The Ramayana

by Valmiki

  ‘Then, Rāma returned and when he saw the dying bird who was his father’s friend, he was very distressed. As he wandered in the region of the Godāvarī, he came to a forest full of flowers. The brothers were approached by Kabandha. On his advice, they went to Rṣyamūka where Rāma made an alliance with Sugrīva. Rāma killed the mighty Vālī in battle and gave Sugrīva a kingdom of his own. Sugrīva promised Rāma that he and the other monkeys would search for the princess.

  ‘Sugrīva sent thousands of millions of monkeys in all directions. A long time passed and we were all depressed and overcome with grief in the Vindhyas. Sampāti, Jaṭāyu’s brother, told us that Sītā was in Lankā, in Rāvaṇa’s palace. I resorted to my innate strength and leapt one hundred yojanās over the ocean. I found Sītā alone and miserable in the aśoka grove. She was wearing a single soiled garment and though she was very unhappy, she had remained firm in her vows.

  ‘She gave me a token of recognition and I returned to Rāma. Once he heard that Sītā was alive, Rāma felt better and renewed his interest in life. He decided to destroy Rāvaṇa and called up all his resources. When we reached the ocean, Nala built a bridge that allowed the army of monkeys to cross over to Lankā. Rāma killed Kumbhakarṇa and Nīla killed Prahasta and Lakṣmaṇa killed Rāvaṇa’s son. Then Rāma himself killed Rāvaṇa.

  ‘Rāma received many boons from Indra, Yama, Varuṇa and from the other gods and sages. He was very happy and along with the monkeys, he is coming back in the magical chariot Puṣpaka. He has reached the Gangā and is spending the night there with the sages. Tomorrow, during the auspicious hour of Puṣa, you will see Rāma again!’

  Bharata was delighted. He joined his palms and said, ‘At last! My dearest wish has been fulfiled!’ He went over to Śatrughna and said, ‘Let all the people who have purified themselves honour the gods in all the temples. Decorate the public places in the city with flowers and let music fill the air! Let the courtiers and bards and commanders of the army get ready to welcome moon-faced Rāma!’

  Śatrughna sent out labour forces by the thousands to level the roads between Nandigrāma and the city. They filled the holes, moved away the rocks and stones and made the roads smooth and firm. ‘Sprinkle the area with cold water and let the road be strewn with flowers and puffed rice. Hoist flags and banners on the highways and make sure that the city’s mansions have been decorated before sunrise! Adorn them with wreaths and garlands and cover the main thoroughfare with hundreds of flowers!’

  Chariot warriors went out in their magnificent chariots and rutting elephants adorned with gold were led out of the city. Daśratha’s women climbed into lovely vehicles and went out behind Kausalyā. The earth shook with the sound of horses and mules neighing, chariots rumbling, drums beating and conches blaring as the entire city moved to Nandigrāma.

  Bharata went out to meet Rāma along with the prominent brahmins, the leaders of the trade guilds and his ministers who were carrying flowers and water. They were accompanied by the music of drums and conches. Righteous Bharata carried his brother’s sandals on his head. He also took with him the white umbrella of state that was adorned with white flowers as well as fly whisks decorated with gold that were worthy of a king. Bharata was thin from fasting and he still wore the skin of the black antelope, but now he was filled with joy at the prospect of his brother’s return.

  He scanned the directions and looked all around. ‘Are you sure you were not indulging in the fickleness of your monkey nature?’ he asked Hanumān. ‘I do not see Rāma anywhere!’

  ‘I am sure the monkeys are enjoying the perennial fruit and flowers and the plentiful honey at Bharadvāja’s hermitage,’ replied Hanumān. ‘This was the boon Indra gave the monkeys and Bharadvāja has been able to entertain them and offer them hospitality. I can hear the huge din the monkeys are making. From that, I can conclude that they must be crossing the Gomatī.

  ‘Look at that cloud of dust! The monkeys must be playing with the trees in the sāla forest. And look! There in the distance you can see the wondrous Puṣpaka that was created for Brahmā, bright as the moon! It travels faster than thought and in it are your heroic brothers and Sītā, splendid Sugrīva and Vibhīṣaṇa, the king of the rākṣasas!’

  A roar of delight that seemed to pierce the sky rose from the crowds of women, children and old people gathered there. ‘Rāma is here!’ they shouted. The men dismounted from their chariots, horses and elephants and watched Rāma approaching as the moon rises? in the sky. Bharata stood with his palms joined, ready to welcome his brother and to honour him.

  Rāma shone like Indra as he stood in that fabulous chariot. He looked like the sun on Mount Meru and Bharata prostrated himself on the ground. The vehicle landed and Bharata went and threw himself at Rāma’s feet. Rāma raised his brother whom he had not seen for so long and embraced him joyfully. Bharata greeted Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā with delight. All the great monkeys appeared in human form, for they could change their shapes at will, and they asked after Bharata’s welfare as he embraced them all. ‘It was only because of your help that they were able to accomplish this marvellous deed!’ said Bharata sweetly to Vibhīṣaṇa. Śatrughna greeted Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa and humbly touched Sītā’s feet.

  Rāma went up to his mother who had been so full of sorrow. He touched her feet, making her heart overflow with happiness. Then he greeted Sumitrā and Kaikeyī, all his other mothers and the family priest who had come with them. ‘Welcome back, son of Kausalyā!’ said the citizens with their palms joined in respect. Rāma gazed at those thousands of joined palms that were like lotuses about to bloom.

  Bharata took the sandals and placed them on his brother’s feet himself. ‘With these, I return to you the kingdom I have looked after for so long!’ he said with his palms joined. ‘Now that you are back in Ayodhyā as king, my life and all my wishes have been fulfiled. Inspect the treasury, the granary and the army. By the authority you gave me, I have been able to multiply everything ten-fold.’

  The monkeys and Vibhīṣaṇa wept when they saw the love and devotion Bharata had for his brother. Rāma drew Bharata into Puṣpaka and they all went together with the army to Bharata’s settlement. When they reached there, Rāma dismounted and gave Puṣpaka permission to depart. The vehicle rose into the air and went back to Kubera.

  Rāma fell at the feet of the family priest who had been his teacher and whom he loved as much as he loved his own life. They sat down next to each other, like Indra and Bṛhaspati.

  Bharata joined his palms above his head and said to Rāma, ‘The kingdom was given to me to please my mother. And just as it was given to me, I now give it to you! I can no longer carry the burden of the kingdom any more than a calf can bear a load that a mighty ox struggles with. Just as you cannot control a flood until you dam the river, so, too, a kingdom can only be held together by a strong ruler. I can no more step into your shoes than a donkey can imitate a horse, or a crow a swan.

  ‘If a man were to plant a tree that grew tall and strong with many branches difficult to climb, and if it produced only flowers and no fruit, all the hopes the man had for the tree would be in vain. We would be in a similar position if you, the best of men, were not to rule over us. Let the world see you crowned king today, blazing like the midday sun. Let yourself be woken every morning to the sweet sounds of music and the tinkling of anklets and bells. As long as the planets move in their orbits and the earth exists, so long shall you be our lord!’

  Rāma acquiesced to Bharata’s request and sat upon a magnificent seat. On Śatrughna’s instructions, hair dressers with swift and gentle hands attended to Rāma. After Bharata, Lakṣmaṇa, mighty Sugrīva and the king of the rākṣasas had bathed, Rāma took his ritual bath. He cut off his matted locks and anointed himself with sweet ointments. Blazing with glory, he put on garlands and fine clothes. Meanwhile, Daśaratha’s women lovingly prepared Sītā for the necessary rituals.

  Sumantra brought a dazzling chariot yoked with magnificent horses and Rāma,
always devoted to the truth, climbed into it. Daśaratha’s ministers, led by the family priest, had made all the arrangements for the coronation in Ayodhyā. Rāma approached the city in his shining chariot like Indra. Bharata held the reins, Śatrughna held the royal umbrella and Lakṣmaṇa waved the plumed whisk over Rāma’s head. Sugrīva, king of the monkeys, and Vibhīṣaṇa, king of the rākṣasas, held the other whisks. The sweet sounds of the ṛṣis and the gods praising Rāma could be heard from the sky. The monkeys took human form and resplendent in their jewels, rode upon nine thousand elephants.

  The city with all its beautiful mansions was alerted by the beating of drums and the blaring of conches. The citizens watched as Rāma came closer, his body shining with splendour. They praised him and honoured him and received his thanks as they followed behind him. With his ministers, brahmins and the common people around him, Rāma seemed like the moon surrounded by stars. Musicians and singers made sweet music and sang auspicious songs as they walked in front with young women, cows and brahmins carrying saffron rice. Rāma told his ministers all about the alliance with Sugrīva, about Hanumān’s skills and powers and the wonderful exploits of the monkeys. The citizens listened to all these tales with amazement. Surrounded by the monkeys as he told these stories, Rāma entered Ayodhyā which was teeming with happy, prosperous people. The citizens had placed flags on every house and Rāma went past them on his way to his father’s palace.

  Rāma entered the palace and was greeted by his mothers. He turned to Bharata and said these righteous words. ‘Take Sugrīva to my own palace which is decorated with gold and lapis and has a beautiful pleasure garden.’ Bharata took the king of the monkeys there himself and retainers hurried in with oil lamps and fine fabrics for the couches and seats.

  Śatrughna asked Sugrīva to send out his people to make the necessary arrangements for the coronation. Immediately, Sugrīva gave four golden pots studded with jewels to four monkeys saying, ‘Come back before dawn tomorrow with water from the four oceans!’ At once, the monkeys leapt into the sky with the speed of Garuḍa. Jāmbavān, Hanumān, Vegadarśī and Ṛṣabha came back with water from the four oceans while the others collected water from five hundred rivers. Śatrughna and the ministers courteously told the family priest that everything was ready for the ceremonies.

  Vasiṣṭa and the brahmins seated Rāma and Sītā upon a jewelled couch and began the rituals. The brahmins joyfully anointed Rāma with cool, fragrant water and then the ministers, young women, the warriors and merchants did the same. The gods and the guardians of the four quarters sprinkled Rāma with the essences of medicinal and celestial herbs. Śatrughna held the royal umbrella over his head, Sugrīva held one whisk and Vibhīṣaṇa the other, which was as bright as the moon. Indra instructed Vāyu to give Rāma a brilliant necklace made of one hundred golden lotuses and a string of pearls that contained all kinds of other gems and jewels as well.

  The gods and the gandharvas sang and the apsarases danced at Rāma’s coronation since he fully deserved that honour. The earth yielded her bounty, trees produced fruit and flowers released their perfumes for Rāma. Rāma distributed one hundred thousand horses, bulls and cows with calves to brahmins along with gold and jewels and clothes. He gave Sugrīva a golden garland studded with jewels that shone like the sun, lapis armbands studded with diamonds to resolute Angada and a necklace of incomparable pearls as white as the moon to Sītā. Sītā watched as Rāma gave clothes and jewels to Hanumān. She unhooked the pearl necklace and said softly to her husband, ‘Give this to Hanumān for all he did to make you happy. He is brave and strong and intelligent at all times!’ Sītā gave the pearls to the son of the Wind and with them around his neck, he shone like a white cloud on top of a mountain when it is lit up by the rays of the moon. All the other monkeys received gifts that were worthy of them. They were all thrilled and they honoured Rāma before they returned to the place from where they had come.

  Righteous Rāma, who was known for his generosity, began to rule his kingdom now that he had defeated his enemies and won fame. ‘Stay by me to rule this kingdom that was established by the strength of our forefathers, honourable Lakṣmaṇa!’ he said. ‘You are my equal in every way. You must rule along with me as my regent!’ Even though Rāma asked him again and again, Lakṣmaṇa refused and finally, Rāma had to consecrate Bharata his heir.

  Thus, Rāma reclaimed his incomparable kingdom along with his ministers, friends and family. He propitiated the gods with many magnificent sacrifices. He ruled for ten thousand years and performed one hundred horse sacrifices with the finest horses and extravagant gifts.

  Under Rāma’s rule, no one ever heard the wailing of widows, nor was there any fear of disease or poisonous snakes. There was no cruelty or injustice and the old never had to do the work of the young. There was happiness everywhere and dharma flourished. People took their example from Rāma and were never violent towards each other. Everybody lived for a thousand years and had a thousand sons. They knew neither disease nor unhappiness. Trees yielded fruit and flowers all year, the rains always came at the right time and the touch of the wind was always pleasant. Everybody did their own work and happily lived the lives prescribed for them. Everyone abided by dharma and there was no unrighteousness. Rāma ruled his honourable and prosperous people for ten thousand years.

  TRANSLATOR’S NOTE

  * The first part of this Note initially appeared as an essay on translation, ‘A Classic Problem’, in The Indian Review of Books, vol. v, no.1 (Sept-Nov 1995) pp.17-18.

  CHAPTER ONE

  * Dharma, one of the central concepts in Hinduism, is impossible to translate into English with a single word. It encompasses ideas of the right, the good, truth, law (temporal and spiritual) as well as the ‘ought’. Where possible in this translation, I have used the English words ‘righteous’ or ‘honourable’. In sentences where these adjectives could not be used with felicity, I have retained the Sanskrit dharma.

  * Rohiṇī is the ninth lunar asterism, personified as a daughter of Dakṣa and the favourite wife of the moon.

  * The horse sacrifice which dates back to the Vedic period. A perfect horse is allowed to wander freely through neighbouring kingdoms for one year. Anyone that stops the horse must fight the army that follows it. At the end of the year, the horse is ceremonially sacrificed. A hundred such sacrifices entitled the king who performed them to displace the king of the gods.

  CHAPTER TWO

  * The Sanskrit word used here is cīra, literally, a long piece of bark. However, the meaning extends to rough or simple clothes. Ascetics, sages and hermits are often described as ‘wearing cīra!’ which I have chosen to translate throughout the book as ‘simple clothes’ or ‘the clothes of an ascetic.

  * There is a pun in Sanskrit here on the words śoka, i.e., ‘grief’ and śloka, the name of the new metre.

  * The word for bard in Sanskrit is kuśilava. These two young men who approach Vālmīki are named Kuśa and Lava and thus, in the Sanskrit text, the word kuśilavau could mean either ‘the two bards’ or ‘Kuśa and Lava’.

  ** Rāvaṇa was descended from the sage Pulastya and, therefore, carries the patronymic ‘Poulastya’.

  *** Gandharvas are the celestial musicians who are known as much for their good looks as they are for their musical accomplishments.

  CHAPTER THREE

  * Dharma (righteous duty), artha (resources) and kāma (desire) are three of the four goals of Hindu life (puruṣārthas), the fourth being mokṣa (liberation).

  * ‘Ayodhya’ means unconquerable.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  * The double vows of brahmacārya, the student stage of a young man’s life, are celibacy and austerity.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  * It should be noted that special weapons in the Hindu classical texts are not physical, like bows and arrows, swords and maces. Activated by the recitation of the mantras, these ‘weapons’ can cause the opponent to be tied up in knots, for example, or fall to the ground stunned
, or have his head burst into a hundred pieces. Learning to use a weapon involves learning the mantra that controls it. Quite often, weapons belong to the gods and so there is the weapon of Vāyu, the Wind god, the weapon of Varuṇa, the sea god and so on. Weapons like these can only be used in a state of ritual purity and the bestowing of the weapons has a spiritual dimension.

  CHAPTER SIX

  * Malada means dirty and Karuṣa means famine-striken.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  * Viṣṇu’s incarnation as a dwarf through which he reconquered the three worlds for the gods.

  CHAPTER TEN

  * An army traditionally consisted of four divisions: elephants, chariots, infantry and cavalry.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  * Puṣpaka was a legendary chariot that fell into the hands of Rāvaṇa. After Rāma defeated him in battle, he rode home in it to Ayodhyā. Cities are often likened to the chariots that belonged to the gods and we can assume, therefore, that these celestial cars were extremely large.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  * Paraśurāma, or ‘Rāma with the axe’, was one of Viṣṇu’s incarnations, sent to rid the earth of the kṣatriyas. Born of a brahmin father and a kṣatriya mother, Paraśurāma was incensed at the unlawful murder of his father, Jamadāgni, by a king. He vowed to annihilate all the kṣatriyas for several generations. When he had accomplished his task, he retired to the mountains to meditate and perform austerities.

  ** Śiva destroyed the city of Tripura which was a stronghold of the asuras with a single arrow.

  * Arjuna Kārtavīrya who is not connected in any way with the more famous Arjuna of the Mahābhārata.