Paumacariya 94
English (machine translation) 94
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94.1
Then, having resolved on this in his mind, lord Padma, / fearful of the people's censure, sent the doorkeeper to Lakṣmaṇa.
94.2
Accompanied by the doorkeeper, that son of Sumitrā came before lord Padma, / and having bowed and spoken with him, he sat down upon the ground.
94.3
Numerous kings of the earth, warriors headed by Sugrīva, / and others as was fitting, sat down with curiosity.
94.4
After conversing for a moment with Lakṣmaṇa, the Baladeva / disclosed the people's gossip regarding the suspicion against Sītā:
94.5
Hearing this speech, Lakṣmaṇa spoke in extreme wrath: / "I shall right now destroy the earth, destroying these wicked people!
94.6
Like the peak of Mount Meru, Sītā is unshakeable, observant of virtue. / How has that cruel populace cast such slanderous reproach [against her]?"
94.7
Restraining his younger brother who was eager to punish the populace, / wise Rāma soothed him with sweet words:
94.8
“By numerous kings, born in the Ikṣvāku lineage and equal to Ṛṣabha and Bharata, / the earth bordered by the salt ocean has been protected.
94.9
By kings of the solar dynasty who never showed their backs in battle, / the three worlds were adorned with fame and far-reaching power.
94.10
Thus the Ikṣvāku lineage, white as moonbeams and renowned throughout the three worlds, / has now been stained, O Lakṣmaṇa, by my wife with the cloth of infamy.
94.11
Therefore devise some means without delay, O son of Sumitrā, / so that no blame falls upon me as well on account of the reproach against Sītā.
94.12
Indeed I shall abandon Sītā, even though she is innocent and endowed with good conduct; / for I do not desire life even for a moment when stained by the taint of dishonour."
94.13
Then the abode of fortune said: "O king! Do not grieve so! / Do not abandon the great, chaste Sītā right now on the word of slanderers!
94.14
The world is crooked by nature, intent on finding faults in others, / jealous of honest people, prone to wrongful grasping, and malicious."
94.15
Then the Baladeva said: "You speak much that is pleasant, / but I do not desire what is opposed to the people and stained with ill fame.
94.16
What is the use here of an entire kingdom or of life / for one about whom many scandals and endless dishonour constantly circulate?
94.17
What is the use of that strength of arm which does not avert fear from the frightened? / Or what is the use of that knowledge through which the self is not known?
94.18
Let alone the talk of the people: a fault surely lies with me in this matter, / since Sītā was abducted by another man and brought to his own house.
94.19
While she was staying in the lotus garden and being wooed by the lord of Rākṣasas, / Sītā must certainly have consented to his words."
94.20
Agitated in mind, he commanded his general Kṛtāntavadana: / "Abandon the pregnant Sītā in the forest."
94.21
When this was spoken, the son of Sumitrā bowed and said to Rāghava: / "O lord! It is not right for you to abandon the daughter of Janaka.
94.22
There is no fault in young women, O lord, just by being seen by another man. / Therefore, O king, be gracious; abandon such an obstinate whim!"
94.23
Padma said to his younger brother: "Say nothing more before me from now on! / I shall definitely abandon Sītā, terrified as I am of censure."
94.24
Seeing his firm resolve, Lakṣmaṇa went to his own home with a heavy heart. / Meanwhile, Kṛtāntavadana arrived, mounted on an excellent chariot.
94.25
Seeing the commander-in-chief in full armour and equipped with mail, / the great crowd of people said: "Unfavourable tidings are known to someone!"
94.26
Arriving in an instant and falling at his feet, he bowed to Padma: / "O master! Give your command; whatever has fallen into your heart [let it be known]."
94.27
Lord Padma said to him: "Under the pretext of Sītā’s pregnancy-craving, / show her many Jina shrines on Mount Sammeda and elsewhere.
94.28
In a most frightful forest resounding with the roars of lions and filled with many wild beasts, / abandon Sītā there, and then return quickly!"
94.29
Saying, "As you command, O master!", he quickly went out. / Arriving with respectful conduct, Kṛtāntavadana said to Sītā:
94.30
"O mistress! Rise quickly, mount the chariot, put on your garments, / and venerate the Jina temples honoured by the world upon the earth!"
94.31
Spoken to thus by the commander-in-chief, Jānakī was delighted, / and having paid homage to the Siddhas, she mounted the chariot.
94.32
"If through negligence any misdeed has been committed by me, an unfortunate one, / may the deities dwelling in the temples of the supreme Jinas forgive all of that!"
94.33
Having bid farewell to all her female companions and attendants, Vaidehī / said: "Having bowed to the Jina shrines, I shall quickly return."
94.34
In the meantime, that chariot, urged on quickly by Kṛtāntavadana, / yoked with four horses, sped on with the speed of the mind and the wind.
94.35
Then, perched on an excellent dry tree, flapping its wings, / stationed on the right side, she saw a raven croaking.
94.36
Facing the sun, with dishevelled hair and lamenting profusely, / a woman was seen by the daughter of Janaka, along with other ill omens.
94.37
In the twinkling of an eye, the chariot, swift as the wind, crossed a yojana; / and Sītā saw the earth crowded with villages, mines, and cities.
94.38
As she travelled thus, Sītā saw waterfalls filled with water / and lakes covered with excellent leaves and flowers.
94.39
In some places she saw dense thickets of trees dark as night; / in other places, a forest void of trees, ringing with sounds.
94.40
In some places, a forest wild with fires, looking like the churned waves of inky smoke; / in other places, a grove of nakula trees whose clusters of leaves were shaken by the wind.
94.41
In some places, flocks of various birds gathering and screeching; / in other places, troops of wild beasts frightened by the barking of numerous monkeys.
94.42
In some places, the noisy clatter of various wild beasts clashing in combat with one another; / in other places, herds of elephants fleeing swiftly in terror of lions.
94.43
In some places wild buffaloes, in other places river-waters rushing turbulence; / in other places numerous Pulindas suddenly shouting loud cries of "Chucchu!"
94.44
In some places, fires blazing up from clusters of bamboo filled with sparks; / in other places, dense thickets of trees cracking and breaking, struck by harsh gales.
94.45
In some places making sounds of 'kiri', in others 'miri', and in others 'chiri', / the bears made a most dreadful noise, terrifying to the timid.
94.46
Beholding such a separation, the daughter of Janaka, seated upon the chariot, / proceeded into the forest, and the virtuous lady heard a deep and sweet sound.
94.47
Sītā asked Kṛtāntavadana: “Is this the ocean of Rāghava?” / And he replied: “Mistress, this is the river Jāhnavī.”
94.48
Then having arrived and halted, Vaidehī saw the Jāhnavī with clear water, / whose waves were touched with blossoms from trees standing on both banks;
94.49
With huge billows surging from collisions of alligators, porpoises, makaras, and turtles, / filled with lines of foam formed by breaking waves and spray;
94.50
Loud with the humming of bees among abundant lotus filaments in lotus pools, / both of whose banks were settled with herds of deer hearing the songs [of the bees];
94.51
Crowded with flocks of various birds—geese, sārasa cranes, and cakravākas—on both banks, / and agitated by herds of elephants mingled with the soft calls produced by flocks of birds;
94.52
Where masses of lotuses on uneven banks were pulled up by herds of elephants, / and where the banks resounded with waterfalls cascading with the force of the currents.
94.53
Beholding the Gaṅgā endowed with such qualities, the daughter of Janaka [crossed over], / and the excellent horses crossed and reached the other bank.
94.54
Then that Kṛtāntavadana, though steadfast, became faint-hearted there; / holding the excellent chariot, he wept with a choked throat.
94.55
Vaidehī asked him: “Why do you weep here, noble one?” / And he replied to her: “Mistress! Hear my words.
94.56
Hearing the words of wicked men, which are like burning, poisonous fire, / the lord, afraid of slander, has abandoned you on the pretext of your pregnancy longing.
94.57
Kṛtāntavadana told her everything that the lord of the city had spoken, / the entire root of the sorrow and the slander of the people, just as it occurred.
94.58
[Saying:] “Mistress! Though Rāghava was earnestly entreated by Lakṣmaṇa, / being utterly terrified of slander, he did not abandon this unjust course.
94.59
Neither mother, nor father, nor brother, nor Lakṣmaṇa is a refuge for you; / here in the great wilderness, mistress, your death is indeed certain.”
94.60
Hearing this speech, Sītā, as though struck upon the head by a thunderbolt, / descended from the excellent chariot and suddenly fell down in a faint.
94.61
Having regained consciousness with great difficulty, Sītā then asked the general: / “Tell me, where is Rāma, or how far is Sāketa?”
94.62
Then Kṛtāntamukha said: “The city of Kosalā is very far away, O queen! / And given his extremely harsh command, how could you see Rāma?”
94.63
“Even so, filled with intense affection, these words of mine are to be delivered: / you must go and respectfully speak to Padma:
94.64
‘You who are full of statesmanship and modesty, profound, gentle in appearance and nature, / knowing dharma and non-dharma, and a master of all the arts,
94.65
Fearful of the words of non-bhavya folk, and soon yielding to revulsion, / O lord, you have abandoned me here in the forest, devoid of merit!
94.66
Even though, O highly renowned one, I have been abandoned by you through the fault of past karma, / even so, O lord, do not count the slander of people as truth!
94.67
If a jewel falls from the palm of one’s hand into the ocean through some negligence, / by what means can it ever be found again by those who seek it?
94.68
And just as an ignorant child, having cast the fruit of nectar into a dreadful well in deep darkness, / attains grief, overcome with remorse;
94.69
O lord, that precious [right] view by which human beings are freed / from the great sorrow of saṁsāra—do not abandon it today!’
94.70
Whatever someone is inclined toward, they speak all the more about that; / who in this world can tie up the mouths of all the people?
94.71
“In my name, O general, you must bow to Rāghava and say: / ‘Honor your kinsmen abundantly with gifts and affectionate regard!
94.72
Honor your superior with good conduct, a friend with genuine affection and sincerity, / and a guest who has arrived—an excellent sage—with pure devotion!
94.73
Conquer anger with forbearance, pride by the practice of humility, / deceit with straightforwardness, and greed by cultivating contentment!
94.74
What instruction can be given to him who is skilled in many scriptures and traditions, / and endowed with statesmanship and modesty? Only that women are fickle.
94.75
While living together for a long time, much wrong conduct has indeed been committed by me, O lord; / forgive all of that of mine, making your mind tender in nature!
94.76
O lord! Whether I ever see you again or not, / even if there were a hundred offenses, forgive them all!’”
94.77
Having spoken thus, she fell onto the hard surface of the earth, / her eyes closed in a swoon, experiencing exceedingly terrible grief.
94.78
Seeing Sītā fallen upon the earth, the general, devoid of joy, / thought: “In this forest, the noble lady can hardly survive.
94.79
Shame, shame! Devoid of righteousness, I am a sinner, stripped of shame and propriety, / whose conduct is condemned by people, a fearful servant of another’s bidding!
94.80
For one devoid of his own will, his mind solely fixed on sorrow, / the life of a dog is far better than the life of a servant.
94.81
A dog, having obtained food from another’s house, lives at his own will, / but a servant is dependent on another, his body sold for all time.
94.82
For a servant of kings, devoted to sin and dependent on orders, / there is nothing that should not be done, even an action blamed in the world.
94.83
Though humanity is equal [to all], that one obeys the command of a master / is plainly visible to all as the fruit of unrighteousness.
94.84
Fie! Oh, the evil deed that men, attached to the senses, / perform in servitude, and do not perform dharma, the abode of happiness!”
94.85
Lamenting these and other things there in the forest, the general, / leaving the daughter of Janaka, set off toward the city of Sāketa.
94.86
Sītā too, in that forest, having remembered Lakṣmaṇa, sorrowful and pitiable, / wept unrestrainedly, censuring herself:
94.87
“Ah, Padma! Ah, best of men! Ah, you who are affectionate to the distressed! Storehouse of virtues! / O lord! Why do you not grant a vision to me, who am terrified?
94.88
Not even the slightest trace of fault belongs to you, O highly renowned one! / O lord, the fault is entirely that of my own exceedingly terrible past deeds.
94.89
What can my father do here? What can my husband do? What can my kinsmen do? / Grief must be endured when karma has arrived.
94.90
Surely some false accusation was leveled by me against people in the past, / on account of which I have met with such sorrow in the midst of a terrible forest.
94.91
Or perhaps in another birth, having taken a vow, it was broken again by me; / by the maturation of that, this exceedingly terrible grief has arisen.
94.92
Or perhaps, for the sake of a lotus lake, a pair of cakravākas united in deep love / was separated by me, a sinner, in the past; this is surely the fruit of that.”
94.93
Or did I in a former birth separate a pair of geese in a cluster of lotuses? / Having been exceedingly cruel, I must now experience the fruit of that very deed.
94.94
Or else, lacking merit, did I revile ascetics in another existence? / In accordance with that, this great suffering has to be endured.
94.95
I who, staying in the palace, was served in comfort by all the retinue, / that very woman now stay here in the terrible forest, full of wild beasts.
94.96
In the radiance of various jewels, on a couch covered with hundreds of cushions, / praised and sung to with the sweet music of the lute, I used to sleep in comfort.
94.97
That very woman, upon the exhaustion of merit, in a forest fearful with the howling of jackals and lions, / remain here, having fallen into a great ocean of calamity.
94.98
What shall I do now? To what other region shall I go? / Where shall I stay here, when terrible suffering has arisen?
94.99
Alas, Padma, mine of many virtues! Alas, Lakṣmaṇa, do you not remember me? / Alas, father, do you not know that I have fallen into this desolate forest?
94.100
Alas, lord of the Vidyādharas, Bhāmaṇḍala! I, a wretch, am here in the forest, / plunged into an ocean of sorrow—do you too not remember me?
94.101
Or rather, in this forest, what is the use of this lamentation? / For what is to be experienced is the fruit of karma committed by myself.
94.102
While the daughter of Janaka was weeping in this way in the great forest, / just then the king named Vajrajaṅgha entered with a large army.
94.103
The ruler of Puṇḍarīkapura, having come into the forest to capture elephants, / was departing with his entire army after taking fine elephants.
94.104
Then his forward scouts, bearing weapons and armor, / hearing the sound of weeping, suddenly became perturbed and wondered:
94.105
“In this forest frequented by elephants, buffaloes, śarabhas, lions, boars, bears, and yaks, / who is this distressed woman weeping so piteously here?
94.106
Could she be a goddess fallen to the earth by a curse of the lord of gods? / Or has Rati, angered at the one whose weapon is flowers [Kāma], descended here?”
94.107
Thus, with their minds full of doubts, the forward troops did not advance; / terrified, they turned back and stood stock-still.
94.108
Hearing the sound of the woman weeping in that forest, even that great army / became filled with fear, their eyes exceedingly restless, and their spotless fame was impeded.
94.109
Thus ends the ninety-fourth canto, named “The Abandonment of Sītā”, in the Paümacariya.
Linked texts (1)
- Paümacariya — Vimalasūri, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit