विवस्वतो महान्वंशो भवता परमेष्ठिना । अलंकर्तुं गतं भूमौ कीर्तिर्विस्तारिता बहुः
The great lineage of Vivasvat has been adorned by you, O supreme one; your fame has spread widely upon the earth.
अनेके सगराद्याश्च कीर्तिमंतो महाबलाः । अभवंस्तादृशी कीर्तिस्तेषां नाभूद्यथा तव
Many, such as Sagara and others, were renowned and mighty; yet their fame was not as yours.
त्वया नाथेन सकलाः कृतार्थाश्च प्रजाः कृताः । यासां नाकालमरणं न च रागाद्युपद्रुतिः
By you as protector, all people have been fulfilled; for them there is neither untimely death nor afflictions such as passion.
यादृशश्चंद्रमालोके यादृशी जाह्नवी सरित् । तादृक्तव च सत्कीर्तिः प्रकाशयति भूतलम्
As the moon shines in the sky and as the river Jahnavi flows, so does your noble fame illumine the earth.
ब्रह्मादिका भवत्कीर्तिमाकर्ण्य त्रपिता भृशम् । नाथ सर्वत्र ते कीर्तिः पावयत्यधुना जनान्
Hearing your fame, O lord, even Brahma and the others are greatly abashed; now your renown purifies people everywhere.
वयं धन्यतमाः सर्वे ये चारास्तव भूपते । क्षणेक्षणे तव मुखं लोकयाम मनोहरम्
We are most fortunate, O king, and so are your spies, who behold your charming face moment by moment.
इत्यादिवाक्यं चाराणां पंचानां वीक्ष्य राघवः । षष्ठं पप्रच्छ चारं तं विलक्षणमुखांकितम्
Having heard such words from the five spies, Raghava then questioned the sixth spy, whose face was marked by unease.
राम उवाच। सत्यं वद महाबुद्धे यच्छ्रुतं लोकसंकरे । तादृक्प्रशंस मे सर्वमन्यथा पातकादिकृत्
Rama said: Speak the truth, O wise one, whatever you have heard among the people; praise me as is fitting, for otherwise you incur sin.
पुनः पुनश्च तं रामः पप्रच्छाशु सविस्तरम् । तथापि न ब्रवीत्येव रामं लौकिकभाषितम्
Again and again Rama quickly questioned him in detail, yet he did not speak to Rama in worldly language.
तदा रामः प्रत्यवोचच्चारं मुखविलक्षितम् । शपामि त्वां तु सत्येन शंस सर्वं यथातथम्
Then Rama addressed the spy, whose face was uneasy: I adjure you by truth—tell everything just as it is.
तदा रामं प्रत्युवाच चारो वाक्यं शनैः शनैः । अकथ्यमपि ते वाच्यं वाक्यं कारुजनोदितम्
Then the spy slowly replied to Rama: Even what should not be spoken must be told to you, as spoken by the people.
चार उवाच। स्वामिन्सर्वत्र ते कीर्तिर्दशाननवधादिका । अन्यत्र राक्षसगृहे स्थितायास्ते स्त्रिया अहो
The spy said: Master, your fame is everywhere, especially for slaying the ten-headed one; only in the house of the rakshasa-held woman is it otherwise.
कारुरेकस्तु रजको निशीथे महिलां स्वकाम् । अन्यगेहोषितां दृष्ट्वा धिक्कुर्वन्समताडयत्
There was a certain washerman named Karura who, at night, saw his wife—who had stayed in another's house—and, reproaching her, struck her.
तन्माता प्रत्युवाचेमां कथं ताडयसेऽनघाम् । गृहाण मा कृथा निंदां स्त्रियं मद्वाक्यमाचर
Her mother said to him: Why do you strike this blameless woman? Do not reproach your wife; heed my words.
तदावोचत्स रजको नाहं रामो महीपतिः । यद्राक्षसगृहेध्युष्टां सीतामंगीचकार सः
Then the washerman said: I am not Rama, the king, who accepted Sita though she had dwelt in the house of a rakshasa.
सर्वं राज्ञः कृतं कर्म नीतिमद्भवति प्रभो । अन्येषां पुण्यकर्तॄणामपि कृत्यमनीतिमत्
All that a king does, O lord, is righteous; but the deeds of others, even if virtuous, are deemed unrighteous.
पुनः पुनरुवाचासौ नाहं रामो महीपतिः । चुक्रुधे समये राजन्मया वाक्यं तव स्मृतम्
Again and again he said: I am not Rama, the king; I was angry at the time, O king, and your words came to my mind.
तदानीं शिर आच्छिद्य पातयामि महीतले। कृतः पुनर्विचारोमे क्व रामो रजकः क्व नु
At that time I thought to cut off my head and cast it upon the earth; again I reflected: where is Rama, and where is the washerman?
अयं दुष्टोऽनृतं वक्ति न हीदं तथ्यमुच्यते । आज्ञापयसि चेद्राम सांप्रतं मारयामि तम्
This wicked man speaks falsehood; what he says is not true. If you command it now, O Rāma, I will kill him.
अवाच्यमपि ते प्रोक्तं त्वदाग्रहत उन्नयम् । राजा प्रमाणमत्रेदं विचारयतु संगतम्
Even what should not be spoken has been said by me, compelled by your insistence. Let the king alone judge here what is appropriate.
शेष उवाच। इति वाक्यं समाकर्ण्य महावज्रनिभाक्षरम् । निःश्वसन्मुहुरुच्छ्वासमाचरन्मूर्च्छितोऽपतत्
Śeṣa said: Hearing these words, weighty as thunderbolts, he sighed repeatedly and, overcome, fell down fainting.
तं मूर्च्छितं नृपं दृष्ट्वा चारा दुःखसमन्विताः । वीजयामासुर्वासोग्रैर्दुःखापनय हेतवे
Seeing the king unconscious, the guards, filled with sorrow, began to fan him with their garments to relieve his distress.
स लब्धसंज्ञो नृपतिर्मुहूर्तेन जगाद तान् । गच्छंतु भरतं शीघ्रं प्रेषयंतु च मां प्रति
Regaining consciousness after a moment, the king spoke to them: 'Go quickly to Bharata and send him to me at once.'
ते दुःखिताश्चरास्तूर्णं भरतस्य गृहं गताः । कथयामासु रामस्य संदेशं नयहारकाः
The sorrowful guards hurried to Bharata's house and conveyed Rāma's message as envoys of the king.
भरतो रामसंदेशं श्रुत्वा धीमान्ययौ सदः । रामं प्रति रहःसंस्थं श्रुत्वा तं त्वरया युतः
Hearing Rāma's message, wise Bharata went at once to the assembly, hastening to where Rāma was waiting in private.
आगत्य तं प्रतीहारं प्रत्युवाच महामनाः । कुत्रास्ते रामभद्रोऽसौ मम भ्राता कृपानिधिः
Arriving there, the great-minded Bharata said to the doorkeeper: 'Where is that blessed Rāma, my brother, the treasure of compassion?'
तन्निर्दिष्टं गृहं वीरो ययौ रत्नमनोहरम् । रामं विलोक्य विक्लांतं भयमाप स मानसे
Directed to the splendid, jewel-adorned house, the hero went and, seeing Rāma distressed, was seized by fear in his heart.
किं वासौ कुपितो रामः किं वा दुःखमिदं विभोः । तदा प्रोवाच नृपतिं निःश्वसंतं मुहुर्मुहुः
'Is Rāma angry, or is this some great sorrow of the lord?' Thinking thus, he addressed the king, who was sighing again and again.
स्वामिन्सुखसमाराध्यं वक्त्रं ते कथमानतम् । अश्रुभिर्लक्ष्यते राहुग्रस्तदेहः शशीव ते
'Master, your face, usually so easy to please, is now downcast and marked by tears, like the moon eclipsed by Rāhu.'
सर्वं मे कारणं तथ्यं ब्रूहि मां किं करोमि ते । त्यज दुःखं महाराज कथं दुःखस्य भाजनम्
'Tell me the true reason for all this; what can I do for you? Abandon your sorrow, O great king; why be a vessel of grief?'