रामायणम् — अयोध्याकाण्डम्

Summary AI Bharata and Śatrughna depart for Kekaya with their uncle Yudhājit. In Ayodhyā, Rāma serves his father and the public, handling administrative tasks with restraint. He masters the dhanurveda and studies dharma alongside the wise. King Daśaratha observes these qualities and resolves to appoint his son as yuvarāja. To initiate this transition, he convenes an assembly of kings and provincial leaders, seating them in a formal council to discuss the succession.

२.२

अयोध्याकाण्डे द्वितीयः सर्गः

The assembly approves Daśaratha's plan to crown Rāma.

Summary AI Daśaratha addresses the royal assembly, declaring his body weary from thousands of years under the white parasol. He proposes Rāma as yauvarāja. The gathered kings and citizens rejoice like peacocks at the arrival of rain. They describe how Rāma inquires after their families and rituals like a father. The assembly requests the immediate coronation of the prince, noting his mastery of weapons and his devotion to the welfare of all beings.

२.३

अयोध्याकाण्डे तृतीयः सर्गः

King Daśaratha prepares for the coronation.

Summary AI Daśaratha agrees to the request for Rāma’s coronation and commands the priests Vasiṣṭha and Vāmadeva to prepare the ceremony during the month of Caitra. Sumantra fetches Rāma by chariot to the assembly. After Rāma bows at his father’s feet, the king seats him on a golden throne and advises him to remain humble and control his senses. Rāma returns home while Kauśalyā rewards the messengers and the citizens worship their deities in celebration.

२.४

अयोध्याकाण्डे चतुर्थः सर्गः

Daśaratha schedules the coronation for the next day.

Summary AI Daśaratha summons Rāma to announce that the royal consecration will occur the following day under the puṣya constellation. Citing his old age and alarming omens, the king urges a quick ceremony while Bharata remains away. He instructs Rāma and Sītā to fast and sleep on darbha grass. Rāma carries the news to Kauśalyā, who is meditating on Janārdana, and invites Lakṣmaṇa to share the kingdom's governance.

२.५

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चमः सर्गः

Vasiṣṭha instructs Rāma to perform ritual fasting.

Summary AI At King Daśaratha’s request, the priest Vasiṣṭha travels to Rāma’s residence. Rāma receives him with honor and, alongside Sītā, performs a ritual fast and recites mantras for the yauvarājya installation. Outside, the streets of Ayodhyā are decorated with flags as crowds gather. Vasiṣṭha returns to report his success. Finally, the king dismisses his assembly and retires to the antaḥpura.

२.६

अयोध्याकाण्डे षष्ठः सर्गः

Rāma prepares for coronation while the city celebrates.

Summary AI Rāma bathes and offers havis into the sacred fire to worship Nārāyaṇa. Alongside Sītā, he observes a vow of silence and sleeps on a bed of kuśa grass. At dawn, he dons silk garments and performs morning rituals. Outside, citizens hang banners and arrange lamp-trees along the highways. The city fills with actors and dancers whose voices rise like the roar of the ocean as they praise the king and the approaching consecration.

२.७

अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तमः सर्गः

Mantharā tells Kaikeyī about the coronation.

Summary AI Mantharā ascends the palace and observes Ayodhyā’s streets strewn with lotus petals. Upon learning that Daśaratha intends to consecrate Rāma under the puṣya star, the hunchback rushes to Kaikeyī. She tells the queen that the king acts with deceit by sending Bharata away. Kaikeyī initially greets the news with joy. Seeing no difference between the two princes, she rewards her maid with a golden ornament for sharing the tidings.

२.८

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टमः सर्गः

Mantharā warns Kaikeyī of Bharata’s displacement.

Summary AI Mantharā discards the gift and warns Kaikeyī that Rāma’s coronation will force her to serve Kauśalyā. Though Kaikeyī defends Rāma as a man of dharma, Mantharā insists that royal succession will sideline Bharata. She compares Rāma to a lion preying on an elephant and claims he will banish or kill his brother to ensure a thornless reign. She urges Kaikeyī to secure the kingdom for her son and exile Rāma.

२.९

अयोध्याकाण्डे नवमः सर्गः

Kaikeyī prepares to demand Rāma's exile.

Summary AI Mantharā reminds Kaikeyī of two boons King Daśaratha granted her. She instructs the queen to enter the krodhāgāra, cast off her ornaments, and demand Bharata’s coronation alongside Rāma’s fourteen-year exile. Kaikeyī praises the counsel and promises rewards. Stripping off her jewelry and silks, the queen lies upon the bare floor. She vows to remain there until the king grants her wishes.

२.१०

अयोध्याकाण्डे दशमः सर्गः

Kaikeyī demands Bharata’s coronation and Rāma’s exile.

Summary AI Daśaratha enters the palace to find Kaikeyī lying on the floor. To soothe her, the king swears to grant whatever she desires. Invoking the deities as witnesses, Kaikeyī claims her two boons: the consecration of Bharata and the fourteen-year exile of Rāma to the Daṇḍaka forest. Wearing matted hair and bark, Rāma must live as an ascetic. Overcome by grief, Daśaratha falls to the earth and pleads with her to retract these demands.

२.११

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकादशः सर्गः

Daśaratha pleads with Kaikeyī and falls unconscious.

Summary AI King Daśaratha lies on the floor, likened to the fallen king Yayāti. Kaikeyī reminds him of his promise and demands the exile of Rāma. The king reacts with anger and delirium, foreseeing his own death and public disgrace. As the sun sets, Daśaratha remains in darkness, pleading with folded hands for mercy. He begs for the night to end or for morning never to come. Despite his wailing, Kaikeyī remains unmoved, and the king falls unconscious.

२.१२

अयोध्याकाण्डे द्वादशः सर्गः

Kaikeyī forces the king to summon Rāma.

Summary AI Kaikeyī urges the king to honor his boons, citing the sacrifices of Śaibya and Alarka. Prostrate on the floor, Daśaratha trembles like a bullock under a yoke. He compares his plight to Bali trapped by the noose of Indra. Though he disowns Kaikeyī and her son, he remains bound by the cord of dharma. At Kaikeyī’s command, the charioteer Sumantra departs to summon Rāma, unaware of the king's grief.

२.१३

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रयोदशः सर्गः

Officials gather as Sumantra fetches Rāma.

Summary AI At daybreak under the puṣya star, priests and ministers gather for the royal consecration. Gold vessels filled with water from the Gaṅgā and Yamunā stand ready alongside vālavyajana fans. Sumantra enters the inner apartments to wake King Daśaratha, who commands him to fetch Rāma immediately. Passing through streets adorned with banners, Sumantra reaches Rāma’s palace and delivers the king’s message.

२.१४

अयोध्याकाण्डे चतुर्दशः सर्गः

Rāma leaves for the palace to meet the king.

Summary AI Sumantra enters the inner apartments and finds Rāma seated with Sītā on a golden couch. Sumantra delivers Daśaratha’s summons, which Rāma interprets as a call for his abhiṣecana. After bidding farewell to Sītā, Rāma mounts a chariot accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa, who holds the royal umbrella and cāmara. As the chariot rolls through the streets, the citizens of Ayodhyā gather to offer blessings and praise the heir.

२.१५

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चदशः सर्गः

Rāma travels through the city to the palace.

Summary AI Rāma rides his chariot through Ayodhyā, where the air carries the scent of agaru. Citizens crowd the highway to offer blessings, hoping for a reign that equals those of his ancestors. Rāma greets them according to their status, remaining steady despite their praise. Upon reaching the palace, he crosses the courtyards and enters the inner apartments. The gathered people remain outside, watching for his return like the ocean waiting for the moon.

२.१६

अयोध्याकाण्डे षोडशः सर्गः

Rāma accepts exile to uphold his father's vow.

Summary AI Rāma beholds Daśaratha weeping on a couch beside Kaikeyī. When the king fails to speak, Kaikeyī demands Rāma depart for the Daṇḍaka forest for fourteen years to fulfill a royal vow, allowing Bharata to rule. Rāma accepts the decree instantly to preserve his father’s honor. After Daśaratha faints, Rāma circumambulates the king and the golden consecration vessels. He maintains a steady composure while leaving the palace, followed by Lakṣmaṇa.

२.१७

अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तदशः सर्गः

Rāma tells Kauśalyā of his fourteen-year exile.

Summary AI Rāma walks through the courtyards to reach his mother’s quarters. He finds Kauśalyā offering oblations to Agni for his welfare. After her greeting, Rāma announces his fourteen-year exile to the Daṇḍaka forest and Bharata’s upcoming coronation. Kauśalyā falls to the ground like a severed plantain tree. She laments her misfortune, comparing her enduring heart to iron and her past rituals to seeds sown in barren soil.

२.१८

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टादशः सर्गः

Rāma explains his adherence to paternal orders.

Summary AI Kauśalyā laments the exile while Lakṣmaṇa offers to seize the throne by force. Rāma rejects this violence, citing Paraśurāma and the sons of Sagara who followed paternal commands. He declines his mother’s plea to stay and her threat to fast to death, choosing instead to uphold dharma. After urging Lakṣmaṇa to abandon his anger, Rāma circumambulates Kauśalyā and prepares for the Daṇḍaka forest.

२.१९

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकोनविंशः सर्गः

Rāma accepts his exile and cites destiny.

Summary AI Rāma approaches Lakṣmaṇa to halt the coronation festivities. He orders the ritual preparations dismantled to ease Kaikeyī’s anxiety and safeguard his father’s word. Preparing to don matted locks and deerskin, Rāma attributes the sudden reversal to daiva, or destiny. He argues that no mortal can resist this unseen force. He urges his brother to abandon resentment, viewing their mother’s harshness as the work of fate rather than her character.

२.२०

अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः

Lakṣmaṇa argues against destiny and offers to fight.

Summary AI Lakṣmaṇa rejects the power of daiva. He argues that only the timid rely on destiny, while the brave exert pauruṣa. Shaking his forearm like an elephant’s trunk, he vows to use his bow and sword to secure the throne by force. He offers to crush any opponent, including their father, to ensure the consecration. Despite this outburst, Rāma remains committed to his father's word.

२.२१

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकविंशः सर्गः

Rāma persuades Kauśalyā to serve the king.

Summary AI Kauśalyā grieves as she imagines her son scavenging for roots and fruits in the wild. She compares herself to a cow trailing her calf and begs to accompany him. Rāma refuses, reminding her that a husband remains a woman’s primary daivatam. He urges her to serve the aging king to prevent his collapse from sorrow. Accepting his resolve to fulfill the exile, she prepares svastyayana rituals to ensure his protection.

२.२२

अयोध्याकाण्डे द्वाविंशः सर्गः

Kauśalyā performs protective rituals for Rāma.

Summary AI Kauśalyā performs the ācamana rite and offers garlands to the deities. She invokes the guardians of the world, celestial bodies, and the seasons to protect Rāma from the forest's beasts. After muttering prayers, she ties a viśalyakaraṇī herb to his arm as an amulet. She smells his head in blessing and embraces him. Following a final circumambulation, Rāma departs for Sītā's residence, radiant in his own resolve.

२.२३

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रयोविंशः सर्गः

Rāma explains his exile and gives Sītā instructions.

Summary AI Rāma enters his own residence. Sītā, having completed her prayers, meets him and notices his pale face. Rāma reveals that Daśaratha must honor two boons granted to Kaikeyī, resulting in a fourteen-year exile to the Daṇḍaka forest. He instructs Sītā to remain in the palace, serve the elder queens, and perform religious vows under Bharata’s rule. He cautions her to avoid praising him or causing offense.

२.२४

अयोध्याकाण्डे चतुर्विंशः सर्गः

Sītā argues to follow Rāma into the forest.

Summary AI Sītā rejects Rāma’s request to stay behind, asserting that a wife shares her husband’s fate. She offers to walk before him to crush thorns and kuśa grass, finding more comfort in the pādacchāyā, or the shadow of his feet, than in palaces. She promises to subsist on roots and fruits while wandering through lotus ponds. Even as she vows to choose death over separation, Rāma attempts to dissuade her by describing the hardships of the wilderness.

२.२५

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चविंशः सर्गः

Rāma warns Sītā about the forest's hardships.

Summary AI Rāma lists the physical hardships of the forest to dissuade Sītā. He describes the roars of lions and the necessity of sleeping on the bare earth upon beds of fallen leaves. He explains the rigors of wearing valkala bark clothing, maintaining jaṭā matted hair, and enduring constant hunger. Sharp kuśa grass, stinging insects, and serpents obstruct the wilderness paths. Despite these warnings, Sītā remains grieved by his instruction to stay.

२.२६

अयोध्याकाण्डे षड्विंशः सर्गः

Sītā insists on joining Rāma in his forest exile.

Summary AI Sītā rejects Rāma’s warnings, claiming that affection transforms forest hardships into benefits. She recalls childhood prophecies from brāhmaṇa palmists who predicted her life in the wilderness. Citing tradition, she identifies her husband as her daivata and insists on accompanying him. She threatens to die by poison, fire, or water if left behind. Despite her tears falling to the ground, Rāma continues to describe the dangers to dissuade her.

२.२७

अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तविंशः सर्गः

Sītā convinces Rāma to let her join his exile.

Summary AI Sītā rebukes Rāma for his attempt to leave her in Ayodhyā, asserting her devotion with the example of Sāvitrī. She describes the harsh forest environment—thorny trees and dust—as soft as silk in his presence. Faced with her threat of suicide and her bitter tears, Rāma relents. He compares her company to his own reputation and commands her to distribute her jewelry and wealth to brāhmaṇas and the needy before their departure.

२.२८

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टाविंशः सर्गः

Rāma allows Lakṣmaṇa to join him in exile.

Summary AI Rāma asks Lakṣmaṇa to remain in Ayodhyā to guard their mothers against Kaikeyī. Lakṣmaṇa refuses, vowing to serve as a guide and gatherer while carrying a khanitra and piṭaka. He asserts that Kauśalyā’s resources are sufficient for her care. Rāma yields, directing him to fetch the ancestral weapons from the house of Vasiṣṭha. After Lakṣmaṇa returns with the bows and armor, Rāma begins distributing his riches to brāhmaṇas.

२.२९

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकोनत्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma distributes his wealth before leaving.

Summary AI Rāma prepares for exile by distributing his wealth. He presents golden aṅgada and kuṇḍala to the sage Suyajña, while Sītā offers her jewelry. On Rāma’s instruction, Lakṣmaṇa grants gems, chariots, and cattle to various brāhmaṇa families and the counselor Citraratha. Rāma playfully challenges the impoverished Trijaṭa to hurl a wooden staff to claim a large herd of cows. Finally, Rāma provides for his servants and entrusts them with his palace.

२.३०

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma walks through Ayodhyā to see his father.

Summary AI Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa carry weapons draped in flower garlands as they walk through Ayodhyā with Sītā. Crowds pack the streets, forcing citizens onto rooftops to watch the prince travel on foot. Observers lament seeing Sītā exposed to the public and the elements. The people vow to abandon their homes and follow them, turning the forest into a city. Rāma remains calm amidst their cries. He reaches the palace and asks Sumantra to announce his arrival.

२.३१

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकत्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma asks his father for permission to leave.

Summary AI Rāma arrives at the palace with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā. King Daśaratha summons his wives to witness the departure, then collapses in grief. Rāma lifts his father and requests formal permission to enter the Daṇḍaka forest. Though the king urges Rāma to seize the throne by force to bypass Kaikeyī’s boons, Rāma refuses. He insists on upholding his father’s word, choosing the forest over the kingdom to ensure the king remains truthful and Bharata rules.

२.३२

अयोध्याकाण्डे द्वात्रिंशः सर्गः

Daśaratha tries to send the royal treasury with Rāma.

Summary AI Daśaratha commands Sumantra to equip an army, merchants, and the royal treasury to follow Rāma. He intends for his son to hunt and perform yajña while living in the wild. Kaikeyī protests, arguing that Bharata should not inherit a depleted kingdom. She cites the banishment of Asamañja by King Sagara. The minister Siddhārtha retorts that Asamañja was a criminal. Stricken with sorrow, Daśaratha vows to follow Rāma into the forest himself.

२.३३

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रयस्त्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma and Sītā put on bark robes for exile.

Summary AI Rāma rejects the royal army and requests simple bark robes, a basket, and a spade. Kaikeyī provides the cīra garments in front of the court. Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa cast aside their fine clothes to dress as ascetics. Sītā stands confused until Rāma helps her fasten the bark over her silk dress. King Daśaratha rebukes Kaikeyī for this cruelty. Before departing, Rāma entreats his father to look after the grieving Kauśalyā.

२.३४

अयोध्याकाण्डे चतुस्त्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma and Sītā prepare to depart for the forest.

Summary AI Daśaratha collapses upon seeing Rāma in ascetic robes. The king orders Sumantra to prepare a chariot and provides Sītā with fine garments for her exile. Kauśalyā instructs Sītā on the dharma of a wife, and Sītā compares a woman without a husband to a stringless vīṇā. Rāma consoles his mother and begs forgiveness from his stepmothers. The palace, once resonant with festive drums, now echoes with the loud wailing of the royal women.

२.३५

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चत्रिंशः सर्गः

Rāma leaves for the forest in a chariot.

Summary AI Rāma, Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa circumambulate the king and bid farewell. Sumitrā instructs Lakṣmaṇa to serve Rāma as his father and the forest as Ayodhyā. They board a chariot equipped with weapons. As Sumantra drives, the citizens of Ayodhyā pursue the vehicle. Daśaratha and Kauśalyā follow on foot. Pained by his parents’ distress, Rāma commands Sumantra to hasten the horses, ignoring the king’s cries to stop, as the royal family watches.

२.३६

अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्त्रिंशः सर्गः

Ayodhyā grieves as Rāma begins his journey.

Summary AI Rāma departs with palms joined in salutation. In the harem, the queens wail like cows separated from their calves. King Daśaratha sinks into his seat, overwhelmed. The agnihotra fires go unlit while elephants and cows refuse fodder. In the sky, Mars and Jupiter crowd the moon, and the Viśākhā stars appear shrouded in smoke. Abandoning meals and family duties, the citizens weep in the streets. Ayodhyā trembles and groans, resembling the earth deprived of Indra.

२.३७

अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तत्रिंशः सर्गः

Daśaratha rejects Kaikeyī and returns to the city.

Summary AI King Daśaratha watches the dust of the departing chariot until it vanishes. He rejects Kaikeyī’s touch, renouncing their marriage. Returning to a silent Ayodhyā, he retreats to Kauśalyā’s chambers, feeling the remorse of one who has slain a brāhmaṇa. He imagines Rāma sleeping on the forest floor, sighing like a bull elephant. Proclaiming that his eyesight has followed his son, the king lies on a couch and cries for the exiles.

२.३८

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टात्रिंशः सर्गः

Kauśalyā grieves and asks for Rāma’s return.

Summary AI Kauśalyā addresses the exhausted king, likening Kaikeyī to a venomous serpent. She compares the king’s decision to a sacrificer giving the deities' portion to rākṣasa spirits. Kauśalyā asks when Ayodhyā will again rejoice with raised banners and showers of lāja upon her son's return. She attributes her misery to the actions of a past life where she might have hacked the udders of cows, comparing her state to a cow losing its calf.

२.३९

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Sumitrā reassures Kauśalyā about Rāma’s safety.

Summary AI Sumitrā comforts Kauśalyā by praising Rāma’s devotion to dharma and his father’s promise. She explains that nature will protect the exiles: the sun will not burn Rāma, and the moon will cool him. Armed with divine weapons from Viśvāmitra, Rāma travels with Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā toward a guaranteed return. Hearing these predictions of his eventual coronation and well-being, Kauśalyā’s sorrow disappears like a light cloud in the autumn sky.

२.४०

अयोध्याकाण्डे चत्वारिंशः सर्गः

The citizens of Ayodhyā follow Rāma into the forest.

Summary AI Rāma drives toward the forest while the citizens follow his chariot in grief. He urges the crowd to transfer their loyalty to Bharata, describing his brother’s maturity. When elderly brāhmaṇas struggle to keep pace, Rāma alights from the chariot to walk beside them. These priests carry their vājapeya umbrellas to provide him shade. Even the birds and trees appear to plead for his return as the procession reaches the banks of the Tamasā river.

२.४१

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma secretly leaves his followers.

Summary AI Rāma, Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa camp on the banks of the Tamasā river. Rāma drinks only water and rests on a bed of leaves, while Lakṣmaṇa and Sumantra keep watch. At daybreak, Rāma observes the sleeping citizens who followed him. To spare them further hardship, he instructs Sumantra to drive the chariot in a deceptive path to hide their tracks. The trio crosses the river, leaving the grieving followers to return to Ayodhyā.

२.४२

अयोध्याकाण्डे द्विचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

The people of Ayodhyā mourn Rāma's departure.

Summary AI The citizens return home and find the city silent. Merchants abandon their stalls, and householders refuse to cook. In every house, women reproach their husbands for returning without Rāma. They envision the mountains and rivers of the wilderness offering hospitality to the exiles while they dread life under Kaikeyī. Comparing their state to animals delivered to a butcher, the people weep. They mourn the loss of the prince more than their own sons.

२.४३

अयोध्याकाण्डे त्रिचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma leaves the kingdom and crosses several rivers.

Summary AI Rāma travels through the night and reaches the border at dawn. Passing blooming forests and villages, he hears residents denounce Kaikeyī and the king. He crosses the Vedaśruti, Gomatī, and Syandikā rivers, pointing out ancestral Ikṣvāku lands to Sītā. While moving south, he tells the charioteer of his hope to return to the banks of the Sarayū river one day to hunt and reunite with his parents.

२.४४

अयोध्याकाण्डे चतुश्चत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma meets Guha and rests by the river.

Summary AI Rāma, Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa reach Śṛṅgaverapura on the banks of the Gaṅgā and rest beneath an inguḍī tree. Guha, the king of the Niṣādas, welcomes Rāma with offerings of food. Adhering to his vow as a tāpasa, Rāma declines the royal comforts, accepting only fodder for his horses. He drinks only water and sleeps on the bare earth while Lakṣmaṇa and Guha keep watch with their bows until the night passes.

२.४५

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Lakṣmaṇa guards Rāma and Sītā during the night.

Summary AI Guha offers a bed to Lakṣmaṇa, yet the prince remains standing to guard Rāma and Sītā as they sleep on a bed of grass. Guha pledges his kinsmen’s protection, but Lakṣmaṇa finds sleep impossible while his brother lies on the earth. He laments the impending death of Daśaratha and the grief of his mothers, Kauśalyā and Sumitrā. Fearing for the fate of Ayodhyā, Lakṣmaṇa questions if they will ever return home. Guha weeps.

२.४६

अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्चत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā and enters the forest.

Summary AI At dawn, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa fasten their quivers and walk toward the Gaṅgā. Rāma instructs Sumantra to return the chariot to Ayodhyā so Kaikeyī will know the exile has begun. The brothers apply nyagrodha latex to mat their hair into jaṭā and dress in bark garments. After crossing the river by boat, Sītā prays to the goddess for their safe return. The group enters the forest on foot and hunts for their evening meal.

२.४७

अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma laments in the forest and Lakṣmaṇa consoles him.

Summary AI After offering sandhyā prayers, Rāma rests on the earth for his first night in the forest. He fears that King Daśaratha, blinded by kāma, has prioritized passion over dharma and artha. Lamenting the potential suffering of Kauśalyā and Sumitrā under Kaikeyī’s rule, Rāma asks Lakṣmaṇa to return to the city. Lakṣmaṇa vows to remain. Rāma relents, permitting his brother to share the fourteen-year exile.

२.४८

अयोध्याकाण्डे अष्टचत्वारिंशः सर्गः

Rāma meets Sage Bharadvāja at the river confluence.

Summary AI Rāma, Sītā, and Lakṣmaṇa walk toward the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā. Guided by the sound of clashing waters and rising smoke, they reach the hermitage of Bharadvāja at Prayāga. Rāma introduces his family and explains their exile. The sage offers arghya and water, welcoming them to stay. Concerned about proximity to the city, Rāma requests a more secluded home. Bharadvāja directs them to Citrakūṭa mountain.

२.४९

अयोध्याकाण्डे एकोनपञ्चाशः सर्गः

The exiles cross the Yamunā and find a campsite.

Summary AI Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā leave the hermitage and reach the Kālindī river. The brothers lash together logs and bamboo to build a plava, covering it with uśīra grass. They ferry Sītā across the water and reach a large Śyāma banyan tree. Sītā circumambulates the tree in prayer, asking for a safe return to her family. After hunting deer for food, they walk deeper into the forest and select a campsite near the riverbank.

२.५०

अयोध्याकाण्डे पञ्चाशः सर्गः

Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa build a hut at Citrakūṭa.

Summary AI Rāma awakens Lakṣmaṇa at dawn to continue their journey toward Citrakūṭa. Along the path, he points out blooming kiṃśuka trees and heavy honeycombs. Upon reaching the mountain, Lakṣmaṇa constructs a parṇaśālā using timber and leaves. To sanctify the new dwelling, Lakṣmaṇa hunts and roasts a kṛṣṇamṛga while Rāma performs a ritual offering with sacred mantras. They settle into the leaf-covered hut near the Mālyavatī river.

Other texts to read

कुमारसंभवम् कालिदासः

नैषधीयचरितम् श्रीहर्षः

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