---
title: "Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 77"
canonical: "https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana/ayodhya-kanda/sarga-77"
lang: "en"
---

# Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 77

> ततो दशाहेऽतिगते कृतशौचो नृपात्मजः।  
> द्वादशेऽहनि सम्प्राप्ते श्राद्धकर्माण्यकारयत्॥ १॥

Having attained purity by performing the obsequial rites pertaining to the eleventh day of his father’s death when ten days had elapsed the prince (Bharata) next performed the obsequial rites pertaining to the twelfth day when that day duly arrived. (1)

> ब्राह्मणेभ्यो धनं रत्नं ददावन्नं च पुष्कलम्।  
> वासांसि च महार्हाणि रत्नानि विविधानि च।  
> वास्तिकं बहु शुक्लं च गाश्चापि बहुशस्तदा॥ २॥

On that occasion he gifted to the Brāhmaṇas abundant gold, jewellery, foodgrains, precious garments, various types of gems, a large herd of white goats, silver and good many cows, too. (2)

> दासीर्दासांश्च यानानि वेश्मानि सुमहान्ति च।  
> ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ पुत्रो राज्ञस्तस्यौर्ध्वदेहिकम्॥ ३॥

The prince further gave away to the Brāhmaṇas, for the good of the king in the life beyond, female as well as male servants, chariots and very big houses. (3)

> ततः प्रभातसमये दिवसे च त्रयोदशे।  
> विललाप महाबाहुर्भरतः शोकमूर्च्छितः॥ ४॥

Then on the thirteenth day at the time of daybreak the mighty-armed Bharata, overwhelmed as he was with grief, broke into a lament. (4)

> शब्दापिहितकण्ठश्च शोधनार्थमुपागतः।  
> चितामूले पितुर्वाक्यमिदमाह सुदुःखितः॥ ५॥

Nay, having reached the foot of his father’s funeral pile in order to collect the bones for their immersion in the holy Sarayū river, the prince, who was sore distressed, addressed the following words to his deceased father, his throat being choked through crying : (5)

> तात यस्मिन् निसृष्टोऽहं त्वया भ्रातरि राघवे।  
> तस्मिन् वनं प्रव्रजिते शून्ये त्यक्तोऽस्म्यहं त्वया॥ ६॥

“My celebrated elder brother, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), to whose care I was committed by you, having retired to the forest, O dear father, I have been virtually abandoned by you in a desolate place. (6)

> यस्या गतिरनाथायाः पुत्रः प्रव्राजितो वनम्।  
> तामम्बां तात कौसल्यां त्यक्त्वा त्वं क्व गतो नृप॥ ७॥

“O dear father, O protector of men, where have you gone, leaving Kausalyā, that mother of mine, whose son, the support of that forlorn lady, has been exiled to the forest?” (7)

> दृष्ट्वा भस्मारुणं तच्च दग्धास्थि स्थानमण्डलम्।  
> पितुः शरीरनिर्वाणं निष्टनन् विषसाद ह॥ ८॥

Seeing that circular spot, the place where his father’s remains had been consigned to fire, nay, which was now covered with ashes and red because of its having been burnt with a blazing fire and was further strewn with burnt bones, Bharata, they say, grew melancholy and began to cry. (8)

> स तु दृष्ट्वा रुदन् दीनः पपात धरणीतले।  
> उत्थाप्यमानः शक्रस्य यन्त्रध्वज इवोच्छ्रितः॥ ९॥

Nay, afflicted to behold the spot, Bharata fell weeping on the ground as a tall banner would while being raised in honour of Indra with the help of a mechanical device. (9)

> अभिपेतुस्ततः सर्वे तस्यामात्याः शुचिव्रतम्।  
> अन्तकाले निपतितं ययातिमृषयो यथा॥ १०॥

Thereupon all his ministers rushed to Bharata of holy resolve as royal sages Aṣṭaka and others hastily approached King Yayāti fallen down from heaven when the stock of his merits that sustained him in heaven had been exhausted. (10)

> शत्रुघ्नश्चापि भरतं दृष्ट्वा शोकपरिप्लुतम्।  
> विसंज्ञो न्यपतद् भूमौ भूमिपालमनुस्मरन्॥ ११॥

Nay, perceiving Bharata overwhelmed with grief, Śatrughna too, who had all along been thinking of the emperor his father, dropped senseless on the ground. (11)

> उन्मत्त इव निश्चित्तो विललाप सुदुःखितः।  
> स्मृत्वा पितुर्गुणाङ्गानि तानि तानि तदा तदा॥ १२॥

Sore distressed to remember the various gestures of his father born of his loving qualities and made by him from time to time, Śatrughna lamented as follows like a madman, bewildered as he was : (12)

> मन्थराप्रभवस्तीव्र कैकेयीग्राहसंकुलः।  
> वरदानमयोऽक्षोभ्योऽमज्जयच्छोकसागरः ॥ १३॥

“The violent and formidable sea of grief, released by Mantharā, which has appeared in the form of the boons granted by my father in favour of Kaikeyī and has been rendered fearful by alligators in the form of Kaikeyīs words, has engulfed us all. (13)

> सुकुमारं च बालं च सततं लालितं त्वया।  
> क्व तात भरतं हित्वा विलपन्तं गतो भवान्॥ १४॥

Where have you gone, dear father, leaving Bharata—who is yet a mere stripling, tender of body, and was constantly fondled by you—weeping? (14)

> ननु भोज्येषु पानेषु वस्त्रेष्वाभरणेषु च।  
> प्रवारयति सर्वान् नस्तन्नः कोऽद्य करिष्यति॥ १५॥

“Indeed, you made us all, the four brothers, have our best choice out of a large variety of eatables, drinks, articles of wearing apparel and ornaments placed before us. Since you have disappeared from our midst, who will discharge this function now? (15)

> अवदारणकाले तु पृथिवी नावदीर्यते।  
> विहीना या त्वया राज्ञा धर्मज्ञेन महात्मना॥ १६॥

“How strange that this earth, even though it has been deprived of you, its high-souled ruler, who knew what is right, is not riven even at a time when it should have been riven ! (16)

> पितरि स्वर्गमापन्ने रामे चारण्यमाश्रिते।  
> किं मे जीवितसामर्थ्यं प्रवेक्ष्यामि हुताशनम्॥ १७॥

“My father having reached heaven and Śrī Rāma having retired to the forest, what energy has been left in me to survive? I shall acordingly enter the fire. (17)

> हीनो भ्रात्रा च पित्रा च शून्यामिक्ष्वाकुपालिताम्।  
> अयोध्यां न प्रवेक्ष्यामि प्रवेक्ष्यामि तपोवनम्॥ १८॥

“Bereft of my brother and father, too, I would not return to Ayodhyā—which, though ruled so long by scions of Ikṣwāku, has now become desolate—but shall withdraw to a forest suitable for austerities.” (18)

> तयोर्विलपितं श्रुत्वा व्यसनं चाप्यवेक्ष्य तत्।  
> भृशमार्ततरा भूयः सर्व एवानुगामिनः॥ १९॥

Hearing the lament of the two brothers and perceiving their extreme agony aforesaid, all their attendants felt sore distressed even more. (19)

> ततो विषण्णौ श्रान्तौ च शत्रुघ्नभरतावुभौ।  
> धरायां स्म व्यचेष्टेतां भग्नशृङ्गाविवर्षभौ॥ २०॥

Dejected and distressed, Śatrughna and Bharata both now began to roll on the ground like a pair of bulls whose horns have been broken. (20)

> ततः प्रकृतिमान् वैद्यः पितुरेषां पुरोहितः।  
> वसिष्ठो भरतं वाक्यमुत्थाप्य तमुवाच ह॥ २१॥

Raising Bharata up, the omniscient Vasiṣṭha, the family priest of their father as well as of them all, endowed as he was with an amiable disposition, spoke to him as follows, so the tradition goes : (21)

> त्रयोदशोऽयं दिवसः पितुर्वृत्तस्य ते विभो।  
> सावशेषास्थिनिचये किमिह त्वं विलम्बसे॥ २२॥

“Today is the thirteenth day since your father was cremated, my lord ! Why then do you lag behind now in winding up the remaining part of the ceremony of collecting the bones, viz., cleaning and washing the ground on which the king’s body had been cremated and consigning the ashes to the river? (22)

> त्रीणि द्वन्द्वानि भूतेषु प्रवृत्तान्यविशेषतः।  
> तेषु चापरिहार्येषु नैवं भवितुमर्हसि॥ २३॥

“Three pairs of opposites (life and death, joy and sorrow, gain and loss) prevail alike in all living beings. And they being unavoidable, you ought not to behave like this.” (23)

> सुमन्त्रश्चापि शत्रुघ्नमुत्थाप्याभिप्रसाद्य च।  
> श्रावयामास तत्त्वज्ञः सर्वभूतभवाभवौ॥ २४॥

Raising up and pacifying Śatrughna, Sumantra too, a knower of the Truth, told him how birth and death were inevitable for all created beings. (24)

> उत्थितौ तौ नरव्याघ्रौ प्रकाशेते यशस्विनौ।  
> वर्षातपपरिग्लानौ पृथगिन्द्रध्वजाविव॥ २५॥

The two illustrious princes, who were veritable tigers among men and had now got up, shone like two banners, severally raised in honour of Indra, the god of rain, and soiled through rain and the sun. (25)

> अश्रूणि परिमृद्नन्तौ रक्ताक्षौ दीनभाषिणौ।  
> अमात्यास्त्वरयन्ति स्म तनयौ चापराः क्रियाः॥ २६॥

The ministers now urged the two princes—who were wiping their tears and speaking in a piteous tone, their eyes reddened through excessive grief—to expedite the other rites pertaining to the thirteenth day, viz., lifting the ashes and immersing them into the river and so on.(26)

Book: https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana

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