# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 4 — Omens hasten the abhiṣeka

*Daśaratha fixes the ceremony for the next day while Bharata is away, Rāma & Sītā must fast and sleep on darbha*

Portion: Preparations for Rāma’s abhiṣeka · Verses: 45 · Ref format: 2.4.<verse>

## Sequence

- After the assembly leaves, Daśaratha decides that the ceremony must take place the following day and sends Sumantra to fetch Rāma again → the second summons worries Rāma, who returns at once (4.1–8)
- privately, Daśaratha explains that he has fulfilled his life's obligations and wishes to see his son installed before he dies (4.9–16)
- he has been having frightening dreams; meteors have fallen with crashing sounds, and astrologers report threatening planetary influences on his birth-star → fearing death or another disaster, he wants the ceremony completed while his mind remains steady (4.17–22)
- he tells Rāma and Sītā to upavāsa, sleep on darbha grass, and have trusted friends guard them that night → he also wants to act while Bharata is away: although he trusts Bharata's character, he says that people's minds can change (4.23–28).

- Rāma goes to Kausalyā's apartments, where she is praying to Viṣṇu; Sumitrā, Lakṣmaṇa, and Sītā are also present (4.29–33)
- he announces the next day's ceremony and asks for the necessary preparations for his and Sītā's upavāsa (4.34–37)
- Kausalyā blesses him, delighted that her prayers have borne fruit (4.38–41)
- Rāma tells Lakṣmaṇa that they will share the responsibilities and benefits of rule, calling him his second self → he takes leave and returns home (4.42–45).

## Verses

**2.4.1**  
gateṣv atha nṛpo bhūyaḥ paureṣu saha mantribhiḥ  
mantrayitvā tataś cakre niścayajñaḥ sa niścayam  
When the townsfolk had departed, the king, a knower of decisions, deliberated once more with his ministers and then made his decision:

**2.4.2**  
śva eva puṣyo bhavitā śvo 'bhiṣecyeta me sutaḥ  
rāmo rājīvatāmrākṣo yauvarājya iti prabhuḥ  
“Tomorrow the (constellation) Puṣya will be present; tomorrow let my son Rāma, whose eyes are coppery like a lotus, be consecrated to the heir-apparency” — so (thought) the lord.

**2.4.3**  
athāntargṛham āviśya rājā daśarathas tadā  
sūtam ājñāpayām āsa rāmaṃ punar ihānaya  
Then, entering his inner apartments, King Daśaratha thereupon commanded the charioteer: “Bring Rāma here once again.”

**2.4.4**  
pratigṛhya sa tadvākyaṃ sūtaḥ punar upāyayau  
rāmasya bhavanaṃ śīghraṃ rāmam ānayituṃ punaḥ  
Accepting that command, the charioteer went once more, quickly, to Rāma's dwelling, to fetch Rāma again.

**2.4.5**  
dvāḥsthair āveditaṃ tasya rāmāyāgamanaṃ punaḥ  
śrutvaiva cāpi rāmas taṃ prāptaṃ śaṅkānvito 'bhavat  
The (charioteer's) coming again was announced to Rāma by the door-keepers; and just on hearing that he had arrived, Rāma became filled with misgiving.

**2.4.6**  
praveśya cainaṃ tvaritaṃ rāmo vacanam abravīt  
yad āgamanakṛtyaṃ te bhūyas tad brūhy aśeṣataḥ  
Having quickly ushered him in, Rāma spoke these words: “Whatever be the purpose of your coming again, tell it to me in full.”

**2.4.7**  
tam uvāca tataḥ sūto rājā tvāṃ draṣṭum icchati  
śrutvā pramāṇam atra tvaṃ gamanāyetarāya vā  
Then the charioteer said to him: “The king wishes to see you; having heard this, you must decide about going or otherwise.”

**2.4.8**  
iti sūtavacaḥ śrutvā rāmo 'tha tvarayānvitaḥ  
prayayau rājabhavanaṃ punar draṣṭuṃ nareśvaram  
Hearing these words of the charioteer, Rāma, filled with haste, set out again for the royal palace to see the lord of men.

**2.4.9**  
taṃ śrutvā samanuprāptaṃ rāmaṃ daśaratho nṛpaḥ  
praveśayām āsa gṛhaṃ vivikṣuḥ priyam uttamam  
Hearing that Rāma had arrived, King Daśaratha, wishing to speak (with him) about the highest and dearest matter, had him ushered into the (inner) chamber.

**2.4.10**  
praviśann eva ca śrīmān rāghavo bhavanaṃ pituḥ  
dadarśa pitaraṃ dūrāt praṇipatya kṛtāñjaliḥ  
As the glorious Rāghava entered his father's dwelling, he saw his father from afar, and, bowing down, joined his palms.

**2.4.11**  
praṇamantaṃ samutthāpya taṃ pariṣvajya bhūmipaḥ  
pradiśya cāsmai ruciram āsanaṃ punar abravīt  
Raising him up as he bowed, and embracing him, the lord of the earth pointed out to him a splendid seat, and then spoke again:

**2.4.12**  
rāma vṛddho 'smi dīrghāyur bhuktā bhogā mayepsitāḥ  
annavadbhiḥ kratuśatais tatheṣṭaṃ bhūridakṣiṇaiḥ  
“Rāma, I am old and long-lived; the pleasures I desired have been enjoyed by me; and I have likewise sacrificed with hundreds of rites, abounding in food and rich in sacrificial fees.

**2.4.13**  
jātam iṣṭam apatyaṃ me tvam adyānupamaṃ bhuvi  
dattam iṣṭam adhītaṃ ca mayā puruṣasattama  
The offspring I desired has been born to me — you, today, peerless upon the earth; and I have given, sacrificed, and studied (the Veda), O best of men.

**2.4.14**  
anubhūtāni ceṣṭāni mayā vīra sukhāni ca  
devarṣi pitṛviprāṇām anṛṇo 'smi tathātmanaḥ  
The desired pleasures too have been experienced by me, O hero; and I am free of debt to the gods, the sages, the ancestors, and the brahmins, and likewise to myself.

**2.4.15**  
na kiṃ cin mama kartavyaṃ tavānyatrābhiṣecanāt  
ato yat tvām ahaṃ brūyāṃ tan me tvaṃ kartum arhasi  
There is nothing left for me to do except your consecration; therefore, whatever I tell you, that you ought to do for me.

**2.4.16**  
adya prakṛtayaḥ sarvās tvām icchanti narādhipam  
atas tvāṃ yuvarājānam abhiṣekṣyāmi putraka  
Today all the subjects wish for you as their king; therefore I shall consecrate you as heir-apparent, my dear boy.

**2.4.17**  
api cādyāśubhān rāma svapnān paśyāmi dāruṇān  
sanirghātā maholkāś ca patantīha mahāsvanāḥ  
Moreover, of late, Rāma, I have been seeing terrible, inauspicious dreams; and great meteors, with thunderclaps, fall here with a mighty crash.

**2.4.18**  
avaṣṭabdhaṃ ca me rāma nakṣatraṃ dāruṇair grahaiḥ  
āvedayanti daivajñāḥ sūryāṅgārakarāhubhiḥ  
And my birth-star, Rāma, is beset by fearsome planets — by the Sun, Mars, and Rāhu — so the astrologers inform me.

**2.4.19**  
prāyeṇa hi nimittānām īdṛśānāṃ samudbhave  
rājā vā mṛtyum āpnoti ghorāṃ vāpadam ṛcchati  
For generally, when such omens arise, a king either meets his death or falls into some dreadful calamity.

**2.4.20**  
tad yāvad eva me ceto na vimuhyati rāghava  
tāvad evābhiṣiñcasva calā hi prāṇināṃ matiḥ  
So then, Rāghava, while my mind is not yet deranged, be consecrated at once; for the minds of living beings are fickle.

**2.4.21**  
adya candro 'bhyupagataḥ puṣyāt pūrvaṃ punar vasum  
śvaḥ puṣya yogaṃ niyataṃ vakṣyante daivacintakāḥ  
Today the moon has reached Punarvasu, which precedes Puṣya; tomorrow, the astrologers declare, its conjunction with Puṣya is assured.

**2.4.22**  
tatra puṣye 'bhiṣiñcasva manas tvarayatīva mām  
śvas tvāham abhiṣekṣyāmi yauvarājye paraṃtapa  
Then, at (the conjunction with) Puṣya, be consecrated; my mind, as it were, urges me on. Tomorrow I shall consecrate you to the heir-apparency, O scorcher of foes.

**2.4.23**  
tasmāt tvayādya vratinā niśeyaṃ niyatātmanā  
saha vadhvopavastavyā darbhaprastaraśāyinā  
Therefore this night must be passed by you under a vow, self-controlled, sleeping on a bed of darbha-grass together with your wife.

**2.4.24**  
suhṛdaś cāpramattās tvāṃ rakṣantv adya samantataḥ  
bhavanti bahuvighnāni kāryāṇy evaṃvidhāni hi  
And let your well-wishers, vigilant, guard you today on every side; for undertakings of this kind are beset with many obstacles.

**2.4.25**  
viproṣitaś ca bharato yāvad eva purād itaḥ  
tāvad evābhiṣekas te prāptakālo mato mama  
And just while Bharata is away, absent from this city, so long — that is, this very time — is, in my view, the fitting time for your consecration.

**2.4.26**  
kāmaṃ khalu satāṃ vṛtte bhrātā te bharataḥ sthitaḥ  
jyeṣṭhānuvartī dharmātmā sānukrośo jitendriyaḥ  
To be sure, your brother Bharata stands firm in the conduct of the good — deferential to his elder, righteous, compassionate, master of his senses;

**2.4.27**  
kiṃ tu cittaṃ manuṣyāṇām anityam iti me matiḥ  
satāṃ ca dharmanityānāṃ kṛtaśobhi ca rāghava  
yet the mind of men is unsteady — such is my conviction — even among the good who are ever devoted to dharma; and (a thing done in season) shines by being done, O Rāghava.

**2.4.28**  
ity uktaḥ so 'bhyanujñātaḥ śvobhāviny abhiṣecane  
vrajeti rāmaḥ pitaram abhivādyābhyayād gṛham  
Addressed thus, Rāma, dismissed with “Go” regarding the consecration that was to take place the next day, saluted his father and went to his house.

**2.4.29**  
praviśya cātmano veśma rājñoddiṣṭe 'bhiṣecane  
tasmin kṣaṇe vinirgatya mātur antaḥpuraṃ yayau  
Having entered his own dwelling — the consecration having been ordained by the king — he went out again in that same moment and made his way to his mother's inner apartments.

**2.4.30**  
tatra tāṃ pravaṇām eva mātaraṃ kṣaumavāsinīm  
vāgyatāṃ devatāgāre dadarśa yācatīṃ śriyam  
There he saw his mother, clad in silk, wholly absorbed (in devotion), silent, in the shrine, praying for (his) prosperity.

**2.4.31**  
prāg eva cāgatā tatra sumitrā lakṣmaṇas tathā  
sītā cānāyitā śrutvā priyaṃ rāmābhiṣecanam  
Sumitrā had already come there before, and Lakṣmaṇa likewise; and Sītā too had been sent for, on hearing the glad news of Rāma's consecration.

**2.4.32**  
tasmin kāle hi kausalyā tasthāv āmīlitekṣaṇā  
sumitrayānvāsyamānā sītayā lakṣmaṇena ca  
At that time Kausalyā stood with her eyes half-closed, attended by Sumitrā, by Sītā, and by Lakṣmaṇa,

**2.4.33**  
śrutvā puṣyeṇa putrasya yauvarājyābhiṣecanam  
prāṇāyāmena puruṣaṃ dhyāyamānā janārdanam  
having heard of her son's consecration to the heir-apparency at (the conjunction with) Puṣya, and, through breath-control, meditating on the Person, Janārdana (Viṣṇu).

**2.4.34**  
tathā saniyamām eva so 'bhigamyābhivādya ca  
uvāca vacanaṃ rāmo harṣayaṃs tām idaṃ tadā  
Approaching her thus observing her vow, and saluting her, Rāma then spoke these words, gladdening her:

**2.4.35**  
amba pitrā niyukto 'smi prajāpālanakarmaṇi  
bhavitā śvo 'bhiṣeko me yathā me śāsanaṃ pituḥ  
“Mother, I have been appointed by my father to the task of protecting the people; tomorrow my consecration will take place, according to my father's command.

**2.4.36**  
sītayāpy upavastavyā rajanīyaṃ mayā saha  
evam ṛtvigupādhyāyaiḥ saha mām uktavān pitā  
This night is to be spent by Sītā as well, together with me (in fasting and vow); thus my father, together with the priests and preceptors, told me.

**2.4.37**  
yāni yāny atra yogyāni śvobhāviny abhiṣecane  
tāni me maṅgalāny adya vaidehyāś caiva kāraya  
Whatever things are suitable for the consecration that is to take place tomorrow — those auspicious rites have performed today for me and for Vaidehī (Sītā).”

**2.4.38**  
etac chrutvā tu kausalyā cirakālābhikāṅkṣitam  
harṣabāṣpakalaṃ vākyam idaṃ rāmam abhāṣata  
Hearing this, long yearned-for, Kausalyā spoke to Rāma these words, faltering with tears of joy:

**2.4.39**  
vatsa rāma ciraṃ jīva hatās te paripanthinaḥ  
jñātīn me tvaṃ śriyā yuktaḥ sumitrāyāś ca nandaya  
“Dear Rāma, may you live long; slain be your adversaries! You, endowed with royal fortune, gladden my kinsmen and Sumitrā's as well.

**2.4.40**  
kalyāṇe bata nakṣatre mayi jāto 'si putraka  
yena tvayā daśaratho guṇair ārādhitaḥ pitā  
Under an auspicious star, indeed, were you born of me, my dear boy — you by whom, through your virtues, your father Daśaratha has been won over.

**2.4.41**  
amoghaṃ bata me kṣāntaṃ puruṣe puṣkarekṣaṇe  
yeyam ikṣvākurājyaśrīḥ putra tvāṃ saṃśrayiṣyati  
Not in vain, indeed, has my devotion to the lotus-eyed Person (Viṣṇu) been endured, since this royal fortune of the Ikṣvākus, my son, will now rest upon you.

**2.4.42**  
ity evam ukto mātredaṃ rāmo bhāratam abravīt  
prāñjaliṃ prahvam āsīnam abhivīkṣya smayann iva  
Thus addressed by his mother, Rāma said this to the brother (Lakṣmaṇa), looking at him seated with palms joined and bowed low, and, as it were, smiling:

**2.4.43**  
lakṣmaṇemāṃ mayā sārdhaṃ praśādhi tvaṃ vasuṃdharām  
dvitīyaṃ me 'ntarātmānaṃ tvām iyaṃ śrīr upasthitā  
“Lakṣmaṇa, rule you this earth together with me; this royal fortune has come to you, who are my second self.

**2.4.44**  
saumitre bhuṅkṣva bhogāṃs tvam iṣṭān rājyaphalāni ca  
jīvitaṃ ca hi rājyaṃ ca tvadartham abhikāmaye  
Saumitri, enjoy you the desired pleasures and the fruits of sovereignty; for it is for your sake that I long for both life and kingship.”

**2.4.45**  
ity uktvā lakṣmaṇaṃ rāmo mātarāv abhivādya ca  
abhyanujñāpya sītāṃ ca jagāma svaṃ niveśanam  
Having spoken thus to Lakṣmaṇa, and having saluted his (two) mothers and taken leave of Sītā, Rāma went to his own dwelling.