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Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 62: Summoning Bharata

Summary. Five messengers ride to Kekaya with gifts and an urgent summons, forbidden to reveal Daśaratha’s death or Rāma’s exile

Sequence

  1. Vasiṣṭha proposes sending fast riders to bring Bharata and Śatrughna back from their maternal relatives (2.62.1–3)
  2. he appoints Siddhārtha, Vijaya, Jayanta, Aśoka, and Nandana and tells them to report that the priest and ministers require Bharata urgently (2.62.4–7)
  3. he specifically tells them not to disclose Rāma's exile or Daśaratha's death and sends gifts with them (2.62.8–9)
  4. they cross the Gaṅgā at Hastināpura and travel west through Pāñcāla and Kurujāṅgala (2.62.10–11)
  5. passing further rivers, settlements, and landmarks, they press on to Girivraja → they reach the city at night with their horses exhausted. (2.62.12–15)

Verses 2.62.1–15

2.62.1

teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā vasiṣṭhaḥ pratyuvāca ha
mitrāmātyagaṇān sarvān brāhmaṇāṃs tān idaṃ vacaḥ

Having heard that speech of theirs, Vasiṣṭha replied to all that gathering of friends and ministers, and to those brahmins, this word:

Words: teṣāṃ — their; tadvacanaṃ — that speech; śrutvā — having heard; vasiṣṭhaḥ — Vasiṣṭha; pratyuvāca — replied; ha — indeed; mitrāmātyagaṇān — the host of friends and ministers; sarvān — all; brāhmaṇāṃs — the brahmins; tān — those; idaṃ — this; vacaḥ — word

2.62.2

yad asau mātulakule pure rājagṛhe sukhī
bharato vasati bhrātrā śatrughnena samanvitaḥ

“Since that Bharata is dwelling happily in his maternal uncle's house, in the city of Rājagṛha, in the company of his brother Śatrughna,

Words: yad — since, seeing that; asau — that (one); mātulakule — in his maternal uncle's house; pure — in the city; rājagṛhe — Rājagṛha; sukhī — happy; bharato — Bharata; vasati — dwells; bhrātrā — with his brother; śatrughnena — Śatrughna; samanvitaḥ — accompanied by

2.62.3

tac chīghraṃ javanā dūtā gacchantu tvaritair hayaiḥ
ānetuṃ bhrātarau vīrau kiṃ samīkṣāmahe vayam

therefore let swift messengers go quickly with speedy horses to bring back the two heroic brothers — why should we tarry?”

Words: tac — therefore, that; chīghraṃ — quickly; javanā — swift; dūtā — messengers; gacchantu — let (them) go; tvaritair — with swift; hayaiḥ — horses; ānetuṃ — to bring; bhrātarau — the two brothers; vīrau — the two heroes; kiṃ — why; samīkṣāmahe — do we deliberate, wait; vayam — we

2.62.4

gacchantv iti tataḥ sarve vasiṣṭhaṃ vākyam abruvan
teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā vasiṣṭho vākyam abravīt

“Let them go,” they all then said to Vasiṣṭha; and hearing that speech of theirs, Vasiṣṭha spoke:

Words: gacchantv — let (them) go; iti — thus; tataḥ — then; sarve — all; vasiṣṭhaṃ — to Vasiṣṭha; vākyam — a word; abruvan — said; teṣāṃ — their; tadvacanaṃ — that speech; śrutvā — having heard; vasiṣṭho — Vasiṣṭha; vākyam — word; abravīt — spoke

2.62.5

ehi siddhārtha vijaya jayantāśokanandana
śrūyatām itikartavyaṃ sarvān eva bravīmi vaḥ

“Come, Siddhārtha, Vijaya, Jayanta, Aśoka, Nandana — let what must be done be heard; I tell it to you all.

Words: ehi — come; siddhārtha — O Siddhārtha; vijaya — O Vijaya; jayantāśokanandana — O Jayanta, Aśoka, Nandana; śrūyatām — let it be heard; itikartavyaṃ — what is to be done; sarvān — to all; eva — indeed; bravīmi — I tell; vaḥ — you

2.62.6

puraṃ rājagṛhaṃ gatvā śīghraṃ śīghrajavair hayaiḥ
tyaktaśokair idaṃ vācyaḥ śāsanād bharato mama

Going quickly to the city of Rājagṛha with swift-speeding horses, you, putting sorrow aside, are to say this to Bharata by my command:

Words: puraṃ — to the city; rājagṛhaṃ — Rājagṛha; gatvā — having gone; śīghraṃ — quickly; śīghrajavair — with swift-speeding; hayaiḥ — horses; tyaktaśokair — (you) having put sorrow aside; idaṃ — this; vācyaḥ — is to be told; śāsanād — by the command; bharato — Bharata; mama — my

2.62.7

purohitas tvāṃ kuśalaṃ prāha sarve ca mantriṇaḥ
tvaramāṇaś ca niryāhi kṛtyam ātyayikaṃ tvayā

‘The chaplain and all the ministers ask after your welfare; set out in haste, for there is an urgent matter to be attended to by you.’

Words: purohitas — the chaplain; tvāṃ — you; kuśalaṃ — welfare, well-being; prāha — asks after, says; sarve — all; ca — and; mantriṇaḥ — the ministers; tvaramāṇaś — hurrying; ca — and; niryāhi — set out; kṛtyam — a task; ātyayikaṃ — urgent, pressing; tvayā — by you

2.62.8

mā cāsmai proṣitaṃ rāmaṃ mā cāsmai pitaraṃ mṛtam
bhavantaḥ śaṃsiṣur gatvā rāghavāṇām imaṃ kṣayam

And when you have gone, do not, sirs, tell him that Rāma is in exile, nor that his father is dead, nor of this ruin of the Rāghavas.

Words: mā — do not; cāsmai — and to him; proṣitaṃ — gone into exile, abroad; rāmaṃ — Rāma; mā — do not; cāsmai — and to him; pitaraṃ — the father; mṛtam — dead; bhavantaḥ — you (honorific), sirs; śaṃsiṣur — should tell; gatvā — having gone; rāghavāṇām — of the Rāghavas; imaṃ — this; kṣayam — ruin, loss

2.62.9

kauśeyāni ca vastrāṇi bhūṣaṇāni varāṇi ca
kṣipram ādāya rājñaś ca bharatasya ca gacchata
vasiṣṭhenābhyanujñātā dūtāḥ saṃtvaritā yayuḥ

‘And taking quickly silken garments and choice ornaments for the king and for Bharata, go.’ Thus permitted by Vasiṣṭha, the messengers set out in great haste.

Words: kauśeyāni — silken; ca — and; vastrāṇi — garments; bhūṣaṇāni — ornaments; varāṇi — choice, excellent; ca — and; kṣipram — quickly; ādāya — having taken; rājñaś ca — and for the king; bharatasya ca — and for Bharata; gacchata — go; vasiṣṭhenābhyanujñātā — permitted by Vasiṣṭha; dūtāḥ — the messengers; saṃtvaritā — in great haste; yayuḥ — set out, went

2.62.10

te hastina pure gaṅgāṃ tīrtvā pratyaṅmukhā yayuḥ
pāñcāladeśam āsādya madhyena kurujāṅgalam

Crossing the Ganges at Hastināpura, they went facing westward, and reaching the Pāñcāla country passed through the midst of Kurujāṅgala.

Words: te — they; hastina pure — at Hastināpura; gaṅgāṃ — the Ganges; tīrtvā — having crossed; pratyaṅmukhā — facing westward; yayuḥ — went; pāñcāladeśam — the Pāñcāla country; āsādya — having reached; madhyena — through the midst of; kurujāṅgalam — Kurujāṅgala

2.62.11

te prasannodakāṃ divyāṃ nānāvihagasevitām
upātijagmur vegena śaradaṇḍāṃ janākulām

With speed they crossed the lovely Śaradaṇḍā of clear water, frequented by many birds and thronged with people.

Words: te — they; prasannodakāṃ — of clear water; divyāṃ — divine, lovely; nānāvihagasevitām — frequented by various birds; upātijagmur — passed over, crossed; vegena — with speed; śaradaṇḍāṃ — the Śaradaṇḍā (river); janākulām — crowded with people

2.62.12

nikūlavṛkṣam āsādya divyaṃ satyopayācanam
abhigamyābhivādyaṃ taṃ kuliṅgāṃ prāviśan purīm

Reaching the divine bank-tree that grants true wishes, and having approached and saluted it, they entered the city of Kuliṅgā.

Words: nikūlavṛkṣam — the tree on the bank; āsādya — having reached; divyaṃ — divine; satyopayācanam — granter of true wishes; abhigamyābhivādyaṃ — having approached (it), worthy of salutation; taṃ — that; kuliṅgāṃ — Kuliṅgā; prāviśan — they entered; purīm — the city

2.62.13

abhikālaṃ tataḥ prāpya tejo'bhibhavanāc cyutāḥ
yayur madhyena bāhlīkān sudāmānaṃ ca parvatam
viṣṇoḥ padaṃ prekṣamāṇā vipāśāṃ cāpi śālmalīm

Then reaching Abhikāla and passing beyond the oppression of the heat, they went through the midst of the Bāhlīkas and Mount Sudāman, gazing on Viṣṇu's Step, and on the Vipāśā and the Śālmalī rivers as well.

Words: abhikālaṃ — Abhikāla (a place); tataḥ — then; prāpya — having reached; tejo'bhibhavanāc — from the oppression of heat; cyutāḥ — freed, released from; yayur — went; madhyena — through the midst of; bāhlīkān — the Bāhlīkas; sudāmānaṃ — Sudāman (a mountain); ca — and; parvatam — the mountain; viṣṇoḥ — of Viṣṇu; padaṃ — the step, footprint; prekṣamāṇā — beholding, gazing on; vipāśāṃ — the Vipāśā (river); cāpi — and also; śālmalīm — the Śālmalī (river)

2.62.14

te śrāntavāhanā dūtā vikṛṣṭena satā pathā
giri vrajaṃ pura varaṃ śīghram āsedur añjasā

Their mounts wearied, the messengers, by a long and extended road, quickly and straightway reached Girivraja, the finest of cities.

Words: te — they; śrāntavāhanā — with wearied mounts; dūtā — the messengers; vikṛṣṭena — by the drawn-out, long; satā — being (such); pathā — by the road; giri vrajaṃ — Girivraja; pura varaṃ — the finest of cities; śīghram — quickly; āsedur — reached; añjasā — directly, straightway

2.62.15

bhartuḥ priyārthaṃ kularakṣaṇārthaṃ bhartuś ca vaṃśasya parigrahārtham
aheḍamānās tvarayā sma dūtā rātryāṃ tu te tat puram eva yātāḥ

For their master's pleasure, for the protection of the royal house, and for the upholding of their master's lineage, the tireless messengers in their haste reached that very city by night.

Words: bhartuḥ — for their master; priyārthaṃ — for the pleasure of; kularakṣaṇārthaṃ — for the protection of the family; bhartuś ca — and of their master; vaṃśasya — of the lineage; parigrahārtham — for the upholding of; aheḍamānās — untiring, without slackening; tvarayā — with haste; sma — (emphatic particle); dūtā — the messengers; rātryāṃ — by night; tu — and; te — they; tat — that; puram — city; eva — indeed, very; yātāḥ — reached, went to

← 2.61 Ayodhyā without a King · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.63 Bharata’s ominous dream →

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.

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