तद् राजवचनं श्रुत्वा मुनिपुत्रो ऽब्रवीद् वचः
Hearing the king’s words, the sage’s son spoke.
उत्क्रमिष्यन्ति मे प्राणा अतो वक्ष्यामि किंचन स्वच्छन्दवृत्तिताज्ञाने विद्धि पाकं च कर्मणाम्
My life will depart, so I will say something; know the ripening of actions comes from freedom of conduct and ignorance.
आत्मार्थं तु न शोचामि वृद्धौ तु पितरौ मम तयोः शुश्रूषकः कः स्याद् अन्धयोर् एकपुत्रयोः
I do not grieve for myself, but for my aged parents—who will care for them, both blind, with only one son?
विना मया महारण्ये कथं तौ जीवयिष्यतः ममाभाग्यम् अहो कीदृक् पितृशुश्रूषणे क्षतिः
Without me, how will they survive in the great forest? Alas, how unfortunate I am—my duty to serve my parents is broken.
जाता मे ऽद्य विना प्राणैर् हा विधे किं कृतं त्वया तथापि गच्छ तत्र त्वं गृहीतकलशस् त्वरन्
Today I am as good as dead—O Fate, what have you done? Still, go there quickly, carrying the water-pot.
ताभ्यां देह्य् उदपानं त्वं यथा तौ न मरिष्यतः
Give them water, so that they do not die.
इत्य् एवं ब्रुवतस् तस्य गताः प्राणा महावने विसृज्य सशरं चापम् आदाय कलशं नृपः
As he spoke thus, his life departed in the great forest; leaving behind his bow and arrows, the prince took up the water-pot.
तत्रागात् स तु वेगेन यत्र वृद्धौ महावने वृद्धौ चापि तदा रात्रौ ताव् अन्योन्यं समूचतुः
He hurried to where his aged parents were in the great forest; and that night, the two elders spoke to each other.
उद्विग्नः कुपितो वा स्याद् अथवा भक्षितः कथम् न प्राप्तश् चावयोर् यष्टिः किं कुर्मः का गतिर् भवेत्
Is he anxious, or angry, or perhaps eaten by a beast? Why has our son not returned to us? What shall we do, what hope remains?
न कोपि तादृशः पुत्रो विद्यते सचराचरे यः पित्रोर् अन्यथा वाक्यं न करोत्य् अपि निन्दितः
There is no such son anywhere, moving or unmoving, who would disobey his parents' words—even if reproached.
वज्राद् अपि कठोरं वा जीवितं तम् अपश्यतोः शीघ्रं न यान्ति यत् प्राणास् तदेकायत्तजीवयोः
Life is harder than a thunderbolt for those who, unable to see their son, do not quickly die, though their lives depend on him alone.
एवं बहुविधा वाचो वृद्धयोर् वदतोर् वने तदा दशरथो राजा शनैस् तं देशम् अभ्यगात्
As the two elders spoke many such words in the forest, King Dasharatha slowly approached that place.
पादसंचारशब्देन मेनाते सुतम् आगतम्
By the sound of footsteps, they guessed their son had arrived.
कुतो वत्स चिरात् प्राप्तस् त्वं दृष्टिस् त्वं परायणम् न ब्रूषे किंतु रुष्टो ऽसि वृद्धयोर् अन्धयोः सुतः
Child, why have you come after so long? You are our only support, our sight—why do you not speak? Are you angry, son of your blind parents?
सशल्य इव दुःखार्तः शोचन् दुष्कृतम् आत्मनः स भीत इव राजेन्द्रस् ताव् उवाचाथ नारद
Like one pierced by a dart, tormented by sorrow, grieving for his own misdeed, the king, fearful, then spoke to them, O Nārada.
उदपानं च कुरुतां तच् छ्रुत्वा नृपभाषितम् नायं वक्ता सुतो ऽस्माकं को भवांस् तत् पुरा वद
Hearing the king's words, 'Let us have water,' they said: 'This is not our son speaking—who are you? Tell us truly.'
पश्चात् पिबावः पानीयं ततो राजाब्रवीच् च तौ
'Let us drink water afterward,' the king then said to them.
तत्र तिष्ठति वां पुत्रो यत्र वारिसमाश्रयः
'Your son stands there, where the water is kept.'
तच् छ्रुत्वोचतुर् आर्तौ तौ सत्यं ब्रूहि न चान्यथा आचचक्षे ततो राजा सर्वम् एव यथातथम्
Hearing this, the two afflicted ones said, 'Speak the truth, do not deceive us.' Then the king told them everything, just as it was.
ततस् तु पतितौ वृद्धौ तत्रावां नय मा स्पृश ब्रह्मघ्नस्पर्शनं पापं न कदाचिद् विनश्यति
Then the two aged ones fell down and said, 'Lead us there. Do not touch us—the touch of a slayer of a Brahmin is a sin that never perishes.'
निन्ये वै श्रवणं वृद्धं सभार्यं नृपसत्तमः यत्रासौ पतितः पुत्रस् तं स्पृष्ट्वा तौ विलेपतुः
The best of kings, along with his wife, brought the aged Śravaṇa to the place where their son had fallen, and, touching him, they both wept.
यथा पुत्रवियोगेन मृत्युर् नौ विहितस् तथा त्वं चापि पाप पुत्रस्य वियोगान् मृत्युम् आप्स्यसि
Just as death has been ordained for us because of the loss of our son, so too, you will meet death from the loss of your son due to your sin.
एवं तु जल्पतोर् ब्रह्मन् गताः प्राणास् ततो नृपः अग्निना योजयाम् आस वृद्धौ च ऋषिपुत्रकम्
O Brahmin, as they spoke thus, the king's life departed; he then arranged for the cremation of the aged couple and their ṛṣi-son with fire.
ततो जगाम नगरं दुःखितो नृपतिर् मुने वसिष्ठाय च तत् सर्वं न्यवेदयद् अशेषतः
Then the king, afflicted with grief, went to the city, O sage, and reported all of this in detail to Vasiṣṭha.
नृपाणां सूर्यवंश्यानां वसिष्ठो हि परा गतिः वसिष्ठो ऽपि द्विजश्रेष्ठैः संमन्त्र्याह च निष्कृतिम्
For the kings of the Solar dynasty, Vasiṣṭha is indeed the supreme refuge; and Vasiṣṭha, after consulting with the foremost of twice-born, prescribed expiation.
गालवं वामदेवं च जाबालिम् अथ कश्यपम् एतान् अन्यान् समाहूय हयमेधाय यत्नतः
Summoning Gālava, Vāmadeva, Jābāli, and Kaśyapa, and others, he diligently instructed them to perform the Aśvamedha sacrifice.
यजस्व हयमेधैश् च बहुभिर् बहुदक्षिणैः
Perform many horse sacrifices, each with abundant gifts.
अकरोद् धयमेधांश् च राजा दशरथो द्विजैः एतस्मिन्न् अन्तरे तत्र वाग् उवाचाशरीरिणी
King Daśaratha performed horse sacrifices with the brahmins; at that moment, a bodiless voice spoke there.
पूतं शरीरम् अभवद् राज्ञो दशरथस्य हि व्यवहार्यश् च भविता भविष्यन्ति तथा सुताः ज्येष्ठपुत्रप्रसादेन राजापापो भविष्यति
King Daśaratha's body became purified, and his sons will be fit for royal duties; by the favor of the eldest son, the king will be freed from sin.
ततो बहुतिथे काले ऋष्यशृङ्गान् मुनीश्वरात् देवानां कार्यसिद्ध्यर्थं सुता आसन् सुरोपमाः
After much time, for the fulfillment of the gods' purpose, sons resembling the gods were born from the great sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga.