Remembering the extraordinary death of the Maharshi, that righteous
descendant of Raghu, lamenting his son, thus spoke unto Kaucalya,
"Having unwittingly commited that great sin, I, with my senses oppressed
through grief, thought within myself as to how I could mend it. Then
taking up the pitcher filled with excellent water, I went by the way
mentioned and (at last) reached the asylum. There I found his aged,
infirm, forlorn, parents, without a one to help them in moving
about,--like unto birds whose wings have been severed, keeping up a talk
about (their son) without experiencing any fatigue, and like helpless
ones feeding on a hope which had been blasted by me. My senses
overpowered by grief, and my consciousness almost lost through
apprehension, I, arrived at the hermitage, was again overwhelmed with
sorrow. Hearing my footsteps, the ascetic said, 'Why, my son, delayest
thou? Bring the drink at once. Thy mother, O child, was exceedingly
anxious in consequence of thy sporting in the waters. Do thou speedily
enter the asylum. O child, it behoveth thee not to take to heart any
unkind action that, O son, may have been done unto thee of high fame
either by thy mother or myself. Thou art the resource of these helpless
ones; thou art the eyes of these bereft of their sight. Our lives are
bound up with thee. Why dost not answer?' Seeing the ascetic with a
choked utterance indistinctly speaking thus with the letters not
articulated clearly, I, dashed in spirits, yet concealing the real state
of my mind by assuming a doughty tongue, communicated unto him the
danger that had beffallen him in consequence of the calamity of his son:
'I am a Kshatria, Dacaratha (by name), and no son of thine, O
magnanimous one. I have come by a misfortune in consequence of an act
blamed by the good. O revered one, desirous of killing some beast of
prey, an elephant (or some other), come to the waters, I went to the
banks of the Sarayu bow in hand. Then hearing sounds from the water of a
filling pitcher, I thought,--This must be an elephant.--I wounded it
with a shaft. Next coming to the edge of the river, I saw an ascetic
lying down on the ground almost deprived of life, with his heart pierced
with an arrow. Then coming forward, I in accordance with the direction
given by him as he lay in agony, suddenly extracted the arrow from his
vitals. And as soon as the arrow had been extracted, he ascended heaven,
O reverend sir, lamenting and bewailing you, both grown old. It is
through ignorance that I suddenly wounded your son. This having been
past, do you favor me with telling me what is now to be done, O
ascetic.' Having heard these cruel words, the worshipful ascetic could
well by his curse consume me to ashes. With eyes flooded with tears, and
well nigh deprived of his senses by grief, that highly energetic one
said unto me standing with joined hands, 'If, O king, thou hadst not of
thyself immediately communicated unto us this unpleasant news, thy head
would have been reduced to a thousand flaws. Not to speak of Kshatriyas,
I can even drag the very weilder of the thunderbolt himself from his
position, if he knowingly kills one, in especial, that has assumed the
Vanaprastha mode of life. Thy head would have been severed in seven, if
thou hadst discharged the weapon knowingly at such an asectic staying in
austerities and versed in the Vedas. It is because thou hast done this
through ignorance that thou (still) livest, else the race itself of the
Raghavas should be not,--and where art thou?' He then said, 'Do thou, O
king, take us to the scene. To day will we look our last on our son
besmeared with blood, his deer-skin garb falling off (from his body),
lying senseless on the earth, and come under the subjection of the lord
of righteousness.' Thereupon I alone taking them exceedingly
disconsolate to the spot, made the ascetic and his wife touch their son.
And having approached their son and touched him, those ascetics fell on
his person, and then his father addressed him thus, 'Thou salutest me
not to-day, nor dost thou speak to me. Why, my child, dost thou lie down
on the ground? Art thou angry (with us)? If, my son, thou dost not feel
kindly to me, do thou look up to thy virtuous mother. And why, O son,
dost thou not embrace me? Do a thou speak tender words. At the small
hours, from whom engaged in study, shall I hear the scriptures sweetly
read in a way coming home to the listener's mind? Who, having performed
his daily devotions and offered oblations unto the sacrificial fire,
will bathe me, afflicted with grief for my son? And who procuring
Kandas, fruits and roots, will feed me like an welcome guest, incapable
of doing anything and furnishing provisions, and without any one to take
care of myself? And, my son, how will I maintain this blind ascetic
mother of thine, proud of her son, who is passing her days in misery? Do
thou stay, my son, in my behalf. Tomorrow thou wilt go to Yama's mansion
with me and thy mother. Distressed with grief and rendered miserable in
the forest, both of us deprived of thee shall soon repair to the abode
of Yama. Seeing Vivaswata's son, I will say unto him,--Do thou, O lord
of justice, forgive me, and let this my son continue to maintain us, his
parents. It behoves thee, O righteous and illustrious guardian of the
worlds, to confer on me reduced to such a pass this one enduring
_dakshina_ capable of removing our fear.-- Thou, my son, art sinless,
although slain by this one who has done an unrighteous act; and by the
force of this truth, do thou repair to the world of warriors. Do thou, O
son, go the supreme way that is gone by heroes who without turning back
from the fight, are slain in open encounter. Do thou, O son, go the way
that has been gone by Sagara and Saivya and Dilipa and Janamejaya and
Nahusa and Dhundumara. Do thou, O son, go the way that is gone by all
creatures! even by ascetics engaged in the study of the Veda, by
bestowers of lands, by those performing fire-sacrifices, by individuals
each devoted to a single wife, men giving away a thousand kine, persons
tending their preceptors, and individuals renouncing lives by fasting.
He that is born in such a race cannot come by any evil case. Such a
condition be his that has taken the life of thee, my friend.'
"Having thus piteously wept, he along with his wife set about performing
the watery rites on behalf of his son. Thereupon speedily assuming a
celestial shape, the virtuous son of the ascetic by his own actions
ascended heaven in company with Sakra. Then (returning) along with
Sakra, the ascetic comforting his aged parents, addressed them, saying,
'I have attained a high state in consequence of having served you. Do
you also without delay come unto me.' Having said this, the ascetic's
son of restrained senses ascended heaven by means of an excellent and
commodious car. Having performed the watery rites, the highly energetic
ascetic along with his wife speedily said unto me staying with joined
hands, 'Do thou, O monarch, slay me on the instant. I do not grieve to
die'--thou hast by thy shaft rendered me who had an only son, absolutely
sonless. Since this sorrow arising from the calamity that has befallen
my son, is at present mine (through thy instrumentality), I curse
thee,--thou shalt even in this way find thy death from grief for thy
son. As thou a Kshatriya hast through ignorance slain an ascetic, the
sin, O lord of men, of slaying a Brahmana will not envelope thee
speedily; but thou shalt shortly come by this dreadful and mortal
condition, like a donor of Dakshinas (coming by the things given away).'
Having thus inflicted on me the curse and piteously lamented long, the
couple ascended the funeral pile and went to heaven. O noble dame, the
crime that I hitting by help of sound, had committed in my boyhood, has
reverted to my recollection in course of thought. And, O exalted lady,
even as a disease generated by one's taking rice with unhealthy curry,
this danger is imminent in consequence of that act. O gentle one, the
words of that noble- minded person are about to be verified in me."
Having said this and weeping, the king said to his wife, "I shall
renounce life through grief for my son. And I shall no more behold thee
with my eyes. Do thou, O Kaucalya, touch me. People going to the mansion
of Yama no more behold (their friends). If Rama touch me directly or
otherwise, obtain the exchequer, and be installed as the heir-apparent,
meseems, I may yet live. O noble lady, what I have done unto Raghava is
not surely like myself; but what (on the other hand) he has done by me
is worthy of him. What sensible man forsaketh his son, albeit he may be
wicked? And what son being banished, does not bear ill will towards his
father? But I do not see thee with my eyes, and my memory fails. These
envoys of Vivaswata's son, O Kaucalya, urge speed upon me. What can be
an object of greater regret than, that I during my last moments cannot
behold the righteous Rama having truth for prowess? Even as the sun
drieth up a drop of water, grief for not seeing my son of incomparable
acts drieth my spirits. Those are not men--those are gods who in the
fifteenth year shall again behold Rama's countenance graced with elegent
and burnished ear-rings. O thou of graceful eye-brows, blessed are they
who shall behold Rama's countenance furnished with eyes resembling
lotus-petals, with excellent teeth and a shapely nose, like unto the
lord of the stars himself. Blessed are they that shall behold that
fragrant face of his like unto the autumnal moon, or the full-blown
lotus. Thrice-blessed they who with delighted hearts, shall behold Rama
returned from the forest and come back to Ayodhya, like unto Sukra
crowning the zenith? O Kaucalya, my heart is weighed down with grief;
and I do not perceive objects of hearing, feeling, or taste. My senses
are growing dim in consequence of the mental stupor, like the rays of a
lamp reduced to smoke, becoming dim when the oil has been exhausted. As
the violence of a river wears away its banks. my grief occasioned
through my own agency is destroying me, who am helpless and insensible.
O mighty-armed Raghava! O thou remover of my troubles! O thou that dost
delight in thy father! thou art my stay, O my son, that hast gone away.
O Kaucalya, I do not see. O wretched Sumitra! O cruel one, thou enemy of
mine, thou Kaikeyi, who hast befouled thy line!" Having thus lamented in
presence of Rama's mother and Sumitra, king Dacaratha breathed his last.
Thus that distressed lord of men, smitten with the exile of his beloved
son, that one possessed of a gracious presence, when the night had been
half spent, wrought up with the violence of his emotion, departed this
life.