Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 79

ततः प्रभातसमये दिवसेऽथ चतुर्दशे। समेत्य राजकर्तारो भरतं वाक्यमब्रुवन्।।2.79.1।।

tataḥ prabhātasamaye divase'tha caturdaśe| sametya rājakartāro bharataṃ vākyamabruvan

Then, at the hour of dawn on the fourteenth day, all those who were empowered to proclaim the king, assembled and addressed Bharata:

गतो दशरथस्स्वर्गं यो नो गुरुतरो गुरुः। रामं प्रव्राज्य वै ज्येष्ठं लक्ष्मणं च महाबलम्।।2.79.2।।

gato daśarathassvargaṃ yo no gurutaro guruḥ| rāmaṃ pravrājya vai jyeṣṭhaṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābalam

Dasaratha, who was our most revered master and preceptor, having exiled his eldest son Rama and mighty Lakshmana, ascended heaven.

त्वमद्य भव नो राजा राजपुत्र महायशः। सङ्गत्या नापराध्नोति राज्यमेतदनायकम्।।2.79.3।।

tvamadya bhava no rājā rājaputra mahāyaśaḥ| saṅgatyā nāparādhnoti rājyametadanāyakam

O illutrious prince do assume kingship now. Incidentally, there has been yet no attack on this leaderless kingdom.

अभिषेचनिकं सर्वमिदमादाय राघव। प्रतीक्षते त्वां स्वजनश्श्रेणयश्च नृपात्मज।।2.79.4।।

abhiṣecanikaṃ sarvamidamādāya rāghava| pratīkṣate tvāṃ svajanaśśreṇayaśca nṛpātmaja

O prince of the Raghu race (Bharata), your subjects and guilds of traders, artisans, etc, have procured necessary materials for your consecration, and await you.

राज्यं गृहाण भरत पितृपैतामहं ध्रुवम्। अभिषेचय चात्मानं पाहि चास्मान्नरर्षभ।।2.79.5।।

rājyaṃ gṛhāṇa bharata pitṛpaitāmahaṃ dhruvam| abhiṣecaya cātmānaṃ pāhi cāsmānnararṣabha

O best among men, inherit this stable kingdom of your ancestors, get yourself consecrated and save us.

अभिषेचनिकं भाण्डं कृत्वा सर्वं प्रदक्षिणम्। भरतस्तं जनं सर्वं प्रत्युवाच धृतव्रतः।।2.79.6।।

abhiṣecanikaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ kṛtvā sarvaṃ pradakṣiṇam| bharatastaṃ janaṃ sarvaṃ pratyuvāca dhṛtavrataḥ

Bharata, firm in vows, circumambulated all the articles procured in connection with consecration, and replied them as follows:

ज्येष्ठस्य राजता नित्यमुचिता हि कुलस्य नः। नैवं भवन्तो मां वक्तुमर्हन्ति कुशला जनाः।।2.79.7।।

jyeṣṭhasya rājatā nityamucitā hi kulasya naḥ| naivaṃ bhavanto māṃ vaktumarhanti kuśalā janāḥ

It has been the tradition in our race that the eldest son alone should always inherit the kingdom. It does not behove intelligent people like you to tell me like this.

रामः पूर्वो हि नो भ्राता भविष्यति महीपतिः। अहं त्वरण्ये वत्स्यामि वर्षाणि नव पञ्च च।।2.79.8।।

rāmaḥ pūrvo hi no bhrātā bhaviṣyati mahīpatiḥ| ahaṃ tvaraṇye vatsyāmi varṣāṇi nava pañca ca

Our eldest brother, Rama shall become king. As for me, I shall dwell in the forest for fourteen years.

युज्यतां महती सेना चतुरङ्गमहाबला। आनयिष्याम्यहं ज्येष्ठं भ्रातरं राघवं वनात्।।2.79.9।।

yujyatāṃ mahatī senā caturaṅgamahābalā| ānayiṣyāmyahaṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ bhrātaraṃ rāghavaṃ vanāt

Let the great and powerful army of four divisions be marshalled. I will bring back my eldest brother Rama from the forest.

अभिषेचनिकं चैव सर्वमेतदुपस्कृतम्। पुरस्कृत्य गमिष्यामि रामहेतोर्वनं प्रति।।2.79.10।।

abhiṣecanikaṃ caiva sarvametadupaskṛtam| puraskṛtya gamiṣyāmi rāmahetorvanaṃ prati

I shall go to the forest to (bring back) Rama, with all these articles, procured for coronation kept in front.

तत्रैवं तं नरव्याघ्रमभिषिच्य पुरस्कृतम्। आनेष्यामि तु वै रामं हव्यवाहमिवाध्वरात्।।2.79.11।

tatraivaṃ taṃ naravyāghramabhiṣicya puraskṛtam| āneṣyāmi tu vai rāmaṃ havyavāhamivādhvarāt||2.79.11|

After coronating Rama, the best of men, there itself, I will definitely bring him back, letting him go ahead of me, like the sacred fire carried from the place of sacrifice.

न सकामां करिष्यामि स्वामिमां मातृगन्धिनीम्। वने वत्स्याम्यहं दुर्गे रामो राजा भविष्यति।।2.79.12।।

na sakāmāṃ kariṣyāmi svāmimāṃ mātṛgandhinīm| vane vatsyāmyahaṃ durge rāmo rājā bhaviṣyati

I shall never fulfil the wishes of that woman called my mother. I shall dwell in the inaccessible forest and Rama shall become king.

क्रियतां शिल्पिभिः पन्था स्समानि विषमाणि च। रक्षिणश्चानुसम्यान्तु पथि दुर्गविचारकाः।।2.79.13।।

kriyatāṃ śilpibhiḥ panthā ssamāni viṣamāṇi ca| rakṣiṇaścānusamyāntu pathi durgavicārakāḥ

Let the road be aligned by artisans and uneven ground be levelled. The guards who judge the inaccessible terrains should follow them on their way.

एवं सम्भाषमाणं तं रामहेतोर्नृपात्मजम्। प्रत्युवाच जनस्सर्व श्श्रीमद्वाक्यमनुत्तमम्।।2.79.14।।

evaṃ sambhāṣamāṇaṃ taṃ rāmahetornṛpātmajam| pratyuvāca janassarva śśrīmadvākyamanuttamam

When prince Bharata was thus speaking in favour of Rama, all the people responded with these excellent, propitious words:

एवं ते भाषमाणस्य पद्मा श्रीरुपतिष्ठतात्। यस्त्वं ज्येष्ठे नृपसुते पृथिवीं दातुमिच्छसि।।2.79.15।।

evaṃ te bhāṣamāṇasya padmā śrīrupatiṣṭhatāt| yastvaṃ jyeṣṭhe nṛpasute pṛthivīṃ dātumicchasi

May Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, abide in you for having expressed your desire to bestow the kingdom upon the king's eldest son.

अनुत्तमं तद्वचनं नृपात्मजप्रभाषितं संश्रवणे निशम्य च। प्रहर्षजास्तं प्रति बाष्पबिन्दवो निपेतुरार्यानननेत्रसम्भवाः।।2.79.16।।

anuttamaṃ tadvacanaṃ nṛpātmajaprabhāṣitaṃ saṃśravaṇe niśamya ca| praharṣajāstaṃ prati bāṣpabindavo nipeturāryānananetrasambhavāḥ

With such graceful words spoken by the prince within their hearing, tears of joy filled the eyes of the noble people and fell drop by drop down their faces.

ऊचुस्ते वचनमिदं निशम्य हृष्टा स्सामात्या स्सपरिषदो वियातशोकाः। पन्थानं नरवर भक्तिमान् जनश्च व्यादिष्टस्तव वचनाच्च शिल्पिवर्गः।।2.79.17।

ūcuste vacanamidaṃ niśamya hṛṣṭā ssāmātyā ssapariṣado viyātaśokāḥ| panthānaṃ naravara bhaktimān janaśca vyādiṣṭastava vacanācca śilpivargaḥ||2.79.17|

All the ministers and members of the council, relieved of their distress, were delighted to hear these words and said O best among men, on your orders devoted people and groups of artisans have been instructed to lay the road. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये अयोध्याकाण्डे एकोनाशीतितमस्सर्गः।। Thus ends the seventyninth sarga in Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.