Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 109

Meaning

Hearing the speech of Jābāli, Śrī Rāma, for his part, who was possessed of unfailing prowess, replied as follows in the commendable phraseology of the Vedas, armed as he was with a conviction opposed to Jābāli’s point of view: (1)

Meaning

“The advice that you have tendered on this occasion in order to make available to me the pleasures of sense, which are agreeable to all, is not really worth following, although appearing as such, and is unwholesome, though appearing as wholesome. (2)

Meaning

“A man who has transgressed the bounds of propriety and is characterized by a sinful conduct, and who is wedded to a moral philosophy different from the established ethical doctrines does not get recognition among the wise. (3)

Meaning

“Conduct alone proclaims a man to be well-born or otherwise, gallant or only fancying himself to be gallant, honest or dishonest. (4)

Meaning

“One following the way of life propounded by you will be ignoble, though appearing as noble, will be accepted as clean, though devoid of cleanliness, would pass for one endowed with auspicious bodily marks, though lacking in such marks, will appear as possessed of an amiable disposition, though ill-mannered. (5)

Meaning

“If I embrace unrighteousness, cloaked in the garb of piety and leading to confusion or mixture of castes, I should be giving up the virtuous acts and taking to unauthorized action. (6)

Meaning

“What sensible man capable of discerning what ought to be done and what ought not to be done would hold me in high esteem in the world, knowing me to be vile of conduct and a corrupter of the people? (7)

Meaning

“Conducting myself according to the mode of life recommended by you in which my vow of remaining in exile in woods for fourteen years has to be abandoned, whose way of life shall I follow as an ideal so that I may attain heaven, since you tell me my father was none to me? By following your advice, I will act according to my own inclination (disregarding the authority of the Śāstras) and, following my example, the whole of this world too is likely to turn licentious; for people follow the same way of life as kings do. (8-9)

Meaning

“Truthfulness alone, which is divorced from cruelty, is the eternal way of life prescribed for kings. Therefore, truthfulness is the soul of a kingdom; nay, the world itself is founded on truth. (10)

Meaning

“The seers of Vedic Mantras as well as gods have respected truthfulness alone. Indeed, a veracious man in this world attains the highest realm, which knows no decay. (11)

Meaning

“People turn away in fear from a man telling lies in the same way as they do from a serpent. Virtue has its culmination in truthfulness; nay, it is declared to be the root of all. (12)

Meaning

“Truth alone is God in the world, piety ever hinges on truth. All have their root in truth; there is no goal higher than truth. (13)

Meaning

“Charity, sacrificial performances, as well as offering oblations into the sacred fire, nay, austerities actually practised and the Vedas studied have their foundation on truth. Hence one should remain devoted to truth. (14)

Meaning

“According to the degree of virtue and sin practised in one’s past lives one rules over the world,another simply supports one’s race alone; a third actually sinks into hell, and yet another is respected in heaven.(15)

Meaning

“Wherefore, then, shall I, who know all this, not carry out the behest of my father, which was based on truth and solemnized through swearing by truth, true to my promise as I am? (16)

Meaning

“Neither from greed of sovereignty nor even from infatuation nor again from ignorance shall I, overpowered by obtuseness of understanding, violate the sanctity of my father’s pledge given to mother, Kaikeyī, true to my promise as I am. (17)

Meaning

“It has been heard by us that neither gods nor even manes accept the offerings of a man who is not true to his promise, and has thus deviated from truth and is of irresolute mind. (18)

Meaning

“I recognize this virtue in the form of truthfulness as binding on all embodied beings and foremost. The burden in the form of matted locks has been made much of by good men; hence it is welcomed by me. (19)

Meaning

“I shall certainly renounce the duty of a Kṣatriya (in the shape of assuming the rulership of Ayodhyā in violation of my father’s injunction) which consists mostly of unrighteousness, though seemingly attended with an iota of virtue and which is followed generally by petty, cruel and greedy men of sinful deeds. (20)

Meaning

“Having first resolved upon a sinful deed with the mind, a man speaks of his vile intention to his friends and associates with his tongue and then perpetrates it with his body with the help of others. In this way a sinful deed is accomplished in three ways, viz., by thought, word and deed. (21)

Meaning

“Land, renown, glory and fortune undoubtedly woo a man devoted to truth. The wise pursue truth, hence one should worship truth alone. (22)

Meaning

“What you have recommended to me after concluding it to be the best for me in so many logical words, viz., ‘this sovereignty is good for you, unhesitatingly accept it,’ must be unquestionably improper for me. (23)

Meaning

“Having actually given my word of honour to my father to remain in exile in the woods for fourteen years, as I am doing, how shall I comply with the prayer of Bharata, flouting the command of my father? (24)

Meaning

“A firm vow was taken by me in the presence of my father and Queen Kaikeyī felt highly delighted at heart to hear it at that moment. How can I now go back upon my word of honour and cause sorrow to her?(25)

Meaning

“Having controlled my diet and propitiating gods as well as manes by means of sacred roots, flowers and fruits while continuing to reside in the forest only and remaining pure of body and mind, with all the five senses fully sated, nay, free from all viles, devout and fully cognizant of what ought to be done and what ought not to be done, I propose to discharge my worldly obligations in the form of carrying out the behest of my father. (26-27)

Meaning

“Having reached this terrestrial globe (the realm of action), virtuous action alone should be undertaken. The god of fire as well as the wind-god and the moon-god enjoy, in their respective realms, the fruit of their meritorious action. (28)

Meaning

“Indra, the ruler of gods, was able to attain the sovereignty of heaven only after performing a hundred sacrifices. The eminent seers of Vedic Mantras too ascended to the ethereal regions (the realms even higher than heaven) after practising rigorous austerities only.” (29)

Meaning

Hearing the plea put forward by the aforesaid sage, Jābāli, in the form of a heretic utterance (denying the life beyond death) and resenting, nay, censuring his words, Śrī Rāma, son of King Daśaratha, who was endowed with a formidable spirit, forthwith spoke to him once again as follows : (30)

Meaning

“The sages speak of truthfulness and piety and valour and compassion for created beings and polite speech and worship of Brāhmaṇas, gods and unexpected guests as a road to heaven. (31)

Meaning

“Scrupulously and duly practising virtue in all its aspects, having in the first instance correctly understood its meaning through the aforesaid utterance of sages and reached complete unanimity on the point, Brāhmaṇas seek to attain realms of their choice. (32)

Meaning

“I denounce the action mentioned below, of my father, who picked up as his counsellor-priest you, a staunch unbeliever, who has not only strayed away from the path of righteousness but whose mind is set on a wrong path opposed to the Vedic path, nay, who is moving about in the world with such an ideology conforming to the doctrine of the atheistic Cārvāka, who believes only in the world of senses, as has been set forth in your foregoing speech. (33)

Meaning

“It is a well-known fact that a follower of Buddha condemning the Vedas deserves to be punished precisely in the same way as a thief inasmuch as a heretic robs people of their faith; and know an unbeliever (a follower of the Cārvāka or materialistic school of philosophy) to be on a par with a Bauddha. Therefore, among such unbelievers he who is most tameable should undoubtedly be so punished in the interest of the people; in no other case should a wise man even stand face to face with an unbeliever, but should shun him. (34)

Meaning

“Men that lived before you, as well as Brāhmaṇas ever performed numerous blessed deeds in obedience to the injunctions of the Vedas giving up all hopes of reward in this world as well as in the next. Hence following the injunctions of the Vedas, Brāhmaṇas pursue harmlessness, truthfulness and other virtues, perform noble deeds such as practice of austerities, making gifts, doing a good turn to others and so on and offer oblations into the sacred fire. (35)

Meaning

Foremost sages, like Vasiṣṭha, who are devoted to righteousness, remain in communion with good men, are endowed with spiritual glory, have the virtue of munificence predominant in them, practise harmlessness and are entirely free from impurity of all kinds become worthy of adoration in the world.” (36)

Meaning

To the high-souled Śrī Rāma, who never felt dejected at heart and was speaking angrily as above, the Brāhmaṇa Jābāli now politely addressed the following wholesome and truthful words, which showed his belief in the authority of the Vedas, the otherworld and so on: (37)

Meaning

“I do not as a rule repeat the words of unbelievers nor am I an unbeliever at heart nor is it a fact that nothing exists beyond this visible universe. Perceiving the time opportune for it, now that I find you bent on implementing the pledge given to your father, I have become a believer once more and to suit the exigencies of the moment, may again pose as an unbeliever when the time comes for it. (38)

Meaning

“That time too had now come when a heretical speech was slowly made by me in order to deflect you from your purpose of remaining in exile in the forest and also from another motive viz., to establish your reputation as a great believer by evoking your opposition to the heretical view. Again, in order to pacify you when I found you angry has this revised utterance been made by me, O Rāma !” (39)