Thus harshly addressed by the indignant mother of Rama, the king
aggrieved was plunged in thought. Having thought for a long while, that
repressor of foes, the king, who had lost his senses through grief,
regained consciousness. And having regained his senses, he sighing hot
and hard, seeing Kaucalya beside him, was again lost in thought. As he
was thinking, the sinful act which he had through ignorance formerly
committed by means of the shaft which hits by sound, rose up (in his
recollection). Afflicted with this grief as well as that on account of
Rama, that lord, the king, burned in these two several griefs. Burning
in grief and distressed, he trembling and with joined hands, with his
head hanging down, addressed Kaucalya, with the view of pacifying her,
"I deprecate thy displeasure, O Kaucalya, with joined hands. Thou art
ever affectionate and dost not treat harshly even enemies. Verily unto
women cognizant of virtue, a husband, whether he has any merits or not,
is a very deity. Ever virtuous, thou, that hast seen both the virtuous
and the vicious, although aggrieved, ought not to say anything
unpleasant unto me who am weighed down with woe." Having heard these
piteous words of the distressed king, Kaucalya uttered words even as a
water-way lets out fresh accession of rain. And weeping, she drew on her
head the joined hands of the king resembling lotuses; and then flurried
spoke these words hurriedly informed with extreme affection, "Be thou
propitious; I beseech with (bended) head. I bow unto thee, falling on
the ground. O reverend one, besought by thee, I shall be undone. I do
not deserve to be forgiven by thee. She cannot be reckoned a
gentlewoman, who is propitiated by her intelligent husband, worthy of
being extolled in both the worlds. I know duty, O righteous one; I know
that thou art truth-telling. And it is because I was exceedingly
distressed on account of my son that I spoke harshly to thee. Sorrow
destroys patience, sorrow destroys knowledge of the scriptures, sorrow
destroys every thing; there is no enemy like unto sorrow. One can
falling down bear beating from an enemy; but one cannot falling down
bear ever so little sorrow. This is the fifth night of the banishment of
Rama, as calculated by me; and to me rendered cheerless by sorrow, this
interval has assumed the proportions of five years. And fostered by
thought on my part, this grief increases in my bosom, like the mighty
waters of the ocean increased by the vehement discharge of rivers." As
Kaucalya was thus speaking auspiciously, the rays of the sun grew
milder, and the night arrived. Cheered up by the words of Kaucalya, the
king overcome by grief, felt the influence of sleep.