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The Ramayana Book 2

Chapter 70

1 tam evaṃ śokasaṃtaptaṃ bharataṃ kekayīsutam
uvāca vadatāṃ śreṣṭho vasiṣṭhaḥ śreṣṭhavāg ṛṣiḥ
2 alaṃ śokena bhadraṃ te rājaputra mahāyaśaḥ
prāptakālaṃ narapateḥ kuru saṃyānam uttaram
3 vasiṣṭhasya vacaḥ śrutvā bharato dhāraṇāṃ gataḥ
pretakāryāṇi sarvāṇi kārayām āsa dharmavit
4 uddhṛtaṃ tailasaṃkledāt sa tu bhūmau niveśitam
āpītavarṇavadanaṃ prasuptam iva bhūmipam
5 niveśya śayane cāgrye nānāratnapariṣkṛte
tato daśarathaṃ putro vilalāpa suduḥkhitaḥ
6 kiṃ te vyavasitaṃ rājan proṣite mayy anāgate
vivāsya rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ ca mahābalam
7 kva yāsyasi mahārāja hitvemaṃ duḥkhitaṃ janam
hīnaṃ puruṣasiṃhena rāmeṇākliṣṭakarmaṇā
8 yogakṣemaṃ tu te rājan ko 'smin kalpayitā pure
tvayi prayāte svas tāta rāme ca vanam āśrite
9 vidhavā pṛthivī rājaṃs tvayā hīnā na rājate
hīnacandreva rajanī nagarī pratibhāti mām
10 evaṃ vilapamānaṃ taṃ bharataṃ dīnamānasaṃ
abravīd vacanaṃ bhūyo vasiṣṭhas tu mahān ṛṣiḥ
11 pretakāryāṇi yāny asya kartavyāni viśāmpateḥ
tāny avyagraṃ mahābāho kriyatām avicāritam
12 tatheti bharato vākyaṃ vasiṣṭhasyābhipūjya tat
ṛtvikpurohitācāryāṃs tvarayām āsa sarvaśaḥ
13 ye tv agrato narendrasya agny agārād bahiṣkṛtāḥ
ṛtvigbhir yājakaiś caiva te hriyante yathāvidhi
14 śibilāyām athāropya rājānaṃ gatacetanam
bāṣpakaṇṭhā vimanasas tam ūhuḥ paricārakāḥ
15 hiraṇyaṃ ca suvarṇaṃ ca vāsāṃsi vividhāni ca
prakiranto janā mārgaṃ nṛpater agrato yayuḥ
16 candanāguruniryāsān saralaṃ padmakaṃ tathā
devadārūṇi cāhṛtya citāṃ cakrus tathāpare
17 gandhān uccāvacāṃś cānyāṃs tatra dattvātha bhūmipam
tataḥ saṃveśayām āsuś citāmadhye tam ṛtvijaḥ
18 tathā hutāśanaṃ hutvā jepus tasya tadartvijaḥ
jaguś ca te yathāśāstraṃ tatra sāmāni sāmagāḥ
19 śibikābhiś ca yānaiś ca yathārhaṃ tasya yoṣitaḥ
nagarān niryayus tatra vṛddhaiḥ parivṛtās tadā
20 prasavyaṃ cāpi taṃ cakrur ṛtvijo 'gnicitaṃ nṛpam
striyaś ca śokasaṃtaptāḥ kausalyā pramukhās tadā
21 krauñcīnām iva nārīṇāṃ ninādas tatra śuśruve
ārtānāṃ karuṇaṃ kāle krośantīnāṃ sahasraśaḥ
22 tato rudantyo vivaśā vilapya ca punaḥ punaḥ
yānebhyaḥ sarayūtīram avaterur varāṅganāḥ
23 kṛtodakaṃ te bharatena sārdhaṃ; nṛpāṅganā mantripurohitāś ca
puraṃ praviśyāśruparītanetrā; bhūmau daśāhaṃ vyanayanta duḥkham

Next: Chapter 71