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

ACT IV Then enter two ascetic [boys]. First [boy]—Saudhātaki, just look at the beauty of this hermitage of the exalted Vālmīki, wherein to-day, by reason of the arrival of a great crowd of guests, some elaborate preparations are on foot. For— The scum of boiled rice (nīvāra) that was left over after his mate, [the doe]—that has just brought forth young—had partaken of it, [that scum,] warm and savoury, this deer from [our] penance- grove is [now] sipping to his heart’s content. Slightly blended with the diffusing odour of boiled rice mixed with ghee, the fragrance of vegetables cooking, as well as of karkandhū fruit, is spreading everywhere. 1 Saudhātaki—Welcome, special welcome unto these harbingers of holiday— unto these [reverend] grey-beards! First [boy], with a laugh—Extraordinary indeed, O Saudhātaki, is the motive that inspires this your reverence for the gurus! Saudhātaki—I say, Bhāṇḍāyana, what now is the name of the chief leader of this huge train of females—of this guest that has come? Bhāṇḍāyana—Fie! No joking here! For, don’t you see it is the exalted Vasishṭha come from Ṛishyaśṛiṅga’s hermitage, escorting the [late] King Daśaratha’s wives who have come hither following the lead of Arundhatī? Why do you then talk this foolish way? Saudhātaki—Indeed! Vasishṭha? Bhāṇḍāyana—Why, yes. Saudhātaki—I for my part thought that he was a tiger, maybe a wolf! Bhāṇḍāyana—What! what is it that you say? Saudhātaki—Why, hardly had he come when that poor dear heifer of ours he gobbled up with a swoop! Bhāṇḍāyana—Out of deference to the Scriptures that prescribe meat as a part of the welcome-offering (madhuparka), upon the arrival of a learned Brahman [pious] householders offer him either a heifer or a bull or a goat. And this same practice the authors of the Dharma-sūtras also enjoin. Saudhātaki—There now, I have caught you! Bhāṇḍāyana—How, pray?

61] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 3¹ Saudhātaki—For, when the holy Vasishṭha comes the heifer is slain; whereas on the arrival, later this very day, of the royal sage Janaka, even the exalted Vālmīki makes his welcome-offering merely with curds and honey: the heifer is let off. Bhāṇḍāyana—The former (evam) ritual is laid down by the sages for those who have not abjured meat; whereas venerable Janaka has abjured meat. Saudhātaki—And why? Bhāṇḍāyana—Because as soon as he heard of that adverse turn which Queen Sītā's fate had taken, he took up the life of an anchorite. And so it is now some years since he has been practising penance in the penance- grove [called] Chandra-dvīpa.¹ Saudhātaki—If so, why has he come here? Bhāṇḍāyana—Merely to see the [exalted] son of Varuṇa, [Vālmīki,] his old and intimate friend. Saudhātaki—Has he then to-day met his relatives, or has he not? Bhāṇḍāyana—It is only just now that the exalted Vasishṭha sent the exalted Arundhatī unto the Queen[-mother] Kausalyā, bidding her to go in person and meet the King of Videha [Janaka]. Saudhātaki—As these old folks have congregated together, so likewise let us band our comrades together and—as is meet (sambhāvemha)—play in celebration of this [great] holiday. They walk about. Bhāṇḍāyana—And this here is that discourser in Brahma, that ancient royal sage, King Janaka, who, having paid his honours to Vālmīki and Vasishṭha, is now reposing under the shade (mūla) of this tree outside the hermitage: he who— With Sītā's sorrow ever preying upon his heart, is burning [within himself]; like unto an ancient tree invaded by some inwardly- consuming fire. 2 Both go out. END OF INTERLUDE. Then enters Janaka. Janaka—Kept alive (vishakta) by that great and intense and agonizing, by that heart-rending calamity that fell upon my child [Sītā], this my acute and incessantly flowing grief that grides my vitals like a saw, even with this lapse of time it ceases not, as if it were a recent [grief]! 3 Oh, woful luck, that while age and this overwhelming sorrow, and ¹ Lit. Moon-island.

iv. 3¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [62 furthermore, the [severe] penances of parāka,¹ sāntapana,² and so forth— while all these are using up its substance and humours, this accursed body of mine, bereft of its staying [tissues], even now it refuses to fall! Those are the so-called Sunless regions enveloped in blind darkness; [and they,] say the sages, are assigned [after death] unto the men who slay themselves.³ Even after the lapse of so many years, these transports of a grief that is as poignant as though it were fresh, and that, through my continual broodings over it, is steadily gaining in vividness—[these transports] know no abating. Alas, alas! O thou that didst spring from the [very] altar of the [holy] sacrifice,-my Sītā, such has come to be the lot of thy life that, for very shame, I cannot even cry aloud at will. Alas, alas, [my] daughter!— I remember—when thou wast yet a child—that little lotus-like mouth with its capricious cryings and laughings, [that mouth] blooming with the tips of a few tender and bud-like teeth, and stammering over thy sweet and thoughtless prattle. 4 Exalted Earth! Thou certainly art excessively hard : Thou and Fire and the Sages—[sage] Vasishṭha’s wife [Arundhatī] and the [holy] Ganges—when ye all and when even the great guru of Raghu’s family, the divine Sun himself, knew her greatness ; when, as the [sacred] Word unto Learning, thou unto her didst thyself give birth, and who was no less divine than [Learning herself] : Of such a daughter wherefore then didst thou, O ruthless one, permit that outrageous death ⁴ (viśasana) ? 5 [Voice,] behind the curtain—This way, your exalted Ladyship—This way, my great Queen ! Janaka, looking—Oh, it is Grishṭi, showing the way to the exalted Arundhatī. Rising. But whom now does he style great Queen ? Observing. Alas ! Is she then no other than the wedded wife of the great King Daśaratha—Kausalyā, my dear friend ? Who indeed can believe that she is the same ? In Daśaratha’s house she was like the Goddess of Wealth: or rather, why say like? She was the Goddess of Wealth herself. But woe and alas! Now, following the decree of Fate, she has become like some strange and unfamiliar being, all made up of grief : Alas for the outcome! 6

¹ A twelve-days’ fast. ² A modified form of fast in which only one variety of food—milk, curds, ghee, and so forth—is eaten every day. ³ Or, in Shakespeare’s words—‘O ... that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ’gainst self-slaughter !’ ⁴ Nearly every one thinks that Sītā is dead. So Janaka here, and so Rāma at iii. 34.

63] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 10ᶜ Here is another unhappy reversal of circumstances : That very same person [Kausalyā] that, formerly, was unto me like an embodiment of festal joy, the sight of her has now become unendurable, like brine upon an [open] wound! 7 Then enter Arundhatī and Kausalyā and a chamberlain [Gṛishṭi]. Arundhatī—Why, I say, aren’t you directed by your family preceptor [Vasishṭha] to go in person and see the King of Videha? It was for this too that I am sent. What means then, at each step, this your extreme lack of determination? \ Chamberlain—Queen, compose yourself, I beg you, and follow the direction of the exalted Vasishṭha. Kausalyā—That in times like these I should have to see the Lord of Mithilā [Janaka]—this makes my griefs well up all at once within me: I am powerless to hold together my heart the roots of which are as if loosening from their bonds. Arundhatī—This, no doubt, is quite natural : Although never [quite] ceasing to flow entirely, the sorrows of men, caused by separations from dearest relatives, become, at the sight of some very dear friend, altogether unendurable and as if in thousands of floods they seem to gush forth. 8 Kausalyā—And how may we—when my dear daughter-in-law [Sītā] has fared thus—[how may we] look upon the face of her father, the royal sage? Arundhatī—And here he is, your noble connexion and the sustainer of the family of the Janakas—he whom sage Yājñavalkya has initiated into¹ the knowledge of Brahma. 9 Kausalyā—And this is he who was a delight to the heart of my great King [Daśaratha]—the father of my dear daughter-in-law [Sītā]—the royal sage. Ha! I am put in mind of those times when every day brought forth many an unbidden festivity. Alas, O Fate, that it should be no more! Janaka, approaching—Exalted Arundhatī! This is Vaideha, the Sīra- dhvaja,² making homage unto you. In your company [your husband] regards himself as [more] holy, although he is himself the store of holy light—your husband who, of all the gurus of yore, is indeed the supreme guru; with my head bowing low down to the earth I salute you, the exalted one, who for the universe (trilokī) are the [very] fountain of its bliss ¹ Literally, to whom he has taught or solemnly ² Literally, one whose banner has the plough set forth (jagau) the knowledge, as in the as an emblem. Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upanishad.

iv. 10ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [64 (māṅgalyā), and who are, like the divine Dawn, adorable to the world. 10 Arundhatī—May, the Light Supreme shine within thee! And may He also spread His holiness over thee (punātu), the Orb divine (deva) that blazes from beyond darkness [and dispels it]! Janaka—Worthy Gṛiṣhṭi, is it all well with this mother of that—that Shepherd of the people?¹ Chamberlain, aside—Surely, he has reproved us quite bitterly. Aloud. Royal sage! When, taking offence at this very thing, the Queen [Kausalyā] has for so long a time declined the very sight of the moon-like face of her dear [son] Rāma, it is unkind of you to add to the grief of her who is already so much grieved. And as to our dear Rāma, it was a peculiar stroke of his misfortune that his subjects should, as is well known (kila), set agoing all around that foul calumny. And it was because those little minds disbelieved the Fire-ordeal that he did that cruel deed. Janaka—What! And who is this Fire that he should essay to purify our daughter? Alas! Insulted as we already are by Rāmabhadra, here is a fresh insult, when people begin to talk like that! Arundhatī, heaving a sigh—Exactly so. To talk of fire—fire! in connexion with Sītā is highly derogatory. Say merely ‘Sītā’ and all is said. Alas, my dear girl,— Thou art unto me a child, a pupil: be that as it may, the eminence of thy virtue compels my devotion for thee. Let alone the fact that thou art a child or a woman, thou art nevertheless adorable to the worlds: for, it is virtue—amongst those that are virtuous— that has a claim for respect, and not mere sex or age. 11 Kausalyā—Oh, I am bursting with my agonies! Faints. Janaka—Alas! What is this? Arundhatī—What else can it be, my Royal sage? That King [Daśaratha]—that bliss—those dear children—those [old] days—all this has flashed upon her memory at the sight of thee, her friend. And so, in her present dreadful plight, don't you see that this thy dear friend has really fainted? For, the hearts of matrons are tender like a flower. 12 Janaka—Alas, alas! I have proved altogether too cruel here, in that I see with rather unkindly eyes her whom I have met after such a long time, this dear wife of my dear friend [Daśaratha]. A worthy connexion was he, a friend after my heart, my very heart in fact; he was an embodiment of joy to me, he was the ¹ Said in bitter irony.

65] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 17ᶜ whole purpose of my existence: my body, my soul, my whatever- else-dearer-than-these-there-may-be—was there anything that that great and illustrious King Daśaratha was not to me? 13 And is this, alas, that same Kausalyā?— Between her and her Lord, in [the confidence of] privacy, whatever occasion of displeasure there arose, it was to me that the husband and the wife severally communicated their complaints; and then, whether it was a case for forbearance or for anger, the issue rested entirely with me. Away rather with these memories that assail and consume my heart! 14 Arundhatī—Alas, alas! With this long suspension of breath her heart has [almost] ceased to beat! Janaka—Alas, my dear friend! Sprinkles [her] with water from his _kamaṇḍalu._¹ Chamberlain—Having at first, like a delightful bosom-friend, mani- fested unalloyed favours, Fate, terrible in the suddenness of its reverses, is next intensifying [by contrast] the anguish of the heart. 15 Kausalyā, regaining consciousness—Alas my child, Jānakī, where art thou? I [still] remember thy face all suffused with the glory imparted to it by thy [recent] marriage sacraments, [thy face] with that pure smile playing upon it, and charming like a [full-blown] lotus. With limbs fair as the light of the shining moon, once more, my darling, do thou grace my lap. The great King [Daśaratha] would always say: "Of the mightier ancestors of the race of Raghu she may be a daughter-in-law; to us, however— such is our friendship for Janaka—she is just 'little daughter' [no more, but no less]." Chamberlain—It was, just as the Queen has said: Although the King [Daśaratha] had five children, it was [Rāma] the enemy of Subāhu² that was specially dear to him. So likewise, among his four daughters-in-law, Sītā was as much adored by him as was his own daughter, Śāntā. 16 Janaka—Oh, my dear friend, thou great King, Daśaratha! So indeed thou art, in every way a delight to the heart: How canst thou be forgotten? It is customary (kila) for the parents of the bride to pay court to the kinsfolk of the son-in-law; but with our connexion [through the marriage of Rāma and Sītā] all was reversed: it was me that thou wast assiduous to please! Such as thou hast been, Time ¹ An ascetic's gourd. ² A demon who molested Viśvāmitra's sacri- fice, and who was killed by Rāma. 9 [H.O.S. 21]

iv. 17ᶜ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [66 has snatched thee away, as also that cause of our connexion [Sītā]. Now in this world of life, in this dreary hell, accursed be the continuance of me, the sinful! 17 Kausalyā—Dear Jānakī, what can I do? Fastened firm [to my body] with a hard and adamantine cement, this wretched life will not leave me, ill-fated that I am! Arundhatī—Take heart, thou who art sprung from kings! It is at least necessary to allow your tears rest from time to time. And don't you further recall what, in Ṛiṣhyaśṛiṅga’s hermitage, your family-preceptor ¹ [Vasiṣhṭha] said?—‘That it was to be so, we had already divined; but it will all have a prosperous issue.’ Kausalyā—How [can that be] when I have already outlived my wishes? Arundhatī—Do you then, O daughter of kings, regard that as an untruthful utterance? You must not, O noble Princess, think it false: it must come about. The utterances of those Brahmans to whom has been revealed the Light [celestial]—let there be no doubt about them. For, upon their speech awaits the beneficent Lakshmī; ² they never utter words that do not come true. 18 A [confused] noise ³ behind the curtain: all listen. Janaka—To-day being a holiday [in honour] of [distinguished] guests, it is the boys at sport that are raising this noise. Kausalyā—It is very easy indeed, in childhood, to find joys! Observing. Aha! Who now is this [boy] in the midst of these [others]—he with his form (aṅga) supple and handsome and well-proportioned, and endowed with the grace of [our] dear Rāma: who is he that so delights even our sight? Arundhatī, Aside, with joyful tears—This then must be the thing that Bhāgīrathī related to me: the secret that was as a nectar to my ears. We do not yet know, though, which of the two long-lived ones—Kuśa and Lava—he may be. Janaka—Like a blue lotus-leaf dark and mellow [in complexion], marked with the round tufted locks [of a Kshatriya], and by his guileless charms adorning, as with an innate-grace, the circle of his school-mates—the sight of him all of a sudden gives an ambrosial collyrium to my eyes, as if [he were] that Joy of the [race of the] Raghus, my darling [Rāma] himself, become once again a child! Who may he be? 19 ¹ It is not usual for a wife to call her husband ² Goddess of wealth and prosperity. by his name. Cp. p. 63, l. 6, above. ³ As if in confirmation of iv. 18.

67] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 21⁸ Chamberlain—I think the youth must certainly be a Kshatriya student. Janaka—Assuredly: for, he carries Upon his back, one on each side (abhitas), a pair of quivers, the heron-feathered [arrows] of which kiss his crest; his chest, bearing [yet] the ample marks of the holy ashes, is clad in the hide of a ruru-deer; a girdle of the mūrvā-grass holds together his madder-dyed lower garment; in his hand he has a rosary of rudrākshas and a bow, as well as another staff made of pippala. 20 Exalted Arundhatī, what do you surmise? Whence is he? Arundhatī—It is only to-day that we have come. Janaka—Worthy Gṛishṭi, I have an intense curiosity; do you therefore go right to the exalted Vālmīki and inquire. Unto this child, likewise, say, ‘Here are some old people desirous of seeing thee.’ Chamberlain—As you command. Exit. Kausalyā—What do you think? Thus addressed, will he come? Arundhatī—Can proper conduct be lacking in one whose form is so graceful? Kausalyā—Lo! Having respectfully listened to Gṛishṭi’s speech hasn’t he dismissed the ascetic youths and isn’t the dear lad in fact approaching hither? Janaka, observing him long and attentively—Ah, how extraordinary all this! This his perfect nobleness [of mien], charming in its modest and youthful simplicity—[this perfection] which only the connoisseurs can comprehend but which passes the wits of the vulgar—it forcibly carries away my mind although [naturally] proof against such transports (sammoha), as would a tiny piece of magnet a mass of iron. 21 Lava, entering—Ignorant as I am of their names and order of precedence and lineage, and so not knowing what propriety demands, how am I going to salute these people, worthy of a salutation though they undoubtedly are? Reflecting. This, however, the ancients have declared to be an unobjectionable mode [of address]. Approaching them with modesty. This is Lava, bowing his head unto you all in due succession. Arundhatī and Janaka—Mayest thou live long, O blessed one! Kausalyā—Long life, my darling! Arundhatī—Come, dear! Taking Lava in her lap, aside. O bliss! Not only my lap but my life’s desire also has been filled! Kausalyā—Come to me also, a while, my darling! Taking him in her lap.

iv. 21⁸—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [68 How strange! Not only in the build of his body, which is dark and resplendent like a half-opened blue lotus—nor again only in his voice, that has the prolonged resonance of the sonorous notes of a swan whose throat is mellowed (kasāa) by feeding on lotus filaments—does he take after our dear Rāma; even the very touch of his body, smooth like the interior of a full-grown lotus, has the same quality. Let me look at thy face a while, my darling! Raises his chin and observes him closely; then with tears and as-if-trying-to-divine-some-hidden-secret (sākūtam). And don't you also mark it, Royal sage? Narrowly observed, does he not [also] show resemblance to the moon-like face of [Sītā] my dear daughter-in-law? Janaka—I mark it, friend, I mark it. Kausalyā—Forsooth! My heart, as if in madness, dreams of things impossible, and wanders far, far astray! Janaka—In this boy here is plainly visible [the contour] of my daughter as well as of [Rāma,] that eminent scion of Raghu: it is as if all perfectly mirrored in him—that very same form, that grandeur, that voice, that inborn modesty, and even that selfsame divine lustre. Alas, alas, Fate! Wherefore is it that my mind should now run waywardly into devious paths? 22 Kausalyā—Darling, Hast thou a mother? Dost thou remember thy father? Lava—No. Kausalyā—Whose [son] art thou then? Lava—The exalted Vālmīki's. Kausalyā—Why, my darling! Say that [at least] which may be said.¹ Lava—This is all I know. [Voice,] behind the curtain—Hey ho, soldiers! This is what Prince Chandraketu commands: 'Let no one trespass on the ground sacred to (abhyarṇa) the hermitage!' Arundhatī and Janaka—Ah! Following—as its guard—the track of the sacrificial horse, it is dear Chandraketu that we shall see to-day—What a happy day this! Kausalyā—'The son of our dear Lakshmaṇa commands'—these words that I hear are [indeed] sweet like drops of nectar! Lava—Noble Sir, who is he—this Chandraketu? Janaka—Knowest thou Rāma and Lakshmaṇa, the sons of Daśaratha? Lava—The same that are the heroes of the Rāmāyaṇa? Janaka—The same. Lava—Why, then of course I know them. ¹ Vālmīki, of course, never married.

69] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 22⁴³ Janaka—Of that Lakshmaṇa this Chandraketu is the son. Lava—He is then the son of Ūrmilā, and a daughter’s-son of the royal sage Janaka ? Arundhatī, smiling—Thou hast indeed evidenced thy thorough acquaintance with the story ! Janaka—If then thou dost claim to be so conversant with the story, let us put thee some questions : Tell us, first, how many children do the sons of Daśaratha have, how are they named, and of what [mothers] are they born ? Lava—This portion of the story, to this day, has never been heard either by us or by any one else. Janaka—Is it that it has not been composed by the poet ? Lava—Has been composed, but not published. And a certain section from the same has been turned into a distinct type of work, full of sentiment, and adapted to dramatic representation. And that, written in his own hand, the exalted sage [Vālmīki] has sent over to sage Bharata, the author of the Aphorisms of Dramaturgy.¹ Janaka—To what end ? Lava—That holy sage [Bharata], they say, is going to have it enacted by the heavenly nymphs. Janaka—All this is, to us, extremely tantalizing ! Lava—Great, however, has been the care that the exalted Vālmīki bestowed upon it. For, to prevent [possible] mishap, he has sent our brother, bow in hand, as an escort of those of his pupils by whose hands he sent [the work] to the hermitage of Bharata. Kausalyā—So, thou hast also a brother ? Lava—Yes : the noble Kuśa. Kausalyā—Implying [by thy manner of mention] an elder brother ? Lava—Even so : the order of birth has—as is right (kila)—given him the seniority. Janaka—You—my long-lived ones—are you then twins ? Lava—Exactly. Janaka—Tell me, how does the [published] part of the story end ? Lava—Harassed by false rumours current among his subjects, the King [Rāma] banished Queen Sītā, born [though she was] from the [very] ¹ Literally, Author of the science of dancing and vocal and instrumental music—all the three being the elements of a drama. The original Aphorisms have not sur- vived. The extant ‘Nāṭya-śāstra’ is probably a later digest, bearing to the original Aphorisms the same relation that the ‘Kāmandakīya Nīti-śāstra’ has to the newly discovered ‘Kauṭilīya Artha-śāstra’.

iv. 22⁴³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [70 sacrificial ground of the Gods. Her, nearing her travail, Lakshmaṇa abandoned all alone in the forest and returned [to Ayodhyā]. Kausalyā—Alas, my child! Thou whose face was lovable like the moon! In that forlorn plight, of what sudden and malignant sports of Fate has the flower of thy body been the victim? Janaka—Alas, my daughter! Assuredly, when that indignity fell upon thee, and the terrors of the wilderness, and the pains at the hour of childbirth; when on all sides troops of flesh-eating [Monsters] thronged about thee; then, stricken with terror, more than once must thy mind have turned to me as thy [natural] protector! 23 Lava, to Arundhatī—Pray, Madam, who are these? Arundhatī—This is Kausalyā, and this is Janaka. Lava looks at them with sorrow, respect, and curiosity. Janaka—Oh, the impudence of these citizens! Oh, the precipitancy of King Rāma's actions! When over this dreaded fall of a thunderbolt in the form of this dire calamity I sit for ever brooding, is it not time [yet, I ask,] for my wrath to kindle-and-blaze forth with arrow or with curse? 24 a, b Kausalyā, in fear—Help, exalted [Arundhatī], help: Appease this angry royal sage. Arundhatī—When high-souled persons are treated with indignity, this [viz. being victims to their wrath] is the natural expiation [of that offence]. [Janaka,] my King, Rāma is as a son to thee; and the subjects, contemptible though they be, have to be protected. 25 Janaka—Peace then! Let neither [arrow nor curse] be used upon [Rāma] that scion of Raghu; for he is the treasure of a son unto me: And as to the subjects, they are for the most part a mere assemblage of Brahmans, of infants and of dotards, of decrepits and of females! 24 c, d Enter some excited boys. Boys—Prince, O Prince! A strange species of animal—a horse, a horse— as the country-folks call it—why, we have just now seen one with our own eyes! Lava—[A horse?] A horse is mentioned in that catalogue of beasts and in the treatises on warfare. Say, what is he like? Boys—Listen: Behind he carries a flowing tail, and this he's waving all the time. He has a long neck, and hoofs he has—just four. Grass he eats,

71] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 27² and he drops lumps of dung, big as a mango. But why so much talk? He's on the move and will soon be far. Come, come, let us follow. 26 They approach him and pull him by his hands and his garment. Lava, with mingled feelings of curiosity, constraint, and respect—Behold, noble ones! Here am I being dragged [off from your presence] by these boys! Moves about hastily. Arundhatī and Janaka—Thou mayest satisfy thy curiosity, child! Kausalyā—Exalted [Arundhatī], I seem as if robbed [of something], now that he is out of sight. Let us then move from here and see the long-lived one, where he is going. Arundhatī—That nimble child, with his very swift pace, has already shot far ahead: how is it possible to see him now? Chamberlain, entering—The exalted Vālmīki replies, ‘This matter, in good time, you will come to know.’ Janaka—It must then be something very mysterious! Exalted Arundhatī, friend Kausalyā, worthy Gṛishṭi, come, let us go in person and see the exalted son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki]. Exeunt older people. Boys—Let the Prince now look upon this wonder. Lava—Yes, I see it—understand it too. He is evidently a sacrificial horse. Boys—How dost thou know? Lava—Why, fools! Have you not also studied that section? Don't you know, ‘There are cuirassiers, mace-bearers, and bow-men, numbering a hundred of each sort, to form the escort’? And this force here appears to answer the description. If you don't believe me—just ask. Boys—Ho, Sirs! Tell us: Why [in the world] is this horse turned loose and [yet] guarded? Lava, enviously, to himself—A horse-sacrifice is, for the world-conquering Kshatriyas, the great and glorious touchstone of their pre-eminence, cal- culated to abash all [opposing] warriors. [Voice,] behind the curtain— This horse here—he is as the banner or as the proclamation of the valour [of Rāma,] of that one supreme hero of the seven worlds, the foe unto the race of that ten-necked [Rāvaṇa]. 27 Lava, as if in wounded [pride]—Oh, how they inflame my wrath—these words! Boys—There is no use talking—the Prince does know.

iv. 27³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [72 Lava—Sirs! Is it because [you think] there is no Kshatriya in this world that you are proclaiming in this fashion? [Voice,] behind the curtain—Fellow! To compare with our great King [Rāma] there are not any Kshatriyas. Lava—Fie upon you, villains! If they [your masters] are [great, as you say,] let them be. What need, however, of this your scarecrow [of a proclamation]? But, why waste words thus? Here am I now, seizing by force your ‘banner’ as you call it. 28 Here, Boys! Hem [this horse] in, throw clods at him and compel him to turn back: Let the poor creature, for once, graze amongst the roebucks! A Soldier, entering, angry and overbearing—Tush, rash boy! what didst thou say? Don’t forget (hi) that these files of doughty and ruthless warriors brook not even a mere child’s insolent words. And the Royal Prince Chandraketu, who knows how to chastise an enemy, is [away now], being attracted by a desire to see these mild and unfamiliar forests; but before he returns, do ye, and quickly, slip away through this shady thicket. Boys—Have done with this horse, Prince! For, these columns of warriors with their flashing weapons seem to threaten thee! And our hermitage is far from here. Come then: let us flee with the bounding speed of deer. Lava, with a laugh—So the weapons, you say, are really flashing, are they? Stringing his bow: Then, [let this my bow] with its string lapping—like a tongue— the tapering, tooth-like bow-tips—[this bow] the sound of the twang of which is, like a belching, terrific and grim: [my bow,] imitating the yawns of the jaws in the cavernous mouth of Death as when He grins ready to swallow [the world]—let my bow now open its gaping maw! 29 All walk about, as suits the occasion,¹ and go out. ¹ This would mean that Lava fights the soldier and drives him off the stage, himself in pursuit. END OF ACT IV CALLED KAUSALYĀ AND JANAKA.

ACT V [Voice,] behind the curtain—Ho, ho! Soldiers! 'Tis come, 'tis come— our succour! For here he is in his chariot, Sumantra in haste urging forward its fleet and galloping steeds—its flagstaff of kovidāra violently shaken at each jolting—here is our Chandraketu coming hither upon the news of our fighting. 1 Then enters in a chariot, with the charioteer Sumantra, Chandraketu, bow in hand and full of wild joy and excitement. Chandraketu—Look, worthy Sumantra, look! His handsome face flushed with just a tinge of glowing anger— the bow incessantly twanging at the tips—the five locks [on his head] all floating [to the winds], there, as he takes his stand in the van of the battle and rains a shower of arrows upon the battalions,—he is indeed a marvel (kopi), this son of a hero! 2 How strange! This lad from the hermitage, all alone, and scattering everywhere upon [my] army thousands of blazing shafts, impelled with a terrific twang and piercing the joints of the elephants' temples: He engages my interest as though he were some new, unknown scion of the race of Raghu. 3 Sumantra—Long-lived one,— As I look upon this boy who in his prowess excels Gods and Demons and who is so like [unto Rāma] in form, I am reminded of that Joy of the Raghus [our Rāma], when, bow in hand, he subdued the foes that disturbed the holy sacrifice of Kuśika's son [Viśvāmitra]. 4 Chandraketu—That so many should exert themselves against him singly— for this I feel ashamed in my heart: On one side is this solitary stripling; and here are [on the other] our forces clutching with their martial fingers these dense files of weapons and brandishing them wildly in the brunt of the battle—[some seated] in chariots ringing with the jingle of the tinkling golden bells, and [others mounted] upon rutting tuskers, 10 [H.O.S. 21]

v. 5ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [74 pouring down, like clouds, actual torrents of ichor—all [arrayed on the other side and trying to] overwhelm him! 5 Sumantra—Prince, all of these, united, cannot possibly hold against him: much less, disunited! Chandraketu—Make haste, worthy [Sumantra], make haste! For, this fellow here has commenced a great havoc amongst those whom I must shield—[our soldiery]. For, As he sets his bow resounding, its twang, amplified by the stunning din of the war-drums, causes a furious aching in the ears of herds of elephants roaring even in the [distant] mountain recesses; and as he sends down rolling [or] hacks to pieces these countless heads, hideous to behold, the hero makes these grounds seem as if strewn over with morsels [of food] ejected by the terrific mouth of satiated Death! 6 Sumantra, to himself—How can I permit dear Chandraketu to engage in single combat with such [a fighter as this boy]? Reflecting. Or rather we have grown old in [the service of] Ikshvāku's family: What alternative is there when [a fair fight] has presented itself? Chandraketu, with feelings of amazement, shame, and confusion—Oh, fie! My forces are being scattered on all sides! Sumantra, speeding the chariot—Long-lived one, here now is this hero, come within range of thy call. Chandraketu, as if in forgetfulness—Worthy [Sumantra], what name was given him by those who came to call [us]? Sumantra—‘Lava’ they said. Chandraketu—Ho, Lava of mighty arms! Why busiest thou thyself with these [mere] soldiers? Here am I: Come hither unto me: Let light be quenched in light. 7 Sumantra—Lo! Behold, Prince! He has turned—this heroic youth—summoned by thee from his [work of] carnage amongst the army; as, at the roar of thunder, the valiant whelp of a lion [turns] from his [work of] slaughter amongst troops of elephants. 8 Then enters Lava with hurried and defiant strides. Lava—Well done, Royal youth, well done! Thou verily art a [true] scion of Ikshvāku. Here then I am, just come to meet thee. A great tumult behind the curtain. Lava, quickly turning back—What! Once routed, do the leaders of the army return and obstruct my path, wishing again to engage me in combat? Fie on the wretches! Unto the mighty flames of my wrath, flaring like those issuing

75] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 12¹ from Vaḍavā's¹ mouth, as when some falling mountain² dashes upon it and disturbs it—let it serve as a morsel: this stunning confused din arising on all sides from the army and resembling a billow of ocean when it is lashed by the winds that portend the dissolution of the universe! 9 Moves about excitedly. Chandraketu—Ho, my young warrior,— This thy extraordinary valour has endeared thee to me: thou art my friend therefore, and what is mine is even thine. Wherefore then dost thou deal destruction unto thy own dependants [this army]? Am not I, rather, the one on whom thou shouldst try thy mettle (nikasha), I, Chandraketu? 10 Lava, hastily turning, with joy—Oh, how gracious and yet stern is the language of this hero of great prowess—this Prince of the Solar race! Let alone these [soldiers] then; I'll rather pay him my [warrior's] compliments. Again a tumult behind the curtain. Lava, with wrath and disgust—Ah! I am vexed-past-endurance (kadar- thita) by these wretches that come in the way of a meeting between warriors! Advances towards them. Chandraketu—Behold, worthy [Sumantra], it is a sight to see : His attention riveted upon me in pride not unmingled with curiosity—the full-stretched bow in his hand, and my forces keeping close upon his rear—he is emulating the grace of some cloud decked with Indra's rainbow, and dragged by violent winds in two opposite directions. 11 Sumantra—The Prince at least knows how to look upon him: we, however, are simply lost in amazement! Chandraketu—O ye kings [and warriors],— That you in countless numbers, with him who is here alone—you upon horses and elephants and chariots, with him who is on foot—you sheathed in armour, with him whose upper garment is just the holy deer-skin—you mature in age, with him tender in years and a lovable person—that you should thus gird up your loins to battle with such as he—fie, oh fie upon you, and upon us! 12 Lava, resentfully—How? would he commiserate me? Reflecting. Well ¹ Submarine fire, which accounts for the non-increase in the volume of the ocean, in spite of the many rivers falling into it. ² When Indra began to clip with his thunder- bolt the wings of the mountains, some of them threw themselves into the ocean for shelter. The legend is given in Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā, i. 10¹³.

v. 12¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [76 then: to prevent loss of time I will, with my jṛimbhaka missile, throw this army meanwhile into a stupor. Remains meditating. Sumantra—Wherefore then, of a sudden, is all the hubbub in our army hushed? Lava—Now we shall have a meeting all to ourselves (sapragalbham). Sumantra, excitedly—Meseems, dear Prince, this young warrior has em- ployed the jṛimbhaka missile. Chandraketu—There is no doubt about it: Like some terrific blending as of darkness and of lightning, [the missile] renders ineffectual even a steadfast eye, now obscuring it and now giving it a free scope. And as if drawn in a picture is this army standing here without even winking! Verily it is the jṛimbhaka of unfailing potency that is at work here! 13 Wonderful! wonderful! Black like the darkness massed in some recesses in the interior of the Nether regions—blazing in the radiance of their flames that are yellow like some hot and glowing brass—these jṛimbhaka missiles fill the skies, as if they were the peaks of the Vindhya mountains tossed up by those harsh and dreaded whirlwinds that rise at the end of the kalpa,¹ [peaks] with their caverns flaring with lightnings issuing from some clashing clouds! 14 Sumantra—But from whom, I ask (punaḥ), has he had these jṛimbhakas? Chandraketu—From [Vālmīki,] the exalted son of Varuṇa, we ² think. Sumantra—No, dear Prince, it is not thus in the case of missiles, and especially the jṛimbhakas; for, They are the creations of [sage] Kṛiśāśva, and from Kṛiśāśva they went to [Viśvāmitra] the son of Kuśika; then the tradition was imparted to our dear Rāma, with whom it rests. 15 Chandraketu—But there may be even others, the ‘Seers of Mantras’ [so called], who, through the perfection of the light of their sattva, can ‘see’ things for themselves. Sumantra—Be on thy guard, dear Prince: thy heroic opponent has returned. The two Princes, the one to the other—Ha! how charming is this Prince to behold! Observing each other in cordial affection: Is it [merely] this chance encounter or is it the excellence of his qualities—is it some ancient and intimate friendship of an earlier birth—or is it some kinship between us that has remained

¹ Kalpa = 4,318,272,000 human years. At the    that, confident of his own valour,   end of a kalpa comes a dissolution of    Chandraketu was not at all dismayed   the universe.                by Lava's prowess. ² The ‘we’ is here to be noted. It shows

77] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 21¹ unknown by the power of Fate, and inexplicable?—[I know not why, but] as I look upon him my heart becomes all attention.¹ 16 Sumantra—This, as a rule, is the way of all living beings, that some one should feel a spontaneous love for some one else. This popularly is known as ‘astral friendship’² or ‘love at sight’. And this love has been declared to be incomprehensible, one for the motives of which it is vain to seek: When there is an attachment with no [apparent] cause there is no counteracting it; for, it is a thread of cordiality that knits together the inmost vitals. 17 The two Princes, the one to the other¹— Upon this form lovely like a polished jewel how can I let my arrows descend?—a form which, as it draws near, my body bristles all over with horripilations in my longing to embrace it. 18 But when he has displayed such fiery spirit, what alternative can there be but a weapon? And to what use can a weapon serve if such as he is not to be its target? And what will he himself say if I be averse to fight when the weapon is already taken in hand? [Oh,] the warriors’ code of honour is indeed relentless and thwarts the [natural] course of affection. 19 Sumantra, observing Lava attentively, with tears, to himself—Why dost thou, my heart, thus wander astray? What was the germ of our hopes, that by Fate has already been robbed³: upon a creeper cut at its root how can flowers appear? 20 Chandraketu—I would descend, worthy Sumantra, from my chariot. Sumantra—Wherefore? Chandraketu—Because, in the first place, this young hero will thereby have received the deference [due]; and further, worthy Sir, it will be in obedience to Kshatriya law. ‘Men in chariots do not engage in fight men on foot’—such is the ruling of those that know the Shastras. Sumantra, to himself—Ah! I am [now] really placed in a trying situation: This course that is but just, how can a man like me object to it? And how likewise can he permit this deed that is rashness pure and simple? 21 Chandraketu—When, upon any dubious matter religious or secular, even my sires seek your advice—you, worthy Sir, who were the dear friend ¹ For the joint speeches see the Notes. ³ In other words, Sītā, on whom rested the ² An affinity due to a certain astrological hopes of the continuance of the elder line conjunction of the stars of their nativity. of the Raghus, is no more. Cp. p. 62, n. 4.

v. 21¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [78 of [Daśaratha] my sires’ sire, what is it then that makes your worship hesitate? Sumantra—Yes, my long-lived one, even so: thy sentiments are in strict accord with the law: For, this is the rule on the battle-field; this is the eternal law: and this also is the heroic course of conduct pursued by the Lions of the [race of] Raghu. 22 Chandraketu—Most apposite are your worship’s words: History, chronicles, the mandates of law, and also the traditions of the family of Raghu—these none but your honour knows [thoroughly]. 23 Sumantra, embracing him in affection and with tears— Not many, my dear child, [not many] have been the days since your father, the dear [Lakshmaṇa], vanquished even that van- quisher of Indra [Indrajit, son of Rāvaṇa]. And thou, the son of such a father, art also following the path of heroes. Happy it is indeed that Daśaratha’s family has attained stability! 24 Chandraketu, with sorrow— When the head of the Raghu-family [Rāma] is yet without stability [in the form of issue], wherein consists the stability of our family? It is this grief that weighs upon our three other sires.¹ 25 Sumantra—Alas! These words of Chandraketu, they pierce the vitals of my heart! Lava—Forsooth! diverse feelings struggle in me for precedence: As in the rise of the full moon the lotus-creeper finds its joy, even so does my sight [find its joy] in him: nevertheless it is fighting that this [my arm] desires—my arm which has fixed its love on this heavy bow, vocal with the string that resounds with a cruel twang, [my arm] with its wrist (mukha) marked by an open gaping scar.² 26 Chandraketu, alighting—Worthy [Sumantra, this is] Chandraketu of the Solar race, saluting you. Sumantra—May the holy, resplendent, and invulnerable lustre of a Kakutstha ³ be thine: May the Eternal God [Vishṇu, incarnate as] the Boar bless thee with happiness! 27 Furthermore,— May the Divine Sun uphold thee in thy combat—he who is the ¹ Literally, ‘three other fathers’ = his father would, of course, be Rāma. Lakshmaṇa and his two uncles, Bharata ² Due to contact with the bow-string. and Śatrughna. The ‘fourth father’ ³ A famous ancestor of Rāma.

79] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 31ᶜ father of thy race! Unto thee may the son of Mitra and Varuṇa [Vasiṣhṭha]—he who has been the guru of thy gurus—speak gladness! Of Indra and Vishṇu, of Fire-god and Wind-god, and of the [heavenly] Eagle, may the vigour be thy own! And may the twang of the bows of Rāma and Lakshmaṇa be [unto thee] the magic-spell that yields victory! 28 Lava—Prince, thou dost certainly look extremely comely even as thou art—in thy chariot: enough, enough of this excess of courtesy. Chandraketu—In that case, let the valiant one also grace another chariot. Lava—Worthy [charioteer], take the Royal prince again upon his chariot. Sumantra—Then do thou also assent to dear Chandraketu's wishes. Lava—Why hesitate when it is a question of one's own equipage? We however are foresters, unused to going in chariots. Sumantra—Thou knowest, noble youth, how [to speak] what pride and politeness demand! If, for once, the noble scion of Ikshvāku, [I mean] King Rāma, were to see thee as thou art, then would his heart melt for very love! ¹ Lava—Yes, [worthy Sir]; we have heard that that Royal sage is kind- hearted. Colouring slightly. Neither are we—by any means—of a sort to be jealous even of [holy] sacrifices; for, breathes there the man that would not, for King [Rāma's] virtues, accord him pre-eminence? Still, that speech of those guardians of the horse—it stirred me up by that arrogant defiance which it conveyed unto all Kshatriyas what- soever. 29 Chandraketu, smiling—Indeed! Is the eminence of even father [Rāma's] prowess something you cannot put up with? Lava—Perhaps I can—I may—put up with it, perhaps not; but this I would ask. We have, to be sure, heard that the noble descendant of Raghu [Rāma] has subdued his own self. It is said he is not himself arrogant, nor is there arrogance in his subjects. Why then do his men utter a speech worthy only of a Rākshasa [demon]?— For, that, declare the sages, is a speech worthy of a Rākshasa which flows from arrogance and intoxication: such [a speech] is the source of all feuds: it is the world's curse (nirṛiti). 30 Thus they censure this kind of speech, the other they praise thus— It yields desires and dispels misery; it begets fame and blunts malice (dushkṛita): such a speech [at once] truthful-and-agreeable ¹ Sumantra artfully introduces this reference age be true. Lava's answer sorely dis- to Rāma to ascertain if what he suspected appoints him. (cf. v. 20, above) about the boy's parent-