प्रस्थाप्य तु स शत्रुघ्नं भ्रातृभ्यां सह राघवः। प्रमुमोद सुखी राज्यं धर्मेण परिपालयन्॥
Having bade adieu to Satrughna, Rama, the descendant of Raghu, was greatly delighted by governing his subjects piously in the company of Bharata and Laksmana.
ततः कतिपयाहःसु वृद्धो जानपदो द्विजः। मृतं बालमुपादाय राजद्वारमुपागमत्॥
Some days having passed in this wise-a villager, an old Brālimaņa, arrived at the palace gate with a dead boy.
किं नु मे दुष्कृतं कर्म पुरा देहान्तरे कृतम्। रुदन्बहुविधा वाचः स्नेहदुःखसमन्वितः। असकृत्पुत्र पुत्रेति वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह॥ किं नु मे दुष्कृतं कर्म पुरा देहान्तरे कृतम्। यदहं पुत्रमेकं तु पश्यामि निधनं गतम्॥
That Brāhmaṇa, stricken with affection, again and again bewailed in various piteous accents exclaiming What heinous crime had I committed in my pristine birth that I have been constrained to witness the death of my son.
अप्राप्तयौवनं बालं पञ्चवर्षसहस्रकम्। अकाले कालमापन्नं मम दुःखाय पुत्रक॥ अल्पैरहोभिनिधनं गमिष्यामि न संशयः। अहं च जननी चैव तव शोकेन पुत्रक॥
My son, you have not as yet completed fourteen years. To my misery you have met with untimely death. Forsooth, for your grief, O my son, myself and your mother shall soon be snatched away by death.
न स्मराम्यनृतं ह्युक्तं न च हिंसां स्मराम्यहम्। सर्वेषां प्राणिनां पापं न स्मरामि कदाचन।७।। केनाद्य दुष्कृतेनायं बाल एव ममात्मजः। अकृत्वा पितृकार्याणि गतो वैवस्वतक्षयम्॥
I do not remember to have ever uttered a falsehood, or injured an animal or perpetrated any other crime. Therefore for some other sinful action, this boy, without performing the son's duties towards his parents, has gone to the abode of death.
नेदृशं दृष्टपूर्वं मे श्रुतं वा घोरदर्शनम्। मृत्युरप्राप्तकालानां रामस्य विषये ह्ययम्॥
Save under the regime of Rama, I have never seen or heard of the dreadful death of such a boy who has not attained the age.
रामस्य दुष्कृतं किंचिन्महदस्ति न संशयः। यथा हि विषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युरागतः॥
Forsooth, Rāma has perpetrated a mighty iniquity for which boys, during his administration, have been meeting with untimely death.
नह्यन्यविषयस्थानां बालानां मृत्युतो भयम्। स राजञ्जीवयस्वैनं बालं मृत्युवशं गतम्॥ राजद्वारि मरिष्यामि पत्न्या सार्धमनाथवत्। ब्रह्महत्यां ततो राम समुपेत्य सुखी भव॥ भ्रातृभिः सहितो राजन्दीर्घमायुरवाप्स्यसि।
In other governments boys have no fear of such an untimely death. Therefore, O king confer life upon this dead child. Or else with my spouse I shall renounce my life at this gate like one having no lord. O Rāma, soiled by the sin consequent upon the destruction of a Brāhmaṇa, do you live long happily with brother.
उषिताः स्म सुखं राज्ये तवास्मिन्सुमहाबल॥ इदं तु पतितं तस्मात्तव राम वशे स्थितान्। कालस्य वशमापन्नाः स्वल्पं हि नहि नः सुखम्॥
O you of great prowess, up to this time we have lived happily in your kingdom. And now, O Räma, under your subjection we are being troubled with the sorrow or our son's death. We have been brought under the influence of Kāla; so in your kingdom there is not the least happiness for us.
संप्रत्यनाथो विषय इक्ष्वाकूणां महात्मनाम्। राम नाथमिहासाद्य बालान्तकरणं ध्रुवम्॥ राजदोषैविपद्यन्ते प्रजा ह्यविधिपालिताः। असद्धृत्ते हि नृपतावकाले म्रियते जनः॥ यद्वा पुरेष्वयुक्तानि जना जनपदेषु च। कुर्वते न च रक्षास्ति तदा कालकृतं भयम्॥
Having attained Rāma as its lord, the kingdom, of the high-souled Ikşvākus, has attained to the condition of one having no master, where during Rāma's regime the death of a boy has been brought about. For being impiously governed by a king, for his sin, the subjects meet with calamities. And a king following evil tracks and not governing the subjects righteously people meet with untimely death. Therefore, when a king does mot suppress the crimes committed by people either in cities, or provinces the fear, of untimely death, comes in.
सुव्यक्तं राजदोषो हि भविष्यति न संशयः। पुरे जनपदे चापि तथा बालवधो ह्ययम्॥
Evident it is therefore that undoubtedly the sin of the king has appeared in cities and provinces. And for that reason this boy has met with death.
एवं बहुविधैर्वाक्यैरुपरुध्य मुहुर्मुहुः। राजानं दुःखसंतप्तः सुतं तमुपगृहति॥
Being overwhelmed with sorrow that old Brāhmaṇa again and again remonstrated with the king in these 'piteous words and afterwards covered the dead body (of his son.)