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॥ अथ अयोध्याकाण्डे द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः ॥
२.४२.३
न चाहृष्यन्न चामोदन्वणिजो न प्रसारयन् ।
न चाशोभन्त पण्यानि नापचन्गृहमेधिनः ॥
Summary AI Merchants felt no joy and did not display their wares; the goods lost their luster, and householders ceased to cook their meals in their mourning.
M N Dutt They forgot to rejoice or make merry, and the traders did not spread (their stores), and stalls did not grace the place, and the householders did not cook, and people did not rejoice on recovering lost property or gaining a profuse accession of wealth, and mothers did not feel any delight on beholding their first-born.
२.४२.४
नष्टं दृष्ट्वा नाभ्यनन्दन्विपुलं वा धनागमम् ।
पुत्रं प्रथमजं लब्ध्वा जननी नाभ्यनन्दत ॥
Summary AI The people did not celebrate great financial gains or mourn losses; even a mother felt no joy upon the birth of her first-born son.
M N Dutt They forgot to rejoice or make merry, and the traders did not spread (their stores), and stalls did not grace the place, and the householders did not cook, and people did not rejoice on recovering lost property or gaining a profuse accession of wealth, and mothers did not feel any delight on beholding their first-born.
२.४२.५
गृहे गृहे रुदन्त्यश्च भर्तारं गृहमागतम् ।
व्यगर्हयन्तो दुःखार्ता वाग्भिस्तोत्रैरिव द्विपान् ॥
Summary AI In every household, distressed women wept and rebuked their returning husbands with sharp words, like goading elephants with stinging hooks.
M N Dutt And in every home females afflicted with woe, weeping child their husbands coming home, with the following words as (drivers) spur elephants with hooks.
२.४२.६
किं नु तेषां गृहैः कार्यं किं दारैः किं धनेन वा ।
पुत्रैर्वा किं सुखैर्वापि ये न पश्यन्ति राघवम् ॥
Summary AI For those who can no longer behold Rāghava, what value remains in homes, wives, wealth, sons, or even the most basic comforts of life?
M N Dutt Of what use are their houses, and wives, and wealth, and sons, and comforts, to those who see not Rāghava (in their midst?)
२.४२.७
एकः सत्पुरुषो लोके लक्ष्मणः सह सीतया ।
योऽनुगच्छति काकुत्स्थं रामं परिचरन्वने ॥
Summary AI Lakṣmaṇa is the only truly virtuous man in the world, as he follows and serves Rāma, the scion of Kakutstha, in the forest alongside Sītā.
M N Dutt There is one only good man in this world even Lakşmaņa, who along with Sītā is following Käkutstha Rāma to the woods.
२.४२.८
आपगाः कृतपुण्यास्ताः पद्मिन्यश्च सरांसि च ।
येषु स्नास्यति काकुत्स्थो विगाह्य सलिलं शुचि ॥
Summary AI Truly blessed are the rivers, lotus-ponds, and lakes where the pure Kakutstha prince will bathe, plunging his limbs into their sacred waters.
M N Dutt Those streams, assemblage of lotuses, and pools are blessed by which bathing in the sacred waters, Kakutstha will pass.
२.४२.९
शोभयिष्यन्ति काकुत्स्थमटव्यो रम्यकाननाः ।
आपगाश्च महानूपाः सानुमन्तश्च पर्वताः ॥
Summary AI Forests with beautiful groves, vast rivers, and majestic mountain peaks will all be graced and beautified by the presence of Rāghava.
M N Dutt And romantic forests and woods, watery expanses of mighty volume, and mountains with flat spaces, will grace Kākutstha.
२.४२.१०
काननं वापि शैलं वा यं रामोऽभिगमिष्यति ।
प्रियातिथिमिव प्राप्तं नैनं शक्ष्यन्त्यनर्चितुम् ॥
Summary AI Whatever forest or mountain Rāma visits will be unable to refrain from honoring him, receiving him as a most beloved and welcomed guest.
M N Dutt And forests and hills to which will repair Rāma cannot go without paying him homage like to a welcome guest.
२.४२.१३
यत्र रामो भयं नात्र नास्ति तत्र पराभवः ।
स हि शूरो महाबाहुः पुत्रो दशरथस्य च ॥
Summary AI Wherever Rāma resides, there can be no fear or defeat, for he is the mighty-armed hero and the valiant son of Daśaratha.
M N Dutt And presenting him with many a charming fountain, trees will delight Rāma at the tops of mountains.* Where Rama is, there is nor fear or failure. That mighty-armed son of Dasaratha is heroic. Let us while he is yet ahead within a short distance of us, follow Rāghava. *The meaning is, Trees will please Rāghava by spreading for him a bed of leaves and flowers.
२.४२.१४
पुरा भवति नो दूरादनुगच्छाम राघवम् ।
पादच्छाया सुखा भर्तुस्तादृशस्य महात्मनः ।
स हि नाथो जनस्यास्य स गतिः स परायणम् ॥
Summary AI Let us follow Rāghava before he vanishes from sight. The shadow of such a high-souled lord’s feet is blissful; he is our protector, our refuge, and our supreme goal.
M N Dutt Even the shadow of the feet of our master, so high-souled, would bring us happiness. He is the lord of all these, he is the refuge, he is the accomplishment of our religious duties.
२.४२.१५
वयं परिचरिष्यामः सीतां यूयं तु राघवम् ।
इति पौरस्त्रियो भर्तॄन्दुःखार्तास्तत्तदब्रुवन् ॥
Summary AI Distressed by grief, the women of the city told their husbands that they would serve Sītā while the men served Rāghava in exile.
M N Dutt We and you, will serve Sītā, and Rāghava. Thus afflicted with grief, the women of the city spoke to their husbands.
२.४२.१६
युष्माकं राघवोऽरण्ये योगक्षेमं विधास्यति ।
सीता नारीजनस्यास्य योगक्षेमं करिष्यति ॥
Summary AI In the forest, Rāghava will ensure your protection and welfare, while Sītā will look after the well-being of all the women who follow.
M N Dutt In the forest Rāghava will attain for you the unattainable and protect what is attained; and Sītā being a female will do the same for these (women.)
२.४२.१७
को न्वनेनाप्रतीतेन सोत्कण्ठितजनेन च ।
संप्रीयेतामनोज्ञेन वासेन हृतचेतसा ॥
Summary AI Who could possibly find joy in living in this joyless city, where the people are filled with longing and their hearts have been stolen away?
M N Dutt Who will take pleasure in residing in a dwelling where the heart dies within itself, which is devoid of delight, where the people are always agitated with anxiety and which is exceedingly disagreeable?
२.४२.१८
कैकेय्या यदि चेद्राज्यं स्यादधर्म्यमनाथवत् ।
न हि नो जीवितेनार्थः कुतः पुत्रैः कुतो धनैः ॥
Summary AI If this kingdom under Kaikeyī becomes lawless and lacks a protector, we have no use for life itself, let alone sons or wealth.
M N Dutt If this kingdom devolves on Kaikeyi it will be divested of all virtues and will be like to one without a master. And of what avail then is our life itself, not to speak of sons and wealth.
२.४२.१९
यया पुत्रश्च भर्ता च त्यक्तावैश्वर्यकारणात् ।
कं सा परिहरेदन्यं कैकेयी कुलपांसनी ॥
Summary AI Kaikeyī, the defiler of the family who abandoned her own husband and son for power—whom else would she spare or show mercy to?
M N Dutt Whom else will that stainer of her line, Kaikeyī, forsake now, who for the sake of wealth has forsaken her son and her lord?
२.४२.२०
कैकेय्या न वयं राज्ये भृतका निवसेमहि ।
जीवन्त्या जातु जीवन्त्यः पुत्रैरपि शपामहे ॥
Summary AI We swear by our sons that as long as Kaikeyī lives, we will never remain as subjects or dependents within her kingdom.
M N Dutt We swear by our sons that so long as Kaikeyi is alive, we living will never stay in her kingdom, although we may be maintained by her.
२.४२.२१
या पुत्रं पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य प्रवासयति निर्घृणा ।
कस्तां प्राप्य सुखं जीवेदधर्म्यां दुष्टचारिणीम् ॥
Summary AI Who could live happily after encountering that unrighteous woman of wicked conduct, who, devoid of pity, sends the son of the king of kings into exile?
M N Dutt What happiness can be ours by living with that wicked and unrighteous one who lost to every sense of shame is bent upon exiling the son of the foremost of kings?
२.४२.२२
न हि प्रव्रजिते रामे जीविष्यति महीपतिः ।
मृते दशरथे व्यक्तं विलोपस्तदनन्तरम् ॥
Summary AI With Rāma gone into exile, the king will certainly not survive. After the death of Daśaratha, a total disintegration of the state will clearly follow.
M N Dutt On Rāma retiring to the forest, the lord of earth will surely not live; and Dasaratha dying, it is evident everything will come to naught.
२.४२.२३
ते विषं पिबतालोड्य क्षीणपुण्याः सुदुर्गताः ।
राघवं वानुगच्छध्वमश्रुतिं वापि गच्छत ॥
Summary AI You, whose merits are exhausted and who are in a miserable state, should either stir and drink poison, follow Rāghava, or go to an unknown place where you are unheard of.
M N Dutt Do you, your virtue exhausted, and oppressed with grief, pounding poison, take it, or follow Rāghava, or remove to such a place that the very name of Kaikeyī may not reach your ears.
२.४२.२४
मिथ्या प्रव्राजितो रामः सभार्यः सहलक्ष्मणः ।
भरते संनिषृष्टाः स्मः सौनिके पशवो यथा ॥
Summary AI Rāma, along with his wife and Lakṣmaṇa, has been falsely exiled. We have been delivered to Bharata just as animals are handed over to a butcher.
M N Dutt Rāma has been deceitfully exiled along with his wife and Lakşmaņa; and we are bound to Bharata like to a (sacrificial) beast before one that is to slaughter it.
२.४२.२५
तास्तथा विलपन्त्यस्तु नगरे नागरस्त्रियः ।
चुक्रुशुर्भृशसंतप्ता मृत्योरिव भयागमे ॥
Summary AI The women of the city, thus lamenting and deeply distressed, cried out as if the fear of death's arrival were upon them.
M N Dutt Thus lamenting in the city, the females thereof burning in grief became distressed like people stricken with panic on the occasion of a plague.
२.४२.२६
तथा स्त्रियो रामनिमित्तमातुरा
यथा सुते भ्रातरि वा विवासिते ।
विलप्य दीना रुरुदुर्विचेतसः
सुतैर्हि तासामधिको हि सोऽभवत् ॥
Summary AI Distressed because of Rāma, the women wept piteously and lost their composure, just as if a son or brother had been exiled; for he was dearer to them than even their own sons.
M N Dutt Distressed for the sake of Rāma as if it was a was son or a brother of theirs that was banished, the women weeping forlorn, lamented with senses lost; and Rāma was to them more than a son.
॥ इति अयोध्याकाण्डे द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः ॥

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