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

101] Act VII, Reunion — Translation [—vii. 19¹⁷ Lakshmaṇa—Thus reproved by the noble Arundhatī, these our subjects, as also these assembled Beings, one and all, are saluting the noble [Queen], while the Guardians of the world and the seven sages are honouring her with a shower of blossoms. Arundhatī—Lord of the world! My dear Rāma!— This thy dear [and dutiful Sītā]: employ her now—as the rites demand—to participate in the religious offices connected with the sacrifice—her who is the holy [and living] original of that image of gold. 19 Sītā, to herself—My noble Lord knows how to wipe off Sītā's sorrows. Rāma—As the exalted [Arundhatī] commands. Lakshmaṇa—Now have I gained the one wish of my heart! Sītā—This is life to me! Lakshmaṇa—Noble Queen, here salutes thee that shameless Lakshmaṇa. Sītā—Just as thou art, dear [brother], long mayest thou live! Arundhatī—Exalted Vālmīki, bring forward now, unto [our] dear Rāma, those two sons of Sītā, Kuśa and Lava. Exit.¹ Rāma and Lakshmaṇa—Oh, joy! It is as we thought. Sītā, with tears, and agitated—Where, where are my darlings? Then enters Vālmīki [leading] Kuśa and Lava. Vālmīki—Kuśa, Lava, my boys! This is the Lord of the Raghus—your father; this is Lakshmaṇa, your worthy uncle; this is Queen Sītā who gave you birth: this is the Royal sage Janaka, your mother's father. Sītā, observing, with joy and sorrow and amazement—How! My father [Janaka—and here]! Kuśa and Lava—Oh, father! Oh, mother! Oh, grandfather! Rāma, embracing [them] joyfully—Why, my dear boys! It must be through our [special] merit that you have been restored unto us! ¹ There is no apparent reason for this exit The account Lava gives, in Act iv, unless it was the special object of the of Vālmīki's preparation for the play poet to leave Vālmīki, as the one highest within the play in Act vii sounds personage then on the stage, to pronounce almost as a leaf from our poet's auto- the concluding benediction. In a sense, biography. We further know that in it is proper that Vālmīki should pro- later times (cp. Rājaśekhara's Bāla- nounce the benediction, but it is a bit Rāmāyaṇa, Prologue, stanza 16) Bhava- odd, particularly as the last stanza con- bhūti was regarded as an avatar of tains a flattering allusion to Vālmīki's Vālmīki. May we, therefore, conclude own poem. that Bhavabhūti himself played the part Now we know that Bhavabhūti was of Vālmīki, and came in, just at the end, on most intimate terms (cp. Prologue to make his courtesy to the audience and to Mālatī-Mādhava) with the actors. receive their plaudits?