Chapter 261

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
uktaṃ bhagavatā janma rāmādīnāṃ pṛthakpṛthak |
prasthānakāraṇaṃ brahmañśrotumicchāmi kathyatām || 1 ||
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kathaṃ dāśarathī vīrau bhrātarau rāmalakṣmaṇau |
prasthāpitau vanaṃ brahma maithilī ca yaśasvinī || 2 ||
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mārkaṇḍeya uvāca |
jātaputro daśarathaḥ prītimānabhavannṛpaḥ |
kriyāratirdharmaparaḥ satataṃ vṛddhasevitā || 3 ||
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krameṇa cāsya te putrā vyavardhanta mahaujasaḥ |
vedeṣu sarahasyeṣu dhanurvede ca pāragāḥ || 4 ||
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caritabrahmacaryāste kṛtadārāśca pārthiva |
yadā tadā daśarathaḥ prītimānabhavatsukhī || 5 ||
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jyeṣṭho rāmo'bhavatteṣāṃ ramayāmāsa hi prajāḥ |
manoharatayā dhīmānpiturhṛdayatoṣaṇaḥ || 6 ||
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tataḥ sa rājā matimānmatvātmānaṃ vayo'dhikam |
mantrayāmāsa sacivairdharmajñaiśca purohitaiḥ || 7 ||
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abhiṣekāya rāmasya yauvarājyena bhārata |
prāptakālaṃ ca te sarve menire mantrisattamāḥ || 8 ||
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lohitākṣaṃ mahābāhuṃ mattamātaṅgagāminam |
dīrghabāhuṃ mahoraskaṃ nīlakuñcitamūrdhajam || 9 ||
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dīpyamānaṃ śriyā vīraṃ śakrādanavamaṃ bale |
pāragaṃ sarvadharmāṇāṃ bṛhaspatisamaṃ matau || 10 ||
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sarvānuraktaprakṛtiṃ sarvavidyāviśāradam |
jitendriyamamitrāṇāmapi dṛṣṭimanoharam || 11 ||
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niyantāramasādhūnāṃ goptāraṃ dharmacāriṇām |
dhṛtimantamanādhṛṣyaṃ jetāramaparājitam || 12 ||
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putraṃ rājā daśarathaḥ kausalyānandavardhanam |
saṃdṛśya paramāṃ prītimagacchatkurunandana || 13 ||
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cintayaṃśca mahātejā guṇānrāmasya vīryavān |
abhyabhāṣata bhadraṃ te prīyamāṇaḥ purohitam || 14 ||
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adya puṣyo niśi brahmanpuṇyaṃ yogamupaiṣyati |
saṃbhārāḥ saṃbhriyantāṃ me rāmaścopanimantryatām || 15 ||
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iti tadrājavacanaṃ pratiśrutyātha mantharā |
kaikeyīmabhigamyedaṃ kāle vacanamabravīt || 16 ||
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adya kaikeyi daurbhāgyaṃ rājñā te khyāpitaṃ mahat |
āśīviṣastvāṃ saṃkruddhaścaṇḍo daśati durbhage || 17 ||
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subhagā khalu kausalyā yasyāḥ putro'bhiṣekṣyate |
kuto hi tava saubhāgyaṃ yasyāḥ putro na rājyabhāk || 18 ||
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sā tadvacanamājñāya sarvābharaṇabhūṣitā |
vedīvilagnamadhyeva bibhratī rūpamuttamam || 19 ||
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vivikte patimāsādya hasantīva śucismitā |
praṇayaṃ vyañjayantīva madhuraṃ vākyamabravīt || 20 ||
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satyapratijña yanme tvaṃ kāmamekaṃ nisṛṣṭavān |
upākuruṣva tadrājaṃstasmānmucyasva saṃkaṭāt || 21 ||
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rājovāca |
varaṃ dadāni te hanta tadgṛhāṇa yadicchasi |
avadhyo vadhyatāṃ ko'dya vadhyaḥ ko'dya vimucyatām || 22 ||
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dhanaṃ dadāni kasyādya hriyatāṃ kasya vā punaḥ |
brāhmaṇasvādihānyatra yatkiṃcidvittamasti me || 23 ||
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mārkaṇḍeya uvāca |
sā tadvacanamājñāya parigṛhya narādhipam |
ātmano balamājñāya tata enamuvāca ha || 24 ||
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ābhiṣecanikaṃ yatte rāmārthamupakalpitam |
bharatastadavāpnotu vanaṃ gacchatu rāghavaḥ || 25 ||
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sa tadrājā vacaḥ śrutvā vipriyaṃ dāruṇodayam |
duḥkhārto bharataśreṣṭha na kiṃcidvyājahāra ha || 26 ||
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tatastathoktaṃ pitaraṃ rāmo vijñāya vīryavān |
vanaṃ pratasthe dharmātmā rājā satyo bhavatviti || 27 ||
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tamanvagacchallakṣmīvāndhanuṣmāṃllakṣmaṇastadā |
sītā ca bhāryā bhadraṃ te vaidehī janakātmajā || 28 ||
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tato vanaṃ gate rāme rājā daśarathastadā |
samayujyata dehasya kālaparyāyadharmaṇā || 29 ||
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rāmaṃ tu gatamājñāya rājānaṃ ca tathāgatam |
ānāyya bharataṃ devī kaikeyī vākyamabravīt || 30 ||
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gato daśarathaḥ svargaṃ vanasthau rāmalakṣmaṇau |
gṛhāṇa rājyaṃ vipulaṃ kṣemaṃ nihatakaṇṭakam || 31 ||
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tāmuvāca sa dharmātmā nṛśaṃsaṃ bata te kṛtam |
patiṃ hatvā kulaṃ cedamutsādya dhanalubdhayā || 32 ||
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ayaśaḥ pātayitvā me mūrdhni tvaṃ kulapāṃsane |
sakāmā bhava me mātarityuktvā praruroda ha || 33 ||
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sa cāritraṃ viśodhyātha sarvaprakṛtisaṃnidhau |
anvayādbhrātaraṃ rāmaṃ vinivartanalālasaḥ || 34 ||
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kausalyāṃ ca sumitrāṃ ca kaikeyīṃ ca suduḥkhitaḥ |
agre prasthāpya yānaiḥ sa śatrughnasahito yayau || 35 ||
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vasiṣṭhavāmadevābhyāṃ vipraiścānyaiḥ sahasraśaḥ |
paurajānapadaiḥ sārdhaṃ rāmānayanakāṅkṣayā || 36 ||
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dadarśa citrakūṭasthaṃ sa rāmaṃ sahalakṣmaṇam |
tāpasānāmalaṃkāraṃ dhārayantaṃ dhanurdharam || 37 ||
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visarjitaḥ sa rāmeṇa piturvacanakāriṇā |
nandigrāme'karodrājyaṃ puraskṛtyāsya pāduke || 38 ||
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rāmastu punarāśaṅkya paurajānapadāgamam |
praviveśa mahāraṇyaṃ śarabhaṅgāśramaṃ prati || 39 ||
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satkṛtya śarabhaṅgaṃ sa daṇḍakāraṇyamāśritaḥ |
nadīṃ godāvarīṃ ramyāmāśritya nyavasattadā || 40 ||
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vasatastasya rāmasya tataḥ śūrpaṇakhākṛtam |
khareṇāsīnmahadvairaṃ janasthānanivāsinā || 41 ||
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rakṣārthaṃ tāpasānāṃ ca rāghavo dharmavatsalaḥ |
caturdaśa sahasrāṇi jaghāna bhuvi rakṣasām || 42 ||
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dūṣaṇaṃ ca kharaṃ caiva nihatya sumahābalau |
cakre kṣemaṃ punardhīmāndharmāraṇyaṃ sa rāghavaḥ || 43 ||
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hateṣu teṣu rakṣaḥsu tataḥ śūrpaṇakhā punaḥ |
yayau nikṛttanāsoṣṭhī laṅkāṃ bhrāturniveśanam || 44 ||
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tato rāvaṇamabhyetya rākṣasī duḥkhamūrchitā |
papāta pādayorbhrātuḥ saṃśuṣkarudhirānanā || 45 ||
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tāṃ tathā vikṛtāṃ dṛṣṭvā rāvaṇaḥ krodhamūrchitaḥ |
utpapātāsanātkruddho dantairdantānupaspṛśan || 46 ||
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svānamātyānvisṛjyātha vivikte tāmuvāca saḥ |
kenāsyevaṃ kṛtā bhadre māmacintyāvamanya ca || 47 ||
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kaḥ śūlaṃ tīkṣṇamāsādya sarvagātrairniṣevate |
kaḥ śirasyagnimādāya viśvastaḥ svapate sukham || 48 ||
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āśīviṣaṃ ghorataraṃ pādena spṛśatīha kaḥ |
siṃhaṃ kesariṇaṃ kaśca daṃṣṭrāsu spṛśya tiṣṭhati || 49 ||
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ityevaṃ bruvatastasya srotobhyastejaso'rciṣaḥ |
niścerurdahyato rātrau vṛkṣasyeva svarandhrataḥ || 50 ||
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tasya tatsarvamācakhyau bhaginī rāmavikramam |
kharadūṣaṇasaṃyuktaṃ rākṣasānāṃ parābhavam || 51 ||
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sa niścitya tataḥ kṛtyaṃ svasāramupasāntvya ca |
ūrdhvamācakrame rājā vidhāya nagare vidhim || 52 ||
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trikūṭaṃ samatikramya kālaparvatameva ca |
dadarśa makarāvāsaṃ gambhīrodaṃ mahodadhim || 53 ||
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tamatītyātha gokarṇamabhyagacchaddaśānanaḥ |
dayitaṃ sthānamavyagraṃ śūlapāṇermahātmanaḥ || 54 ||
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tatrābhyagacchanmārīcaṃ pūrvāmātyaṃ daśānanaḥ |
purā rāmabhayādeva tāpasyaṃ samupāśritam || 55 ||
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