing
on La k$mar:ia, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), resu med the fierce
strugg le with a mighty and whole-hearted endeavour, resolved
as he was u pon the destruction of Rava r:i a . (39)
Sri Rama then beheld Lak$mar:ia pierced with a javelin in the
great struggle and bathed in blood, and resembling a mountain
with a snake ( penetrating its centre) . ( 40) The jewels a mong
the monkeys could not extract even with effort that javelin, pro­
pelled (as it was) by the exceedingly mig hty Ravar:ia a n d also
beca use the stream of a rrows loosed by the prince of ra kshasas
overwhelmed them. Passi ng through the body of La k$mar:ia (son
of Sumitra), it had penetrated into the su rface of the earth .
(41-42) Seizing hold of the terri ble 'javelin with his ha nds, the
mighty Rama d rew it out and, getting enraged snapped it in
the course of the struggle. ( 43) While he was (busy) extract­
ing the javelin, the exceedi ngly mighty Rava r:ia hurled a rrows

196
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

on a l l his l i m bs that pierced his vita l pa rts. (44) Not minding

those arrows, and embracing La k$maoa, he spoke (as follows)
to HanOman and the g reat mon key, Sugriva : - ( 45)
" Remain encom passing La k$maoa as you a re doing, 0 pri nc­
es of monkeys . The occasion, long sought by me to manifest
my prowess, has come. Let this ten-headed monster of si nfu l
mind and si nfu l resolve be made short work of. I seek his death
as a Cataka bird seeks the sight of a cJoud, at the end of sum­
mer. (46-47) I take this unfai ling vow before you at this hour,
0 monkeys, that before long you wi l l see the world devoid
of Ravaoa or Ra m a ( myself) . (48) I suffered the loss of my
sovereignty, exi le in the forest, pereg rination in the forest of
Dao<;laka and the insult offered to Sita (a princess of the Videha
territory) by the ra kshasa ( Ravaoa). (49) (In this way) great
and terri ble agony has been suffered by me as a lso (bodi ly)
torment a pproaching the tortu res in hel l . M a king short work of
Rava oa in com bat, I shall have done with a l l (this) today. (50)
"This sinfu l ra kshasa on whose account this a rmy of mon­
keys has been d ragged by me (to this dista nt la nd), Sugriva has
been insta lled on the throne (of Ki$kindha) after disposi ng of
Vali in com bat, and on whose account the sea has been crossed
and a bridge th rown over it, has fa llen with i n the ra nge of my
vision on the battlefield today. Havi ng come within my sight, he
does not deserve to survive (any longer) . (5 1-52) Having fa llen
within my view, Rava oa can not survive any more than one who
has entered the range of vision of a snake i njecti ng (dead ly)
venom with his (very) glance or tha n a serpent who has fa llen
under the gaze of Ga ru<;la (the ki ng of birds and enemy of ser­
pents) . (53) Perched on mountain-peaks, O bulls a mong the
monkeys, witness at ease you, who a re so difficult to over­
power, this trial of strength between Ravaoa and myself. (54)
Let (all) the th ree worlds (earth, heaven and the intermediate
region) including the Ga ndharvas (celestia l m usicians), gods,
�$is (the seers of Ved ic Ma ntras) and Caraoas (celestial bards)
behold (with thei r own eyes) today the Ra mahood of Ra ma i n
the course o f m y com bat. (55) I sha l l accomplish today a feat

197
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

which people i n the world including a l l living bei ngs, mobile as

well i mmobile, gods not excepted, wi ll ever recount together,
describing how the com bat proceeded , as long a s the ea rth is
able to support those inhabiting it." (56)
Sayin g so, Sri Ra ma steadily proceeded to stri ke Rava r:i a (the
ten-headed monster) on the battlefield with penetrating shafts
embellished with refined gold . (57) Rava r:ia too likewise covered
Sri Rama on that occasion with flaming steel a rrows and clubs
(even) as a cloud would cover a mounta in with torrents of rai n .
(58) A confused din a rose from the excel lent arrows loosed by
Sri Ra ma (on the one hand), and Rava r:ia (on the other) as they
struck each its opponent. (59) Split asunder and scattered, the
shafts with fla m i ng poi nts of S ri Rama and Rava r:i a fel l from the
space to the earth's su rface. (60) The mig hty sound prod uced
by the i m pact of the bowstri ng on the pa l ms of the two heroes,
which struck terror in a l l livi ng beings, was astonishing as it
were to hear. ( 6 1 ) Bei ng covered by hails of shafts and over­
whel med by the high-souled Sri Ra ma, who was a rmed with a
flaming bow,' on closi ng with him, Rava r:ia took to his heels out
of fear, even as a cloud wou ld disperse when propelled by a
gale. (62)

Ca nto CI

Beholding the heroic Lak$mar:ia soaked in a stream of blood,

when struck down in combat with a javelin by the exceedingly
mig hty Ravar:ia, and having offered a fierce com bat to the evi l­
mi nded Ravar:ia, Sri Rama spoke as fol l ows to the (monkey
chief) Su$er:ia even while discharging streams of shafts (at his
stalwart opponent) : - ( 1-2)
"Fallen on the g round yielding to the prowess of Rava r:ia,
here is the gallant Lak$mar:ia writhing like a serpent and ca us­
ing grief to me. (3) My strength to fight is failing (even) as I be­
hold th is hero, who is dea rer to me than l ife (itself), drenched
with blood, my mind bein g greatly agitated. (4) If (God forbid)

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

this wel l-known brother of mine, who is endowed with auspi­

cious bod i ly marks and (always) spea ks high ly of wa r, meet
with his death, of what use is life or happiness to me? (5) My
va lour feels shamed as it were; my bow seems to slip from
my hand; a rrows a re dropping down and my vision has been
overpowered by tears. (6) My limbs a re failing (even) l i ke those
of men in sleep; my acute a nxiety is growing and I even wish
to die on seeing my brothe r, who h9S been struck down by
the evil-minded Rava l)a, seriously wounded i n his vital parts,
stricken with agony and groa ning." (7-8)
Seeing his beloved . brother, who was his (very) life-breath
going out (as it were), Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), who was
seized with great agony, gave hi mself up to a nxiety and grief.
(9) Beholding La k$mar:ta lyi ng wounded in the dust of the bat­
tlefield, he fel l prey to extreme despondency and lamented (as
fol lows), distracted in mind as he was : - ( 1 0) " Even victory,
0 hero, will not really brin g to me a ny pleasure. What delight
wi l l the moon afford if it a ppears before a ma n who has lost his
vision? ( 1 1) What purpose of mine will be served by fig htin g
or even b y l ife? I have no use for t h e w a r as a result of which
La k$mar:ta lies ki lled in the forefront of battle here? ( 1 2) Even
as La k$maoa (who is endowed with extraordinary splendour)
fol lowed me when I reti red to the forest, I too sha l l likewise
fol low him to the a bode of Death . ( 13) Alas! La k$maoa, who
always loved his ki nsfol k ( l i ke me) and was ever devoted to me,
has been led to this pass by the rakshasas, who a re g iven to
treacherous warfa re . ( 14) Wives may be found everywhere and
kinsmen (too) can be had everywhere. I, however, see no place
where a rea l brother could be had . ( 15)
"What object of mine on ea rth wil l be achieved by sovereign­
ty without La k$maoa, who was difficult to overpower? What
sha l l I actua l ly say to mother Sumitra, who so loves her son ?
( 16) I shall not be able to endure the reproach which wi l l be
level led (at me) by Sumitra . Oh, what on ea rth sha l l I say to
mother Ka usa lya and what shal l I say to Kaikeyi? ( 17) Again,
what sha l l I say to Bharata as wel l as to Satrughna, who is

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

endowed with extraordi na ry mig ht, when they ask me, h ow I

came back without La k$mar:ia even though I retired to the for­
est along with him? ( 18) It is better to give u p my life at this
very place rather than hear the reproaches of one's own people.
What sinful deed did I perpetrate in a former existence, d u e to
which my pious brother lies killed before me? 0 my powerful
brother, the foremost of men a n d the prince of heroes, how a re
you actua l ly depa rting to the other world a lone, deserting me?
Why don't you speak to me, even though I am lamenting, 0
brother? Rise and look round. Why are you lyi ng down? ( 19-21)
Look at me with you r own eyes, miserable as I am. You have
been my comforter whenever, stricken with grief I roa med list­
lessly amidst the mountains and woods or felt despondent, 0
mighty a rmed one!"
Comforti ng Sri Ra ma, who was wa i l i n g thus, his mind dis­
tracted with g rief, Su$er:ia for his part add ressed the fol lowing
excellent word s : - "Give up this idea which ca uses affli ction
to you, this anxiety which gives rise to g rief and is as piercing
as shafts in Uhe forefront of battle, 0 tiger among men ! S u rely
Lak$mar:ia, the enhancer of prosperity, has not met his death
( lit., returned to the five elements) ; for his featu res have not
changed nor have they g rown da rk. His cou ntena nce may (yet)
be seen radiant and clear. (22-26) The palms of his hands (sti ll)
resemble the petals of a lotus a n d his eyes a re very bright. The
a ppea ra nce of those whose life has departed is not observed
to be such, 0 ruler of the people ! (27) Do not give way to de­
spondency, 0 hero! He is (still) a live, 0 tamer of you r enemies!
The repeatedly throbbing heart of La k$mar:ia, who is lyin g on
the earth's surface fast asleep with his l i m bs relaxed, proclaims
h i m to be living, 0 gallant prince ! "
Havin g addressed the foregoing words to Sri Rama ( a sci­
on of Raghu), the highly sagacious Su$er:ia spoke as fo llows
to the g reat monkey, HanOman, who stood nea r : "Bounding
with all speed from this place, O gentle one, to the Mahodaya
mounta i n , the one which has a l ready been made fu lly known to
you by J a m bavan , O gal l a nt one, bring here the va luable herb,

200
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

which has sprung u p on its southern peak. ( 28-3 1) Bring you

for restori ng the heroic La k$maoa to consciousness the precious
herb Visa lya ka raoi1 by name, Sava roya ka ra oi,2 Sa mjiva karaoP
a n d the precious h e rb, Sarhdhanl4, O gal lant one!"
Springing to the (said) mounta in rich in herbs, when spoken
to th us, the glorious HanOman beca me thoug htfu l, una ble, as
he was to recognize those va luable herbs. (32-33) The thought
ca me to that son of the wind-god, wh9se strength was i mmea­
sura ble, "I shall go back ta ki ng this mounta i n pea k itself. (34)
By recourse to reasoning I concl ude that curative herb to be
g rowi ng on this pea k alone; for Su$eQa has said so. (35) If I
retu rn without taki ng the herb Visa lya kara oi harm may come
(to Lak$maoa) due to the passage of time and a g reat perplex­
ity may a rise ." (36)
Reflectin g thus, a nd moving rapidly and reach ing the Maho­
daya (the foremost of the mou ntains), violently shaki n g thrice
the mou nta in -peak, which was clothed with m u ltitudinous trees
in flower, and brea ki ng it up and holding it in his two hands,
Han Oman, a tiger a mong monkeys, who was endowed with
extraordinary might, balanced it. (37-38) Seizi ng hold of the
mou ntai n-peak, which resem bled a dark rai ny cloud, HanOman
bou nded from the earth's surface into the a i r. (39) Approach­
ing Su$eQa, ( nay) setting down the mountain-peak and resting
awhile, H a n O ma n , who was endowed with extraordinary swift­
n ess, spoke as fol lows : - ( 40) "Since I did not recog nize those
herbs, 0 b u l l among mon keys, here is a whole summit of that
mountain brought by me as a resu lt." (41)
HanOman (spru n g from the loins of the wind-god), spea k­
ing thus and tea ring up the herbs, Su$eQa the foremost of

1. A herb credited with the virtue of expel ling an a rrow etc., from the
body, hea l i ng the wou n d and relieving pa in.
2. Another herb supposed to possess the property of counteracti ng the
d i scolouration caused by a wou n d , burn etc., and restoring the origi n a l co­
lour of the skin .
3. Another herb believed to possess the virtue of bringing back a n un­
conscious person t o consciousness.
4. A herb credited with the p roperty of joining a fractured bone.

201
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

monkeys, for his pa rt took hold of them. ( 42) All those bulls
a mong monkeys (who were present there) for their part were
a mazed to witness the feat of H a nOman, which was really most
difficult to perform even for gods. ( 43) Crushing that herb,
Su$er:ia, the foremost of mon keys, who was endowed with ex­
ceptional splendour, thereupon administered it to Lak$mar:ia
through his nostrils. (44) Duly i n ha l ing it, Lak$mar:ia, the de­
stroyer of hostile cha m pions, who stil l retained the jave l i n (in
his body), instantly rose from the earth's surface, rid as h e was
of the javelin as a lso of his pain . ( 45) Overjoyed to perceive
Lak$mar:ia, who was endowed with a uspicious ma rks, a risen
from the earth's surface, the monkeys for thei r part a pplaud­
ed him, sayi ng " Excellent! Excel lent! !" (46) Sri Ra ma, the de­
stroyer of hostile cha mpions, said to Lak$mar:ia, "Come, come."
Tightly folding him in his arms, he pressed him to his bosom,
his eyes bed i m med with tea rs. ( 47) After embraci ng Lak$mar:ia
(son of Sumitra ), Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) then said (to
him), "Luckily enough, O gallant one, I see you returned from
the jaws of CYeath. ( 48) Indeed no purpose of mine would have
been served by my (own) life or by Sita or by victory. What end
of mine would be achieved by my surviva l if you have returned
to the five elements?" ( 49)
Pained by the i rresol ute tal k of the high-souled Sri Ram a ( a
scion of Raghu), who was spea king in this strain, Lak$mar:ia
submitted as fo l l ows: - (50) " H aving solemnly taken that
pledge (of ki l l i n g Rava r:ia and crown ing Vi bhi$ar:ia on the throne
of Lan ka ) before, O pri nce of unfail ing prowess, you ought not
to spea k as you have done like a wea k and spiritless m a n . ( 5 1 )
Those w h o (always) speak t h e truth never render their vow
futi le; for the fu lfi lment of one's vow is the mark of greatness.
(52) Moreover it is not becoming of you to give way to despair
on my accou nt, 0 sinless one! Redeem you r pledge by ki l ling
Rava r:ia today. (53) Fallen a victim to you r shafts, your a dver­
sary ca n not esca pe a l ive any more than an elephant fa l le n in
the clutch of a roaring l io n possessing sharp teeth. ( 54) I for
my part wish to see this evil-mi nded fellow die qu ickly before

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

the yonder sun sin ks below the horizon, its task (of going round
the �ky) accomplished . (55) If you seek to kill Rava r:ia on the
field of battle and if you wish to fulfi l ! the vow actually ta ken by
you and there is a longing in you for the daug hter of Janaka, 0
worthy hero, do what I tel l you without delay." (56)

Ca nto CII.

Seizi ng hold of his bow o n hearing the counsel tendered by

Lak�mar:ia, that va liant scion of Raghu, the destroyer of hos­
ti le cha mpions, fitted formida ble shafts to it and loosed them
on Rava r:ia at the head of his army. Ta ki ng his seat in anoth­
er chariot, Ravar:ia, the suzerain lord of rakshasas, forthwith
rushed agai nst Sri Ra ma (a scion of Kakutstha) as the pla net
Ra h u (the demon presiding over the planet of that name) would
rush towards the sun (on the eve of a sola r eclipse). Seated
in his chariot, Rava r:ia (the ten-headed monster) fo r his pa rt
struck Sri Ra ma with shafts hard as adama ntine, (even) as a
ra i ny cloud would lash a huge mou ntain with torrents. ( 1 -3) Sri
Rama, steadily covered the ten-headed monster on the battle­
field with a rrows decked with gold and shining l i ke a blazi ng
fi re . (4) "The com bat between Sri Rama, who is sta nding on
the ground, and the rakshasa, who is seated in a cha riot, is
n ot well-matched," so decl a red the gods, Gandharvas (celestia l
musicia ns) a n d Ki n n a ras (a class of demigods credited with a
h u man fig u re and the head of a horse) . (5) Summoning (his
cha rioteer) Matali on hearing their tal k, sweet as necta r, the
g lorious Indra, the foremost of gods, thereupon spoke as fol ­
lows: - ( 6 ) " Proceed with a l l speed in m y cha riot t o Sri Ra ma,
the foremost of the Ragh us, who sta nds on the ground; and in­
viti ng him to take his seat i n the cha riot on reaching the earth,
render a signal service to the gods (thereby) ." (7)
Saluting the god with his head bent low, when commanded
thus by Indra (the ruler of gods), M ata li, the cha rioteer of
g ods, thereupon submitted as fo llows : - (8) "I shall proceed

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

i m mediately, 0 lord of gods, and perform the duty of a charioteer

(to Sri Ra ma)." Providing with tawny horses the excel lent cha riot
(of Indra, the ruler of gods), he forthwith brought it to the
presence of Indra . (9) Then came the g lorious and excel lent
cha riot of In'dra (the ruler of gods), bea ri ng a standard ra ised
on a golden staff, the body of which was wrought with gold
and looked cha rming, which was fitted u p with h u nd reds of ti ny
bells and with its pole of cat's-eye gems shone l i ke the morning
sun, and which was yoked to excel lent tawny horses decked
with gold orna ments and white whisks and covered with nets
of gold and shining like the s u n . ( 1 0- 1 1) Mounting the chariot
as enjoi ned by Indra (the ruler of gods), and descending
from h eaven, M atali stood opposite to Sri Rama (a scion of
Kakutstha ) . ( 1 2)
Remaining seated in his cha riot, a rmed with a lash, Mata l i,
the cha rioteer of Indra (the thousand-eyed god), then made
with joined pa l m s the following submission to Sri Rama : - ( 1 3)
"Th is cha riot has been offered to you by Indra (the thousa nd­
eyed god) to' bring you victory, 0 glorious scion of Ka kutstha,
the extermi nator of you r enemies, endowed (as you are) with
extraordinary cou rage. ( 14) Here is the mighty bow belonging
to Indra, as well as his a rmour shining as fire, his a rrows bright
as the sun and h is stai n l ess a uspicious jave l i n . ( 15) Mounting
this chariot, 0 ga llant prince, with me as you r charioteer, make
short work of the rakshasa Rava r:ia (even) as the mighty Indra
kil led the gia nts, my lord ! " ( 1 6) Duly circu mambu lating that
cha riot (as a m a rk of respect) a n d sal uting it, as requested (by
Matali), Sri Ram a then ascended the cha riot, i l l um i n i ng (all) the
(th ree) worlds by his splendour. ( 1 7) Then ensued, a wonderful
and thri l ling duel, between the mig hty-armed Sri Rama and the
rakshasa, Rava r:i a . ( 18)
That scion of Raghu, who was supremely ski l led in the use
of excel lent missiles, destroyed the · missile presided over by
Gandharvas as well as that presided over by gods, discha rged
by Rava r:ia, by m eans of m issi les of the sam e kind. ( 19) Greatly
enraged, Ravar:ia, the suzerain lord of ra kshasas, for his part

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

once more loosed a n exceedingly formidable missile presided

over by ra kshasas. (20) Tu rning into highly venomous serpents,
the a rrows loosed from the bow of Ravar:ia, which were decked
with gold, rushed towa rds Sri Ra ma (a scion of Ka kutstha) .
( 2 1 ) With fla ming mouths wide open, and vomiting a blazing
fire from them, those dreadfu l arrows da rted towards Sri Ra ma
alone. (22) By those highly venomous repti les with flaming
coils, whose i m pa ct was hard as tha_t of Vasuki (the king of
serpents), a l l the q u a rters stood covered a n d the corners be­
tween the quarters too stood enveloped . ( 23) Seei ng those
reptiles flyi ng (at him) on the battlefield, Sri Ra ma discharged
the formidable and fea rfu l missile presided over by Ga ru<;la (the
ki ng of birds, an avowed enemy of serpents) . (24) Tu rning into
golden eagles, the (natu ral) enemies of snakes, those golden­
feathered arrows loosed from the bow of Sri Rama (a scion of
Rag h u) which shone like fla mes, flew about. (25) Appearing in
the form of eagles, the a rrows of Sri Ra ma, which were able to
cha nge their form at will, destroyed a l l those shafts which flew
with great speed in the fo rm of snakes. ( 26) Provoked to anger
on his missi le havi ng been frustrated by Sri Rama, the suzer­
ain lord of ra kshasas, then covered Sri Ra ma with formidable
showers of shafts. (27) H aving overwhelmed Sri Rama of un­
wearied action with a thousa nd a rrows, he then pierced Mata li
with a strea m of shafts. (28) He tore the sta ndard (of Indra's
cha riot) with a single arrow a i med at it, and havi ng felled the
golden ensi g n from (the top of) the chariot down to the seat of
the cha riot, Rava r:ia struck Indra's horses as well with a series
of a rrows.
Seeing Sri Ra ma afflicted, the g ods, Gandharvas (celestia l
m usicians) a n d Carar:ias (celestia l bards) a long with t h e devi ls
as also the Siddhas (a class of demi gods endowed with mystic
powers by virtue of their very birth) and the foremost �$iS be­
ca me despondent; while monkey chiefs along with Vibhi$ar:ia
felt trou bled . (29-3 1) Seeing the moon in the shape of Sri Rama
ecli psed by the pla net Ra h u in the shape of Ravar:ia, the planet
Mercury stood assa i l i ng the constel lation Rohir:ii - presided

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

over by the god Praja pati (the l ord of creation), the beloved
of the moon - and spelling disaster to (all) created bei ngs.
Burning as it were i n fury, the ocean a rose high at that ti me
as though it was going to touch the sun, its mist-wreathed
waves turning round. Tu rning the colour of ashes and a ssum­
ing a stern aspect, its rays grown fa int, the sun a p peared with
a head less tru nk in its lap and u nited with a comet. The pla net
Mars too evidently stood assa i l i n g in the heavens the constel­
lation Visakha, presided over by the gods Indra and Ag ni (the
god of fi re), which is propitious to the ki ngs of Kosa la. A bow
held tig htly (in his ha nds), Ravar:ia (the ten-headed monster)
with his ten faces and twenty a rms looked like the Mainaka
mountain.
Bei n g overwhelmed by the ten-headed rakshasa, Sri Rama
could not (even) fit his a rrows to his bow in the forefront of
the battle. Knitti ng his brows, his eyes tu rned sl ightly cri mson,
he gave way to a fierce rage as though he wou ld consume the
rakshasas. Casti ng their eyes at the cou ntena nce of the saga­
cious Sri Ra ma, who was provoked to anger, all created beings
were seized with terror and the earth began to quake. (32-39)
Full of lions and tigers, the (Tri kOta) mountain shook, its trees
swaying (to and fro) . The lord of rivers, the ocea n too was
agitated. (40) Looking like donkeys and emitting a harsh sound
a nd assuming a stern aspect, portentous clouds described cir­
cles in the sky on a l l sides, th undering (all the time). (41)
Finding Sri Ra ma extremely enraged and also beholding fea r­
fu l portents, a l l created beings felt dismayed and fea r seized
Rava r:ia (too). (42) Seated in their aerial ca rs, gods and Gand­
harvas (celestial m usicians), great Nagas (semi-divi ne beings
havi ng the face of a man and the tail of a serpent and said to
inhabit Patala, the nethermost su bterra nean region), as well as
��is (the seers of Vedic Ma ntras), devi ls and gia nts and eagles
rema i n i ng in the air, they all witnessed at that time the com­
bat of the two heroes, fighting stead i ly with various d readful
wea pons - a combat wh ich presented the a ppea rance of the
final dissol ution of the world. (43-44) Thril led with delight on

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

observi ng the momentous struggle, a l l the gods and demons

who had come to witness the contest at that time spoke with
devotion as follows : - ( 45) Firmly esta bl ished (in their respec­
tive position), the demons cried out to the ten-headed mon­
ster: - " Be victorious! !" The gods o n the other side cal led to
Sri Rama saying again and again, "Be you tri u m pha nt! !" ( 46)
In the mea nti me, stroki ng an immense weapon, a n exceed­
ingly fea rfu l and u nassailable dart - . which was powerfu l as
the thunderbolt, which made a loud noise (when hu rled at its
target), and was capable of exterminating a l l enemies, dread­
fu l to conceive, m uch more to behold, fu rnished as it was wtth
spikes rese m bling mountain peaks, which with its sha rp point
resembled a smoke-crested mass of fire blazing at the end of
the time-cycle, (aga i n ) which was difficult to approach even for
Death, and which was the terror of a l l livi ng beings, ca pable as
it was of tearing and splittin g them - the evil -mi nded Ravar:ia,
so ca lled beca use he terrorized people, who was keen to stri ke
in rage Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), and was blazing as it were
with anger, seized hold of that dart. (47-50) Surrou nded by
rakshasas - heroic i n combat and formed i nto battalions - and
extremely e n raged, the val i a nt Rava r:ia took hold of that dart
on the field of battle. ( 5 1 ) Duly raising the da rt, the colossus
roa red terribly on the field of battle, (thereby) bringing exces­
sive joy a l l round to his a rmy, his eyes blood red with anger.
(52) The frig htfu l roa r of Rava r:ia (the ruler of rakshasas) ca used
the earth as well as the heavens as a lso the (fo u r) qua rters and
. the i ntermediate points of the compass to tre m ble at that time.
(53) All living bei ngs were a la rmed at this roa r of that evi l- .
mi nded colossus, and the ocea n was set in commotion. (54)
Seizing hold of that enormous dart, and e mitti ng a very loud
roa r, Ravar:ia, who was endowed with extraordinary valour ad­
dressed the fol lowin g harsh words to Sri Ram a : - ( 55) " Raised
in fu ry by me, O Ra ma, this da rt, which is as powerfu l as the
th u n derbolt, will instantly ta ke away you r life as well as that
of you r brother, who stands by you as you r hel pmate. (56)
Ma king short work of you, I, who (a lways) commend wa rfare,

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

shall speedily l evel you today with the heroic rakshasas who
have been ki lled (by you ) at the head of the a rmy. (57) Wait
(a bit) ; I shall presently strike you down with this dart, 0 scion
of Rag h u ! "
Sayi ng so, that suzerain lord o f rakshasas hurled that dart
(at Sri Rama) . (58) Loosed from the hand of Ravaoa, the dart
flashed in the a i r, wreathed as it was in a circle of lig htning, and
making a loud n oise, provided as it was with eight bells. (59)
Seei ng that flaming dart, terrible to behold, and stretching his
bow, the gallant Sri Ra ma loosed a rrows. (60) Sri Rama (a scion
of Rag h u ) tried to intercept the dart (even) as it a pproached,
with a stream of darts (just) as Indra (the ruler of gods) would
endeavour to stay the fi re emerging at the end of the ti me­
cycle with showers. (61) That huge spea r of Rava r:ia consu med
those a rrows loosed from the bow of Sri Ra ma (even) as a
flame would consume m oths. (62) Seeing those arrows pulver­
ized by the impact of the dart and red uced to ashes (even)
in air, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u ) gave vent to his fury. (63)
Feeling extre'mely enraged, that scion of Raghu, the delight of
the Raghus, seized hold of the celebrated javelin, esteemed by
Indra (the ruler of gods) and brought by (his charioteer) M ata l i .
(64)
Lifted up by the mighty pri nce, that bril liant javelin, which
was rendered sonorous by its bel ls, lit u p the sky like a meteor
appea ri ng at the end of the time-cycle. (65) The javelin, when
h u rled ( by Sri Rama) fel l on that dart of Rava oa (the kin g of
ra kshasas) : so the tradition goes. Split u p by the javel in and
bereft of its splendour, the enormous dart fel l down. (66) Sri
Rama then pierced the exceedingly swift horses of Rava oa with
his sharp a rrows resembling the thunderbolt, which flew with
g reat speed and went straight to their ta rget. (67) Sri Ra ma
(a scio n of Raghu) who was extremely energetic, then pierced
Ravar:i a in the breast with whetted shafts and (also) in the
forehead with three a rrows. (68) Pierced with a rrows a l l over
his body, blood flowing from his limbs, Rava oa (the ruler of
ra kshasas), standing in the midst of a gatheri ng (of rakshasas),

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

shone l i ke a n Asoka tree in blossom. (69) His l i m bs abnorma l ly

pierced with the a rrows of Sri Rama and his body bathed i n
blood, the ruler of ra kshasas ( l it., ra ngers o f the nig ht) felt
exhausted in the midst of his a rmy and at the same ti me gave
vent to a violent rag e at that moment. (70)

Ca nto CIII

H a rd pressed by the celebrated scion of Ka kutstha in fury

at that time, Rava r:ia, who was given to bragging on the field
of battle, flew i nto a g reat rage. (1) Raising h is bow, his eyes
flaming with anger, extremely enraged as h e was, the va l iant
Ravar:ia pressed Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) hard in that major
confl ict. (2) He contin ued to cover Sri Ra ma ( a scion of Raghu)
with a rrows i n the sa m e way as a rai ny cloud would fil l a pond
with thousands of a rrow-like torrents fa l ling from the heavens.
(3) Sri Rama (a scion of Ka kutstha), who was u nshakable l i ke
a larg e mounta i n, did n ot flinch even thou g h covered with a
strea m of a rrows loosed from the bow (of Rava r:ia) on the field
of battle. ( 4) The heroic prince stood i ntercepti ng the streams
of a rrows (discharg ed by Ravar:ia) with his (own) a rrows on the
battlefield and bore them l i ke the rays of the sun . (5) Provoked
to anger, the q u ickha nded nig ht-sta l ker then d ug thousa nds of
a rrows into the breast of the hig h-souled scion of Rag h u . (6)
Covered with blood on the battlefield, that eldest brother of
La k$mar:ia was seen l i ke a huge Kirhsuka tree with flowers in a
forest. (7) Angered by the i m pact of the a rrows (of Rava r:ia),
that scion of Kakutstha, endowed as h e was with i m mense en­
ergy, took up a rrows which shone like the sun blazing at the end
of the time-cycle. (8) Though greatly enraged, both the wa r­
riors, Sri Rama a nd Ravar:ia could not thereupon see each other
at that ti me on the battlefield, which was sh rouded in darkness
by the (hail of) a rrows. (9) La ughing hea rti ly, though fi l led with
anger, the valiant Sri Rama, son of Emperor Dasaratha, then
administered the fol lowing harsh rebuke to Rava r:i a : - ( 1 0)

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

"Since my consort was borne away by you from Jan asthana,

helpless as she was, through ignorance ( a bout my real strength),
O vile ra kshasa, therefore you a re not heroic. ( 1 1 ) Havi n g ca r­
ried away by force the helpless Sita (a princess of the Videha
territory) while she was i n the g reat forest away from me, you
thi n k: 'I am a hero'. ( 1 2) Havin g perpetrated the cowardly act
of laying you r ha nds on another's wife, O rakshasa, posing as a
cha m pion i n relation to women without a protector, you thi n k : 'I
a m a hero'. ( 13) 0 sha meless creature, you have transg ressed
the bounds of mora l ity and a re unstable of cha racter, having
laid h old through vanity of death (in the form of Sita) you thi nk :
' I a m a hero'. ( 14) ( Indeed) a l a udable, momentous and g lori­
ous act has been performed by you, a heroic brother of Kubera
(the god of wealth) and rich i n might! ( 15) Rea p today and this
(very) moment the rich fruit of that detested and pernicious
act perpetrated th rough (sheer) van ity. ( 16) Although, 0 evi l­
minded one, you th i n k to you rself: ' I a m a hero', shame did not
stand i n you r way at a l l when you were beari ng Sita away l i ke. a
thief. ( 17) 1-lad Sita been forci bly laid ha nds upon by you i n my
presence, you wou ld have surely joined you r brother, Kha ra,
that (very) moment, when struck with my shafts. ( 18) By good
fo rtu ne, 0 d u l l -witted one, you have fa l len with i n the ra nge of
my sig ht. I shall dispatch you to the a bode of Death with my
sharp a rrows today. ( 19) Let carn ivorous birds and beasts today
drag away here and there, you r head severed with my a rrows,
with its dazzling earrings, lyi ng scattered in the d ust of the bat­
tlefield . (20) Let vu ltu res, swooping on you r breast when you
have been th rown down on the grou nd, O Ravar:ia, q uaff with
avidity you r blood gushing forth from the outlet made by the
head of my a rrow. ( 2 1 ) Let b i rds (such as crows and vultu res)
tear out you r entra i ls as eagles wou ld pluck off snakes when
you fa l l dead pierced by my a rrows today." (22)
Saying so, the valiant Sri Ra m a·, the wel l-known extermina­
tor of his enemies, covered Ravar:ia (the ruler of rakshasas),
who stood nea r, with showers of a rrows. (23) The prowess,
might and m a rtia l a rdour as well as the force of the m i ssiles

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

of Sri Ra ma, who soug ht the d estruction of his enemy, was re­
dou bled. (24) All the mystic missiles a ppeared before Sri Ra ma
(who was rich in self-knowledge). In his excessive joy ( born of
his m a rtial a rdour) the pri nce (who was endowed with extraor­
d i n a ry energy) beca me more nimble-handed (in discharging
a rrows). (25) Perceiving these auspicious prog nostications in
him, Sri Rama, the exterminator of ra kshasas, began to stri ke
Ravai:ia even more vehemently. (26) »1hile being struck with
volleys of stones h u rled by the monkeys and the showers of a r­
rows coming from Sri Ra ma, (a scion of Raghu) the ten-headed
monster felt shaken at heart. (27) When, on account of his
m i n d bei ng confused, he cou ld no longer take up weapons nor
stretch his bow, nor (again) could he oppose Sri Ra ma's valour,
while the arrows and (other) wea pons of every kind swiftly
discharged by Sri Rama had his death for their objective, the
hour of his death a ppeared i m minent. (28-29) Perceiving him
reduced to such a plight, the cha rioteer, who control led his
cha riot, ca l m ly and slowly d rove his cha riot out of the fray. (30)
Turning in haste the chariot of Rava i:i a, which was rumbling like
a cloud, on perceivin g the ki ng (lit., the lord of the earth) sunk
down bereft of energy, the charioteer forthwith sli pped away in
dismay from the battlefield . ( 3 1 )

Ca nto CIV

Feeling extremely enraged due to stu pefaction, his eyes

blood-red through anger, Rava i:ia, i m pel led by force of des­
tiny, spoke (as follows) to his charioteer : -
( 1 ) " Disdaining
me as thoug h I were deficient in prowess, powerless, bereft
of manliness, cowa rd ly and petty-m inded, devoid of energy,
forsa ken by conjuring tricks a nd abandoned by mystic missi les,
0 evil -minded fel low, you act according to you r own discretion!
(2-3) What for was this cha riot of mine removed by you in the
presence of the enemy, belittling me and without ascerta ining
my will? (4) By you, 0 unworthy soul, has my glory, which was

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

earned through a long period, my valour, dignity and (peoples')

faith ( i n my bravery) too been wi ped out. (5) My adversa ry,
whose prowess is widely known, and who deserved to be g rati­
fied through feats of valour, stood looking on, while you made
me, who was covetous of fighting, a coward ! (6) In case you do
not through perversity drive the chariot at any event (against
the enemy), 0 evi l-minded fellow, my suspicion that you sta nd
corru pted by the enemy will be justified. (7) This act which has
been done by you (in the shape of removi ng me from the bat­
tlefield), is worthy of a n enemy a lone. Surely it ca nnot be the
work of a friend wish i ng well of his friend. (8) Speedily drive
the cha riot back ti ll my enemy does not withdraw, if you have
l ived with me long enough and if the benefits received from me
a re (sti l l ) rem e m bered ( by you ) ." (9)
"I was neither afraid nor perplexed, nor was I won over by
the enemies, neither was I negligent nor disloya l, nor (again)
have the benefits conferred by you been forgotten (by me) .
( 1 1) An act which was not to your taste was (neverthel ess)
done by me' as something conducive to your interest with a
mind affectionately disposed (towards you) through attach­
ment, desiring (as I did) to be of service to you and safeguard­
ing you r glory. ( 1 2) Like a petty-mi nded and unworthy man you
ought not to hold me, devoted as I a m to you r pleasure and
good, gui lty i n this matter (of taking you away from the field
of battle), 0 mona rch ! ( 1 3) Ki ndly listen : I will m a ke answer to
your query as to why your chariot was ta ken back by me from
the battlefield (even) as the onrush of a stream (disgorging
itself into a sea) is pushed back by a tide. ( 14) I took note of
the exhaustion occasioned by you r stren uous fig hti ng. Indeed
there was no exhibition of va lour on your part nor did I notice
any superiority to your adversa ry in you . ( 15) The steeds of my
chariot too, which had been exhausted by drawing the chariot
and broken down and, being worn · out under the rays of the
sun, felt miserable l ike cows lashed by a downpour. ( 16)
"Mo reover in the event of those portents which appear in
large n u m be rs before our eyes (today) provi ng true, I foresee

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kt'l/s Ravana

(on ly) that wh ich is u n propitious (to us) . ( 1 7) (Propitious and

un propitious) time and place as wel l as (good and evi l) omens,
facia l expressions, depression and l ivel iness, (the measure of)
fatigue as a lso the stre ngth and wea kness of the wa rrior oc­
cu pyi ng the chariot m ust be ascertained (by a cha rioteer). ( 18)
The eminences and depressions of the earth's surface, as well
as the parts which a re level and rugged, the time opportu ne
for combat and the visi ble wea k points -Of the enemy too must
be known (by a charioteer) . ( 19) How to adva nce (towa rds the
enemy) and how to recede, how to hold one's position and how
to make good a retreat - a l l this m ust be known by a cha ri­
oteer seated in his cha riot. (20) This meet action (of removi ng
you from the battlefield) was evidently ta ken by me in order to
. give rest to you as well as to these steeds of the cha riot and
to relieve you r terri ble fatigue. (21) Your chariot was not a rbi­
tra ri ly removed by m e, 0 g a l lant warrior. What I did was done
beca use I was overwhel med with affection for my master, 0
lord ! (22) Com mand me with an eye to the rea lity of things, O
val i a nt extermi nator of your enemies! (Now) with a mind which
feels relieved of all obligations (on having come to you r rescue
on the field of battle), I sha l l do that which you wi l l enjoin me
to do." (23)
Satisfied with the explanation of the charioteer, nay, ap­
plauding him in many ways, Ravaoa, who was covetous of
fighting, replied as fol l ows :
- (24) "Speedily d rive this cha riot,
O cha rioteer, towa rds Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) . Ravaoa wou ld
not turn back without killing his enemies in combat." ( 25) Say­
ing so, Rava r:ia, the lord of ra kshasas, actually bestowed on the
charioteer even while the latter remained seated in the cha riot,
a n excellent and bri l liant orname nt for the h a n d . Hearing the
instructions of Rava oa, the cha rioteer drove the chariot back
(to the battlefield). (26) U rged on by the command of Ravaoa,
the charioteer then im mediately drove the horses forward and
that huge chariot of Ravaoa (the ruler of rakshasas) thereupon
stood in an insta nt before Sri Rama on the battlefield. (27)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Ca nto CV

Beholding Sri Rama, sta nding a bsorbed in thought on the

battlefield, exhausted (as he was) by the fight, and Rava r:ia
facing h i m, duly prepa red for a n encou nter, and approachi n g
Sri Ra ma, the g lorious sage Agastya , w h o h a d come in the com­
pany of gods to witness the (epoch-making) encou nter (of Sri
Rama with Rava r:ia) now spoke as follows : - ( 1-2)
" Ra ma, O mighty-armed Sri Rama, hea rken to the follow­
ing eternal secret - in the form of a holy, eterna l, immor­
ta l and supremely blessed and excellent encomium, entitled
the 'Aditya-Hrdaya' (which is i ntended to propitiate Bra h m a ,
insta lled in the heart o f the o r b o f the s u n ) , the blessing o f a l l
blessi ngs, by means of which, m y child, you wi l l (be able to)
conquer once fo r all you r adversa ries on the battlefield, and
which is ca lculated to bring victory, root out all sins, al lay all
anxiety and 9rief once fo r a l l and prolong l ife . (3-5)
"Worship (you) the su n-god, the ruler of the worlds, who
is crowned with rays, who appears at the horizon (everyday
without fail), who is greeted by gods and demons (alike) and
brings light (to the world ) . (6) Indeed he is the embodiment of
all gods and fu ll of glory and creates and sustains the gods and
the demons as well as their worlds by his rays. (7) Indeed he is
the same as Brahma (the Creator) as wel l as Vi!?l)U (the Protec­
tor of the universe), Lord Siva (the god of destruction), Skanda
(son of Lord Siva), Praja pati (the lord of creation), the mighty
Indra (the ruler of gods), Kubera (the bestower of riches), Ka la
(the Time-spirit), Ya ma (the god of retri bution), Soma (the
moon-god), Va rur:ia (the ruler of the waters), the Pitrs (manes),
the (eight) Vasus, the (twelve) Sadhyas, the (two) Aswis (the
physicians of gods), the (forty-nine) Ma ruts (wind-gods) ; M a n u
(a progenitor o f the h u m a n race), Vayu (the wind-god) and the
god of fire. He constitutes (all) created bei ngs, he is the life­
breath (of the u niverse), the sou rce of the seasons, the store­
house of lig ht, an offspring of Ad iti, the progenitor (of all), the

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

su n-god, the courser in the heavens, the nourisher (of al l), the
possessor of rays, the golden, the brilliant, the one whose en­
ergy constitutes the seed of the universe and the m a ker of day.
(8-10) He has seven tawny horses (yoked to h is chariot), is ful l
o f rays a n d myriad-rayed, the destroyer of darkness, the source
of happiness, one who mitigates the suffering of his devotees,
the i nfuser of l ife in the lifeless cosmic egg, al l-pervading and
the cause of the creation, preservation. and destruction of the
u n iverse. He is blissful by nature, the ruler of a l l , the bringer
of day and the Teacher. A son of Aditi, he bears the fire of dis­
sol ution in his womb, is bliss person ified a nd a ll-enveloping
( l i ke space), the destroyer of cold, the lord of the heavens, the
disperser of da rkness, a master of the th ree Vedas ( �k, Sama
and Yaju r), the sender of thick showers and the friend (giver)
of water. He courses swiftly a long his own orbit, carries in him
the resolve to evolve the u niverse a n d is adorned with a circle
of rays. He is death (itself), tawny (of hue) and the destroyer
of a l l . He is omniscient, a l l -formed, endowed with extraordinary
bri l l i a n ce, coppery, the source of a l l evolutes, the controller of
(all) lunar ma nsions, planets and stars, the creator of a l l, the
resplendent a mong the splendid. 0 god a ppeari ng in twelve
forms (in the shape of twelve months of the yea r), hail to you !
( 1 1- 1 5)
" H a i l to (you in the form of) the eastern mountain and hail
to the western mounta i n . Hail to the lord of h osts of lu minar­
ies, the lord of the day. ( 16) H a i l to (you) the giver of victory,
hail to (you) the joy born of victory! Hail to (you) the god hav­
i n g tawny horses (yoked to you r chariot). Hail, hail to you with
thousa nds of rays! Hail hail to you, son of Aditi ! ( 17) Hail to
(you) the subduer of the senses, the val ia nt one! Hail to you
as denoted by the mystic syl la ble OM ! H a i l to (you) the awak­
ener of the lotus! Hail to you, the fierce one! ( 18) Hail (to you)
the ruler of Brahma, Lord Siva and Lord Visriu (the infa l li ble) !
H a i l to (you) the sun-god, the (spiritual) light indwel l i ng the
solar orb, the resplendent one, the devourer of all, appearing
in the form of Rud ra (who d rives away ig nora nce). ( 1 9) Hail

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

to (you) the dispeller of da rkness, the destroyer of cold, the

exterminator of foes, the one whose extent is im measu ra ble,
the destroyer of the ung rateful , the god who a re the ruler of
(all) lig hts! (20) H a i l to you, possessing the lustre of refined
gold, the dispeller of ignorance, the architect of the universe,
the uprooter of da rkness, splendour incarnate, and the witness
of the world ! ( 2 1 )
"The Lord a lone actually destroys, bri ngs into existence a n d
sustains ( a l l ) that h a s come into bei ng. He (a lone) radiates heat
by his rays and sends showers. (22) Planted in (all) created be­
ings (as their Inner Control ler), he remains awa ke when they
have fal l en asleep . Nay, he hi mself is the act of pouring obla­
tions into the sacred fire as wel l a s the fruit attai ned by those
who pour such oblations. (23) H e comprises (all) the gods as
wel l as the sacrifices as a l so the fru it of sacrifices. Again, he is
the Supreme Controller of (all) activities that a re found in a l l
living beings. (24) No individual celebrati ng the Lord (th rough
the foregoing encom i u m) who is in distress, in difficu lties, in a
great forest as well as in ti mes of peril comes to grief, a scion
of Rag h u ! (25) Worship the Lord of the un iverse, the adored of
(all) gods, with a concentrated m i n d . M utteri ng this praise (as
many as) th ree ti mes, one will come out victorious in com bats.
You wi ll ( be a ble to) make short work of Ravar:ia this (very) mo­
ment, 0 mighty-armed one!"
Sayi ng so, the celebrated Sage Agastya thereu pon left in
the same way as he had come. (26-27) Hearing th is advice, Sri
Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), who was endowed with extraordinary
energy and had a subdued mind, found his grief i m mediately
dissi pated . Feeling greatly delig hted, he reta ined the hym n in
his memory. (28) Sipping water thrice (with the name of the
Lord on his li ps) and getti ng pu rified ( i n this way), looking
intently on (the orb of) the sun a nd repeati ng this prayer, the
valiant one experienced supreme felicity. Seizin g hold of his
bow ( afterwards) and fixing his eyes on Ravar:ia, the hero (who
felt delighted in mind) adva nced (on the battlefield) with a view
to atta i n i ng victory (in com bat) . He stood vowed to ki l l Rava r:ia

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

with a n intense and a l l-sided effort. ( 29-30) Delig hted in mind

to gaze on Sri Ra ma, feeling supremely exh i l a rated on perceiv­
ing the destruction of Ravar:ia (the ruler of the night-sta l kers)
at hand, the sun-god, standing (in person) in the midst of a
host of gods, exclaimed: " M a ke haste ! " ( 3 1 )

Ca nto CVI

Feeling delighted , that charioteer, the cha rioteer of Rava r:ia,

drove forward with speed his chariot, a cha riot which was capa­
ble of crush ing the enemy's a rmy and was a wonderfu l piece of
a rt ( l i ke the city of the Ga ndharvas), which bore exceptionally
lofty pennons and was d rawn by horses richly endowed with
excel lent qual ities and adorned with gold necklaces, which was
fu l ly equi pped with i mplements of wa r and adorned with rows
of flags and pennons, which was swa l lowi ng space as it were
and was making the ea rth resound (with its sound), which was
the d oom of the enemy's forces and brought i mmense joy to
its own. Sri Rama (the ruler of men), they say, saw advancing
precipitately (towa rds him) the chariot of Ravar:ia (the ki ng of
rakshasas), which bore a huge standard and was noisy, which
was d rawn by sombre steeds and clothed with a dreadfu l lustre
and was shining i n space l i ke a n aerial car, bright as the sun,
and which, crowded as it was with pennons that flashed like
lightning and displaying as it did the splendours of a ra in bow
(because of its decorations), looked l i ke a cloud holding streams
of water and releasi ng torrents in the shape of a rrows.
Beholding the enemy's chariot adva ncing l i ke a cloud and
making noise like a mounta i n bursti ng asunder when struck
with lightni ng, and stretching with i mpetuosity his bow, which
when bent looked like the crescent moon, Sri Ra ma spoke (as
fol lows) to Matali, the charioteer of Indra (the god with a thou­
sand eyes) :- "From the way in which he is darting forward
from left to right with great i m petuosity once more it a ppea rs
that his mind is set u pon destroying hi mself in combat. ( 1- 1 0)

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Therefore ta ke ca re and adva nce towards the enemy's cha riot.

I wish to destroy it completely (even) as the wind would blow
away a cloud coming into view. ( 1 1) Without confusion or get­
ti ng flurried and with a steady heart and vision and the move­
ment of the reins fu lly controlled, d rive the chariot swiftly. ( 1 2)
True, you need not be instructed ( by me) accustomed as you
a re to drive the chariot of Indra (the destroyer of strongholds).
Keen as I am to fight with one-poi nted attention, I (just) re­
fresh you r memory and do not admonish you ." ( 13) Extremely
g ratified with the apology of Sri Ra ma, Matali, the excel lent
charioteer of gods, drove the cha riot on. ( 14) Passing the h u ge
chariot of Rava r:ia on the right, Sri Ra ma then set Rava r:ia a
trembling by the d ust raised from the wheels (of his own cha ri­
ot) . ( 1 5) With his coppery eyes wide open, angered as he was,
Rava r:ia thereu pon struck Sri Ra ma, who stood facing his char­
iot, with a rrows. ( 1 6) Com bining patience with anger, thoug h
provoked by the assault, Sri Rama seized hold o n the battlefield
of Indra 's bow, wh ich was possessed of extraordinary i mpu lse,
as also a rrows of exceedi ng swiftness, which were bri lliant l i ke
sunbeams. Then ensued a major confl ict between the two wa r­
riors Sri Ra ma and Rava r:ia, who stood facing each othe.r l i ke
two proud lions, desirous of ki lling each other. ( 1 7- 1 8)
Thereu pon, gods acco m panied by Gandharvas (celestia l m u ­
sicians), Siddhas (a class o f demigods endowed with mystic
powers from their very birth) and great ��is (too) assembled
to witness the duel, longing as they did for the destruction of
Ravar:ia. ( 19) Then bu rst into view fea rfu l portents that caused
one's hair to sta nd on end, giving a wa rn i ng of doom to Rava r:ia
and prosperity to the scion of Rag h u . ( 20) The god of rain
rained blood on the chariot of Rava r:ia, while violent whi rlwi nds
blew from left to right. ( 2 1 ) Hoveri ng in the aerial region, a
large flock of vu ltu res followed the evol utions of his chariot.
(22) Lari ka looked enshrouded in dusk h ued like a ( red) J a pa
flower even in the dayti me and the region round about a p­
pea red ag low (with it) . (23) H ug e meteors accompanied by
thu nder fell with a great noise at that ti me. Foreboding evil

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

to Rava r:ia, they fi l led the ra kshasas with despondency at that

time. (24)
The ea rth shook in whichever direction Rava r:ia moved and
the a rms of the rakshasas were clasped as it were (even) as
they struck. ( 25) Fa llen before Rava r:ia, the rays of the sun ap­
pea red coppery, yel low, wh ite and d a rk like ores on a moun­
ta i n . (26) Beholding the a n g ry mien of Ravar:i a and vom iti ng fire
from thei r mouths, she-jacka ls, fol lowed by vultures, uttered
sinister howls. (27) The wind blew raisi n g clouds of d ust over
the battlefield and clouding the vision of that ki ng of rakshasas,
blowing in a direction unfavou rable to h i m . (28) Without the
appeara nce of any cloud fearful thunderbolts of Indra (the god
of ra in), fel l on his a rmy, on a l l sides with a noise that was hard
to endure . (29) Al l the quarters as well as the intermediate
points of the compass were shrouded in darkness; and due to
a shower of d ust the sky beca me obscure. (30)
Ca rrying on a desperate fig ht (among themselves) and emit­
ti ng sharp cries fea rfu l mynahs fel l in hu nd reds on his cha riot
on that battlefield. ( 3 1 ) The horses of his cha riot i ncessa ntly l et
out spa rks from their hips and loins and tears from their eyes,
releasing out (in this way) fi re and water (both) at a ti me. (32)
Foreboding d isaster to Ravar:ia, many such a ppalling and fearful
portents a ppeared . (33) Before Sri Ra ma too, a ppea red, on a l l
sides omens that were delig htfu l and propitious and foreshad­
owed victory to h i m . Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) was real ly
overjoyed to behold on this occasion delig htfu l omens foretell­
ing his own tri umph, and regarded Ravar:ia as (already) killed.
(34-35) Sri Rama, who was wel l versed in the science of omens,
now experienced delight and supreme felicity on observing the
omens a ppea ring on his own person on the battlefield and ex­
hi bited even g reater prowess in combat. (36)

* * *

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Ca nto CVII

Then ensued on that occasion a fierce and prolonged duel be­

tween Sri Rama a n d Rava r:ia that struck terror in a l l the worlds.
( 1) At that time the army of ra kshasas as well as the huge a rmy
of the monkeys stood motionless with their wea pons held fast
(in their hands) . (2) Distracted in heart to behold the two wa r­
riors, a h u man being and a rakshasa, (both) fu ll of mig ht, en­
gaged in a desperate duel, a l l experienced great wonderment.
(3) Their a rms that were ready with wea pons and im patient for
action, the wa rriors (on both sides) stood a mazed in mind to
witness the encou nter and did not attack one another. ( 4) The
a rmy of the rakshasas, who were l ooking on Ravar:ia, as wel l as
of the monkeys, who were gazing on Sri Ra ma with astonished
eyes, appea red as though they were pai nted. (5) Indeed, hav­
ing made up their mi nds (to ca rry the contest through) and
fi rm in their indig nation, the Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) and
,
Rava r:ia for their part foug ht fea rlessly, as it were, on witness-
ing the omens on the field of battle. (6) Sri Rama (a scion of
Kakutstha), who was convinced that he was going to win (in
combat) and Rava r:ia, who was fi rmly persuaded that he would
die, exhibited the entire wealth of their p rowess i n the struggle
on that occasion. (7)
Fitti ng a rrows to his bow, the va liant Rava r:ia (the ten-head­
ed monster), thereu pon l oosed them in his wrath at the stan­
dard fixed on the chariot of Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) . (8)
Failing to reach the aforesaid ensign on the chariot of Indra (a
destroyer of citadels) and glancing off the staff su pporti ng the
banner, those arrows fel l on the earth's su rface. (9) Stretching
his bow i n great fury, the va lia nt, Sri Ra ma too du ly proceeded
with his mind to return blow for blow. ( 10) He loosed a whet­
ted shaft, irresistible as a g reat snake· and burning with its own
g lory, a iming it at the banner of Ravar:ia. ( 1 1) The glorious Sri
Rama let fly the a rrow a im ing it at the sta ndard of Rava r:ia .
Tea ring asunder the ensign of Ravar:ia, that arrow entered the

220
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

earth . ( 1 2) Torn down, the flag of Ravar:ia's chariot fel l to the

g round.
The notorious Ravar:ia, who was e ndowed with extraordinary
might, was infla med with fu ry on perceivi ng the destruction
of his standard and stood blazing as it were with indignation .
Fal len a prey to anger, he loosed a h a i l of a rrows; s o t h e tradi­
tion goes. ( 13- 14) With his fla ming a rrows, Rava r:i a pierced the
horses (of the chariot) of Sri Ram a . Those heavenly steeds,
neither staggered nor reeled, but remained contented at heart,
as they wou ld feel when struck with lotus stal ks. Infu riated to
perceive the noncha l a nce of those horses on that occasion,
Rava r:ia they say, let loose a further shower of shafts as a lso
maces as well as i ron clubs, discuses and m a l l ets, mounta in
pea ks and trees as well as pikes and axes. He, however, let
fa l l this rai n of weapons as a creation of magic. U nwearied, he
loosed arrows in thousands on that occasion . ( 1 5-18) Leaving
a lone the cha riot of Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu), that tu m u ltu­
ous, a l a rming, fearful and g reat showe r of n u merous weapons,
which was attended with a terri ble echo, descended on the
si mian a rmy on all sides on the battlefield . Rava r:ia (the ten­
headed monster) loosed a rrows with a mind that had g iven u p
( a l l ) hope o f survival , and wholly covered t h e space .
Seeing the notorious Rava r:ia putting forth great effort in
the struggle, the celebrated Sri Rama (a scion of Ka kutstha)
thereupon fitted whetted shafts to his bow as thoug h laugh­
ing and then loosed them in h u ndreds and thousands. ( 19-22)
Seeing those a rrows, Ravar:ia completely covered the sky with
his own . Due to that dazzl ing shower of shafts discha rged by
the two (contending) wa rriors at that ti me, the shining space
looked l ike a second heaven raised with a network of a rrows.
No arrow (discharged by them) fai led to reach the m ark; there
was not one that fa i led to pierce its ta rget and not one that was
loosed in va i n . (23-24) Col liding with one another, the a rrows
of Sri Rama and Ravar:ia, who were l oosing them on the battle­
field, fell to the ground. Disch a rging a rrows to their rig ht and
left, the two wa rriors foug h t vehemently without interruption

221
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

and covered the sky with thei r formidable a rrows so as not to

leave even breath ing space (between them) as it were. ( 25-26)
Exchanging blow for blow, the two warriors struck each other
on that occasion, Sri Ra ma hitti ng the steeds of Rava r:ia and the
latter those of Sri Ra ma. (27)
Extremely enraged, the two warriors thus carried on a keen
contest. For an hour or so, there raged a fierce struggle that
ca used one's hair to sta nd on end. (28) All created bei ngs (pres­
ent there) for their part gazed with an astonished mind on the
said Sri Rama and Ravar:ia, fighti ng thus on the battlefiel d . (29)
Furiously attacking and i nju ring each other on the battlefield,
nay, intent on destroying each other, the excel lent chariots of
the two wa rriors assumed a terri ble aspect. The two cha rioteers
too went on displaying m ultifa rious movements of their cha ri­
ots born of their d riving skill, such as moving in a circle, mov­
ing straight and darti ng forwa rd and receding forthwith . The
two warriors had recourse to i mpetuosity of movement in their
forward and backward motion, Sri Rama wounding Ravar:ia and
vice versa . Tl'lose excellent chariots of the two wa rriors, who
were discharging streams of a rrows, ra nged the battleground
l i ke two clouds pouring showers. Having displayed movements
of many kinds, o n the field of battle, the two chariots once
more stood facing each other. The shafts of the two cha riots
even as they stood at that moment met one with the other;
the muzzles of the horses of the one closed with those of the
horses of the other and the pennons (too) of the one closed
with those of the other.
With four sha rp arrows loosed from his bow Sri Ra ma there­
upon drove back the fou r spirited horses of Rava r:i a . On the
retreating of his horses, that ten-headed monster, fel l prey to
anger and let fly his whetted shafts agai nst Sri Ra ma (a scion of
Raghu). The said scion of Rag hu, though g rievously wou nded
by the m ig hty Rava r:ia, felt neither agitated nor disqu ieted. The
ten-headed monster then directed a rrows that emitted a sou nd
l i ke a stroke of l ightning at the charioteer of Indra (who ca r­
ries the thunderbolt i n his hand) . Fal ling on the body of Matali,

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

the a rrows, which were loosed with g reat i mpetuosity, did not
cause the least confusion or torment to him on the battlefield .
Angered by that assa u lt on M ata li, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu),
who for his part did not feel provoked by the assault on hi mself,
made his adversary averse to fighti ng by (directi ng) a stream
of h i s a rrows against him. The val i a nt scion of Rag h u loosed
twe nty, thi rty, sixty and hundreds and thousa nds of a rrows on
the enemy's chariot. •

P rovoked to anger, while seated i n h is chariot, the king of

ra kshasas, Ravar:ia too thereu pon tormented Sri Ra ma with
a shower of maces and mallets in return . Then there ensued
once more a tum u ltuous struggle, which caused one's hair to
sta nd on end. (30-44) The seven seas were th rown into agita­
tion by the sound of maces, mal lets and i ron bl udgeons and
the gusts ra ised by the plumes adorning the (flying) a rrows.
( 45) All the devils as well as the snakes inhabiting in their thou­
sands the nethermost su bterra nean region situated underneath
the agitated seas felt disq u ieted . (46) The entire ea rth shook
with its mounta ins, forests a n d j ungles. The sun (the source of
light) lost its brillia nce and the wind too ceased to blow. (47)
There u pon a l l the gods - including the Ga ndharvas (celestial
m usicians), a s wel l a s the Kinnaras (another class of demigods
cred ited with a h u m a n fig u re and the head of a horse or with a
horse's body and the head of a man) and h u ge serpents - as
also Siddhas (a class of demigods endowed with mystic powers
from their very bi rth) and g reat �$i S (the seers of Vedic Man­
tras) fel l a prey to a nxiety. ( 48) "May all be wel l with the cows
and the Brah mar:ias. May ( a l l ) the worlds endure forever! May
Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) conquer in com bat, Ravar:ia, the
king of rakshasas ! " (49) Saying so, the gods including the hosts
of �$iS (the seers of Ved ic Ma ntras) present on the occasion
witnessed the fierce struggle between Sri Rama and Ravar:la,
which ca used one's hair to sta nd on end . (50) Watchi ng that
match less struggle and observi ng that even as the sky is its
own compeer and that the sea is its own ana logue, the struggle
between Sri Rama and Rava r:ia can be likened only to the strug-

223
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

gle between Sri Rama and Rava r:ia, the hosts of Gand h a rvas
(celestia l musicians) and Apsaras ( heavenly nymphs) looked on
that combat between Sri Ra ma and Rava r:ia. (5 1-52)
Fitti ng to his bow an a rrow, which resembled a venomous
serpent (in its fierceness) i n wrath the mighty-a rmed Sri Ra ma,
who enhanced the glory of the Raghus (his forbears), cut off the
g lorious head1 of Rava r:ia, which was graced with fla me-brig ht
earri ngs. The den izens of the enti re th ree worlds saw that hea�
fallen o n the ground on that occasion . (53-54) Another head,
exactly similar to the former, cropped up on the shoulders of
Rava r:i a . The second head (too) of Ravar:ia was struck off on the
battlefield in no time by the n i mble-handed Sri Rama - who
was quick in action - with his a rrows. The aforesa id head rose
into view once more the moment it was severed; but it too was
severed by the thunderbolt-like shafts of Sri Ram a . In the same
way a hundred of heads, equa lly bri llia nt, were (successful ly)
struck off (by Sri Ra ma), yet no certainty a bout his death could
be arrived at. Though equi pped with nu merous a rrows and well
versed i n the' use of all kinds of mystic m issiles, the va l i a nt
Sri Ram a (a scion of Raghu), the enhancer of Ka usalya's joy,
thereupon became thoughtful . ( H e said to himself :-) "I won­
der what is the reason that these well-known shafts - which
have a l l been tried and fo und infal lible by me on the battlefield,
by the hel p of which the rak$asa Marica for his part was made
short work of ( by me) as a lso Kha ra a long with DO$ar:ia, (the
rakshasa) Viradha too was disposed of in a hole in the g round
in the Krau fka wood, and Ka bandha in the Dar:i<;la ka forest, by
which (again) were the (seven) sa l trees (at Ki$kindha) and
mounta i ns too were transfixed as a lso Vall (the lord of mon­
keys) and (last of all) the sea was thrown into agitation - have
proved of little effi cacy agai nst Rava r:ia." (55-61)
Though a bsorbed in thoug ht, yet not at all careless on the
battlefield, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) rained showers of a r-

1. It seems Ravana appeared on the battlefield with a single head only,

d u ring this combat.

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 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

rows o n the breast of Ravar:ia. (62) Provoked to anger the king

of ra kshasas, Ravar:ia, too, who was seated i n his chariot, tor­
mented Sri Ra ma in return with a shower of maces and mallets
on the battlefield. (63) Then followed a great and tu m u l tuous
fight, which caused one's hair to sta nd on end, in the air as well
as on the earth and again on the top of the (Tri kOta) moun­
tai n . (64) While the gods, the devi ls and the Ya k�as as also the
fiends, the N agas (serpent-demons or semi-divi ne bei ngs cred­
ited with the face of a man a n d the tail of a serpent, a n d said
to i n h a bit the nethermost subterranean region, Pata l a) and the
rakshasas looked on that major conflict, it contin ued the entire
night. · (65) The contest between Sri Ra ma and Ravar:ia ceased
neither by night nor by day, n ot even for an hour or a moment.
(66) N ot perceivi ng the victory of Sri Rama in the duel between
the two, the son of Dasaratha and the king of rak�asas, that
high-souled cha rioteer of Indra (the foremost of gods) quickly
spoke as fol l ows to Sri Rama, (while he was stil l ) engaged i n
fig htin g . (67)

Ca nto CVII I

Matali forthwith refreshed the memory of Sri Rama ( a scion

of Rag h u) on that occasion and said, "How do you (merely) do
as Rava r:ia does (by acting on the defensive) as though you
did not know (how to dispose of him), 0 galla nt prince? ( 1)
With a view to his destruction discharge you on him the mys­
tic missile presided over by Brahma (the grandfather of the
u niverse, which was created by the ten Praja patis or l ords of
creation, who were a l l his m i nd-born sons), my lord. The hour
of his doom, which was foretold by the gods, has now a rrived ."
(2) Remi nded (of that m issile) by the suggestio n of M atali, Sri
Ra ma then seized h old of a flaming a rrow, which flew like a
hissing serpent. (3)
The glorious and powerfu l Sage Agastya had a l ready be­
stowed on him (while he was movi ng in the Dar:ic;laka forest)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

that enormous a rrow gifted to h i m by Bra h ma (the creator),

which never missed its ta rget. ( 4) Havi ng been created of yore
for (the use of) Indra (the ruler of gods) by Brah ma, whose
strength was i mmeasura ble, it was bestowed i n the past on
the ruler of gods, who was eager to conquer the three worlds.
(5) The wind-god presided over its feathers; the god of fire
(lit., the pu rifier) and the sun-god (the source of light) over its
head; its shaft was made up of ether; while the Mandara and
Meru mounta ins presided over its weig ht. (6) Provided with
lovely feathers and decked with gold, the a rrow, which emit­
ted light from its body, had been made u p of the essence of all
the elements a n d shone like the su n . (7) Flaming like the fire
of unive rsal dissol ution envel oped in smoke, and resembling a
venomous snake, it was quick i n actio n a n d capable of split­
ting asunder hosts of men, elephants a n d horses and smash­
ing gateways and i ron bars and mountains too. Smeared with
the blood of va rious victi ms and coated with their ma rrow, it
presented a dreadfu l a p peara nce. (8-9) Hard as adamanti ne
and loud sol!nding it was ca pable of dispersing a rmies of every
ki nd. Terrible (to behold) and hissing l i ke a serpent, it fright­
ened a l l . ( 1 0) Providing lasti ng nourishment on the battlefield
to buzza rds, vultures and herons as wel l as to packs of jacka ls
as also to rakshasas, it assumed the aspect of Ya ma (the god
of retribution) and inspired terror. ( 1 1) The delight of monkey
chiefs and the scourge of ra k�asas, it was provided with various
kinds of lovely and picturesque pl umes of Garuc;la . ( 12)
Charging with a mystic spell in accorda nce with the scri ptura l
ordina nce that g reat a rrow - which was su premely destructive,
ca pable of dispel ling the fea r of ( a l l) the worlds (in general)
and the Ik�wa kus (in pa rticular), ta king away the glory of the
enemies and delighti ng one's own self- the mig hty Sri Rama,
who was endowed with extraord i nary strength, then placed it
on his bow. ( 13-14) While that exceHent a rrow was bei ng fitted
by Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) to his bow, a l l created beings
felt terrified and the ea rth shook. ( 1 5) Stretching his bow at ful l
length, Sri Ra ma, who felt highly provoked and was supremely

226
 Sri Rama vanquishes and kills Ravana

active, loosed on Rava oa the arrow, which was capable of tear­

ing asunder h is vital parts. ( 16) Difficult to prevail agai nst, like
the thunderbolt h urled by the arm of Indra (the wielder of the
thunderbolt), i ncapab l e of being warded off like Death, the a r­
row i mpinged on the breast of Rava r:i a . ( 17)
As soon as loosed, the arrow, which was endowed with ex­
ceeding velocity and was supremely capa ble of putting an end
to the (enemy's) body, pierced the he�rt of the notorious and
evi l-mi nded Rava o a . ( 18) Ta ki ng the l ife of Rava oa with a l l
speed a n d stai ned with blood, that deadly shaft penetrated the
earth's surface. ( 19) Soaked in blood on having kil led Rava r:ia,
and thereby accom pl ished its mission, a ppea ri ng g raceful, that
well-known arrow reentered the q u iver (of S ri Ra ma) like a
meek serva nt. (20) The notorious bow of RavaQa, when the lat­
ter was struck, i m mediately d ropped down from his hand a long
with the a rrow (fitted to it), synchronously with his life-breath
even while he was being sepa rated from his life. (21) His life
havi ng departed, the ruler of rakshasas ( l it., the progeny of
the rakshasa N irrti, the deity presiding over the south-west
corner), who was (once) endowed with terri ble i m petuosity and
invested with extraordinary splendour, fell from his cha riot to
the g round (even) li ke the demon Vrtra when the latter was
struck down by the thu nderbolt (of Indra ) . ( 22) Seeing him
fallen on the g rou nd, the n i ght-rangers who had escaped the
ca rnage, ran very fast in a l l directions panic-stricken, their lord
havi ng (now) been ki lled. (23) Monkeys, who fought with trees,
fell roaring u pon the m . Perceiving the destruction of Rava oa
(the ten-headed monster) the monkeys had assu med a trium­
phant air. (24) Harassed by the j u bi lant monkeys, the ra kshasas
rushed (back) in pa nic towa rds Lari ka, with faces exciting pity
and raining tea rs, their supporter having (now) been ki l led .
(25) Assum i n g a tri u m phant a i r, highly rejoiced as they were,
and proclai ming the victory of Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
and the death of Rava oa at his ha nds, the monkeys thereupon
shouted at the top of thei r voices. (26)
Presently there sou nded loudly in the air the ha ppy drums

227
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

of the gods and a highly delig htfu l breeze sprang up there,

wafting heavenly odours. (27) Covering the chariot of Sri Ra ma
( a scion of Raghu), a soul-ravishing shower of flowers, which
was difficult to find (elsewhere), fel l from the heavens to the
earth on that occasion . (28) The excell ent uttera nce of the
high-sou led gods saying "Well done! Bravo! !" combined with
a panegyric in pra ise of Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u) was dis­
tinctly heard in the heavens. (29) The fierce Rava r:ia, the terror
of a l l the worlds, having been killed, a g reat joy fil led (the heart
of) the gods i ncluding the Ca rar:ias (the celestial ba rds). (30)
Rejoiced on having dispatched the foremost of the rakshasas,
Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) then fulfil led the desi re of Sugriva,
Arigada and Vibhi�ar:ia ( by seeing and fel icitating them on the
fal l of Ravar:ia ( 3 1 ) Thereu pon the hosts of gods attai ned g reat
peace of mind, (all) the (four) quarters brightened up and the
sky (too) became clear. The earth no longer shook, the wind
blew gently and the sun shed a steady light. (32) Coming to­
gether, rejoiced as they were by the victory (of Sri Rama),
Sugriva, Vibhi$ar:i a and Arigada for their pa rt, who were supple­
mented by thei r friends and accompanied by Lak�mar:ia, then
paid their homage with due ceremony to Sri Ram a (a scion of
Raghu) who looked cha rming on the battlefield. (33) Sri Ra ma,
the delight of Dasaratha (the king of Ragh u 's race), who had
j ust killed his adversa ry ( Ravaoa) and was thus steadfast in his
vows, and who was endowed with extraordinary m ight, stood
encompassed on the battlefield by his own people as wel l as by
his a rmy (even) l i ke the m ighty Indra (the ruler of gods) sur­
rou nded by the celestia l h osts. (34)

* *

228
Rama kills Ravana, Guler, circa AD 1 780, National Museum, Delhi
 (v) Sita 's ordeal
and

Return of Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana to Ayodhya

Ca nto CXIV

aving greeted the foremost of a l l a rchers, Sri Ra ma,

H whose eyes resembled the petals of a lotus, that g reat

sage ( H a n uman) submitted to him as follows : -

"You ought to see that divine pri ncess of Mithila, who is sorely
( 1)

stricken with 'g rief, fo r whose sake this course of action was
underta ken, which has (now) borne fruit. (2) Having heard of
your consummate victory, that pri n cess of Mithila, who is over­
whelmed with grief, her eyes bed i m med with tears, longs to see
you . (3) By her, who was ful l of trust in me beca use of the con­
fidence which had been inspired by me on a former occasion, I
was spoken to in these words, ' I desire to see my h usband', and
her eyes were fi lled with a n a l l consuming eagerness." (4)
Appea led to thus by Hanuman, Sri Ra ma, the foremost of
those who uphold the ca use of virtue, was drenched with tea rs
and suddenly beca me a bit thoughtfu l . (5) Drawing a deep au­
dible breath, and casti ng his eyes on the g round, he spoke (as
follows) to Vib hi!?aoa, who closely resem bled a cloud (in h ue),
standing near: - (6) "Bring here Sita, a princess of the Videha
territory, after she has bathed her head, has been anoi nted
with heavenly frag rances and adorned with divine ornaments.
Let there be no delay." (7) Hurriedly penetrati ng deep into the
gynaeceum, when commanded thus by Sri Ra ma, Vibhi!?aoa for

230
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

his part communicated his presence to Sita ( i n the Asoka grove)

through his own women . (8) Forthwith beholding the blessed
Sita, the g lorious Vibhi$ar:ia, the ruler of Rakshasa s, h umbly
submitted (as fo l l ows) to her, with pal ms joined over his head :
- (9) "Anointed with heaven ly frag rances a nd adorned with
divi ne ornaments, (pray) mount the palanq u i n . May prosperity
attend you! Your h usband desi res to see you, O pri ncess of the
Videha territory!" ( 1 0) Requested in t.hese words, Sita for her
part repl ied to Vibhi$ar:ia as follows : - "Without havi ng bathed,
O ki ng of ra kshasas, I wish to see my husband ( i m mediately) ."
( 1 1 ) Hearing her a nswer, Vibhi$a r:ia submitted in reply: - "You
ought to do the bidding of your husband, Sri Ra ma, (precisely)
as he has enjoined you to do." ( 12)
Hearing the submission of Vibhi$ar:ia, the virtuous Sita (a
pri ncess of M ithila), who looked upon her spouse a s a god and
who was infused by devotion for her husband, said in reply, "So
be it!" ( 13) Preva i l i ng upon Sita to ascend a bri l l iant palanquin
covered with an exceedingly va luable cloth and guarded by nu­
merous ra kshasas, after she had laved her head, and had put
on very precious garments and had been adorned with exceed­
ingly valuable jewels and decorated, Vi bhi$a r:ia then brought her
(to the presence of Sri Ra m a ) . ( 1 4-15) Approachi n g Sri Ra ma
(the high-sou led pri n ce), a n d even after com i n g to know that
he was (still) a bsorbed in thought, bent low and ful l of g reat
j oy, he a n n ounced to him that Sita had a rrived . ( 1 6) H ea ri n g
that Sita, w h o h a d lived long i n the abode o f a rakshasa, had
a rrived, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu), the destroyer of enemies,
was fil led with indignation and joy and helplessness too. ( 17)
Having seen Sita, who had a rrived in the palanquin, Sri Ra ma
(a scion of Raghu) was bewildered as his thought was burdened
by debate and he then spoke to Vibhi$a r:ia as follows : - ( 18)
" Let Sita (a princess of the Videha territory) come close to me,
0 g entle one, O lord of the rakshasa s, who i s ever absorbed i n
the thought of m y victory!" ( 19)
Hearing this command of the scion of Rag h u, Vibhi$ai:i a ,
w h o knew what is right, speedily began to disperse t h e crowd .

23 1
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Rakshasas clad in jackets and wea ri ng turbans, their ha nds ca r­

rying staffs which made a jingling sound, paced a l l round, dis­
persing the warriors. ( 2 1) While being d riven away collectively
from the vicinity of the palanquin, the hordes of bears, mon­
keys and ra kshasas moved to a dista nce. (22) A tremendous
uproar, resembling the roa r of a sea that was being lashed by
a storm, a rose even as these warriors were being driven away.
(23) Seeing the m bei ng dispersed on a l l sides and therefore
excited, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) stopped those who were
d ispersing them, out of kind ness (fo r those who were being
dispersed) and resentment (at the behaviour of the ra kshasas
who were dispersing them ) . (24) Consu ming the ra kshasas with
his glances as it were, Sri Rama addressed in i ndig nation the
fol lowing reproachful words to the highly intel ligent Vibhi$a oa :
- (25)
"Why, disrega rding me, a re these people being molested by
you? (Pray) stop this a n noyance. They a re my own people.
(26) Neither apartments nor costumes nor a protective wa ll nor
again roya l ho�ours constitute a veil for a woma n. Her character
(alone) is her shiel d. (27) The a ppea rance of a woman in public
is not condemned in times of adversity, in straits, i n conflicts,
during the selection of a h usba nd ( by a pri ncess or daughter of
a K$atriya at a public assem bly of suitors), at a sacrificial per­
forma nce or at the nuptial ceremony. (28) The yonder Sita is in
distress and beset with difficulty. ( Hence) there is no objection
to her appearing in public, particularly in my presence . ( 29)
Therefore, leaving the pa lanquin let Sita seek my presence on
foot alone. Let these denizens of the forest have a look at the
princess of the Videha ki ngdom ." (30)
Becoming thoughtfu l when com manded thus by Sri Ra ma,
Vi bhi$a oa reverently conducted Sita to the presence of the for­
mer. (3 1 ) Lak$mal)a and Sugriva as well as the monkey chief,
Hanuman, thereu pon felt g reatly distressed to hear the order
of Sri Ram a . (32) From his stern gestures, which were lacking
in regard for his consort, they concluded Sri Rama (a scion of
Raghu) to be displeased with Sita . (33) Shrinking as it were

234
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

into her l i m bs out of modesty, and fol lowed by Vibhi$ar:ia, the

said pri ncess of Mithila approached her h usba nd . (34) Sita
(who looked upon her spouse as a god) of (sti l l ) more gracious
aspect rega rded the agreea ble countena nce of her husband
with astonish ment, extreme delight and affection. (35) Gazing
on the face of her beloved h usba nd, which had not been seen
( by her) for long and which was lovely like the fu l l moon that
has just risen, she forthwith actua l ly_ dispel led the fatigue of
her mind and her face shone at that ti me as the cloudless fu l l
moo n . (36)

Ca nto CXV

Looki ng Intently at the princess of M ithila, who stood bent

low by his side, Sri Ra ma proceeded to give expression to the
feeli ngs (concealed) in his heart : - ( 1 ) "You sta nd here won
back (by me) after conquering the enemy on the field of battle,
0 blessed one! That which was most befitti ng to the hig hest
heroic va lour has been accomplished by m e . (2) I have at­
ta ined the reward of my indignation; the wa nton offence given
to me ( by your abduction) has been fully requ ited and the in­
dignity offered to me, as wel l as the enemy (who did it), have
been wiped out a l l at once by me. (3) Today my heroism has
been witnessed, today my exertion has become fruitfu l, today
I have fu lfi l led my vow and today I am the master of myself
once more . ( 4) You who were left a lone were abducted by the
demon of vitiated mind ( Ravar:ia); this dastardly act, aided by
Providence, was avenged by my human prowess. (5) I would
have been adj udged petty m inded even though possessed of
g reat mig ht, if the force of that might was not used for wi ping
out the i nsult that was inflicted . (6) The laudable achievement
of the celebrated H a nOman in the shape of leaping across the
sea and the devastation of Larika has borne fruit today. (7) The
exertion of Sugriva, who exhibited his prowess on the battle­
field with his a rmy, and tendered friendly cou nsel, is fruitfu l to-

235
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

day. (8) Fruitful l i kewise is the exertion today of Vibhi�ar:ia, who

personally sought my presence, d eserting his (own) brother
( Ravar:ia) who was devoid of virtues." (9)
Hearing the speech of Sri Ram a , (even) while he was speak­
ing thus, Sita, her eyes wide open l i ke those of a female deer,
was bathed in tears. ( 10) The heart of Sri Rama, (even) as
he beheld Sita (the beloved of his hea rt) near him, was torn
(within h i m) for fear of public scanda l . ( 1 1 ) In the midst of
monkeys and rakshasas (present on the spot) he actua l ly spoke
(as follows) to Sita, whose eyes resembled the peta ls of a l o­
tus, who wore dark cu rly hair (on her head) and was endowed
with shapely li mbs: - ( 1 2)
"That which ought to be done by a man to wipe out an i nsult
has been accom p lished by me by kil l i ng Ravar:ia seeking (as I
did) to redeem my honour. ( 13) Though difficult to a pproach for
the world of mortals (for fear of Rava r:ia) you have been won
(back) by me (whose mind sta nds pu rified by austerity) in the
sa me way as the southern quarter, which was difficult to assail
for morta ls wc!s conquered by Sage Agastya, who had rea lized
his self through austerities. ( 14) Let it be known to you, that
(all) this exertion in the shape of wa r, which has been success­
ful ly ca rried through, tha n ks to the prowess of my friends (the
monkeys a nd Vibhi�a r:ia), was not underta ken for your sake:
may prosperity attend you ! ( 1 5) This was, however, done by
me in order to u phold my heroic status and I have wiped off
the obloquy com i ng to me from a l l sides as well as the stigma
on my i l lustrious House. ( 16) Thou sta nding before me, bea ring
the suspicion i n regard to your character, you a re extremely un­
favourable to me j ust as a lighted l a m p to one with eager eyes.
( 17) Therefore, I g rant you permission, O Janaka 's daughter;
go wherever is you r highest good, O Sita . {All) these (ten) di­
rections a re around you, 0 a uspicious one ! There is noth ing to
be done on my part as fa r as you a re toncerned . ( 18)
" How can a man of dignity and glory, one who belongs to a
noble fam ily, take back a woma n who has l ived i n the house of
a nother man, even though he is drawn by her hea rt that is so

236
 Sita � Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

noble? ( 19 ) While declaring widely the g reatness of my l ineage,

how can I take you back when you were seized by Ravar:ia · and
held in his poll uti n g embrace and reg a rded by him with a lustful
eye? (20) That purpose for which you have been won ( back)
by me, has been a ccomplished by me. I do n ot covet any rig ht
over you . You may (therefo re) go, wherever your highest good
is. (21) 0 a uspicious one, I have done a l l this with resol ute
understa nding. Set you r mind on La k!?mar:ia or even on Bharata
according to your happiness. (22) Or else set you r mind on
Satrughna or Sugriva or on the ra kshasa, Vibhi!?a r:ia, O Sita,
or do as it pleases your pleasure. (23) Seeing you, who are
endowed with a cha rming and divine beauty and having lived
in his a bode; Rava r:ia could not have endured the distressing
separation from you for long, O Sita !" (24)
Then, the honou rable Sita who deserved to hear lovi ng
words, havi ng heard harsh words from her beloved, wept bit­
terly and shed torrents of tea rs and looked l i ke a creeper struck
down by the trun k of a lordly elephant. (25)

Ca nto CXVI

Hearing the harsh uttera nce, which caused her hair to sta nd
on end, when spoken to thus by Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
who was enflamed with the overpowering force of grief, Sita
(a pri ncess of Videha territory), felt greatly affl icted . ( 1 ) That
pri ncess of Mithila stood bent low with shame on hearing on
that occasion, in the presence of a large gatheri ng, the (fore­
going) acutely harsh words of her h usband, (the l i ke of) never
heard ( by h er) befo re . (2) As though pierced by those a rrow­
l i ke words, shri n ki ng i nto her l imbs as it were (with shame),
that daughter of J a n a ka shed profuse tea rs. (3) Then, wiping
her face, which was .bathed i n_ tears and tre m ulously she slowly
addressed the fol lowi ng reply to her spouse: - (4)
"Why do you, address to me, 0 hero, such u nworthy, fierce
and harsh words, as a com mon man would do to a n ordinary

237
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

woman? (5) O mighty-armed hero ! I a m not what you think me

to be. Be restored to confidence on the oath of my own char­
a cter. (6) Judging by the conduct of a few_ women you (seem
to) distrust the (entire) womanki n d . ( Pray) shake off this doubt
if I a m rightly judged by you . (7) 0 my lord, I was helpless
when my l i m bs were touched, hence it is that man of passion
and not my fate that should be blamed . (8) The heart which
is under my control dwells entirely in you ; but in rega rd to my
limbs which had fa llen under the sway of a nother, what cou l d
I d o when I h a d no control over my limbs? ( 9 ) 0 bestower of
honour, if despite our ever ripening love for each other, due to
our l ong and i ntim ate rel ationshi p, I sti l l remain u n known to
you, then I a m u ndone forever! ( 1 0)
"When the emi nent hero, H a n O man, was dispatched by you
in order to find me out, why, 0 ki ng, was I not repudiated by you
even while I was (sti l l ) in Larika? ( 1 1 ) On receivi ng you r mes­
sage to that effect from HanOman, a nd having been renounced,
O hero, by you, I would have in his very presence given up my
life . ( 1 2) This useless exertion which you- have put forth expos­
ing your life to danger would _ not have been u nderta ken nor
would your friends have been put to such fruitless hardship.
( 1 3) 0 jewel a mong the ki ngs, you have been enfla med by g rief
and pronounce on womanhood as a man of petti ness wou l d .
( 14) You have thought o f m e as t h e o n e descended from my
father, but not as one who had her origin from the depths of
the earth . 0 j udge of character, you have not prized my exa lted
character. ( 15) My hand which was placed in you rs in our ea rly
years has not been rightly j udged . Nay, my devotion as well as
my chastity and a l l that, has been put aside by you ." ( 16)
Spea ki ng thus, in a voice choked with tea rs and weepi ng (all
the while), Sita a p pealed (as fol l ows) to Lak$mar:ia, who was
a bsorbed in thought and feeling (sore) distressed : - ( 1 7) "O
La k$mar:ia, prepare for me a pyre of fi re; that is the only remedy
agai nst this cal a mity. I no longer desire to survive, destroyed
as I am by false accusations. ( 18) I have been renounced by
my h usba nd, displeased as he is despite my virtues; I sha l l en-

238
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

ter i nto fire, which is the only accepta ble cou rse for me." ( 19)
Req uested thus by Sita (a princess of the Videha territory),
Lak�maoa, the destroyer of hostile champions, looked at Sri
Ra ma (a scion of Rag h u ), overcome as he was with indig nation .
(20) Havi ng received the indication of his permission by Sri
Ra ma's gestu re, La k�maoa the va liant son of Sumitra, prepared
a pyre of fi re in deference to the wishes of Sri Ra m a . ( 2 1 ) No
one near and dear a ctu a l ly dared on that occasion to spea k to
,

or even look u pon, m uch l ess pacify Sri Rama, who seemed
standing as the destroyer of Ti me itself. (22) Circum a m bulat­
ing Sri Ra ma, whose head was bent low, Sita (a princess of the
Videha territory) a pproached the blazing fire. (23) Respectful ly
bowing down to the gods as wel l as to the Bra h maoas the
princess of M ithila prayed as fol lows with joined palms in the
presence of the fi re :- (24)
"As my heart never turns away from Sri Rama, so may the
god of fire, the witness of the world, p�otect me on a l l sides.
(25) Si nce Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu) takes me to be unwor­
thy, though of u n im peachable character, l et the god of fire, the
witness of the world, u nder such circu msta nces, protect me on
a l l sides. (26) Inasmuch as I have never been unfaithfu l in act,
thought and speech to Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) who knows
a l l the princi ples of rig hteousness, let the god of fire i n that
case afford protection to me. (27) Since the g lorious sun-god,
the wind-god, (the deities presiding over) the four quarters,
and even so the moon-god, as also (the deity presiding over)
the daytime and the ( morn i n g and evening) twi lig hts and the
night as a lso Mother Earth and others too l i kewise know me
to be richly endowed with good character, let the god of fire
protect me." (28)
Sayi ng so, and circuma m bu lating the fire, Sita (a pri ncess
of the Videha territory), with a self-possessed soul devoid of
any doubt whatsoever, entered the flaming fi re. (29) The huge
gathering present there, tee ming (as it was) with children and
old people, witnessed the resplendent princess of Mithila en­
tering the fi re. (30) Sita, who was adorned with shining gold

239
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

ornaments and who herself was l u m i nous like fresh refi ned
gold fel l i nto the fla ming fire in the presence of a l l the people.
(31) All created beings beheld that large-eyed Sita, who shone
like a golden alta r, descending into the fire (lit., the bearer of
sacrificial offerings) on that occasion. (32) �$iS (the seers of
Vedic Ma ntras), gods and the Gandharvas saw that highly a us­
picious one penetrating deep into the fire (lit., the consu mer
of oblations) l i ke the consummati ng offering of g hee. (33) All
the women (present on the occasion) screa med on perceiving
her, adorned as she was, fa lling into the fire like an unbroken
stream of ghee, (duly) consecrated by the recitation of M a n­
tras, fal ling into a sacrifici a l fire. (34) (The denizens of a l l ) the
three worlds (including) gods, the Gandharvas (celestial m usi­
cians) and Da navas (the demons), witnessed her fa lling (i nto
the fire) l i ke a goddess, subjected to a cu rse. (35) While she
was enteri ng into the fla mes, a loud cry fi l led with a dreadfu l
awe, rose from t h e rakshasas and the mon keys (al ike). (36)

Ca nto CXVII

Then Sri Rama, the very sou l of righteousness, but affl icted
in mind, havi ng heard the cries of those who were th us wai ling,
was moved for a while to conte mplation, his eyes fi l led with
troubled tea rs. ( 1) Then again, Kubera (son of Sage Visrava
who was the king of Yak$aS) and Yama (the god of retribution)
a long with the Pitrs (the eternal manes) as a lso the thousa nd­
eyed Indra (the lord of gods), a nd, along with Varul)a (the lord
of divi ne waters), the glorious three-eyed Lord Siva (the great
god) who bears the i mage of a b u l l on his banner, Brahma, the
creator of the entire universe, the foremost of the knowers
of Brahman (the Absol ute), a l l these then gathering together
and reaching the city of Lanka in thei r aerial cars, which shone
b rightly l i ke the sun, a pproached Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) .
( 2-4) Liftin g u p their long arms, their hands adorned with jew­
els, the foremost of gods - these thirty g ods - there u po n

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 Sita's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

spoke (as follows) to Sri Ra ma (a scion of Rag hu), who stood

with joi ned palms ( by way of salutation ) : - ( 5)
"You are the O riginator of the enti re cosmos, the foremost of
those well-versed i n the spi ritual lore, a n d the suzerain Lord (of
the cosmos), how do you infl ict insult u pon Sita, looki ng on as
you a re at her fa lling i nto the fi re (the bearer of sacrificia l of­
feri ngs)? How do you not recog nize you rself to be the Su preme
Soul of all gods? (6) You are the very fi r�t of a l l the Vasus (a
class of gods) �tadhama (the seat of Truth). You are the self
existent Creator of a l l the three worlds a nd the Lord and Master
of a l l the people. (7) You are the eighth Rudra (Mahadeva) of
the (eleven) Rudras and the fifth (Viryava n by na me) a mong
the Sadhyas (a particu l a r class of celestial beings). The twin­
Aswins (the physicians of the gods) a re you r ea rs and the sun
and the moon l i kewise constitute you r eyes. (8) Nay, You are
seen (to exist) at the end as a lso at the begi nning, as wel l as
at the m iddle (of the creation), 0 scou rg e of you r enemies! And
sti ll you inflict insult on Sita (a princess of the Videha territory)
as a com mon man would do." (9)
Spoken to i n these words by these protectors of the world,
Sri Rama, a scion of Rag hu, the lord of the u niverse and the
foremost of those upholding the ca use of righteousness re­
plied (as fol l ows) to these _ jewels a mong the gods : - ( 10)
"I rega rd myself as a human bei ng, Rama (by na me), sprung
from the loins of (Emperor) Dasaratha . Sti ll let the g lorious lord
(Brah ma), tell me that which I as such ( real ly) a m and whence
I have come."( 1 1 )
Bra h ma (the creator), the foremost of the knowers of Brah­
man, replied (as fol lows) to Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha)
who was spea ki ng in th is stra i n : - "O Ra ma, the very embodi­
ment of valour that is Truth itself; listen to my words of Truth .
( 1 2) You are Lord Narayaoa ( H i mself), the glorious god who
wields the discus (Sudarsa na). You are the (divi ne) Boa r with
a single tusk, the conqueror of your bygone as wel l as future
enemies. ( 13) You are the imperisha ble Brahma (the Absol ute),
the Truth abiding at the beg i n n i ng, i n the middle, as well as

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

at the end (of the universe), 0 scion of Raghu ! You a re the

supreme Law o perati ng in (all) the worlds. You r forces ( i n the
shape of you r controlling agents) a re spread all round; you are
the four-armed Lord (Sri H ari) . ( 14) You a re the Wielder of the
Sarriga bow, the Subduer of the senses, the Inner Controller
and the Su preme Person, the invi ncible Vi$1JU, the Wielder of
a sword (called Nandaka ) as wel l as Sri K�!?r:ia endowed with
g reat might. ( 15) You are Lord Ka rti keya (the com mander of
the celestia l a rmy) as wel l as the vi llage headman . You are the
faculty of understanding, strength, forbea rance and sense-con­
trol. You are the origin as well as the end (of a l l ) . You are the
Divine Dwarf (the younger brother of Indra) as a lso the exter­
minator of the demon Madhu. ( 1 6)
"You are the creator of Indra (in the form of Praja pati, a
creator of beings), the Supreme Ruler, Lord Vi$QU (who has a
lotus sprung from His navel), who puts an end to a l l i n combat.
Eminent divine sages pronounce you to be fit to afford protec­
tion (to a l l ) as well as the refug e (of a l l ) . ( 17) In the shape of
the Vedas yo1.J a re the g reat B u l l with a thousand h orns and
a hundred heads. You a re the first Creator of (all) the th ree
worlds and the self-constituted Lord (of a l l ) . ( 18) You a re the
refuge as wel l as the forbear of the Siddhas (a class of demi­
gods endowed with mystic powers by virtue of their very birth)
as well as of the Sad hyas (a class of celestial beings). You are
the Sacrificial performa nce; you a re the sacred syl la ble 'Va!?at'
(the chant word for the offeri ng); you a re the mystic syll a ble
'OM' (an a ppel lation of God) and hig her tha n the highest. ( 19)
People neither know you r origin nor you r end nor who you are
(in reality). You a lone are manifest i n a l l created beings, i n the
Light and i n those who are the knowers of Light. (20) You exist
in a l l the quarters, in the firma ment, in mountains as wel l as i n
rivers. You a re the glorious Bei n g endowed with thousands of
feet, hundreds of heads and thousands of eyes. (21)
"You sustain (all) created beings, the earth as a lso a l l the
mountains. On the disa ppearance of the earth (at the end of
the Cosmic day), you are seen (lyi n g ) on a huge serpent (kn own

242
 Sita's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

by the name of Se$a), on the waters. (22) You are the Cosmic
Person ( Lord Narayar:ia) supporting (all) the three worlds as
also the gods, the Gandharvas (celestial musicia ns) and the
demons, O Ra m a ! I (Bra h ma ) constitute your heart, while God­
dess Saraswati, O Rama, you r tongue. (23) The gods created
by Brahma are the hair on you r l i m bs, O Lord ! Night has been
recognized as the closi ng of your eyelids and the day as the
ope n i ng of your eyelids. (24) And your Wi l l forces a p pea red
as the Vedas. The visible u niverse does not exist but for you .
The entire Cosmos i s your body and the earth constitutes your
perma nence. (25) Fi re is you r wrath and Soma, the Lord of
Delight is you r joy. You a re Lord Vi$QU (who bears the mark of
Srivatsa - a curl of wh ite hair on His breast) . The th ree worlds
were covered by you in your three strides in the past. (26) After
binding the exceptiona l ly formidable Ba l i (the ruler of the three
worlds) the mighty Indra was crowned king (by you ) . Sita is (no
othe r tha n) Goddess Lak$mi (the divi ne consort of Lord Vi$QU),
while you are (the same as) Lord Vi$ 1) U . You (alone) are Kr$r:ia
(who is all Truth, Consciousness and Bliss) and you a re the Lord
of created beings. (27)
" For the destruction of Rava r:ia you entered a human sem­
blance on this earth. That p urpose of o u rs has been accom­
pl ished by you , O pri nce of those upholding the cause of vir­
tue! (28) O Ra ma! You have killed Ravar:ia, (therefore) highly
rejoiced, return to you r divine a bode . Unfaili ng, O Lord, is your
valour; you r exploits never go in vai n . (29) You r blessed sight
is u nfailing in its affectivity; singing your praises (too) never
goes in vai n . Those who are fu l l of devotion to you will never be
u nsuccessful on earth . (30) Those who are devoted to you, the
primeva l and eterna l Lord, the Supreme Person, l i kewise attai n
( a l l ) their desired objects here as wel l as hereafter." (3 1 )

Ca nto CXVII I

On hearing this excel lent pa negyric addressed by Brahma

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

(the creator), the god of Fire presently emerged from the burn ­
i n g pyre ta king Sita (a pri ncess of the Videha territory) i n his
a rms. (1) Scattering that fu nera l pile, and ta king the daughter
of Janaka, a princess of the Videha territory in his arms, the
god of Fire fortfiwith rose at once (from the pyre) in a visible
form. (2) Bearing in his a rms the youthful Sita with her dark
cu rly hair, who was shining brig htly as the rising sun, attired i n
a red robe and orna ments of refined gold a s a lso orna ments of
fresh flowers, u ntouched and looki ng j ust the sa me as before .
and above reproach - the god of Fire restored her to Sri Ra m a .
(3-4)
The god of Fire, the witness of the whole world, then spoke
(as fol lows) to Sri Rama : - "Here is you r Sita ! No sin exists
in her. (5) She is a uspicious, her cond uct has been excel lent,
she has never been u nfa ithfu l to you - either by word or i n
her thought o r again by conception o r even by a glance. (6)
She exemplary in character, was alone in the forest sepa rated
from you, meek and helpless, and was borne away by the de­
mon ( Rava r:ia), who was proud of his strength . (7) Though de­
ta i ned in his gynaeceum, kept hidden and guarded by frig htfu l
ogresses of a cruel mind, she kept her mind focused on you
and looked on you as her u ltimate resort. (8) With her i n n e r

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 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

being constantly dwe l l i n g i n you, the princess of M ithila never

thought of that rakshasa, even while bein g tempted in va rious
ways a nd th reatened ( by h i m ) . (9) Accept the sinless princess
of M ithila of a n ever-pure consciousness. I declare to you that
she deserves no harsh word ." ( 1 0)
Sri Ra ma the u n ri valled speaker of the most a uspicious
words, havi ng heard this, spoke to the god of Fi re, the foremost
a mong the gods who mai nta i n the highe.st law of existence. His
heart was utterly pleased and his eyes were bli nded by tears of
j oy. H e pau sed a l ittle, - he the very soul of highest virtue, re­
splendent and bearer of extraordinary energy and g reat valour
said : - ( 1 1 - 1 2)
"Sita was inevitably liable to this pu rificatory ordea l before
the eyes of the people, since she, the a uspiciou s one, had lived
fo r a long time i n the i n ner chambers (of the women) of Ravar:ia;
( 13) The world would m u rm u r i n rega rd to my accepta nce of
Janaki (Sita) without a test and proof and they would accuse
Rama, the son of Dasratha, of being a man of passion and fool­
ishness. ( 14) I too know that Sita, the daughter of Janaka and a
princess of M ithila, as one whose heart has place for none else
and whose mind is secured in every possible way, for me. ( 15)
She, the large eyed one, was protected by the fo rce of the flam­
ing effulgence of her purity, so that Rava r:ia could have never
transg ressed the l i mits just as even the i m mense and vast ocea n
can never transgress its bounds. ( 16) Even then I had to bear
the agony of the entry of Sita into the fi re, si nce Truth is my only
resort, and I had to convi nce all the three worlds. ( 17)
" Ravar:ia, the e m bodiment of wickedness, was i ncapa ble of
even thinking of layi ng his violent hands on -the pri ncess of
Mith ila, since she was u nattai n a ble l i ke a flam i n g tongue of
fire. ( 18) She, the chaste one, is i ncapa ble of waveri ng de­
spite bei ng in the inner apa rtments (of the women) of Ravar:ia,
since Sita is insepa ra bl e from me even as light is insepa rable
from the s u n . ( 19) The princess of M ithila and the daughter of
Janaka, is purest a mong all the three worlds. It is i mpossible
for me to desert her, whose effu lgence proclaims the truth of

245
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

her own being. ( 20) You a re a l l the protectors of the world,

with you r hearts pouring on us the m i l k of love, you r words
always a i m at the welfare of all, therefore you r directions m ust
be implemented by me i ndisputa bly, and that indeed will be the
cause of welfare." (21)
Having said this, the g reat and mighty Victor, effulgent and
renowned on accou nt of the accompl ishment of his deeds, the
high ly i l l ustrious Sri Rama worthy of happiness, n ow u nited
with his beloved Sita; the scion of Rag hu atta ined felicity. (22)

Ca nto CXXI

Wishing victory to Sri Rama, the ta mer of his enemies, who

having reposed d u ring the previous nig ht, had risen fresh,
Vibhi$a r:ia spoke to h i m with joined pa lms as follows : - ( 1)
"Various kinds of baths (such as hot and cold, perfumed etc.,)
and cosmetics, ;Ja rments and ornaments as also sa ndal-pastes
and heavenly garlands of various kinds are ready (for your use).
(2) These women with lotus-like eyes, who a re wel l versed i n
(the art of) decoration are at your service. They will d uly assist
you in bath i ng, 0 scion of Rag h u ! " (3)
Spoken to i n these words, Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha)
repl ied as fol lows to Vi bhi$ar:ia : - " Invite you the monkeys
headed by Sugriva to bathe. ( 4) That m i ghty-armed prince,
Bharata, for his pa rt, whose mind is set on virtue, who was ac­
customed to ease and who takes his sta nd entirely on veracity
is sufferin g on my account. (5) In the a bsence of that son of
Kaikeyi, Bharata, who is practising virtue, bathing, ra iment and
jewels are of n o value to me. (6) (Ignoring everything else)
ponder over the q u estion as to how we may (be able to) reach
Ayodhya soon; for to anyone proceedi ng (on foot) to that city
the route by which we have come is most difficult to tread ."
(7)
Req uested in these words, Vibhi$ar:ia replied (as follows) to

246
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

Sri Rama ( a scion of Kakutstha ) : -" 1 sha l l enable you to reach

that city in the course of a day, O pri nce ! (8) May prosper­
ity attend you ! There is a heavenly and excellent aerial ca r,
Pw:;paka by name, bri l l ia nt as the sun and belonging to my
(half-brother), Kubera (the ruler of Ya k$as), which was borne
away by the very m i g hty Ravar:ia after conq u ering the former
in com bat a n d which moves according to the wil l of its rider.
Having been retai ned for you r sake, it (stil l ) contin ues with me,
0 warrior of u nequalled prowess! (9- 10) The yonder aerial car,
which closely resembles a cloud, stands here (in Lari ka), and
by which tra nsport you wi l l reach Ayodhya without any trouble.
( 1 1 ) If I deserve to be treated with ki ndness by you , if you
think of a ny virtue in me and if there is any affection for me (in
your heart), remain here awhile, 0 sagacious pri nce, a long with
you r brother, Lak$mar:ia and with you r consort, Sita (a pri ncess
of the Videha territory) . When I have entertai ned you with a l l .
the l uxuries, you shall then depart, O Ram a ! ( 1 2-13) In the
meantime, O Ram a (pray) a ccept you with your (entire) army
and host of friends my hospita lity, which has been a rranged for
by me in accordance with the scriptures, ful l of affection as I
a m (fo_r you ) . ( 14) I seek this favour (of you) out of affection,
as wel� as with great esteem and a friendly feel i ng, 0 scion of
Rag h u ! I a m your servant and (as such) I a m certa i n ly not con­
stra i ning you to do so." ( 1 5)
Requested thus, Sri Ra ma there u pon replied (as follows) to
Vibhi$ar:ia while a l l the rakshasas and monkeys present there
listened :
- ( 16) " I stand h onoured by you, 0 hero, by your
most val ued counsel as well as by your (military) efforts put
forth with you r whole sou l and above all by your great friend­
ship. ( 17) Nevertheless I would never dare to turn down this re­
quest of yours (either), 0 ru ler of ra kshasas! My mi nd, however,
is i mpatient to see Bharata, that brother of m ine, who ca me all
the way to Citrakuta to take me back (to Ayodhya) the other
day, yet whose prayer was not gra nted by me even though
he besought me with his head bent low - and (my mother)
Kausalya as also Sumitra and the i l lustrious Kaikeyi, as well as

247
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Pushpaka, the aerial car

,
Mewar

my friend G u h a , a longwith the people of Ayodhya a n d the out­

lying d i stricts (comprised in the ki ngdom of Ayodhya ) . ( 18-20)
(Therefore) g ra n t me leave (to go), 0 gentle one! I h ave ( a l ­
ready) b e e n honou red ( b y y o u i n so m a n y ways), 0 V i bhi$ar:i a .
In n o case s h o u l d you feel d isappoi ntment, I beseech you, m y
fri e n d ! (21) Place you r aerial ca r a t m y d isposa l q u ickly, O ruler
of ra kshasas! How can my conti n u e d stay h e re be considered
advisable, now that my task has been acco m p l ished?" (22)
Requested in these words by Sri Rama, V i b hi$a r:i a , the ruler
of rakshasas, there u pon h a stily i nvoked the presence of the
aerial car ( Pu$paka) bri l l ia n t a s the sun, w hose pa rts were ( a l l )
m a d e o f g o l d a n d were pictu resque, a n d seats m a d e o f cat's­
eye gems; w h i c h was ful l of attics a n d shone l i ke s i l ve r on a l l
sides; w h i c h w a s a rtistica lly decorated with w h itish yel low pen­
nons and fla g s with a rmori a l bea r i n g s and g raced with golden

248
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

mansions adorned with lotuses of gold ; which was h u ng with

networks of tiny bells and contained eyeholes set with pearls
and was surrounded on a l l sides with rows of bells giving fo rth
a melodious sou nd. ( 23-26) Annou ncing to SrT Rama that the
said aerial car - which resem bled a s u mmit of Mount Meru (the
golden mountain) a nd was the workma nshi p of Viswa karma
(the a rchitect of gods); which was graced with stately palaces
decked with pearls and si lver and pr9vided with pavements
inlaid with crysta l and fu rnished with excellent and costly seats
of cat's-eye gems upholstered with h i g h ly val uable coverings;
and which could not be assai led and was swift as thought -
was ready, VibhT$a r:ia stood there (awaiting SrT Ra ma's further
command). ( 27-29) The lofty-minded SrT Ra ma with La k$mar:ia
(son of Sumitra) felt astonished to see the aeria l car, Pu$paka,
which could g o everywhere at wil l and which closely resembled
a mountai n, present on that occasion. (30)

Ca nto CXXVII

Hearing t h e su premely delightfu l news (of SrT Ra ma's . im­

pending retu rn to Ayodhya), Bharata of unfa i l ing prowess,
the destroyer of hosti le' cha m pions, com ma nded (as follows)
Satrughna (the younger twi n brother of Lak$mar:ia), who (too)
felt delighted (at the news) :- ( 1 ) " Let men of good conduct
offer worsh ip to their fa m i ly deities as well as at a l l the temples
in the city with frag ra nt flowers and to the accompani ment
of (va rious) m usica l i nstru ments. (2) Let ba rds wel l-versed in
singing praises as wel l as in the Purar:ias (containing ancient
legends, cosmogony, etc.,) as a lso minstrels, a l l those profi­
cient in the use of musical i nstru ments as well as cou rtesa ns
from every quarter, the queen-mothers as also the min isters,
the troops stationed i n the royal palace and d rawi ng their emol­
u ments from the palace itself, a rmy men and their wives, the
Brah mar:ias accompanied by the K$atriyas (the members of the
fig hting class), the leaders of the g u i lds of traders and a rtisa ns

249
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

as well as their members issue forth to behold the moonl i ke

countenance of Sri Rama ."
Hearing the command of Bharata, Satrughna, the destroy­
er of hostil e cha m pions, ca l led together l abourers working on
wages and n u m beri ng many thousand and, dividing them into
(so many) groups, ordered them as follows : -" Level a l l the
low-lying areas as a lso the e levated grounds from this place,
Ayodhya, onwards (up to N andigra ma ) . Of course let (all) the
intervening tem ples be left alone (as they are). Spri n kle the
whole (length of) land with ice-cold water. (3-7) Let others
then strew it a l l over with pa rched gra i ns of paddy and flowers.
Also line with flags the streets of Ayodhya (which is superior
even to the foremost of cities) . (8) Decorate the dwe l l ings (on
the roadside) til l su n rise with garlands strun g both sparsely and
closely as well as with loose flowers of charming colours as also
with five coloured orna ments. (9) Also let hundreds of men line
the main road in order to see that it remains unobstructed."
Hearing the foregoing command of Satrugh na, (all the
eight ministers, , viz.,) Dhr$ti Jayanta, Vijaya, Siddhartha as
also Arthasadhaka, Asoka and Ma ntrapla and Sumantra too
thereupon issued fo rth (on the back of elephants), ful l of joy
(to receive Sri Rama and others), fol l owed by thousands of
elephants i n rut, bearing sta ndards and splendidly adorned .
Other highly eminent cha riot-wa rriors rode on elepha nts and
female elepha nts provided with golden gi rths, on horseback or
in chariots. Champions went forth surrounded by thousands of
selected horses and even by sti ll su perior ones bea ring sta n­
dards a nd pennons, as well as by thousands of foot soldiers
carrying javeli ns, spears and nooses. ( 10- 14) Placing at thei r
head Ka usalya (the mother of Sri Ra ma) as well as Sum itra (the
mother of Lak$mar:ia and Satrughna), seated in pala nqu ins, a l l
the consorts of Dasa ratha thereu pon issued forth (to meet Sri
Rama and his party); and, accompanied· by Ka ikeyi ( Bharata's
mother), a l l reached Nandigrama. ( 15-16)
Placing the woode n sandals of his elder brother (Sri Rama)
on his head, taking the white parasol ( intended fo r Sri Rama)

250
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

adorned with white g a rlands as wel l as two white wh isks decked

with gold and worthy of kings, su rrounded by the foremost
of the Bra h m a r:ias (lit., the twice-born), leaders of the guilds
of traders and artisans including the Vaisyas (members of the
merca nti l e class) and the counsellors with garlands and ball­
sha ped sweets i n thei r hands and cheered by the bl asts of
conches and the rol l of kettledrums as wel l as by panegyrists,
the h i gh -souled Bharata for his part, whose mind was set on
. virtue, who was wel l -versed in the secret of righteousness, and
who was emaciated through fasting, who felt misera ble, was
clad in the ba rk of trees and the ski n of a black antelope and
who experienced joy even before the a dvent of his elder brother
(Sri Rama) on hearin g of it-went in advance with his ministers
to meet Sri Ra ma. The ea rth shook as it were on that occasion
due to the sound of the hooves of horses and the rattl ing of the
fel loes of the chariot wheels as wel l as on account of the blare
of conches and the rol l of d ru ms. Accompa nied by the trum­
petin g of elephants as well as by the blare of conches and the
rol l of dru ms, rea lly spea ki ng the e ntire city of Ayodhya liter­
a l ly reached Nandigrama (a village on the outs kirts of Ayodhya
where Bharata spent the period of Sri Rama's exile).
Gla ncing round, Bharata addressed the following words to
H a n u m a n (the offsprin g of the wind-god) : - ( 1 7-23) "Indeed I
hope the levity which constitutes the (very) nature of monkeys
has not been resorted to by you ; for I do not behold Sri Ra ma,
a worthy scion of Ka kutstha, the scourge of his enemies. (24)
Neither are to be seen the monkeys, who are able to change
their form at wil l ." When this remark was uttered by Bharata,
Hanuman forthwith replied as fol lows to Bharata of unfai ling
prowess, revealing (to him) the truth (of the matter) : -
" Here is h eard the formidable roa r of monkeys and bea rs,
denizens of the woods, overjoyed to come across (on their
way) trees ever yielding fruit, adorned with b l ossom, flowi ng
with honey and rendered noisy by the humming of intoxicated
bees - (all) through the grace of Sage Bharadwaja . A boon
(to this effect) was defin itely conferred by Indra, by vi rtue

251
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

On the way to Ayodhya on the Pushpaviman

(Mewar)
,

of which, hospita l ity rich i n a l l excellences was extended to

you with yo ur (enti re) army when you paid your visit to h i m
while goin g to Citrakuta to bring Sri Rama back t o Ayod hya
(as also to Sri Ram a with his a rmy d u ri n g his return jou rney to
Ayodhya ) . (25-28) I presume the army of mon keys is crossing
the (sacred) Gomati. Behold the cloud of dust raised near the
grove of sa l trees. (29) I thi n k the monkeys a re shaki n g the
lovely g rove of sal trees. There i s seen in the dista nce the we ll­
known heavenly aerial ca r, shining brightly like the moon, the
aerial car created with his mind by Vi swa ka rma (the architect
of gods, who has been refe rred to here as B ra h m a by virtue
of his creative ta lent) , which has been secu red by the h i g h ­
so uled Sri Ra m a after kil l i n g Ravar:ia a long with his kinsfo lk.
(30-3 1) This celestia l aerial ca r, swift as thought, which is car­
ryi n g Sri Ra ma a n d s h i nes brig htly as the rising sun, belongs to
Kubera (the bestower of riches) by the grace of Bra h m a (who
bestowed it on that god). (32) In the yonder car are with Sita

252
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

(a princess of the Videha territory) seated the two heroic broth­

ers, Sri Rama and Lak�mar:ia (scions of Ragh u ) as a lso Sugriva,
(who is endowed with extraordinary energy) and the rakshasa
Vibhi�ar:ia." (33)
Immediately the words " Here comes Sri Ra m a ! " were loudly
uttered (by Hanuman), a clamour born of joy from the mouth of
women, children, you ng men and the aged, there u pon reached
the skies. (34) Sta n d i ng on the g round, on a l ighting from thei r
chariots, elephants and horses, the people beheld Sri Rama
seated in the aeria l car l i ke the moon in the sky. (35) Standing
highly rejoiced with joined pal ms, his face tu rned towards Sri
Rama, Bharata thereu pon worshipped Sri Ram a (from afar) with
offerings of water to wash his hands and feet with and other ar­
ticles; extending welcome to him in the true sense (Sri Rama's
return being truly welcome to him). (36) Sri Rama (the elder
brother of Bharata), who had large and long eyes (extending up
to the ears) shone in the (said) aerial car created by Viswa karma
with his mind, l i ke the god (lndra) who carries the thunderbolt
in h i s hand . (37) Bent low (with reverence), Bharata then sa­
luted h is (elder) brother, Sri Ra ma, who stood i n the fo repa rt of
the aerial car (even) a s one would sal ute the sun appea ring on
Mount Meru. (38) D u ly permitted by Sri Ram a , the said aerial
ca r, which was u nsurpassed (by another), had a swa n (as it
were) yoked to it and was endowed with extraordinary speed,
-descended to the earth's surface. (39) Feeling delig hted when
nfted on to that aerial ca r and a pproaching Sri Ra ma, Bharata
of unfailing prowess, g reeted h i m once more . ( 40) Fully rising
(from h is seat) and placing on his lap Bharata who had fal len
with i n the range of his sight after a long time, Sri Rama (a
scion of Ka kutstha ) joyfu lly em braced h i m . ( 4 1 ) Approaching
Lak�mar:ia (and embracing him) as also Sita ( a princ_e ss of the
Videha territory), Bharata, the scourg e of h i s enemies there­
u pon joyously sal uted her and mentioned his name too. (42)
Bharata (son of Ka ikeyi) also embraced Sugriva (the ruler of
mon keys), J a m bavan (the king of bears) and Arigada (son of
Vali, Sugriva's elder b rother), as a lso Mainda, Dwivida, Nila and

253
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

f3,.$a bha, too . ( 43) He further embraced fu lly Su$eoa and Na la

(son of Viswaka rma, who constructed the bridge across the
sea), Gavak$a, Gandhamadana, Sara bha, as well as Panasa .
(44) Assum i n g a h u man semblance, the celebrated monkeys,
a ble to change their form at will, felt hig h ly rejoiced, duly i n ­
quired o f Bharata his welfare on that occasion. (45)
Embraci ng Sugriva, the foremost of mon keys, pri nce Bhara­
ta, a jewel a mong the vi rtuous, who was endowed with ex­
traordinary energy, said, "You a re a fifth brother to us fou r
(brothers),O Sugriva ! A friend i s m ade through (beneficence
actuated by) goodwi l l (and a friend is as good as a brother),
while maleficence is that which disti nguishes an enemy." (46-
47) To Vibhi$aoa as well, did Bharata then address the fol low­
i n g kind words: - " By good fortune an exceeding ly difficult
task has been accomplished by you as an a l ly (of Sri Rama) ."
(48) Havi ng greeted Sri Ra ma as well as La k$maoa (his elder
twi n), the va liant Satrughna too bowed reverently at the feet of
Sita on that occasio n . ( 49)
Approaching f<a usalya (his own mother), who looked pa le
and had got emaciated through g rief ( born of sepa ration from
her husba nd as wel l as from her two sons and daug hter-i n­
law), Sri Rama, who was bent low (with reverence), clasped
the feet of her mother, bringing excessive delight to her mind.
(50) Havin g g reeted Sumitra (the mother of Lak$maoa and
Satrughna) as wel l as the i l l ustrious Kaikeyi ( Bharata's mother,
who had brought renown to Sri Rama and ha ppiness to gods
and f3,.$iS, nay, to the entire u n iverse), he then approached (and
greeted) all (the rest of) his mothers as well as Sage Vasi$tha
(his fam ily priest) . ( 5 1 )
With joined palms a l l the citizens (of Ayodhya) said to Sri
Rama, " Blessed is you r arriva l here, 0 mighty-armed pri nce, the
enha ncer of Ka usalya's delight!" (52) Sri Ra ma, the elder broth­
er of Bha rata, beheld thousa nds of joinei:l palms held tightly by
the citizens like (so many) ful l-blow n lotuses. (53) Taking the
wooden sandals bestowed on him by Sri Rama, Bharata fo r his
part, who knew what is right, hi mself placed them below the

25 4
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

feet of Sri Rama (a ru ler of m e n ) . With joined palms the said

Bharata spoke to Sri Rama : - " Here is you r entire kingdom held
i n trust (by me) so long, rendered back (to you) by me. (54-55)
Acco m p l ished of pu rpose is my birth today and my desire (too)
stands consu m mated in that I see you, its king come back to
Ayodhya. (56) Review you you r exchequer, storehouses, palace
and a rmy. Everyth ing has been increased tenfold by me by vir­
tue of your moral force ."(57) Seeing the said Bharata, who was
(so) fond of his elder brother, spea kin g as a bove, the monkeys
began to shed tears as a lso the ra kshasa, Vibhi$aQa . (58)
Placing Bharata on his la p in excessive joy, Sri Rama (a sci­
on of Rag hu) then flew with his (entire) army (of monkeys
and bea rs) i n that aerial car to the hermitage of Bharata . (59)
Alighti ng from the top of the aerial car with the a rmy on reach-:
ing the hermitage of Bharata, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu)
stood o n the g round for the time being . (60) Sri Rama for his
part then said to that aerial ca r, which was unsu rpassed (by
any other), " Let thee be gone and serve as a transport to the
g lorious Kubera (son of Sage Visrava ) . I g ra nt you l eave (to
depart)." (61) Proceeding in a northerly direction when d u ly
permitted by S ri Ra ma, that aerial car, which was unsurpassed
( by a ny other), then flew to the (celestial) a bode of Ku bera
(the bestower of riches) . (62) Impelled by the advice,. of Sri
Rama, the h eavenly aeria l car, Pu$paka, which had (once) been
seized by the ra kshasa ( Ravar:ia) returned with a l l speed to Ku­
bera . (63) Lovingly pressing the feet of his fam i ly priest (sage
Vasi$tha), who was h is (great) well-wisher, (even) as Indra,
the suzera i n lord of i m morta ls, would press the feet of Sage
Brhaspati (the preceptor of g ods), the powerful Sri Ra ma (a
scion of Ragh u ) sat by his very side though apart (from him)
on a splendid seat. (64)

* * *

255
Rama is enthroned, circa 1 725/50, Mughal style
Museum Rietberg, Zurich
 Sita 's Ordeal and return to Ayodhya

Ca nto CXXVIII

Placing his joined p a l m s on h is head ( a s a token o f sub­

mission), Bharata, the enha ncer of Ka ikeyi's joy submitted (as
follows) to his elder brother Sri Rama, of u nfa i l l i n g prowess :
-
(1)
"Thi s kingdom (of Ayodhya) was bestBwed on me (by you)
and my mother (too) was gratified (thereby) . I (for my part
here by) give it back to you (j ust) as you conferred it on me."
(2) . . .

257
 Rama and Sita, Pahari, 1 9'h century
Courtesy: Govt. Museum and Art Ga'uery, Chandigarh (India)
 (vi ) Sita is exi led

Ca nto XLIII (Utta ra ka Qc;ta)

ise and witty narrators used t o sit a round t h e king

W reciti ng va rious kinds of stories. (1) Vijaya, Madhu­

matta, Kasya pa, Marigala, Kula, Suraji, Ka liya, Bhadra,
Dantavaktra and Su magadha used to na rrate with great delight
va rious kinds of h u m orous stories to the hig h-souled Ra ma.
(2-3)
After sometime, d u ring the course of the na rration of a cer­
tai n story, Sri Ra ma (a scion of Ragh u ) i nq u i red : - " Bhadra !
What are the tal ks of the town and the kin gdom? (4) What
a re the people of the town and the country ta l king a bout me
and a bout Sita, Bharata and Lak$mar:ta and what i ndeed a bout
Satrughna and mother Kaikeyi? Kings are criticized in the for­
ests and in the ki ngdom ." (5-6)
O n being thus q u estioned by Sri Ra ma, Bhadra with his
palms joined together replied : - "O Ki ng! Everything is stable
and a uspicious are the ta lks of the citizens. (7) 0 gentle one,
the best of men ! It is indeed the conquest gai ned by ki l l ing
Ravai:ia (the ten-headed monster) which is bein g mainly tal ked
a bout by the citizens i n the town ." (8) Havi ng been thus replied
to by Bhadra, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) spoke the fol lowing
words: - " Leaving nothing, tel l me everything exactly a s it is.
What a re the good and ill words that the citizens spea k? Now
after havi ng heard, I shall practise what is good and refrai n
from evi l actions.(9-10) Tell m e with confidence and without
fear and mental anguish, what ill the people in the town and in

259
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

the country a re speaking (a bout me)?" ( 1 1)

On bei ng thus spoken to by Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu),
Bhadra on his part with a com posed mind a nd with palms joined
together replied to the mighty-a rmed Sri Ra ma in these pleas­
ing words. ( 1 2) "O King ! Listen how the citizens ta l k good and
i l l words (a bout you) at the crossroads, in the markets, on the
streets, in the forests and in the groves. ( 1 3) ' By constructi ng a
bridge across the sea, Sri Rama has performed a difficult feat,
un heard of as havi ng been accompl ished by former kings and
even by gods and demons.( 14) Besides, Rava r:ia, difficult to be
va nquished, was killed a long with his a rmy and mou nts. The
Vanara and the �k$a alongwith the Rak$asas were brought un­
der contro l . ( 15) Having ki l led Rava r:ia in battle and fetched Sri
Sita, Sri Rama (a scion of Raghu) took her into his house again,
renouncing anger (caused by the poll uti ng touch of Rava r:i a ) .
( 16) What must be the pleasure in his hea rt born o u t of conj u­
gation with Sri Sita ? Why does not Sri Ra ma censure her, who
formerly had been forci bly carried away by Rava r:ia, placed in
his lap and ta ke'n to La rika, who went into the Asoka grove and
remai ned under the control of the Rak$asas. Such conduct of
our wives sha l l have to be suffered by us a lso, since whatever
a king does, the subjects follow.' ( 1 7-19) Th us, 0 King, the
citizens of a l l the towns and the cou ntryside pass rema rks in so
many ways." (20)
Havi ng heard this statement of his, Sri Rama (a scion of
Raghu) as if stricken with g rief spoke to all the friends, "Tell

260
 Sita is exiled

me how it is." ( 2 1 ) Bending respectfu lly so low as to touch the

ground by the head, and sal uting, a l l of them - each a picture
of pity - rep lied, to Sri Ram a (a scion of Rag h u ), " N o dou bt,
th is is so." (22) Havi n g heard then the words spoken by a l l of
them , Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha), the extermi nator of en­
emies dismissed the friends at that ti m e . (23)

Ca nto XLIV

Then, havi ng sent away the group of friends and havi ng

made up his mind through i n tel lect Sri Ra ma (a scion of Raghu)
spoke these words to the door-keepe r seated nea rby : - ( 1 )
"Bri n g i mmediately Su mitra 's son La k$mar:ia, endowed with
a uspicious marks, the highly i l l ustrious Bharata and the u ncon­
quered Satrug h na ." (2)
Having hea rd Sri Ra ma's order the doorkeeper placed his
hands with pa l ms joi n ed together on the forehead (as a mark of
respect) and having set forth to Lak$ma r:ia's residence entered
the same u n h i ndered. (3) Wishing prosperity to the emi nently
h i g h -souled La k$mar:ia a nd with his palms joi ned together he
said, "The Kin g desi res to see you . Go there, do not delay." (4)
"Very wel l ! " Having said so a n d havi ng received the com mand
of Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) Lak$mar:ia (the son of S u mitra )
mounting a chariot d rove speedily to the residence of Sri Rama
(a scion of Rag hu).
H aving seen Lak$mar:ia departing, the doorkeeper went to
Bharata a n d there having wished prosperity a nd having bowed
down with h u m i l ity with his palms joined together, said to
Bharata, "The King desires to see you ." On hearing from the
doorkeeper the message sent by Sri Rama, the m i ghty Bharata
spra n g up from his seat a nd h u rriedly left on foot. Then havi ng
beheld Bharata goi ng away, the doorkeeper movi ng speedi ly to
the palace of Satrughna, said with his pa l ms joi ned together:
- "Come, come along, 0 best of the Raghus! The king de­
sires to see you . Lak$mar:ia has left ea rlier and the celebrated

261
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Bharata too." Now, hearing his words Satrughna got down from
his throne and payi ng obeisance to the ea rth with his head,
reached where Sri Rama (a scion of Rag h u ) was. Then hav­
i n g come back, the doorkeeper with his pal ms joined together
i nformed Sri Ra ma that a l l his brothers were duly present as
ordered . (6- 1 1 112)
Having heard that the pri nces had come, Sri Ra ma, his senses
agitated due to a nxiety, his mind distressed and his face down­
cast gave the fo l lowing command to the door-keeper: -"Im­
mediately, send in the pri nces close to me. ( 1 2- 13) My life rests
on them. These dea r ones constitute my very life-breath ." Then
ordered by the ki ng, these princes of steady m ind, clad in white
entered, bowing down with their pa lms joined together. Having
beheld his face l i ke the eclipsed moon and l i ke the evening sun
shorn of b ri lliance, having a lso seen the sagacious Sri Rama's
eyes fu ll of tea rs and havi ng gla nced at his face (looking) l i ke
a withered lotus, they all h u rriedly bowed down their head in
sal utation at the feet of Sri Rama and beca me tra nsfixed atten­
tively while Sri ({am a shed tears. ( 1 2- 17)
Then having em braced them between his arms and lifti ng
them up, asked them to ta ke (their) seats, the mighty Sri Ram a
veri ly made the (fol lowing) statement: - "O guardians o f the
people, you constitute a l l my possessions. You are my very l ife.
I a m (si m ply) looking after the kingdom carved out by you .
( 18-19) You have practised the teachings of the scriptures.
You have a mature intel lect. Th is problem of mine deserves
to be deliberated u pon by you a l l together, 0 guardians of the
people!" On being told thus by Sri Rama (a scion of Kakutstha)
they all beca me attentive and menta l ly ag itated (to learn) what
the King would say. (20-2 1 )

* * *

262
 Sita is exiled

Ca nto XLV

The scion of Ka kutstha bea ri ng a n emaciated face, spoke

thus to them (his b rothers), who had ta ken their seats with
dejected m i nds. ( 1 ) " Listen to me, All of you, may a l l be well
with you, i nten d not to do otherwise as I narrate the tale that
circulates a mong my citizens with rega r:.d to Sita . (2) The i l l re­
port that circulates a mong my fel low-citizen s and countrymen
is i ndeed of g reat sig n ifica nce. That ca l u m ny of mine veri ly
eats up my vitals. ( 3 ) I am born in the l i n e of g reat Ik$wakus
and Sita too comes from the noble fa mily of the high-souled
Janakas. (4) You surely know, 0 good ones, how Sita was taken
away by Rava r:ia from the lonely forest and how I va nquished
h i m . (5) Due to that it occurred to me then, that I could on no
accou nt bri ng Sita who had dwelt in La ri ka with Rava r:ia, to this
city. (6) To convince me Sita at that ti me entered the fire before
you, 0 Lak$mar:ia (son of Sumitra ) ! The god of Fi re, the bea rer
of oblations to gods, declared that Sita was free from sins, so
also Vayu, who dwells i n the sky, (so also) proclai med the two
- s u n and moon - before the gods Sita free from sins before
a l l the �$iS. In La ri ka, Sita, ( p u re of conduct) was ha nded over
to m e by Ma hendra (the lord of gods), i n the presence of the
gods a nd the Gand h a rvas a nd my inner conscience bea rs testi­
mony to her p urity a n d nobility. (7- 10)
"Then havi ng accepted Sita, I have come to Ayod hya . This
has now become for me a stern condemnation and g rief has
made its home in my heart. The condemnation of the people is
indeed great; there is also the condemnation of the assembly
of the people and as long as it circulates one fa lls in the lower
regions (hell ) . ( 1 1- 1 2)
"Any blemish is condemned even by the gods a n d effu lgence
is worshipped i n the world. ( 13) Indeed a l l g reat souls endea­
vour for refu lgence, 0 heroes among men. Blemished by the
public censure, I ca n even give up my l ife or a ba ndon you all
who are bulls among men, what then to spea k of Sita? All of

263
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

you see me submerged in the ocean of sorrow. ( 14-15) I do

not see a ny greater misfortune than this. 0 La k$mar:ia (son
of Sumitra), ascending the cha riot driven by Suma ntra, and
seating Sita therein , leave her beyond the confines of the king­
dom. On the other side of the Gariga, is the hermitage of the
g reat sage Val miki that looks l i ke a celesti a l a bode on the river
Tamasa. There in that desolate place, O La k$mar:ia (a scion of
Raghu) leavi ng her ( Sita) retu rn i mmediately. Do what I say,
and (remember) I a m not to be countered by any statement in
regard to Sita. ( 16- 19)
"Therefore 0 La k$mar:ia (son of Sumitra), go soon and carry
out my behest. I prohi bit you by the force of my life and up to
its extreme end, on the sentence of a cu rse, that anyone who
speaks to me after I have spoken, to pacify me i n any man­
ner, wil l have acted against my welfa re, on account of having
destroyed what is the highest good for me. If you a re steadfast
u nder my command, then obey me and ta ke away Sita from
here, this very day. Do what I say. 'I wish to behold the herm it­
age on the ban� of the Ganga', thus she had told me fo rmerly,
now fulfi l ! this desi re ." Thus sayi ng, Sri Ra ma (the descendant
of Kakutstha), whose eyes were submerged with tea rs, ta ki ng
. leave of his brothers, entered his own apa rtment with his heart
submerged i n sorrow and sighed heavily l i ke a n elephant. (20-
25)

Ca nto X LVI

Then as the night passed away, La k$mar:ia in a hel pless state

of mind and bearing a dra ined face spoke thus to Su mantra :
- ( 1 ) "O Cha rioteer, yoke the swift horses to the best cha riot
and equ i p it with a well spread-out couch for Sita, as ordered
by the King. (2) Sita has to be taken to the hermitage of the
pious sages at the command of the king, please do not delay
in bringing the chariot". (3) "May it be so!", repl ied Suman­
tra . After havi ng brought the grand, roya l cha riot, bea utifu lly

264
 Sita is exlled

sha ped and well -eq u i pped with comforta ble couches, yoked
with the best horses, Suma ntra spoke thus a g a i n to La k$ma1Ja
(son of Sum itra), whose presence bestows great honour upon
his friends : - "The cha riot is ready, O Lord, ki ndly proceed to
do what is neccessa ry." (4-5)
Thus spoken to by Sumantra, La k$ma1Ja, the fore most of
men, after having entered the roya l palace approached Sita
and said (to her) : - " By you, 0 auspicious one, a boon was
·
asked of our Lord SrT Ra ma the king, i n reg a rd to seeing the
herm itages. The ki ng has approved a nd I have been ordered to
ta ke you to the hermitages. (6-7) O Your Majesty Sita, by the
biddi n g of o u r Lord I have been asked to ta ke you q uickly to
the auspicious abodes of the �$is located on the ba n ks of the
Gariga. Therefore, you wi ll be taken to the forest i n ha bited by
the a ustere teachers." Thus addressed by the noble La k$ma1Ja,
Sita (the daughter of the ki ng of Videha) was exceedi n g ly happy
and agreed to depart. Sita (the daug hter of the ki ng of Videha)
ta ki ng with her those costly garments and gems said, "I shall
distribute these garments and costly gems of various types to
the wives of the a ustere teachers." La k$ma1Ja (son of Sumitra)
fully approved of her desire and havi ng seated Sita (the daugh­
ter of the ki ng of Mithila) in the chariot, keeping in m i nd the
order of Sri Ra ma d rove on with speedy horses. Then Sita ad­
dressed La k$ma1Ja, the enhancer of prosperity th us (8- 13) : "O
Lak$ma1Ja (the descendant of Rag h u ) , I see ill omens i n abun­
da nce, my eye throbs and my li mbs sh iver. O Lak$ma1Ja (son of
Sumitra), my heart seems to be distressed,· g reat a nxiety ails
me and my forbea ra nce fa ils completely. ( 14- 15) O la rge-eyed
one a nd l over of brothers Lak$mar:ia, the ea rth seems a void,
may a l l be well with your brother; a nd may welfa re a nd well
bei ng, be with a l l my mothers-in-law too in eq ual measure and
with a l l beings in the town a nd country." ( 16-17)
Th us Sita prayed to the gods with folded hands; La k$ma 1Ja
then heari ng this a nd payi ng homage to Sita (the daug hter of the
Lord of Mith ila), with his head bowed a nd keeping a contented
appeara nce though his heart was withered, sai d : " May a l l be

265
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

well". Havi ng reached the a bode at the Asrama on the ba nks

of the Gomati, and again havi ng risen at the brea k of dawn,
Lak$mar:ia (the son of Sumitra), add ressed the Charioteer th us:
"You yoke the cha riot soon, I shal l bear the waters of Gariga
on my head as the Lord Siva (the th ree-eyed god) did with
prowess." The Charioteer having yoked the horses to the chariot
who had a speed eq ual to that of the mind, with folded hands
asked Sita (the daug hter of the Lord of Mith i l a) to ascend and
she ascended the splendid cha riot as requested . Sita of large
eyes, together with La k$mar:ia (son of Sumitra) and the wise
Sumantra reached the Gariga, the dispeller of a l l sins. ( 1 8-23)
After having spent half a day and as he gazed intensely at
the surging waters of the Gariga, the utterly helpless Lak$mar:ia
bu rst out weeping, loudly. (24) The well com posed Sita, know­
er of good conduct, seeing La k$mar:ia gripped with grief, ut­
tered thus: - "Why do you cry? H avi ng reached the banks of
the Ga riga wh ich has been awaited joyously for a long ti me by
me and at this moment of my joy, 0 Lak$mar:ia, why do you fi ll
me with sorrow?, (25-26) . As you remain close i n the vicinity of
Ra ma everyday, 0 best of men, is it that sepa rated as you a re
from him for two nights you a re grieved? (27) Sri Rama, for me
too, is dea rer even than my life, but no sorrow comes to me.
Do not be overpowered by childishness. ( 28)
"Take me across the Gariga, and show me those who are a b­
sorbed in a u sterities. I shall give to a l l the revered teachers the
ga rments a n d the ornaments and having paid homage to the
great �$is according to their position, and spending one night
there, we shall again return to the city. (29-30) My heart too,
u rges me on to see that one of lotus-eyes, the lion-breasted
one, with a slender waist, the best of those that please (all)."
( 3 1 ) La k$mar:ia, the destroyer of the heroes a mong foes, hear­
ing these words, wiped his eyes d ry and sum moned the boat­
men . The ferry-men with folded hands ·replied th us: - "This
boat has been made fit and is wel l equi pped ". (32). Desi ring to
cross the holy Ga ri ga, Lak$mar:ia ascended the boat, and fu l ly
composed, made her cross the Gari g a . (33)

266
 Sita is exiled

Ca nto XLVII

Then La k!;imar:ia (the you nger brother of Ra ma) ascended the

boat (brought by) the N i!;iada, which was spacious and well fur­
n ished, seati ng Sita (the pri ncess of M ithila) fi rst. ( 1 ) La k!;imar:ia
struck with grief orde red Suma ntra to stay with the chariot on
the other ba n k of the Ga riga and told the ferryma n to steer
the boat. (2) The n on reaching the other ba n k of the Gariga,
La k!;imar:ia with fol ded hands and face covered with tea rs ut­
tered the fol l owing words: -(3)
" My heart is pierced by a mighty dart as I have been en­
trusted to ca rry out this task (so cruel) a nd ( made) worthy of
censu re ( by people). (4) A death-like tortu re or even death
wou ld have been preferred by me. But I should not have been
employed in such a task deservi ng popul a r condemnation. (5) I
beg of you do not consider this as my fa u lt, 0 auspicious one."
Saying these words with folded ha nds La k!;imar:ia fel l on the
gro u nd (before Sita ) . (6)
Seeing La k!;imar:ia cryi ng with folded hands a nd wishing for
his death, the daug hter of the lord of Mithila (Sita), greatly
overpowered with g rief, sa id to Lak!;imar:ia : -"I do not know
what this is, speak out the truth . It seems you do not keep wel l ,
n o r is the ki ng (Rama) ha ppy. You a re i ndeed sworn b y t t.l e ki ng
as you seem to be i n agony, so speak out before me, this is my
com mand." (7-9)
U rged by Sita (the daughter of the Lord of Videha), La k!;imar:ia
in a helpless state of mind, and with face downward, with tea rs
(choking) his throat spoke out. ( 10) "O daughter of Janaka
(Sita), hea ring the most pai nfu l i l l-report ci rcu lating a mong the
citizens and countrymen, in the presence of the cou rtiers, Sri
Ra m a struck with grief, conveyi ng to me (the report), entered
the i n ner apartment. The sha mefu l words that pierced the
heart of the ki ng a re not i ndeed to be uttered (before you), and
hence I refrai n from uttering them. ( 1 1-12) The ki ng affected

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

by the ill-report circu lati ng a mong the citizens - although you

were proved to be free from blem ishes (by the gods) even i n
m y presen ce - h a s forsaken you . You should take this, 0 aus­
picious Majesty, as a n act resulti ng from the condemnation by
the people and you should not take it otherwise . You a re to be
left near the hermitage by m e . Bearing in mind the orders of
the king and as wel l as the desi re of the preg nant woman (that
has to be fulfi l led). Do not be dejected, here is that beauti­
ful and holy pena nce-grove of the Brahmar!;iis, (where dwells)
the famous B rahmar$i Val miki, who was a close friend of my
father, ki ng Dasa ratha, and is the foremost a mong the seers .
Approaching him for shelter, do dwell observi ng fasts and rely­
ing on you r steadfast loyalty to Ram a forever in you r heart, O
a uspicious one, i n this manner you r highest welfare shall be
achieved." ( 13-18)

Ca nto XL VIII
,

Sita the daughter of the lord of Videhas, hearing the dread­

ful words of Lak!;ima oa fell on the ground in utter despondency.
( 1 ) That da ughter of Janaka (Sita) swooned as it were, for a
while and then with tear-fil led eyes, spoke these words i n ut­
ter helplessness, to Lak!;im a o a . (2) "Th is mortal fra me of mine
was i ndeed created by the creator for sorrow, 0 Lak!;imai:ia, and
hence seems today the very embodi ment of sorrow. (3) What
sin did I commit or who indeed was sepa rated from his spouse,
as a result of which, I stand h ere forsaken by the king, thoug h
o f good conduct? (4) Earlier, in order to fol low Rama I stayed
with him i n the h ermitage, even though resisted, and even
though in hardship. N ow then how ca n I live in the hermitage
a l l a lone? 0 Lord, what shall I say, when enquired by the sages
a bout my m isdeeds, or a bout what caused the great-souled
scion of Rag h u to forsake me? (5-7) I can not g ive up my life
here and now, by throwing myself i n the waters of the Gariga,
for by doing so the roya l dynasty of my husba nd will be broken.

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 Sita is exiled

(8) H avi ng a ba ndoned me, the misera ble one, and placing me
in this wilderness, O son of Sumitra do as ordered by the king
but listen to what I say now. (9)
"Spea k to my mothers-in-law, without discri mination, about
my concern for their well-being, and pay obeisa nce with folded
hands at their feet and also speak to the ki ng in the sa me way.
( 1 0) Spea k to all of them O La k$mar:ia with your head bent
downwards a nd i ndeed comm u nicate this to the king, who is
so steadfast in righteousness. ( 1 1) 'O Ram a you know well
that Sita is pure and ful l of devotion and concerned a bout you r
welfa re every moment. ( 12) U nder the obl igation of avoiding
infa my a mong the people, 0 brave one, I have been exi led . I
shall avert from you the cursed censure that has befa l len you .
You are the highest path on which I ca n wa lk.' ( 13 112)
"The fol lowing should be com m u n icated to the ki ng who is
em bedded i n righteousness appropriate to a ki n g . ( 14) 'As you
treat you r brothers so should you treat a l l the people, ever
a n d ever. This is the h i ghest Dharma a nd therefore the highest
glory. ( 1 5 ) O king, the highest shoul d be sought for the people
by the path of righteousness. 0 su pre m e among men, I do not
worry a bout my own body. ( 1 6) Just as dea l i n g rightly with the
people's condemnation is supreme for the ki ng, even it is so for
the wife specially, to perform that which is beneficial for the
husband even if it has to be done by offering ones life, because
the h usba nd is for women the god, the master, the friend, the
lord a nd the preceptor.' ( 1 7) All this what I have said, you m ust
tel l briefly. You go now, having seen with you r own eyes that I
a m i n the fam i ly way." ( 18 1/2)
The helpless Lak$mar:ia, on hearin g Sita havin g spoken th us,
bowed down, touching the earth with his head but he failed to
speak. He circumambu lated Sita crying loud ly. Observi ng her
for a moment addressed her th us: "O a uspicious one, 0 flaw­
less one, what art thou sayi ng? I had never seen thy form si nce
your feet alone were the object of my vision ti ll now. Oh how
shall I behold thee separated from Ra ma i n this forest?" Thus
sayi ng to her and bowi n � to her ( La k$mar:ia) a pproached and

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

ascended the boat and urged the ferryman (to steer the boat),
then havi ng reached the Northern banks, burdened by the
weight of sorrow and as if bereft of a l l awareness, he ascended
the chariot in haste, turning again and agai n to look back at the
orpha ned Sita . The chariot sped away from her who was on the
other side of the b a n k, broken and strain ing helplessly. ( 19-24)
She was overpowered by sorrow as she saw the cha riot reced­
ing from her and with a sense of doom she strove to catch a
g l i m pse of Lak�mar:ia again and again. Buried i n grief, the noble
one, not seeing a ny protector wailed in the forest resounding
with the sound of peacocks. (25-26)

Canto XLIX

The young sons of the a u stere ones there (in the hermit­
age of Va l miki), beholding Sita sobbi ng, ra n out to where the
blessed Va l miki of g reat wisdom was. ( 1 ) Saluting the great
sage (Va lmiki) �Y touch ing his feet, they informed that they
had heard the sound of Sita cryi n g . (2) "A noble lady, never
seen by us before, spouse of some noble one, resembling the
Goddess of wealth (Sri) cries loudly in despair, with distorted
face, near the ba nks of the river; she is gri eved. We saw her
crying, overwhelmed by sorrow as she is. She does not deserve
so much suffering sire, nor should she remain l i ke an orph a n .
W e d o not feel that s h e m a y b e from h u m a n s . Please O revered
teacher, enterta i n her in a befitti ng manner. She is not fa r from
the Asrama seeking refuge from you, she is i n need of a guard­
ian and it behoves you to protect her." (3-6 V2)
Hearing their words, Va l miki the foremost of the sages,
knowing a l ready everything by virtue of a usterities stepped
rapidly towards her and reached where Sita the daughter of the
king Janaka was (sobbing) and as he strode forwa rd, the dis­
ciples of the great wise sage fol l owed h i m . Walking barefooted
and carryin g Arghya i n his ha nds, the sage Val miki reached the
shore of the Ganga and beheld Sita the consort of Sri Rama,

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 Sita is exiled

la menti n g there helplessly. (7-9)

Val mlki the foremost of a l l sages spoke these sweet words
to Sita pained by sorrow, delighti ng her as if with his powerfu l
effu lgence. ( 1 0) "You a re the daug hter-i n-law of Dasratha and
the beloved queen of Rama a nd also the daughter of the king
Janaka . Welcome to you O chaste lady! ( 1 1 ) I knew from my
subtle eyes that you were coming and the causes thereof a re
also known to me, i n my heart. ( 1 2) o. fortu n ate one, I know
of you r purity. Al l is known to me, which exist i n the th ree
worl ds. ( 1 3) Yes indeed through my i n ner eye acquired through
penance, I have perceived that you a re si n l ess. Be com posed,
0 daughter of the lord of Videha, you are now i n my charge.
( 14) N ot very fa r from the hermitage a re the female ascetics
engaged in penances. They, 0 child, shall always look after you
as a child. ( 1 5) Accept this a bl ution a n d be ca l m and free from
a l l ma ladies. As if you are ente ring you r own home, so do not
be despondent." ( 1 6)
Hearing this most wonderfu l utterance of the ascetic, doing
homage to him with h er head and with folde�d hands Sita said
-" Be it so." ( 17) Sita with folded ha nds followed the a ustere
sage.

* * *

271
 (vi i ) Luv a n d Kusa sing the Ra maya na

i n Sri Ra ma's Court

The last Ordea l of Sita

Ca nto LXXXXIV

s the night passed and the day a pproached, both ( Kusa

A and Lava) havi ng ta ken their bath and made offerings to

the fire, sang (the poem) there as instructed formerly by
the sage Val miki . That scion of Kakutstha heard that m usical
recitation accom panied with musical notes, never hea rd befo re,
composed by the former teacher ( Bharata ) . ( 1-2) Sri Ram a was
amazed on hearing (that song) set to the proper beat a nd tune
and accompanied with the lute, from the two boys. (3)
Then in the m idst of the performa nce (of the Asva medha)
the ki ng, Sri Rama the tiger a mong men, having ca l led, the
g reat men of knowledge, the other kings and the learned
citizens, the specialists in the Purar:ias, and also those aged
Bra h m a r:ias who were proficient in the knowledge of words, and
also those best among Brahma r:ias, who were cu rious to hear
(the Ra mayar:ia) and knew the specialities of m usical notes, the
knowers of a uspicious m arks, the musicians, a l l citizens, the
knowers of the relation between the syllables of sta nza and
were p roficient in metres; those who excel led in art only, and
those well-versed in astrology, knowers of ritual performances,
and also those specializing in the details of the ritual and those
skilled in suggesting remedial fo rms (of ritual), the logicians

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

and a lso the erudite ones, the verifiers and knowers of the
Purar:ias, the Vedas, the best a mong Bra h mar:ias, knowers of
the Citra (forms of the Kavya ), knowers of the SCitras on righ­
teous conduct ( DharmasCitras) and also experts in voca l music
and dance, and bringing all of them together, m ade the two
singers sit (in the assem b ly of all these) . (4- 10)
Those two sons of the sage (Kusa and Lava) then sta rted
singing, enha nci ng the joy of the assem bly who were ta lking
a mong themselves. ( 1 1) Then contin ued the celestial m usic;
a l l the listeners, despite the m usical wealth that was displayed
were left thirsti ng for more . ( 1 2) The assem bly of the sages
and the kings of great g lory, in their extreme joy were gazing
at them again and again (the two boys) as though they were
drinking in the sight of them through their eyes. ( 1 3) They
(looked) attentively and said to each other: "Both a re similar to
Sri Ram a as a reflection from the original object. ( 14) If they
were not bea ring matted hair or not dressed in ba rk-garments,
we could not differentiate between those two singers and the
descendant df Rag h u ." ( 1 5) While the citizens and townsmen
spoke in this way the first ca nto attri buted to N a rada was sung
from the beginning. ( 16)
From then on, they sang til l the twenty cantos were com­
pleted . Then in the evening Sri Rama the descendant of Raghu
affectionate to his brothers after hea ring the twenty ca ntos
spoke to his brother: "Give to these two noble ones without de­
lay, eighteen thousand gold coi ns, and whatever else they ask".
The scion of Kakutstha at once gave to those two boys sepa­
rately. ( 1 7- 19) Kusa and Lava, the noble ones, did not accept
the gold coins given to them and they said in su rprise : "Of what
use a re these for us. (20) We reside in the forest and su bsist
daily on fruits and roots. What shall we do with gold and si lver
(coins) in the forest?" ( 2 1 ) Thus as both of them spoke, those
who hea rd them a long with Sri Ra ma too were surprised and
fi l led with curiosity. (22)
Desirous to know the source of that poem, Sri Rama the
mighty one, asked the sons of the sage. ( 23) "How long is this

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 Luv and Kusa sing the Ramayana

poem? What is the obj ect of the great sage the com poser of this
poem, the best among sages?" (24) The two sons of the sage
said to the scion of Raghu, "The venerable sage Val miki is the
com poser who has come to this place of performance. By this
poem he has revealed the whole account to you . (25) Twenty­
fou r thousa nd Slokas (verses) with a h u nd red legends have
been composed by the sage Bhargava (Va lmiki the brother of
Bhrg u ) . (26) From the begin ning, O Kiag, five hundred ca ntos
with six Ka r:ic;!as ( pa rts) together with the Uttara (best Kar:ic;!a)
have been composed by the noble one, our preceptor sage
keeping in m i nd you r deeds which wi l l conti nue until people
live. (27-28) 0 great charioteer, if you have decided to hear it
then listen joyfu lly together with you r brothers, interm ittently
during the ritua l performance." (29)
"So be it" said Sri Ra ma, and the two ta ki ng leave (of Sri
Rama), went cheerfu l ly to the place where the great sage
stayed . (30) Sri Ra m a too with the sages and the noble ki ngs,
havi ng heard the sweet song, approached the place of the rit­
ual performance. ( 3 1) The song set into Chha ndas with the
appropriate words e m bellished by appropriate beats and time,
sung by Kusa and Lava with a l ute in ha rmony was heard by Sri
Ra m a . (32)

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Canto LXXXXV

Sri Rama, together with the sages, kings and monkeys heard
that most auspicious song for many days. ( 1 ) Having known
through that song, Kusa and Lava as the sons of Sita, Sri Ra m a
spoke i n that assembly. ( 2 ) Havi ng ca lled envoys o f pure con­
duct, and contem plating inwardly said to them : "Go to the ven­
erable B.$i (Valmiki) and speak to h i m my words! ( 3) If she ( Sita)
is pure of conduct, or if a l l her sins have been washed away,
then may she prove her pu rity to the great sage (Val miki) . ( 4)
After finding out the wish of the sage as also Sita's willingness
to give proof, let me know at once. (5) Let Maithili (Sita), the
daug hter of Janaka, decla re at dawn tomorrow, her oath, in the
midst of the assem bly which wi ll a lso absolve me from blem­
ish ." ( 6)
Hearing these wonderfu l words of Sri Ra ma the descendant
of Raghu, envoys nodding assent, went to the place where the
g reat sage (Val miki) stayed . (7) Having made obeisance to that
g reat sag e endowed with flaming effu lgence, they spoke the
words of Rama soft and sweet. (8) Having heard their words,
and havin g come to know the intention of Sri Ra ma, the highly
l u m i nous sage spoke th us: (9)
"So be it, welfa re be with you, Sita will go as told by Sri
Ra ma; since the h usba nd is (i ndeed) a god for the wife." ( 10)
Thus spoken to by the sage, all the royal envoys, coming back,
repeated a l l that the sage had said, to the mighty Ra m a . ( 1 1)
Then Sri Rama, the scion of Kakutstha, highly pleased on hea r­
i n g the words of Valmiki, the noble one addressed the sages
and a lso the kings assembled there. ( 1 2) "Venerabl e sages with
pupi ls, and kings with attendants, or anyone else too so desir­
ing, may witness the oath-taking of Sita ." ( 13) Hearing those
words of the noble descendant of Raghu, a l l the ch ief sages
exclaimed "May wea l ensue". ( 14) The noble kings praised in­
deed the descendant of Raghu thus: "O best a mong men, you
alone and no one else on the ea rth is worthy of this which

276
 Luv and Kusa sing the Ramayana

has been an nou nced ." ( 1 5) Th us having decl a red that the oath
would take place the next day, Sri Rama, the lion among kings,
d ismissed the assem b ly. ( 16) That lion a mong kings, the great
and magnanimous one, deciding the oath to take place next
day d ismissed all noble ones. ( 17)
,

Ca nto LXXXXVI

As the night passed the King (Sri Ra ma) the powerful one,
going to the place of sacrifice, g reeted a l l the sages - Vasi!?tha,
Vamadeva, J a bali and Kasya pa, Visvam itra, Dirghata ma, the
great ascetic Durvasa, als_o Pulastya and Sakti, Bhargava,
Vamana, M a rkar:ic;ieya the long-lived one, the famous Maudg­
a lya, Garga, Cyava na, the religious Sata n a nda, the splendrous
Bhar�dvaja, the son of Agni, the lustrous one, N a rada, Parvata,
the most fa mous Ga uta ma, Katyaya na, Suyajna and Agastya
( the g reat treasure of Ta pas). Al l these and other sages of
austere vows, fil led with ea rnest curiosity, cam e, and also the
most powerful Rakshasas and monkeys. ( 1 -7) All K!?atriyas and
SOdras and thousa nds of Vaisyas, noble ones, ca me out of cu­
riosity. (8) Brahmar:ias coming from a l l places, wel l versed in
vows and a l so all those devoted to pursu its of knowledge and
right action and to yoga, came to witness the oath-taking of
Sita . (9) Then havi ng learnt that a l l who had come, were sti l l
a n d stationa ry like a rock, the great sage ca m e soon after, ac­
companied by Sita . (10)
Sita fol lowed the sage, with face bowed down and hands
folded, ful l of tea rs, her m i nd fixed o n Sri Ram a . ( 1 1) Seeing
Sita a pproaching after Va l miki (as) the Sruti (Vedas) follows
Bra h ma (creator). (There) was a great u proa r of appreciation .
( 1 2) Thereafter there was a l l over the sound of sorrowfu l sighs
from those who were distressed with g rief a rising out of vast
suffering. ( 13 ) Som e said : " May weal , come S ri Rama", while
others said : " May weal ensue Sri Sita ." Both therefore were
praised by other spectators. ( 14) Then in the m idst of that as-

277
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

sembly of men the great sage entering, accompanied by Sita,

spoke th us to the descenda nt of Rag h u . ( 1 5)
"O Rama, son of Dasaratha, Sita, fu lly devoted to right ob­
servances, guided by Dharma, was left near my hermitage on
account of public censure . ( 1 6) O Rama, you who a re devoted
to the great vows of austerity, but who a re u nder the pressu re
of public opinion, Sita wi l l give to you proof and you shou ld
g ive your permission to do so. ( 17) These twin sons of Sita
a re indeed you r sons, difficult to conq uer (by foes) ; this is the
truth, I tel l you . ( 18) O descendant of Rag h u, I am the tenth
son of Praceta (Va rur:ia ) . I do not remember having spoken
u ntruth. These twi ns a re verily you r sons. ( 1 9) I have prac­
tised pena nces for many thousand years - may I not obta i n
t h e fruits there of, i f Maithill (Sita) is poll uted . (20) No s i n has
been com m itted by me in my ea rlier life th rough mi nd, speech
or action; may I g a i n the fru it (of this si nless conduct) if Sita i s
sin less. ( 2 1 ) O Rama, I accepted Sita in the wilderness of the
forest after having considered fu l ly that in a l l the five elements
as a lso in the sixth element of the mind, she was pure. (22)
This sinless, pure of cond uct Sita, looking u pon her husba nd
as the only god, shall give assuran ce to you, who a re u nder
the pressu re of public opinion. (23) Therefore, 0 son of the
g reatest of men, I have seen through divine vision that she is
perfectly pure and that she was forsaken by you on account of
public censure that considered her to be pol luted, even thoug h
you knew you r most beloved to b e chaste." (24)

Ca nto LXXXXVII
Thus spoken to by Va lmlki , the scion of Raghu, replied with
folded ha nds seeing the beautifu l complexioned one (Sita)
within the sight of everybody. ( 1 ) "O holy one, this is as you
say, O knower of l aw, O Brahmar:ia, by you r gui ltless words,
I am assu red . (2) Sita (the daughter of Videha) had a l ready
assured (us of her pure conduct) in front of the gods and had

278
 Luv and Kusa sing the Ramayana

taken oath and then was she allowed to enter the i n ner apart­
ments. (3)
" Public opinion has a supervening power; it is for th is reason
that Maith i li (Sita) was forsaken .
" I forsook this Sita, O Bra h mar:ia, due to pressu re of cen­
sure, althoug h knowin g that she was sin less, so please forgive
me. (4) I know these two a re my sons, the twins, Kusa and
Lava ; let her chastity be acknowledged by the world and let my
love be restored to me." ( 5)
Knowi ng the intention of Sri Rama, a l l the g reat gods, came
for the oath-ta ki ng of Sita . (6) Havi ng Brahma at their head,
the Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Visvadevas, the hosts of M aruts, a l l
the Sadhya g ods, a l l great sages, t h e Nagas, Suparr:ias a n d the
Siddhas, a l l came joyfu lly. (7-8) Seeing a l l the gods and sages,
who had come for the oath-ta ki ng, the scion of Rag h u again
sai d :
- "O best of the gods, by the g ui ltless words of the sage
(Val miki), I stand confirmed . (9) Having been declared pure in
the m idst of the people, m ay my love for Sita be restored to
m e ." ( 10)
Then the holy and pure wind-god blew emitting divine fra­
g ra n ce and ca used the joy of all, on a l l sides. ( 1 1) That won­
derfu l and u n conceivable happeni n g as used to be in Krtayuga
(golden age of Truth), was seen by a l l men coming from va rious
countries. ( 1 2) Sita wea ri ng a brown ga rment, havi ng seen a l l of
them arrived, with folded hands, keeping her gaze downwards
and face cast down said : ( 13) "Ars I have n ot contem plated
about anyone other than the scion of Raghu, even in m ind, so
the goddess Madhavi (the ea rth-goddess) m ay provide space
to me (to e nter) . ( 14) As I worshi p Sri Rama, in mind, speech
and action, so the spouse of Madhava (the ea rth-goddess) may
g rant space to me to enter. ( 1 5) As I have spoken the truth that
I do not know anyone except Sri Rama, so the earth-goddess
may g rant space to me." ( 16)
Then as Sita the daughter of Videha was ta king oath, a su­
premely divine throne, spra ng up and arose from the interior
of the earth, borne on the heads of i m measurably powerful

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

N agas (serpe nts) who were adorned with divine ornaments,

and looked d ivi ne in form. ( 17-18) The ea rth goddess, welcom­
ing her with words of welcome, and takin g her by her hands
made Sita seated o n the seat of that throne. ( 19) Seeing Sita
thus seated entering the depths of the earth, a divine shower
of flowers in succession covered Sita . (20) All of a sudden from
the gods a rose loud cries: " May weal ensue, May weal ensue,
O Sita, purity inca rnate, thou who bea rest such an exempla­
ry cha racter". Thus and with numerous such words the gods,
whose hearts were g reatly g ratified on seeing Sita's entry into
the depths of the ea rth, retired into the invisible horizons. ( 2 1 -
2 2 ) All sages a n d kings, tigers a mong m e n , that h a d come
to the place of the ritual performance, were speech less with
wonder and asto nishment. (23) In the firmament, on ea rth
a l l movable and stationary ( beings), the mighty sons of Dan u
(devils) and overlords o f serpents acclaimed her. ( 24) Some
rejoiced others fixed thei r gaze on ( Sita), while others looked
at Sri Rama, some were g ratified and some were a bsorbed i n
contemplation. (125) Al l had become u nited on seeing the entry
of Sita into the ea rth; and at that moment, the enti re world
stood entranced having felt its deep sign ificance. (26)

Ca nto LXXXXVIII

When Sita had entered the earth, a l l the monkeys and · the
sages excla i med " M ay weal come" in the presence of Sri Ra ma.
(1) Propping himself against the wooden pillar, with his eyes af­
fl icted by tea rs, head downcast in mental agony, Sri Ra ma was
struck with g rief. (2) Weepi ng long and shedding tea rs in pro­
fusion, possessed of (both) a nger and sorrow, he said. (3) "A
sorrow not experienced before, is about to overpower my mind
as Sita, beautifu l as the goddess of wealth inca rnate, has been
destroyed j ust before my eyes. (4) She who had similarly dis­
appeared when carried away to Lari ka beyond the ocea n; even
then I brought her back from there; why n ot from the depths

280
 Sita returns to Mother Earth, detail ,
Kangra, circa AD 1 8 1 0, National Museum, Delhi
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

of the Ea rth? He spoke : (5) "O goddess of Ea rth venerable one,

retu rn to me my Sita or else I wi l l manifest my wrath in the
way in which you know of m e . (6) You indeed a re my mother­
in-law, since Maith i ll (Sita) was long ago, raised u p from you r
depths when Janaka was ti l ling the earth with a golden plou g h .
( 7 ) Therefore either return Sita o r else grant space t o m e , I
wi l l stay with her in the depths of the ea rth or in heaven. (8)
Restore that Sita of mine; I have gone mad for her; if you will
not give back to me Sita as she was on this earth, I shall render
you unsta ble in you r enti rety, incl uding all the mou ntains and
forests; I shall destroy the whole e a rth - m ay the waters flood
over the enti re earth ." (9-10)
O n bei ng spoken to thus, by the scion of Kakutstha, accom­
panied with anger and sorrow, Bra h ma together with the gods
spoke to the descendant of Rag h u . ( 1 1 ) "O Ra ma, O Sri Ram a ,
possessor o f good vows, please do not be g rieved, recal l you r
previous form a n d advice (to the gods), 0 destroyer of foes:
( 1 2) I do not dare remind you (of you r former form) O one of
long a rms, but ( �ray to you) to remember at this moment, you r
incarnation (of Vi$Q U), 0 o n e difficult to conquer. ( 1 3) The p u re
and noble Sita devoted to yourself as before, has g one to the
ha ppy Naga loka in the depths of the earth by the power of pen­
a nces in the form of complete surrender to you . ( 14) You r union
with her wi l l again ta ke place in heaven, listen to what I say
in the midst of this assembly. ( 15) This poem (the Ramaya l) a )
dedicated t o you that you have heard is the best a mong a l l
poems, there i s no doubt 0 Rama, that i t s h a l l describe ev­
erything in deta i l . ( 16) In this poem a l l has been described by
Val miki, a l l happiness and sorrow that you have experienced
from you r birth, and a lso after that what you will (experience)
in the future. ( 1 7) This first and foremost among poems, O
Rama, is enti rely based on you . N o one other than you will be
possessed of fa me (to be described) by the poems. ( 18) I have
hea rd a l l this formerly together with the gods, a l l wonderfu l
and possessed of true statements with noth ing concea led . ( 19)
So you, 0 lion a mong men, scion of Ka kutsthas should ca refu l ly

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 Luv and Kusa sing the Ramayana

liste n to the remaining portion of the Ra mayar:ia poem (dealing

with) ha ppeni ngs of the futu re . (20) The remaining part of this
poe m , O fa mous One, is known as (Uttara ka r:i<;la); O powerfu l
one, listen to it possessed of excellence with the sages. ( 2 1 ) 0
scion of Kakutsth a, this best (portion) is indeed not to be heard
by anyone else (com posed by) the great sage, 0 brave hero
(it is to be heard) only by you ." (22) Havi ng spoken this m uch,
Bra h ma, the lord of the three worlds, .went to heaven together
with the other gods. (23)
The noble and splendorous sages belonging to the world of
Bra h ma bei ng ordered by B rahma, retu rned, havi ng a mind to
hea r what will happen to the scion of Rag h u thereafter in the
futu re . Then the most powerfu l Sri Ra ma after hearing the holy
words spoken by the God of gods ( Bra hma) said to Va l miki : "O
revered teacher, the Uttara ka r:i<;la pertaining to what (wi ll hap­
pen to) me i n the futu re, that the sages of the world of Brahma
desi re to hear, may be described tomorrow." Havi ng decided
thus and taking hold of Kusa and Lava, Sri Ra ma, leavi ng that
assem bly of men went to his a rbou r - (and) as he kept think­
ing of Sita, that night passed . ( 24-28)

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 APPENDICES

Sri Au robi ndo on the Ra maya na

he p u re literature of the period is represented by the

T two g reat epics, the Mahabharata, which gathered into

its vast structure the g reater part of the poetic activity of ·
the Indian mind during several centu ries, and the Ramayana .
These two poems a re epical in their motive and spi rit, but they
a re not l i ke a ny other two epics in the world, but a re e ntirely of
their own kind anil subtly different from others in their principle.
It is . not only that a lthough they contain a n early heroic story
and a tra nsm utation of many primitive elements, their form
belongs to a period of highly developed intellectual, eth ical and
social cu lture, is en riched with a body of mature thought a n d
uplifted b y a ripe nobi lity and refined g ravity o f ethical tone a n d
therefore these poems a re quite diffe rent from pri mitive edda
and saga and g reater in breadth of view and substa nce a nd
height of motive - I do not speak now of aesthetic quality and
poetic perfection - than the Homeric poems, while at the same
time there is stil l an ea rly breath, a d i rect and straightforwa rd
vigour, a freshness and greatness and pulse of life, a simplicity
of strength and bea uty that makes of them quite another ki nd
than the elaborately constructed lite ra ry epics of Vi rg i l or Mil­
ton, Firdausi or Ka lidasa. This pecul i a r blending of the natura l
breath of a n early, heroic, swift and vigorous force of life with
a strong development and a ctivity of the ethical, the i ntel lec­
tual , even the philosophic mind is indeed a remarka ble feature;

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 Appendix I

these poems a re the voice of the youth of a people, but a youth

not only fresh and fi n e and b uoyant, but also g reat and accom­
plished, wise and noble. This however is only a temperamenta l
d istinction : there is a nother that i s more far-reaching, a differ­
ence in the whole conception, fu nction and structu re.
One of the elements of the old Vedic education was a know­
ledge of significa nt tradition, itihasa, and it is this word that
was used by the a n cient critics to distLnguish the M a h a bharata
and the Ramayana from the later literary epics. The Iti hasa was
an ancient historical or legendary tradition tu rned to creative
use as a significant myth us or tale expressive of some spiri­
tual or religious or ethica l or ideal meaning and thus formative
of the mind of the people. The Mahabharata and Ramayana
a re Iti hasas of this kind on a large sca le and with a massive
pu rpose. The poets who wrote and those who added to these
g reat bodies of poetic writi ng did not intend merely to tel l an
ancient ta le in a bea utiful or noble manner or even to fashion
a poem pregnant with m uch richness of interest and meaning,
though they did both these things with a high success; they
wrote with a sense of their fu nction as a rchitects and scul ptors
of l ife, creative exponents, fashioners of sig nificant forms of
the national thought and religion and .eth ics and cultu re . A pro­
fou n d stress of thought on life, a large and vital view of rel igion
and society, a certa in stra in of phi losophic idea runs through
these poems and the whole a n cient cu lture of India is em bod­
ied in them with a g reat force of intel lectua l conception and
livi ng presentation. The M a h a bharata has been spoken of as a
fifth Veda, it has been said of both these poems that they a re
not only g reat poems but D h a rmashastras, the body of a large
religious and ethical and socia l and politica l teaching, and their
effect and hold on the mind and life of the people have been so
g reat that they have been described as the bi ble of the Indian
people. That is not q uite an a ccurate analogy, for the bible of
the Indian people contains also the Veda and Upanishads, the
Purana a nd Tantras and the Dharmashastras, not to speak of
a l a rge bulk of the religious poetry in the reg iona l lang uages.

285
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

The work of these epics was to popula rise high phi losophic a n d
ethical idea and cultura l practice; i t was to th row out promi­
nently and with a seizing relief and effect i n a frame of great
poetry and on a backg round of poetic story a n d · around signifi­
cant personalities that beca me to the people abiding national
memories and representative fig u res a l l that was best in the
soul and thought or true to the life or real to the creative imagi­
nation and ideal mind or cha racteristic and ill uminative of the
social, ethical, political and religious culture of Indi a . All these
thi ngs were brought together and disposed with a rtistic power
and a tel l i n g effect in a poetic body given to traditions half leg­
endary, half historic but cherished henceforth as deepest and
most living truth and as a part of their rel igion by the people.
Thus framed the Mahabharata and Ramayana, whether in the
original Sanskrit or rewritten in the regional tongues, brought
to the masses by Kathakas, - rhapsodists, reciters and ex­
egetes, - became and remained one of the chief i nstru ments
of popular education and culture, mou lded the thoug ht, char­
acter, aesthetic afld rel igious m i nd of the people and gave even
to the i l literate some sufficient ti nctu re of phi losophy, ethics,
socia l and politica l ideas, aesthetic emotion, poetry, fiction and
roma nce. That which was for the cultured classes conta i ned in
Veda and Upanishad, shut into profound phi losophica l a phorism
and treatise or inculcated in Dharmashastra and Arthashastra,
was put here into creative and living figu res, associated with
fa miliar story and legend, fused i nto a vivid representation of
life and thus made a near and l ivi ng power that all could read­
ily assimilate through the poetic word a ppea ling at once to the
soul and the imagination and the i ntel ligence .
. . . The Ramayana is a work of the same essentia l kind as
the Mahabharata ; it differs only by a greater simplicity of plan,
a more delicate ideal tem pera ment and a finer g low of po­
etic warmth and colour. The main b u l k ·of the poem in spite
of much accretion is evidently by a single hand and has a less
com plex and more obvious u nity of structure. There is less of
the philosophic, more of the purely poetic m ind, more of the

286
 Appendix I

a rtist, less of the builder. The whole story is from begi nning to
end of one piece and there is no deviation from the stream of
the na rrative . At the sa me time there is a like vastness of vi­
sion, an even more wide-wi nged flight of epic subl i mity in the
conception and sustai ned rich ness of min ute execution in the
deta i l . The structu ral power, strong workmanship and method
of disposition of the Mahabharata remind one of the art of
the Indian bui lders, the grandeur and boldness of outl ine and
wea lth of colour and minute decorative execution of the Ra ma­
yana suggest rather a transcript i nto literature of the spirit and
style of Indian painti n g . The epic poet has taken here also as
his su bject an Itihasa, an ancient ta le or legend associated with
an old Indian dynasty and fil led it in with detai l from myth and
fol klore, but has exa lted all into a sca le of grandiose epic figure
that it may bear more worth ily the high intention and signifi­
cance . The subject is the sa me as in the Mahabharata, the strife
of the divine with the titanic forces in the life of the earth, but
in more purely ideal forms, in fra nkly supernatu ra l dimensions
and an imaginative heightening of both the good and the evil in
h u m a n cha racter. On one side is portrayed an ideal man hood, a
divin e beauty of virtue and ethical order, a civilization founded
on the Dharma and rea lising an exa ltation of the mora l ideal
which is presented with a si ngularly strong appeal of aesthetic
g race and ha rmony and sweetness; on the other a re wild and
a n a rchic and a lmost a morphous forces of superh u m a n ego­
ism and self-wi l l and exultant violence, and the two ideas and
powers of mental nature living and em bodied a re brought into
conflict and led to a decisive issue of the victory of the divin e
man over the Ra kshasa. A l l shade and complexity a re omitted
which would diminish the single pu rity of the idea, the repre­
sentative force in the outline of the fig u res, the sign ifica nce of
the tem pera menta l colour and only so much admitted as is suf­
ficient to humanise the appea l and the sign ificance. The poet
makes us conscious of the i mmense forces that a re behind our
life and sets his action i n a magnificent epic scenery, the great
i m perial city, the mou ntains and the ocean, the forest and wil-

287
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

derness, described with such a largeness as to make us feel as

if the whole world were the scene of his poem arid its subject
the whole d ivine and titanic possi bil ity of man i maged in a few
g reat or monstrous figures. The ethical and the aesthetic mind
of India have here fused themselves into a harmonious un ity
and reached an unexa mpled pure wideness and beauty of self­
expression . The Ra mayana embodied for the Indian imagina­
tion its highest and tenderest human ideals of character, made
strength and courage and gentleness and pu rity and fidelity
and self-sacrifice fa miliar to it in the suavest and most harmo­
nious forms coloured so as to attract the emotion and the aes­
thetic sense, strip ped mora ls of a l l repel lent austerity on one
side or on the other of mere common ness and lent a certa in ·

high divi neness to the ordi nary things of life, conjugal and fi lial
and maternal and fraternal feeling, the duty of the pri nce and
leader and the loyalty of fol l ower and subject, the greatness of
the great and the truth and worth of the sim ple, ton i ng things
ethical to the beauty of a more psychical mean ing by the glow
of its idea l hues'. The work of Va l m i ki has been an agent of al­
m ost inca lculable power in the moulding of the cultura l mind of
Indi a : it has presented to it to be loved and i mitated i n figures
l i ke Rama and Sita, made so divinely and with such a revelation
of rea lity as to become objects of enduring cult and worship,
or like Hanuman, Lakshmana, Bharata the l iving human i mage
of its ethica l ideals; it has fashioned much of what is best and
sweetest in the national character, and it has evoked and fixed
in it those fi ner and exquisite yet fi rm sou l-tones and that more
delicate humanity of tempera ment which a re a more va luable
thing than the form a l outsides of virtue and conduct.
The poetical manner of these epics is not inferior to the
g reatness of their substa nce. The style and the verse in which
they a re written have always a noble epic quality, a l ucid clas­
sica l simpl icity and directness rich in expre ssion but stri pped of
superfluous orna ment, a swift, vigorous, flexible and fl uid verse
constantly sure of the epic cadence. There is a difference in the
tempera ment of the lang uage. The characteristic diction of the

288
 Appendix I

Mahabharata is a lmost a usterely m ascul i ne, trusti ng to force of

sense and inspired accuracy of turn, al most ascetic in its simpli­
city and di rectness and a freq uent fi ne and happy bareness; it
is the speech of a strong and ra pid poetical intelligence and a
great and stra ightforwa rd vita l force, brief and tel ling in phrase
but by vi rtue of a single-minded si ncerity a nd, except in some
knotted passages or episodes, without any rhetorica l labour of
compactness, a style l i ke the light and strqng body of a runner
nude and pure and healthily lustrous and clear without su per­
fluity of fl esh or exaggeration of m uscle, agile and swift and
untired in the race. There is inevitably m uch in this vast poem
that is in an inferior manner, but little or nothing that fa l ls be­
low a certain sustained level in which there is a lways something
of this virtue. The diction of the Ra maya na is sha ped in a more
attractive mould, a m a rvel of sweetness and strength, lucidity
and wa rmth and grace; its phrase has not only poetic truth
and epic force and diction but a consta nt inti mate vibration of
the fee.l ing of the idea, emotion or object: there is an element
of fi ne ideal delicacy in its susta ined strength and breath of
power. In both poems it is a high poetic sou l and inspired intel­
l igence that is at work; the directly intuitive mind of the Veda
and Upanishads has retired behi nd the veil of the intel lectual
and outwardly psych ical imagination.
This is the cha racter of the epics and the qualities which
have made them immorta l, cherished a mong India's greatest
l iterary a nd cultu ral trea sures, and given them their endu ring
power over the nationa l mind. Apart from minor defects and
ineq ual ities such as we fi nd in a l l works set at this pitch and
involvi ng a considerable length of labou r, the objections made
by western criti cism a re simply expressions of a difference of
mental ity and aesthetic taste . The vastness of the plan and the
leisurely min uteness of detai l a re baffling and ti ring to a west­
ern mind accustomed to sma ller limits, a more easily fatig ued
eye and imagination and a hastier pace of life, but they are
congenial to the spaciousness of vision and intent cu riosity of
circumstances, characteristic of the Indian mind, that spring,

289
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

as I have poi nted out in relation to a rchitectu re, from the h a bit
of the cosmic consciousness and its sight and imagi nation and
a ctivity of experience. Another d ifference is that the terrestrial
life is not seen rea listical ly just a s it is to the physical mind but
constantly i n relation to the much that is behi nd it, the h u m a n
action is su rrounded and infl uenced by great powers a n d forc­
es, Daivic, Asu ric and Ra kshasic, and the g reater human fig u res
a re a ki nd of incarnation of these more cosmic persona lities
and powers. The objection that the individ ual thereby loses his
individu a l interest and becomes a puppet of impersonal forces
is not true either in rea lity or actua l ly in the imagi native fig u res
of this literatu re, for there we see that the personages g a i n
b y i t in g reatness a n d force o f action and a re only ennobled
by a n i mpersonality that raises a n d heightens the play of their
personality. The mingling of terrestrial nature and supernat­
ure, not as a mere imagination but with a n enti re sincerity and
natura l ness, is due to the same conception of a g reater rea l ity
in life, and it is as sig nificant fig u res of this g reater reality that
we must regafd m uch to which the realistic critic objects with
an a bsurdly misplaced violence, such as the powers gai ned by
Tapasya, the use of divine wea pons, the frequent indications of
psychic action and infl uence. The com plaint of exaggeration is
equally i nval id where the whole a ction is that of men ra ised be­
yond the usual h u m a n l evel, since we can only ask for pro por­
tions consonant with the truth of the statu re of l ife conceived
in the imagination of the poet and ca nnot insist on an unimagi­
native fidelity to the ordinary measures which would here be
false because wholly out of place. The com plaint of l ifelessness
and want of personal ity in the epic characters is equally un­
founded : Rama and Sita, Arjuna and Yudh ishthira, Bhishma and
Duryodhana and Ka ma a re intensely rea l and human and alive
to the Indian m i n d . Only the main insistence, here as in India n
art, is not on the outwa rd saliences of character, for these a re
only used second a rily as aids to the presentation, but on the
soul-life and the i n ner sou l-quality presented with as absol ute
a vividness and strength and pu rity of outline as possible. The

290
 Appendix I

idea l i sm of characters like Ra ma and Sita is no pale and va pid

unreality; they a re vivid with the truth of the ideal life, of the
g reatness that man may be and does become when he gives
his soul a chance and it is no sound objection that there is
only a sma l l a l lowa nce of the broken littleness of our ordinary
nature.
These epics a re therefore not a mere mass of u ntra nsmuted
legend and fol klore, as is ignorantly objected, but a highly a r­
tistic representation of inti mate sign ificances of life, the living
presentment of a strong and noble thi n king, a developed eth i­
ca l and aesthetic mind and a high social and political ideal, the
ensouled image of a g reat cu lture. As rich in freshness of l ife
but i m measura bly more profound and evolved in thought and
substance than the Greek, a s adva nced in matu rity of culture
but more vigorous and vital and young in strength than the Lat­
in epic poetry, the Indian epic poems were fashi oned to serve
a g reater and completer national and cultura l fu nction and that
they should have been received and a bsorbed by both the high
and the low, the cultured and the masses and rema ined through
twenty centu ries a n i ntimate and formative part of the life of
the whole nation is of itself the strong est possible evidence of
the g reatness and fineness of this ancient Indian cultu re .
. . . . The Vedic Rish is and their successors made it their chief
work to found a spiritual basis of Indian l ife and to effect the
spiritual and cu ltura l un ity of the many races and peoples of the
peninsula. But they were not blind to the necessity of a pol itica l
u n ification . O bservin g the constant tendency of the clan life of
the Arya n peoples to consol idate under confederacies and he­
gemonies of va ryi ng proportions, vairajya, sa m rajya, they saw
that to fol low this l i n e to its fu ll conclusion was the right way
and evolved therefore the ideal of the cakrava rtin , a uniti ng im­
perial ru le, un iting without destroying the autonomy of India's
many ki ngdoms and peoples, from sea to sea .
The ful l flowerin g of the ideal is seen i n the great e pics. The
Mahabharata is the record of a legendary or, it may be, a historic
attem pt to establish such an empire, a dharmarajya or kingdom

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

of the Dharma. There the ideal is pictured as so i mperative

a n d widely acknowledged that even the turbu lent Shishupala is
represented as motivi ng his submission and attendance at the
Rajasuya sacrifice on the ground that Yudhishthira was ca rryi ng
out an actio n dema nded by the Dha rma . And i n the Ramaya na
we have a n idealised picture of such a Dharmarajya, a settled
universal e m pire. Here too it is not an a utocratic despotism
but a universal monarchy supported by a free assem bly of the
city and provinces and of a l l the classes that is held up as the
ideal, an enlargement of the monarch ical state synthetisi ng the
communal autonom ies of the Ind ian system and maintaining
the law a n d constitution of the Dharm a . The ideal of conquest
held up is not a destructive and predatory invasion annihi lat­
ing the organic freedom and the pol itica l and social institu­
tions and exploiting the economic resources of the conquered
peoples, but a sacrificial progression bri nging with it a tria l
of mil itary strength of which the resu lt was easi ly accepted
beca use defeat enta iled neither hum iliation nor servitude a n d
suffering b u t mhely a strengthening adhesion t o a suzera i n
power concerned o n l y with establishing the visi ble un ity o f the
nation and the Dharma . The ideal of the ancient Rishis is clear
and their political util ity and necessity of a u nification of the
divided and wa rri ng peoples of the land, but they saw also that
it ought not to be secu red at the expense of the free life of the
regional peoples or of the communal li berties and not therefore
by a centra lised monarchy or a rigidly unitarian i m peri a l State .
A hegemony or confederacy under a n i m perial head would be
the nea rest western analogy to the conception they sought to
i mpose on the m inds of the people.

- The Foundations of Indian Culture, Vol . 14, SABCL,

pp. 284-86, 289-93, 371-72.

292
 APPEN DICES

II

Sri Au robindo's Translations

( a few passages from the Ram ayana)

An Arya n City1

Cosha l a by the Soroyou , a land

Smiling at heaven, of riches measureless
And corn abound ing glad; in that great country
Ayodhya was, the city world-renowned,
Ayod hya by King Manou built, i m mense.
Twelve yojans long the mig hty city lay
Grandiose, and wide three yojans. Grandly spaced
Ayodhya's streets were a n d the long high-road
Ran through it spaciously with sweet cool flowers
Hou rly new-paved and hourly watered wide.
Dussarutha i n Ayodhya, as i n h eaven
Its natural lord, a bode, those massive wa lls
Ruling, and a g reat people in his name
Felt g reater, - door and wa l l and ponderous arch
And m a rket places huge. Of every craft
Engines mechanical and tools there thronged,
And craftsmen of each guild and manner. High ra ng
With hera lds a n d sonorous eulogists
The bea utiful bright city i m peri a l .
H i g h were h e r bannered ed ifices reared,

1. Bala Kanda, Sarga 5, 5-22.

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

With theatres and dancing-ha l ls for joy

Of her bright daughters, and sweet-scented pa rks
Were rou nd and gardens cool. High circl ing a l l
The city with disastrous engi nes stored
In h u nd reds, the great ra mparts like a zone
Of iron spanned in her moated g i rth i mmense
Threatening with forts the a ncient sky. Defiant
Ayod hya stood, armed, impreg na ble,
Inviolable in her vi rgin wa lls.
And in her streets was ever large turmoi l,
Passi ng of elephants, the steed and ox,
Mules and rich-laden camels. And through them d rove
The powerful barons of the land, great wardens
Of taxes, and from cou ntries near and far
The splendid mercha nts ca me m uch marvelling
To see those orgulous high bui lded homes
With j ewels curiously fretted, topped
With summer houses for the joy of girls,
Like some p roud city in heaven. Without a g a p
On either side as fa r as eye could reach
Mass u pon serried mass the houses rose,
Seven-storied a rchitectures metrical
Upon a level base, and made sublime.
Splendid Ayodhya octagonally built,
The mother of beautiful women and of gems
A world. Large granaries of rice unh usked
She had and h usked rice for the fire, and sweet
Her water, like the cane's delig htful j u ice,
Cool down the th roat. And a great voice throbbed of
drums,
The tabour and the ta mbourine, while ever
The lyre with softer rumours intervened .
Nor only was she grandiosely built;
A city without earthly peer, - her sons
Were noble, warriors whose a rrows scorned to pierce
The isolated man from friends cut off

294
 Appendix II

Or g uided by a sound to smite the alarmed

And crouching fugitive, but with sharp steel
Sought out the lion in his den or g rappling
Unarmed they m u rdere d with their mighty hands
The tiger roa ring in his trackless woods
Or the mad tusked boar. Even such strong arms
Of heroes kept that city a n d in her midst
Regnant king Dussaruth the natio11s ruled .

Speech of D ussa rut h 1

to t h e Assembled States-Gen era l of H i s E m p i re

Then with a far reverberating sound

As of a cloud in heaven or wa r-drum's ca l l
Deep-voiced to battle a n d with echoings
I n the wide roof of his m ajestic voice
That like the resonant surges onward rol led
Moving men's hearts to joy, a King to Kings
He spoke and a l l they h ea rd h i m .

"It i s known
To you, O princes, How this noblest rea l m
Was by my fathers ruled, the kings of old
Who went before me, even as one dearest son
Is by his parents cherished; therefore I too
Would ha ppier leave tha n when my youth assu med
Their bu rden, m a n kind, my subjects, and this vast
World-empire of the old Ikshwacou kings.
Lo, I have trod in those i m perial steps
My fathers left, g ua rd i ng with sleepless toil
The people while strength was patient in this fram e
O'erburdened with the l a rge majestic world .
But n ow m y body broken is a n d old,

1 . Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 2, 1-20.

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

Aging beneath the shadow of the white

Canopy imperial and outworn with long
La bouring for the good of all ma nkind.
My people, Nature fails me! I have l ived
Thousa nds of years and many lives of men
And a l l my worn heart wearies for repose.
Weary a m I of bearing up this heavy
Burden austere of the g reat world, d uties
Not sufferable by souls und isci pli ned :
0 fol k, to rest from greatness I d esire.
Therefore with you r aug ust, assem bled will,
0 powers a n d 0 twice-born nations, I
Would share with Ra ma this great kingdom's crown,
Ra ma, my warrior son, son by ki ngly birth
And by gifts inherited confessed my son,
Rama, a mighty nation's joy. Less fai r,
Yoked with his favouring constel lation bright,
The regent moon shal l be than Rama's face,
When monil u pon his crowning smiles. 0 folk,
Say then sha l l Luxman's brother be you r lord,
Glory's high favourite who empire breathes?
Yea , if the whole vast u niverse should own
My son for ki ng, it would be kinged indeed
And regal : Lords, of such desirable
Fortu ne I would possess this mother of men;
Then would I be at peace, at last repose
Tra nsferring to such shoulders Earth . Pronounce
If I have nobly planned, if cou nsel led well;
Grant me your high perm issive voices; people,
But if my narrower pleasure, private hope,
Of welfa re general the smooth d isgu ise
H ave in your censure donned, then let the fol k
Themselves advise thei r mona rch o r com mand.
For other is disinterested thought
And by the clash of mi nds dissim i l a r
Counsel increases."

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Then with a deep sou n d

As when a cloud with rai n a n d thunder a rmed
Invades the skies, the jewel led peacocks loud
Clamour, assembled monarchs praised their kin g .
A n d like a movi ng echo ca me t h e voice
Of the g reat commons answeri ng them, a thunder
And one exultant roa r. Ea rth seemed to rock
Beneath the noise. Thus by their. Em peror high
Ad mitted to his wil l g reat conclave was
Of clergy and of captains and of kings
And of the people of the provinces
And of the people metropolita n : a l l these
Deli berated a n d becam e one m i n d .
Resolved, they answered then their a g e d kin g .

A M other's Lament1

"Hadst thou been never born, Ra ma, my son, ·

Born for my grief, I had not felt such pain,
A childless woman . For the ba rren one
Grief of the heart companions, only one,
Complaining, 'I a m barren'; this she mourns,
She has no cause for a ny deeper tears. ·

But I a m inexperienced in delight

And never of my h usba nd's masculine l ove
Had pleasure, - sti l l I lingered, sti l l endured
Hoping to be acquainted yet with joy.
Therefo re ful l many unlovely words that strove
To brea k the suffering heart h a d I to h ea r
From wives of my husband, I the Queen a n d highest,
From lesser women . Ah, what g reater pain
Tha n this can women have who mourn on earth,
Than this my grief and i nfin ite lament?

1. Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, 36-55.

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

O Rama, even at thy side so m uch

I have endured, and if thou g oest hence,
Death is my certain prospect, d eath alone.
Cruelly neglected, grievously oppressed
I have lived slig hted in my h usband's house
As though Kaikayie's serving-woman, - nay,
A lesser thing than these. If a ny honours,
If any fol lows me, even that man
H ushes when h e beholds Kai kayie's son .
How sha ll I i n my misery end ure
That bitter mouth intolerable, bear
Her ceaseless petulance. Oh, I have l ived
Seventeen yea rs since thou wast born, my son,
0 Rama, seventeen long years have I l ived,
Wearily wishing for an end to grief;
And now this m ig hty anguish without end !
I have no strength to bear for ever pai n ;
N o r this worn heart with sufferi n g fatig ued
To satisfy the scorn of rivals yields
More tea rs. Ah how shall I without thy face
M iserably exist, without thy face,
My moon of beauty, m iserable days?
Me wretched, who with fasts a n d wea ry toi l
And dedicated musings reared thee u p,
Vainly. Alas, the river's g iant ba n ks,
How g reat they a re ! a n d yet when violent rain
Has level led their tops with water, they descend
In ruin, not like this heart which will not break.
But I perceive d eath was not made for me,
For me no room in those stupendous rea l m s
H a s been d iscovered; since n ot even today
As on a mourning hind the lion fa lls
Death seizes m e or to his thicket bea rs
With his huge leap, - d eath ender of a l l pai n .
How l ivest thou, 0 hard, 0 i ron heart,
Unbroken, 0 body, tortured by such g rief,

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How sinkest tho u not a l l shattered to the earth?

Therefore I know death comes n ot cal l ed - he waits
Inexora bly his time. But this I mourn,
My useless vows, gifts, offerings, self-control.
And d i re ascetic strenuousness perfected
In . passion for a son, - yet a l l l i ke seed
Fruitless and g iven to ungratefu l soi l .
But i f death ca m e before h i s sea�on, i f one
By a n g uish of u nbeara b l e heavy g rief
Natu ra l ly m ig ht win h i m , then today
Would I have h u rried to his d ista nt worlds
Of thee deprived, 0 Rama, 0 my son .
Why should I vai n ly live without th ine eyes,
Thou moonlight of my sou l? No, let me toil
After thee to the savag e woods where thou
M ust h a rbour, I wil l tra i l these feeble li mbs
Behind thy steps slow as the sick yea rning dam
That follows sti l l her ravished youn g ." Thus she
Yearning upon her own beloved son; -
As over her offspring cha ined a centa u ress
Impatient of her anguish deep, so wa iled
Cowshalya; for her heart with g rief was loud.

T h e Wife1

But Sita a l l the while, u n happy child,

Worshipped pro pitious gods. Her mind in d reams
August and splendid coronations dwelt
And knew not of that woe. Roya l she worshipped,
A pri ncess in her mind and mood, and sat
With expectation thrilled. To whom there cam e
Ra ma, downcast a n d sad, h i s forehead moist
From i n ner a n g u ish . Da rk with thought and shaken

1 . Ayod hya Kanda, Sarga 26-30.

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

He entered his august and j u bilant halls.

She sta rted from her seat, tra nsfixed, and trem bled,
For a l l the bea uty of his face was ma rred,
Who when he saw his young beloved wife
Endu red no longer; all his inner passion
Of tortured pride was opened in his face.
And Sita, shaken, cried aloud, "What g rief
Comes in these eyes? Was not today thine hour
When Jupiter, the imperial planet, joins
With Pushya, that high constellation? Why
Art thou then pale, disturbed? Where is thy pomp,
Thy crowning where? No foa m-wh ite softness silk
With h undred-shafted canopy o'erhues
Thy kingly head, no fa ns o'erwave thy face
Like birds that beat their bright wings near a flower;
Minstrel nor orator attends thy steps
To hym n thy g reatness, nor a re heralds heard
Voicing high sta nzas. Who has then forbade
The honeye-d curds that Brah mins Veda-wise
Should pour on thy anointed brow, - the throngs
That should behind thee in a g lory surge, -
The ministers and leading citizens
And peers and commons of the provinces
And com mons metropolitan? Where stays
Thy cha riot by four gold-clad horses drawn,
Tra m pl i ng, magn ificent, wide-maned? thy huge
H ig h-omened elephant, a th under-cloud
Or moving mountain in thy front? thy seat
Enriched with curious gold? Such a re the high
Symbols men l ead before a nointed kings
Through streets flower-crowned . But thou com'st ca re­
l ess, d umb,
Alone. Or if thy coronation still,
Hero, prepares and nations for thee wait,
Wherefore comes this g rey face not seen before
In which there is no joy?" Trembling she hushed .

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Then answered her the hope of Raghou's l i n e :

"Sita , m y sire exi les m e t o the woods.
O high-born sou l, 0 fi rm relig ious mind,
Be strong and hear m e . Dussaruth my sire,
Whose royal word sta nds as the mounta ins pledged
To Bharath's mother boons of old, her choice
In her selected time, who now prefers
Athwart the coronation's sacred pomp
Her just demand; me to the D u ndac woods
For fourteen years exiled and in my stead
Bharath, my brother, roya l ly elect
To this wide e m pire . Therefore I come, to visit
And clasp thee once, ere to fa r woods I go.
But thou before King Bharath speak my name
Seldom ; thou knowest g reat a n d wealthy men
Are jealous and endure not others' pra ise .
Spea k low and humbly of me when thou spea kest,
Observi ng a l l his moods; for only thus
Shall m a n survive aga i n st a monarch's brow.
He is a ki ng, therefore to be observed;
Holy, since by a monarch's sacred hands
Anointed to i nviolable rule.
Be patient; tho u a rt wise and good . For I
Today begin exi le, Sita, today
Leave thee, 0 Sita . But when I am gone
Into the paths of the ascetics old
Do thou in vows and fasts spend blamelessly
Thy lonely seasons. With the dawn a rise
And when thou hast adored the Gods, bow d own
Before King Dussaruth, my father, then
Like a dear daug hter tend relig iously
Cowshalya, my afflicted mother old;
Nor her a lone, but a l l my father's queens
Gratify with sweet love, smiles, blandishments
And fil i a l claspings; - they my mothers a re,
Nor tha n the breasts that suckled me less dear.

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

But mostly I would have thee show, beloved,

To Shatrughna a nd Bharath, my dear brothers,
More than my life-blood dear, a sister's love
And a m aternal kindness. Cross not Bharath
Even slightly in his wi l l . He is thy king,
Monarch of thee and monarch of our house
And all this nation . 'Tis by modest awe
And soft obedience and high toilsome service
That princes a re a ppeased, but being crossed
Most dangerous grow the wrathful hearts of kings
And mischiefs mea n . Monarchs i ncensed reject
The sons of their own loins who durst o ppose
Their m ig hty pol icies, and ra ise, of birth
Though vile, the strong and serviceable m a n .
Here then obedient dwell unto t h e King,
Sita; but I into the woods depart."

He ended, but Videha's daughter, she

Whose worcfs were ever soft l i ke one whose life
Is lap ped i n sweets, now other answer made
In that exceeding anger born of love,
Fierce reprimand and high . "What words a re these,
Rama, from thee? What frail unworthy spirit
Converses with me uttering thoughts depraved,
Inglorious, ful l of ignomi ny, un meet
For armed heroical great sons of Kings?
With a l ien laug hter and a mazed today
I hear the noblest l i ps i n a l l the world
Uttering baseness. For father, mother, son,
Brother or son's wife, a l l their sei:.a rate deeds
Enjoying their own separate fates pursue.
But the wife is the husband's and she has
Her husband's fate, not any private joy.
Have they said to thee 'Thou art exiled'? M e
That doom includes, me too exi les. For neither
Father nor the sweet son of her own wom b

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 Appendix II

Nor self, nor mother, nor compa nion dear

Is woma n's sa nctuary, only her h usband
Whether in this world or beyond is hers.
If to the difficult d i m forest then,
Rama, this day thou journeyest, I will wal k
Before thee, tread i ng d o w n t h e thorns- a nd sharp
Grasses, smooth i n g with my torn feet thy way;
And henceforth from my bosom a� from a cup
Sta l e water, j ea lousy and wrath renounce.
Trust me, take me; for, Rama, in this breast
Sin cannot ha rbou r. Heaven, spacious terraces
Of mansions, the aerial gait of Gods
With leave to wal k a mong those dista nt stars,
M a n's winged aspiration or his earth
Of sensuous joys, tempt not a woman's heart:
She chooses at her h usband's feet her home.
My father's l a p, my mother's knees to me
Were school of mora ls, Rama; each human law
Of love and service there I learned, nor need
Thy lessons. All thi ng s else a re wind; I choose
The inaccessible i n h u m a n woods,
The d eer's green wal k or where the tigers roa m,
Life savage with the m u ltitude of beasts,
Dense thickets; there wi l l I dwell in desert ways,
H appier than in my father's lordly house,
A pure-limbed herm itess. How I wil l tend thee
And watch thy n eeds, and thinking of no joy
But that warm wifely service a n d delight
Forget the u n n eeded world, a lone with thee.
We two shall d a l l ia nce take in honied g roves
And scented spri ngtides. These heroic hands
Can in the forest da ngerous protect
Even com mon men, a n d will they then not guard
A wom a n and the noble name of wife?
I go with thee this day, deny who will,
Nor a ught sha ll turn me. Fear not thou l est I

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Should burden thee, since g la d ly I elect

Life u pon fruits and roots, and still before thee
Shall wa lk, not falteri ng with fatigue, eat only
Thy remna nts after h u nger satisfied,
Nor g reater bl iss conceive. 0 I desire
That l ife, desire to see the larg e wide lakes,
The cliffs of the great mou nta i ns, the d i m ta rns,
Not frighted si nce thou art beside me, and visit
Fai r waters swan-beset in lovely bloo m .
In thy heroic g ua rd m y life s h a l l be
A happy wandering a mong bea utiful thi ngs,
For I shall bathe in those delig htfu l pools,
And to thy bosom fast-devoted, wooed
By thy great bea utiful eyes, yield and experience
On mounta ins and by rivers large delight.
Th us if a h u nd red years should pass or many
Millenniums, yet I should not tire or cha nge,
For wa ndering so not heaven itself would seem
Desirable, 'but this were rather heave n .
0 Ra ma, Parad ise and thou not there
No Paradise were to my mind. I shoul d
Grow miserable a n d reject the bl iss.
I rather m id the gloomy entangled boughs
And sylvan h a unts of elephant and a pe,
Clasping my h usband's feet, intend to lie
Obed ient, glad, and feel about me home."

But Rama, though h is heart approved her words

Yeilded not to the entreaty, for he fea red
Her dolour in the desolate woods; therefore
Once more he spoke and kissed her bri mming eyes .
"Of a high blood thou earnest and thy soul
Tu rns natura l ly to d uties high. Now, too,
0 Sita, let thy d uty be thy g u ide;
Elect thy h usba nd's w i l l . Thou shou ldst o bey,
Sita, my words, who a rt a woman wea k.

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 Appendix II

The woods a re ful l of hardship, fu l l of peril ,

A n d 'tis thy ease that I command. N ay, nay,
But listen and this forestward resolve
Thou wilt a band o n : Love! for I sha l l speak
Of fea rs and great d iscomforts. There is no pleasure
I n the vast woodlands d rear, but sorrows, toils,
Wretched privations. Th u ndering from the h i l ls
The waterfa l ls lea p down, and d readfu l ly
The mountain l ions from thei r caverns roa r
H u rting the ea r with sou n d . This i s one pai n .
Then i n vast solitudes the wild beasts sport
U ntroubled, but when they behold men, rage
And savage onset move . Unfordable
Great rivers thick with ooze, the python's ha unt,
Or turbid with wild elepha nts, sharp thorns
Beset with pain and tangled creepers close
The thi rsty ted ious paths i m practicable
That echo with the peacock's sta rtling ca l l .
At night thou m ust with thine own hands break off
The sun-d ried leaves, thy only bed, a n d lay
Thy worn-out l i m bs fatigued o n the hard g round,
And day or night no kindlier food m ust ask
Than wild fru it shaken from the trees, and fast
Near to the limits of thy fragile life,
And wea r the ba rk of trees for ra i ment, bind
Thy tresses piled i n a neglected knot,
And daily worship with l a rg e ceremony
N ew-coming guests and the high a ncient dead
And the g reat deities, and th ree times 'twixt dawn
And evening bathe with sacred accu racy,
And patiently in a l l things rule o bserve.
All these a re other hardshi ps of the woods.
Nor at thy ease shalt worship, but m ust offer
The flowers by thine own l a bour culled, a nd deck
The a lta r with observance difficult,
And be content . with l ittle a n d casual food .

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Absti nent is their life who roa m in woods,

O M ithilan, strenuous, a trava i l . Hunger
And violent wi nds a n d darkness a n d h uge fears
Are their com panions. Reptil es of a l l shapes
Coil n umerous where thou walkest, spi rited,
Insurgent, a n d the river-dwel l ing snakes
That with the river's winding motion go,
Beset thy path, waiting. Fierce scorpions, worms,
Gadflies and g nats continually distress,
And the sharp grasses pierce and thorny trees
With an enta ngled anarchy of boughs
Oppose. 0 many bodi ly pa ins and swift
Terrors the i n habitants in forests know.
They must expel desire and wrath expel,
Austere of mind, who such discomforts choose,
Nor any fea r must feel of fea rful things.
Dream not of it, O Sita; noth i ng good
The mind recalls in that disastrous life
For thee u n meet; only stern miseries
And toils ruth less and many da ngers d rear. "

Then Sita with the tears u pon her face

Made answer very sad and low: "Many
Sorrows a n d perils of that forest l ife
Thou hast pronou nced, discovered dreadfu l i l ls.
0 Rama, they are joys if borne for thee,
For thy dea r love, 0 Ram a . Tiger or elk,
The savage l ion and fierce forest-bu l l
Marsh-jagua rs and t h e creatures o f t h e woods
And desolate pea ks, wil l from thy path remove
At unaccustomed beauty terrified.
Fea rless sha l l I go with thee if my elders
Al l ow, nor they refuse, themselves who feel
That partin g from thee, Rama, is a death .
There is no danger, Hero, at thy side
Who shall touch me? Not sovra n Indra d u rst,

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 Appendix JI

Though i n his m ig ht h e master a l l the Gods,

Assai l me with his th u n der-bea ring hands.
0 how can woman from her husband's a rms
Divorced exist? Thine own words have revea led,
Ra ma, its sad i m possibil ity.
Therefore my face is set towards going, fo r I
Preferri ng that sweet service of my lord ,
Fol lowing m y h usband's feet, sureJy sha l l g row
All pu rified by my exceed ing love.
0 thou g reat heart and pure, what joy is there
But thy nearness? To me my h usband is
Heaven a nd God . 0 even when I am dead
A bliss to me will be my lord's em brace.
Yea, thou who know'st, wilt thou, forgetful grown
Of com mon joys and sorrows sweetly shared,
The faithful heart reject, reject the l ove?
Thou ca rest noth ing then for Sita's tears?
Go! poison or the water or the fire
Sha l l yield me sanctua ry, importu ning death . "

Thus while she varied passionate appeal

And her sweet m isera b l e eyes with tea rs
Swa m over, he her wrath and terror a n d g rief
Strove a lways to a p pease. But she a la rmed,
Great J u nac's daughter, Princess M ith i l a n ,
H e r woman's p r i d e o f l ove a l l wounded, shook
From her the solace of his touch and weeping
Assa i led indigna ntly her mighty lord.
"Surely my father erred, g reat M ithila
Who rules and the Videhas, that he chose
Thee with his l i n e to m ate, Ram a u nworthy,
No man but woman i n a male disguise.
What casts thee d own, wherefore a rt thou then sad,
That thou a rt bent thus basely to forsake
Thy single-hearted wife? Not Savitri
So loved the hero Dyum athsena's son

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As I l ove thee and from my sou l adore .

I would not, l i ke another woman, shame
Of her g reat house, turn even in thought from thee
To watch a second face; for where thou goest
My heart fol lows. 'Tis thou, 0 sham e ! 'tis thou
Who thy you ng wife a n d pure, thy boyhood's bride
And bosom's sweet companion, l i ke an actor,
Resign'st to others. If thy heart so pant
To be his slave for whom thou a rt oppressed,
Obey h i m thou, cou rt, flatter, for I will not.
Alas, my h usband, leave me not behi nd,
Forbid me not from exile. Whether harsh
Asceticism in the forest drea r
Or parad ise my lot, either is bl iss
From thee not pa rted, Ra ma. How can I,
Guiding in thy dear steps my feet, g row tired
Though journeying endlessly? as well m ight one
Wea ry, who o n a bed of pleasure lies.
The bra m l51e-bushes in our com mon path,
The bladed g rasses and the pointed reeds
Shall be as p leasant to me as the touch
Of cotton or of velvet, bein g with thee.
And when the storm-blast rises scattering
The thick d ust over me, I, feeling then
My dear one's hand, shall thi n k that I a m smeared
With sandal-powder highly-priced . Or when
From g rove to g rove u pon the g rass I l ie,
In couches how is there more soft delight
Or rugs of bri l liant wool ? The fruits of trees,
Roots of the ea rth or l eaves, whate'er thou bring,
Be it much or little, being by thy hands
Gathered, I shall accou nt a m brosial food,
I sha l l not once remem ber, being With thee,
Father or mother dear or my fa r home.
Nor sha l l thy pains by my com panionship
Be g reatened; doom m e not to parting, Rama.

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 Appendix II

For only where thou a rt is Heaven; 'tis H e l l

Where thou a rt not. 0 thou w h o know'st m y love,
If thou canst l eave me, poison stil l is l eft
To be my comforter. I will not bear
Their yoke who hate thee. And if today I shunned
Swift solace, g rief at length would do its work
With torments slow. How should the broken heart
That once has beaten on thine, a bsence endure
Ten yea rs and th ree to these ancf yet one more?"
So writh ing in the fire of g rief, she wound
Her body about her h usband, fiercely silent,
Or someti mes wailed a loud; as a wild beast
That maddens with the fire-tip ped a rrows, such
Her g rief ungoverna ble and l i ke the streams
Of fire from its stony prison freed,
Her quick hot tea rs, or as when the whole river
From new-cu lled l i lies weeps, - those crysta l brooks
Of sorrow poured from her afflicted lids.
And all the moonlight g lories of her face
Grew dimmed and her large eyes vacant of joy.
But he revived her with sweet words: " Weep not;
If I could buy a l l heaven with one tear
Of thine, Sita, I would not pay the price,
My Sita, my beloved . Nor have I grown,
I who have stood like God by nature pla nted
H i g h a bove a ny ca use of fear, so suddenly
Familiar with alarm. Only I knew not
Thy sweet and resolute courage, and for thee
Dreaded the misery that sad exiles feel .
But since to share my exi le and o'erthrow
God first created thee, 0 M ithilan,
Sooner shall high seren ity d ivorce
From the self-conquering heart, tha n thou from m e
B e parted . Fixed I sta nd in m y resolve
Who fo l low a ncient virtue and the paths
Of the old perfect dead; ever my face

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Turns steadfast to that radiant goal, self-vowed

Its sunflower. To the d rear wilderness I go.
My father's stainless honour points me on,
His oath that must not fail. This is the old
Religion, brought from dateless ages down,
Parents to honour and obey; their wi l l
Should I tra nsgress, I would not wish t o live.
For how shall man with homage or with prayer
Approach the d istant Deity, yet scorn
A present godhead, father, mother, sage?
In these man's tri ple objects live, in these
The triple world is bounded, nor than these
Has a l l wide earth one holier th ing. Large eyes,
These therefore let us worship. Truth or gifts,
Or Honour or li beral proud sacrifice,
Nought equals the effectual force and pure
Of worshi p filial done. This a l l bliss brings,
Compels all gifts, com pels ha rvests and wea lth,
Knowledge' compels and childre n . All these joys
And human boons great fi lial souls on ea rth
Recovering here enjoy, and in that world
Heaven naturally is theirs. But me whatever,
In the strict path of virtue while he sta nds,
My father bids, my heart bids that. I go,
But not a lone, o'ercome by thy sweet soul's
H ig h courage. O intoxicating eyes,
0 fa u ltless l i m bs, go with me, j ustify
The wife's proud name, partner in virtue, Love,
Warm from thy great h igh-blooded lineage old
Thy purpose springing mates with the pure stra in
Of Rag hou's a ncient house. 0 l et thy large
And lovely motion forestward make speed
High ceremonies to a bsolve. Heaven's joys
Without thee now were begga rly and rude.
Haste then, the Bra h m i n and the pau per feed
And to their blessi ngs a nswer jewels. All

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Our priceless d ia monds a nd our splendid robes,

Our curious things, o u r couches a n d o u r cars,
The glory and the eye's del ight, do these
Renounce, nor let our fa ithfu l servants lose
Their worthy portion." Sita, of that consent
So hardly won spra ng joyous, as on fi re,
Disburdened of her wealth, lightly to wing
Into dim wood and wilderness u n know n .

* * *

Ca nto One1

The Book o f the W i l d Forest

hen, possessing his soul, Rama entered the great forest,

T the forest Dundac with d ifficu lty a pproachable by men

and beheld a circle there of hermitages of ascetic men;
a refuge for a l l l iving things, with ever well-swept courts and
strewn with many forms of beasts a n d swarming with compa­
nies of birds and holy, high and tem perate sages g raced those
homes. The high of energy a pproached them unstri nging first
his m ighty bow and they beholding h i m like a rising moon with
wonder in their looks gazed at the fabric of his beauty and its
g lory and softness a n d garbed g race a n d at Vaidehie too with
unfa i l i ng eyelids they gazed a n d Luxman; for they were things
of a mazement to those dwellers in the woods. Great- natured
sages occu pied in doing good to a l l l iving things, they made
him sit a g u est in their leafy home and burning with splendour
of sou l like living fires they offered h i m g uest-worship due and
presented all things of auspice, fu ll of high gladness in the act,
roots, flowers and fruits they gave, yea, a l l the hermitage they

1. Aranya Kanda, Sarga 2, 1-25.

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

laid at the feet of Ram a . And high-sou led, learned in rig hteous­
ness they said to h i m with outstretched and u pward folded
palms: " For that he is the keeper of the virtue of all this fol k,
a refuge a n d a mighty fame, high worship and honour a re the
king's, and he holds the staff of j ustice and is reverent to a l l .
O f Ind ra's self he is the fourth part and protects the people. O
seed of Rag hou, therefore he enjoys noble and beautiful plea­
sures a nd to him men bow down . Thou shouldst protect us,
then, dwellers in thy domin ions; for whether the city hold thee
or the wilderness, sti l l art thou the king and the master of the
fol k. But we, 0 ki ng, have laid by the staff of offence, we have
put anger from us and the desire of the senses and 'tis thou
must protect us always, ascetics rich in a u sterity but hel pless
as children in the womb."

Canto Two 1

Now when h& had taken of thei r hospita lity, Rama towards
the rising of the sun took farewell of a l l these seers and plunged
into mere forest scattered through with many beasts of the
chase and haunted by the tiger and the bear. There he and
Luxman following him, saw a desolation in the midmost of that
wood, for blasted were tree and creeper and bush and water
was nowhere to be seen, but the forest was full of the scream­
ing of vultu res and rang with the crickets' cry. And walking with
Sita there Cacootstha in that haunt of fierce wild beasts beheld
the appearance like a mountain peak and heard the thunder­
ing roar of an eater of men; deep set were his eyes and huge
his face, hideous was he and hideous bell ied, horrid, rough and
tall, deformed and d readfu l to the gaze and wore a tiger's skin
moist with fat and streaked with gore, a terror to all creatures
even as death the ender when he comes with yawning mouth .
Three lions,. four tigers, two wolves, ten spotted deer and the

1. Aranya Kanda, Sarga 1, 1-2 1 .

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 Appendix II

huge fat-smeared head of a n elephant with its tusks he had

stuck up on an iron spit and roared with a mighty sound. As
soon as he saw Rama and Luxman and Sita Maithili he ran upon
them in sore wrath like Death the ender leaping on the nations.
And with a terrible roa r that seemed to shake the ea rth he took
Vaidehie up in his a rms and moved away and said, "You who
wea ring the ascetic's cloth and matted locks, 0 ye whose lives
are short, yet with a wife have you entered Dundac woods and
you bea r the arrow, sword and bow, how is this that you being
anchorites hold your dwelling with a woman's beauty? Workers
of u nrighteousness, who a re ye, evil men, disg race to the garb
of the seer? I Viradha the Rakshasa ra nge a rmed these tangled
woods eating the flesh of the sages. This woman with the noble
hips shall be my spouse, but as for you, I will drink in battle your
sinfu l blood ." Evil-souled Viradha speaking thus wicked words,
Sita heard his haughty speech, alarmed she shook in her ap­
prehension as a planta i n trembles in the storm-wind. The son of
Raghou seeing the beautiful Sita in Viradha's a rms said to Lux­
man, his face drying up with grief, "Behold, 0 my brother, the
daughter of Janak, lord of men, my wife of noble life taken into
Vira dha's arms, the king's daughter high-splendoured and nur­
tured in utter ease! The thing Kaikeyie desired, the thing dear to
her that she chose for a gift, how quickly today, 0 Luxman, has it
been utterly fulfilled, she whose fo resight was not satisfied with
the kingdom fo r her son, but she sent me, beloved of a l l beings
to the wild woods. N ow today she has her desire, that middle
mother of m i ne . For no worse g rief can befa l l me tha n that an­
other should touch Vaidehie a nd that my father should perish
and my own kingdom be wrested from my ha nds." So Cacootstha
spoke and Luxman answered him, his eyes fil led with the rush of
grief, panting like a furious snake controlled, "O thou who art like
Indra and the protector of this world's creatures, why dost thou
afflict thyself as if thou wert one who has himself no protector,
even though I a m here, the servant of thy will? Today sha l l the
Rakshasa be slain by my angry shaft and Earth drink the blood
of Viradha dead. (The wrath that was born in me against Bharat

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 Illumination Heroism and Harmony

for his lust of rule, I will loose upon Viradha as the Thu nderer
h u rls his bolt against a hill.)"

Ca nto Th ree1

Then Viradha spoke yet again and fi lled the forest with his
voice.
"Answer to my questioning, who a re ye and whither do ye
go?" And Ra ma a nswered to the Rakshasa with his mouth of
fi re, in his pride of strength he answered his questioning and
declared his birth in Ikshwa ku's line. "Kshatriyas accomplished
in virtue know us to be, farers in this forest, but of thee we
would know who thou a rt that rangest Dundac woods." And to
Rama of enormous might Viradha made reply: "Java's son a m
I, Shatahrida was my dam a n d Viradha a m I cal led by a l l Ra k­
shasas on earth . . . "

The Slayi n g of'l> h u m raksha2

Loud in their gladness and the lust of fig ht

Shouted the forest-host when they beheld
The d readful Rakshas coming forth to wa r,
Dhumra ksha; loud the noise of mel lay clashed,
Gia nts and Apes with tree and spear and mace
Smiting their foemen. For the Giants hewed
Their dread o pponents earthward everywhere,
And they too with the trunks of trees bore down
Their monstrous foes and level led with the dust.
(Incomplete)

- Sri Aurobindo, Translations, Vol . 8, SABCL

1 . Aranya Kanda, Sarga 3, 1-5.

2. Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 52, 1-4.

314
 APPEN DICES

III

Letters of Sri Aurobindo on Sri Ra ma

a m rather perplexed by you r strictures on Ra ma. Coward­

I ice is the last thing that can be charged against Valmiki's

Rama; he has always been considered a s a warrior and it
is the "martia l races" of I ndia who have made him thei r god .
Va lmiki everywhere pai nts h i m as a great warrior. His employ­
ment of ruse agai nst an i nfrahuman enemy does not prove
the opposite - for that is always how the human (even great
warriors and hunters) has dealt with the i nfrahuman . I think
it is Madh usudan who has darkened Valm iki's hero i n Bengal i
eyes and tu rned h i m i nto a poor puppet, but that is not the
a uthentic Ra ma who, say what one wil l, was a g reat epic fig­
u re - Avatar or n o Avatar. As for conventional mora l ity, all mo­
rality is a convention - man ca nnot live without conventions,
mental and mora l , otherwise he feels h i mself lost in the rolling
sea of the anarchic forces of the vital Nature . Even the Rus­
sel l s and Bernard Shaws ca n only end by setting up another
set of conventions in the place of those they have skittled over.
Only by risi ng above mind can one rea l ly get beyond conven­
tions - Krishna was a ble to do it beca use he was not a men­
ta l human being but an overmenta l godhead acting freely out
of a greater consciousness than ma n's. Ra m a was not that,
he was the Avatar of the sattwic m i nd - menta l , e motional,
mora l - and he fol l owed the Oharma of the age and race. That
may make h i m temperamenta lly congenial to Gandhi and the

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

reverse to you; but j ust as Gandhi's tem pera menta l recoil from
Krishna d oes not prove Krish na to be no Avatar, so you r tem ­
peramental recoi l from Ra ma does not establish that he was
not an Avatar. However, my main point will be that Avatarhood
does not depend u pon these questions at a l l , but has a nother
basis, mea ning and pu rpose .

* * *

I have no intention of enteri ng into a su preme defence of

Ram a - I o n ly entered into the points about Bal i etc. beca use
these are usually employed n owadays to belittle him as a great
personality on the usual level. But from the point of view of
Avatarhood I would no more think of defending his mora l per­
fection according to modern standards than I would think of
defending Napoleon or Caesar against the moral ists or the
democratic critics or the debu nkers in order to prove that they
were Vibhutis. Vibhuti, Avata r are terms which have their own
meaning a n d scope, and they a re not concerned with mora lity
or immoral ity, perfection or i m perfection according to sma l l hu­
man standards or setti ng an example to men or showing new
mora l attitudes or giving new spiritua l teachi ngs. These may
or may not be done, but they are not at a l l the essence of the
matter.
Also, I do not consider you r method of dealing with the
human personal ity of Rama to be the right one. It has to be
taken as a whole in the settin g that Val miki gave it (not treated
as if it were the story of a modern man) with the sign ificance
that he gave to his hero's personal ity, deeds and works. If it
is pulled out of its setting a n d analysed u nder the dissecting
knife of a modern ethical m ind, it loses a l l its significance at
once . Krishna so treated becomes a debauchee and trickster
who no doubt did g reat things in pol itics ·- but so did Rama in
war. Achi l les and Odysseus pulled out of their setting become,
one a furious egoistic savage, and the other a cruel and cun­
n i ng savage . I consider myself under an obligation to enter into

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 Appendix III

the spirit, significance, atmosphere of the M a h a bharata, Iliad,

Ramaya na and identify myself with their tim e-spirit before I
can feel what their heroes were in themselves apart from the
details of their outer actions.
As for the Avatarhood, I accept it for Ram a becau se he fil l s
a place in t h e scheme - a n d seems to me t o fil l i t rightly -
and because when I read the Ramayana I feel a great afflatus
which I recog nise a nd which makes of its story - mere faery­
tal e thoug h it seem s - a parable of a g reat critical tra nsitional
event that ha ppened i n the terrestrial evo l ution and gives to
the main character's personality and action a significa nce of
the large typica l cosm ic kind which these actions would not
have had if they 1had been done by a nother man i n a nother
scheme of events. The Avatar is not bound to do extraordinary
actions, but he is bound to g ive his acts or his work or what he
is - any of these or all - a significance and an effective power
that a re pa rt of som eth ing essenti a l to be done in the history
of the ea rth and its races.
All the same, if a nybody does not see as I do and wa nts
to eject Ra ma from his place1 I have no o bjection - I have
no particu l a r partial ity for Rama - provided somebody is put
in who ca n more worthily fil l up the gap his a bsence leaves.
There was somebody there, Valmiki's Rama or a nother Rama o r
somebody not Ram a .
Also I d o not m e a n that I admit the val idity o f you r remarks
a bout Rama, even ta ken as a piecemea l criticism, but that I
have no tim e for today. I ma intain my position a bout the ki lling
of Bali and the banishment of Sita - in spite of Ba li's prelimi­
nary objection to the procedu re, afterwards retracted, and in
spite of the opinion of Ra ma's relatives, necessarily from the
point of view of the a ntiq u e dharma - not from that of any
universal mora l sta ndard - which besides does not exist, since
the standard changes according to clime or age.

* * *

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

No, certai n ly not-an Avatar is not at all bound to be a spiri­

tual prophet - he is never i n fact merely a prophet, he is a
real iser, a n esta blisher - not of outward things on ly, though he
does real ise somethi n g in the outward a lso, but, as I have sa id,
of something essential and radical needed for the terrestial
evolution wh ich is the evol ution of the embodied spirit through
successive stages towards the Divi ne. It was not at a l l Ra ma's
business to esta blish the spi ritual stage of that evol ution - so
he did not at a l l concern hi mself with that. His business was
to destroy Rava na a n d to esta bl ish the Ra ma rajya - in other
words, to fix for the future the possibility of a n order proper to
the sattwic civilised human being who governs his l ife by the
reason, the fi ner emotions, morality, or at least moral ideals,
such as truth, obed ience, co-operation and harmony, the sense
of domestic and public order, - to esta blish this in a world stil l
occu pied by a n a rchic forces, the Animal m i nd a n d the powers
of the vital Ego making its own satisfaction the rule of life, i n
other words, the Va nara a n d the Ra kshasa . This i s the meaning
of Ra ma and his 'life-work and it is according as he fulfi l led it
or not that he must be j udged as Avata r or no Avata r. It was
not h is business to play the comedy of the chiva l rous Kshatriya
with the formidable brute beast that was Bal i, it was his busi­
ness to kil l him and get the Animal u nder his contro l . It was his
business to be not necessarily a perfect, but a largely represen­
tative sattwic Man, a faithful h usband and a lover, a loving and
o bedient son, a tender and perfect brother, father, friend - he
is friend of a l l kinds of people, friend of the outcast Guha ka,
friend of the Animal leaders, Sugriva, Hanuman, friend of the
vulture Jatayu, friend of even the Ra kshasa Vibhishana . All that
he was in a bri l l ia nt, striking but a bove all spontaneous and
inevitable way, not w ith forcing of this note or that like H a r­
ishchandra or Shivi, but with a certa i n harmonious com plete­
ness. But most of all, it was his business to typify and establish
the things o n which the social idea and its sta bil ity depend,
truth and honour, the sense of the Dharma, public spirit and
the sense of order. To the fi rst, truth and honour, much more

318
 Appendix III

than to his filial love a n d o bedience to his father - though to

that also - he sacrificed his personal rights as the elect of the
King and the assem bly and fourteen of the best yea rs of his life
and went into exi le in the forests. To his public spirit and his
sense of public order (the g reat and supreme civic virtue in the
eyes of the a ncient Indians, Greeks, Rom ans, for at that time
the maintenance of the ordered com m u n ity, not the sepa rate
development and satisfaction of the indjyjdual was the pressing
need of the human evol ution) he sacrificed his own happiness
and domestic life and the happiness of Sita . In that he was at
one with the mora l sense of a l l the a ntiqu e races, though at
varia nce with the later romantic individual istic sentimenta l mo­
ra lity of the modern man who ca n afford to have that less stern
mora l ity j ust beca use the ancients sacrificed the individual in
order to make the world safe for the spirit of social order. Fi­
nally, it was Rama's business to make the world safe for the
idea l of the sattwic human being by destroying the sovereignty
of Rava na, the Rakshasa menace. All this he did with such a
divine afflatus in his persona lity and action that his fig u re has
been stam ped for more than two m i l le n n i u ms on the mind of
Indian culture, and what he stood for has dominated the rea­
son and idealising mind of man in a l l cou ntries, and in spite of
the constant revolt of the h u ma n vita l, is l i kely to continue to
do so until a g reater idea l a rises. And you say in spite of a l l
these that he was no Avatar? I f you like - but a t a n y rate h e
stands a mong the few g reatest Vibhutis. You m a y dethrone h i m
now - for man i s no longer satisfied with the sattwic ideal and
is seeking for something more - but his work and meaning
remain stam ped on the past of the earth's evolving race. When
I spoke of the gap that would be left by his a bsence, I did not
mean a gap a mong the prophets and i ntel lectua ls, but a gap i n
the scheme o f Avata rhood-there was somebody who was the
Avata r of the sattwic H u m a n as Krishna was the Avata r of the
overmental Superh u m a n - I see no one but Ra ma who can fill
the place. Spiritual teachers and prophets (as a lso intel lectu­
a ls, scientists, a rtists, poets, etc.) - these a re at the g reatest

319
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

Vibhutis, but they a re not Avatars. For at that rate a l l rel igious
founders would be Avata rs - Joseph Smith (I thi nk that is his
name) of the Mormons, St. Fra ncis of Assisi, Calvin, Loyol a a n d
a host of others as well as Christ, Chaita nya or Ram akrishna.
For faith, m i racles, Bejoy Goswa mi, a n other occasion . I
wanted to say this m uch more about Rama - which is sti l l only
a hint and is not the thing I was going to write about the gen­
era l pri nciple of Avata rhood.
Nor, may I add, is it a complete or supreme defence of Ram a .
For that I would have t o write about what t h e story o f t h e Ra­
mayana mea nt, appreciate Valmiki's presentation of his chief
characters (they a re none of them copy-book exa m ples, but
g reat men and women with the defects and merits of human
nature, as all men even the g reatest a re), a nd show a lso how
the Godhead, which was behind the frontal and instru menta l
personality w e ca l l Ra ma, worked out every incident of his life
as a necessary step in what had to be done. As to the weeping
Ra ma, I had a n �wered that in my other u nfi nished letter. You
a re imposi ng the colder and harder Nordic ideal on the South­
ern tempera ment which rega rded the expression of emotions,
not its suppression, as a virtue. Witness the weeping and lam­
entations of Achi ll es, Ulysses and other g reat heroes, Persia n
and Indian - the latter especially a s lovers.

* * *

. . . As for the unconscious Avata r, why not? Chaita nya is sup­

posed to be an Avata r by the Vaishnavas, yet he was conscious
of the Godhead behind only when that God head cam e in front
and possessed him on rare occasions. Christ said "I and my fa­
ther a re one," but yet he always spoke and behaved as if there
'
were a diffe rence . Ramakrishna's earlier period was that of one
seeking God, n ot aware from the first of his identity. These are
the reputed religious Avata rs who ought to be more conscious
than a man of action like Ra m a . And supposing the ful l and per-

320
 Appendix Ill

ma nent consciousness, why should the Avata r proclaim hi mself

except on rare occasions to an Arjuna or to a few bhaktas or
disciples? It is for others to fi nd out what he is; though he does
n ot deny when othe rs speak of him as That, he is n ot always
sayi n g and perhaps never m ay say or o n ly in moments l i ke that
of the Gita, "I a m He."

* * *

No ti me for a fu l l answer to your renewed rem a rks on Rama

tonight. You a re intrigued only beca use you stick to the modern
standard, modern measuring-rods of mora l a n d spiritua l per­
fection ( introdu ced by Seely a nd Bankim) for the Avatar - while
I start from another sta ndpoint altogether and resolutely refuse
these standard human measures. The a ncient Avata rs except
Buddha were not either sta ndards of perfection or spiritual
teachers in spite of the Gita which was spoken, says Krishna, in
a moment of supernormal consciousness which he lost i mme­
diately afterwards. They were, if I may say so, representative
cosmic men who were instruments of a divine Intervention for
fixi ng certain th ings i n the evol ution of the earth-race. I stick to
that and refuse to sub m it myself in this a rg ument to a ny other
standard whatever.
I did not ad mit that Rama was a blind Avatar, but offered
you two alternatives of which the latter represents my real
view founded on the i m pression made on me by the Ramaya na
that Rama knew very well but refused to be ta l kative a bout it
- his business bei ng not to disclose the Divi ne but to fix men­
tal, moral and emotional man ( not to origi nate h i m , fo r he was
there a l ready) on the e a rth as aga inst the An imal and the Ra k­
shasa forces . My a rg u ment from Chaita nya (who was for most
of the time to his own outward consciousness first a pandit and
then a bhakta, but o n ly occasionally the Divine h imself) is per­
fectly rational and log ical, if you fol low my line and don't insist
on a high specifically spiritual consciousness for the Avatar. I

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

shall point out what I mean in my next.

By sattwic man I do not mean a moral or an always self-con­
trol led one, but a predominantly mental (as opposed to a vita l
or merely physical man) who has rajasic emotions and pas­
sions, but lives predomina ntly according to his mind and its will
and ideas. There is no such thing, I suppose, as a purely satt­
wic man - since the th ree g unas go always together in a state
of unstable equilibrium - but a predomina ntly sattwic man is
what I have descri bed . My impression of Ra ma from Va lmi ki is
such - it is quite different from you rs. I a m afra id you r picture
of him is qu itP. out of focus - you efface the main lines of the
cha racters, belittle and brush out all the lig hts to which Va lmiki
gave so much va lue and prominence and hammer always at
some details and some pa rts of shadow which you turn into the
larger part of Ra m a . That is what the debunkers do - but a
debunked figL re is not the true figu re .
By the way, a sattwic man can have a strong passion a n d
strong a nger - and when he lets t h e latter loose, t h e norm a l ly
vicious fel low iS simply nowhere . Witness the outbu rsts of an­
ger of Christ, the indignation of Cha itanya - and the general
evidence of experience and psychology on that point.
The trait of Ram a which you give as that of an u ndeveloped
man, viz., his decisive sponta neous action according to the will
and the idea that came to him, is a tra it of the cosmic man and
many Vibhuti�, men of action of the large Caesa rea n or Na po­
leonic type.

* * *

When I said, "Why not a n unconscious Avata r?" I was ta k­

ing your statement (not m ine) that Rama was unconscious and
how could there be an u nconscious Avatar. My own view is
that Ra ma was not blind, not unconscious of his Avatarhood,
only uncommunicative a bout it. But I said that even ta ki ng
your statement to be correct, the objection was n ot insu per-

322
 Appendix III

able. I instanced the case of Chaitanya a n d the others, because

there the facts a re hard ly d isputable. Chaitanya for the first
part of his life was si m ply N im a i Pandit a n d had no conscious­
ness of being anyth ing else. Then he h a d h i s conversion a n d
beca me the bhakta Chaita nya . This bhakta at ti mes seemed
to be possessed by the presence of Krishna, knew h imself to
be Krishna, spoke, moved a n d a ppea red with the lig ht of the
Godhead - none a round h i m cou ld th i n k of or see him as
anything else when he was in this glorified and tra nsfigured
condition . But from that he fel l back to the ordinary conscious­
ness of the bhakta and, as I have read i n his biogra phy, refused
then to consider him self as a nything more . These, I thi nk, a re
the facts. Wel l , then what d o they sig n ify? Was he only N i ma i
Pandit a t first? It is quite conceivable that h e was s o a n d the
descent of the Godhead into him only took place after h is con­
version and spiritual change. But a lso afterwa rds when he was
in his norma l bhakta-consciousness, was he then no longer the
Avata r? An i ntermittent Avatarhood? Krish na coming d own for
an afternoon ca l l i nto Chaita nya a n d then going u p again til l
the time c a m e for t h e next visit? I fi nd i t difficult to believe in
this phenome non . The rational expla nation is that in the phe­
nomenon of Avata rhood there is a Consciousness behind, at
first vei led or someti mes perhaps h alf-vei led which is that of
the Godhead a n d a frontal consciousness, human or apparently
human or at a ny rate with a ll the a ppea rance of terrestria lity
which is the i nstru mental persona lity. In that case, it is possible
that the secret Consciousness was all a long there, but waited to
man ifest u ntil after the conversion a n d it man ifested intermit­
tently because the main work of Cha itanya was to establish the
type of a spiritual a n d psychic bhakti a n d love in the emotional
vita l part of man, preparing the vita l in us in that way to turn
towa rds the Divine - at a ny rate, to fix that possibil ity in the
earth-nature. It was not that there h a d not been the e motional
type of bha kti befo re; but the com pl eteness of it, the e/an, the
vita l 's ra ptu re in it had never manifested as it manifested in
Cha itanya . But for that work it would never have done if he had

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 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

a lways been in the Krishna consciousness; he would have been

the Lord to whom a l l gave bhakti, but not the su preme example
of the divine ecstatic bhakta . But sti l l the occasiona l m a nifesta­
tion showed who he was and at the sa me ti me evidenced the
mystic law of the Immanence.
Voila - for Chaita nya . But, if Chaita nya, the frontal con­
sciousness, the instrumenta l personality, was a l l the time the
Avata r, yet except in his highest moments was unconscious of it
a nd even d enied it, that pushed a little fa rther wou l d esta blish
the possibility of what you ca l l an unconscious Avata r, that is to
say, of one in which the vei led consciousness might not come
in front but a lways move the instru mental personal ity from be­
hind. The fronta l consciousness might be awa re in the inner
parts of its being that it was only a n instrument of someth ing
Divine which was its rea l Self, but outwa rdly wou ld th i n k, spea k
and behave as if it were only the human being doing a given
work with a peculiar power a n d splendour. Whether there was
such an Avatar or not is a nother matter, but logica l ly it is pos-
sible. '

- Sri Aurobi ndo, Letters on Yoga, Vol . 22, SABCL,

pp. 4 1 3-21

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 APPEN DICES

IV

Sri Aurobindo on Va l m i ki a nd Vyasa

A Comparison

yasa i n fact sta nds at the opposite pole from Va l m i ki. The

V poet of the Ramayana has a flexible and universa l genius

em bracing the Tita nic a nd the divi ne, the human and
the g i gantic at once or with an inspired ease of tra nsition. But
Vyasa is u n m ixed Olympian, he lives in a world of pure verse
and diction, enjoyi ng his own heaven of golden clearness. We
have seen what a re the m a i n negative qualities of the style;
pureness, strength, g randeur of i ntellect and persona l ity a re its
positive virtues. It is the expression of a pregnant a nd forceful
mind, in which the idea is sufficient to itself, conscious of its
own i ntrinsic greatness; when this m i nd runs i n the groove of
na rrative or emotion, the style wears a n a i r of high and pellucid
ease i n the midst of which its strenuous com pactness and brev­
ity moves a n d lives as a saving a nd strengthening spirit; but
when it begi ns to thi n k rapidly and profoundly, as often hap­
pens in the g reat speeches, it is a pt to leave the hearer behind;
sufficient to itself, thi n king quickly, briefly a nd greatly, it does
not ca re to pa use on its own ideas or expla i n them at length,
but speaks as it thi n ks, in a condensed often elliptical style,
preferring to i ndicate rather tha n expatiate, often passing over
the steps by which it shou ld a rrive at the idea and hastening
to the idea itself; often it is subtle a nd multi plies many shades
and ra mifications of thought in a short compass. From this
arises that frequent knottiness and excessive compression of

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

logical seq uence, that appea rance of elliptica l and someti mes
obscure expression, which so struck the ancient critics in Vyasa
and which they expressed in the legend that when dictati ng
the Mahabharata to Ganesha -- for it was Ga nesha 's sti pula­
tion that not for one moment should he be left without matter
to write - the poet in order not to be outstripped by his divi ne
scri be threw in frequently knotty and close-knit passages which
forced the lig htning swift hand to pause and labour slowly over
the work. To a stren uous mind these passages a re, from the
exercise they give to the intellect, an added charm, j ust as a
mou ntain cl i m ber ta kes an especial delight in steep ascents
which let h i m feel his ability. Of one thing, however, we may be
confident in reading Vyasa that the expression will a lways be
just to the thought; he never pa lters with or labours to dress
up the real ity within h i m . For the rest we must evidently trace
this pecu lia rity to the compact, steep and someti mes elliptica l,
but always stren uous diction of the Upanishads in which the
mind of the poet was tra i ned and his personality tempere d .
At the same ti m�, l i ke the Upanishads themselves or l i ke the
enigmatic Aeschylus, he ca n be perfectly clear, precise and fu l l
whenever h e chooses; a n d he more often chooses than not.
His expression of thought is usually strong and abrupt, his ex­
pression of fact and of emotion strong and precise. His verse
has similar peculiarities. It is a golden and equable stream that
sometimes whi rls itself into eddies or dashes upon rocks, but
it always runs in ha rmony with the thought. Vyasa has not Va l­
miki 's movement as of the sea, the wide and un broken surge
with its infi n ite variety of waves, which enables him not only
to fi nd in the facile anu?tup metre a sufficient vehicle for his
vast and a mbitious work but to ma intain it throughout without
its palling or losing its ca pacity of adjustment to ever-va rying
moods and turns of na rrative . But i n his na rrower l i mits and
on the level of his lower flight Vyasa has great subtlety and
fineness. Especially admirable is his use, in speeches, of bro­
ken effects such as wou ld in less ski lfu l ha nds have become
veritable d iscords; a n d again in na rrative of the simplest and

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 Appendix IV

barest metrica l movements, as in the opening Sarga of the

Sab h a parva, to create certa i n calculated effects. But it woul d
b e idle to pretend for h i m a ny equal ity a s a master o f verse
with Va lmiki . When he has to rise from his levels to express
powerful emotion, grandiose eloquence or swift and sweeping
n arrative, he cannot a l ways effect it i n the anu?tup metre; he
fal ls back more often than not on the rol ling magnificence of
the tri?tup (and its variations) which be �t sets a nd ennobles his
strong-winged austerity. . . .
A compa rison with Va l m i ki i s instructive o f the va rying ge­
nius of these g reat masters. Both excel in epical rhetoric, if
such a term as rhetoric can be a pplied to Vyasa's di rect a n d
severe style, but Vyasa's h a s the a i r o f a m ore intel lectual,
reflective and experienced stage of poetical adva nce. The lon­
ger speeches in the Ra maya na, those even wh ich have most
the a ppeara nce of set, a rg umentative oration, proceed straight
from the heart, the thoughts, words, reasonings come wel l­
ing up from the dominant emotion or conflicti ng feeling of the
spea ker; they pal pitate and a re a live with the vita l force from
which they have spru ng. Though belonging to a more thoug ht­
fu l, g entle and cultu red civilisation than Homer's, they have,
l i ke his, the large uttera nce which is not of pri mitive times,
but of the prim a l emotions. Vyasa's have a powerful but a us­
tere force of intellectua l ity. In expressing cha racter they fi rmly
expose it rather tha n spri ng ha lf-u nconsciously from it; their
bold and finely planned consistency with the o riginal concep­
tion reveals rather the conscientious pai nstaki ng of an inspired
but reflective a rtist than the more pri m a ry and impetuous cre­
ative impulse. In their management of emotion itself a si milar
difference becomes prom inent. Va l m i ki, when g iving utterance
to a m ood or passion simple or complex, surcharges every line,
every phrase, turn of words or movement of verse with it; there
a re no lightning flashes but a great depth of emotion swell­
ing steadily, inexhausti bly a n d increasingly in a wonder of sus­
ta ined feeling, like a conti n u a l ly risi ng wave with low crests of
foa m . Vyasa has a high level of style with a s u bd ued e motio n

327
 Illumination/ Heroism and Harmony

behind it occasional ly brea kin g into poignant outbursts. It is by

sudden bea uties that he rises above hi mself and not only ex­
a lts, sti rs and delights us at his ord i n a ry level, but memorably
seizes the heart and imagination . Th is is the natura l result of
the peculiarly disi nterested a rt which never seeks out a nything
striking for its own sake, but admits it only when it a rises un­
ca l led from the occasion .
Vyasa is therefore less broadly human tha n Val m i ki, he is
at the same ti me a wider and more original thi nker. His su­
preme intellect a rises everywhere out of the mass of insipid or
turbulent redaction and interpolation with ba re and grand iose
outl ines. A wide sea rch ing m i nd, historian, statesman, orator,
a deep and keen looker into ethics and cond uct, a subtle and
high-aiming politician, theologian and philosopher, it is not for
nothing that Hindu i magination ma kes the name of Vyasa loom
so large in the history of Aryan thought and attributes to him
work so i m porta nt and manifold. The wideness of the man's
intellectual empire is evident throug hout the work; we feel the
presence of the 'great Rishi, the original thi n ker who has en­
l a rged the bou ndaries of ethical and religious outlook.
Modern India since the M usulman advent has accepted the
politics of Chanakya in preference to Vyasa's. Certainly there
was little in politics concealed from that great and sinister spir­
it. Yet Vyasa perhaps knew its subtleties qu ite as wel l , but he
had to ennoble and g uide him a high ethical aim and an august
i m peri a l idea. He did not, l i ke European i m perialism, una ble
to rise a bove the idea of power, accept the Jesuitic doctri ne
of any means to a good end, sti ll less justify the good ness of
the end by that profession of an utterly fa lse disinterested ness
which ends in the soothing belief that plunder, arson, outrage
and massacre a re committed for the good of the slaug htered
nation. Vyasa's imperialism fra nkly accepts wa r a nd empire as
the result of man's natura l lust for power' and dominion, but de­
mands that empire should be won by noble and civilized meth­
ods, not in the spirit of the savage, and insists, once it is won,
not on its powers, but on its duties. Val miki too has included

328
 Appendix IV

politics in his wide sweep; his picture of an ideal i mperialism

is sound and noble and the spirit of the Koshalan Ikshwakus
that monarchy must be broad-based on the people's will and
yet broader-based on j ustice, truth a n d good government, is
admirably developed as an u ndertone of the poe m . But it is
a n u ndertone on ly, n ot as in the Mahabharata its uppermost
a n d weightiest drift. Va l miki's approach to politics is imagina­
tive, poetic, made from outside. He i� attracted to it by the
u n l i m ited curiosity of an universal mind and sti l l more by the
appreciation of a g reat creative artist; only therefore when it
gives opportu nities for a g ra n d iose imagination or is m i ng led
with the motives of cond uct a n d acts on cha racter. He is a poet
who makes occasional use of public affa i rs as part of his wide
h u m a n subject. The reverse may, with som e a p pearance of
truth, be sa id of Vyasa that he is interested in h u m a n action
and character mainly as they move a n d work in relation to a
larg e politica l backg rou nd.
From this difference in tem per and mode of expression a rises
a d ifference in the mode a lso of portrayi ng character. Vyasa's
knowledge of character is not so inti mate, emotional a nd sym­
pathetic as Va lm iki's; it has more of a heroic inspiration, less
of a divi ne sympathy. He has reached it not l i ke Va l miki im­
med iately through the heart a nd imagination, but deli berately
through inte l l ect and experience, a deep criticism and reading
of men; the spi rit of shaping i magination has come afterwa rds
l i ke a scu lptor using the mate rials labour has provided for h i m .
I t h a s not been a light leading him into the secret places of the
heart. Nevertheless the cha racterisation, however reached, is
a d m i rable and firm. It is the fruit of a l ifelong experie nce, the
knowledge of a statesman who has had m uch to do with the
ru ling of men and has been h i mself a considera ble part in some
g reat revol ution ful l of asto n ishing incidents and extraordina ry
characters. With that high experience his bra i n and his sou l a re
fu l l . It has cast his i mag ination into colossa l proportions, pro­
vided him with majestic conceptions which can dispense with
a l l but the simplest language for expression; for they a re so

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 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

g reat that the bare precise statement of what is said a n d done

seems enough to m a ke lang uage epica l . His character-drawi ng
i ndeed is more epical, less psychological than Val m i ki's. Truth
of speech a n d action gives us the truth of nature and it is done
with strong pu rposeful strokes that have the power to move the
heart and enlarge a nd ennoble the imagi nation which is what
we mean by the epic in poetry. In Va lmiki there are marvel lous
a nd revea l i ng touches which show us the secret someth ing i n
character usually beyond the expressive power either of speech
a n d action ; they a re touches oftener found in the dramatic
a rtist than the epic, and seldom fal l with i n Vyasa's method .
It is the difference between a strong and pu rposefu l artistic
synthesis a nd the bea utiful, subtle a n d involute symmetry of
an organic existence evolved and inevita ble rather than sha ped
a n d purposed . . . . .
But Vyasa has not only a high politica l and rel igious thought
a n d deep-seei ng eth ical judg ments, he deals not only with the
massive aspects a n d world-wide issues of human conduct, but
has a keen eye for the deta i ls of govern ment and society, the
ceremonies, forms a nd usages, the religious and social order
on the due stability of which public welfare is grou nded . The
principles of good government a n d the motives and impulses
that move men to public action, no less than the rise a n d fa ll
of States a n d the clash of mighty personal ities and g reat pow­
ers form, incidenta l ly and epically treated, the sta ple of Vyasa's
epic. The poem was therefore, first a n d foremost, like the Iliad
a n d Aeneid and even more than the Iliad and Aeneid, national
- a poem i n which the rel igious, socia l and personal tempera­
ment a nd ideals of the Arya n nation have found a high ex­
pression a n d the institutions, actions and heroes i n the most
critica l period of its history received the judgments a n d criti­
cisms of one of its g reatest a n d sou n dest mi nds. If this had not
been so we should not have had the Ma habharata in its present
form . Val m i ki had a lso dealt with a g reat historica l period in a
yet more u niversa l spirit a n d with fi ner richness of deta i l, but
he a pproached it i n a poetic and d ra matic manner, he created

330
 Appendix IV

rather than criticised ; while Vyasa i n his manner was the critic
far more than the creator. Hence later poets found it easier and
more congenial to i ntroduce their criticisms of l ife and thought
into the Maha bharata than i nto the Ramaya n a . Vyasa's poem
has been increased to th reefold its original size; the additions
to Va l miki, few in themselves if we set apart the Uttara Ka nda,
have been im material and for the most part of an accidenta l
nature. •

Gifted with such poetica l powers, limited by such intellec­

tual and emotional cha racteristics, endowed with such gran­
deur of soul and severe pu rity of taste, what was the special
work which Vyasa did for his cou ntry and i n what, beyond the
ord i n a ry elements of poetical treatise, lies his cla im to world­
wide accepta nce? It has been suggested a l ready that the Ma­
habharata is the great national poem of India. It is true the
Ra mayana a lso represents an Aryan civilisation idealised : Ra ma
and Sita a re more inti mately characteristic types of the Hindu
tem pera ment as it fi nally shaped itself tha n are Arj u na and
Dra u padi; Sri Krishna, though his character is fou nded in the
national type, yet rises fa r a bove it. But a lthough Val mi ki, writ­
ing the poem of mankind, d rew his chief fig ures in the Hindu
model and Vyasa, writing a great national epic, lifted his divi ne
hero a bove the basis of national character i nto an un iversal hu­
manity, yet the original purpose of either poem remains intact.
In the Ra mayana under the disguise of an Arya n golden age,
the wide world with all its elementa l impulses and affections
finds itself mi rrored. The Mahabharata reflects rather a g reat
Arya n civilisation with the types, ideas, aims a n d passions of a
heroic and pregnant period in the history of a high-hearted a n d
deep-thoug hted nation. I t has, moreover, as I have attempted
to i n dicate, a formative ethica l and religious spirit which is a b­
solutely corrective to the fau lts that have most ma rred in the
past and mar to the present day the Hindu cha racter and type
of thought. And it provides us with this corrective not in the
form of an a l ien civi lisation difficult to assi milate and associ­
ated with other elements as da ngerous to us as this is salutary,

331
 Illumination, Heroism and Harmony

but in a great creative work of our own literatu re written by the

mightiest of our sages (munTnamapyaha vyasal), Krishna has
said), one therefore who speaks our own language, thinks our
own thoughts and has the sa me national cast of mind, natu re
a nd conscie nce. His ideals will therefore be a corrective not
only to our own fau lts but to the dangers of that attractive but
u nwholesome Asura civil isation which has invaded us, especia l­
ly its morbid anima l ism and its neu rotic tendency to a bandon
itself to its own desires.
But this does not say a l l . Vyasa too, beyond the essential
universality of all g reat poets, has his pecu liar appeal to hu­
manity in general making his poem of world-wide as wel l as
nationa l importa nce. By comparing him once again with Va l m i ki
we shall rea lize more precisely in what this a ppea l consists. The
Tita nic impu lse was strong in Va l miki . The very dimensions of
his poetica l canvas, the a udacity and occasional recklessness
of his conceptions, the g ust with which he fills in the gigantic
outl ines of his Ravana a re the essence of Tita nism; his genius
was so un iversal ' and Protea n that no single element of it ca n
be said to predominate, yet this tendency towa rds the enor­
mous enters perha ps as largely into it as any other. But to
the tempera ment of Vyasa the Tita nic was a l ien. It is true he
carves his figu res so largely (for he was a scul ptor in creation
rather than a painter like Va lmiki) that looked at sepa rately
they seem to have colossa l stature, but he is always at pains so
to ha rmonise them that they shall a ppea r measurable to us a n d
strongly h u m a n . They a re largely and bold ly h u m a n , oppres­
sive a nd sublime, but never Titanic. He loves the ea rth and the
heavens but he visits not Pata la nor the stu pendous regions of
Vrishaparva n . His Ra kshasas, supposi ng them to be his at a l l ,
a re epic gia nts or matter-of-fact ogres, but they d o not exhale
the breath of midn ight and terror like Val m i ki's demons nor the
spirit of world-shaking anarchy like Va lniiki's giants. This poet
could never have conceived Rava n a . He had neither uncon­
scious sym pathy nor a sufficient force of a bhorrence to inspire
h i m . The passions of Duryodhana though presented with great

332
 Appendix IV

force of a nti pathetic i nsight a re human and l i m ited . The Titanic

was so fo reig n to Vyasa's habit of mind that h e could not g rasp
it sufficiently either to love or hate . His hu manism shuts to h i m
the outermost gates o f that sublime a n d menacing reg ion; he
has not the secret of the storm nor has his sou l ridden u pon
the whirlwin d . For his particular work this was a rea l adva n ­
tag e . Val m i ki h a s d rawn for us both t h e divine a n d a n a rchic i n
extraordinary proportions; a n Akbar or a N a poleon m ig ht fi nd
his spi ritual kindred in Rama or Rava na: but with more ordinary
beings such fig u res i m press the sense of the sublime principally
a n d d o not dwell with them as daily acquainta nces. It was l eft
for Vyasa to create epical ly the h u m a n divine a n d · the human
anarchic so as to bri ng idealisms of the conflicti mora l types into
line with the daily emotions and imaginations of men .

- Vol . 3, Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library,

pp. 148-50, 163-66, 174-77

333
" are Ra ma, Sita, Savitrie, merely patterns of mora l
excel lence? I who have read thei r ta le i n the swift and
m i ghty language of Va lmekie a nd Vyasa a n d thri l led with
their joys a nd their sorrows, ca nnot persuade myself that
it is so . Surely Savitrie that strong silent heart, with her
powerfu l a nd su btly-indicated personality, has both life
a nd cha rm; surely Ra ma puts too much divine fire into
a l l he does to be a dead thi ng,- Sita is too g racious and
sweet, too fu l l of h u m a n lovingness and lovableness, of
woma n ly wea kness and woma n ly strength !"

- Sri Aurobindo, Vol . 27, SABCL, p. 154

Other monographs d istributed by Aurov i l l e Press Publishers

which are part of the programme of publications for Value-oriented

Education by Sri Aurobindo International Institute of Educational
Research (SAIIER), A uroville

Parvati's Tapasya
Nala and Damaya nti
The Siege of Troy
Alexa nder the G reat
Homer and the I liad - S ri Aurobindo and I l ion
Catherine the G reat
U n iting Men - Jean Monnet
Gods and the World
Joan of Arc
The Crucifixion'
Nach iketas
Socrates
Sri Krish n a in Bri ndavan

Other titles published by SAIIER and Shubhra Ketu Foundation

The Aim of Life

The Good Teacher and the Good Pupil
Mystery a n d Excellence of the Human Body
 Pri nted at Auroville Press
Aurovi l le, TN
, 2009