King Dasharatha Found Dead

“Om Sri Lakshmi Narashimhan Nahama”

Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65

King Dasharatha Found Dead

Summary

At the dawn of the next day, panegyrists [one who speaks and sings in high praise of] and servants arrived at the palace to serve the king. Some women, who were empowered to go near the bed, detected the king’s death and started crying loudly. Kausalya and Sumitra suddenly woke up from their slumber and came to know of the king’s death. All the wives of Dasaratha wept miserably. The gynaeceum was filled with men and women who felt bewildered with fear and restlessness; when the king met with his appointed end.

Chapter [Sarga] 65 in Detail

atha raatryaam vyatiitaayaam praatar eva apare ahani |

vandinah paryupaatisthams tat paarthiva niveshanam || 2-65-1

suutaah paramasamskaaraah magalaashchoottamashrutaah |

gaayakaah stutishiilaashca nigadantah prithak prithak|| 2-65-2

While the night passed away, there arrived at the residence of the emperor, at the dawn of the next day, highly cultured and excellently learned bards who were pronouncers of benedictions and whose custom was to eulogize the king, as well as singers and panegyrists uttering recitations in different styles.

raajaanam stutaam tesaamudaattaabhihitaashisaam |

praasaadaabhogavistiirnah stutishabdo hyavartata || 2-65-3

Their sounds of praises, uttering benedictions in a loud voice and pronouncing accolades of the king, pervaded in full the interior area of the palace.

tatastu stuvataam tesaam suutaanaam paanivaadakaah |

avadaanaanyudaahritya paanivaadaa navaadayan || 2-65-4

While those bards are uttering praises, others who make a bang of claps, patted the claps, eulogizing the previous glorious acts of Dasaratha.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 tena shabdena vihagaah pratibuddhaa visasvanuh |

shaakhaasthaah pajnjarasthaashca ye raajakulagocaraah || 2-65-5

The birds dwelling in royal palaces perched on the branches of trees and others in cages were awakened by that sound and began to twitter.

vyaahritaah punyshabdaashca viinaanaam caapi nissvanaah |

aashiirgeyam ca gaathaanaam puurayaamaasa veshma tata || 2-65-6

The auspicious words uttered by bards’ parrots etc and the notes of Veena as well as blissful songs of the metric verses filled that palace.

tatah shuci samaacaaraah paryupasthaana kovidah |

strii varsa vara bhuuyisthaaupatasthur yathaa puram || 2-65-7

Then, as before, persons who maintain pure practices and those who were skilled in the services to the king, most of whom were women and eunuchs, arrived there to serve the king.

hari candana sampriktam udakam kaancanaih ghataih |

aaninyuh snaana shiksaa aajnaa yathaa kaalam yathaa vidhi || 2-65-8

Those who took care of royal ablutions brought water sprinkled with yellow sandal in golden pitchers in accordance with appropriate time and the set procedures.

mangala aalambhaniiyaani praashaniiyaan upaskaraan |

upaninyus tathaa api anyaah kumaarii bahulaah striyah || 2-65-9

In that manner, women too most of who were virgins brought all that were pleasing to the touch, eatables, decorative clothing and ornaments.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 sarvalakshanasampannam sarvam vidhivadarchitam |

sarvam sugunalaksmiivattadbhabhuuvaabhihaarikam || 2-65-10

All that was brought near him was endowed with all auspicious characteristics offered with reverence as per prescribed scriptures. All that was extremely graceful.

tatah suuryodayam yaavatsarvam parisamutsukam |

tasthaavanupasampraaptam kim svidityupash || 2-65-11

All that retinue, greatly excited as they were, without coming near to the king and with a suspicion as to what was it, stayed thus till sunrise.

atha yaah kosala indrasya shayanam pratyanantaraah |

taah striyah tu samaagamya bhartaaram pratyabodhayan || 2-65-12

The women who were empowered to go near the bed of Dasaratha went in proximity to him and woke him up.

tathaapyucitavrittaastaa vinayena nayena ca |

na hyasya shayanam spristvaa kim cidapyupalebhire || 2-65-13

Even so, those modest and prudent women with proper conduct, touched Dasaratha’s bed and could not detect any sign of life whatsoever in him.

taah striiyah svapnashiilajjnaaschestaasamcalanaadisu |

taa vepathu pariitaah ca raajnah praanesu shankitaah || 2-65-14

pratisrotah trina agraanaam sadrisham samcakampire |

Those women knew the condition of a body in sleep, by its gestures, movements and others. As such, they were possessed of tremor apprehensive as they were about the king’s life and they resembled like tips of reeds standing against a stream.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 atha samvepamanaanaam striinaam dristvaa ca paarthivam || 2-65-15

yat tat aashankitam paapam tasya jajne vinishcayah |

Now, seeing the king, certainty arose in the minds of those doubting women about the calamity (of death) that was apprehended.

kausalyaa ca sumitraa ca putrashokaparaajite || 2-65-16

prasupte na prabudhyete yathaa kaalasamanvite |

Overpowered by grief for their sons, the slumbering Kausalya and Sumitra did not wake up, as though they were completely overtaken by death.

nisprabhaa ca vivarnaa ca sannaa shokena sannataa || 2-65-17

na vyaraajata kausalyaa taareva timiraavritaa |

Kausalya bereft of luster, pale faced, emaciated with grief and dispirited, did not shine brightly (as before) like a star hidden away in darkness.

kausalyaanantaram raajjnah sumitraa tadantanaram || 2-65-18

na sma vibhraajate devii shokaashrululitaananaa |

The queen Kausalya, immediately close to the king and with Sumitra on her side, was not shining as before with her face ruffled by tears of grief.

te ca dristvaa tathaa supte shubhe devyau ca tam nripam || 2-65-19

suptame vodgatapraanamantah puramanyata |

The persons in the gynaeceum, having seen those distinguished queens in slumber and also the king in that manner, thought that the king had lost his life while just sleeping.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 tatah pracukrushur diinaah sasvaram taa vara anganaah || 2-65-20

karenavaiva aranye sthaana pracyuta yuuthapaah |

Then, those beautiful women miserably cried loudly with their voice, like female elephants crying when their group leader an elephant was removed from their place in the forest.

taasaam aakranda shabdena sahasaa udgata cetane || 2-65-21

kausalyaa ca sumitraaca tyakta nidre babhuuvatuh |

Kausalya and Sumitra suddenly obtained consciousness by the sound of their cries and woke up from sleep.

kausalyaa ca sumitraa ca dristvaa spristvaa ca paarthivam || 2-65-22

haa naatha iti parikrushya petatur dharanii tale |

Kausalya and Sumitra, on seeing and touching king Dasaratha, cried ‘O, Lord!’ and fell on the ground.

saa kosala indra duhitaa vestamaanaa mahii tale || 2-65-23

na babhraaja rajo dhvastaa taaraa iva gagana cyutaa |

Rolling on the floor and covered by dust, Kausalya the daughter of Kosala king was not shining as before and resembled a star falling down from the sky.

nripe shaantagune jaate kausalyaam patitaam bhuvi || 2-65-24

aapashyamstaah striyah sarvaa hataam naagavadhuumiva |

While the king was deceased, all the women saw Kausalya who fell on the floor appearing as a female elephant, which was killed and felled on the ground.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 tatah sarvaa narendrasya kaikeyiipramukhaah striyah || 2-65-25

rudantyah shokasantaptaa nipeturgatacetanaah |

Kaikeyi and all other wives of king Dasaratha were weeping afflicted by grief and fell unconscious.

taabhih sa balavaannaadah kroshantiibhiranudrutah || 2-65-26

yena sphiitiikrito bhuuyastadgriham samanaadayat |

That great noise was supplemented by those wailing women, bloated by which, it rendered the house all the more noisy.

tat samuttrasta sambhraantam paryutsuka jana aakulam || 2-65-27

sarvatah tumula aakrandam paritaapa aarta baandhavam |

sadyo nipatita aanandam diina viklava darshanam || 2-65-28

babhuuva nara devasya sadma dista antam iiyusah |

That gynaeceum of the king who met his appointed end was filled with people who felt bewildered with fear and restlessness, with tumultuous wail all around, and crowded with relatives disturbed by sorrow, with happiness withered away in it suddenly and became a sight of misery and despondency.

atiitam aajnaaya tu paarthiva risabham |

yashasvinam samparivaarya patnayah |

bhrisham rudantyah karunam suduhkhitaah |

pragrihya baahuu vyalapann anaathavat || 2-65-29.

Knowing that the glorious king of excellence had passed away, the king’s wives surrounded him with great sorrow; pitiably wailing profusely and lamented, grasping their hands one another, like orphans.

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Valmiki Ramayana – Ayodhya Kanda – Chapter 65 ityaarse shriimadraamaayane aadikaavye ayodhyaakaande pajncasastitamah sargah

Thus completes 65th Chapter of Ayodhya Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.

Sriman Moola Rama Vijayate

References

K. M. K. Murthy. (1999). Ayodhya Kanda - Book Of Ayodhya.

Merriam-Webster. (2007). At http://www.m-w.com.

Reference.com. (2007). At http://www.reference.com.

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