एवमुक्त्वा तु विरते रामे वचनमर्थवत्। ततो मन्दाकिनीतीरे रामं प्रकृतिवत्सलम्॥ उवाच भरतश्चित्रं धार्मिको धार्मिकं वचः। को हि स्यादीदृशो लोके यादृशस्त्वमरिंदम॥
On Rāma having stopped after speaking these pregnant words, the virtuous Bharata addressed the righteous Rāma attached to him subjects in an excellent speech on the banks of the Mandākinī, saying, “O vanquisher of foes, who is there is this world like to you?"
न त्वां प्रव्यथयेद् दुःखं प्रीतिर्वा न प्रहर्षयेत्। सम्मतश्चापि वृद्धानां तांश्च पृच्छसि संशयान्॥
Pain does not afflict you, nor does pleasure exhilarate. Yourself the exemplar of even aged people, you refer to them on doubtful point (of morality).
यथा मृतस्तथा जीवन् यथासति तथा सति। यस्यैष बुद्धिलाभः स्यात् परितप्येत केन सः॥
‘Living like to dead and existing like to nonexisting', what shall make a person that has attained this intellectual state, grieve?
परावरज्ञो यश्च स्यात् यथा त्वं मनुजाधिप। स एव व्यसनं प्राप्य न विषीदितुमर्हति ॥
O lord of men, he that like to you understands the nature of the soul and its environment coming by any calamity, ought not to despond.
अमरोपमसत्त्वस्त्वं महात्मा सत्यसंगरः। सर्वज्ञः सर्वदर्शी च बुद्धिमांश्चासि राघव ॥ न त्वामेवंगुणैर्युक्तं प्रभवाभवकोविदम्। अविषह्यतमं दुःखमासादयितुमर्हति॥
You resemble, O Rāghava, the god in strength, and are magnanimous, and truthful in promise, and know every thing and are endued with intelligence, Calamity, however unbearable it may be, should not overpower a person like yourself furnished with such virtues and cognizant of life and death.
प्रोषिते मयि यत् पापं मात्रा मत्कारणात् कृतम्। क्षुद्रया तदनिष्टं मे प्रसीदतु भवान् मम ॥
The sin that in my absence from home has been perpetrated by my mean-minded mother does not find favour in my sight. Be you therefore propitious to me.
धर्मबन्धेन बद्धोऽस्मि तेनेमां नेह मातरम्। हन्मि तीव्रण दण्डेन दण्डाहाँ पापकारिणीम्॥
I am bound by the fetters of religion. For this it is that I do not by a severe penalty slay my wicked mother deserving of chastisement.
कथं दशरथाज्जातः शुभाभिजनकर्मणः। जानन् धर्ममधर्मं च कुर्यां कर्म जुगुप्सितम्॥
How having sprung from Dasaratha of righteous deeds and born of immaculate race, and knowing virtue and vice, can I commit such a reprehensible action?
गुरुः क्रियावान् वृद्धश्च राजा प्रेतः पितेति च। तातं न परिगर्हेऽहं दैवतं चेति संसदि॥
Dasaratha is our superior, of meritorious acts, aged our king, a departed spirit, and our father, it is on account of this that I do not censure our father who is a deity to us.
को हि धर्मार्थयो नमीदृशं कर्म किल्बिषम्। स्त्रियः प्रियचिकीर्षुः सन् कुर्याद् धर्मज्ञ धर्मवित्॥
O cognizant of virtue, what virtuous person conversant in morality, should, seeking the pleasure of his wife, commit such a sinful act devoid of both righteousness and interest?
अन्तकाले हि भूतानि मुह्यन्तीति पुरा श्रुतिः । राज्ञैवं कुर्वता लोके प्रत्यक्षा सा श्रुतिः कृता॥
'Creatures, as their end approaches, lose their sense this ancient adage has been illustrated in the world by the course the king has taken.
साध्वर्थमभिसंधाय क्रोधान्मोहाच्च साहसात्। तातस्य यदतिक्रान्तं प्रत्याहरतु तद् भवान्॥
Do you, intent upon bringing about good, redeem the wrong that has been done by our sire through anger, ignorance and recklessness.
पितुर्हि समतिक्रान्तं पुत्रो यः साधु मन्यते। तदपत्यं मतं लोके विपरीतमतोऽन्यथा ॥
The son that repair the wrong done by his father by acting contrary to the latter is in this world considered really a son; but not he that acts otherwise.
तदपत्यं भवानस्तु मा भवान् दुष्कृतं पितुः। अति यत् तत् कृतं कर्म लोके धीरविगर्हितम्॥
Be you that (real) son (of the monarch). Do you not approve the action of your father, since what he has done is divorced from righteousness and is blameworthy.
कैकेयीं मां च तातं च सुहृदो बान्धवांश्च नः। पौरजानपदान् सर्वास्त्रातुं सर्वमिदं भवान्॥
Do you rescue all these, Kaikeyī, myself, my father, our friends and adherents, and the whole body of the citizens as well as the inhabitants of the provinces.
क्व चारण्यं क्व च क्षात्रं व जटाः क्व च पालनम्। ईदृशं व्याहतं कर्म न भवान् कर्तुमर्हति॥
Where is the forest? And where is Ksatriya morality? Where are matted locks? And where is your government of the country? It behoves you not to act in such an untoward way.
एष हि प्रथमो धर्मः क्षत्रियस्याभिषेचनम्। येन शक्यं महाप्राज्ञ प्रजानां परिपालनम्॥
Even this is the first duty of a Ksatriya, viz., getting oneself installed, by means of which, O highly wise one, he can compass the government of the people.
कश्च प्रत्यक्षमुत्सृज्य संशयस्थमलक्षणम्। आयतिस्थं चरेद् धर्मं क्षत्रबन्धुरनिश्चितम्॥
What base Ksatriya setting aside this indubitable morality, resorts to a dubious and inauspicious course, which should be followed by the old alone?
अथ क्लेशजमेव त्वं धर्म चरितुमिच्छसि। धर्मेण चतुरो वर्णान् पालयन् क्लेशमाप्नुहि ॥
But if you be bent upon practising this austere morality, do you undergo this trouble, after having righteously ruled the four orders.
चतुर्णामाश्रमाणां हि गार्हस्थ्यं श्रेष्ठमुत्तमम्। आहुर्धर्मज्ञ धर्मज्ञास्तं कथं त्यक्तुमिच्छसि॥
O you cognizant of morality, those versed in duty say that of the four modes of life, the life of the householder is the foremost. Why then do you wish to renounce the same?
श्रुतेन बालः स्थानेन जन्मना भवतो ह्यहम्। स कथं पालयिष्यामि भूमिं भवति तिष्ठति ॥
I am inferior to you in learning, in position, and in birth. How can I then govern the earth, you existing?
हीनबुद्धिगुणो बाला हीनस्थानेन चाप्यहम्। भवता च विनाभूतो न वर्तयितुमुत्सहे॥
Void of sense and quality, a body, and inferior to you in point of years, I, deprived of you, can not live.
इदं निखिलमप्यग्र्यं राज्यं पित्र्यमकण्टकम्। अनुशाधि स्वधर्मेण धर्मज्ञ सह बान्धवैः॥
O you cognizant of morality, do you, along with your friends, according to your proper morality rule this entire ancestral kingdom rid of its thorns and enjoying tranquillity.
इहैव त्वाभिषिञ्चन्तु सर्वाः प्रकृतयः सह। ऋत्विजः सवसिष्ठाश्च मन्त्रविन्मन्त्रकोविदाः॥
Even here, O you cognizant of the Mantras, let all the subjects and the Rtvijas with Vasiștha, versed in the Mantras, install you.
अभिषिक्तस्त्वमस्माभिरयोध्यां पालने व्रज। विजित्य तरसा लोकान् मरुद्भिरिव वासवः॥
Having been installed, go to Ayodhyā for the purpose of governing it, having with our assistance conquered your enemies by they strength, like Vāsava conquering (his foes) with the help of the Maruts.
ऋणानि त्रीण्यपाकुर्वन्दुहृदः साधु निर्दहन्। सुहृदस्तर्पयन् कामैस्त्वमेवात्रानुशाधि माम्॥
Having freed yourself from the threefold debts, do you govern me, repressing your foes, and propitiating your friends with every gratification.
अद्यापि मुदिताः सन्तु सुहृदस्तेऽभिषेचने। अद्य भीताः पलायन्तु दुष्प्रदास्ते दिशो दश॥
O noble one, to-day let your friends rejoice in consequence of your coronation. To day let those that intend to do you harm, being frightened, fly to the ten cardinal points.
आक्रोशं मम मातुश्च प्रमृज्य पुरुषर्षभ। अद्य तत्रभवन्तं च पितरं रक्ष किल्बिषात्॥
O foremost of men, wiping out the disgrace of my mother, do you emancipate our sire from sin.
शिरसा त्वाभियाचेऽहं कुरुष्व करुणां मयि। बान्धवेषु च सर्वेषु भूतेष्विव महेश्वरः॥
I beseech you with bent head. Be you merciful to me, to all our friends, and, O great lord, to all creatures in general.
अथवा पृष्ठतः कृत्वा वनमेव भवानितः। गमिष्यति गमिष्यामि भवता सार्धमप्यहम्॥
But, if disregarding my solicitations, you wend from here to the forest, I shall go along with you.
तथाभिरामो भरतेन ताम्यता प्रसाद्यमानः शिरसा महीपतिः। न चैव चक्रे गमनाय सत्त्ववान् मतिं पितुस्तद् वचने प्रतिष्ठितः॥
Although thus besought and propitiated by Bharata with bent head, that lord of the earth, Rāma, possessed of strength, established in the words of his father, did not decide for going.
तदद्भुतं स्थैर्यमवेक्ष्य राघवे समं जनो हर्षमवाप दुःखितः। न यात्ययोध्यामिति दुःखितोऽभवत् स्थिरप्रतिज्ञत्वमवेक्ष्य हर्षितः॥
Witnessing that wonderful firmness in Rāghava, the people were at one and the same time delighted and depressed. They were aggrieved because he would not go to Ayodhyā; they rejoiced on seeing his firm resolution.
स्तथा विसंज्ञाश्रुकलाश्च मातरः। तथा ब्रुवाणं भरतं प्रतुष्टवुः प्रणम्य रामं च ययाचिरे सह॥
Then the Rtvijas, the citizens, and their leaders, and the mothers with their senses lost and with tears in their eyes, extolled Bharata as he was speaking thus; and, bowing down to Rāma, they directed their solicitations together.