Uttara Kanda, Sarga 112

Meaning

Śrī Rāma the descendant of Raghu, going one and a half Yojana westward saw the river Sarayū full with holy waters. (1)

Meaning

Following that river stirred up by whirlpools, all along its course, King Śrī Rāma, the descendant of Raghu, together with the subjects reached a particular place. (2)

Meaning

At that moment, Brahmā, the grandfather of the world, accompanied by all the gods, high sages and noble ones, came to the place where the scion of Kakutstha was ready to depart to heaven. He, the scion of Kakutstha, was surrounded by divine chariots in millions. (3-4)

Meaning

The sky was full with unparalleled lustre, it was flooded with an unearthly light emitted by the residents of heaven, the meritorious and self-luminous. (5)

Meaning

The holy fragrant winds blew which gave comfort to all. A shower of flowers was poured by the gods on Śrī Rāma, of great prosperity. (6)

Meaning

Then, at that time, when hundreds of instruments were being sounded and the place was full of Gandharvas and Apsarās, Śrī Rāma set on entering the waters of the Sarayū on foot. (7)

Meaning

Then Brahmā spoke from the heaven, ‘O Viṣṇu come, may welfare be with you, O descendant of Raghu, luckily you have come back. (8)

Meaning

‘With your brothers equal to gods, enter your own form, O one of long arms, or take to the form you wish, O one of great power, assume the form of Viṣṇu, or the eternal sky, O God, you are the resort of the worlds, no one knows you well except the big-eyed Māyā, that was your former spouse, Sītā. You, the incomprehensible, the imperishable and undecaying one, whichever form you desire, enter that yourself, O powerful one.’ (9—11)

Meaning

Hearing the words of Brahmā, the very wise Śrī Rāma decided and entered into the Viṣṇu’s form alive alongwith his brothers. (12)

Meaning

Then the gods, indeed, worshipped the God that was Viṣṇu in form, so also the Sādhyas, the hoots of Maruts, with Indra and Agni leading as their head. (13)

Meaning

All those divine sages and also the Gandharvas and Apsarās, Suparṇas, the Nāgas and the Yakṣas, the sons of Diti, the demons and the Rākṣasas (ogres) were stout and happy and had their desires fulfilled—so the gods uttered ‘well done’ seeing the three-worlds blemishless. (14-15)

Meaning

Then the powerful Viṣṇu (Rāma) spoke to Brahmā, ‘O accomplisher of vows, you should grant to these hosts of men also the ‘lokas’, ethereal spheres. (16)

Meaning

‘All of these renowned beings have followed me due to their extreme affection for me. My devotees, who forsook their mundane comforts, are indeed worthy of my favour.’ (17)

Meaning

Having heard these words of Lord Viṣṇu, Brahmā, the lord and preceptor of the three worlds, said: ‘All these who have come here will go to the world named Santānaka. (18)

Meaning

‘That animal which will breathe last thinking of you in this manner will leave its mortal frame and shall reside in Santānaka due to devotion to you. They will reside in the world of Santānaka, close to the world of Brahmā and replete with all the merits of Brahmā. The monkeys and the bears also entered their primeval forms (godhood). (19-20)

Meaning

‘All those monkeys and bears born of gods entered into that form of the god from which they had sprung; among them Sugrīva entered the orb of the sun. (21)

Meaning

‘They united with their ancestors, watched by all the gods. Speaking thus, all approached Gopratāra (a ford on the bank of the Sarayū). (22)

Meaning

‘They entered the Sarayū agitated by tears of joy. Whoever took bath in the waters of the Sarayū, they after leaving their bodies happily and discarding the human forms, ascended the divine chariot. Those, in animal form in hundreds, having come in touch with the waters of the Sarayū, went to heaven and with lustrous bodies, became divine with divine forms and as lustrous as the gods. (23—25)

Meaning

‘Even the moving animals and stationary objects, having bathed in the waters of the Sarayū went to the world of gods. (26)

Meaning

‘Those bears, monkeys, and Rākṣasas, who took their bath in that Sarayū, they also attained heaven, casting their bodies in the waters of Sarayū. (27)

Meaning

‘Then the preceptor of all worlds, Brahmā, established all of them who came to heaven and then went to the highest heaven with the extremely happy gods.’(28)