Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 40

Meaning

Clasping the feet of and bowing to the king, Śrī Rāma and Sītā as well as Lakṣmaṇa, who felt miserable (because of their inability to be of any service to their aged parents) forthwith went round him clockwise with folded hands. (1)

Meaning

Duly obtaining leave of him and accompanied by Sītā, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), who knew what is right and stood through desolate grief of his mother, bowed to Kausalyā. (2)

Meaning

Following at the heels of his brother, Lakṣmaṇa too greeted Kausalyā; then he clasped the feet of his own mother, Sumitrā. (3)

Meaning

Smelling as a token of affection the head of the mighty-armed Lakṣmaṇa, who was saluting her, the mother, who wished well of him, spoke weeping to that son of hers as follows : (4)

Meaning

“Excessively fond as you are of your kinsman, Rāma, you have been permitted by me to dwell in the forest with your eldest brother. But do not neglect, my son, the service of your brother, Rāma, who is going with you. (5)

Meaning

“He alone is your refuge, whether in adversity or in affluent circumstances, O sinless one ! Such is the rule of conduct followed by the virtuous in the world that a younger brother should be subject to the control of his elder brother. (6)

Meaning

“To practise charity, to consecrate oneself for sacrificial performances and to drop one’s body on the field of battle alone—these indeed constitute the conduct appropriate to this race of the Raghus for all time.” (7)

Meaning

“Having exhorted Lakṣmaṇa as aforesaid, the said Sumitrā repeatedly said to the celebrated Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, who was loved by all and was bent on leaving for the forest, “Fare forth ! Fare forth !! May all be well with you.” (8)

Meaning

She said to Lakṣmaṇa again, “Know Rāma to be Daśaratha as your father, look upon Sītā (the daughter of Janaka) as myself (your mother) and esteem the forest as Ayodhyā (your home) and depart, dear son, happily.” (9)

Meaning

Then Sumantra, who was meek and knew how to behave politely, submitted with folded hands as follows to Śrī Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha) even as Mātali (the charioteer of Indra) would to Indra (the ruler of gods) : (10)

Meaning

“Mount the chariot, O highly illustrious prince; may all be well with you. I shall speedily take you to whatever place you will direct me to go. (11)

Meaning

“Indeed those fourteen years that have to be spent by you in the forest as directed by the queen (Kaikeyī) are to be considered as having commenced this very day.” (12)

Meaning

Having decked herself with the articles of wearing apparel and ornaments bestowed on her by her father-in-law, Sītā, who had comely limbs, mounted with a delighted mind that chariot, which was resplendent like the sun. (13)

Meaning

Having carefully arranged in the hinder part of the chariot the raiments and jewels which her father-in-law, duly taking into account the period of her exile in the forest, had bestowed on Sītā, while she was ready to accompany her husband to the forest, and even so the sets of weapons and the pieces of armour he had given to the two brothers, as well as the basket, covered with leather, and the spade, the two brothers, Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, then quickly mounted the aforesaid chariot, which was decked in gold and shone like fire. (14—16)

Meaning

Seeing the three exiles, of whom Sītā constituted the third, mounted on the chariot, Sumantra drove the horses, which were thought highly of and wied in speed with the velocity of the wind. (17)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, having departed for the great forest of Daṇḍaka for a long term, unconsciousness, however, prevailed among the people in the city; there was unconsciousness in the army including even horses and elephants as well as among the people visiting Ayodhyā from the districts. (18)

Meaning

Confounded and flurried with its elephants in rut highly excited, and resonant with the tinkling of the ornaments of its horses, the aforesaid city of Ayodhyā was filled with great noise. (19)

Meaning

Sore stricken with agony, that city including the youngsters as well as the old people rushed towards Śrī Rāma in the same way as one oppressed with the sun would rush towards water. (20)

Meaning

Clinging to the sides and back of the chariot with their faces turned towards him and bathed with tears, all submitted to Sumantra in a loud voice: (21)

Meaning

“Hold in the reins of the horses, O charioteer, and drive slowly and slowly. We would behold the countenance of Śrī Rāma, which would henceforth be difficult to behold. (22)

Meaning

“The heart of Kausalyā (Śrī Rāma’s mother) is surely and undoubtedly made of steel in that it does not get riven even when her son, who resembles an offspring of gods, is departing for the forest ! (23)

Meaning

“Sītā, a princess of the Videha kingdom, has done what ought to be done inasmuch as she follows her husband like a shadow and, devoted to her duty, does not leave him any more than the light of the sun forsakes Mount Meru. (24)

Meaning

“O Lakṣmaṇa, you are accomplished of purpose in that you are going to serve your godlike brother, who is ever disposed to speak kind words to all. (25)

Meaning

“Indeed this constitutes your great wisdom; nay, this is your great good fortune and this is the way to heaven for you that you are following Śrī Rāma !” (26)

Meaning

Saying so, those men could not restrain their tears, that had already welled up in their eyes, and followed their beloved Śrī Rāma, the delight of the Ikṣwākus. (27)

Meaning

Meanwhile, surrounded by his consorts—who were all feeling miserable—and distressed in mind, the king sallied forth from his palace, saying “I shall see my beloved son.” (28)

Meaning

In front of him was heard the great noise of crying women, resembling the trumpeting of she-elephants on a lordly elephant, the leader of their herd, having been bound with chains. (29)

Meaning

At that time, the father of Śrī Rāma, the glorious King Daśaratha, a scion of Kakutstha, looked lustreless indeed like the full moon overshadowed by Rāhu during a lunar eclipse. (30)

Meaning

The illustrious son of Daśaratha, Śrī Rāma, on the other hand, of inconceivable firmness, commanded the charioteer in the words “Let the chariot be driven fast.” (31)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma commanded the celebrated charioteer in the words “Move on !” And the people following the chariot likewise said to him, “Stop !” Urged both ways on the road, the charioteer, however, could do neither. (32)

Meaning

The dust raised on the road even as the mighty-armed Śrī Rāma drove out of the city for the forest settled down due to the tears that fell from the eyes of the citizens following at his heels. (33)

Meaning

Full of lamentation and tears and, therefore, doleful in appearance at the departure of Śrī Rāma, the citizens of Ayodhyā, who were stricken with deep agony and commenced wailing loudly, became unconscious. (34)

Meaning

Tears born of agony, caused by separation from Śrī Rāma, flowed from the eyes of women like drops of water from lotuses shaken by the commotion of fish. (35)

Meaning

Seeing the city reduced to singleness of mind, the glorious king for his part fell down precipitately like a tree cut at the root. (36)

Meaning

Perceiving the king sore distressed and suffering agony, an outcry thereupon rose from the mouths of men in the rear of Śrī Rāma. (37)

Meaning

Seeing him wailing with the inmates of his gynaeceum some people cried out, “Oh Rāma”, while others exclaimed, “Oh Rāma’s mother !” (38)

Meaning

Looking back, Śrī Rāma forthwith beheld the king, dejected and perplexed in mind, as well as his own mother, Kausalyā, following him on the road. (39)

Meaning

Bound by the cord of duty, he did not openly gaze on them any more than a foal, caught in a snare would look at its dam. (40)

Meaning

Seeing them walking, though worthy of a chariot, unworthy of suffering and deserving of comfort, he commanded the charioteer in the words “Drive fast !” (41)

Meaning

Even as an elephant urged on with goads is unable to look behind, Śrī Rāma, a tiger among men, too was unable to bear the distressing sight of his father and mother (following him on foot). (42)

Meaning

Kausalyā, Śrī Rāma’s mother, rushed forth after Śrī Rāma as a cow that has given birth to a calf and whose calf stands tied at the stall, would run to meet it while returning to its stall from the pasture. (43)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma repeatedly gazed on his aforesaid mother, Kausalyā, who was weeping as above and following that chariot as though dancing, crying “Rāma, O Rāma, O Sītā, O Lakṣmaṇa !” and shedding tears for the sake of Śrī Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā. (44-45)

Meaning

The king, on the one hand, exclaimed saying “Stop !”, while Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, called 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)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma said to him, “Even when twitted by the king on going back to Ayodhyā, for not carrying out his orders, you will say, ‘I did not hear your call.’ Prolongation of this agony caused by witnessing the sad plight of my aged and feeble parents would prove most calamitous.” (47)

Meaning

Carrying out the behest of Śrī Rāma and taking leave of that crowd which was following at his heels, the aforesaid charioteer urged on the horses, that were already moving ahead, to go fast. (48)

Meaning

Mentally going round Śrī Rāma clockwise, the king’s men returned to the king’s presence with their body, which could not keep pace with the chariot, though they accompanied Śrī Rāma with their mind to the forest; the commonalty, however, did not return even with their body as they did not return with their mind, which was possessed of a quick speed. (49)

Meaning

On returning to the king’s presence, the ministers submitted to Emperor Daśaratha as follows : “One should not follow to a long distance him whom one wishes to see come back.” (50)

Meaning

Hearing their submission, the king, who was endowed with all virtues and felt miserable, stopped short, gazing with his consorts, on his celebrated son, Śrī Rāma, nay, perspiring all over his body and wearing a most dejected appearance. (51)