# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 16 — Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile *Kaikeyī explains the boons, Rāma agrees, asks for Bharata’s return and leaves to speak to Kausalyā & Sītā* Portion: Rāma accepts the exile · Verses: 61 · Ref format: 2.16. ## Sequence - Rāma bows to Daśaratha and Kaikeyī, but his father can only say his name and weep (16.1–4) - alarmed by this unfamiliar silence, Rāma asks whether he has offended him, whether he is ill, or whether something has happened to the family (16.5–15) - he asks Kaikeyī to explain and promises to do whatever his father requires, even at the cost of his life (16.16–19) - she recounts the two boons and tells him that Bharata will receive the Kingdom while he must spend fourteen years in Daṇḍaka, dressed as a tapasvin (16.20–26) - Rāma accepts immediately → he says that what hurts him is his father's inability to tell him directly: he would willingly give Bharata the Kingdom and everything else (16.27–34). - Rāma asks that Bharata be summoned and Daśaratha comforted → Kaikeyī presses him to leave quickly, saying the King will neither eat nor bathe until he has gone → Daśaratha collapses again, and Rāma helps him up (16.35–44) - Rāma says he values duty above gain and would obey Kaikeyī even without a separate command from his father → he asks only to take leave of Kausalyā and speak to Sītā, and tells Kaikeyī to ensure that Bharata serves their father (16.45–52) - he bows to both parents, walks respectfully around them and the vessels prepared for his abhiṣeka, and leaves → Lakṣmaṇa follows in tears and anger, while Rāma controls his own grief and goes to his mother's still-celebrating household (16.53–61). ## Verses **2.16.1** sa dadarśāsane rāmo niṣaṇṇaṃ pitaraṃ śubhe kaikeyīsahitaṃ dīnaṃ mukhena pariśuṣyatā Rāma saw his father seated on a fair couch together with Kaikeyī, dejected, his face wan and shrunken. **2.16.2** sa pituś caraṇau pūrvam abhivādya vinītavat tato vavande caraṇau kaikeyyāḥ susamāhitaḥ First reverently saluting his father's feet, then, well-composed, he bowed to the feet of Kaikeyī. **2.16.3** rāmety uktvā ca vacanaṃ vāṣpaparyākulekṣaṇaḥ śaśāka nṛpatir dīno nekṣituṃ nābhibhāṣitum Having spoken only the word 'Rāma,' his eyes brimming with tears, the wretched king could neither look at him nor speak. **2.16.4** tad apūrvaṃ narapater dṛṣṭvā rūpaṃ bhayāvaham rāmo 'pi bhayam āpannaḥ padā spṛṣṭveva pannagam Seeing that unprecedented, fearsome look of the king, Rāma too was seized with fear, like one who has touched a snake with his foot. **2.16.5** indriyair aprahṛṣṭais taṃ śokasaṃtāpakarśitam niḥśvasantaṃ mahārājaṃ vyathitākulacetasaṃ Him, with joyless senses, wasted by grief and anguish, the great king sighing, his mind agitated and distraught— **2.16.6** ūrmi mālinam akṣobhyaṃ kṣubhyantam iva sāgaram upaplutam ivādityam uktānṛtam ṛṣiṃ yathā —like the imperturbable ocean, wreathed with waves, grown turbulent; like the sun in eclipse; like a seer who has uttered a falsehood— **2.16.7** acintyakalpaṃ hi pitus taṃ śokam upadhārayan babhūva saṃrabdhataraḥ samudra iva parvaṇi —perceiving that almost inconceivable grief of his father, he grew more agitated, like the sea at the turn of the moon. **2.16.8** cintayām āsa ca tadā rāmaḥ pitṛhite rataḥ kiṃsvid adyaiva nṛpatir na māṃ pratyabhinandati And Rāma, intent on his father's welfare, then wondered: “Why is it that the king does not greet me this day?” **2.16.9** anyadā māṃ pitā dṛṣṭvā kupito 'pi prasīdati tasya mām adya saṃprekṣya kimāyāsaḥ pravartate “At other times my father, even when angry, grows calm on seeing me; why then today does distress arise in him at the sight of me?” **2.16.10** sa dīna iva śokārto viṣaṇṇavadanadyutiḥ kaikeyīm abhivādyaiva rāmo vacanam abravīt Wretched, as it were, and stricken with grief, the light of his face dimmed, Rāma, saluting Kaikeyī, spoke these words: **2.16.11** kaccin mayā nāparādham ajñānād yena me pitā kupitas tan mamācakṣva tvaṃ caivainaṃ prasādaya “I hope I have not, in ignorance, committed some offence for which my father is angry; tell me of it, and do you appease him.” **2.16.12** vivarṇavadano dīno na hi mām abhibhāṣate śārīro mānaso vāpi kaccid enaṃ na bādhate saṃtāpo vābhitāpo vā durlabhaṃ hi sadā sukham “With face discoloured and dejected, he does not speak to me. I hope no affliction, of body or of mind—no torment, no fever—distresses him, for happiness is ever hard to keep.” **2.16.13** kaccin na kiṃ cid bharate kumāre priyadarśane śatrughne vā mahāsattve mātṝṇāṃ vā mamāśubham “I hope no misfortune of mine has befallen prince Bharata, fair to behold, or the mighty Śatrughna, or any of my mothers.” **2.16.14** atoṣayan mahārājam akurvan vā pitur vacaḥ muhūrtam api neccheyaṃ jīvituṃ kupite nṛpe “Failing to please the great king, or failing to do my father's bidding, I would not wish to live even a moment while the king is angry.” **2.16.15** yatomūlaṃ naraḥ paśyet prādurbhāvam ihātmanaḥ kathaṃ tasmin na varteta pratyakṣe sati daivate “A man who sees in him the very source of his own coming into being—how could he fail to serve that visible deity present before him?” **2.16.16** kaccit te paruṣaṃ kiṃ cid abhimānāt pitā mama ukto bhavatyā kopena yatrāsya lulitaṃ manaḥ “Surely my father was not, out of pride and anger, addressed by you with some harsh word, whereby his mind has been so shaken?” **2.16.17** etad ācakṣva me devi tattvena paripṛcchataḥ kiṃnimittam apūrvo 'yaṃ vikāro manujādhipe “Tell me this truly, O queen, for I ask you: what is the cause of this unprecedented change in the lord of men?” **2.16.18** ahaṃ hi vacanād rājñaḥ pateyam api pāvake bhakṣayeyaṃ viṣaṃ tīkṣṇaṃ majjeyam api cārṇave niyukto guruṇā pitrā nṛpeṇa ca hitena ca “At the king's word I would leap even into fire, would swallow sharp poison, would drown myself in the ocean, if so directed by my father—my guru, my king, and my well-wisher.” **2.16.19** tad brūhi vacanaṃ devi rājño yad abhikāṅkṣitam kariṣye pratijāne ca rāmo dvir nābhibhāṣate “So tell me the word, O queen—whatever the king desires; I shall do it, I promise: Rāma does not speak twice.” **2.16.20** tam ārjavasamāyuktam anāryā satyavādinam uvāca rāmaṃ kaikeyī vacanaṃ bhṛśadāruṇam To that Rāma, upright and truthful, the ignoble Kaikeyī spoke a most cruel word: **2.16.21** purā devāsure yuddhe pitrā te mama rāghava rakṣitena varau dattau saśalyena mahāraṇe “Long ago, Rāghava, in the war of gods and demons, your father, guarded by me though wounded with darts in that great battle, granted me two boons. **2.16.22** tatra me yācito rājā bharatasyābhiṣecanam gamanaṃ daṇḍakāraṇye tava cādyaiva rāghava “Thereupon the king was asked by me for the consecration of Bharata, and for your departure this very day to the Daṇḍaka forest, O Rāghava. **2.16.23** yadi satyapratijñaṃ tvaṃ pitaraṃ kartum icchasi ātmānaṃ ca narareṣṭha mama vākyam idaṃ śṛṇu “If you wish to make your father true to his promise, and yourself too, O best of men, then hear this word of mine. **2.16.24** sa nideśe pitus tiṣṭha yathā tena pratiśrutam tvayāraṇyaṃ praveṣṭavyaṃ nava varṣāṇi pañca ca “Abide by your father's command, as was promised by him: the forest must be entered by you for nine years and five, **2.16.25** sapta sapta ca varṣāṇi daṇḍakāraṇyam āśritaḥ abhiṣekam imaṃ tyaktvā jaṭācīradharo vasa “for seven and seven years dwelling in the Daṇḍaka forest; renouncing this consecration, live wearing matted hair and bark. **2.16.26** bharataḥ kosalapure praśāstu vasudhām imām nānāratnasamākīrṇaṃ savājirathakuñjarām “Let Bharata in the Kosala city rule this earth, strewn with jewels of every kind, with its horses, chariots, and elephants. **2.16.27** tad apriyam amitraghno vacanaṃ maraṇopamam śrutvā na vivyathe rāmaḥ kaikeyīṃ cedam abravīt Hearing that unwelcome speech, like unto death, Rāma the slayer of foes was not shaken, and said this to Kaikeyī: **2.16.28** evam astu gamiṣyāmi vanaṃ vastum ahaṃ tv ataḥ jaṭācīradharo rājñaḥ pratijñām anupālayan “So be it; I shall go hence to dwell in the forest, wearing matted hair and bark, upholding the king's promise. **2.16.29** idaṃ tu jñātum icchāmi kimarthaṃ māṃ mahīpatiḥ nābhinandati durdharṣo yathāpuram ariṃdamaḥ “But this I wish to know: why does the lord of earth, unassailable, tamer of foes, not greet me as before?” **2.16.30** manyur na ca tvayā kāryo devi brūhi tavāgrataḥ yāsyāmi bhava suprītā vanaṃ cīrajaṭādharaḥ “You need feel no anger, O queen; declare it in your presence: I shall go—be well pleased—to the forest, wearing bark and matted hair.” **2.16.31** hitena guruṇā pitrā kṛtajñena nṛpeṇa ca niyujyamāno viśrabdhaṃ kiṃ na kuryād ahaṃ priyam “Being commanded, without misgiving, by my well-wisher, my guru, my father, a grateful king—what pleasing thing would I not do?” **2.16.32** alīkaṃ mānasaṃ tv ekaṃ hṛdayaṃ dahatīva me svayaṃ yan nāha māṃ rājā bharatasyābhiṣecanam “Yet one grief in my mind burns my heart, as it were: that the king did not himself tell me of Bharata's consecration.” **2.16.33** ahaṃ hi sītāṃ rājyaṃ ca prāṇān iṣṭān dhanāni ca hṛṣṭo bhrātre svayaṃ dadyāṃ bharatāyāpracoditaḥ “For gladly, and unprompted, would I of my own accord give to my brother Bharata—Sītā, the kingdom, my cherished life, and my wealth. **2.16.34** kiṃ punar manujendreṇa svayaṃ pitrā pracoditaḥ tava ca priyakāmārthaṃ pratijñām anupālayan “How much more, then, when prompted by the lord of men, my father himself, and to fulfil your dear wish, upholding his promise!” **2.16.35** tad āśvāsaya hīmaṃ tvaṃ kiṃ nv idaṃ yan mahīpatiḥ vasudhāsaktanayano mandam aśrūṇi muñcati “So do you comfort him; why is it that the lord of earth, his eyes fixed on the ground, gently sheds tears?” **2.16.36** gacchantu caivānayituṃ dūtāḥ śīghrajavair hayaiḥ bharataṃ mātulakulād adyaiva nṛpaśāsanāt “And let messengers go on swift-paced horses to bring Bharata this very day from his uncle's house, by the king's command.” **2.16.37** daṇḍakāraṇyam eṣo 'ham ito gacchāmi satvaraḥ avicārya pitur vākyaṃ samāvastuṃ caturdaśa “Here I go hence in haste to the Daṇḍaka forest, to dwell there fourteen years, without questioning my father's word.” **2.16.38** sā hṛṣṭā tasya tadvākyaṃ śrutvā rāmasya kaikayī prasthānaṃ śraddadhānā hi tvarayām āsa rāghavam Kaikeyī, delighted to hear those words of Rāma, and trusting in his departure, urged Rāghava on. **2.16.39** evaṃ bhavatu yāsyanti dūtāḥ śīghrajavair hayaiḥ bharataṃ mātulakulād upāvartayituṃ narāḥ “So be it; men shall go as messengers on swift-paced horses to bring Bharata back from his uncle's house.” **2.16.40** tava tv ahaṃ kṣamaṃ manye notsukasya vilambanam rāma tasmād itaḥ śīghraṃ vanaṃ tvaṃ gantum arhasi “But for you, eager as you are, I think delay unfitting; therefore, Rāma, you should go swiftly hence to the forest.” **2.16.41** vrīḍānvitaḥ svayaṃ yac ca nṛpas tvāṃ nābhibhāṣate naitat kiṃ cin naraśreṣṭha manyur eṣo 'panīyatām “And that the king himself, filled with shame, does not speak to you—this is nothing, O best of men; let this vexation be dispelled.” **2.16.42** yāvat tvaṃ na vanaṃ yātaḥ purād asmād abhitvaran pitā tāvan na te rāma snāsyate bhokṣyate 'pi vā “Until you, hastening, have gone to the forest from this city, your father, O Rāma, will neither bathe nor eat.” **2.16.43** dhik kaṣṭam iti niḥśvasya rājā śokapariplutaḥ mūrchito nyapatat tasmin paryaṅke hemabhūṣite “Alas! Woe!” Sighing thus, the king, overwhelmed with grief and swooning, fell upon that gold-adorned couch. **2.16.44** rāmo 'py utthāpya rājānaṃ kaikeyyābhipracoditaḥ kaśayevāhato vājī vanaṃ gantuṃ kṛtatvaraḥ Rāma too, raising up the king and urged on by Kaikeyī, made haste to go to the forest, like a horse struck by the whip. **2.16.45** tad apriyam anāryāyā vacanaṃ dāruṇodaram śrutvā gatavyatho rāmaḥ kaikeyīṃ vākyam abravīt Hearing that unwelcome speech of the ignoble woman, cruel at its core, Rāma, unperturbed, said to Kaikeyī: **2.16.46** nāham arthaparo devi lokam āvastum utsahe viddhi mām ṛṣibhis tulyaṃ kevalaṃ dharmam āsthitam “I am not devoted to gain, O queen, that I should care to live for the world; know me to be, like the seers, wholly devoted to dharma. **2.16.47** yad atrabhavataḥ kiṃ cic chakyaṃ kartuṃ priyaṃ mayā prāṇān api parityajya sarvathā kṛtam eva tat “Whatever pleasing thing can be done by me for his honoured self—that, even at the cost of my life, is by all means as good as done. **2.16.48** na hy ato dharmacaraṇaṃ kiṃ cid asti mahattaram yathā pitari śuśrūṣā tasya vā vacanakriyā “For there is no practice of dharma greater than this—service to one's father, or the carrying out of his word. **2.16.49** anukto 'py atrabhavatā bhavatyā vacanād aham vane vatsyāmi vijane varṣāṇīha caturdaśa “Even unbidden by his honoured self, at your word, madam, I shall dwell in the lonely forest here for fourteen years.” **2.16.50** na nūnaṃ mayi kaikeyi kiṃ cid āśaṃsase guṇam yad rājānam avocas tvaṃ mameśvaratarā satī “Surely, Kaikeyī, you expect no merit in me at all, since, being more my mistress than the king, you spoke to him directly. **2.16.51** yāvan mātaram āpṛcche sītāṃ cānunayāmy aham tato 'dyaiva gamiṣyāmi daṇḍakānāṃ mahad vanam “As soon as I have taken leave of my mother and reconciled Sītā, I shall this very day go to the great forest of the Daṇḍakas.” **2.16.52** bharataḥ pālayed rājyaṃ śuśrūṣec ca pitur yathā tahā bhavatyā kartavyaṃ sa hi dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ “You must see to it, madam, that Bharata rules the kingdom and serves our father, for that is the eternal law.” **2.16.53** sa rāmasya vacaḥ śrutvā bhṛśaṃ duḥkhahataḥ pitā śokād aśaknuvan bāṣpaṃ praruroda mahāsvanam Hearing Rāma's words, the father, stricken with grief and unable to hold back his tears for sorrow, wept aloud with a great cry. **2.16.54** vanditvā caraṇau rāmo visaṃjñasya pitus tadā kaikeyyāś cāpy anāryāyā niṣpapāta mahādyutiḥ Having bowed to the feet of his swooning father, and of the ignoble Kaikeyī too, Rāma of great splendour then went forth. **2.16.55** sa rāmaḥ pitaraṃ kṛtvā kaikeyīṃ ca pradakṣiṇam niṣkramyāntaḥpurāt tasmāt svaṃ dadarśa suhṛjjanam Rāma, having circled his father and Kaikeyī to the right, came out from those inner apartments and saw his own group of friends. **2.16.56** taṃ bāṣpaparipūrṇākṣaḥ pṛṣṭhato 'nujagāma ha lakṣmaṇaḥ paramakruddhaḥ sumitrānandavardhanaḥ Lakṣmaṇa, his eyes filled with tears, exceedingly angry, the increaser of Sumitrā's joy, followed him from behind. **2.16.57** ābhiṣecanikaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ kṛtvā rāmaḥ pradakṣiṇam śanair jagāma sāpekṣo dṛṣṭiṃ tatrāvicālayan Having reverently circled the vessels prepared for the consecration, Rāma went slowly away, still regarding them, not withdrawing his gaze from there. **2.16.58** na cāsya mahatīṃ lakṣmīṃ rājyanāśo 'pakarṣati lokakāntasya kāntatvaṃ śītaraśmer iva kṣapā The loss of the kingdom did not diminish his great splendour, any more than the night diminishes the loveliness of the cool-rayed moon, beloved of the world. **2.16.59** na vanaṃ gantukāmasya tyajataś ca vasuṃdharām sarvalokātigasyeva lakṣyate cittavikriyā In him, willing to go to the forest and forsaking the earth, no alteration of mind could be seen, as though he had passed beyond all worldly things. **2.16.60** dhārayan manasā duḥkham indriyāṇi nigṛhya ca praviveśātmavān veśma māturapriyaśaṃsivān Bearing his sorrow with his mind and restraining his senses, the self-possessed one entered his mother's dwelling, to tell her the unwelcome news. **2.16.61** praviśya veśmātibhṛśaṃ mudānvitaṃ samīkṣya tāṃ cārthavipattim āgatām na caiva rāmo 'tra jagāma vikriyāṃ suhṛjjanasyātmavipattiśaṅkayā Entering the dwelling filled with exceeding joy, and beholding the calamity that had befallen, Rāma yet betrayed no change there, for fear of bringing ruin upon his friends.