महावीरचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - वीररस-प्रधान रामकथा नाटक सम्पूर्ण ७ अङ्क सटीक)

9] Synoptic Analysis of the Play
Scene 4 (iii. 15²⁰—iii. 49¹). Another part of Pañchavaṭī: At a distance,
the river Godāvarī, with elephants fighting in the waters. Characters
same as before. The elephant-fight has resulted in a victory for Sītā's
pet (iii. 15²¹); all rejoice in consequence (iii. 16 ff.). Vāsantī now avails
herself of the occasion to point out a number of other objects (iii. 19,
22, 37⁵, 38, 44) connected with their earlier life in Pañchavaṭī, as if
casually, but really with a view to reprobate Rāma's conduct towards
his wife. Rāma in reply lays his whole heart open to Vāsantī (iii. 27⁶ ff.,
29, 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, 39), who is much moved by his sorrows and his
sufferings and the sublime grandeur of his soul. All this takes place,
of course, within the hearing of Sītā, though neither Rāma nor Vāsantī
was aware of her presence. The result is that Sītā, who in Scene 2
(iii. 7⁶) was full of just resentment against her husband, gradually finds
herself softening towards him,¹ until finally she absolves him from all
wrong whatsoever (iii. 46¹³ ᶠ.). As it was getting late, Rāma rises to
go to Ayodhyā and take part in the holy horse-sacrifice (iii. 48¹).²
Exeunt all.
ACT IV. KAUSALYĀ AND JANAKA
Translation, pages 60–72.
This Act is practically synchronous with the last two, and is partly meant
as a humorous relief after the intense emotional excitement of Act iii.
Scene 1, Interlude (iv. 0¹—iv. 2²). Vālmīki's hermitage on the Ganges:
An open space near by. Enter two pupils. One of them admires the
beauty of the hermitage, which is now putting on its best appearance
(iv. 1) to welcome some venerable guests. The other—evidently
a youngster³—is delighted at the thought that the guests bring with
them also a holiday for the schools (iv. 1¹). In the course of their
conversation it transpires that the guests are no other than Arundhatī,
Vasishṭha, and the Queen-mothers, who, on the conclusion of
Ṛishyaśṛiṅga's twelve-year sacrifice (cp. i. 3), not caring to return
to Ayodhyā where Sītā was not, have repaired to Vālmīki's
hermitage. Among the day's guests there is also Janaka (iv. 1²³),
Sītā's father, come on a friendly visit to Vālmīki (iv. 1³³). The boys
go off to play.
¹ The psychological moments in this process
are described at length in the note to
iii. 7⁶. They show the poet's thorough
understanding of human passions, and
a deft handling of them.
² For the nature of this sacrifice compare
Introduction, § 18, P.
³ Who cannot yet speak his Sanskrit properly.
2 [H.O.S. 21]

Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [10
Scene 2 (iv. 2³—iv. 26¹¹). A yard adjoining Vālmīki’s hermitage. Enters
Janaka, seated sorrowing at the foot of a tree. His lamentations for
his daughter (iv. 3-5) are interrupted by the appearance of Arundhatī
and Kausalyā, who, led by a chamberlain and under instructions from
Vasiṣṭha, are coming to meet Janaka. Janaka is not at first well-
disposed towards Kausalyā, the mother of ‘that shepherd of the people’,
meaning Rāma (iv. 10³); but he soon relents at the sight of the grief-
stricken old widow of his late friend Daśaratha (iv. 13, 14). A noise
of the boys making merry over their holiday-games is heard from
behind the curtain (iv. 18¹). Among the boys all watch with interest
one—evidently a Kṣatriya youth (iv. 20)—who resembled in his looks
not only Rāma but Sītā also (iv. 19, 22). Arundhatī, who has had the
secret (iv. 18⁷) from Bhāgīrathī (the Ganges), knows that he must be
one of the twin sons of Rāma. They send the chamberlain (iv. 20³) after
the boy, who comes and announces himself (iv. 21³) as Lava. They
inquire after his parentage (iv. 22¹), but he naïvely answers (iv. 22⁵) that
he belongs to Vālmīki (who of course never married). A voice behind
the curtain conveys to the soldiers of the army Prince Chandraketu’s
order (iv. 22⁹) to the effect that they must not molest the hermitage in
any way. Janaka and Kausalyā rejoice at the prospect of meeting
Chandraketu (iv. 22¹⁰ ᶠᶠ˙), and in reply to Lava’s inquiry they tell him
that Chandraketu is no other than Lakshmaṇa’s son (iv. 22²⁰). Lava,
who knew Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa by heart, was instantly able to
identify Chandraketu. Janaka now asks Lava (iv. 22²³) if from the
Rāmāyaṇa he could tell them some of the Later History of Rāma.
Lava replies that Vālmīki has composed that portion, but, wishing to
give a dramatic representation of it, he has sent it, in charge of Lava’s
brother Kuśa, to the sage Bharata.¹ The published portion of the
Rāmāyaṇa, he adds, ends with the abandonment of Sītā (iv. 22⁴³).
The memory of that event calls forth a passionate expression of grief
from Janaka (iv. 23), and Lava now learns who all the elders were
(iv. 23²). At this point a number of disorderly boys break in upon the
stage and inform (iv. 26) Lava of a wonderful sight—a horse—that
they have seen. They drag Lava off the stage (iv. 26²). The rest of
the party also go away anxious to meet Vālmīki and learn from him,
if possible, the secret of Lava’s parentage (iv. 26¹¹).
Scene 3 (iv. 26¹²—iv. 29¹). Another open space near Vālmīki’s hermitage:
the sacrificial horse in sight. Re-enter ² the boys with Lava. Lava at

¹ Author of the Nāṭyaśāstra, the earliest extant book on Hindu dramaturgy. This whole account sounds like a bit of auto-biography: cp. Introduction, § 4.
² Not strictly ‘re-enter’. The boys merely withdraw to a remote part of the stage

11] Synoptic Analysis of the Play

once perceives that it is a sacrificial horse, and the boys, from inquiry,
learn (iv. 27) that it is let loose by Rāma, ‘the foremost hero of the
seven worlds’. The youthful Lava, incensed at this supposed insult
to his own heroism asks his companions to capture the horse (iv. 28¹ ᶠ.).
Enters an enraged soldier to prevent the capture. Lava makes ready
to fight (iv. 29). Exeunt all.

ACT V. PRINCES IN COMBAT

TRANSLATION, PAGES 73–81.

In the short interval—an hour or so—between this Act and the last, Lava
has utterly routed the army.
Scene 1 (v. 0¹—v. 36²). An open space near Vālmīki's hermitage. Enter
Chandraketu in a chariot, and Sumantra his charioteer. Chandraketu
has heard of the fight and is hastening to the rescue (v. 1). He cannot
help admiring Lava's appearance and courage (v. 2, 3, 5) and feels
abashed to find that Lava singly has defeated the whole army (v. 6³).
Chandraketu now invites Lava for a personal combat (v. 7). Enters
Lava, bow in hand, leaving the army, who, however, continue to harass
him (v. 8⁴, v. 10⁴) the moment his back is turned upon them. Finding
no other way to stop them, Lava makes use of the magic missiles ¹
(v. 12² ᶠ.). The hubbub in the army is now at an end (v. 13) and the
two youths meet face to face (v. 15³). Chandraketu courteously offers
Lava a chariot (v. 28²), which Lava as courteously, but not without
a mixture of pride, declines (v. 28⁶). Lava adds that the fight was
partly forced upon him (v. 29) by the insolent vaunting (iv. 27) of the
attendants of the horse. Chandraketu wonders if Lava really believed
himself superior to the great Rāma (v. 29¹, 34). Lava, who knew the
Rāma story well, replies that no great man need be absolutely perfect,
and mentions a few weak points (v. 35) in Rāma’s earlier career.
This provokes Chandraketu and both repair to a place where they can
fight undisturbed (v. 36¹).²

at the end of Scene 2, and now come to
the centre.
¹ Called jṛmbhaka or stupefying. Their use,
so naturally brought in, plays an im-
portant part in the final recognition in
Acts vi and vii.
² According to the canons of Hindu drama-
turgy, combats could not be represented
on the stage.

Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [12
ACT VI. THE PRINCES RECOGNIZED
TRANSLATION, PAGES 82–93.
In respect of time, this Act is an immediate sequel to the last.
Scene 1, Interlude (vi. 0¹—vi. 7³). Place: aerial regions above Vālmīki's
hermitage. Enter an air-sprite (Vidyādhara) and his mate, viewing
the combat between Lava and Chandraketu from an aerial car. They
describe the fight: how one missile supersedes another only to be itself
superseded by a third. Victory trembles in the balance. At last they
see Rāma returning from Daṇḍakā in his Pushpaka car (vi. 6⁵) and
stopping the battle. The air-sprites go away.
Scene 2 (vi. 7⁴—vi. 42³). The fighting-ground at a considerable distance
from Vālmīki's hermitage. Enter Rāma, Chandraketu, and Lava.
Chandraketu tells Rāma of the fight and particularly of Lava's valour
(vi. 8²). Rāma feels an unaccountable attraction towards Lava (vi. 9, 12).
Lava, in his turn, is deeply impressed (vi. 10, 11) by the sight of the
great man, who, Chandraketu tells him (vi. 12⁵), is no other than
the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa. Rāma embraces Lava (vi. 13). Lava begs
to be pardoned for his insolent conduct (vi. 13³) but Rāma praises him
for it (vi. 14). Chandraketu then points out how by his jṛimbhaka
missiles Lava has thrown the whole army into a stupor (vi. 14²). Rāma
asks Lava to withdraw the missiles and sends Chandraketu away to
comfort his army. Exit Chandraketu. Rāma inquires of Lava how
he came to have this power over the missiles (vi. 15³). Lava explains
that they two were born to the knowledge of them. ‘Who is the
other?’ asks Rāma. The answer is partly given by a voice behind
the curtain, inquiring in great agitation, after Lava (vi. 16). This is
Lava's elder brother, Kuśa, returning from his errand to sage Bharata
(vi. 17¹, cp. iv. 22³³ ff.). Enters Kuśa, bow in hand. Rāma admires
his bearing (vi. 19). Lava introduces him to Rāma, who embraces
him (vi. 21). As the day was growing hot, Lava suggests reposing
under the shade of a tree (vi. 22¹), which they all do. The appearance
and the deportment of the two boys (vi. 23 f.), their resemblance to
Rāma and Sītā (vi. 25–27), their presence near the place where Sītā
was abandoned, their inborn power over the missiles, which Rāma
remembers now to have transferred in anticipation (i. 15²) to the
offspring of Sītā, and particularly the fact of the boys being twins, as
he knew would be the case with Sītā's issue (vi. 28),—all this seems
to him to be mournfully tantalizing. Rāma weeps. Lava expresses

13] Synoptic Analysis of the Play
concern for him (vi. 29). Kuśa wonders why Lava, knowing the Rāmā-
yaṇa, should be surprised at Rāma's grief (vi. 30). If Rāma had hoped
to ask the boys about their parentage and learn something definite, all
his hopes were now at an end. The boys spoke of the hero of the
Rāmāyaṇa in the most unconcerned way imaginable. Rāma now asks
the boys to recite some stanzas from the Rāmāyaṇa (vi. 30³). Kuśa
(vi. 31, 32) and after him Lava (vi. 36) hit upon passages which
awaken the most painful memories in Rāma's mind (vi. 34, 37).
At this point a voice behind the curtain states that Vasiṣṭha, Vālmīki,
the Queen-mothers, Janaka, and Arundhatī, having heard of the fight
between the boys and anxious for their safety, are coming that way
(vi. 39). Rāma and the boys go away hurriedly to meet them (vi. 42³).
ACT VII. THE REUNION
TRANSLATION, PAGES 94–102.
In the interval between Acts vi and vii Rāma has met all the elders.
When their first grief had abated a little, all plied Vālmīki with questions
regarding Kuśa and Lava. Vālmīki, anticipating all this, has arranged to
have the Later History of Rāma enacted (play within play), in the sight of
gods and men, by the celestial nymphs trained by Bharata (cp. iv. 22³¹).
Scene 1 (vii. 0¹—vii. 20¹). An extensive open-air stage on the banks of the
Ganges, near Vālmīki's hermitage. Time: afternoon of the same day.
Enters Lakshmaṇa, who announces that the stage is ready and the
audience seated. Enters Rāma (vii. 1¹) who orders the players to
commence (vii. 1⁷).¹
Play within play, Prologue (vii. 1⁸—vii. 2¹). Enters Stage-manager,
who requests the audience to be graciously attentive to the play of
Vālmīki, 'the speaker of the Truth'. The lament of a woman is
heard from behind the curtain (vii. 1¹³ ᶠᶠ·). The Stage-manager
explains that it is Sītā, who, unable to bear the pangs, is throwing
herself into the Ganges (vii. 2). Exit Stage-manager.
Play within play, Scene 1 (vii. 2⁷—vii. 15¹⁰). Enters Sītā fainting,
supported by two Goddesses—Earth and the Ganges—each with
an infant in her lap. The Goddesses congratulate Sītā on the birth
of twin sons (vii. 3). Sītā inquires who they were, and on learning
¹ The play within the play which follows is rupt the course of this secondary play by
of the one-act kind known as prekshaṇaka. occasional remarks. For convenience the
The characters of the original play inter- inner play is here given all by itself.

Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [14
that one of them was her mother, the Earth, she embraces her and
swoons away (vii. 3¹³). On recovering, the Earth-goddess reproaches
Rāma bitterly for his conduct (vii. 4ᵃ, ᵇ, 5), while Bhāgīrathī (the
Ganges) tries to defend him (vii. 6). Sītā requests her mother
to receive her into her womb (vii. 7²), but the Earth-goddess
reminds Sītā of her duty by her two sons. A noise behind the
curtain (vii. 8³). This is caused by the appearance of the jṛimbhaka
missiles, who¹ have come, in accordance with Rāma's wishes
(cp. i. 15²), to wait upon Sītā's offspring (vii. 10). The missiles
are asked to depart, with an injunction that they should attend
the twins whenever called upon (vii. 11). Sītā is at a loss to
know (vii. 12²) how her sons were to be reared and educated.
Bhāgīrathī proposes to give them over into the charge of Vālmīki
(vii. 13¹ ᶠ.). Sītā once more prays the Earth-goddess to receive her
into her womb (vii. 15³), but is asked to wait till the boys are
weaned (vii. 15⁷). Exeunt all the characters of the play within
the play.
Rāma,² who all along was watching the play and experiencing
alternating impulses of grief and joy, is quite overcome at its conclusion
and goes into a swoon (vii. 15¹²). Lakshmaṇa calls upon Vālmīki for
succour. A voice behind the curtain orders (vii. 15¹⁴) the removal of
the stage-apparatus. It is not a drama but a reality that is happening
now; for, from the heaving waters of the Ganges arise the forms of
Bhāgīrathī, the Earth-goddess, and Sītā (vii. 16). The two Goddesses
hand over the virtuous Sītā into the charge of Arundhatī, who now
enters leading Sītā (vii. 18). Sītā touches Rāma, who revives, and is
overjoyed to meet his lost Queen. The Goddess Bhāgīrathī reminds
Rāma (vii. 18⁶) of his prayer to her (i. 23¹), which she heard and has
granted. The Earth-goddess also reminds Rāma (vii. 18⁹) of his parting
adjuration (i. 50³) to her, which she has faithfully followed. Arundhatī
now admonishes the assembled people for their past conduct (vii. 18¹² ᶠᶠ.),
and they salute Sītā in token of acceptance. Rāma also readily accepts
his wife (vii. 19³). Exit Arundhatī (vii. 19⁹). Enters Vālmīki who now
presents Kuśa and Lava as the sons of Rāma and Sītā (vii. 19¹³).
To fill the cup of joy, Śatrughna, who had been sent (cp. i. 50¹)
against the demon Lavaṇa, returns victorious (vii. 19²⁹). Vālmīki
now asks Rāma if he desires anything else (vii. 19³²). The customary
benediction (vii. 20) brings the drama to a happy close.

¹ Conceived as persons with human speech.    ² At this point the first scene of the play
  They, however, speak from behind the      proper is resumed.
  curtain.

UTTARA-RĀMA-CHARITA
OR
LATER HISTORY OF RĀMA
ACT I
UNTO the Bards of yore this tribute of homage we tender, and
bow down [next] unto [the Goddess of] Speech, that portion
(kalā) immortal of the Supreme-spirit. 1
After [this] Invocation—
**Stage-manager—**Enough: Why make it too long?—To-day, indeed on this
festival (yātrā) of the Exalted Lord Kālapriya,¹ I have a request for this
distinguished assembly. Your honours will be pleased to understand that
there is a worthy scion of the Kāśyapa family, bearing the appellation of
Śrīkaṇṭha and known [also] as Bhavabhūti:
On whom, [as on God] Brahmā, the Goddess [of] Speech attends
like a submissive handmaid. The Later History of Rāma, com-
posed by him, is [here] going to be represented [by us]. 2
Here now, in deference to the matter in hand, I am transformed into an
inhabitant of Ayodhyā ² and a contemporary [of Rāma]. Looking about
him. How now, Sirs! This the period of the coronation of His Majesty
the Honoured Rāma, the fire that consumed the race of Pulastya ³—when
this [period] is, day and night, to be celebrated with incessant festive music,
wherefore then, to-day, are the bards silent in these quadrangles?
An Actor, *entering—*Sir, they have been sent away to their homes by
His Majesty—the high-souled Demons and Monkeys and [other] allies
[of Rāma] in the war at Laṅkā,⁴ as also the priestly and the royal sages—
the sanctifiers of the various quarters—that had honoured the ceremony by
their attendance, and as a mark of respect unto whom there was this
festivity this many a day. And now—
¹ Of whom there is a famous temple in Ujjain
in Central India. See on this point,
however, Introduction, § 3.
² Capital of Kosala, the kingdom of Rāma.
³ The grandfather of Rāma's enemy, the demon Rāvaṇa.
⁴ Seat of Rāvaṇa's kingdom and identified with Ceylon.

i. 3ᵃᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [16
Headed by Vasishṭha,¹ the Queen-mothers of Rāma, following the
lead of Arundhatī,² are gone to the hermitage of [their] son-in-law
for a sacrifice. 3
Stage-manager—Ah, that explains it.
Actor—Being a stranger I ask, who can [this] son-in-law be?
Stage-manager—King Daśaratha³ begot a daughter named Śāntā,
whom—as an adopted child—he made over to king Lomapāda.⁴ 4
Her, Ṛishyaśṛiṅga, the son of Vibhāṇḍaka, married. He [Ṛishyaśṛiṅga] has
now commenced a [sacrificial] session of twelve years; and, in consequence
of that, leaving behind their daughter-in-law Jānakī,⁵ far gone with child
though she is, the elders (guru)⁶ have gone thither. But what is [all] this
to us? Come, let us rather repair to the royal portal, there to discharge
the duties befitting our caste.⁷
Actor—If so, please your honour to think of some form of benediction—
absolutely flawless—wherewith to approach [the King].
Stage-manager—Mārisha,⁸
It behoves us ever to be doing [whatever lies next]; for there is
no escaping censure [any way]. As of women, so of compositions,
people are malicious as to their purity (sādhutva⁹). 5
Actor—Ultra-malicious, say rather:
For, even in the case of Queen Vaidehī,¹⁰ the people are not without
their wicked talk. Her staying in the house of the Rākshasa¹¹ is
at the bottom of it, and, as to the fire-ordeal,¹² they are not con-
vinced. 6
Stage-manager—Should this scandal now come to [the ears of] His Majesty,
it would be very unfortunate!
Actor—In every wise will the sages and the deities work out a happy issue.
Walking about. Ho, friends! Where now is His Majesty? Listening. So
say the people:
Coming hither to greet [Rāma] out of affection and having passed
these days in festivity, Janaka has to-day gone to the Videhas.

¹ The family-priest of Rāma. ⁸ The regular form by which the stage-
² Vasishṭha's wife. manager addresses an actor, who in turn
³ Father of Rāma. calls him Bhāva.
⁴ Of the kingdom of the Aṅgas. ⁹ The word means both chastity and excel-
⁵ I. e. Sītā, wife of Rāma, daughter of Janaka. lence.
⁶ A word almost impossible to render by one ¹⁰ I. e. Sītā, daughter of Janaka, king of the
English word. It is applied to any one Videhas.
to whose authority deference is due: ¹¹ I. e. the demon Rāvaṇa who had abducted
parents, elderly relatives, teachers, and her.
persons of piety and learning. ¹² Which Sītā underwent after Rāma had
⁷ The actors were supposed to be Śūdras. secured her release.

17] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 9ᵇ
To solace the Queen, disconsolate on that account, from his
judgement-seat the Lord of men [Rāma] is now entering the
residential palace. 7
They both go out.
END OF PROLOGUE.
Enters Rāma seated, and Sītā.
Rāma—Cheer up, cheer up, my Queen, Vaidehī! The elders (guru) certainly
would not have been able to leave us,
Except that the urgency of the [stated religious] observances
restricts their liberty [to stay here]; for verily the life of house-
holders who have set up their Sacred Fires is hampered with
[such] restraints. 8
Sītā—I know it, my noble Lord, I know it; and yet separations from
[dear] relatives do cause pain.
Rāma—Yes, just so. These things of the world do indeed gnaw at the very
vitals of the heart; and it is from disgust with these that men of wisdom
give up all interests and find peace in a forest.
Chamberlain, entering—Rāma dear—breaking off apprehensively—I mean,
Your Majesty!
Rāma, with a smile—Nay, Sir! In the mouth of an [old] attendant of my
father’s, ‘Rāma dear’ is just the fitting mode of address for me. Address
me then as you have been used to do.
Chamberlain—From Ṛishyaśṛiṅga’s hermitage Ashṭāvakra has arrived.
Sītā—Then, Sir, why delay?
Rāma—At once let him in.
Exit Chamberlain.
Ashṭāvakra, entering—Blessings on you both!
Rāma—Exalted Sir, my obeisance. Be seated here.
Sītā—Salutations unto you. Are all my elders (guru) and the noble Śāntā
doing well?
Rāma—In performing Soma-sacrifice I hope my brother-in-law, the exalted )
Ṛishyaśṛiṅga, is meeting with no hindrances?—And the noble Śāntā too?
Sītā—And does she [ever] think of us?
Ashṭāvakra, seating himself—Yes, certainly. Queen, the revered Vasishṭha
[your family-preceptor], sends you this word:
The All-sustaining [Earth], the exalted one, gave birth unto thee.¹
A king, the equal of [God] Prajāpati,² Janaka is thy sire.
¹ Janaka came upon Sītā while he was a holy sacrifice. Sītā means ‘furrow’.
ploughing and preparing the ground for ² I. e. Creator.
3 [H.O.S. 21]

i. 9c—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [18
A daughter-in-law art thou, O gladdening one, of those kings
of whose house the Sun¹ is the head (guru) and we are the
preceptor (guru). 9
What else then can we wish thee, save this?—Be thou the mother of
heroes!
Rāma—We are [in this mightily] favoured;
For, the speech of the worldly-wise saints follows the course of
the event (artha), whereas, of the ancient sages, it is the event
which speeds after [their] utterance. 10
Ashṭāvakra—This is what the exalted Arundhatī and the Queen-mothers
and Śāntā have told again and again: Whatever longing² Sītā may
conceive, that should without fail be forthwith gratified.
Rāma—We are doing whatever she says.
Ashṭāvakra—And her sister-in-law's husband, Ṛishyaśṛiṅga, says this unto
the Queen: Far gone with child as thou art, thou, my child, hast not been
brought here. Dear Rāma also, for thy solace, has been left behind.
So now we shall see thee, the long-lived one, with sons gracing thy lap.
Rāma, with a smile of joy and bashfulness—So be it! Has not the exalted
Vasishṭha, however, any mandate for me?
Ashṭāvakra—Listen:
This sacrifice at the son-in-law's has kept us engaged; thou art
but a boy and new to thy kingdom: In the propitiation of thy
subjects be thou [therefore] diligent. What glory comes out of
that is your supreme treasure. 11
Rāma—As [Vasishṭha] the exalted son of Mitra and Varuṇa says.
Affection and compassion and felicity—yea, even this daughter of
Janaka [Sītā]—for the propitiation of the people I can abandon
and feel no pangs. 12
Sītā—And hence it is that my noble Lord is the foremost of the [race
of] Raghus.
Rāma—Ho, some one without, let Ashṭāvakra be attended to.
Ashṭāvakra, rising [and] walking about—Lo, it is prince Lakshmaṇa coming.
Exit.
Lakshmaṇa, entering—Victory attend my noble brother! Noble Sir, that
painter has, as ordered by us, drawn, in this corridor here, [scenes from]
your career: Will the noble Lady have a look?
Rāma—Thou knowest, dear brother, [how] to divert [the mind of] the
sorrowing Queen. How far do these pictures go?
¹ Rāma belonged to the Solar race of kings. promotes perfect development of the
² Pregnant women are supposed to have unborn child.
longings, the prompt satisfaction of which

19] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 15⁶
Lakshmaṇa—As far as the fire-ordeal of the noble Lady [Sītā].
Rāma—Peace!
Pure even in her [very] birth, what need has she of other
[external] purifications? Holy Water and Fire surely do not
need to be made pure by other things. 13
O my Queen, sprung from the [very] sacrificial ground of the Gods, pardon!
Here is unto thee my life-long homage.
Hard [to please] is the people, and those whose wealth is [the
fame of] their family have to follow [the people's] humours! So,
whatever unkindly I spoke¹ unto thee was unmerited by thee.
By its very nature unto a sweet-smelling flower is ordained a
place on the head, and never tramplings under the feet. 14
Sītā—Never mind, noble my Lord, never mind. Come, let us rather, if you
please (dāva), see [those pictures of] your career.
They rise and walk about.
Lakshmaṇa—Here is the painting.
Sītā, inspecting it—Who now are these up above, standing close together
and seeming as if praising my noble Lord?
Lakshmaṇa—These are those jṛimbhaka² missiles and their spells (rahasya),
which from the exalted Kṛiśāśva were passed on to the son of Kuśika,
[I mean] to sage Viśvāmitra³—that friend (mitra) of the universe (viśva),
who in his turn, at the killing of Tāṭakā⁴, presented the same as a favour
to my noble brother.
Rāma—Salute, my Queen, these divine missiles:
Brahmā⁵ (Brahmán) and others, in the interest of the Sacred Truth
(bráhman), practised penances for over a thousand autumns. And
then those Sires (guru) of old obtained a vision of these [missiles]
as if these were the very fires of their own penances. 15
Sītā—My homage unto these.
Rāma—Assuredly now these will attend upon thy offspring.
Sītā—This is a [great] favour.
Lakshmaṇa—This here is the scene at Mithilā.⁶
Sītā—Lo! Like a newly-expanding blue lotus dark and soft and tender
and fully developed in the charms of his person—[my] father gazing in
rapt amazement on his mild and lovely form—the bow of [God] Śaṅkara
¹ At the time of the fire-ordeal at Laṅkā.
² I. e. missiles producing stupor. They are conceived of in a human shape.
³ Rāma's instructor in archery and warfare.
⁴ A frightful she-demon and molester of pious sacrifices. She was killed by Rāma.
⁵ Creator of the universe.
⁶ Capital of Janaka and the place where, after successfully passing through the test of wielding the heavy bow of God Śiva (or Śaṅkara), Rāma and his brothers married Sītā and her sisters.

i. 15ᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [20
broken [in twain] with a careless ease—the [waving] tufts of hair grace-
fully adorning [his face]—thus is my noble Lord painted here!
Lakshmaṇa—Look, noble Lady, look at this:
To these relatives headed by Vasishṭha here is thy father [Janaka]
offering worship—as also Śatānanda, the son of Gotama and priest
of the Janaka-family. 16
Rāma—This is a sight to see!
Of the family of Janaka with that of Raghu¹ to whom is the
union not pleasing?—wherein both the giver and the receiver is
the son-of-Kuśika [Viśvāmitra] in person. 17
Sītā—Here in sooth are all ye four brothers—your godāna² ceremony
just performed—ready (dīkshita) for the wedding. Ah! I feel as if in
that very same place, on that very same occasion I were [again] present.
Rāma—To me [also] it seems to be again that self-same hour when,
like unto a great festival incarnate, it thrilled me with joy, O fair-
faced one,—this thy hand offered [me] by the son of Gotama and
begirt with lovely [nuptial] bangles. 18
Lakshmaṇa—This [here] is my noble Lady; this again, the noble Māṇḍavī³:
This here, likewise, [our] daughter-in-law, dear (vadhū) Śrutakīrti.⁴
Sītā—And who, dear brother (vatsa), is this other one here?
Lakshmaṇa, with a bashful smile⁵, aside—I see, it is [my] Ūrmilā that the
noble Lady is asking for. Well, I'll change the subject. Aloud. Here,
my noble Lady, here is something worth seeing; for here is the exalted
son of Bhṛigu.⁶
Sītā—Oh, how I tremble!
Rāma—My homage to thee, O sage!
Lakshmaṇa—Behold, behold, noble Lady! Here is this [sage], by my noble
brother—
Rāma, impatiently interrupting him—Don't you see there is much more
to be seen: show us what follows.
Sītā, gazing [at Rāma] with affection and deep respect—How well dost
thou, my noble Lord, shine in this thy excess of modesty!
Lakshmaṇa—Here is our arrival at Ayodhyā.
Rāma, with tears—I remember, alas! I remember:

¹ A famous ancestor of Rāma.
² Literally, ‘hair-clipping’ ceremony. For
its nature see Notes.
³ Wife of Lakshmaṇa’s elder brother, Bharata.
⁴ Wife of Lakshmaṇa’s younger brother,
Śatrughna. Notice the difference in the
mode of address. Since a younger brother
is in the status of a son, his wife is the
elder brother’s daughter-in-law.
⁵ For one may not utter his wife’s name,
especially before elders.
⁶ Paraśu-Rāma or Rāma with the axe, a
Brahman warrior and sage whom Rāma,
the hero of this play, vanquished.

21] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 23ᶜ
Our most honoured sire ¹ still alive—we only just wedded to our
brides—the Queen-mothers looking to all our needs: gone indeed
are those [happy] days of ours! 19
And then too this daughter of Janaka [Sītā]—
With her fine, slender, and charming locks-of-hair glistening at
the ends [as they were wafted by the wind]; with her bud-like
teeth enhancing the beauty of her face—child as she yet was;
with her delightfully lovely—as if made out of moon-beams—and
guilelessly sportive and sweet and tender limbs: she was the joy
of our Queen-mothers! 20
Lakshmaṇa—This is Mantharā.²
Rāma, passing on silently to another place—Queen Vaidehī,
This is that iṅgudī tree in the city of Śṛṅgavera, where, formerly,³
we came in contact with that friendly king of the Nishādas
[hill-tribes]. 21
Lakshmaṇa, with a smile, aside—So, I see, my noble brother has skipped
over the story of our second (madhyama) mother!
Sītā—Ha! This is the scene at the tying⁴ of the matted-hair (jaṭā).
Lakshmaṇa—With their sovereignty transferred to their sons what
the old sires of [the race of] Ikshvāku⁵ undertook, that, in his
[very] youth, my noble brother undertook—the holy vow of an
anchorite. 22
Sītā—This is the exalted Bhāgīrathī [Ganges] with her serene and holy
waters.
Rāma—Goddess! Presiding-divinity of the race of Raghu! Salutations
unto thee.
Busily engaged in search of the [lost] horse, when—at the time
of Sagara's⁶ [horse-]sacrifice—[his sons] cleft the earth open and
were through [sage] Kapila's wrathful radiance burnt to ashes, it
was Bhagīratha, practising penances heedless of the sufferings of
his body, who was able, after a very long time, to save [those sixty
¹ His father Daśaratha.
² An old nurse and attendant of Kaikeyī, the
second wife of Daśaratha, and the moving
spirit of the intrigue which brought about
Rāma's banishment, instead of his instal-
lation as heir-apparent.
³ After crossing the Ganges on their way to
banishment.
⁴ In preparation for assuming a forester's life.
⁵ Another famous ancestor of Rāma.
⁶ King Sagara of the Solar race commenced a horse-sacrifice. But the horse was stolen
away. In search, the sixty thousand sons
of Sagara ripped the earth open. There
they came upon sage Kapila, who burnt
them to ashes for their insolence. Their
great-grandson, Bhagīratha, brought the
Ganges down from the skies; and as
the holy waters touched the ashes, the
sixty thousand sons attained heaven.
The Ganges is called Bhāgīrathī after
Bhagīratha.

i. 23ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [22
thousand sons,] those grand-sires of his own sire, when, O exalted
one, they [their ashes] were touched by thy [holy] waters. 23
Be thou, therefore, O [divine] mother, towards [this] thy daughter-in-law,
Sītā, ever cherishing kindly thoughts—even like Arundhatī [herself]!
Lakshmaṇa—Here, on this way leading to the [mountain] Chitrakūṭa,
which was shown us by [the sage] Bharadvāja—[here] upon this bank of
the [river] Kālindī [Jumna]—is the banian-tree named Śyāma.
Sītā—Does my noble Lord remember this region here?
Rāma—How can I, darling, forget it!
For it was here that these tender-limbs of thine, lovely and
languid and drooping like a crushed lotus-stalk—exhausted with
the journey’s fatigues, [and so] close [mutual] embraces [alone]
doing the work of their shampooings—[these limbs of thine] thou
didst on my bosom repose and so sink into sleep! 24
Lakshmaṇa—Here is [the demon] Virādha obstructing [our] entrance into
the Vindhya-forest.
Sītā—Have done with this. I would rather see how—my noble Lord’s
hand holding a tāla-branch as an umbrella over me and [thus] shielding
me from the sun—how we journeyed through the Southern Forest.
Rāma—These here, along the banks of the mountain-rillets, these are
the penance-groves of the hermits who find shelter under the trees.
In these [groves], ever intent on hospitality, the peaceful dwellers,
cook their handful of wild-rice (nīvāra) and have their dwellings. 25
Lakshmaṇa—[This mountain,] with its dense clusters of trees imparting
a deep glossy blueness to the forests on its slopes, [forests] which hem in
[the current of the river] Godāvarī and [thus] cause the ravines to resound
—[this here,] with its blueness still further enhanced by the incessantly
pouring clouds [on its top]—here, situated in the heart of Janasthāna,¹ is
this mountain Prasravaṇa.²
Rāma—Dost thou, O fair-limbed one, remember, on this mountain—
while Lakshmaṇa attended upon us and chased away all our
cares—those days [that we once passed]? Dost thou likewise
remember [the river] Godāvarī with its refreshing banks? And
dost thou also remember our strolls in its neighbourhood? 26
Here likewise—
While those delicious nothings (kimapi) softly, gently—cheek
meeting cheek in [close] contact—we kept talking at random;
while a fast embrace kept of us both a hand each engaged—
¹ The habitable section of the forest of      ² Literally, ‘streaming’ or ‘full of streams’.
   Daṇḍakā.

23] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 30²
its watches speeding unnoticed [in succession]—thus did the
night come to an end! 27
Lakshmaṇa—Here is Śūrpaṇakhā ¹ in the Pañchavaṭī.²
Sītā—Alas! my noble Lord! No sight of thee hereafter!
Rāma—O thou, frightened at [the mere thought of] separation, this is
only a picture!
Sītā—Be that as it may, a wicked person is [ever] the source of
unhappiness.
Rāma ³—Why, in sooth, this Janasthāna incident does seem as if [happening
in the] present.
Lakshmaṇa—Hereafter the demons, through the trick of the disguise
[in the form] of the golden deer ⁴—the wicked ones—did in this
wise [as represented in the picture] that which [even now] smarts
us, though it has been washed off [in the enemy's blood]. In the
void of Janasthāna these doings of my noble brother, in his
piteous helplessness, they cause even the stone to weep and the
heart of adamant to burst! 28
Sītā, with tears, to herself—Alas! Thus, O thou Joy of Raghu's race,
[thus] wast thou on my account afflicted!
Lakshmaṇa, looking at Rāma, significantly—What is this now, my noble
brother?
These thy welling (ogha) tears—like some broken threads of a
pearl-necklace—trickle down and roll on the ground in streams
of shattered drops. Restrained though it is, this emotion, which
in its excess swells and fills thy heart, doth [nevertheless], through
thy quivering lips and nostrils, become inferable by others. 29
Rāma—Dear brother,
Born of that [former] separation from my beloved [that fire of
grief]—tormenting as it was—it was, in the hope of vengeance,
then endured by me. Now once again that [same] fire of grief,
as it flares out in my mind, like a [festering] wound in the vitals
of the heart doth it smart me with pain. 30
Sītā—Alas! Alas! I too, in the intensity of my anguish, feel myself as if
sundered from my noble Lord!

¹ Sister of the demon Rāvaṇa. Foiled in her
attempt to seduce Rāma and Lakshmaṇa,
and being punished by them, it was she
who incited Rāvaṇa to abduct Sītā.
² That part of Janasthāna where Rāma lived
with his wife and brother.
³ A slight interval during which they pass
in review a few more pictures (such as
Rāma's fight with the fourteen thousand,
cp. ii. 15) must here be presupposed.
This renders intelligible Rāma's change
of feeling between this speech and his
speech immediately preceding.
⁴ This was the trick used to draw Rāma
and Lakshmaṇa away from Sītā, whom
Rāvaṇa forthwith seized and carried off.

i. 30⁴—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [24
Lakshmaṇa, to himself—Well then, I will create a diversion. Looking at
the picture, aloud. Here now, aged by [the full length of] an eon,¹ is this
king of vultures, father Jaṭāyus² of honoured name, and [here] the
illustration of his valorous conduct.
Sītā—Alas, father! To its most bitter end (nir-) hast thou carried [this]
thy filial love!
Rāma—Alas, father! Thou descendant of Kaśyapa [and] monarch of the
winged tribes! Where can there be found, once again, another like thee—
a store of holiness, a saint?
Lakshmaṇa—This here, west of Janasthāna, is what they call Chitrakuñja³
—a portion of the Daṇḍakā forest inhabited [once] by the headless Danu.
This on the mountain Ṛishyamūka is the hermitage of [sage] Mataṅga,
and the grounds (padam) adjoining it. Here is the most saintly Śabara
lady, Śramaṇā by name. That again is the lily-pool called Pampā.⁴
Sītā—Here, as I learn (kila), my noble Lord—[all] his passion [for revenge]
(amarsha) and courage forsaking him—wept aloud and in the very fullness
of his heart (kaṇṭha).
Rāma—My Queen, lovely is this [lily-]pool [to me]:
[For,] in this [pool]—when in their youthful merriment the
[blue-beaked] mallikāksha birds shook with their wings the broad
and tremulous stalks of the [white] lotuses—in the intervals
between the risings and fallings of tear-drops, I perceived the
regions to be full of [blue] lotuses.⁵ 31
Lakshmaṇa—This is the noble Hanūmant (Māruti).⁶
Sītā—This is he who has conferred a mighty blessing on this [entire] living
world by uplifting it from the despair wherein it was long plunged—he of
resistless prowess, Māruti!
Rāma—Happily this is he of mighty arms—the source of Añjanā's⁷
joy—by whose valour blessed [in the attainment of their end] are
we ourselves and [all] the worlds! 32
Sītā—Dear brother, this here, with the full-plumed peacocks (barhin)
dancing upon its flowering kadamba trees, by what name is this mountain
called?—where, his majestic grace being all that is left of his pale beauty—

¹ A manvantara or eon = 306,720,000 human years.
² The vulture Jaṭāyus was a friend of Rāma's father, and met death in the attempt to prevent Sītā's abduction.
³ Lit. 'having many bowers'; the monster Danu infested it.
⁴ For all these persons and places see the Notes to the passage.
⁵ By a transference of the birds' colour to the lotuses on which they were perching.
⁶ A monkey-chieftain, ally of Rāma. He met Sītā in her captivity at Laṅkā, and carried news of her back to Rāma.
⁷ The mother of Māruti.

25] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 35ᵇ
about to swoon and supported by thy sorrowing [hands]—in the shade of
this tree, my noble Lord is depicted ?
Lakshmaṇa—This is that mountain perfumed with the [fragrant]
kakubha-[trees], Mālyavant by name, on whose peak is perching
an early rain-cloud, glossy and blue.
Rāma—Desist, my dear brother, desist from this: no farther can
I endure. Come back to me once again, meseems, is that
separation from [this] daughter of Janaka. 33
Lakshmaṇa—Hereafter [come], both of my noble brother and of the
valorous Monkeys and Demons, these countless and waxingly marvellous
deeds. Fatigued, however (cha), is my noble Lady here. Pray, therefore,
rest a while.
Sītā—Noble my Lord, the sight of these pictures has created [in me]
a longing, which prompts me to beg that—
Rāma—Why, you are free to command.
Sītā—I feel once again like amusing myself in the serene and lovely
woodlands, and having a plunge in the holy, cool, and translucent waters of
the exalted Bhāgīrathī.
Rāma—Dear Lakshmaṇa!
Lakshmaṇa—Here, at your service.
Rāma—That such longings should be forthwith gratified has even just
now been enjoined upon us by [our] elders (guru). Have ready therefore
a chariot that runs smoothly and without jolting.
Sītā—And you, my noble Lord, you are coming thither—aren't you?
Rāma—Why, you hard-hearted one! This—needs it to be said?
Sītā—Then, indeed, I am content.
Lakshmaṇa—So, as my noble brother commands. Exit.
Rāma—Dearest! Here, in this sheltered-balcony (apavartaka), let us repose
a while.
Sītā—So be it. Through fatigue I am really overpowered by sleep.
Rāma—If so, cling to me close and we will go [thither] together:
As if infusing life into me, let this thy arm—moist with drops of
perspiration due to excitement and fatigue—let it be thrown
around my neck: [thy arm] in all the loveliness of a necklace of
chandrakānta¹ beads, dripping [as when gently] kissed by the
moon-beams. 34
While helping her to do so, in joy. Dearest! What can this be?
Impossible to decide if this be joy or if this be grief, if a swoon
or a slumber; whether this be a slowly-creeping poison or an
¹ The 'moon-stone' is believed to have this property.
4 [H.O.S. 21]

i. 35ᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [26
infatuation [of some sort] : for, at every touch of thine, a [certain]
feeling, benumbing all my senses, [possesses me, and] now
bewilders my soul (chaitanya) and now paralyses it quite! 35
Sītā, with a smile—'Tis all your unchanging affection : how else then
could it be ?
Rāma—Causing the drooping flower of my life to bloom—filling me
with transport—ravishing all my senses—these endearing words
of my lotus-eyed one : they are as ambrosia to the ear and as
elixirs to the mind ! 36
Sītā—Come, thou of honeyed words! Let us rest. Looks about for
something to sleep on.
Rāma—And what, pray, wouldst thou look for ?
Ever since the time of our wedding, at home or in the forest, in
girlhood and then again in young-womanhood, what has [ever]
lulled thee to sleep and what no other woman can claim—Rāma's
arm, thy pillow, is here. 37
Sītā, going into sleep—It is even so, my noble Lord ! It is even so. Sleeps.
Rāma—Why, with sweet words on her lips she has already fallen asleep on
my bosom ! gazing, in fondness—
She to the house a very Lakshmī¹—to the eyes an ambrosial
pencil—this touch of hers like a thick sandal-juice to the body—
this [her] arm round [my] neck, cool and tender as a pearl-
necklace : what of hers is not dear, save only that unendurable
separation ? 38
Pratīhārī,² entering—Has come, my liege !
Rāma—And who ?
Pratīhārī—The personal attendant of Your Majesty—Durmukha.³
Rāma, to himself—Oh, Durmukha, who is on duty about the harem ?
Him I had employed as a spy upon my subjects in the city and in the
country. Aloud. Let him come in.
Exit Pratīhārī.
Durmukha, entering, to himself—Alas! how now, concerning the Queen
Sītā, such an unthinkable public slander may I report unto the King ?
But (adhavā) such indeed is the lot of [men like] me, ill-starred.
Sītā, talking in her sleep—Alas! Gentle my Lord! Where art thou?
Rāma—How now ! Of that torment-giving separation this must be the
[latent] impression ⁴ (bhāvanā) which my Queen received while looking at
¹ The Goddess of wealth and plenty.
² A female warder. Her words 'has come'
Rāma construes with the last word of his
speech, 'separation'; hence his surprised
question. 'Separation' in Sanskrit is
masculine.
³ 'Foul-mouthed' or 'with face of evil omen'.
⁴ The poet is here purposely technical.

27] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 42ᵈ
the pictures, and which is [now] causing her these perturbed dreams.
Affectionately stroking her.
Uniform (advaita) in happiness and in sorrow—conformable
(anuguṇa) to all the conditions [of life]—in which the heart finds
solace—the flavour of which age cannot stint—which with time,
as the veil-of-reserve (āvaraṇa) drops away, abides as a perfect
and ripened affection—that one supreme-blessing (bhadra) [only]
the fortunate among mankind, and after a sore trial (katham api),
attain. 39
Durmukha, approaching—Victory unto Your Majesty!
Rāma—Speak what you have found out.
Durmukha—They praise Your Majesty—the people both in the city and in
the country—saying, ‘King Rāma has made us forget King Daśaratha’.
Rāma—A mere compliment this: tell me of some fault or other so that
it may be set right.
Durmukha, with tears—Let the King listen [then]. In his ear [whispers]
so and so.
Rāma—Alas! How sudden in its blow is this thunderbolt of a speech!
Faints.
Durmukha—Take heart, my King!
Rāma, coming to himself—
Alas, oh alas! That scandal, due to the residence in a stranger’s
house of this daughter of the Videha-King, [that scandal] which
[formerly] through means miraculous we had put down—that,
like a mad hound’s venom, is once again, by an adverse turn of
fortune, spreading fast (pra) everywhere! 40
What then—ill-starred that I am—may I do in this case? After reflecting,
mournfully. Or, what else is there [to it]?
For good men, by some means or other, propitiation of the people
[must be] a sacred duty (vrata)—[a duty] which, moreover (hi),
my father fulfilled,¹ though [thereby] losing me and his [own]
life. 41
Just a short while ago did the exalted Vasiṣhṭa send [me] his mandate.²
Furthermore,
[That long career] which hath been made glorious by the Children
of the Sun—the rulers of the Earth, the foremost of men—if that
pure and unblemished career [of this Solar race] should, on my
account, by some foul calumny be disgraced—then, alas! fie on
me, the unblessed! 42
¹ For the palace-intrigue which caused Rāma’s death, see Introduction, § 18, E.
banishment and his father Daśaratha’s Compare stanza 11, above.

i. 42¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [28
Alas, my Queen, who hast uprisen from the [very] sacrificial ground of the
Gods! Who by thy birth hast graciously purified [the womb of] the Earth!
Who hast been a joy to Janaka and [the whole race of] Nimi!¹ O thou
whose character [even] Fire and Vasiṣṭha and Arundhatī have commended!
Thou to whom Rāma is life and all! Thou the dear companion of my
residence in the great wilderness [of Daṇḍakā]! Dear unto my [honoured]
father! Sweet and measured in thy words! How is it that of one like
thee such here should be the fate?—
Through thee [are] the worlds holy—unholy [are] the world’s
rumours about thee! Thou art the world’s protection—without
protector thou wilt [now] perish! 43
Go, Durmukha, say unto Lakshmaṇa: This is what thy new King, Rāma,
commands thee. In his ear [whispers] so and so.
Durmukha—And wherefore [unto the Queen] whose purity has been
attested by the fire-ordeal and who bears in her womb the [hopes of the]
continuance of this holy race of Raghu—[wherefore] unto a queen, on base
wretches’ words, has Your Majesty resolved to mete out such treatment?
Rāma—Peace! The people of my city and my country—base wretches?
Ikshvāku’s race hath [ever] been beloved of the people: and [yet
in it] hath arisen, as Fate will have it, an occasion of scandal.
And as for that miraculous event at the time when the Queen was
cleared [by the ordeal]—who will believe it, since it took place
[in Laṅkā] so far away? 44
Go therefore.
Durmukha—Alas, Queen! Exit.
Rāma—Woe and alas! Detestable in my actions—a savage—have I been!
From childhood on, with kind cares (priyaiḥ), to her wants have
I ministered—my dearest, who in her love hath naught but me on
whom to rest: her I am treacherously handing over to Death, as
does a butcher his pet house-bird! 45
Wherefore then should I—the untouchable criminal—[yet continue to]
pollute the Queen [by my touch]? Gently uplifts Sītā’s head, withdrawing
his arm.
[Me,] an outcaste whose deeds it were hard to match, let me go,
thou artlessly-innocent one! Thou hast clung, mistaking it for
a sandal-tree, to what is only a poison-tree with fruit of bane. 46
Rising. Alas! [to me] topsy-turvy now is this world of life. Ended is the
life-purpose of Rāma. A void, now, a wasted wilderness, is the universe.
Robbed-of-its-charms is my existence [hereafter]. My body a mere abode
¹ Ancestor of Sītā’s father, Janaka.