Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 60

Meaning

Trembling again and again as though possessed by a spirit, and lying on the floor as though life had departed from her, Kausalyā thereupon spoke to Sumantra as follows : (1)

Meaning

“Take me to the place where Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha), Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa happen to be; for without them I cannot bear to live even for a moment longer today. (2)

Meaning

“Quickly take the chariot back and convey me too to the Daṇḍaka forest. In case I do not follow them, I will proceed to the abode of Death.” (3)

Meaning

Seeking to comfort the queen, the aforesaid charioteer submitted to her with folded hands as follows in a faltering voice choked with an upsurge of tears : (4)

Meaning

“Abandon grief and infatuation as well as agitation born of sorrow; for, shaking off agony, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) will take up his abode in the forest. (5)

Meaning

“Serving the feet of Śrī Rāma in the forest, Lakṣmaṇa too, who knows what is right and has subdued his senses, is straightening his path to the other world thereby. (6)

Meaning

“Getting her abode even in a lonely forest, Sītā, whose mind stands focussed on Śrī Rāma, remains undaunted and enjoys composure as if she were in her own house. (7)

Meaning

“Not the faintest dejection of any kind caused by her exile is traceable in her. The daughter of Janaka, the ruler of the Videha kingdom, appears to me as though accustomed to staying away from home now and then. (8)

Meaning

“Sītā finds as much delight in lonely forests as she used to do in the past whenever she visited the groves in the precincts of the city. (9)

Meaning

“The charming and virtuous Sītā, whose countenance shone like the full moon and who was ever undepressed in spirits, surely found delight as a girl even in the lonely forest in the presence of Śrī Rāma. (10)

Meaning

“Devoid of Śrī Rāma, however, Ayodhyā too would be no better than a forest to Sītā, whose heart is intent on him and whose life is dependent on him. (11)

Meaning

“Seeing villages and cities too as well as the flow of rivers as also trees of every description, Sītā, a princess of the Videha clan, makes inquiries concerning them of Rāma or Lakṣmaṇa, whoever is by her side. (12)

Meaning

“Finding Śrī Rāma or Lakṣmaṇa beside her, the daughter of Janaka feels that she is, as it were, on a visit to a pleasure-garden only a couple of miles away from Ayodhyā. (13)

Meaning

“I remember only this much pertaining to Sītā. The remark uttered by her only in an unguarded moment concerning Kaikeyī does not strike me just at present.” (14)

Meaning

Skipping over that reference that had escaped from his lips through inadvertence, the charioteer spoke the following agreeable words that brought delight to the queen : (15)

Meaning

“The splendour of Sītā (a princess of the Videha clan), which resembles the moonlight, does not fade through fatigue of the journey, high velocity of the winds, agitation caused by the sight of fearful beasts etc., and the heat of the sun. (16)

Meaning

“The well-known face of sweet-speaking Sītā, a princess of the Videha Kingdom, which resembles a lotus and whose effulgence vies with that of the full moon, never fades. (17)

Meaning

“Her soles, which, though no longer painted with Alakta (the red juice obtained from the resin of certain trees), still look red as Alakta and cast an effulgence akin to that of a lotus bud. (18)

Meaning

“The high-minded Sītā (a princess of the Videha clan), who has not renounced her jewels out of love for Śrī Rāma, who is pleased to see her adorned, walks in a charming gait, as though outvying the cackling of swans by the music of her anklets. (19)

Meaning

“Though living in the forest, she does not give way to fear on seeing an elephant or a lion or a tiger, fully relying as she does on the arms of Śrī Rāma. (20)

Meaning

“Neither they, nor your own self, nor the king deserves to be pitied. This story of Śrī Rāma will abide in the world forever. (21)

Meaning

“Having shaken off grief, the three exiles, who are firmly established with a highly delighted mind on the path trodden by eminent sages and are enamoured of the forest, are fully implementing the sacred vow of their father, living on wild fruits etc., alone.” (22)

Meaning

Even though being forbidden in the aforesaid manner by the charioteer, who spoke highly reasonable words, queen Kausalyā, who was torn with grief caused by separation from her son, did not cease in the least from crying out: “O my darling ! O my son !! O scion of Raghu !!!” (23)