Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 67

Meaning

That night, which was full of laments and shorn of joy and, therefore, appeared long and was thronged with crowds of tearful men, in Ayodhyā came to an end. (1)

Meaning

Coming together at sunrise, when the night had ended, Brāhmaṇas who carried on all the duties of a king during the interregnum, arrived for their part at the court. (2)

Meaning

Seated with their faces turned towards Vasiṣṭha alone, the arch-priest of the royal family, Mārkaṇḍeya and Maudgalya, Vāmadeva and Kaśyapa, Kātyāyana and Gautama, as well as Jābāli, who enjoyed great fame, these Brāhmaṇas alongwith the ministers separately made speeches, (the substance of which is given below) : (3-4)

Meaning

“The yonder king having met his end due to grief born of separation from his sons, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, the night, which weighed upon us like a hundred years, has ended with difficulty. (5)

Meaning

“Not only is the Emperor away in heaven, but Śrī Rāma too has taken up his abode in the forest. Nay, the powerful Lakṣmaṇa too has left with the same Śrī Rāma. (6)

Meaning

“Both Bharata and Śatrughna, who are capable of chastising the enemy, are in the lovely palace of their maternal grandfather at his capital, Rājagṛha, in the Kekaya kingdom. (7)

Meaning

“Someone among the sons of Daśaratha (who are scions of Ikṣwāku) should be crowned king this very day; for without a ruler our state of Kosala may meet with ruin. (8)

Meaning

“In a land destitute of a ruler the thundering cloud wreathed with lightning does not drench the earth with rain water. (9)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land handfuls of seeds are no longer scattered for fear of uncertainty of crops. Nay, in a rulerless land a son is not amenable to the control of his father nor is a wife amenable to the control of her husband, there being no executive authority to enforce correct conduct. (10)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land there is no personal property (in the absence of a protector) nor is there a faithful wife in a rulerless land, there being no law to check adultery. There is this great risk in a rulerless territory. How can any other form of truthfulness (virtue) prevail? (11)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land, people do not construct assembly halls for public gatherings, there being no such gatherings, nor do joyous men plant lovely gardens for fear of their being destroyed by enemies of peace and order or build sacred houses, such as temples and buildings for the free accommodation of travellers and strangers etc. (12)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land the twice-born (other than Brāhmaṇas, viz., Kṣatriyas and Vaiśyas) given to the performance of sacrifices and self-controlled Brāhmaṇas observing austere vows do not undertake sacrificial performances in which everyone participating in it is both an officiating priest and a sacrificer. (13)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land even Brāhmaṇas richly endowed with wealth do not pay handsome sacrificial fees to the priests officiating even at big sacrificial performances (wherever such performances are undertaken, lest they may be taken for rich men and looted by brigands). (14)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land festivals in honour of deities in which actors and dancers exhibit their art in a highly ecstatic mood, and convivial gatherings promoting the welfare of the state do not gather strength. (15)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land parties to a law-suit are not able to have their dispute settled, nor are those given to hearing stories from the Purāṇas etc., pleased with such stories told by those to whom the narration of such stories is agreeable. (16)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land virgins decked with gold ornaments do not for their part go together to gardens to sport at dusk for fear of being abducted or molested by miscreants. (17)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land wealthy husband men and cowherds, even though well protected by their attendants, do not sleep with open doors for fear of burglars and dacoits. (18)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land lustful men do not drive in swift-going conveyances with women to pleasure-groves for enjoying the forest scenery. (19)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land sixty-year old tuskers do not (for fear of being deprived of their tusks or bells) move about on the main roads with bells fastened to their girths. (20)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land the sound of plucking the bow-string with the hand, produced by Kṣatriyas, uninterruptedly discharging arrows while practising the use of bows is not heard. (21)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land merchants travelling far and wide do not safely move about fully equipped with abundant saleable goods. (22)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land self-controlled ascetics, moving all by themselves and contemplating on the Self with their own mind and taking up their abode wherever the evening falls, do not move about freely for want of hospitable householders. (23)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land there is no acquisition of property and no security of possessions. Nor is the army able in a rulerless land to vanquish the foes in a battle. (24)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land people do not quickly move out decked with ornaments in chariots driven by spirited horses of excellent breed. (25)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land men well-versed in sacred lore do not meet freely, holding disputations in forests and groves. (26)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land flowers, sweetmeats and sacrificial fees are not got together for the worship of deities by self-controlled men. (27)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land princes smeared with paste of sandal and aloe wood do not figure prominently as trees in the vernal season. (28)

Meaning

“A state without a ruler is really no better than rivers without water, a woodland without grass and cows without a keeper. (29)

Meaning

“A standard is the distinguishing mark of a chariot, while smoke is a testimony to the presence of fire. King Daśaratha, who likewise brought us, counsellors, into prominence by bestowing this honour on us has passed from the human state to the state of gods. (30)

Meaning

“In a rulerless land nothing is one’s own in the eyes of anyone. Like fishes, men always devour one another. (31)

Meaning

“In the absence of a stable government, even those who do not believe in life after death and have flagrantly violated the rules of conduct prescribed by the Vedas and who have consequently been tormented with punishment inflicted by the king, and whose fear of punishment has now been dispelled by the anarchy prevailing at the time are able to impose their unauthorised authority over others. (32)

Meaning

“Just as the eye ever strives for the good of the body by serving as a guide to it and showing it the right path, so does the king, who is the fountain of truth and righteousness, ever strive for the good of the state. (33)

Meaning

“The king is truthfulness and virtue incarnate; the king constitutes the nobility of birth in men of a high pedigree. The king is the mother as well as the father; the king is the benefactor of men. (34)

Meaning

“Even Yama, the god of retribution, Kubera (son of Viśravā, the god of riches), Indra (the ruler of gods) and the very mighty Varuṇa (the deity presiding over water) are outstripped by a king of excellent conduct by virtue of such conduct inasmuch as he combines in himself the virtues of all the above-named deities. (35)

Meaning

“If there is no king demarcating good and evil in the world, oh, this world will be reduced to utter darkness, as it were, and nothing can be clearly perceived. (36)

Meaning

“Even while the Emperor was alive, we all never violated, O sage Vasiṣṭha, your command, any more than the oceans overstep the coastline on reaching it. (37)

Meaning

“Therefore, fully considering our past conduct, which has ever been loyal to the king and devoted to the best interests of the state and looking on the state, which has been converted into a veritable jungle for want of a king, crown you alone as king on this throne any prince who is a scion of Ikṣwāku, or anyone else, O jewel among the Brāhmaṇas !” (38)