Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 22

Meaning

Approaching the celebrated Lakṣmaṇa (son of Sumitrā), his beloved brother and well-wisher, who felt distressed through agony and was greatly indignant and was looking with eyes wide open through rage like an infuriated elephant, the said Śrī Rāma, who had mastered his self, spoke to him as follows, restraining his mind with firmness : (1-2)

Meaning

“Curbing your anger against our father and Kaikeyī and grief over my impending exile and embracing uncommon fortitude, nay, ignoring this affront in the form of banishing me and deriving the highest joy from the idea of having helped our father in implementing his plighted word and thereby ensuring his place in the highest heaven, pray, cause to be sent back all the exquisite material that has been got ready for my consecration as Prince Regent and quickly and uninterruptedly accomplish what requires to be done now in the shape of preparations for the journey. (3-4)

Meaning

“Let the same zeal be evinced in preparing for the exile, which implies the cessation of the consecration as was shown in collecting materials for my installation, O darling of Sumitrā ! (5)

Meaning

“Take steps to ensure that that mother of ours viz., Kaikeyī, whose mind is greatly troubled over the question of my installation, is not filled with apprehension (that I may assume a revolting attitude and refuse to leave the capital). (6)

Meaning

“I cannot afford to ignore even for a while, O darling of Sumitrā, the agony in the form of apprehension aroused in her mind. (7)

Meaning

“I do not remember the least offence ever given by me consciously or unwittingly to my mothers or to my father in this life. (8)

Meaning

“Let my father—who is ever truthful, true to his promise, truly valiant and afraid of falsehood, which brings disaster in the other world—be rid of fear in the other world by my redeeming the promise made by him to Kaikeyī. (9)

Meaning

“Indeed, so long as this business of installation, is not liquidated, the painful consciousness that his veracity has not been vindicated will lurk in his (father’s) mind too and his agony is sure to distress me as well. (10)

Meaning

“Therefore, having done away with this ceremony of installation, O Lakṣmaṇa, I for my part wish to proceed from this city to the forest soon. (11)

Meaning

“Accomplished of purpose as a result of my banishment, let Kaikeyī (the daughter of King Aśwapati) then install her son, Bharata, this very day, without any distraction of mind. (12)

Meaning

“On my having proceeded to the forest, clad in the bark of trees and deerskin and wearing a coil of matted locks, the mind of Kaikeyī will be gratified. (13)

Meaning

“Surely I ought not to give offence to Providence by crossing His purpose, as it is by him that this idea of sending me away into exile to the forest has been infused into the mind of Kaikeyī through the machination of Mantharā and her mind fully set at rest on the question. I shall accordingly go into exile, let there be no delay. (14)

Meaning

“Providence alone should be regarded, O son of Sumitrā, as responsible for sending me into exile as well as for taking back from me the sovereignty of Ayodhyā offered to me. (15)

Meaning

“How could the resolution of persecuting me by way of sending me into exile enter the mind of Kaikeyī (my own mother) if this idea of hers were not prompted by Providence? (16)

Meaning

“For, you already know, O gentle brother, that no discrimination was ever made by me between my mothers in the past nor was any distinction made even by her between her son and myself. (17)

Meaning

“As such I cannot hold anything other than the will of Providence responsible for her galling the king with pungent words, hard to utter (even for any other), urging him to stop my installation and sending me into exile. (18)

Meaning

“How else could she, a princess of gentle disposition and possessing such rare qualities of head and heart utter like an uncouth woman in the presence of her husband words intended to torment me?(19)

Meaning

“That which cannot be foreseen is surely a decree of Providence and it cannot be set aside by any among created beings. Evidently, therefore, it is by the will of Providence that the unexpected has befallen me as well as her. (20)

Meaning

“Again, what man can dare contend, O son of Sumitrā, with destiny, of which no indication can be found other than the consequence of an act? (21)

Meaning

“Joy and sorrow, fear and anger, gain and loss, birth and death and whatever similar experience comes to a particular individual, that is unquestionably the work of Providence. (22)

Meaning

“Strongly impelled by destiny, even sages practising severe austerities are led astray by concupiscence and anger etc., abandoning their strict observance. (23)

Meaning

“Setting aside an undertaking already commenced with the help of requisite materials, that which takes place unexpectedly without any ostensible cause, is undoubtedly the doing of Providence.(24)

Meaning

“In spite of my installation having been interrupted, no agony is experienced by me, who have fully steadied my mind by recourse to this true wisdom. (25)

Meaning

“Therefore, rid of agony and following my line of thought, cause you the proceedings of installation to be stopped at once. (26)

Meaning

“With all these jars containing sacred waters, brought together for my consecration, O Lakṣmaṇa, will be accomplished by my bath at the inauguration of my vow of asceticism. (27)

Meaning

“Or, what have I to do in reality with this water accompanied in abundance by auspicious articles collected for the installation? Water drawn by me personally will serve to inaugurate my vow of asceticism. (28)

Meaning

“Moreover, O Lakṣmaṇa, do not give way to remorse over the loss of fortune. To me it matters little whether sovereignty falls to my lot or exile, the latter being of greater consequence (in that it will be free from worries and favourable for asceticism and will afford me an opportunity to redeem father’s pledge given to Kaikeyī). (29)

Meaning

“Our youngest mother, Kaikeyī, ought not on any account be suspected of having brought about this interruption in my installation nor our father, both of whom are subject to the control of Providence; for, you know Providence to be possessed of unfailing power.” (30)