prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ paurāste rāghavṃ vinā| śokopahataniśceṣṭā babhūvurhatacetasḥ||2.47.1||
Translation
प्रभातायां शर्वर्याम् when the night advanced towards dawn, ते पौराः those citizens, राघवं विना not beholding Rama, हतचेतसः deprived of their senses, शोकोपहतचेतसः crushed with grief, निश्चेष्टाः बभूवुः were stunned.
Meaning
When the night advanced towards dawn the citizens were stunned not to see the scion of the Raghus (Rama). Overwhelmed with sorrow they lost their senses.
śokajāśruparidyūnā vīkṣamāṇāstatastatḥ| ālokamapi rāmasya na paśyanti sma duḥkhitāḥ||2.47.2||
Translation
शोकजाश्रुपरिद्यूनाः drenched in the tears of grief, ततस्ततः hither and thither, वीक्षमाणाः looking, दुःखिताः anguished, रामस्य Rama's, आलोकमपि even his light (trace), न पश्यन्ति स्म could not see.
Meaning
Anguished and drenched with tears of grief they looked hither and thither but could not find even a trace of Rama.
te viṣādārtavadanā rahitāstena dhīmatā| kṛpaṇāḥ karuṇā vāco vadanti sma manasvinḥ||2.47.3||
Translation
मनस्विनः highminded people, ते those men, धीमता by the sagacious, तेन रहिताः separated from him (Rama), विषादार्तवदनाः with faces marked with grief, कृपणाः piteous, करुणाः evoking compassion, वाचः words, वदन्ति स्म talked about.
Meaning
Those highminded people with sorrowful faces due to separation from sagacious Rama expressed themselves in piteous words:
यया by which, अपहृतचेतसः senses robbed of, अद्य now, पृथूरस्कम् broadchested, महाभुजम् mightyarmed, रामम् Rama, न पश्यामहे we cannot see, तां निद्राम् to that sleep, धिक् अस्तु fie on it.
Meaning
Fie on this sleep which robbed us of our senses. We are unable to see (now) that broadchested and mightyarmed Rama.
तथा in that way, अवितथक्रियः one to whom services rendered never go fruitless, महाबाहुः mightyarmed, सः राघवः that Rama, भक्तम् devoted, जनम् people, परित्यज्य abandoning, कथं नाम how, प्रवासम् exile, गतः has gone.
Meaning
How is it that the mightyarmed Rama who never renders services done to him fruitless has deserted his devoted people and gone into exile?
yo nḥ sadā pālayati pitā putrānivaurasān| kathṃ raghūṇāṃ sa śreṣṭhastyaktvā no vipinṃ gatḥ||2.47.6||
Translation
रघूणाम् among the kings of Raghu dynasty, श्रेष्ठः the best, यः such Rama, पिता father, औरसान् पुत्रान् sons born to him, नः us, सदा always, पालयति protect, सः such Rama , नः us, त्यक्त्वा deserting, विपिनम् to the forest, कथम् how, गतः could he go?
Meaning
How could he, the best among the kings of Raghu dynasty, who used to protect us as a father protects his own children, go to the forest, abandoning us?
ihaiva nidhanṃ yāmo mahāprasthānameva vā| rāmeṇa rahitānāṃ hi kimarthṃ jīvitṃ hi nḥ||2.47.7||
Translation
इहैव here itself, निधनम् death, यामः we will meet with, महाप्रस्थानमेव वा everlasting journey, रामेण by Rama, रहितानाम् bereft of, नः for us, जीवितम् life, किमर्थम् what is the use?
Meaning
We all will die here. We will go on the everlasting journey to death. Of what use is this life to us without Rama?
किम् what, वक्ष्यामः shall say, महाबाहुः mightyarmed, अनसूयः free from malice, प्रियंवदः saying pleasing words, सः such, राघवः Rama, अस्माभिः by us, नीतः conducted to the forest, इति thus, कथम् how, वक्तुम् to tell, क्षमम् is possible?
Meaning
What shall we say (to the people)? How can we say, 'We have conducted him (to the forest), that scion of the Raghus, that mightyarmed Rama, who is of gentle speech and free from malice?
राघवं विना without Rama, अस्मान् us, दृष्ट्वा having seen, सस्त्रीबालवयोधिका with women, children and the aged, सा नगरी that city, (Ayodhya), नूनम् certainly, दीना will be dejected, निरानन्दा without joy, भविष्यति will be.
Meaning
Seeing us return without Rama, the women, children and the aged of the city (Ayodhya) will certainly feel miserable and cheerless.
niryātāstena vīreṇa saha nityṃ jitātmanā| vihīnāstena ca punḥ kathṃ paśyāma tāṃ purīm||2.47.11||
Translation
नित्यम् always, जितात्मना by the selfcontrolled, तेन वीरेण सह with that valiant one, निर्याताः having left (that city), तेन च with him, विहीनाः devoid of, तां पुरीम् to that city, कथम् how, पश्याम will see.
Meaning
Having left (that city) with the valiant and selfrestrained Rama, how can we now return without him ?
itīva bahudhā vāco bāhumudyamya te janāḥ| vilapanti sma duḥkhārtā vivatsā iva dhenavḥ||2.47.12||
Translation
ते जनाः those people, दुःखार्ताः distressed men with grief, बाहुम् arms, उद्यम्य having uplifted, बहुधा in many ways, इतीव like this, वाचः words, विवत्साः deprived of calves, धेनवः इव like cows, विलपन्ति स्म lamented.
Meaning
All of them with grief distressed, and with their arms thrown up lamented like cows deprived of their calves.
tato mārgānusāreṇa gatvā kiñcit kṣaṇṃ punḥ| mārganāśādviṣādena mahatā samabhiplutāḥ||2.47.13||
Translation
ततः then, क्षणम् for a short while, मार्गानुसारेण following the track, किञ्चित् for a little, गत्वा having gone, मार्गनाशात् by missing the way, पुनः again, महता great, विषादेन with grief, समभिप्लुताः were overcome.
Meaning
For a short while they followed the tracks (of the chariot) and after having gone a little distance, they missed the way. They were again submerged in deep sorrow.
मनस्विनः highminded people, रथस्य chariot's, मार्गनाशेन disappearance of the track, किमिदम् what is this?, दैवेन by destiny, उपहताः struck, किं करिष्यामः what are we to do?, इति thus (saying), न्यवर्तन्त returned.
Meaning
When they could not find the tracks of the chariot, those highminded people turned back and said to themselves 'What is this? We have been deceived by fate. What are we to do now?'
tato yathāgatenaiva mārgeṇa klāntacetasḥ| ayodhyāmāgamansarve purīṃ vyathitasajjanām||2.47.15||
Translation
ततः thereafter, सर्वे all of them, क्लान्तचेतसः with their minds, यथागतेनैव they had come, मार्गेण way, व्यथितसज्जनाम् with virtuous people grieving, अयोध्याम् to Ayodhya, पुरीम् city, आगमन् had come back.
Meaning
Thereafter, all of them, the virtuous people grieving, their minds fatigued, returned to Ayodhya the same way they had come.
ālokya nagarīṃ tāṃ ca kṣayavyākulamānasāḥ| āvartayanta te'śrūṇi nayanaiḥ śokapīḍitaiḥ||2.47.16||
Translation
ते they, तां नगरीम् that city, आलोक्य having seen, क्षयव्याकुलमानसाः minds agitated, शोकपीडितैः oppressed with sorrow, नयनैः with eyes, अश्रूणि tears, आवर्तयन्त shed.
Meaning
On seeing the city the minds of the people were agitated due to the loss (of their prince). Tears streamed down their eyes, oppressed with sorrow.
रामेण रहिता without Rama, एषा नगरी this city, ह्रदात् from the deep, गरुडेन by Garuda, उद्धृतपन्नगा the snakes having been lifted away, आपगा इव like a river, नातिशोभते does not look beautiful.
Meaning
This city without Rama just as a river with serpents lifted away by Garuda from its depths looks no longer beautiful.
candrahīnamivākāśṃ toyahīnamivārṇavam| apaśyannihatānandṃ nagarṃ te vicetasḥ||2.47.18||
Translation
विचेतसः overcome with grief, ते they, निहतानन्दम् with their joys destroyed , नगरम् that city, चन्द्रहीनम् without Moon, आकाशम् इव like sky, तोयहीनम् without water, आर्णवम् इव like an ocean, अपश्यन् saw.
Meaning
Plunged in grief, they saw the city deprived of all joy, looking like a sky without the Moon and an ocean without water.
प्रविनष्टहर्षाः with their happiness destroyed, ते they, महाधनानि endowed with plenty of wealth, तानि such, वेश्मानि houses, दुःखेन with great difficulty, विशन्तः while entering, दुःखोपहताः stricken with sorrow, निरीक्षमाणाः looking at, स्वजनम् their own people, जनं वा or others, नैव प्रजज्ञुः could not recognise.
Meaning
Those people devoid of delight entered their rich mansions with great difficulty. Even though they, stricken with sorrow, looked at men and their own kinsmen they could not recognise them. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीय आदिकाव्ये अयोध्याकाण्डे सप्तचत्वारिंशस्सर्गः।। Thus ends the fortyseventh sarga of Ayodhyakanda of the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.