आसिञ्चन् सलिलैश्चैनं पद्मोत्पलसुगन्धिभिः। प्रदहन्तमसंहार्यं सहसाग्निमिवोत्थितम्
They sprinkled him with water scented with lotus and blue water-lily, as if to quench a blazing, uncontainable fire that had suddenly arisen.
तं लक्ष्मणोऽथ बाहुभ्यां परिष्वज्य सुदुःखितः। उवाच राममस्वस्थं वाक्यं हेत्वर्थसंयुतम्
Then Lakshmana, greatly distressed, embraced him with his arms and spoke to the ailing Rama words filled with reason and meaning.
शुभे वर्त्मनि तिष्ठन्तं त्वामार्य विजितेन्द्रियम्। अनर्थेभ्यो न शक्नोति त्रातुं धर्मो निरर्थकः
O noble one, though you stand firm on the virtuous path and have conquered your senses, righteousness is powerless to protect from misfortune.
भूतानां स्थावराणां च जङ्गमानां च दर्शनम्। यथास्ति न तथा धर्मस्तेन नास्तीति मे मतिः
Just as the existence of living beings, both stationary and moving, is evident, so too is righteousness; yet, because of this, I believe it does not exist.
यथैव स्थावरं व्यक्तं जङ्गमं च तथाविधम्। नायमर्थस्तथा युक्तस्त्वद्विधो न विपद्यते
Just as the stationary is manifest, so too is the moving; but this principle does not hold, for one like you should not meet with calamity.
यद्यधर्मो भवेद् भूतो रावणो नरकं व्रजेत्। भवांश्च धर्मसंयुक्तो नैव व्यसनमाप्नुयात्
If Ravana, being wicked, were subject to unrighteousness, he would go to hell; and you, being joined with righteousness, would not encounter adversity.
तस्य च व्यसनाभावाद् व्यसनं चागते त्वयि। धर्मो भवत्यधर्मश्च परस्परविरोधिनौ
Since he is free from misfortune and misfortune has come upon you, righteousness and unrighteousness, being mutually opposed, have become reversed.
धर्मेणोपलभेद् धर्ममधर्मं चाप्यधर्मतः। यद्यधर्मेण युज्येयुर्येष्वधर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः
Righteousness is attained through righteousness, and unrighteousness through unrighteousness; if people act with unrighteousness, then unrighteousness is established in them.
न धर्मेण वियुज्येरन्नाधर्मरुचयो जनाः। धर्मेणाचरतां तेषां तथा धर्मफलं भवेत्
Those who delight in unrighteousness would not be separated from it by righteousness; for those who act righteously, the fruit of righteousness would thus arise.
यस्मादर्था विवर्धन्ते येष्वधर्मः प्रतिष्ठितः। क्लिश्यन्ते धर्मशीलाश्च तस्मादेतौ निरर्थकौ
Those pursuits in which unrighteousness is established, and the virtuous are afflicted, are therefore meaningless.
वध्यन्ते पापकर्माणो यद्यधर्मेण राघव। वधकर्महतोऽधर्मः स हतः कं वधिष्यति
If wrongdoers are slain by unrighteous means, O Rāghava, then when unrighteousness is destroyed by the act of killing, whom will it destroy?
अथवा विहितेनायं हन्यते हन्ति चापरम्। विधिः स लिप्यते तेन न स पापेन कर्मणा
But if one is slain according to prescribed law, and another is slain by him, then that ordinance is implicated by the act, yet he is not tainted by sin.
अदृष्टप्रतिकारेण अव्यक्तेनासता सता। कथं शक्यं परं प्राप्तुं धर्मेणारिविकर्षण
How can one attain the highest, O subduer of foes, by righteousness, when the response is unseen, unmanifest, or nonexistent?
यदि सत् स्यात् सतां मुख्य नासत् स्यात् तव किंचन। त्वया यदीदृशं प्राप्तं तस्मात् तन्नोपपद्यते
If truth were truly supreme among the virtuous, and falsehood did not exist for you, then what has come to you in this way would not be fitting.
अथवा दुर्बलः क्लीबो बलं धर्मोऽनुवर्तते। दुर्बलो हृतमर्यादो न सेव्य इति मे मतिः
Or, if the weak and impotent are followed by righteousness, then the weak, who have abandoned propriety, are not to be served—this is my view.
बलस्य यदि चेद् धर्मो गुणभूतः पराक्रमैः। धर्ममुत्सृज्य वर्तस्व यथा धर्मे तथा बले
If righteousness is an attribute of strength, manifest in valor, then abandon righteousness and act by strength, just as you would by righteousness.
अथ चेत् सत्यवचनं धर्मः किल परंतप। अनृतं त्वय्यकरणे किं न बद्धस्त्वया विना
But if truthfulness is indeed the highest righteousness, O scorcher of foes, then why, when you do not act falsely, are you not bound without you?
यदि धर्मो भवेद् भूत अधर्मो वा परंतप। न स्म हत्वा मुनिं वज्री कुर्यादिज्यां शतक्रतुः
If righteousness or unrighteousness truly existed, O scorcher of foes, then Indra, wielder of the thunderbolt, would not have slain the sage.
अधर्मसंश्रितो धर्मो विनाशयति राघव। सर्वमेतद् यथाकामं काकुत्स्थ कुरुते नरः
Righteousness, when allied with unrighteousness, leads to destruction, O Rāghava; a man does whatever he wishes, O descendant of Kakutstha.
मम चेदं मतं तात धर्मोऽयमिति राघव। धर्ममूलं त्वया छिन्नं राज्यमुत्सृजता तदा
And this is my view, dear one: if this is righteousness, O Rāghava, then when you abandoned the kingdom, you cut off the very root of righteousness.
अर्थेभ्योऽथ प्रवृद्धेभ्यः संवृत्तेभ्यस्ततस्ततः। क्रियाः सर्वाः प्रवर्तन्ते पर्वतेभ्य इवापगाः
From ever-increasing and accumulating wealth, all actions arise, just as rivers flow from mountains.
अर्थेन हि विमुक्तस्य पुरुषस्याल्पचेतसः। विच्छिद्यन्ते क्रियाः सर्वा ग्रीष्मे कुसरितो यथा
For a man deprived of wealth and of little understanding, all actions are cut off, like streams in summer.
सोऽयमर्थं परित्यज्य सुखकामः सुखैधितः। पापमाचरते कर्तुं तदा दोषः प्रवर्तते
Thus, one who abandons wealth, seeking pleasure and comfort, commits sin in order to obtain happiness, and then fault arises.
यस्यार्थास्तस्य मित्राणि यस्यार्थास्तस्य बान्धवाः। यस्यार्थाः स पुमाँल्लोके यस्यार्थाः स च पण्डितः
He who has wealth has friends; he who has wealth has relatives; he who has wealth is a man in the world; he who has wealth is learned.
यस्यार्थाः स च विक्रान्तो यस्यार्थाः स च बुद्धिमान्। यस्यार्थाः स महाभागो यस्यार्थाः स गुणाधिकः
He who has wealth is powerful; he who has wealth is wise; he who has wealth is greatly fortunate; he who has wealth excels in virtues.
अर्थस्यैते परित्यागे दोषाः प्रव्याहृता मया। राज्यमुत्सृजता धीर येन बुद्धिस्त्वया कृता
I have described the faults that arise from abandoning wealth; it was by such reasoning, steadfast one, that you resolved to renounce the kingdom.
यस्यार्था धर्मकामार्थास्तस्य सर्वं प्रदक्षिणम्। अधनेनार्थकामेन नार्थः शक्यो विचिन्वता
For him whose wealth is devoted to righteousness, desire, and purpose, all things are favorable; but for one without wealth, seeking wealth, nothing can be attained by searching.
हर्षः कामश्च दर्पश्च धर्मः क्रोधः शमो दमः। अर्थादेतानि सर्वाणि प्रवर्तन्ते नराधिप
Joy, desire, pride, righteousness, anger, tranquility, and self-control—all these arise from wealth, O lord of men.
येषां नश्यत्ययं लोकश्चरतां धर्मचारिणाम्। तेऽर्थास्त्वयि न दृश्यन्ते दुर्दिनेषु यथा ग्रहाः
For those who walk in righteousness, when this wealth perishes, it is not seen in you—just as stars are not seen on a cloudy day.
त्वयि प्रव्रजिते वीर गुरोश्च वचने स्थिते। रक्षसापहृता भार्या प्राणौः प्रियतरा तव
When you, O hero, went into exile, obeying your teacher’s command, your wife—dearer to you than life—was carried off by a demon.