Sloka & Translation

[Lakshmana asks Rama to bear sorrow -- pleads with Rama to think rightly-- arouses Rama's wisdom.]

तं तथा शोकसन्तप्तं विलपन्तमनाथवत्।

मोहेन महताविष्टं परिद्यूनमचेतनम्।।3.66.1।।

ततस्सौमित्रिराश्वास्य मुहूर्तादिव लक्ष्मणः।

रामं सम्बोधयामास चरणौ चाभिपीडयन्।।3.66.2।।


ततः then, सौमित्रिः son of Sumitra, लक्ष्मणः Lakshmana, तथा like that, शोकसन्तप्तम् afflicted with sorrow, अनाथवत् like an orphan, विलपन्तम् while weeping, महता mighty, मोहेन by delusion, आविष्टम् engrossed, परिद्यूनम् miserable, अचेतनम् devoid of consciousness, तं रामम् Rama, मुहूर्तादिव in a moment, आश्वास्य consoled, चरणौ च his feet, अभिपीडयन् pressing, सम्बोधयामास addressed.

Lakshmana, son of Sumitra, consoling the mighty miserable Rama, who was afflicted with sorrow, and was weeping helplessly like an orphan, drowned in great delusion, devoid of consciousness, pressed his feet and addressed him:
महता तपसा राम महता चापि कर्मणा।

राज्ञा दशरथेनासि लब्धोऽमृतमिवामरैः।।3.66.3।।


राम Rama, राज्ञा by the king, दशरथेन by Dasaratha, महता great, तपसा penance, महता great, कर्मणाचापि the action, अमरैः by the gods, अमृतमिव like nectar, लब्धः असि obtained.

O Rama king Dasaratha begot you by doing a great penance and performing great deeds, just as gods begot the nectar.
तव चैव गुणैर्बद्धस्त्वद्वियोगान्महीपतिः।

राजा देवत्वमापन्नो भरतस्य यथाश्रुतम्।।3.66.4।।


भरतस्य Bharata's, यथा as, श्रुतम् heard, महीपतिः lord of the earth, राजा king, तव your, गुणैः virtues, बद्धः bound, त्वद्वियोगात् by your separation, देवत्वम् godhood, आपन्नः attained.

King Dasaratha, impelled by your virtues, and separation from you attained godhood as heard from Bharata.
यदि दुःखमिदं प्राप्तं काकुत्स्थ न सहिष्यसे।

प्राकृतश्चाल्पसत्त्वश्च इतरः कस्सहिष्यति।।3.66.5।।


काकुत्स्थ O Rama, प्राप्तम् has befallen, इदं दुःखम् this sorrow, न सहिष्यसे यदि not able to bear, प्राकृतः ordinary man, अल्पसत्त्वश्च with little strength, इतरः ordinary man, कः who, सहिष्यति will be able to bear?

O Rama, if you cannot bear this sorrow that has befallen you, how can weak and ordinary persons endure (such suffering)?
दुःखितो हि भवान्लोकांस्तेजसा यदि धक्ष्यते।

आर्ताः प्रजा नरव्याघ्र क्व नु यास्यन्ति निर्वृतिम्।।3.66.6।।


नरव्याघ्र O best among men, दुःखितः in grief, भवान् you, तेजसा by your brilliance, लोकान् worlds, धक्ष्यते burn, यदि if, आर्ताः afflicted, प्रजाः people, क्व where, निर्वृतिम् relief, यास्यन्ति will get?

O best of men if you grieve and burn the world with your brilliance, wherefrom will the (ordinary) afflicted people get relief?
लोकस्वभाव एवैष ययातिर्नहुषात्मजः।

गतश्शक्रेण सालोक्यमनयस्तं समस्पृशत्।।3.66.7।।


एषः so, लोकस्वभावः एव it is natural order in the world, नहुषात्मजः Nahusha's son, ययातिः Yayati, शक्रेण to Indra, सालोक्यम् sharing his stay in the same world, गतः attached, अनयः curse, तम् him, समस्पृशत् touched .

It is the go of the world. Yayati, son of Nahusa, shared heaven with Indra but because of his curse (for his bad conduct) suffered misfortune.
महर्षिर्यो वसिष्ठस्तु यः पितुर्नः पुरोहितः।

अह्ना पुत्रशतं जज्ञे तथैवास्य पुनर्हतम्।।3.66.8।।


महर्षिः sage, यः who, वसिष्ठः Vasistha, यः that, नः पितुः our father's, पुरोहितः priest, अस्य his, अह्ना one day, पुत्रशतम् one hundred sons, जज्ञे gave birth to, पुनः again, तथैव in the same way, हतम् killed.

To sage Vasistha, our father's priest, were born a hundred sons in a day.But all of them were killed in one day the same way.
या चेयं जगतां माता देवी लोकनमस्कृता।

अस्याश्च चलनं भूमेर्दृश्यते सत्यसंश्रव।।3.66.9।।


सत्यसंश्रव who adheres to truth, जगताम् for the worlds, माता mother, लोकनमस्कृता is adored by the whole world, या चेयम् she being so, देवी mother, अस्याः her, भूमेः earth, चलनम् movement, दृश्यते is seen.

You (rigidly) adhere to truth.(Like you) the mother earth who is adored by all the worlds, is unshakeable. Yet she is seen to be shaking at times.
यौ धर्मौ जगतां नेत्रौ यत्र सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम्।

आदित्यचन्द्रौ ग्रहणमभ्युपेतौ महाबलौ।।3.66.10।।


यौ whoever, धर्मौ two righteous entities, जगताम् of the worlds, नेत्रौ two eyes, यत्र where, सर्वम् all, प्रतिष्ठितम् is resting, महाबलौ two very powerful, आदित्यचन्द्रौ Sun and Moon, ग्रहणम्
eclipse, अभ्युपेतौ endures.

The powerful Sun and Moon, righteous entities, who are the two eyes of these worlds and on whom everything rests firmly, also suffer eclipses sometimes.
सुमहान्त्यपि भूतानि देवाश्च पुरुषर्षभ।

न दैवस्य प्रमुञ्चन्ति सर्वभूतानि देहिनः।।3.66.11।।


पुरुषर्षभ O bull among men, सुमहन्ति भूतानि great beings, देवाश्च gods, सर्वभूतानि all creatures, देहिनः mortals, दैवस्य fate, न प्रमुञ्चन्ति cannot be released.

O best among men Fate spares none. Great beings, every creature, even the gods cannot escape fate.
शक्रादिष्वपि देवेषु वर्तमानौ नयानयौ।

श्रूयेते नरशार्दूल न त्वं शोचितुमर्हसि।।3.66.12।।


नरशार्दूल O tiger among men, शक्रादिषु among beings such as Indra and others, देवेषु deities, नयानयौ justice or otherwise, वर्तमानौ are present, श्रूयेते heard, त्वम् you, शोचितुम् to worry, नार्हसि not right for you.

It is I heard that Indra and other deities are also governed by the principle of justice. Therefore, you should not bewail, O tiger among men.
नष्टायामपि वैदेह्यां हृतायामपि चानघ

शोचितुं नार्हसे वीर यथान्यः प्राकृतस्तथा।।3.66.13।।


अनघ O sinless soul, वीर hero, वैदेह्याम् when Vaidehi, नष्टायामपि killed, हृतायामपि when carried off too, प्राकृतः an ordinary person, अन्यः यथा other man, शोचितुम् to worry, नार्हसि not right for you.

Even if Vaidehi is killed or abducted, you should not grieve like ordinary men, O
sinless hero
त्वव्दिधा न हि शोचन्ति सततं सत्यदर्शिनः।

सुमहत्स्वपि कृच्छ्रेषु रामानिर्विण्णदर्शनाः।।3.66.14।।


राम Rama, सततम् always, सत्यदर्शिनः those who see the truth, अनिर्विण्णदर्शनाः men whose vision is free from depression, त्वव्दिधाः men like you, सुमहत्सु in very great, क्रुच्छ्रेष्वपि even in great calamities, न शोचन्ति हि will not lose heart.

O Rama, you always see the truth. So in the face of great difficulties men like you, whose vision is not blurred, should not lose heart.
तत्त्वतो हि नरश्रेष्ठ बुद्ध्या समनुचिन्तय।

बुध्द्या युक्ता महाप्राज्ञा विजानन्ति शुभाशुभे।।3.66.15।।


नरश्रेष्ठ O best among men, तत्त्वतः the facts, बुद्ध्या applying your intellect, समनुचिन्तय think rightly, महाप्राज्ञाः very wise, बुध्द्या with their intellect, युक्ताः endowed, शुभाशुभे right and wrong, विजानन्ति people know.

O best among men judge the facts rightly with your intellect. The wise apply their minds and know what is right and what is wrong.
अदृष्टगुणदोषाणामध्रुवाणां तु कर्मणाम्।

नान्तरेण क्रियां तेषां फलमिष्टं प्रवर्तते।।3.66.16।।


अदृष्टगुणदोषाणाम् of those who do not know their merits and demerits, अध्रुवाणाम् unstable, तेषाम् in this, कर्मणाम् deeds, इष्टम् good, फलम् results, क्रियाम् अन्तरेण from actions, न प्रवर्तते will not be obtained.

Good results are not expected from the actions of persons who cannot distinguish between their virtues and vices, from those who are unstable in their deeds.
त्वमेव हि पुरा राम मामेवं बहुशोऽन्वशाः।

अनुशिष्याद्धि को नु त्वामपि साक्षाद्बृहस्पतिः।।3.66.17।।


राम Rama, पुरा in the past, त्वमेव you yourself, माम् to me, एवम् that way, बहुशः many times, अन्वशाः you instructed, हि indeed, साक्षात् personally, बृहस्पतिरपि even Brihaspati, को नु who indeed, त्वाम् to you, अनुशिष्यात् हि can teach you.

O Rama you yourself in the past have instructed me many times that way. Who can be your adviser in this matter ? You are indeed like Brihaspati.
बुद्धिश्च ते महाप्राज्ञ देवैरपि दुरन्वया।

शोकेनाभिप्रसुप्तं ते ज्ञानं सम्बोधयाम्यहम्।।3.66.18।।


महाप्राज्ञ very wise, ते बुद्धि: your intellect, देवैरपि gods too, दुरन्वया difficult to fathom, शोकेन by sorrow, अभिप्रसुप्तम् put to sleep, ते ज्ञानम् your wisdom, अहम् I am, सम्बोधयामि arousing you.

Even gods cannot fathom your intellect. I am only trying to rouse your wisdom your sorrow has sent to sleep.
दिव्यं च मानुषं च त्वमात्मनश्च पराक्रमम्।

इक्ष्वाकुवृषभावेक्ष्य यतस्व द्विषतां वधे।।3.66.19।।


इक्ष्वाकुवृषभ among the Ikshvakus, त्वम् you, दिव्यम् divine, मानुषं च mortal, आत्मनः yourself, पराक्रमम् powers, अवेक्ष्य after knowing, द्विषताम् of the enemies, वधे in killing, यतस्व make efforts.

O bull among the Ikshvakus, weigh your divine and human prowess before you try to kill your enemies.
किं तेन सर्वनाशेन कृतेन पुरुषर्षभ।

तमेव त्वं रिपुं पापं विज्ञायोद्धर्तुमर्हसि।।3.66.20।।


पुरुषर्षभ best among men, कृतेन by the act of, तेन by that, सर्वनाशेन destruction of all, किम् what for, त्वम् you, पापम् sinful, तं रिपुम् एव your enemy, विज्ञाय after knowing, उद्धर्तुम् to uproot, अर्हसि ought to.

O best among men where is the good in the destruction of all? Know your sinful enemy before you uproot him.
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकेय आदिकाव्ये अरण्यकाण्डे षट्षष्टितमस्सर्गः।।
Thus ends the sixtysixth sarga of Aranyakanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.