Valmiki Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda — Chapter 108

VR 2 108.1

आश्वासयन्तं भरतं जाबालिब्राह्मणोत्तमः। उवाच रामं धर्मज्ञं धर्मापेतमिदं वचः॥

āśvāsayantaṃ bharataṃ jābālibrāhmaṇottamaḥ| uvāca rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ dharmāpetamidaṃ vacaḥ||

As Rāma cognizant of righteousness was thus encouraging Bharata, Jābāli, best of Brāhmaṇas, addressed him in words divorced from morality, saying.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.2

साधु राघव मा भूत् ते बुद्धिरेवं निरर्थिका। प्राकृतस्य नरस्येव ह्यार्यबुद्धेस्तपस्विनः॥

sādhu rāghava mā bhūt te buddhirevaṃ nirarthikā| prākṛtasya narasyeva hyāryabuddhestapasvinaḥ||

O Rāghava, endowed with a noble understanding and leading a life of asceticism, do not suffer your intellect to entertain inanities, like any low person.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.3

कः कस्य पुरुषो बन्धुः किमाप्यं कस्य केनचित्। एको हि जायते जन्तुरेक एव विनश्यति॥ तस्मान्माता पिता चेति राम सज्जेत यो नरः। उन्मत्त इव स ज्ञेयो नास्ति कश्चिद्धि कस्यचित्॥

kaḥ kasya puruṣo bandhuḥ kimāpyaṃ kasya kenacit| eko hi jāyate jantureka eva vinaśyati|| tasmānmātā pitā ceti rāma sajjeta yo naraḥ| unmatta iva sa jñeyo nāsti kaściddhi kasyacit||

Who is whose friend ? And to what is one entitled and by virtue of what relation? And who is such ? Since a creature is born alone and dies alone, a person that cherishes his father and mother with affection, must, O Rāma, be looked upon as a madman.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.4

यथा ग्रामान्तरं गच्छन् नरः कश्चिद् बहिर्वसेत्। उत्सृज्य च तमावासं प्रतिष्ठेतापरेऽहनि॥ एवमेव मनुष्याणां पिता माता गृहं वसु। आवासमात्रं काकुत्स्थ सज्जन्ते नात्र सज्जनाः॥

yathā grāmāntaraṃ gacchan naraḥ kaścid bahirvaset| utsṛjya ca tamāvāsaṃ pratiṣṭhetāpare'hani|| evameva manuṣyāṇāṃ pitā mātā gṛhaṃ vasu| āvāsamātraṃ kākutstha sajjante nātra sajjanāḥ||

No individual has any one (in the world). As on the eve of setting out for another country, a person stays somewhere (outside the village he lives in), and the next day goes away, renouncing that abode, even such are a man's father and mother, house and wealth. O Kākutstha, worthy people never bear affection towards a mere abode.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.5

पित्र्यं राज्यं समुत्सृज्य स नार्हसि नरोत्तम। आस्थातुं कापथं दुःखं विषमं बहुकण्टकम्॥

pitryaṃ rājyaṃ samutsṛjya sa nārhasi narottama| āsthātuṃ kāpathaṃ duḥkhaṃ viṣamaṃ bahukaṇṭakam||

Therefore, O best of men, leaving your ancestral kingdom, you ought not to abide in the disagreeable forest filled with dangers and difficulties.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.6

समृद्धायामयोध्यायामात्मानमभिषेचय। एकवेणीधरा हित्वा नगरी सम्प्रतीक्षते॥

samṛddhāyāmayodhyāyāmātmānamabhiṣecaya| ekaveṇīdharā hitvā nagarī sampratīkṣate||

Do you get yourself sprinkled in the prosperous Ayodhyā. The city expects you wearing a single woven braid.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.7

राजभोगाननुभवन् महार्हान् पार्थिवात्मज। विहर त्वमयोध्यायां यथा शक्रस्त्रिविष्टपे॥

rājabhogānanubhavan mahārhān pārthivātmaja| vihara tvamayodhyāyāṃ yathā śakrastriviṣṭape||

O king's son, enjoying costly regal pleasures, do you sport in Ayodhyā, like Sakra in the celestial regions.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.8

न ते कश्चिद् दशरथस्त्वं च तस्य न कश्चन। अन्यो राजा त्वमन्यस्तु तस्मात् कुरु यदुच्यते॥

na te kaścid daśarathastvaṃ ca tasya na kaścana| anyo rājā tvamanyastu tasmāt kuru yaducyate||

Dasaratha is none to you, and you too are none's to Dasaratha. He is quite other than your sire; and you have no connection with him. Therefore, do you act as I tell you.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.9

बीजमात्रं पिता जन्तोः शुक्रं शोणितमेव च। संयुक्तमृतुमन्मात्रा पुरुषस्येह जन्म तत्॥

bījamātraṃ pitā jantoḥ śukraṃ śoṇitameva ca| saṃyuktamṛtumanmātrā puruṣasyeha janma tat||

A father is merely an instrumental cause (touching the generation of his child). A father's semen coming in contact with a mother's blood, at the time befitting conception, a person is brought into being.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.10

गतः स नृपतिस्तत्र गन्तव्यं यत्र तेन वै। प्रवृत्तिरेषा भूतानां त्वं तु मिथ्या विहन्यसे॥

gataḥ sa nṛpatistatra gantavyaṃ yatra tena vai| pravṛttireṣā bhūtānāṃ tvaṃ tu mithyā vihanyase||

The king has gone the way he should. This is the nature of all creatures. But you for naught deny yourself (the manliness of monarchical power).

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.11

अर्थधर्मपरा ये ये तांस्ताशोचामि नेतरान्। ते हि दुःखमिह प्राप्य विनाशं प्रेत्य लेभिरे॥

arthadharmaparā ye ye tāṃstāśocāmi netarān| te hi duḥkhamiha prāpya vināśaṃ pretya lebhire||

Those that disregarding interest are devoted to virtue, do I mourn, and not others; for having suffered misery here, they in the end meet with extinction.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.12

अष्टकापितृदेवत्यमित्ययं प्रसृतो जनः। अन्नस्योपद्रवं पश्य मृतो हि किमशिष्यति॥

aṣṭakāpitṛdevatyamityayaṃ prasṛto janaḥ| annasyopadravaṃ paśya mṛto hi kimaśiṣyati||

People engage in Aştaka* in behalf of ancestors and deities. Behold the waste of edibles. Does any dead person feed? *The lunar days and months for propitiating the manes.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.13

यदि भुक्तमिहान्येन देहमन्यस्य गच्छति। दद्यात् प्रवसतां श्राद्धं न तत् पथ्यशनं भवेत्॥

yadi bhuktamihānyena dehamanyasya gacchati| dadyāt pravasatāṃ śrāddhaṃ na tat pathyaśanaṃ bhavet||

If food partaken by one is transferred to the body of another, offer Śrāddha to one going to a distant and, that shall serve for his provender on the way.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.14

दानसंवनना ह्येते ग्रन्था मेधाविभिः कृताः। यजस्व देहि दीक्षस्व तपस्तप्यस्व संत्यज ॥

dānasaṃvananā hyete granthā medhāvibhiḥ kṛtāḥ| yajasva dehi dīkṣasva tapastapyasva saṃtyaja ||

Works (on morality) enjoining, Worship,' 'Give away,' 'Be initiated,' 'Observe rites,' "Renounce', have been composed by intelligent persons, for inducing people to be charitable.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.15

स नास्ति परमित्येतत् कुरु बुद्धिं महामते। प्रत्यक्षं यत् तदातिष्ठ परोक्षं पृष्ठतः कुरु॥

sa nāsti paramityetat kuru buddhiṃ mahāmate| pratyakṣaṃ yat tadātiṣṭha parokṣaṃ pṛṣṭhataḥ kuru||

O magnanimous one, assure yourself there is no hereafter. Do you remain grounded in the evident, turning your back on what is beyond our ken.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

VR 2 108.16

सतां बुद्धिं पुरस्कृत्य सर्वलोकनिदर्शिनीम्। राज्यं स त्वं निगृह्णीष्व भरतेन प्रसादितः॥

satāṃ buddhiṃ puraskṛtya sarvalokanidarśinīm| rājyaṃ sa tvaṃ nigṛhṇīṣva bharatena prasāditaḥ||

Placing in front the intellect of the good, and approved by all, do you, propitiated by Bharata, accept the monarchy.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)