Passage 1
ब्रह्मोवाच— सम्मार्ज्य तस्य वदनं सहसा सुमित्रासूनुः पयोभिरमलैर्नगनिम्नगायाः। ईषत्समुन्मिषितसुस्थिरनेत्रपद्मं संदृश्य रागविभवं तमथाभ्युवाच॥१॥
Brahmā said: Sumitrā's son quickly wiped Rāma's face with the pure water of a mountain stream. When he saw the lotus of Rāma's eyes open slightly and become steady, he addressed him, still overcome by the power of emotion.
Passage 2
हा हन्त विरहेणार्तो यदाह निभृतं भवान्। तत्तथैवास्ति किन्त्वद्य धीरतामेहि सम्प्रति॥२॥
“Alas, what you have said quietly in the anguish of separation is indeed so; but regain your composure today.
Passage 3
अस्य दुःखसमुद्रस्य गम्भीरस्य महीयसः। आरुह्य धैर्यतरणीं पारं प्राप्तुं त्वमर्हसि॥३॥
“Board the boat of courage and cross this vast and profound ocean of sorrow.
Passage 4
अधैर्यं दूषदं नाथ कथं वहसि चात्मना। विरहक्लेशपाथोधिमध्यस्थोऽतिविचक्षणः॥४॥
“Lord, wise as you are even while standing amid the ocean of separation's pain, how can you carry this blameworthy loss of courage within yourself?
Passage 5
न वै जनकपुत्र्यास्ते सम्भाव्यो विरहः क्वचित्। वधाय रावणस्यायं लोके सम्भावनां गतः॥५॥
“No true separation between you and Janaka's daughter is ever possible. It has merely assumed an appearance in the world so that Rāvaṇa may be slain.
Passage 6
विपरीतमपि स्वामिन् जायते देवयोगतः। भाविनार्थेन निर्बद्धमिति मे जायते मतिः॥६॥
“Master, even what is contrary may arise through divine ordering; I believe it is bound to the purpose of what is yet to occur.
Passage 7
सुरासुरमध्ये ह्यस्मिन् भवे रावणशातनः। को भवन्तं विना नाथ तदर्थं चैतदप्यभूत्॥७॥
“Lord, among all the gods and demons in this world, who besides you could destroy Rāvaṇa? This apparent separation has therefore arisen for that very purpose.
Passage 8
मायामात्रं तु जानामि मैथिल्या विरहं तव। ज्योत्स्नेव शशाङ्कस्य प्रभया तरणेरिव॥८॥
“I know your separation from Maithilī to be mere appearance, for she belongs to you as moonlight belongs to the moon and radiance to the sun.
Passage 9
प्रमथ्य शीघ्रं लङ्केशं प्रियाविरहकेतवात्। भवांस्त्रैलोक्यसन्तापं स्ववीर्येण हरिष्यति॥९॥
“Under the banner of separation from your beloved, you will swiftly crush Laṅkā's lord and by your own valor remove the torment of the three worlds.” Rāma Recounts the Grief Caused by His Birth
Passage 10
अथोवाच रघुश्रेष्ठो दैन्यं प्रकटयन् मुहुः। संकोच्य नासिकाग्रं स्वं म्लानधीर्दुःखकोटिभिः॥१०॥
Then the foremost Raghu, his mind withered by countless sorrows, drew in the tip of his nose and repeatedly revealed his despondency as he spoke.
Passage 11
शृणु लक्ष्मण वक्ष्यामि यथाहं ग्लानमानसः। अलं मम मुधास्तोत्रैरित्थं ह्याजन्मदुःखितः॥११॥
“Listen, Lakṣmaṇa, and I will tell you why my mind is exhausted. Enough of this empty praise of me, for I have suffered in this way from birth.
Passage 12
किं मया ननु जातेन मातुः क्लेशादजन्मना। तोषितौ पितरौ चैव पोषिता न च बान्धवाः॥१२॥
“What good has come from my birth through my mother's labor? I have neither satisfied my parents nor sustained my relatives.
Passage 13
यः स्वयं दुर्भगो दीनः कोटिदुःखैकभाजनम्। स कथं सुखयेदन्यान् सोऽहमस्मि च तादृशः॥१३॥
“How can one who is himself unfortunate, wretched, and the single vessel of countless sorrows make others happy? I am precisely such a man.
Passage 14
अनपत्यौ च पितरावभूतां खलु मे पुरा। तयोरहं सुसञ्जातो देवप्रार्थनया सखे॥१४॥
“Friend, my parents were once childless, and I was born to them through prayer to the gods.
Passage 15
मदर्थं प्रार्थिता विप्रा मम पित्रा धृतार्थिना। तैश्च सम्प्रार्थितो देवस्तेन दत्तस्ततश्चरुः॥१५॥
“For my sake, my father, resolute in his purpose, petitioned the brahmins. They in turn petitioned the deity, who then gave the sacrificial oblation.
Passage 16
जातास्तेन वयं भ्रातश्चत्वारो भ्रातरः क्रमात्। एवं प्रयासाज्जातोऽहं शुचे पित्रोस्तथात्मनः॥१६॥
“Through it, brother, the four of us were born in due order. After all that effort, I was born only to bring grief upon my parents and myself.
Passage 17
मदर्थं शोचता तेन मम पित्रा महीभृता। असवः सहसा त्यक्ता अनाथाश्चाभवन् प्रजाः॥१७॥
“Grieving because of me, my father the king suddenly gave up his life, and his subjects became orphans.
Passage 18
मद्धेतोर्मातृसुदीना नितरां क्लिश्यते च सा। न यस्याः श्रवणे प्राप्तं परदुःखमपि क्वचित्॥१८॥
“Because of me, that most wretched mother suffers intensely, though no sorrow of another had ever before reached her ears.
Passage 19
अहो मे बान्धवो दीना मम हेतोः शुचापिताः। अजस्रमश्रुसम्पातैर्व्याकुलीकुर्वते दृशः॥१९॥
“Alas, my miserable relatives are afflicted with grief because of me and continually overwhelm their eyes with streams of tears.
Passage 20
न मया तोषितस्तातो न मातुर्निष्कृतिः कृता। न भ्रातरोऽनुजाः सौम्याः सम्पद्भिः सुखिताः क्वचित्॥२०॥
“I did not bring contentment to my father, I have not repaid my mother, and my gentle younger brothers have never been made happy with prosperity.
Passage 21
मदर्थं त्वमपि भ्रातरात्मानं क्लेशयस्यहो। भरतश्च जटाधारी वल्कलाजिनवाससी॥२१॥
“Brother, you too subject yourself to hardship for my sake; and Bharata wears matted hair and garments of bark and deerskin.
Passage 22
बिभ्राणो यतचित्तात्मा यतेन्द्रियगणश्च सः। कष्टेन कालं नयति त्यक्तभोगपुरःस्थितिः॥२२॥
“Restraining his mind and all his senses as he wears them, he passes the time in hardship, standing before a city whose pleasures he has renounced.
Passage 23
तमनुव्रत एवास्ति शत्रुघ्नोऽप्यरिमर्दनः। इत्थं सर्वकुटुम्बस्य दुःखायाजनि मज्जनिः॥२३॥
“Śatrughna, crusher of enemies, faithfully follows him. Thus my birth has brought sorrow to the entire family.
Passage 24
पिता मे वत्सलत्वेन राज्यभाराभिषेचनम्। कर्तुमैच्छत्तदाप्यासीन्मम भाग्यविपर्ययः॥२४॥
“Out of paternal love, my father wished to consecrate me with the burden of kingship, yet even then my fortune was overturned.
Passage 25
अन्तरायः कृतः सद्यः कैकेय्या राज्यलुब्धया। वनवासस्ततश्चासीत् पत्न्या सह मनोज्ञया॥२५॥
“Kaikeyī, greedy for the kingdom, immediately created an obstacle, and then came exile in the forest with my lovely wife.
Passage 26
यस्याः शिरीषकुसुमकोमलौ चरणौ सखे। अटवीं गाहमाना सा मत्सार्थे व्यचरत्प्रिया॥२६॥
“Friend, though her feet were as tender as śirīṣa flowers, my beloved traversed the deep forest for my sake.
Passage 27
वर्षवातातपहिमैः कायक्लेशं दिवानिशम्। बिभ्राणा मिथिलाधीशपुत्री चरति कानने॥२७॥
“Bearing bodily hardship day and night from rain, wind, heat, and cold, the daughter of Mithilā's lord wandered the forest.
Passage 28
पत्न्या अपि सुखं येन न जातु रचितं क्वचित्। सोऽहं किमन्यबन्धुभ्यः सुखं दास्यामि लक्ष्मण॥२८॥
“Lakṣmaṇa, if I could never provide happiness even for my wife, how will I give happiness to any other relative?
Passage 29
रक्षसा हारिता सापि दुःखेऽपि सुखमानिनी। क्व नः कुलं सुविमलं क्व चेदं लाञ्छनं महत्॥२९॥
“Even she, who regarded hardship as happiness, was carried away by a rākṣasa. How far apart are our perfectly pure lineage and this enormous stain!
Passage 30
तस्या एव कृते सम्यगुपयुक्तवपुश्च यः। मृतः स मित्रं तातस्य वर्षीयान् विहगोत्तमः॥३०॥
“For her sake, that elder and foremost bird—my father's friend—rightly expended his body and died.
Passage 31
न तस्य निष्कृतिर्लभ्या जन्मकोटिशतैरपि। अधर्माच्च हतो वाली बलवान् कपिपुङ्गवः॥३१॥
“I could not repay him even in hundreds of crores of births, and mighty Vāli, foremost of monkeys, was killed unrighteously.
Passage 32
इति जन्मत आरभ्य दुःखानि गणयन्नहम्। नान्तं गच्छामि सौमित्रे ततः खिद्ये तमां मुहुः॥३२॥
“Thus, Saumitri, when I count my sorrows from the time of my birth, I never reach their end; therefore I sink again and again into the deepest grief.”
Passage 33
विरहविधुर इत्थं पूर्वदुःखानुदर्शी स्वमथ बहु विजानन्नु साम्प्रतं दुःखमग्नम्। यदि यदि गणयानः स्वाशुभान्यस्तहर्षो रघुपरिवृढ आसीद्दीनचेता नितान्तम्॥३३॥
Distressed by separation, the chief of the Raghus looked back upon his former sorrows and recognized himself as now sunk in abundant grief. As he counted each of his own misfortunes, all joy left him and his heart became utterly dejected.