Uttara Kanda, Sarga 73

प्रस्थाप्य तु स शत्रुघ्नं भ्रातृभ्यां सह राघवः । प्रमुमोद सुखी राज्यं धर्मेण परिपालयन् ।। 7.73.1 ।।

prasthāpya tu sa śatrughnaṃ bhrātṛbhyāṃ saha rāghavaḥ | pramumoda sukhī rājyaṃ dharmeṇa paripālayan || 7.73.1 ||

Having sent off Shatrughna, Rama, accompanied by his two brothers, happily rejoiced while ruling the kingdom righteously.

ततः कतिपयाहःसु वृद्धो जानपदो द्विजः । मृतं बालमुपादाय राजद्वारमुपागमत् ।। 7.73.2 ।।

tataḥ katipayāhaḥsu vṛddho jānapado dvijaḥ | mṛtaṃ bālamupādāya rājadvāramupāgamat || 7.73.2 ||

Then, after a few days, an old Brahmin citizen, holding his dead child, approached the royal gate.

रुदन्बहुविधा वाचः स्नेहदुःखसमन्विताः । असकृत्पुत्र पुत्रेति वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह ।। 7.73.3 ।।

rudanbahuvidhā vācaḥ snehaduḥkhasamanvitāḥ | asakṛtputra putreti vākyametaduvāca ha || 7.73.3 ||

Weeping, he uttered various words filled with affection and sorrow, repeatedly exclaiming, "O son, O son!"

किं नु मे दुष्कृतं कर्म पुरा देहान्तरे कृतम् । यदहं पुत्रमेकं त्वां पश्यामि निधनं गतम् ।। 7.73.4 ।।

kiṃ nu me duṣkṛtaṃ karma purā dehāntare kṛtam | yadahaṃ putramekaṃ tvāṃ paśyāmi nidhanaṃ gatam || 7.73.4 ||

He lamented, "What evil deed did I commit in a previous birth that I now see you, my only son, having met your death?"

अप्राप्तयौवनं बालं पञ्चवर्षसहस्रकम् । अकाले कालमापन्नं मम दुःखाय पुत्रक ।। 7.73.5 ।।

aprāptayauvanaṃ bālaṃ pañcavarṣasahasrakam | akāle kālamāpannaṃ mama duḥkhāya putraka || 7.73.5 ||

The child, though five thousand years old, had not yet reached youth and met an untimely death, causing great sorrow to the speaker.

अल्पैरहोभिर्निधनं गमिष्यामि न संशयः । अहं च जननी चैव तव शोकेन पुत्रक ।। 7.73.6 ।।

alpairahobhirnidhanaṃ gamiṣyāmi na saṃśayaḥ | ahaṃ ca jananī caiva tava śokena putraka || 7.73.6 ||

The speaker and the mother will undoubtedly die within a few days due to the grief over the son's death.

न स्मराम्यनृतं ह्युक्तं न च हिंसां स्मराम्यहम् । सर्वेषां प्राणिनां पापं कृतं नैव स्मराम्यहम् ।। 7.73.7 ।।

na smarāmyanṛtaṃ hyuktaṃ na ca hiṃsāṃ smarāmyaham | sarveṣāṃ prāṇināṃ pāpaṃ kṛtaṃ naiva smarāmyaham || 7.73.7 ||

The speaker asserts that he does not recall ever speaking an untruth, committing violence, or performing any sin against any living being.

केनाद्य दुष्कृतेनायं बाल एव ममात्मजः । अकृत्वा पितृकार्याणि गतो वैवस्वतक्षयम् ।। 7.73.8 ।।

kenādya duṣkṛtenāyaṃ bāla eva mamātmajaḥ | akṛtvā pitṛkāryāṇi gato vaivasvatakṣayam || 7.73.8 ||

The speaker wonders what sin he committed that his son, still a child, has died without fulfilling his duties to his ancestors.

नेदृशं दृष्टपूर्वं मे श्रुतं वा घोरदर्शनम् । मृत्युरप्राप्तकालानां रामस्य विषये यथा ।। 7.73.9 ।।

nedṛśaṃ dṛṣṭapūrvaṃ me śrutaṃ vā ghoradarśanam | mṛtyuraprāptakālānāṃ rāmasya viṣaye yathā || 7.73.9 ||

The speaker states that he has never before seen or heard of such a terrible sight as the untimely death of those in Rama's kingdom.

रामस्य दुष्कृतं किञ्चिन्महदस्ति न संशयः । यथा हि विषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युरागतः ।। 7.73.10 ।।

rāmasya duṣkṛtaṃ kiñcinmahadasti na saṃśayaḥ | yathā hi viṣayasthānāṃ bālānāṃ mṛtyurāgataḥ || 7.73.10 ||

There is no doubt that Rama has committed some great sin, just as death has come upon the children living in his kingdom.

नह्यन्यविषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युतो भयम् । त्वं राजञ्जीवयस्वैनं बालं मृत्युवशं गतम् ।। 7.73.11 ।।

nahyanyaviṣayasthānāṃ bālānāṃ mṛtyuto bhayam | tvaṃ rājañjīvayasvainaṃ bālaṃ mṛtyuvaśaṃ gatam || 7.73.11 ||

Indeed, children in other kingdoms do not fear death, so O King, you must revive this child who has fallen under the sway of death.

राजद्वारि मरिष्यामि पत्न्या सार्धमनाथवत् । ब्रह्महत्यां ततो राम समुपेत्य सुखी भव ।। 7.73.12 ।।

rājadvāri mariṣyāmi patnyā sārdhamanāthavat | brahmahatyāṃ tato rāma samupetya sukhī bhava || 7.73.12 ||

I will die at the king's gate with my wife, like a helpless person, and then, O Rama, having incurred the sin of killing a Brahmin, you may be happy.

भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजन्दीर्घमायुरवाप्स्यसि । उषिताः स्म सुखं राज्ये तवास्मिन्सुमहाबल ।। 7.73.13 ।।

bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito rājandīrghamāyuravāpsyasi | uṣitāḥ sma sukhaṃ rājye tavāsminsumahābala || 7.73.13 ||

O King, accompanied by your brothers, you will obtain a long life; O greatly powerful one, we have lived happily in your kingdom until now.

इदं तु पतितं तस्मात्तव राम वशे स्थिताः । कालस्य वशमापन्नाः स्वल्पं हि नहि नः सुखम् ।। 7.73.14 ।।

idaṃ tu patitaṃ tasmāttava rāma vaśe sthitāḥ | kālasya vaśamāpannāḥ svalpaṃ hi nahi naḥ sukham || 7.73.14 ||

But this misfortune has now befallen us, O Rama, who are under your control, as we have fallen under the sway of time, and indeed, our happiness is now very little.

सम्प्रत्यनाथो विषय इक्ष्वाकूणां महात्मनाम् । रामं नाथमिहासाद्य बालान्तकरणं ध्रुवम् ।। 7.73.15 ।।

sampratyanātho viṣaya ikṣvākūṇāṃ mahātmanām | rāmaṃ nāthamihāsādya bālāntakaraṇaṃ dhruvam || 7.73.15 ||

Now, this kingdom of the great Ikshvakus, having obtained Rama as its protector, is certainly causing the death of children.

राजदोषैर्विपद्यन्ते प्रजा ह्यविधिपालिताः । असद्वृत्ते तु नृपतावकाले म्रियते जनः ।। 7.73.16 ।।

rājadoṣairvipadyante prajā hyavidhipālitāḥ | asadvṛtte tu nṛpatāvakāle mriyate janaḥ || 7.73.16 ||

Indeed, subjects not protected according to law perish due to the king's faults, and when the king is ill-behaved, people die untimely deaths.

यद्वा पुरेष्वयुक्तानि जना जनपदेषु च । कुर्वते न च रक्षा ऽस्ति तदा कालकृतं भयम् ।। 7.73.17 ।।

yadvā pureṣvayuktāni janā janapadeṣu ca | kurvate na ca rakṣā 'sti tadā kālakṛtaṃ bhayam || 7.73.17 ||

Or when people commit improper acts in cities and districts, and there is no protection, then there is fear caused by the times.

सुव्यक्तं राजदोषो हि भविष्यति न संशयः । पुरे जनपदे चापि ततो बालवधो ह्ययम् ।। 7.73.18 ।।

suvyaktaṃ rājadoṣo hi bhaviṣyati na saṃśayaḥ | pure janapade cāpi tato bālavadho hyayam || 7.73.18 ||

It is very clear that there will be no doubt of a king's fault in the city and the district, and therefore, this child-killing is indeed due to that.

एवं बहुविधैर्वाक्यैरुपरुध्य मुहुर्मुहुः । राजानं दुःखसन्तप्तः सुतं तमुपगूहते ।। 7.73.19 ।।

evaṃ bahuvidhairvākyairuparudhya muhurmuhuḥ | rājānaṃ duḥkhasantaptaḥ sutaṃ tamupagūhate || 7.73.19 ||

Thus, repeatedly importuning the king with various kinds of words, the father, deeply distressed, clasps his son. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये श्रीमदुत्तरकाण्डे त्रिसप्ततितमः सर्गः ।। 73 ।। Thus ends the seventy-third sarga of Uttara Kanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.