Uttara Kanda, Sarga 76

Meaning

The scion of the Raghus, Śrī Rāma, heard all the pitiful lamentations of that Brāhmaṇa, full of pain and sorrow. (1)

Meaning

Inflicted by pain He, Śrī Rāma, called His councillors, Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva and also his brothers, together with the citizens. (2)

Meaning

Then eight Brāhmaṇas together with Vasiṣṭha were made to appear before the King comparable with the gods, and they said ‘victory to you.’ (3)

Meaning

Mārkaṇḍeya, Maudgalya, Vāmadeva, Kaśyapa, Kātyāyana, Jābāli, Gautama and Nārada were made to enter. (4)

Meaning

These excellent Brāhmaṇas were all provided with seats. The councillors and citizens all were suitably seated after all those effulgent ones had taken their seats. The descendant of Raghu, Śrī Rāma, having saluted the great sages with folded hands, conveyed to them: ‘This Brāhmaṇa obstructs the royal gate. Nārada hearing those words of the King in grief, replied with these opportune words in the presence of the sages; ‘Listen, O King, how the death of child has taken place untimely. Hearing what I say, O king, descendant of Raghu, do what requires to be done. In the Kṛtayuga formerly the Brāhmaṇas alone were performers of austerities; no non-Brāhmaṇas ever practised austerities in that Yuga, inflamed by penances, and dominated by Brāhmaṇa, and also there was no prevalence of ignorance. All were born immortal ones and also possessed of distant vision; then came the Tretāyuga for men possessed of mortal frame. (5—10).

Meaning

‘In Tretā, strongly built Kṣatriyas were dominant and practised austere penance. But those of Kṛtayuga were certainly superior in merit to those who belonged to Tretā (11-12)

Meaning

‘In Kṛtayuga Brāhmaṇas were superior and Kṣatriyas were inferior in the merits of austerity and effulgence but in Tretā both became equal and at par. (13-14)

Meaning

‘Tretā is dominated by Varṇāśrama Dharma. But here itself irreligion had stepped in even though on one foot, yet hereafter gradually there will be decline in Dharma. (15-16)

Meaning

‘The Rājasika acts like agriculture was known to be low (अनृत) and was supposed to be not recommendable. The same act in the form of a foot of irreligion was firmly rooted on the earth in Tretā. (17)

Meaning

“This way by establishing one of his fruit in the shape of falsehood, the irreligion limited the life span of beings in Tretā in comparison to Satyayuga. (18)

Meaning

‘Therefore in order to save themselves from the evil effect of falsehood, one foot of irreligion, people who were dedicated to truthful conduct scrupulously practised fully auspicious deeds. (19)

Meaning

‘Yet in Tretā only Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas engaged themselves in observing penance. The rest of the people did servicing (like production and manual labour) out of these four categories the Vaiśyas and Śūdras got as their share—the service as their own Dharma. Śūdras particularly served and adored the other three castes. (20-21)

Meaning

‘O best among the kings, in the meanwhile the Tretā approaches its end, the Vaiśyas and Śūdras indulge in irreligion through falsehood as one of its feet. Then Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas suffer more and more deterioration. (22)

Meaning

‘Then unrighteousness placed on the earth its second foot, and by that the third Yuga was counted as Dvāpara (given to two feet). (23)

Meaning

“With the coming into existence of the Dvāparayuga, unrighteousness and Anṛta (अनृत) flourished, O bull among men. (24)

Meaning

‘In this Yuga, known as Dvāpara, penance entered the Vaiśya, thus through the three Yugas penance entered the three Varṇas (classes) successively. (25)

Meaning

‘Righteousness was established in these three Yugas resorting to the three Varṇas (classes), the Śūdra could not attain the right of penance in these Yugas, O bull among men. (26)

Meaning

‘O best among kings, one belonging to lower caste performs severe penances. In the future Kali age the performance of penance will go to Śūdra. (27)

Meaning

‘Even in Dvāpara, penance by a Śūdra is taken to be great irreligion. (Now in Tretā surely) some Śūdra is engaged in severe penance in some frontier province—the wreched one. (28)

Meaning

‘This infantile death is the result of the same. If some one practises Adharma in the territory of a King, it causes a great loss to the state prosperity and the king goes to hell; there is no doubt about it. (29-30)

Meaning

‘Righteously ruling over the subjects, the king shares one sixth portion of the merit that accrues due to pious deeds performed by study and penance, why should partaker of one sixth not protect the subjects? So you, O lion among kings, investigate your territory. Wherever you see unrighteous actions done, then make efforts to put them right; thus righteousness and long life will prevail among men, O best among men, and also the child will come back to life.’ (31—33)