--- title: "Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74" canonical: "https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana/ayodhya-kanda/sarga-74" lang: "en" --- # Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 74 > तां तथा गर्हयित्वा तु मातरं भरतस्तदा। > रोषेण महताविष्टः पुनरेवाब्रवीद् वचः॥ १॥ Having reproached his mother, Kaikeyī, as aforesaid, on that occasion, Bharata, for his part, who was filled with violent anger, spoke once more as follows : (1) > राज्याद् भ्रंशस्व कैकेयि नृशंसे दुष्टचारिणि। > परित्यक्तासि धर्मेण मा मृतं रुदती भव॥ २॥ “Be deprived of sovereignty, O cruel Kaikeyī of vicious conduct! Since you have been forsaken by virtue, keep wailing for life, taking me to be dead (since the course you have adopted is bound to prove fatal to me). (2) > किं नु तेऽदूषयद् रामो राजा वा भृशधार्मिकः। > ययोर्मृत्युर्विवासश्च त्वत्कृते तुल्यमागतौ॥ ३॥ “What interest of yours, I wonder, did Śrī Rāma or the exceedingly pious king mar, whose banishment and death (severally) came about at one and the same time because of you? (3) > भ्रूणहत्यामसि प्राप्ता कुलस्यास्य विनाशनात्। > कैकेयि नरकं गच्छ मा च तातसलोकताम्॥ ४॥ “By having brought destruction to this family you have incurred the sin of having killed a Brāhmaṇa studying the Veda. Proceed you, therefore, to hell after death, O Kaikeyī, and not to heaven in common with my father (your husband, the virtuous King Daśaratha). (4) > यत्त्वया हीदृशं पापं कृतं घोरेण कर्मणा। > सर्वलोकप्रियं हित्वा ममाप्यापादितं भयम्॥ ५॥ “Since such a gross sin has been incurred by you through a terrible act in the form of taking the life of a pious husband and sending into exile a loving and virtuous son, peril of being disowned by my loving brother has been brought by you to me as well by banishing a prince, who is the beloved of all people. (5) > त्वत्कृते मे पिता वृत्तो रामश्चारण्यमाश्रितः। > अयशो जीवलोके च त्वयाहं प्रतिपादितः॥ ६॥ “Because of you my father has joined the majority, while Śrī Rāma has taken up his abode in the forest, and I too have been subjected to ignominy in the world of mortals by you. (6) > मातृरूपे ममामित्रे नृशंसे राज्यकामुके। > न तेऽहमभिभाष्योऽस्मि दुर्वृत्ते पतिघातिनि॥ ७॥ “I ought not to be spoken to by you, O cruel woman of evil conduct and covetous of sovereignty, who have killed your own husband and are my enemy in the guise of a mother ! (7) > कौसल्या च सुमित्रा च याश्चान्या मम मातरः। > दुःखेन महताविष्टास्त्वां प्राप्य कुलदूषिणीम्॥ ८॥ “Having got you, the disgrace of your family, for a co-wife, Kausalyā and Sumitrā and my other mothers too have been filled with great agony. (8) > न त्वमश्वपतेः कन्या धर्मराजस्य धीमतः। > राक्षसी तत्र जातासि कुलप्रध्वंसिनी पितुः॥ ९॥ “Surely you are not the daughter of the virtuous and wise King Aśwapati, but an ogress sprung from his loins, who has brought complete ruin to my father’s race. (9) > यत् त्वया धार्मिको रामो नित्यं सत्यपरायणः। > वनं प्रस्थापितो वीरः पितापि त्रिदिवं गतः॥ १०॥ > यत् प्रधानासि तत् पापं मयि पित्रा विना कृते। > भ्रातृभ्यां च परित्यक्ते सर्वलोकस्य चाप्रिये॥ ११॥ “Since the virtuous hero, Śrī Rāma, who is ever devoted to truth, has been sent into exile to the forest by you and my father too has departed for heaven because of you, the sin that has been chiefly incurred by you thereby has been visited on me, who have consequently been deprived of my father, nay, abandoned by my brothers, Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, and have become unpopular with the whole world. (10-11) > कौसल्यां धर्मसंयुक्तां वियुक्तां पापनिश्चये। > कृत्वा कं प्राप्स्यसे ह्यद्य लोकं निरयगामिनि॥ १२॥ “Indeed, having rendered Kausalyā, who is wedded to piety, desolate (by depriving her of her husband and only son), O woman of sinful resolve and doomed to perdition, what realm other than the infernal regions will you attain now after death? (12) > किं नावबुध्यसे क्रूरे नियतं बन्धुसंश्रयम्। > ज्येष्ठं पितृसमं रामं कौसल्यायात्मसम्भवम्॥ १३॥ “Did you not cognize Śrī Rāma, born of Kausalyā’s own womb, to be my eldest brother and, therefore, as good as my father, self-controlled and the asylum of his kinsfolk, O cruel woman? (13) > अङ्गप्रत्यङ्गजः पुत्रो हृदयाच्चाभिजायते। > तस्मात् प्रियतरो मातुः प्रिया एव तु बान्धवाः॥ १४॥ “A son takes his shape from the essence of the various primary and secondary limbs of his father (in the form of his generative fluid) and the heart of his mother (which is the fount of her ovum). Hence he is dearer than all others to his mother, whereas her other relations are simply dear to her. (14) > अन्यदा किल धर्मज्ञा सुरभिः सुरसम्मता। > वहमानौ ददर्शोर्व्यां पुत्रौ विगतचेतसौ॥ १५॥ “On one occasion in the hoary past, so the tradition goes, Surabhi, the cow of plenty, who knows what is right and is adored by gods, saw a pair of bullocks (her own sons) fallen unconscious on the ground while drawing the plough. (15) > तावर्धदिवसं श्रान्तौ दृष्ट्वा पुत्रौ महीतले। > रुरोद पुत्रशोकेन बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणम्॥ १६॥ “Seeing her two sons lying on the ground exhausted due to their having toiled hard for half the day, Surabhi wept with grief born of anxiety for her sons, her eyes blinded with tears. (16) > अधस्ताद् व्रजतस्तस्याः सुरराज्ञो महात्मनः। > बिन्दवः पतिता गात्रे सूक्ष्माः सुरभिगन्धिनः॥ १७॥ “Her sweet-scented tear-drops fell on the person of the high-souled Indra, the ruler of gods, who happened to pass below. (17) > निरीक्षमाणस्तां शक्रो ददर्श सुरभिं स्थिताम्। > आकाशे विष्ठितां दीनां रुदतीं भृशदुःखिताम्॥ १८॥ “Looking upwards Indra beheld the said Surabhi standing, weeping in the heavens in a miserable plight, sore afflicted. (18) > तां दृष्ट्वा शोकसंतप्तां वज्रपाणिर्यशस्विनीम्। > इन्द्रः प्राञ्जलिरुद्विग्नः सुरराजोऽब्रवीद् वचः॥ १९॥ “Perturbed to find the illustrious cow agonized through grief, Indra, the ruler of gods, who carried a thunderbolt in one of his hands, spoke with folded hands as follows: (19) > भयं कच्चिन्न चास्मासु कुतश्चिद् विद्यते महत्। > कुतोनिमित्तः शोकस्ते ब्रूहि सर्वहितैषिणि॥ २०॥ ‘I hope there is no grave danger to us (heavenly beings) from any quarter whatsoever. Now tell me, O well-wisher of all, what is the occasion for your grief?’ (20) > एवमुक्ता तु सुरभिः सुरराजेन धीमता। > प्रत्युवाच ततो धीरा वाक्यं वाक्यविशारदा॥ २१॥ Addressed in the aforesaid words by the wise Indra, the ruler of gods, the intelligent Surabhi for her part, who was adept in speaking, forthwith replied in the following words : (21) > शान्तं पापं न वः किंचित् कुतश्चिदमराधिप। > अहं तु मग्नौ शोचामि स्व पुत्रौ विषमे स्थितौ॥ २२॥ > एतौ दृष्ट्वा कृशौ दीनौ सूर्यरश्मिप्रतापितौ। > वध्यमानौ बलीवर्दौ कर्षकेण दुरात्मना॥ २३॥ ‘Heaven forbid ! There is no danger whatsoever to you from any quarter, O ruler of immortals ! I, however, grieve to see plunged in adversity a pair of bullocks, my own progeny, emaciated and miserable, scorched by the sun’s rays and, on top of it, being beaten by an evil-minded farmer. (22-23) > मम कायात् प्रसूतौ हि दुःखितौ भारपीडितौ। > यौ दृष्ट्वा परितप्येऽहं नास्ति पुत्रसमः प्रियः॥ २४॥ ‘I feel sore distressed to find the two bullocks, who are sprung from my own womb, afflicted and oppressed with a heavy load; for there is none so dear to a mother as a son.’ (24) > यस्याः पुत्रसहस्रैस्तु कृत्स्नं व्याप्तमिदं जगत्। > तां दृष्ट्वा रुदतीं शक्रो न सुतान् मन्यते परम्॥ २५॥ “Seeing Surabhi—by whose countless offsprings (in the shape of the bovine race) the whole creation is filled—weeping, Indra reckoned none as dearer to a mother than a son. (25) > इन्द्रो ह्यश्रुनिपातं तं स्वगात्रे पुण्यगन्धिनम्। > सुरभिं मन्यते दृष्ट्वा भूयसीं तामिहेश्वरः॥ २६॥ “Perceiving that dropping of tears, which emitted a sweet odour, from the eyes of Surabhi on his own person, the powerful Indra recognized the said Surabhi to be the greatest of all in this world. (26) > समाप्रतिमवृत्ताया लोकधारणकाम्यया। > श्रीमत्या गुणमुख्यायाः स्वभावपरिचेष्टया॥ २७॥ > यस्याः पुत्रसहस्राणि सापि शोचति कामधुक्। > किं पुनर्या विना रामं कौसल्या वर्तयिष्यति॥ २८॥ “When even the celebrated cow of plenty—whose conduct in the world is uniformly beneficent to all and is without parallel in this respect, actuated as she is by the desire to sustain the world, nay, who is rich in the power to grant the desire of all, whosoever approaches her, and is foremost in her virtue of truthfulness etc., and who is blessed with numberless offsprings—grieves for them as an outward expression of her natural love for her progeny, how much more will Kausalyā, who will have to drag her existence without Śrī Rāma, her only son? (27-28) > एकपुत्रा च साध्वी च विवत्सेयं त्वया कृता। > तस्मात् त्वं सततं दुःखं प्रेत्य चेह च लप्स्यसे॥ २९॥ “Kausalyā, who is blessed with one son only and is a virtuous lady to boot, has been deprived of her son by you. Hence you will incessantly undergo suffering here as well as after death. (29) > अहं त्वपचितिं भ्रातुः पितुश्च सकलामिमाम्। > वर्धनं यशसश्चापि करिष्यामि न संशयः॥ ३०॥ “I for my part shall offer worship as follows in the form of bringing him back from the forest and restoring his patrimony to him, my elder brother, Śrī Rāma, and entire worship in the form of all obsequial rites to my father and also enhance their reputation : there is no doubt about it. (30) > आनाय्य च महाबाहुं कोसलेन्द्रं महाबलम्। > स्वयमेव प्रवेक्ष्यामि वनं मुनिनिषेवितम्॥ ३१॥ “Having caused Śrī Rāma (the ruler of the kingdom of Kosala)—who is distinguished by long arms and is possessed of great might—to return to Ayodhyā, I shall myself retire in his place to the forest frequented by hermits and thus save him from the sin of having violated his vow. (31) > नह्यहं पापसंकल्पे पापे पापं त्वया कृतम्। > शक्तो धारयितुं पौरैरश्रुकण्ठैर्निरीक्षितः॥ ३२॥ “Looked on by the citizens with their throat full of tears, I shall surely not be able to brook the sin perpetrated by you in the shape of sending the eldest brother into exile and securing the kingdom in favour of a younger one, O wicked woman of sinful resolve ! (32) > सा त्वमग्निं प्रविश वा स्वयं वा विश दण्डकान्। > रज्जुं बद्ध्वाथवा कण्ठे नहि तेऽन्यत् परायणम्॥ ३३॥ “Having deliberately committed this sin, enter you the fire or retire yourself to the Daṇḍaka forest or again end your life by tying a cord round your neck and throttling yourself : there is no other course left for you. (33) > अहमप्यवनीं प्राप्ते रामे सत्यपराक्रमे। > कृतकृत्यो भविष्यामि विप्रवासितकल्मषः॥ ३४॥ “I too shall have washed my stain and accomplished my purpose only when Śrī Rāma of unfailing prowess has returned to his native land.” (34) > इति नाग इवारण्ये तोमराङ्कुशतोदितः। > पपात भुवि संक्रुद्धो निःश्वसन्निव पन्नगः॥ ३५॥ Having spoken thus and hissing, highly enraged, like a serpent, Bharata dropped unconscious to the ground like an elephant pricked with a javelin and a goad in a forest. (35) > संरक्तनेत्रः शिथिलाम्बरस्तथा > विधूतसर्वाभरणः परंतपः। > बभूव भूमौ पतितो नृपात्मजः > शचीपतेः केतुरिवोत्सवक्षये॥ ३६॥ With deep red eyes, his garment loosened and all his jewels tossed about, the prince, Bharata, the tormentor of his foes, fell to the ground like a banner raised in honour of Indra and pulled down at the end of the festival. (36) Book: https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana --- Source: Gita Press, Gorakhpur editions. 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