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

i. 23ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [22 thousand sons,] those grand-sires of his own sire, when, O exalted one, they [their ashes] were touched by thy [holy] waters. 23 Be thou, therefore, O [divine] mother, towards [this] thy daughter-in-law, Sītā, ever cherishing kindly thoughts—even like Arundhatī [herself]! Lakshmaṇa—Here, on this way leading to the [mountain] Chitrakūṭa, which was shown us by [the sage] Bharadvāja—[here] upon this bank of the [river] Kālindī [Jumna]—is the banian-tree named Śyāma. Sītā—Does my noble Lord remember this region here? Rāma—How can I, darling, forget it! For it was here that these tender-limbs of thine, lovely and languid and drooping like a crushed lotus-stalk—exhausted with the journey’s fatigues, [and so] close [mutual] embraces [alone] doing the work of their shampooings—[these limbs of thine] thou didst on my bosom repose and so sink into sleep! 24 Lakshmaṇa—Here is [the demon] Virādha obstructing [our] entrance into the Vindhya-forest. Sītā—Have done with this. I would rather see how—my noble Lord’s hand holding a tāla-branch as an umbrella over me and [thus] shielding me from the sun—how we journeyed through the Southern Forest. Rāma—These here, along the banks of the mountain-rillets, these are the penance-groves of the hermits who find shelter under the trees. In these [groves], ever intent on hospitality, the peaceful dwellers, cook their handful of wild-rice (nīvāra) and have their dwellings. 25 Lakshmaṇa—[This mountain,] with its dense clusters of trees imparting a deep glossy blueness to the forests on its slopes, [forests] which hem in [the current of the river] Godāvarī and [thus] cause the ravines to resound —[this here,] with its blueness still further enhanced by the incessantly pouring clouds [on its top]—here, situated in the heart of Janasthāna,¹ is this mountain Prasravaṇa.² Rāma—Dost thou, O fair-limbed one, remember, on this mountain— while Lakshmaṇa attended upon us and chased away all our cares—those days [that we once passed]? Dost thou likewise remember [the river] Godāvarī with its refreshing banks? And dost thou also remember our strolls in its neighbourhood? 26 Here likewise— While those delicious nothings (kimapi) softly, gently—cheek meeting cheek in [close] contact—we kept talking at random; while a fast embrace kept of us both a hand each engaged— ¹ The habitable section of the forest of      ² Literally, ‘streaming’ or ‘full of streams’.    Daṇḍakā.

23] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 30² its watches speeding unnoticed [in succession]—thus did the night come to an end! 27 Lakshmaṇa—Here is Śūrpaṇakhā ¹ in the Pañchavaṭī.² Sītā—Alas! my noble Lord! No sight of thee hereafter! Rāma—O thou, frightened at [the mere thought of] separation, this is only a picture! Sītā—Be that as it may, a wicked person is [ever] the source of unhappiness. Rāma ³—Why, in sooth, this Janasthāna incident does seem as if [happening in the] present. Lakshmaṇa—Hereafter the demons, through the trick of the disguise [in the form] of the golden deer ⁴—the wicked ones—did in this wise [as represented in the picture] that which [even now] smarts us, though it has been washed off [in the enemy's blood]. In the void of Janasthāna these doings of my noble brother, in his piteous helplessness, they cause even the stone to weep and the heart of adamant to burst! 28 Sītā, with tears, to herself—Alas! Thus, O thou Joy of Raghu's race, [thus] wast thou on my account afflicted! Lakshmaṇa, looking at Rāma, significantly—What is this now, my noble brother? These thy welling (ogha) tears—like some broken threads of a pearl-necklace—trickle down and roll on the ground in streams of shattered drops. Restrained though it is, this emotion, which in its excess swells and fills thy heart, doth [nevertheless], through thy quivering lips and nostrils, become inferable by others. 29 Rāma—Dear brother, Born of that [former] separation from my beloved [that fire of grief]—tormenting as it was—it was, in the hope of vengeance, then endured by me. Now once again that [same] fire of grief, as it flares out in my mind, like a [festering] wound in the vitals of the heart doth it smart me with pain. 30 Sītā—Alas! Alas! I too, in the intensity of my anguish, feel myself as if sundered from my noble Lord!

¹ Sister of the demon Rāvaṇa. Foiled in her attempt to seduce Rāma and Lakshmaṇa, and being punished by them, it was she who incited Rāvaṇa to abduct Sītā. ² That part of Janasthāna where Rāma lived with his wife and brother. ³ A slight interval during which they pass in review a few more pictures (such as Rāma's fight with the fourteen thousand, cp. ii. 15) must here be presupposed. This renders intelligible Rāma's change of feeling between this speech and his speech immediately preceding. ⁴ This was the trick used to draw Rāma and Lakshmaṇa away from Sītā, whom Rāvaṇa forthwith seized and carried off.

i. 30⁴—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [24 Lakshmaṇa, to himself—Well then, I will create a diversion. Looking at the picture, aloud. Here now, aged by [the full length of] an eon,¹ is this king of vultures, father Jaṭāyus² of honoured name, and [here] the illustration of his valorous conduct. Sītā—Alas, father! To its most bitter end (nir-) hast thou carried [this] thy filial love! Rāma—Alas, father! Thou descendant of Kaśyapa [and] monarch of the winged tribes! Where can there be found, once again, another like thee— a store of holiness, a saint? Lakshmaṇa—This here, west of Janasthāna, is what they call Chitrakuñja³ —a portion of the Daṇḍakā forest inhabited [once] by the headless Danu. This on the mountain Ṛishyamūka is the hermitage of [sage] Mataṅga, and the grounds (padam) adjoining it. Here is the most saintly Śabara lady, Śramaṇā by name. That again is the lily-pool called Pampā.⁴ Sītā—Here, as I learn (kila), my noble Lord—[all] his passion [for revenge] (amarsha) and courage forsaking him—wept aloud and in the very fullness of his heart (kaṇṭha). Rāma—My Queen, lovely is this [lily-]pool [to me]: [For,] in this [pool]—when in their youthful merriment the [blue-beaked] mallikāksha birds shook with their wings the broad and tremulous stalks of the [white] lotuses—in the intervals between the risings and fallings of tear-drops, I perceived the regions to be full of [blue] lotuses.⁵ 31 Lakshmaṇa—This is the noble Hanūmant (Māruti).⁶ Sītā—This is he who has conferred a mighty blessing on this [entire] living world by uplifting it from the despair wherein it was long plunged—he of resistless prowess, Māruti! Rāma—Happily this is he of mighty arms—the source of Añjanā's⁷ joy—by whose valour blessed [in the attainment of their end] are we ourselves and [all] the worlds! 32 Sītā—Dear brother, this here, with the full-plumed peacocks (barhin) dancing upon its flowering kadamba trees, by what name is this mountain called?—where, his majestic grace being all that is left of his pale beauty—

¹ A manvantara or eon = 306,720,000 human years. ² The vulture Jaṭāyus was a friend of Rāma's father, and met death in the attempt to prevent Sītā's abduction. ³ Lit. 'having many bowers'; the monster Danu infested it. ⁴ For all these persons and places see the Notes to the passage. ⁵ By a transference of the birds' colour to the lotuses on which they were perching. ⁶ A monkey-chieftain, ally of Rāma. He met Sītā in her captivity at Laṅkā, and carried news of her back to Rāma. ⁷ The mother of Māruti.

25] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 35ᵇ about to swoon and supported by thy sorrowing [hands]—in the shade of this tree, my noble Lord is depicted ? Lakshmaṇa—This is that mountain perfumed with the [fragrant] kakubha-[trees], Mālyavant by name, on whose peak is perching an early rain-cloud, glossy and blue. Rāma—Desist, my dear brother, desist from this: no farther can I endure. Come back to me once again, meseems, is that separation from [this] daughter of Janaka. 33 Lakshmaṇa—Hereafter [come], both of my noble brother and of the valorous Monkeys and Demons, these countless and waxingly marvellous deeds. Fatigued, however (cha), is my noble Lady here. Pray, therefore, rest a while. Sītā—Noble my Lord, the sight of these pictures has created [in me] a longing, which prompts me to beg that— Rāma—Why, you are free to command. Sītā—I feel once again like amusing myself in the serene and lovely woodlands, and having a plunge in the holy, cool, and translucent waters of the exalted Bhāgīrathī. Rāma—Dear Lakshmaṇa! Lakshmaṇa—Here, at your service. Rāma—That such longings should be forthwith gratified has even just now been enjoined upon us by [our] elders (guru). Have ready therefore a chariot that runs smoothly and without jolting. Sītā—And you, my noble Lord, you are coming thither—aren't you? Rāma—Why, you hard-hearted one! This—needs it to be said? Sītā—Then, indeed, I am content. Lakshmaṇa—So, as my noble brother commands. Exit. Rāma—Dearest! Here, in this sheltered-balcony (apavartaka), let us repose a while. Sītā—So be it. Through fatigue I am really overpowered by sleep. Rāma—If so, cling to me close and we will go [thither] together: As if infusing life into me, let this thy arm—moist with drops of perspiration due to excitement and fatigue—let it be thrown around my neck: [thy arm] in all the loveliness of a necklace of chandrakānta¹ beads, dripping [as when gently] kissed by the moon-beams. 34 While helping her to do so, in joy. Dearest! What can this be? Impossible to decide if this be joy or if this be grief, if a swoon or a slumber; whether this be a slowly-creeping poison or an ¹ The 'moon-stone' is believed to have this property. 4 [H.O.S. 21]

i. 35ᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [26 infatuation [of some sort] : for, at every touch of thine, a [certain] feeling, benumbing all my senses, [possesses me, and] now bewilders my soul (chaitanya) and now paralyses it quite! 35 Sītā, with a smile—'Tis all your unchanging affection : how else then could it be ? Rāma—Causing the drooping flower of my life to bloom—filling me with transport—ravishing all my senses—these endearing words of my lotus-eyed one : they are as ambrosia to the ear and as elixirs to the mind ! 36 Sītā—Come, thou of honeyed words! Let us rest. Looks about for something to sleep on. Rāma—And what, pray, wouldst thou look for ? Ever since the time of our wedding, at home or in the forest, in girlhood and then again in young-womanhood, what has [ever] lulled thee to sleep and what no other woman can claim—Rāma's arm, thy pillow, is here. 37 Sītā, going into sleep—It is even so, my noble Lord ! It is even so. Sleeps. Rāma—Why, with sweet words on her lips she has already fallen asleep on my bosom ! gazing, in fondness— She to the house a very Lakshmī¹—to the eyes an ambrosial pencil—this touch of hers like a thick sandal-juice to the body— this [her] arm round [my] neck, cool and tender as a pearl- necklace : what of hers is not dear, save only that unendurable separation ? 38 Pratīhārī,² entering—Has come, my liege ! Rāma—And who ? Pratīhārī—The personal attendant of Your Majesty—Durmukha.³ Rāma, to himself—Oh, Durmukha, who is on duty about the harem ? Him I had employed as a spy upon my subjects in the city and in the country. Aloud. Let him come in. Exit Pratīhārī. Durmukha, entering, to himself—Alas! how now, concerning the Queen Sītā, such an unthinkable public slander may I report unto the King ? But (adhavā) such indeed is the lot of [men like] me, ill-starred. Sītā, talking in her sleep—Alas! Gentle my Lord! Where art thou? Rāma—How now ! Of that torment-giving separation this must be the [latent] impression ⁴ (bhāvanā) which my Queen received while looking at ¹ The Goddess of wealth and plenty. ² A female warder. Her words 'has come' Rāma construes with the last word of his speech, 'separation'; hence his surprised question. 'Separation' in Sanskrit is masculine. ³ 'Foul-mouthed' or 'with face of evil omen'. ⁴ The poet is here purposely technical.

27] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 42ᵈ the pictures, and which is [now] causing her these perturbed dreams. Affectionately stroking her. Uniform (advaita) in happiness and in sorrow—conformable (anuguṇa) to all the conditions [of life]—in which the heart finds solace—the flavour of which age cannot stint—which with time, as the veil-of-reserve (āvaraṇa) drops away, abides as a perfect and ripened affection—that one supreme-blessing (bhadra) [only] the fortunate among mankind, and after a sore trial (katham api), attain. 39 Durmukha, approaching—Victory unto Your Majesty! Rāma—Speak what you have found out. Durmukha—They praise Your Majesty—the people both in the city and in the country—saying, ‘King Rāma has made us forget King Daśaratha’. Rāma—A mere compliment this: tell me of some fault or other so that it may be set right. Durmukha, with tears—Let the King listen [then]. In his ear [whispers] so and so. Rāma—Alas! How sudden in its blow is this thunderbolt of a speech! Faints. Durmukha—Take heart, my King! Rāma, coming to himself— Alas, oh alas! That scandal, due to the residence in a stranger’s house of this daughter of the Videha-King, [that scandal] which [formerly] through means miraculous we had put down—that, like a mad hound’s venom, is once again, by an adverse turn of fortune, spreading fast (pra) everywhere! 40 What then—ill-starred that I am—may I do in this case? After reflecting, mournfully. Or, what else is there [to it]? For good men, by some means or other, propitiation of the people [must be] a sacred duty (vrata)—[a duty] which, moreover (hi), my father fulfilled,¹ though [thereby] losing me and his [own] life. 41 Just a short while ago did the exalted Vasiṣhṭa send [me] his mandate.² Furthermore, [That long career] which hath been made glorious by the Children of the Sun—the rulers of the Earth, the foremost of men—if that pure and unblemished career [of this Solar race] should, on my account, by some foul calumny be disgraced—then, alas! fie on me, the unblessed! 42 ¹ For the palace-intrigue which caused Rāma’s death, see Introduction, § 18, E. banishment and his father Daśaratha’s Compare stanza 11, above.

i. 42¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [28 Alas, my Queen, who hast uprisen from the [very] sacrificial ground of the Gods! Who by thy birth hast graciously purified [the womb of] the Earth! Who hast been a joy to Janaka and [the whole race of] Nimi!¹ O thou whose character [even] Fire and Vasiṣṭha and Arundhatī have commended! Thou to whom Rāma is life and all! Thou the dear companion of my residence in the great wilderness [of Daṇḍakā]! Dear unto my [honoured] father! Sweet and measured in thy words! How is it that of one like thee such here should be the fate?— Through thee [are] the worlds holy—unholy [are] the world’s rumours about thee! Thou art the world’s protection—without protector thou wilt [now] perish! 43 Go, Durmukha, say unto Lakshmaṇa: This is what thy new King, Rāma, commands thee. In his ear [whispers] so and so. Durmukha—And wherefore [unto the Queen] whose purity has been attested by the fire-ordeal and who bears in her womb the [hopes of the] continuance of this holy race of Raghu—[wherefore] unto a queen, on base wretches’ words, has Your Majesty resolved to mete out such treatment? Rāma—Peace! The people of my city and my country—base wretches? Ikshvāku’s race hath [ever] been beloved of the people: and [yet in it] hath arisen, as Fate will have it, an occasion of scandal. And as for that miraculous event at the time when the Queen was cleared [by the ordeal]—who will believe it, since it took place [in Laṅkā] so far away? 44 Go therefore. Durmukha—Alas, Queen! Exit. Rāma—Woe and alas! Detestable in my actions—a savage—have I been! From childhood on, with kind cares (priyaiḥ), to her wants have I ministered—my dearest, who in her love hath naught but me on whom to rest: her I am treacherously handing over to Death, as does a butcher his pet house-bird! 45 Wherefore then should I—the untouchable criminal—[yet continue to] pollute the Queen [by my touch]? Gently uplifts Sītā’s head, withdrawing his arm. [Me,] an outcaste whose deeds it were hard to match, let me go, thou artlessly-innocent one! Thou hast clung, mistaking it for a sandal-tree, to what is only a poison-tree with fruit of bane. 46 Rising. Alas! [to me] topsy-turvy now is this world of life. Ended is the life-purpose of Rāma. A void, now, a wasted wilderness, is the universe. Robbed-of-its-charms is my existence [hereafter]. My body a mere abode ¹ Ancestor of Sītā’s father, Janaka.

29] Act I, Picture-gallery — Translation [—i. 50⁴ of woes. No help remains to me and no choice : what can be done ? Surely (athavā)— It is only to make me feel [the pangs of] sorrow that into [me,] Rāma, consciousness has been put; and my life is stubborn like a dart of adamant: it pierces the vitals [and will not be pulled out]! 47 O Arundhatī that hast been a mother to me; ye venerable Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra; O holy Fire and thou O all-sustaining Goddess [Earth]!— Alas, father ! Alas, Janaka ! Alas, ye my [dear] mothers !—Thou O loving friend, King Sugrīva ;¹ gentle Hanūmant ; Vibhīshaṇa,² ruler of Laṅkā [and] my great benefactor; [and not the least] thou O friendly Trijaṭā ³— ye do all stand robbed, stand insulted, by this wretch of a Rāma ! Or rather, what right have I now to call on them ? For, I think, that they of noble mind, when their names are taken on the lips of me of base and ungrateful mind, [that they] perhaps are polluted by my deed of wrong, 48 in that I— Am casting away her who in confidence on my bosom reposing has gone to sleep—my dearest consort, the glory of my house ;—her whose womb is heavy with its painfully throbbing and full-grown burden—[her] like a victim unto the Flesh-eaters ⁴ I am ruthlessly throwing away! 49 Placing his head on Sītā’s feet. Queen, Queen ! Here now—but [alas !] for the last time—Rāma’s head toucheth thy lotus-feet. Weeps. [Voice,] behind the curtain—An outrage against a Brahman, an outrage ! Rāma—Find out, some one, what it is. [Voice,] again behind the curtain— Of sages fierce in their austerities and dwellers on the banks of the Yamunā, a throng, harassed by [the demon] Lavaṇa, is approaching unto thee their defender. 50 Rāma—How,—even yet are the demons harassing ? Then I must forthwith send [my brother] Śatrughna to destroy this wicked son of Kumbhīnasī.⁵ Pacing a few steps and again coming back. Alas, my Queen, how— situated as thou art—[how] wilt thou fare ? O holy [Earth, thou] Giver of all blessings ! This thy virtuous daughter do thou look upon with kindness—this daughter of Janaka :

¹ An ally of Rāma.      ⁴ Demons or beasts of prey. ² Brother of Rāvaṇa ; he assisted Rāma in his      ⁵ Mother of the demon Lavaṇa. He infested      fight with Rāvaṇa, and was by Rāma      the region around Mathurā (modern      installed king of Laṅkā.      Muttra in the N.W. Provinces). ³ She solaced Sītā in her captivity.

i. 51ᵃᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [30 Of Janaka's and of Raghu's families the all-in-all of auspiciousness, and to whom—of holy character—in the holy sacrificial ground of the Gods thou didst give birth. 51 Exit. Sītā, talks in sleep—Alas, gentle my Lord! Rising abruptly. Why now, what a fool I am! Deceived by the malignant dream, I am crying after my noble Lord! Looking [around]. How now! Could it be that leaving me here alone and sleeping, my dear Lord has verily gone away? What can this mean? Well, well! I must be angry with him—provided [of course] that when I look upon his face I am master of my [actions]! Who is in attendance here? Durmukha, entering—Queen! Prince Lakshmaṇa requests: The car is ready; will the Queen [be pleased to] get in? Sītā—Here I am, ready. Rising. I feel something like a throbbing in my womb: let us go slowly. Durmukha—This way, this way, Queen! Sītā—My salutations¹ unto the Presiding-deities of the race of Raghu! Both go out.

¹ It is usual, when leaving the house, to make this homage.

END OF ACT I CALLED PICTURE-GALLERY.

ACT II [Voice,] behind the curtain—Welcome unto [you] the store of holiness! Enters a female ascetic in a traveller's habit. Female Ascetic—O, I see: This is a sylvan deity approaching me respect- fully with an offering¹ of leaves and fruits and flowers. Sylvan Deity, entering, and making the offering— Open unto your unhindered enjoyment is this forest here; this is for me a day of bliss. For, the meeting of the good with the good happens but rarely [and then, only] by [reason of some special] merit. Sheltering arbours, water, and whatsoever of food for [your] penance be suited—fruit or root—all alike is entirely at your command here. 1 Female Ascetic—Needs this to be said? A habitual complaisance of manners; a temperance in speech agreeable by its modesty; a disposition naturally benevolent: a friendship [absolutely] irreproachable—thus first and last [and ever] invariable in its sweetness, may this secret of a sage's [life] —free from stains and hindrances—[may it ever] prosper! 2 Both sit down. Sylvan Deity—By what name, now, may I know your ladyship? Female Ascetic—I am Ātreyī. Sylvan Deity—Honoured Ātreyī, and from where is it that you have come, and what may be your purpose in coming to this Daṇḍakā forest? Ātreyī—Here in this region are dwelling—with Agastya² at their head—many [scholars] learned in the Sāma-Veda. To acquire from them the Upanishad (nigamānta) lore, hither have I come journeying from Vālmīki's place. 3 Sylvan Deity—If now even other [distant] students (muni), to realize Brahma, sit at the feet of that same venerable discourser of Brahma [Vālmīki], that son of [God] Varuṇa, what means then this your ladyship's journey? ¹ It is usual to honour a guest with such an    Southern India. His hermitage was in   offering.                  Pañchavaṭī, near Rāma's own. ² Believed to be the earliest explorer of

ii. 3³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [32 Ātreyī—There [occurred] a great hindrance to the course-of-studies (adhyayana); and so was this long journey undertaken. Sylvan Deity—Of what sort [may this hindrance be]? Ātreyī—To him, the exalted one [Vālmīki], some unknown (viśesha) divinity has made over two boys in every respect marvellous and being of an age when they were just weaned. These boys have indeed captivated the inmost hearts not only of [Vālmīki] himself but also of all movable and immovable beings¹ whatsoever. Sylvan Deity—And are their names known? Ātreyī—That same divinity, 'tis said, announced Kuśa and Lava as their names, and [declared also] their prowess. Sylvan Deity—Prowess, of what nature? Ātreyī—They have—so runs the report (kila)—a mastery from their very birth over the jṛimbhaka missiles with their secret spells. Sylvan Deity—This, to be sure, is passing strange! Ātreyī—Now these [boys] the exalted Vālmīki, having taken upon himself the duties of a nurse, has brought up under his care. As soon as they had gone through the chaula²-ceremony he [Vālmīki] assiduously grounded them—with the exception of the three Vedas—in the three³ other branches of knowledge. And then when the [boys] had reached the eleventh year from their conception, they were, according to the rites proper to a Kshatriya, invested with the Sacred Thread and instructed in the knowledge of the Three [Vedas] also.⁴ Now with these two [boys], possessed of exceedingly brilliant power of comprehension and retentiveness as they are, [students] like us cannot keep pace in the studies. For, The preceptor imparts unto the clever, instructions just the same as unto the dull, and in no wise doth he their power of compre- hension either make or thwart; and yet there does result a vast difference as to the outcome: for we know (tad-yathā) that [only] a pure crystal is able to take in images, and not a [mere] lump of clay. 4 Sylvan Deity—And this then is the hindrance to your course-of-studies? Ātreyī—[There is] yet another. Sylvan Deity—And what can this other be? Ātreyī—Then, once upon a time, this Brahman-sage [Vālmīki], for his

¹ Not only animals and plants, but even mountains and rivers and the whole mineral kingdom, in fact, possess souls. ² Lit. 'forelock'-ceremony: clipping a boy's hair with the exception of five little tufts or locks. At the time of marriage these 'forelocks' give place to a single central tuft or śikhā. ³ Logic, Economics, Politics: the Vedas form the fourth branch. See Kauṭilīya, p. 6. ⁴ The Vedas may not be taught before the Sacred-thread ceremony.

33] Act II, Daṇḍakā Revisited — Translation [—ii. 6ᵈ [customary] midday oblations, went unto the river Tamasā; and there, of a pair of curlews sporting together (chārin), he sighted one as it was being pierced by a fowler. Then did [the sage] burst forth in words divine, spontaneous-and-intuitive, blameless [in their form] and adapted to the metre of an anushṭubh stanza: ‘Never, O Nishāda,¹ through all the years eternal, [never] shalt thou attain stability, because thou hast killed one of these two curlews maddened with love [for its mate].’ 5 Sylvan Deity—Wonderful is this introduction of new metres outside the Vedas!² Ātreyī—And then, about the same time, unto that exalted one—unto the sage [Vālmīki] in whom shone forth the light of Brahma in the form of the Word—approached the exalted Author of all beings, the Lotus-born [Brahmadeva], and spake,—Sage! Awakened art thou to that Brahma whose essence is Word: Speak out, therefore, the History of Rāma. Unimpeded in its illumination [be] thy inspired and prophetic vision! Thou art the first of poets. So saying He [forthwith] became invisible. Then [Vālmīki,] that exalted son of Varuṇa, composed what is the first [of its kind] among mortals: that transformation (vivarta) of Brahma-in- the-form-of-Word—the History called Rāmāyaṇa. Sylvan Deity—This, to be sure (hanta), is an adornment to the world. Ātreyī—And hence, as I said, there occurred a great hindrance to our course of studies. Sylvan Deity—I see now (yujyate). Ātreyī—I have had my rest, kind lady! Now unto [sage] Agastya’s hermitage point me the way. Sylvan Deity—Enter Pañchavaṭī on this side here, and then proceed onwards along this bank of the Godāvarī. Ātreyī, with tears—Can it then be that this penance-grove is Pañchavaṭī— that this river is Godāvarī—that this mountain is Prasravaṇa—and [finally] that you are the Deity of the Janasthāna, Vāsantī? Vāsantī—Even so: all [as you say]. Ātreyī—[Alas] Jānakī, my child!³ Here are those loving companions of thine, on [all] occasions the theme of thy conversation, who, as I see them [here] now, bring thee visibly before our eyes, though [alas!] only the name of thee now remains behind! 6 ¹ Forester. Before this the Vedas were the only ² Vālmīki is regarded as the father of poetry metrical works. and the Rāmāyaṇa as the first poem. ³ Ātreyī apparently is an elderly lady. 5 [H.O.S. 21]

ii. 6¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [34 Vāsantī, with apprehension, to herself—How! 'only the name of thee now remains behind,' she says! Aloud. What calamity then, noble lady, has befallen the Queen Sītā? Ātreyī—Not a mere calamity but a calumny to boot! In her ear [whispers] so and so. Vāsantī—Alas! A cruel stroke of destiny! Faints. Ātreyī—Compose yourself, gentle lady, compose yourself. Vāsantī—Alas, my loving friend [Sītā]! Thou Fortune's favourite! That such should be the lot of thy life!! Rāma, dear! Dear Rāma!—Or rather I have had quite too much of thee. But, I say, honoured Ātreyī, after Lakshmaṇa's departure from that forest where he had left her, what became of Queen Sītā? Is there any tidings as to that? Ātreyī—No, not the least. Vāsantī—Woe and alas! And when Arundhatī and Vasishṭha were guardians to the scions of the Raghu-race—[even] in the [very] life-time of the aged Queen-mothers—how was this suffered to happen? Ātreyī—In Ṛishyaśṛiṅga's hermitage the elders were then living. Now [however] that twelve-year [long] session [of the sacrifice] has come to an end; and Ṛishyaśṛiṅga, after paying them the [customary] honours, has bidden the elders (guru) farewell. Then spake the exalted Arundhatī,— 'I will not return to Ayodhyā if our daughter-in-law [Sītā] is not there'; to this too Rāma's Queen-mothers assented; and in compliance with that the exalted Vasishṭha uttered his holy word to the effect that they should [all] repair unto Vālmīki's penance-grove and there abide. Vāsantī—And the King¹—what is he doing now? Ātreyī—The King has now undertaken a horse-sacrifice. Vāsantī—Oh, fie! Has he even married [again]? Ātreyī—No, Heaven forfend, no! Vāsantī—Who then is there to participate in the religious offices² connected with the sacrifice? Ātreyī—A golden image of Sītā. Vāsantī—Ha!—Really? Than even an adamant, harder; softer than even a flower: the minds of those that tower above the common sort—who is there that can [ever] fathom [them]? 7 Ātreyī—And the sacrificial horse has been let loose consecrated by [sage] Vāmadeva;³ and for [the horse] have been assigned, agreeably to the Shastras (Scriptures) the [proper number of] guards, and at the head of ¹ She would not call him 'Rāma dear' now. monies. ² The wife took part in all religious cere- ³ Who officiated in the absence of Vasishṭha.

35] Act II, Daṇḍakā Revisited — Translation [—ii. 9² these is commissioned the son of Lakshmaṇa, Chandraketu by name, who has been initiated into the [traditional] knowledge of celestial missiles and who is leading an army [fully] equipped in all its four divisions (aṅga).¹ Vāsantī, in curiosity and with tears of affection—Even Prince Lakshmaṇa has a son, and I, O mother, am [still] living [to see it]! Ātreyī—Meantime a Brahman lays down his dead son at the royal gate and beating his breast proclaims that an outrage has been committed against a Brahman. Then, since in the absence of some failing of the king himself no untimely death can overtake any one of his people, our dear Rāma mournfully began to examine [his past conduct to diseover] some fault of his own: when all of a sudden an incorporeal voice broke forth— 'Tis Śambūka by name—a Śūdra—who on [this] earth is practising penance. His head it behoves thee, O Rāma, to cut off: by killing him bring thou the Brahman [boy] to life. 8 Hearing this, sword in hand and mounting his aerial car, Pushpaka,² the Lord of the World [Rāma] has [now], in search of that Śūdra aseetic, begun to traverse all the cardinal and intermediate points. Vāsantī—A Śūdra, Śambūka by name, who inhales the smoke,³—in this very Janasthāna does he practise penance. Can it then be that Rāma dear⁴ will once again grace this forest [by his presence]? Ātreyī—Kind lady, let me go now. Vāsantī—So be it, honoured Ātreyī; for, the day has grown oppressive— As the itching elephants⁵ rub their rounded temples against them, [the trees] shaken violently shower down their flowers, [already] through heat loosened from the stalks, and [with this shower] pay [their midday] offering [as it were] to the [river] Godāvarī. In their shade [are] these birds that, as they scrape [for food], peck with their beak and drag forth insects [hidden] under the bark; [perched] on their [tops are] these troops of fine pigeons and [wild] fowl cooing [in languor]: such [now], along this bank, are [all] these nesting-trees. 9 They move about and exeunt [severally]. END OF INTERLUDE. ¹ Elephants, horses, chariots, and foot-soldiers. ² Lit. '[light as] a flower'. It came into Rāma's possession after the victory of Laṅkā. The car was as swift as the mind, and obeyed automatically all the wishes of the rider. ³ By hanging from a tree head downwards. ⁴ He has become 'Rāma dear' again! ⁵ Their temples itch when they are in rut.

ii. 9³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [36 Then enters Rāma in his Pushpaka, raised sword in hand, and full of compassion. Rāma—O my right hand, for the revival of the Brahman's dead son do thou hurl at [this] Śūdra ascetic thy sword! Thou art a member of Rāma's [body]—[of that Rāma] who found it easy (paṭu) to send away Sītā, [although she was] languishing with [the weight of] the burden she bore:¹ Compassion—how can it be thine? 10 Reluctantly striking. Done is a deed worthy [only] of a Rāma! May it be that the Brahman boy will now come to life? A Celestial Person, entering—Victory, victory unto Your Majesty! With you, rod in hand [to mete out punishment and] to grant immunity even from the Lord of Death, revived is that boy and mine hath been this glory: This is Śambūka with his head bowing at your feet. Coming from contact with the good even death brings salvation! 11 Rāma—Both [the events] please us [equally]. May you now enjoy the reward of your fierce penances!— Where there is all bliss and delight—wherein through merit [alone] is [a person] born: may those realms of light—Vairāja as they are called—be yours for ever! 12 Śambūka—It is your gracious feet that have brought me this greatness. What has my penance to do in the matter? Or rather [I should say] a mighty boon has my penance conferred upon me: You are the One to be sought after in this world—the Lord of men, their [supreme] refuge; [and you] in search of me—this mere Śūdra—have over hundreds of leagues traversed, and come [hither]: This great favour it is my penance that hath conferred upon me; were it otherwise, from the [distant] Ayodhyā what possibility was there of your coming once more to this forest of Daṇḍakā? 13 Rāma—What! Is this indeed Daṇḍakā? Looking in all directions. Yes, indeed! Mild and shady in some places, in others harsh in [the immensity of] their frightful expanse; here and there filling the quarters with the roar of their gushing streams: these, interspersed with forests, ¹ This indicates that even after the lapse of mourns as bitterly as ever. Compare twelve years Rāma is still haunted by also iii. 3⁶. the memory of his wife, whose loss he

37] Act II, Daṇḍakā Revisited — Translation [—ii. 19² abounding in [holy] bathing-places and hermitages and moun- tains and rivers—[they] appear to be, familiar as they have been to me, the [same old] regions belonging to the wilderness of Daṇḍakā. 14 Śambūka—Surely this is Daṇḍakā; and—as I have learnt—by Your Majesty when formerly living here— Fourteen thousand Demons, frightful in their deeds, and the three; Dūshaṇa,¹ Khara, and Trimūrdhan, in battle were slain. 15 And hence it was that in such a saintly resort—in this Janasthāna—even timid persons like me could roam at will, apprehending danger from nowhere. Rāma—So, not merely Daṇḍakā, but this is even Janasthāna? Śambūka—Assuredly: For, smiting all creatures with horror—hosts of furious and savage beasts infesting [all] its inaccessible mountain-recesses— there in sooth are those extensive forests outlying the skirts of Janasthāna and stretching [from there] towards the south. For— Noiseless and [profoundly] silent in places; in places resounding to the roarings of ferocious beasts; huge and horrible serpents, stretched out in repose, making with their [fiery] breath [the whole forest] ablaze: these [indeed] are those bordering regions having [very] little water flashing in their clefts, so that the thirsty lizards [must] drink the sweat exuded by [mighty] pythons! 16 Rāma—I do [indeed] behold Janasthāna, once the abode of [the demon] Khara; and as if [happening] just before my eyes those former events I do now experience! 17 Looking carefully all around. Yes (hi): And the daughter of the King of Videha [my Sītā] always loved these woodlands (ārāma). Here, to be sure, are those [very] forests: Than this can anything be more terrible? With tears. 'With thee will I dwell in those dales where the scents are sweet' —[this was her thought, and] with that alone here was she happy—such was her love [for me]! 18 Though doing nothing, by the very joy [of being together] we chase away all sorrow: Indeed it is a treasure indescribable when some one has some one to love. 19 Śambūka—Let us, if you please (tad), turn away from these impenetrable [forests]. But here are these others,—studded with hills that wear the soft tinge of a lusty and tuneful peacock's throat—decked with clusters of ¹ For the names see Introduction, § 18, H and I.

ii. 19²—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [38 young trees thickly planted and yielding an ample and bluish shade—with the numerous herds of deer fearlessly [roaming about] : let the noble one [now] look at these, these serene and awe-inspiring central forests : Here, as the [youth-]intoxicated birds invade the vānīra creepers, the flowers [dropping down into the rillets] suffuse with fragrance their cool and limpid waters;—as the jambū clusters, darkling with the load of ripening fruit, impede [the rillets in] their path, their [broken] currents incessantly murmur : thus do these [mountain-]rillets glide along. 20 Furthermore— Here, of the young bears that have their lairs in [these] caverns, the spluttered growls (ambūkṛita) become augmented by the echoes that they send forth; [and] cool and bitter and pungent as it is, the exuding fragrance of the śallakī¹ branches, torn from their joints and scattered about by [rutting] elephants, is [also] augmented. 21 Rāma, stemming [the flow] of his tears—Friend, happy be your path! May you attain the Course celestial,² leading you on to the Realms of the holy! Śambūka—Meantime I shall do my homage to the ancient Brahman sage, [the venerable] Agastya, before I enter the Abode eternal. Goes out. Rāma—This, once more, is that same, same forest that to-day I behold, [the forest] wherein formerly for many many days we lived [together], as foresters and as householders, duly discharged our [several] duties, [and] knew the taste of [all] the charms of life. 22 Here are those selfsame mountains alive with the cries of peacocks—these the same wooded ridges full of the lustily sportive deer. Here again, vocal with [the rustlings of] the lovely vañjula creepers, are those same river-banks densely fringed with the sable nichula [trees]. 23 And this here that, like a range of clouds, one can well make out even from a distance—this is the mountain Prasravaṇa, where is the river Godāvarī. 24 It was on the mighty crest of this very [mountain] that the king of vultures [Jaṭāyus] had his abode; and at its foot we likewise found our comfort in those leafy cottages. The waters of the ¹ A tree the twigs of which form the favourite so the exudations of śallakī intensify the food of wild elephants. The idea is, as pungent smell of the elephants' rut. the caverns deepen the growls of bears, ² See Note to the passage.

39] Act II, Daṇḍakā Revisited — Translation [—ii. 28³ Godāvarī reflecting the glory of its sombre trees and the birds filling the skies with their incessant warblings—such is this charming woodland [scenery]. 25 And even here is that Pañchavaṭī every spot in which can bear witness, in the course of our long residence, to those manifold expressions of unreserved endearments, and where my dear wife’s dear friend, Vāsantī, [has her abode]. What then is this that has to-day befallen this Rāma? For now— Like the virulent essence of some poison [dormant hitherto but now] after such a long time diffusing itself all over and causing spasms [of acute pain]--like the splinter of an arrow [imbedded in flesh and smarting now] as when, from some cause or other, it is violently shaken—like a [festering] ulcer overgrown with flesh [on the outside but] bursting open in the very vitals of the heart—even so my [long and so to say] solidified grief [now] unmans me as would a recent [grief]. 26 Still, these friends of old—these landscapes here—I will see. Looking [more] closely. Ha! How changed [now] is the aspect of this region!— Where once was the stream [itself], there now are the sands of the rivers; of the sprouting trees (kshiti-ruh) the denseness and the sparseness have exchanged places:¹ This forest, seen after [such] a long time, seems to me like another [forest]—only the unaltered position of the mountains confirms the idea that it is the same! 27 Alas! Though trying to avoid it, my attachment to Pañchavaṭī forcibly draws me, as it were, towards it. With pathos— [That Pañchavaṭī] wherein, in that [blissful] manner, those days with her I passed, and later, in our home, with long talks about which [Pañchavaṭī] we constantly whiled away our time: alone, now, after being the cause of the loss of his dear [wife], how should Rāma, sinful as he is, visit that very same Pañchavaṭī, or how pass on regardless of it? 28 Śambūka, entering—Victory unto Your Majesty! The exalted Agastya hearing from me of your presence [here], sends this word unto you:— ‘Having in readiness all the auspicious preparations for your welcome, the kindly Lopāmudrā awaits you, as do also all the sages [in our neighbourhood]. Come then: honour us [with your visit]. With your swift Pushpaka you can thereafter return to your country in time for the horse-sacrifice.’ ¹ I. e. where the trees were dense, now they are sparse, and vice versa.

ii. 28⁴—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [40 Rāma—As the exalted [Agastya] commands. Śambūka—Let Your Majesty then turn the Pushpaka this way.¹ Rāma—O Pañchavaṭī [of] revered [memory]! Being constrained by [this call from] those to whom deference is due (guru), for a while let this transgression of Rāma be forgiven [him]. Śambūka—Behold, Sire, behold!— [These clumps here—] when in the tiny-nests (kuṭīra) within their bushes the flocks (ghaṭā) of owls do hoot—they constrain the troops of rooks² to silence: these vast stretches (āḍambara) of the melodious (guñjat) bamboo-clumps (stambha) [growing on] this mountain called Krauñchāvata; [this mountain] wherein [also] are to be seen—frightened by the cries of the hovering (prachalat) peacocks—these snakes² climbing in fear around the trunks of ancient sandal trees. 29 Furthermore,— These here, with their caverns rumbling and roaring with the torrents (vāri) of the Godāvarī³—the clouds overhanging their blue and towering peaks—[these] are the lofty Southern ranges. [Here likewise—] with mutual clashings overwhelmed and surging with the tumult of their noisily dashing billows—here are the confluences of these holy and fathomless streams. 30 Exeunt both. END OF ACT II CALLED DAṆḌAKA REVISITED. ¹ It would seem that throughout the act peacocks. Snakes are inordinately fond Rāma was in his aerial car, though it is of sweet-smelling sandal trees. not a necessary supposition. See Notes ³ It is not possible to reproduce in translation for further discussion of the point. the alliteration of the original. It suggests ² Rooks fear the owls as snakes fear the Southey's ‘Lodore’.

ACT III Then enter two River[-goddesses]. First [River-goddess]—Friend Muralā, why do you seem to be in a [great] flurry? Muralā—Honoured Tamasā! I am sent by the exalted Agastya's wife— Lopāmudrā—to say unto the great river Godāvarī as follows: “You already know that ever since [Rāma] abandoned our daughter-in-law [Sītā]— Through the imperturbable gravity [of his nature] carrying concealed within [himself] commotions of intense agony, like an iron-vessel-closed-and-boiling (puṭapāka) is the impassioned grief that Rāma is enduring. 1 So that, born out of that misfortune which befell one that was so dear to him, his long-continued sorrow, now [wellnigh] coming to a climax, has made dear Rāma sadly pine away. As I look upon him my heart seems as if trembling to its [very] root! Now, furthermore, as dear Rāma has once again come here, he would certainly not fail to see these spots in the woodlands of the Pañchavaṭī that could speak to him (sākshin) of those unreserved endearments that he had had in the company of his wife. And in those [spots], firm by nature though he be, still—under such conditions—through the overwhelming emotions of a sorrow settled-and- profound, at every step, it is to be feared, would arise occasions for great mishaps. Do you, therefore, O exalted Godāvarī, be watchful about it: With breezes borne over [your] waves and surcharged with cooling sprays and wafting along the perfumes of [your] lotus- filaments—every time dear Rāma sinks-under-his-grief (mohe)— do you [O Godāvarī] his senses revive, gently, gently fanning him.” 2 Tamasā—This assiduous-care is worthy indeed of the affection [Lopāmudrā bears for Rāma]; but for dear Rāma's revival, the only-natural-remedy- that-there-is (maulika), is here at hand to-day. Muralā—How so? Tamasā—Listen. You-may-not-perhaps-know (kila) that, after abandoning her in the outskirts of Vālmīki's penance-grove, when Lakshmaṇa went back, Queen Sītā—as travail came upon her—in the very vehemence of 6 [H.O.S. 21]