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

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-

v. 31ᶜ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [80 (sūnṛita) is, say the wise, the parent of all blessings—a [veritable] cow!¹ 31 Sumantra—This youth, this pupil of the son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki], is indeed a pure soul: a glow of sacred learning suffuses all his utterances. Lava—And then further, Chandraketu, you ask me, if the eminence of even father [Rāma's] prowess is something I cannot put up with: I ask, Are the qualities of a Kshatriya absolutely restricted in the matter of possessors?² Sumantra—Thou certainly dost not know the Royal descendant of Ikshvāku [Rāma]. Desist now, desist and do not transgress the bounds: Thou hast to be sure wrought havoc amongst the soldiery and proved thy prowess; but thou must not speak so lightly of [Rāma,] the vanquisher of the son of Jamadagni.³ 32 Lava, with a laugh—Worthy Sir, why all this tall talk about the King [simply] because he vanquished the son of Jamadagni? For, it needs no proving that it is the valiance in words that belongs to the Brahmans; but as to the valiance in arm, that belongs to the Kshatriyas. The son of Jamadagni was a Brahman who [happened to] wield a weapon: for his having vanquished him what praise can the King [Rāma] claim? 33 Chandraketu, slightly provoked—Have done, my worthy [Sumantra], no more bandying of words!— This fellow apparently is some extraordinary avatāra of manliness, because not even [Paraśurāma,] the exalted descendant of Bhṛigu, is a hero to him! And he seems not to know even the holy exploits of father [Rāma]—exploits that have conferred upon the seven worlds [the gift of] eternal immunity from danger! 34 Lava—Who indeed does not know the exploits—the greatness—of the Lord of the Raghus? If indeed one were only to have his say—but never mind! They are old folks; their career must not be scrutinized; let them be: why discuss them? For, they are the world's great men, and their glory abates not even if they kill a woman—the wife of Sunda!⁴ And those three steps—I do not say in retreat!⁵—which were taken [by Rāma] in that mêlée with [the ¹ And the praise could go no higher. ² That is, may not others, besides Rāma, possess the Kshatriya qualities? ³ For Paraśurāma, the son of Jamadagni, see p. 20, note 6. ⁴ Tāṭakā, see note 4 on page 19 above. ⁵ Literally, 'with his face turned in a particular direction', which I need not specify. As Khara came rushing upon Rāma, the latter took a few steps backwards in order the more freely to use his bow.

81] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 36² demon] Khara, or that skill¹ exhibited in the murder of [Vālin] the son of Indra—the people are all conversant with that! 35 Chandraketu—Fellow! In traducing father [Rāma] thou art going beyond all bounds: Wilt thou then be so defiant? Lava—Aha! He is frowning upon me, is he? Sumantra—All ablaze now is their wrath! For,— The tremor produced by excitement has unloosened the knots of hair tied upon their forehead; their eyes, partaking slightly of the nature of a red lotus, redden spontaneously: and, by the sudden movements of the knitted eyebrows, their faces wear the beauty of the moon in which the spot is prominent, or of a lotus with the bees hovering around it. 36 The two Princes—Let us then hence repair to a place suitable for combat.² All go out. END OF ACT V CALLED PRINCES IN COMBAT. ¹ Rāma struck Vālin, the King of the Monkeys, while the latter was engaged in fight with Sugrīva. ² The place, however, was already suitable for combat in that it is on this very place that Lava routed the soldiers a while ago. See, however, note 2 on page 11 above. 11 [H.O.S. 21]

ACT VI Then enter in an aerial car a pair of air-sprites gaudily attired. Male Sprite—Oh, how marvellous really are the valorous deeds of these two scions of the Solar race [Lava and Chandraketu] fiercely engaged in a sudden combat—deeds that inflame [all the more] their [blazing] Kshatriya lustre, so that even Gods and Demons seem to be quite lost in amazement! For, look, look here, my love!— As they bend their bow, the tiny bells [upon it] tinkle like jingling bracelets, and it produces by its [vibrating] ends and by the twang of its tough string a terrific clamour; and as they discharge [a shower of] arrows, the crests on their head throb ceaselessly: it is a combat waxingly wondrous and striking the whole world down with terror! 1 And as a portent of victory for both of them, here goes the deep boom of the celestial war-drum, rumbling like a roaring rain- cloud. 2 Let us then start continually pouring upon these two heroes a thick coursing shower of flowers, mingled with a charming succession of the full-blown golden lotuses—[a shower] surcharged with comely dew-drops [glistening] upon the bunches of fresh and rubied buds [culled] from the garden of the Gods. Female Sprite—Why then, all at once, does the sky appear yellow, as if with the flashing streaks of some sudden and mightily throbbing lightning? Male Sprite—Can it then be that even to-day— The Blue-red [God Śiva] is going to open the lid of the [third] eye in his forehead, [that eye] which dazzles like the flaring orb of the Sun when whirled¹ on Tvashṭṛi's whirling lathe? 3 Reflecting. Ah, I see. It is Prince Chandraketu who has employed this Fiery missile, from which are shooting these streaks of fire. For, now— ¹ As happened when Tvashṭṛi, the divine too strong for Sañjnā, Tvashṭṛi's daughter, architect, wanted to trim off a portion wedded to the Sun. For another ex- of the Sun's brilliancy, which proved planation see Notes.

83] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 5¹¹ These countless aerial cars are flying [in all directions], their flags and chowries all singed and besmirched; while, upon the fringes of their [silken] pennons, these flames are producing, for a moment, the appearance of a tint of saffron! 4 Wonderful! It is already gaining ground everywhere—this puissant (bhagavān) fire from which are issuing sparks that fly crackling with the noise of the splinters of some wrathful thunderbolt—[fire] which is terrific in the [seething] mass of its tall and towering flames coursing rapidly! And fierce is its heat on every side. I shall, therefore, screen my dear [wife] with my body and withdraw to a [safe] distance. Does so. Female Sprite—Oh, joy that this touch of my dear Lord's body, cool like some stainless pearl, and smooth and soft and tender,—as I in ecstasy had gently closed my rolling eyes—[this touch] has quite banished all my anguish! Male Sprite—Why, what have I done here? Or rather— 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.¹ 5 Female Sprite—How now? Why is the expanse of the sky being strewn over ² with these clouds, decked with the fitful and incessant flashings of the sportive streaks of lightning, and sable like the throat of a youthful peacock? Male Sprite—Why, this must certainly be the prowess of the Vāruṇa- missiles employed by Prince Lava. Lo! The showers of water descending one after another in thousands of streams have quite quenched the Fiery missile! Female Sprite—I am glad, I am glad. Male Sprite—But lo! Everything in excess is a fault; for now are all beings whatsoever thrown into [a fit of] trembling, quite overwhelmed by this impenetrable darkness which is rendered intense by the deep rumbling clouds as they are tossed up by the series of winds ³ that portend Dissolution—[beings] who seem as if weltering in the caverned jaws (kaṇṭha) of the dreaded [God of] Death, [jaws] wide gaping to swallow the universe in one morsel—or [they seem] as if lost in the belly of the Cosmic Spirit (Nārāyaṇa) when, at the end of the Yugas, all gates of egress being closed, He falls into His yogic sleep! Bravo, Prince Chandraketu, bravo! Most appositely hast thou sent forth the Wind-missile. For now— ¹ This verse = ii. 19, where it is spoken by were above the clouds. Rāma. In the mouth of an inferior ³ There are forty-nine of these winds that character it loses its dignity. come into activity at a Dissolution of the ² 'Strewn over' and not 'overcast', for they universe.

vi. 6ᵃᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [84 This wind has dissolved all clouds, numerous though they were, into we-know-not-what (kvāpi), thus resembling the [highest] knowledge which dissolves [all] illusory-forms (vivarta) into the [fathomless] Brahma. 6 Female Sprite—But, my dear, who now is this [person], the fringe of whose upper garment is floating [to the winds] as he, in flurry, tosses up his hands, [this one here] who, even from afar, has by his sweet words forbidden the continuance of the combat and who is bringing [this] his excellent aerial car to the ground right between the two Princes? Male Sprite, observing—This is the Lord of the Raghus [Rāma], returning from [his mission of] killing Śambūka: Upon hearing the words uttered by this great personage [Rāma], Lava, out of deference to him, has withheld the discharge [of further missiles] and is appeased; Chandraketu is already paying his homage: may happiness attend the King [Rāma] by his being united with his [own] sons! 7 Come, let us hence. Both go out. END OF INTERLUDE. Then enter Rāma, and Lava, and Chandraketu [in the act of] making obeisance [to Rāma]. Rāma, alighting from the Pushpaka— Moon (chandra) of the Solar race, my Chandraketu, come, quick, let me hold thee fast to my bosom! With thy body, cool like a lump of snow, let all the burnings of my heart be allayed! 8 Raising him up and embracing him with tears of affection. Has it all been prosperous with thee and the celestial weapons into which thou hast been initiated? Chandraketu—All prosperous, [especially] by the happy acquisition of this sweet-looking and wonderfully valiant Lava. Let me request my honoured sire, therefore, to regard with the same affection with which you are wont to regard me, or even with more, this most eminent hero. Rāma, observing Lava—Happily this my son's [Chandraketu's] friend has a form that is at once quite serene and charming: He seems to be the very Science of Arms assuming a bodily form to protect the people; or is he the Code of Chivalry (kshātra- dharma) itself encased in a [human] body to safeguard the treasure of the Sacred Word? He is as if the aggregation of

85] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 12ᵈ all powers, the sum total of all [good] qualities, or the accumulated store of all the holy products of the world—standing out in a visible form. 9 Lava, to himself—This great personage, how serene is the sight of him and his prowess! He is the one great source of confidence and friendship and devotion all at the same time: of some pre-eminent merit [of mine] he seems to be the [very] fruition, moving in a bodily form. 10 Wonderful! All enmity is at an end; a feeling of intense joy creeps over [my soul]; that [former] impudence has departed, I know not where: it is modesty that now sways me. Wherefore is it then that, at the sight of him, I have so suddenly lost control over myself? Or rather [it must be that] great men, like holy places, have some priceless and inexplicable efficacy. 11 Rāma—Why then is it that this [boy], all of a sudden, alleviates my sorrows and, through some cause unknown, fills my inmost soul with affection? Or rather, that affection should at all be dependent upon any [assignable] cause is contrary [to all experience]. What binds things together is some inward mysterious tie: it is certainly not upon outward circumstances that affection rests. For, at the rise of the sun, the lotus [of itself] blooms, and so, when the moon rises, does the moon-gem (chandrakānta) ooze. 12 Lava—Chandraketu, who is this great personage? Chandraketu—My dear friend, it is the venerable father. Lava—So likewise then must he be to me, strictly-speaking (dharmataḥ), since thou callest me thy dear friend. But there are, as I have learnt, four persons, the worthy heroes of the Rāmāyaṇa story, who claim from you this mode of appellation. So tell me [more] definitely. Chandraketu—Understand then that he is my eldest sire. Lava, transported with joy—What! The Lord of the Raghus [Rāma] in person! Blessings on the dawn of a day that has brought me the sight of this [divine] King! After looking [at him] with eager curiosity and reverence. Sire, this is Lava, the pupil of the son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki], saluting you. Rāma—Come, long-lived one, come. Embracing him affectionately. Enough, my dear boy, enough of this excess of modesty. Let me fold thee again and again in a close embrace.

vi. 13ᵃᵇ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [86 Soft and smooth and tender like the mellowed (pariṇata) interior of a full-blown lotus, and cool like the moon or like the juice of sandal—thy touch fills me with joy. 13 Lava, to himself—Such is the causeless affection of this [great personage] towards me! And I, in my stupidity, conceived hostility even towards him, and carried my perverseness to the point of taking up arms against him! Aloud. Will the venerable father now pardon this Lava his childish folly? Rāma—What is the fault that the dear one has committed ? Chandraketu—Hearing from the escorts of the horse the proclamation of Your Honour's valour, he has displayed his heroism. Rāma—Why, this is just what adorns a Kshatriya. For, a valorous man does not tolerate the encroaching valour of others: such is his proper nature inherent in his constitution and therefore not artificial; [and this explains] why it is that when the divine Sun shines incessantly with his rays, the fire-stone, as if in wounded pride, vomits flames. 14 Chandraketu—Even an intolerance [of this sort] becomes graceful only in a [great] hero like him. For, let my revered father but see how the jṛimbhaka missile discharged by my dear friend has thrown all these forces into a dead stupor! Rāma, observing—Dear Lava, withdraw the missile; and do thou also, Chandraketu, console thy forces that are stock-still in paralysing stupor. Lava falls into a meditation. Chandraketu—So as you command. Exit. Lava—The missile is at rest. Rāma—Dear [Lava], these [jṛimbhaka] missiles and the secret spells for employing and withdrawing them have a tradition of their own [without which they cannot be imparted]: Brahmā (Brahmán) and others, in the interest of the Sacred Truth (bráhman), practised penances for over a thousand autumns. And then those Sires (guru) of old obtained a vision of these [missiles] as if these were the very fires of their own penances. 15 Then the occult formulae relating to the study of these holy [missiles] the exalted Kṛiśāśva imparted to the son of Kuśika, [Viśvāmitra,] who had been his pupil for over a thousand years; and that exalted one [Viśvāmitra] [imparted them] to me. This then has been the previous succession [of teachers]. I would know therefore whence hast thou, noble youth, received the tradition?

87] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 19ᵇ Lava—The missiles revealed themselves spontaneously to both of us. Rāma, reflecting—Nothing is impossible. It may be some peculiar greatness following as the result of the ripening of some pre-eminent merit. But, how ‘both of us’? Lava—We are two brothers—twins. Rāma—Where then is the other? [Voice,] behind the curtain—Bhāṇḍāyana, Bhāṇḍāyana! “That the long-lived Lava has had an affray with the army of the King”—is there any truth in this report? “Even so, dear friend,” didst thou say? To-day then, in all the worlds, let the title ‘supreme king’ come to an end, and let the fires of the Kshatriya weapons be all quenched this day! 16 Rāma—Who now may this be—he, of a complexion dark-blue like a sapphire, who even by the sound [of his voice] gives me a thrill of horripilation and makes me seem like a kadamba [tree] that, at the deep roar of an early and sable rain-cloud, instantly bursts forth into buds? 17 Lava—This is he, my elder [brother], the noble Kuśa by name, [just] returned from Bharata’s hermitage.¹ Rāma, in eagerness—Hither, my dear boy, hither call him, the long-lived one. Lava—Very well. Walks about. Then enters Kuśa. Kuśa, twanging his bow in joyful assurance and pride— If it is with the scions of the Solar race, with those kings who have given their tribute of protection even unto [God] Indra, and who ever since the times of Manu—that exalted Son of the Sun-god—have ever, for consuming the high and the mighty, set ablaze their fires of Kshatriya valour—if it is with these that to-day I am to have a fight, then blessed is this my bow, the string of which is radiant with the fierce-shooting flames that flash from the fiery arms. 18 Moves about in hauteur. Rāma—A rare abundance of manliness has this lovable (-ka) young Kshatriya! His eye, for even the mightiest of the mighty of the three worlds, shows a disdain as if for mere chaff; his stride, at once firm and proud, seems as though bending the earth low [in submission]; ¹ See iv. 22³³ ᶠᶠ· above, p. 69.

vi. 19ᶜ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [88 even in his tender-youth he carries the hauteur of a mountain— Is it the Sentiment of Heroism or of Pride that, [incarnate in him,] is approaching me? 19 Lava, approaching [Kuśa]—Victory unto the noble one! Kuśa—Well, long-lived [Lava], what is all this talk about the fight? Lava—Ah, a mere trifle. Towards this one, let my noble brother, laying aside his haughty bearing, behave with respect. Kuśa—And why? Lava—Because it is the King, the Lord of the Raghus, that is standing there. He is affectionate towards us and is eager to meet you. Kuśa, reflecting—Dost thou mean the hero of the Rāmāyaṇa story, the guardian of the treasures of the Sacred Word? Lava—The same. Kuśa—He certainly is a great man, and to see him is sanctifying and a thing to wish for! But how are we going to accost him, that is what I do not see. Lava—In the mode prescribed for a guru: with reverence. Kuśa—But how in the world can that be? Lava—Here is Chandraketu, son of Ūrmilā, a youth exceedingly noble, who calls me his dear friend and offers me his friendship; so by virtue of that relation this Royal sage becomes, strictly speaking, our father.¹ Kuśa—In that case, albeit a Kshatriya, we may show him deference without incurring any reproach [for lack of self-respect]. Both walk about. Lava—Let my noble brother look upon this great personality: [Are not] his mien, his majesty, his serene-dignity sure indications of those countless and extraordinarily noble achievements? Kuśa, gazing attentively— How graceful is his form—how hallowing his majestic presence! Rightly indeed has the poet of the Rāmāyaṇa [Vālmīki] trans- formed² the Goddess of Speech [into that poem]. 20 Approaching. Father, this is Kuśa, the pupil of the son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki], making his salutation. Rāma—Come, thou long-lived one, come: Here am I eager, in my affection, to embrace thee whose form- and-stature is lovely like a cloud filled with nectar. 21 Embraces him. To himself. Whose child then may this youth be? [He seems to be—] ¹ The irony of the dramatic situation is obvious. ² Compare ii. 5ᵃᶠᶠ. above.

89] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 27¹ Like the innermost essence of affection exuded from every particle of my body—as if the very substance of my soul, issuing from here and standing there visibly before me—besprinkled, as it were, with the very meltings of my heart when stirred up with an intense emotion of joy: him as I embrace, he seems to be, as it were, pouring a stream of ambrosial juice [upon me]. 22 Lava—Father, upon our brows the hot-rayed [sun] is burning. Will you therefore deign to take a seat a while in the dense shade of this Sāla tree? Rāma—Yes, if it is agreeable to my son. *They move about and sit down in the proper manner.*¹ Rāma, to himself— Ha! Although they are deferential in their conduct, these postures in walking and standing and sitting, both of Kuśa and of Lava, they are things that bespeak their [future] sovereignty. 23 These stately graces that seem inherently to belong to it: they set off a body that is handsome and waxes lovelier at every phase;—as do the pleasing rays the spotless jewel, or the drops of honey the full-blown lotus. 24 I note further that they both possess in large measure the traits common to the princes of the [royal] race of Raghu: A form dark-blue like the throat of some lusty pigeon, the shoulders broad like those of a young bull, the pose (āśaya) [very] elegant; a look dauntless like that of a reposing lion, and a voice deep-and-full like a festive drum! 25 Observing [more] closely. Ah! It is not merely with mine that their form bears resemblance, but— There are also those traits proper to the daughter of Janaka [Sītā]—all to be clearly made out here in these two boys: It is as if once again has come within the range of my sight that face of my beloved wife in all the glory of a fresh and full-blown lotus! 26 Lovely with the lustre of teeth clear as pearls, here are their lips of the very same stamp, and also the same curve of the ear. The eyes, to be sure, are not blue;² but they have the same note of comeliness. 27 Thoughtfully. And this is that same forest, inhabited by the son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki], where, I was told, the Queen was abandoned. And ¹ So as to reveal to Rāma their princely ² 'Not blue', but red, as a man's eyes should breeding. be, according to Sāmudrika-śāstra. 12 [H.O.S. 21]

vi. 27²—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [90 such here are the looks and the age and the prowess of these two [boys]. Now as to the missiles being self-revealed to them, let me see: Can it really be that the permission which, in the course of our viewing those pictures, I gave unto the missiles has had its effect? For, even in the case of the ancients, we never have heard of any missiles obtained without a [formal] handing over. There is also this my heart’s extreme joy-and-sorrow that affords to my wavering mind [further] assurance. Often had I perceived that it was twins that the Queen would bring forth. With tears: In those days gone by, when our love, once formed, had grown with the growth of familiarity, I was the first, with the practised feel of my hand, to discover, in the confidence of privacy—her eyes lowered nevertheless in her inborn bashfulness—that it was twins that were in store for her. It was some days later that she discovered it. 28 Weeps. Shall I then, in some way or other, ask them [directly]? Lava—What can this mean, Father? Unto this face that is as a blessing to the world, with this shower of tears, you are lending the beauty of a white lotus glistening [lit. besprinkled] with dew-drops. 29 Kuśa—But don’t you see, my dear boy?— Without his Queen, Sītā, to the Lord of the Raghus what thing is there that may not be painful? For, with the loss of one’s beloved, the whole world, it is said, becomes a wilderness! On the one hand, that [extreme] degree of love, and here, on the other, is this separation that is endless! Why askest thou thus then, as if thou hadst never studied the Rāmāyaṇa? 30 Rāma, to himself—Oh, they talk as if the matter did not concern them: no need therefore of asking any [direct] question. Thou wretched heart! What means this thy sudden transport of emotion? Not being able to contain within me the anguish of my heart, I am commiserated even by these boys! Well, I will change the topic. Aloud. There is current, my dear boys, a report about what they call ‘Rāmāyaṇa’, a panegyric of the Solar race, the outpouring of the exalted Vālmīki’s learning-and- eloquence (Sarasvatī). I wish, therefore, out of curiosity, to hear some part of it. Kuśa—That entire story is [quite] familiar to us. Here, to begin with (tāvat), are these two stanzas,¹ coming in a chapter at the end of the ‘Bālacharita’, that rise into my memory. ¹ The Calcutta recension of the Rāmāyaṇa the other recensions the readings differ. gives these very stanzas near the end of See Notes. the Bāla-kāṇḍa (Gorresio, i. 78¹³–¹⁵); in

91] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 36³ Rāma—Repeat [them], my dear boy. Kuśa—“It was her nature that made Sītā dear unto Rāma’s mighty heart; but she endeared herself all the more unto him by reason of her [good] qualities. 31 So also was Rāma unto Sītā dearer than her very life: only their heart knows the extent of each other’s affection.” 32 Rāma—Alas! Exceedingly cruel is this blow upon the very vitals of my heart! Ha, Queen! So indeed it then was! Oh, how tormenting are these affairs of the world—fraught¹ with capricious reverses [of fortune], extremely painful, and all terminating in void phantoms! Where now is that joy which, springing from an absolute [mutual] confidence, knew no bounds? Where that mutual assiduousness [for each other’s comfort], and where those fathomless charms of novelty? In pleasure or in pain where indeed [can I now find] that unison of hearts?—and yet this my cursed heart (prāṇa) does continue to beat and will not cease! 33 Woe and alas!— That period wherein were revealed to me, as in one flash, those [hundreds and] thousands of my dear [Sītā’s] charms—of that period beset with painful memories, the memory recurs to me now. 34 For then, little by little, each succeeding day leaving its mark upon them, the breasts of my fawn-eyed [Sītā] kept expanding slowly like a bud; and then also it was that, strengthened by the concord of our age and our love and our longings, the God of Love had his opportunity (sphurati) to rage freely in our hearts, but demurely in the outward-expression (vapushi). 35 Lava—Here is another stanza² addressed by the Lord of the Raghus unto the Queen Sītā in the course of their pleasure-trip in the outskirts [vana] of the Chitrakūṭa [mountain] close by the [river] Mandākinī.— “As if set purposely for thee, here in front is this slab of stone; all around it this kesara tree has rained as it were a rain of flowers!” 36 Rāma, with a bashful smile and a mixture of love and pathos—Children are indeed artlessly-simple, especially if they be forest-bred. Alas, Queen! Dost thou remember what transports of unreserved endearments we did then have? Alas, alas! ¹ Or, devoid of all real relations, positive or ² See Rāmāyaṇa, Bombay recension, the extra negative. canto after ii. 95, stanzas 5–6.