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Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 59: Discovery of Daśaratha’s death
Summary. Attendants arrive with the morning’s songs and offerings, find the King unresponsive and awaken the Queens to mourning
Sequence
- At dawn the palace staff arrive as usual with songs, bathwater, food, and ceremonial articles (2.59.1–4)
- attendants approach to wake Daśaratha and realize that he is dead → their cries spread through the rooms (2.59.5–8)
- Kausalyā and Sumitrā wake, see and touch him, and collapse in grief (2.59.9–11)
- his wives gather around the body, and the palace fills with mourning. (2.59.12–14)
Verses 2.59.1–14
2.59.1
atha rātryāṃ vyatītāyāṃ prātar evāpare 'hani
bandinaḥ paryupātiṣṭhaṃs tat pārthivaniveśanam
Now, when the night had passed, at dawn on the following day, the bards attended upon that royal dwelling.
Words: atha — now; rātryāṃ — the night; vyatītāyāṃ — having passed; prātar — at dawn; evāpare — on the very following; 'hani — day; bandinaḥ — the bards, panegyrists; paryupātiṣṭhaṃs — attended upon; tat — that; pārthivaniveśanam — the king's dwelling
2.59.2
tataḥ śucisamācārāḥ paryupasthāna kovidaḥ
strīvarṣavarabhūyiṣṭhā upatasthur yathāpuram
Then those of pure conduct, skilled in attendance, consisting mostly of women and chamberlains, drew near as on other days.
Words: tataḥ — then; śucisamācārāḥ — of pure conduct; paryupasthāna — in attendance; kovidaḥ — skilled [app. kovidāḥ]; strīvarṣavarabhūyiṣṭhā — consisting mostly of women and chamberlains; upatasthur — drew near, attended; yathāpuram — as before, as usual
2.59.3
haricandanasaṃpṛktam udakaṃ kāñcanair ghaṭaiḥ
āninyuḥ snānaśikṣājñā yathākālaṃ yathāvidhi
Water blended with yellow sandal they brought in golden pitchers, those versed in the art of the bath, in due time and due form.
Words: haricandanasaṃpṛktam — blended with yellow sandalwood; udakaṃ — water; kāñcanair — golden; ghaṭaiḥ — with pitchers; āninyuḥ — they brought; snānaśikṣājñā — those knowing the art of the bath; yathākālaṃ — at the due time; yathāvidhi — according to rule
2.59.4
maṅgalālambhanīyāni prāśanīyān upaskarān
upaninyus tathāpy anyāḥ kumārī bahulāḥ striyaḥ
And still other women, mostly maidens, brought auspicious things to be touched, foods, and utensils.
Words: maṅgalālambhanīyāni — auspicious things to be touched; prāśanīyān — foods, things to be eaten; upaskarān — utensils, provisions; upaninyus — brought; tathāpy — likewise too; anyāḥ — other; kumārī — maidens; bahulāḥ — numerous, for the most part; striyaḥ — women
2.59.5
atha yāḥ kosalendrasya śayanaṃ pratyanantarāḥ
tāḥ striyas tu samāgamya bhartāraṃ pratyabodhayan
Now those women who were closest to the bed of the Kosala king, gathering together, sought to waken their lord.
Words: atha — now; yāḥ — who; kosalendrasya — of the Kosala lord; śayanaṃ — bed; pratyanantarāḥ — closest beside; tāḥ — those; striyas — women; tu — indeed; samāgamya — having gathered together; bhartāraṃ — the lord, husband; pratyabodhayan — sought to waken
2.59.6
tā vepathuparītāś ca rājñaḥ prāṇeṣu śaṅkitāḥ
pratisrotas tṛṇāgrāṇāṃ sadṛśaṃ saṃcakampire
Seized with trembling and fearful for the king's life, they shook like the tips of grasses in the current of a stream.
Words: tā — they; vepathuparītāś — seized with trembling; ca — and; rājñaḥ — of the king; prāṇeṣu — for the life-breaths; śaṅkitāḥ — fearful, anxious; pratisrotas — against the current; tṛṇāgrāṇāṃ — of the tips of grass; sadṛśaṃ — like; saṃcakampire — trembled, quivered
2.59.7
atha saṃvepamanānāṃ strīṇāṃ dṛṣṭvā ca pārthivam
yat tad āśaṅkitaṃ pāpaṃ tasya jajñe viniścayaḥ
Then, seeing the king, there arose among the trembling women the certain knowledge of that dreaded calamity.
Words: atha — then; saṃvepamanānāṃ — of the trembling; strīṇāṃ — of the women; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; ca — and; pārthivam — the king; yat — which; tad — that; āśaṅkitaṃ — feared, dreaded; pāpaṃ — calamity, evil; tasya — of that; jajñe — arose, was born; viniścayaḥ — certainty
2.59.8
tataḥ pracukruśur dīnāḥ sasvaraṃ tā varāṅganāḥ
kareṇava ivāraṇye sthānapracyutayūthapāḥ
Then those lovely women wailed aloud, piteously, like she-elephants in the forest whose herd-leader has been struck from his place.
Words: tataḥ — then; pracukruśur — wailed out; dīnāḥ — piteous; sasvaraṃ — aloud, with a cry; tā — those; varāṅganāḥ — lovely women; kareṇava — she-elephants; ivāraṇye — like in the forest; sthānapracyutayūthapāḥ — whose herd-leaders are fallen from their place
2.59.9
tāsām ākranda śabdena sahasodgatacetane
kausalyā ca sumitrāca tyaktanidre babhūvatuḥ
At the sound of their wailing, their senses starting up all at once, Kausalyā and Sumitrā were roused from sleep.
Words: tāsām — their; ākranda — of wailing; śabdena — by the sound; sahasodgatacetane — their consciousness suddenly risen (both); kausalyā — Kausalyā; ca — and; sumitrāca — and Sumitrā; tyaktanidre — having cast off sleep (both); babhūvatuḥ — the two became
2.59.10
kausalyā ca sumitrā ca dṛṣṭvā spṛṣṭvā ca pārthivam
hā nātheti parikruśya petatur dharaṇītale
Kausalyā and Sumitrā, seeing and touching the king, cried out 'Alas, my lord!' and fell to the ground.
Words: kausalyā — Kausalyā; ca — and; sumitrā — Sumitrā; ca — and; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; spṛṣṭvā — having touched; ca — and; pārthivam — the king; hā nātheti — 'alas, O lord!' thus; parikruśya — having cried out; petatur — the two fell; dharaṇītale — on the ground
2.59.11
sā kosalendraduhitā veṣṭamānā mahītale
na babhrāja rajodhvastā tāreva gaganacyutā
That daughter of the Kosala king (Kausalyā), writhing on the ground, dust-covered, shone no more, like a star fallen from the sky.
Words: sā — she; kosalendraduhitā — daughter of the Kosala lord; veṣṭamānā — writhing, rolling; mahītale — on the ground; na — not; babhrāja — shone; rajodhvastā — covered with dust; tāreva — like a star; gaganacyutā — fallen from the sky
2.59.12
tat samuttrastasaṃbhrāntaṃ paryutsukajanākulam
sarvatas tumulākrandaṃ paritāpārtabāndhavam
That (palace) — terrified and bewildered, thronged with anxious folk, filled everywhere with tumultuous wailing, its kinsfolk stricken with grief,
Words: tat — that; samuttrastasaṃbhrāntaṃ — terrified and bewildered; paryutsukajanākulam — thronged with anxious people; sarvatas — everywhere; tumulākrandaṃ — with tumultuous wailing; paritāpārtabāndhavam — its kinsfolk afflicted with anguish
2.59.13
sadyo nipatitānandaṃ dīnaviklavadarśanam
babhūva naradevasya sadma diṣṭāntam īyuṣaḥ
suddenly became joyless and of piteous, distraught aspect — the dwelling of that king, who had met his destined end.
Words: sadyo — suddenly; nipatitānandaṃ — its joy fallen away; dīnaviklavadarśanam — of piteous, distraught aspect; babhūva — became; naradevasya — of the king (man-god); sadma — the dwelling; diṣṭāntam — his destined end; īyuṣaḥ — who had reached
2.59.14
atītam ājñāya tu pārthivarṣabhaṃ yaśasvinaṃ saṃparivārya patnayaḥ
bhṛśaṃ rudantyaḥ karuṇaṃ suduḥkhitāḥ pragṛhya bāhū vyalapann anāthavat
Realizing that the bull among kings, the illustrious one, had passed away, his wives surrounded him and, weeping bitterly and piteously, deeply grieved, flung up their arms and lamented like helpless creatures.
Words: atītam — passed away, dead; ājñāya — having realized; tu — indeed; pārthivarṣabhaṃ — the bull among kings; yaśasvinaṃ — the illustrious; saṃparivārya — having surrounded; patnayaḥ — the wives; bhṛśaṃ — greatly, bitterly; rudantyaḥ — weeping; karuṇaṃ — piteously; suduḥkhitāḥ — deeply grieved; pragṛhya — having raised up; bāhū — (their) two arms; vyalapann — lamented; anāthavat — like helpless ones
← 2.58 The curse and Daśaratha’s death · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.60 Daśaratha’s body preserved in oil →
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.
Plain text: /text/2/59.md · JSON: /data/2/59.json