Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 47

प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां पौरास्ते राघवं विना। शोकोपहतनिश्चेष्टा बभूवुर्हतचेतसः।।2.47.1।।

prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ paurāste rāghavaṃ vinā| śokopahataniśceṣṭā babhūvurhatacetasaḥ

When the night advanced towards dawn the citizens were stunned not to see the scion of the Raghus (Rama). Overwhelmed with sorrow they lost their senses.

शोकजाश्रुपरिद्यूना वीक्षमाणास्ततस्ततः। आलोकमपि रामस्य न पश्यन्ति स्म दुःखिताः।।2.47.2।।

śokajāśruparidyūnā vīkṣamāṇāstatastataḥ| ālokamapi rāmasya na paśyanti sma duḥkhitāḥ

Anguished and drenched with tears of grief they looked hither and thither but could not find even a trace of Rama.

ते विषादार्तवदना रहितास्तेन धीमता। कृपणाः करुणा वाचो वदन्ति स्म मनस्विनः।।2.47.3।।

te viṣādārtavadanā rahitāstena dhīmatā| kṛpaṇāḥ karuṇā vāco vadanti sma manasvinaḥ

Those highminded people with sorrowful faces due to separation from sagacious Rama expressed themselves in piteous words:

धिगस्तु खलु निद्रां तां ययाऽपहृतचेतसः। नाद्य पश्यामहे रामं पृथूरस्कं महाभुजम्।।2.47.4।।

dhigastu khalu nidrāṃ tāṃ yayā'pahṛtacetasaḥ| nādya paśyāmahe rāmaṃ pṛthūraskaṃ mahābhujam

Fie on this sleep which robbed us of our senses. We are unable to see (now) that broadchested and mightyarmed Rama.

कथं नाम महाबाहु स्स तथावितथक्रियः। भक्तं जनं परित्यज्य प्रवासं राघवो गतः।।2.47.5।।

kathaṃ nāma mahābāhu ssa tathāvitathakriyaḥ| bhaktaṃ janaṃ parityajya pravāsaṃ rāghavo gataḥ

How is it that the mightyarmed Rama who never renders services done to him fruitless has deserted his devoted people and gone into exile?

यो नः सदा पालयति पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान्। कथं रघूणां स श्रेष्ठस्त्यक्त्वा नो विपिनं गतः।।2.47.6।।

yo naḥ sadā pālayati pitā putrānivaurasān| kathaṃ raghūṇāṃ sa śreṣṭhastyaktvā no vipinaṃ gataḥ

How could he, the best among the kings of Raghu dynasty, who used to protect us as a father protects his own children, go to the forest, abandoning us?

इहैव निधनं यामो महाप्रस्थानमेव वा। रामेण रहितानां हि किमर्थं जीवितं हि नः।।2.47.7।।

ihaiva nidhanaṃ yāmo mahāprasthānameva vā| rāmeṇa rahitānāṃ hi kimarthaṃ jīvitaṃ hi naḥ

We all will die here. We will go on the everlasting journey to death. Of what use is this life to us without Rama?

सन्ति शुष्काणि काष्ठानि प्रभूतानि महान्ति च। तैः प्रज्वाल्य चितां सर्वे प्रविशामोऽथ पावकम्।।2.47.8।।

santi śuṣkāṇi kāṣṭhāni prabhūtāni mahānti ca| taiḥ prajvālya citāṃ sarve praviśāmo'tha pāvakam

There are plenty of dry logs of wood. We will prepare a pyre with them, set fire to it and we all will enter it.

किं वक्ष्यामो महाबाहुरनसूयः प्रियंवदः। नीत स्स राघवोऽस्माभिरिति वक्तुं कथं क्षमम्।।2.47.9।।

kiṃ vakṣyāmo mahābāhuranasūyaḥ priyaṃvadaḥ| nīta ssa rāghavo'smābhiriti vaktuṃ kathaṃ kṣamam

What shall we say (to the people)? How can we say, 'We have conducted him (to the forest), that scion of the Raghus, that mightyarmed Rama, who is of gentle speech and free from malice?

सा नूनं नगरी दीना दृष्ट्वाऽस्मान् राघवं विना। भविष्यति निरानन्दा सस्त्रीबालवयोधिका।।2.47.10।।

sā nūnaṃ nagarī dīnā dṛṣṭvā'smān rāghavaṃ vinā| bhaviṣyati nirānandā sastrībālavayodhikā

Seeing us return without Rama, the women, children and the aged of the city (Ayodhya) will certainly feel miserable and cheerless.

निर्यातास्तेन वीरेण सह नित्यं जितात्मना। विहीनास्तेन च पुनः कथं पश्याम तां पुरीम्।।2.47.11।।

niryātāstena vīreṇa saha nityaṃ jitātmanā| vihīnāstena ca punaḥ kathaṃ paśyāma tāṃ purīm

Having left (that city) with the valiant and selfrestrained Rama, how can we now return without him ?

इतीव बहुधा वाचो बाहुमुद्यम्य ते जनाः। विलपन्ति स्म दुःखार्ता विवत्सा इव धेनवः।।2.47.12।।

itīva bahudhā vāco bāhumudyamya te janāḥ| vilapanti sma duḥkhārtā vivatsā iva dhenavaḥ

All of them with grief distressed, and with their arms thrown up lamented like cows deprived of their calves.

ततो मार्गानुसारेण गत्वा किञ्चित् क्षणं पुनः। मार्गनाशाद्विषादेन महता समभिप्लुताः।।2.47.13।।

tato mārgānusāreṇa gatvā kiñcit kṣaṇaṃ punaḥ| mārganāśādviṣādena mahatā samabhiplutāḥ

For a short while they followed the tracks (of the chariot) and after having gone a little distance, they missed the way. They were again submerged in deep sorrow.

रथस्य मार्गनाशेन न्यवर्तन्त मनस्विनः। किमिदं किं करिष्यामो दैवेनोपहता इति।।2.47.14।।

rathasya mārganāśena nyavartanta manasvinaḥ| kimidaṃ kiṃ kariṣyāmo daivenopahatā iti

When they could not find the tracks of the chariot, those highminded people turned back and said to themselves 'What is this? We have been deceived by fate. What are we to do now?'

ततो यथागतेनैव मार्गेण क्लान्तचेतसः। अयोध्यामागमन्सर्वे पुरीं व्यथितसज्जनाम्।।2.47.15।।

tato yathāgatenaiva mārgeṇa klāntacetasaḥ| ayodhyāmāgamansarve purīṃ vyathitasajjanām

Thereafter, all of them, the virtuous people grieving, their minds fatigued, returned to Ayodhya the same way they had come.

आलोक्य नगरीं तां च क्षयव्याकुलमानसाः। आवर्तयन्त तेऽश्रूणि नयनैः शोकपीडितैः।।2.47.16।।

ālokya nagarīṃ tāṃ ca kṣayavyākulamānasāḥ| āvartayanta te'śrūṇi nayanaiḥ śokapīḍitaiḥ

On seeing the city the minds of the people were agitated due to the loss (of their prince). Tears streamed down their eyes, oppressed with sorrow.

एषा रामेण नगरी रहिता नातिशोभते। आपगा गरुडेनेव ह्रदादुद्धृतपन्नगा।।2.47.17।।

eṣā rāmeṇa nagarī rahitā nātiśobhate| āpagā garuḍeneva hradāduddhṛtapannagā

This city without Rama just as a river with serpents lifted away by Garuda from its depths looks no longer beautiful.

चन्द्रहीनमिवाकाशं तोयहीनमिवार्णवम्। अपश्यन्निहतानन्दं नगरं ते विचेतसः।।2.47.18।।

candrahīnamivākāśaṃ toyahīnamivārṇavam| apaśyannihatānandaṃ nagaraṃ te vicetasaḥ

Plunged in grief, they saw the city deprived of all joy, looking like a sky without the Moon and an ocean without water.

ते तानि वेश्मानि महाधनानि दुःखेन दुःखोपहता विशन्तः। नैव प्रजज्ञुः स्वजनं जनं वा निरीक्षमाणाः प्रविनष्टहर्षाः।।2.47.19।।

te tāni veśmāni mahādhanāni duḥkhena duḥkhopahatā viśantaḥ| naiva prajajñuḥ svajanaṃ janaṃ vā nirīkṣamāṇāḥ pravinaṣṭaharṣāḥ

Those people devoid of delight entered their rich mansions with great difficulty. Even though they, stricken with sorrow, looked at men and their own kinsmen they could not recognise them. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तचत्वारिंशस्सर्गः।। Thus ends the fortyseventh sarga of Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.