पुरा प्रेक्ष्य सुवृत्तं मां पिता यान्याह सान्त्वयन् । वाक्यानि तानि श्रोष्यामि कुत: कर्णसुखान्यहम् ।। २.१०२.
Once, when my father saw me behaving well, he would speak gentle words to comfort me—how will I ever again hear those pleasing words?
एवमुक्त्वा स भरतं भार्यामभ्येत्य राघव: । उवाच शोकसन्तप्त: पूर्णचन्द्रनिभाननाम् ।। २.१०२.
Having spoken thus to Bharata, Raghava approached his wife, whose face was like the full moon, and addressed her, tormented by grief.
सीते मृतस्ते श्वशुर: पित्रा हीनो ऽसि लक्ष्मण । भरतो दु:खमाचष्टे स्वर्गतं पृथिवीपतिम् ।। २.१०२.
Sita, your father-in-law has died; you are bereft of a father, Lakshmana. Bharata sorrowfully tells us the king has gone to heaven.
ततो बहुगुणं तेषां बाष्पं नेत्रेष्वजायत । तथा ब्रुवति काकुत्स्थे कुमाराणां यशस्विनाम् ।। २.१०२.
As Kakutstha spoke in this way, abundant tears welled up in the eyes of those illustrious princes.
ततस्ते भ्रातर: सर्वे भृशमाश्वास्य राघवम् । अब्रुवन् जगतीभर्त्तु: क्रियतामुदकं पितु: ।। २.१०२.
Then all the brothers, greatly consoling Raghava, said, 'Let the water-rite be performed for our father, the lord of the earth.'
सा सीता श्वशुरं श्रुत्वा स्वर्गलोकगतं नृपम् । नेत्राभ्यामश्रुपूर्णाभ्यामशकन्नेक्षितुं पतिम् ।। २.१०२.
When Sita heard that her father-in-law, the king, had gone to the heavenly realms, her eyes filled with tears and she was unable to look at her husband.
सान्त्वयित्वा तु तां रामो रुदन्तीं जनकात्मजाम् । उवाच लक्ष्मणं तत्र दु:खितो दु:खितं वच: ।। २.१०२.
Then Rama, after consoling Janaka's daughter as she wept, spoke to Lakshmana there, himself sorrowful, to his sorrowful brother.
आनयेङ्गुदिपिण्याकं चीरमाहर चोत्तरम् । जलक्रियार्थं तातस्य गमिष्यामि महात्मन: ।। २.१०२.
Bring me a cake of ingudi flour and fetch an upper garment of bark; I will go to perform the water-rite for my great-souled father.
सीता पुरस्ताद्व्रजतुत्वमेनामभितो व्रज । अहं पश्चाद्गमिष्यामि गतिर्ह्येषा सुदारुणा ।। २.१०२.
Let Sita go ahead, and you walk beside her; I will follow behind, for this path is exceedingly harsh.
ततो नित्यानुगस्तेषां विदितात्मा महामति: । मृदुर्दान्तश्च शान्तश्च रामे च दृढभक्तिमान् ।। २.१०२.
Then Sumitra's son, ever devoted to them, self-controlled, gentle, peaceful, and firm in his devotion to Rama, who understood himself and was of great wisdom—
सुमन्त्रस्तैर्नृपसुतै: सार्द्धमाश्वास्य राघवम् । अवातारयदालम्ब्य नदीं मन्दाकिनीं शिवाम् ।। २.१०२.
Sumantara, together with the princes, comforted Raghava and helped him descend to the auspicious Mandakini river.
ते सुतीर्थां तत: कृच्छ्रादुपागम्य यशस्विन: । नदीं मन्दाकिनीं रम्यां सदा पुष्पितकाननाम् ।। २.१०२.
Those illustrious ones, after reaching with difficulty the beautiful Mandakini river, whose banks were always adorned with flowering groves—
शीघ्रस्रोतसमासाद्य तीर्थं शिवमकर्द्दमम् । सिषिचुस्तूदकं राज्ञे तत्रैतत्ते भवत्विति ।। २.१०२.
Coming to a holy, pure, and mudless ford with swift-flowing waters, they poured water there, saying, 'May this be for you, O King.'
प्रगृह्य च महीपालो जलपूरितमञ्जलिम् । दिशं याम्यामभिमुखो रुदन् वचनमब्रवीत् ।। २.१०२.
And the lord of the earth, taking a handful of water, his palms joined and filled, turned toward the southern direction, weeping, and spoke these words.
एतत्ते राजशार्दूल विमलं तोयमक्षयम् । पितृलोकगतस्याद्य मद्दत्तमुपतिष्ठतु ।। २.१०२.
O tiger among kings, may this pure, unfailing water, offered by me today, reach you who have gone to the world of the ancestors.
ततो मन्दाकिनीतीरात् प्रत्युत्तीर्य्य स राघव: । पितुश्चकार तेजस्वी निवापं भ्रातृभि: सह ।। २.१०२.
Then Rāghava, crossing back from the bank of the Mandākinī, performed the water-offering for his father, together with his brothers.
ऐङ्गुदं बदरीमिश्रं पिण्याकं दर्भसंस्तरे । न्यस्य राम: सुदु:खार्त्तो रुदन् वचनमब्रवीत् ।। २.१०२.
Placing on a bed of darbha grass the cakes made of flour mixed with jujube and barley, Rāma, overwhelmed with grief, spoke these words, weeping.
इदं भुङ्क्ष्व महाराज प्रीतो यदशना वयम् । यदन्न: पुरुषो भवति तदन्नास्तस्य देवता: ।। २.१०२.
O great king, partake of this, pleased, for we are without proper food; as is the food a person eats, so is the food offered to his ancestors.
ततस्तेनैव मार्गेण प्रत्युत्तीर्य्य नदीतटात् । आरुरोह नरव्याघ्रो रम्यसानुं महीधरम् ।। २.१०२.
Then, by that same path, the tiger among men, crossing back from the riverbank, climbed the lovely slope of the mountain.
तत: पर्णकुटीद्वारमासाद्य जगतीपति: । परिजग्राह बाहुभ्यामुभौ भरतलक्ष्मणौ ।। २.१०२.
Then the lord of the earth, reaching the entrance of the leaf-hut, embraced both Bharata and Lakṣmaṇa with his arms.
तेषां तु रुदतां शब्दात् प्रतिश्रुत्को ऽभवद्गिरौ । भ्रातऽणां सह वैदेह्या: सिंहानामिव नर्दताम् ।। २.१०२.
From the sound of their weeping, an echo arose on the mountain, as the brothers, together with Vaidehī, wailed like roaring lions.
महाबलानां रुदतां कुर्वतामुदकं पितु: । विज्ञाय तुमुलं शब्दं त्रस्ता भरतसैनिका: ।। २.१०२.
Hearing the tumultuous sound of the mighty ones weeping as they performed the water-offering for their father, Bharata's soldiers became afraid.
अब्रुवंश्चापि रामेण भरत: सङ्गतो ध्रुवम् । तेषामेव महाञ्छब्द: शोचतां पितरं मृतम् ।। २.१०२.
And they said, 'Surely Bharata has met with Rāma; this great sound is from those who grieve for their dead father.'
अथ वासान् परित्यज्य तं सर्वे ऽभिमुखा: स्वनम् । अप्येकमनसो जग्मुर्यथास्थानं प्रधाविता: ।। २.१०२.
Then all of them, leaving their quarters, hurried in the same direction, their minds united, each running to his proper place.
हयैरन्ये गजैरन्ये रथैरन्ये स्वलङ्कृतै: । सुकुमारास्तथैवान्ये पद्भिरेव नरा ययु: ।। २.१०२.
Some men went on horses, others on elephants, others on well-adorned chariots, and still others, delicate in form, went on foot.
अचिरप्रोषितं रामं चिरविप्रोषितं यथा । द्रष्टुकामो जन: सर्वो जगाम सहसाश्रमम् ।। २.१०२.
All the people, eager to see Rāma, who had been recently exiled as if for a long time, quickly went to the hermitage.
भ्रातऽणां त्वरितास्तत्र द्रष्टुकामा: समागमम् । ययुर्बहुविधैर्यानै: खुरनेमिस्वनाकुलै: ।। २.१०२.
Eager to see the brothers, they hurried there, coming together in many kinds of vehicles, with the clamor of hoofs and wheels.
सा भूमिर्बहुभिर्यानै: खुरनेमिसमाहता । मुमोच तुमुलं शब्दं द्यौरिवाभ्रसमागमे ।। २.१०२.
That ground, struck by many vehicles, by hoofs and wheels, resounded with a tumultuous noise, like the sky at the meeting of clouds.
तेन वित्रासिता नागा: करेणुपरिवारिता: । आवासयन्तो गन्धेन जग्मुरन्यद्वनं तत: ।। २.१०२.
Frightened by that sound, the elephants, surrounded by their young, left, filling the air with their scent, and went to another part of the forest.
वराहवृकसङ्घाश्च महिषा: सर्प्पवानरा: । व्याघ्रगोकर्णगवया: वित्रेसु: पृषतैः सह ।। २.१०२.
And herds of boars and wolves, buffaloes, serpents, and monkeys, as well as tigers, wild oxen, and gavayas, fled together with the spotted deer.