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Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa, sarga 63: Bharata’s ominous dream

Summary. Daśaratha falls into filth and oil and travels south in a donkey-drawn chariot, Bharata wakes fearing a family death

Sequence

  1. That same night Bharata dreams of disaster and wakes deeply troubled (2.63.1–2)
  2. his companions try music, dancing, stories, and jokes, but cannot cheer him (2.63.3–5)
  3. when a friend asks what is wrong, he describes the dream (2.63.6–7)
  4. he saw his father dirty and disheveled, falling into filth, drinking oil, eating sesame rice, and sinking into oil (2.63.8–10)
  5. he also saw the ocean dry up, the moon fall, fire go out, the earth split, trees wither, mountains smoke, and women mock the King on an iron seat (2.63.11–13)
  6. finally Daśaratha rode south in a donkey-drawn chariot → Bharata interprets this as an omen of death in the family (2.63.14–16)
  7. his throat dries and his uneasiness will not pass. (2.63.17–18)

Verses 2.63.1–18

2.63.1

yām eva rātriṃ te dūtāḥ praviśanti sma tāṃ purīm
bharatenāpi tāṃ rātriṃ svapno dṛṣṭo 'yam apriyaḥ

On the very night that those messengers entered that city, Bharata too on that night saw this unpleasant dream.

Words: yām eva — on the very (night) which; rātriṃ — night; te — those; dūtāḥ — messengers; praviśanti sma — entered; tāṃ — that; purīm — city; bharatenāpi — by Bharata too; tāṃ — that; rātriṃ — night; svapno — a dream; dṛṣṭo — was seen; 'yam — this; apriyaḥ — unpleasant

2.63.2

vyuṣṭām eva tu tāṃ rātriṃ dṛṣṭvā taṃ svapnam apriyam
putro rājādhirājasya subhṛśaṃ paryatapyata

As soon as that night had dawned, the son of the king of kings, having seen that unpleasant dream, grieved exceedingly.

Words: vyuṣṭām — dawned, passed; eva — just, as soon as; tu — and; tāṃ — that; rātriṃ — night; dṛṣṭvā — having seen; taṃ — that; svapnam — dream; apriyam — unpleasant; putro — the son; rājādhirājasya — of the king of kings; subhṛśaṃ — exceedingly; paryatapyata — was tormented, grieved

2.63.3

tapyamānaṃ samājñāya vayasyāḥ priyavādinaḥ
āyāsaṃ hi vineṣyantaḥ sabhāyāṃ cakrire kathāḥ

Perceiving him tormented, his kindly-speaking companions, wishing to dispel his distress, carried on talk in the assembly hall.

Words: tapyamānaṃ — (him) being tormented; samājñāya — having perceived; vayasyāḥ — companions, friends; priyavādinaḥ — speaking kindly; āyāsaṃ — the distress; hi — indeed; vineṣyantaḥ — wishing to dispel; sabhāyāṃ — in the assembly hall; cakrire — made, carried on; kathāḥ — talk, stories

2.63.4

vādayanti tathā śāntiṃ lāsayanty api cāpare
nāṭakāny apare prāhur hāsyāni vividhāni ca

Some played soothing music, others set dancers to dance, and still others recited dramas and jests of many kinds.

Words: vādayanti — (some) play (instruments); tathā — so, likewise; śāntiṃ — soothing (music), a calming strain; lāsayanty — make (others) dance; api — also; cāpare — and others; nāṭakāny — dramas; apare — others; prāhur — recited, told; hāsyāni — jests, comic pieces; vividhāni — various; ca — and

2.63.5

sa tair mahātmā bharataḥ sakhibhiḥ priya vādibhiḥ
goṣṭhīhāsyāni kurvadbhir na prāhṛṣyata rāghavaḥ

But the great-souled Bharata, the Rāghava, was not cheered by those kindly-speaking companions who made the jests of good company.

Words: sa — he; tair — by those; mahātmā — great-souled; bharataḥ — Bharata; sakhibhiḥ — by companions; priya vādibhiḥ — kindly-speaking; goṣṭhīhāsyāni — the jests of company; kurvadbhir — making; na — not; prāhṛṣyata — was cheered, delighted; rāghavaḥ — the Rāghava

2.63.6

tam abravīt priyasakho bharataṃ sakhibhir vṛtam
suhṛdbhiḥ paryupāsīnaḥ kiṃ sakhe nānumodase

A dear friend, seated attending him among the well-wishers, said to Bharata, who was surrounded by companions: “Why, friend, do you not join in the merriment?”

Words: tam — him; abravīt — said to; priyasakho — a dear friend; bharataṃ — Bharata; sakhibhir — by companions; vṛtam — surrounded; suhṛdbhiḥ — by well-wishers, friends; paryupāsīnaḥ — sitting near, attending; kiṃ — why; sakhe — O friend; nānumodase — do you not rejoice, join in

2.63.7

evaṃ bruvāṇaṃ suhṛdaṃ bharataḥ pratyuvāca ha
śṛṇu tvaṃ yan nimittaṃme dainyam etad upāgatam

To the friend who spoke thus, Bharata replied: “Hear from what cause this dejection has come upon me.

Words: evaṃ — thus; bruvāṇaṃ — speaking; suhṛdaṃ — the friend; bharataḥ — Bharata; pratyuvāca — replied; ha — indeed; śṛṇu — hear; tvaṃ — you; yan — on account of which; nimittaṃme — the cause ... for me; dainyam — dejection, misery; etad — this; upāgatam — has come upon

2.63.8

svapne pitaram adrākṣaṃ malinaṃ muktamūrdhajam
patantam adriśikharāt kaluṣe gomaye hrade

In a dream I saw my father, grimy and with disheveled hair, falling from a mountain peak into a foul pool of cow-dung.

Words: svapne — in a dream; pitaram — my father; adrākṣaṃ — I saw; malinaṃ — grimy, dirty; muktamūrdhajam — with disheveled hair; patantam — falling; adriśikharāt — from a mountain peak; kaluṣe — into a foul, muddy; gomaye — of cow-dung; hrade — pool

2.63.9

plavamānaś ca me dṛṣṭaḥ sa tasmin gomayahrade
pibann añjalinā tailaṃ hasann iva muhur muhuḥ

And I saw him floating in that pool of cow-dung, drinking oil from his cupped hands, laughing as it were again and again.

Words: plavamānaś — floating, bobbing; ca — and; me — by me; dṛṣṭaḥ — was seen; sa — he; tasmin — in that; gomayahrade — pool of cow-dung; pibann — drinking; añjalinā — with cupped hands; tailaṃ — oil, sesame oil; hasann — laughing; iva — as if; muhur muhuḥ — again and again

2.63.10

tatas tilodanaṃ bhuktvā punaḥ punar adhaḥśirāḥ
tailenābhyaktasarvāṅgas tailam evāvagāhata

Then, having eaten sesame-rice again and again with his head hanging down, all his limbs smeared with oil, he plunged into the very oil.

Words: tatas — then; tilodanaṃ — sesame-rice; bhuktvā — having eaten; punaḥ punar — again and again; adhaḥśirāḥ — head hanging down; tailenābhyaktasarvāṅgas — all his limbs smeared with oil; tailam — oil; evāvagāhata — plunged into indeed

2.63.11

svapne 'pi sāgaraṃ śuṣkaṃ candraṃ ca patitaṃ bhuvi
sahasā cāpi saṃśantaṃ jvalitaṃ jātavedasaṃ

In the dream too I saw the ocean dried up, the moon fallen to the earth, and the blazing fire suddenly going out;

Words: svapne 'pi — in the dream too; sāgaraṃ — the ocean; śuṣkaṃ — dried up; candraṃ — the moon; ca — and; patitaṃ — fallen; bhuvi — to the earth; sahasā — suddenly; cāpi — and also; saṃśantaṃ — going out, being extinguished; jvalitaṃ — blazing, kindled; jātavedasaṃ — the fire (Jātavedas, Agni)

2.63.12

avadīrṇāṃ ca pṛthivīṃ śuṣkāṃś ca vividhān drumān
ahaṃ paśyāmi vidhvastān sadhūmāṃś caiva pārvatān

and I see the earth split open, sundry trees withered, and the mountains blasted and smoking.

Words: avadīrṇāṃ — split open, cleft; ca — and; pṛthivīṃ — the earth; śuṣkāṃś — withered; ca — and; vividhān — various, sundry; drumān — trees; ahaṃ — I; paśyāmi — see; vidhvastān — shattered, blasted; sadhūmāṃś — smoking; caiva — and; pārvatān — mountains, mountain masses

2.63.13

pīṭhe kārṣṇāyase cainaṃ niṣaṇṇaṃ kṛṣṇavāsasaṃ
prahasanti sma rājānaṃ pramadāḥ kṛṣṇapiṅgalāḥ

And women, black and tawny, kept mocking that king as he sat clad in black upon a seat of black iron.

Words: pīṭhe — on a seat; kārṣṇāyase — of black iron; cainaṃ — and him; niṣaṇṇaṃ — seated; kṛṣṇavāsasaṃ — clad in black; prahasanti sma — were mocking, laughing at; rājānaṃ — the king; pramadāḥ — women; kṛṣṇapiṅgalāḥ — black and tawny

2.63.14

tvaramāṇaś ca dharmātmā raktamālyānulepanaḥ
rathena kharayuktena prayāto dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ

And the righteous king, in haste, wearing red garlands and unguents, set forth facing south on a chariot yoked with donkeys.

Words: tvaramāṇaś — hastening; ca — and; dharmātmā — the righteous one; raktamālyānulepanaḥ — wearing red garlands and unguents; rathena — by a chariot; kharayuktena — yoked with donkeys; prayāto — set forth; dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ — facing south

2.63.15

evam etan mayā dṛṣṭam imāṃ rātriṃ bhayāvahām
ahaṃ rāmo 'tha vā rājā lakṣmaṇo vā mariṣyati

Thus did I see this on this fearful night; either I, or Rāma, or the king, or Lakṣmaṇa is going to die.

Words: evam — thus; etan — this; mayā — by me; dṛṣṭam — was seen; imāṃ — this; rātriṃ — night; bhayāvahām — fearful, terror-bringing; ahaṃ — I; rāmo — Rāma; 'tha vā — or; rājā — the king; lakṣmaṇo — Lakṣmaṇa; vā — or; mariṣyati — will die

2.63.16

naro yānena yaḥ svapne kharayuktena yāti hi
acirāt tasya dhūmāgraṃ citāyāṃ saṃpradṛśyate
etannimittaṃ dīno 'haṃ tan na vaḥ pratipūjaye

For the man who in a dream rides in a donkey-yoked conveyance, before long the crest of smoke from his pyre is seen; for this reason I am cast down, and so I take no delight in your entertainments.

Words: naro — a man; yānena — by a conveyance; yaḥ — who; svapne — in a dream; kharayuktena — yoked with donkeys; yāti — goes, rides; hi — indeed; acirāt — before long; tasya — his; dhūmāgraṃ — the crest of smoke; citāyāṃ — on the funeral pyre; saṃpradṛśyate — is seen; etannimittaṃ — for this reason; dīno — dejected, cast down; 'haṃ — I; tan — therefore; na — not; vaḥ — your (efforts); pratipūjaye — I welcome, take delight in

2.63.17

śuṣyatīva ca me kaṇṭho na svastham iva me manaḥ
jugupsann iva cātmānaṃ na ca paśyāmi kāraṇam

My throat seems to go dry, and my mind is not at ease; as though I loathed my very self — yet I can see no reason for it.

Words: śuṣyatīva — seems to dry up; ca — and; me — my; kaṇṭho — throat; na — not; svastham — at ease, well; iva — as it were; me — my; manaḥ — mind; jugupsann — loathing, shrinking from; iva — as if; cātmānaṃ — and myself; na — not; ca — and; paśyāmi — I see; kāraṇam — cause, reason

2.63.18

imāṃ hi duḥsvapnagatiṃ niśāmya tām anekarūpām avitarkitāṃ purā
bhayaṃ mahat tad dhṛdayān na yāti me vicintya rājānam acintyadarśanam

For having beheld this course of ill dreams, manifold and never imagined before, and pondering the king whose aspect I cannot conceive, that great fear will not depart from my heart.

Words: imāṃ — this; hi — indeed, for; duḥsvapnagatiṃ — the course of the bad dream; niśāmya — having beheld, perceived; tām — that; anekarūpām — manifold, of many forms; avitarkitāṃ — unimagined, undreamt-of; purā — before, hitherto; bhayaṃ — fear; mahat — great; tad — that; dhṛdayān — from my heart; na — not; yāti — departs; me — my; vicintya — having pondered, reflecting on; rājānam — the king; acintyadarśanam — of inconceivable aspect

← 2.62 Summoning Bharata · Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa · 2.64 Bharata leaves Kekaya →

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. 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/2/63.md · JSON: /data/2/63.json