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Ayodhya Kaanda - Sarga 49
Sarga 46 ended with Rāma getting up early in the morning before the citizens got up and proceeding to Vana. This Sarga describes his journey from thereon through the countryside and then the crossing of rivers Vēdaṡruti and Gōmati and stream Syandika.
2.49.1 ராமோऽபி ராத்ரிஸேஷேண தேநைவ மஹதந்தரம் ।
ஜகாம புருஷவ்யாக்ர: பிதுராஜ்ஞாமநுஸ்மரந் ॥
rāmō'pi rātriṡēṣēṇa tēnaiva mahadantaram ।
jagāma puruṣavyāghraḥ piturājñāmanusmaran ॥
Rāma, the tiger among men,
went quite a long way in what remained of the night,
remembering his father’s injunction.
2.49.2 ததைவ கச்சதஸ்தஸ்ய வ்யபாயாத்ரஜநீ ஸிவா ।
உபாஸ்ய ஸிவாம் ஸந்த்யாம் விஷயாந்தம் வ்யகாஹத ॥
tathaiva gacchatastasya vyapāyādrajanī ṡivā ।
upāsya ṡivāṃ sandhyāṃ viṣayāntaṃ vyagāhata ॥
Thus he went on and entered the countryside
by the time the blessed night came to an end.
Then he performed salutations to the morning sun.
2.49.2-3a க்ராமாந் விக்ருஷ்டஸீமாந்தாந் புஷ்பிதாநி வநாநி ச ।
பஸ்யந்நதியயௌ ஸீக்ரம் ஸநைரிவ ஹயோத்தமை: ॥
ஸ்ருண்வந் வசோ மநுஷ்யாணாம் க்ராமஸம்வாஸவாஸிநாம் ।
grāmān vikṛṣṭasīmāntān puṣpitāni vanāni ca ।
paṡyannatiyayau ṡīghraṃ ṡanairiva hayōttamaiḥ ॥
ṡṛṇvan vacō manuṣyāṇāṃ grāmasaṃvāsavāsinām ।
Carried by the fast fleet of well-bred horses,
he proceeded steadily, crossing many villages,
enjoying the sight of well furrowed farm fields
and woods with trees in full bloom
and also hearing the villagers talking to each other.
2.49.3b-6 ராஜாநம் திக்தஸரதம் காமஸ்ய வஸமாகதம் ॥
ஹா ந்ருஸம்ஸாத்ய கைகேயீ பாபா பாபாநுபந்திநீ ।
தீக்ஷ்ணா ஸம்பிந்நமர்யாதா தீக்ஷ்ணகர்மணி வர்ததே ॥
யா புத்ரமீத்ருஸம் ராஜ்ஞ: ப்ரவாஸயதி தார்மிகம் ।
வநவாஸே மஹாப்ராஜ்ஞம் ஸாநுக்ரோஸம் ஜிதேந்த்ரியம் ॥
rājānaṃ dhigdaṡarathaṃ kāmasya vaṡamāgatam ॥
hā nṛṡaṃsādya kaikēyī pāpā pāpānubandhinī ।
tīkṣṇā sambhinnamaryādā tīkṣṇakarmaṇi vartatē ॥
yā putramīdṛṡaṃ rājñaḥ pravāsayati dhārmikam ।
vanavāsē mahāprājñaṃ sānukrōṡaṃ jitēndriyam ॥
Dhik! How the king Daṡaratha
has succumbed to infatuation!
Alas! The sinful and ruthless Kaikēyee,
transgressing all bounds of decency,
has taken extreme and sinful steps
to contrive the exile of so good a son of the King,
so virtuous, so full of compassion and self-control
and so adhering to Dharma! People are always quick to arrive at conclusions that are most appealing than that are closest to the truth.
Daṡaratha agreed to send Rāma in exile because he was bound by the word given to Kaikēyee, but people, in this Ṡlōka, blame it on his infatuation towards her.
Similarly, in Uttara Kāṇḍa, the final part of Rāmāyaṇa, Rāma agrees to bring back Seetā from Lanka with him, even after she had been in the custody of lustful Rāvaṇa for a year, only after he was convinced to do so by Agni and other Dēvas. Yet, people of Ayōdhyā blame it on his infatuation towards her.
The reaction of people towards Daṡaratha here can be said to be stemming from the ‘heat of the moment’. But in the case of Rāma, the reaction comes after a considerable amount of time after his return from Lanka.
In any case, people of Ayōdhyā are not shy of demanding their rulers to conform to the ethos of the day.
2.49.7 கதம் நாம மஹாபாகா ஸீதா ஜநகநந்திநீ
ஸதா ஸுகேஷ்வபிரதா து:காந்யநுபவிஷ்யதி ॥
kathaṃ nāma mahābhāgā sītā janakanandinī
sadā sukhēṣvabhiratā duḥkhānyanubhaviṣyati ॥
How can the blessed Seetā, the Delight of Janaka,
who has been used to comforts, put up with hardships?
2.49.8 அஹோ! தஸரதோ ராஜா நிஸ்நேஹ: ஸ்வஸுதம் ப்ரியம் ।
ப்ரஜாநாமநகம் ராமம் பரித்யக்துமிஹேச்சதி ॥
ahō! daṡarathō rājā nisnēhaḥ svasutaṃ priyam ।
prajānāmanaghaṃ rāmaṃ parityaktumihēcchati ॥
It is unbelievable that King Daṡaratha
could have so little love for his own son Rāma,
who is sinless and so loved by all the people,
that he should wish to discard him!
2.49.9 ஏதா வாசோ மநுஷ்யாணாம் க்ராமஸம்வாஸவாஸிநாம் ।
ஸ்ருண்வந்நதியயௌ வீர: கோஸலாந் கோஸலேஸ்வர: ॥
ētā vācō manuṣyāṇāṃ grāmasaṃvāsavāsinām ।
ṡṛṇvannatiyayau vīraḥ kōsalān kōsalēṡvaraḥ ॥
The valiant ruler of Kōsala
passed beyond the Kōsala country,
while hearing such words of the people
of the villages and hamlets on the way.
2.49.10 ததோ வேதஸ்ருதிம் நாம ஸிவவாரிவஹாம் நதீம் ।
உத்தீர்யாபிமுக: ப்ராயாதகஸ்த்யாத்யுஷிதாம் திஸம் ॥
tatō vēdaṡrutiṃ nāma ṡivavārivahāṃ nadīm ।
uttīryābhimukhaḥ prāyādagastyādhyuṣitāṃ diṡam ॥
Then, crossing the river Vēdaṡruti, with its cool waters,
he went in the direction where Agastya lived.
2.49.11 கத்வா து ஸுசிரம் காலம் தத: ஸீதஜலாம் நதீம் ।
கோமதீம் கோயுதாநூபாமதரத்ஸாகரம்கமாம் ॥
gatvā tu suciraṃ kālaṃ tataḥ ṡītajalāṃ nadīm ।
gōmatīṃ gōyutānūpāmataratsāgaraṃgamām ॥
Journeying for a long time, he crossed
the ocean-bound river Gōmati,
with its cool waters and marshes full of cows.
2.49.12 கோமதீம் சாப்யதிக்ரம்ய ராகவ: ஸீக்ரகைர்ஹயை: ।
மயூரஹம்ஸாபிருதாம் ததார ஸ்யந்திகாம் நதீம் ॥
gōmatīṃ cāpyatikramya rāghavaḥ ṡīghragairhayaiḥ ।
mayūrahaṃsābhirutāṃ tatāra syandikāṃ nadīm ॥
Having crossed Gōmati, Rāghava,
carried by his fleet horses,
crossed the stream Syandika,
full of the cries of the peacocks and swans.
2.49.13 ஸ மஹீம் மநுநா ராஜ்ஞா தத்தாமிக்ஷ்வாகவே புரா ।
ஸ்பீதாம் ராஷ்ட்ராவ்ருதாம் ராமோ வைதேஹீமந்வதர்ஸயத் ॥
sa mahīṃ manunā rājñā dattāmikṣvākavē purā ।
sphītāṃ rāṣṭrāvṛtāṃ rāmō vaidēhīmanvadarṡayat ॥
Rāma pointed to the princess of Vidēha
the vast tracts of lands belonging to many provinces,
that were bestowed by Manu to Ikshwāku once upon a time.
2.19.14-15 ஸூத இத்யேவ சாபாஷ்ய ஸாரதிம் தமபீக்ஷ்ணஸ: ।
ஹம்ஸமத்தஸ்வரஸ்ஸ்ரீமாநுவாச புருஷர்ஷப: ॥
கதாऽஹம் புநராகம்ய ஸரய்வா புஷ்பிதே வநே ।
ம்ருகயாம் பர்யடிஷ்யாமி மாத்ரா பித்ரா ச ஸங்கத: ॥
sūta ityēva cābhāṣya sārathiṃ tamabhīkṣṇaṡaḥ ।
haṃsamattasvaraṡṡrīmānuvāca puruṣarṣabhaḥ ॥
kadā'haṃ punarāgamya sarayvā puṣpitē vanē ।
mṛgayāṃ paryaṭiṣyāmi mātrā pitrā ca saṅgataḥ ॥
The blessed one, the bull among men,
with a voice that rumbled like that of a swan,
greeted the charioteer affectionately and said:
“O Charioteer! When would I,
having returned and rejoined my father and mother,
go hunting again in the blossoms
on the banks of river Sarayu?
2.49.16 ராஜர்ஷீணாம் ச லோகேऽஸ்மிந்நப்யஸ்யா ம்ருகயா வநே ।
காலே வ்ருதாநாம் மநுஜைர்தந்விநாமபிகாங்க்ஷிணாம் ॥
rājarṣīṇāṃ ca lōkē'sminnabhyasyā mṛgayā vanē ।
kālē vṛtānāṃ manujairdhanvināmabhikāṅkṣiṇām ॥
In this world, it is desirable that Rājarshis,
practice hunting seasonally, accompanied by bowmen. Ṡlōkas 16 and 17 are taken from Eastern edition (instead of the southern edition), since the meaning is more clear and apt in the Eastern edition.
2.49.17 அத்யர்தமபிகாங்க்ஷாமி ம்ருகயாம் ஸரயூ வநே ।
ரதிர்ஹ்யேஷா பரா லோகே ராஜர்ஷிகணஸேவிதா ॥
atyarthamabhikāṅkṣāmi mṛgayāṃ sarayū vanē ।
ratirhyēṣā parā lōkē rājarṣigaṇasēvitā ॥
Hence, I too wish to go hunting
in the Vanas by river Sarayu.
This is one of the pastimes in this world
that many Rājarshis engaged themselves in.
2.49.18 ஸ தமத்வாநமைக்ஷ்வாகஸ்ஸூதம் மதுரயா கிரா ।
தம் தமர்தமபிப்ரேத்ய யயௌ வாக்யமுதீரயந் ॥
sa tamadhvānamaikṣvākassūtaṃ madhurayā girā ।
taṃ tamarthamabhiprētya yayau vākyamudīrayan ॥
The prince of Ikshwāku lineage continued his journey,
while engaging in such and other conversations with the charioteer,
in his characteristically sweet and pleasing manner.
இத்யார்ஷே ஸ்ரீமத்ராமாயணே வால்மீகீயே ஆதிகாவ்யே
அயோத்யாகாண்டே ஏகோநபஞ்சாஸஸ்ஸர்க: ॥
ityārṣē ṡrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīyē ādikāvyē
ayōdhyākāṇḍē ēkōnapañcāṡassargaḥ ॥
Thus concludes the forty-ninth Sarga
in Ayōdhyā Kāṇḍa of the glorious Rāmāyaṇa,
the first ever poem of humankind,
composed by Vālmeeki.