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Ayodhya Kaanda - Sarga 108
In Sarga 106, Bharata made an emotional appeal to Rāma.
In this Sarga, perhaps in desperation, Jābāli, one of the ministers, argues about the futility of adhering to Dharma that is of no practical benefit.
2.108.1 ஆஸ்வாஸயந்தம் பரதம்
ஜாபாலிர்ப்ராஹ்மணோத்தம: ।
உவாச ராமம் தர்மஜ்ஞம்
தர்மாபேதமிதம் வச: ॥
āṡvāsayantaṃ bharataṃ
jābālirbrāhmaṇōttamaḥ ।
uvāca rāmaṃ dharmajñaṃ
dharmāpētamidaṃ vacaḥ ॥
To Rāma, who knew Dharma and
who was thus comforting Bharata,
Jābāli, an eminent Brāhmaṇa, said
these words in deviation from Dharma. The arguments of the kind presented in this Sarga are quite pervasive in contemporary times, as we know.
The surprise here is that they were also present during the times of Rāmāyaṇa, to have prompted Vālmeeki to incorporate them here.
And the additional surprise is that they come from none other than a minister of Ikshwāku kingdom, which indicates that Nāstikas were not persecuted or feared in those days as it can be seen happening in contemporary times.
These Ṡlōkas portray the traditional definition of Nāstika, which is a combination of atheist, rationalist, hedonist and the like.
See also 2.100.38, where Rāma cautions Bharata against yielding to such arguments.
2.108.2 ஸாது ராகவ மாऽபூத்தே
புத்திரேவம் நிரர்திகா ।
ப்ராக்ருதஸ்ய நரஸ்யேவ
ஹ்யார்யபுத்தேர்மநஸ்விந: ॥
sādhu rāghava mā'bhūttē
budhdirēvaṃ nirarthikā ।
prākṛtasya narasyēva
hyāryabuddhērmanasvinaḥ ॥
Nice, Rāghava, nice! Hope you,
being the noble and thoughtful one that you are,
would not entertain nonsensical thoughts like these,
like a common man!
2.108.3 க: கஸ்ய புருஷோ பந்து:
கிமாப்யம் கஸ்ய கேநசித் ।
யதேகோ ஜாயதே ஜந்து:
ஏக ஏவ விநஸ்யதி ॥
kaḥ kasya puruṣō bandhuḥ
kimāpyaṃ kasya kēnacit ।
yadēkō jāyatē jantuḥ
ēka ēva vinaṡyati ॥
Every being is born alone and dies alone.
Who is related to whom?
Who gets what from whom?
2.108.4 தஸ்மாந்மாதா பிதா சேதி
ராம ஸஜ்ஜேத யோ நர: ।
உந்மத்த இவ ஸ ஜ்ஞேயோ
நாஸ்தி கஸ்சித்தி கஸ்யசித் ॥
tasmānmātā pitā cēti
rāma sajjēta yō naraḥ ।
unmatta iva sa jñēyō
nāsti kaṡciddhi kasyacit ॥
O Rāma! One who is obsessed
with his mother and father,
hence, must be considered a lunatic.
There is nobody for anybody!
2.108.5-6 யதா க்ராமாந்தரம் கச்சந்
நர: கஸ்சித்க்வசித்வஸேத் ।
உத்ஸ்ருஜ்ய ச தமாவாஸம்
ப்ரதிஷ்டேதாபரேऽஹநி ॥
ஏவமேவ மநுஷ்யாணாம்
பிதா மாதா க்ருஹம் வஸு ।
அவாஸமாத்ரம் காகுத்ஸ்த
ஸஜ்ஜந்தே நாத்ர ஸஜ்ஜநா: ॥
yathā grāmāntaraṃ gacchan
naraḥ kaṡcitkvacidvasēt ।
utsṛjya ca tamāvāsaṃ
pratiṣṭhētāparē'hani ॥
ēvamēva manuṣyāṇāṃ
pitā mātā gṛhaṃ vasu ।
avāsamātraṃ kākutstha
sajjantē nātra sajjanāḥ ॥
O Kākutstha, Just as someone
who is on his way to another village,
stays at a place (for a night)
and then moves on the next day (morning),
thoughtful people should not cling to
father, mother, house or wealth;
they are no more than resting places
(in the journey of life)!
2.108.7 பித்ர்யம் ராஜ்யம் பரித்யஜ்ய
ஸ நார்ஹஸி நரோத்தம ।
ஆஸ்தாதும் காபதம் து:கம்
விஷமம் பஹுகண்டகம் ॥
pitryaṃ rājyaṃ parityajya
sa nārhasi narōttama ।
āsthātuṃ kāpathaṃ duḥkhaṃ
viṣamaṃ bahukaṇṭakam ॥
O best of men! You should not
tread on this wrong path that is
full of misery, hardships
and multitude of perils,
giving up the kingdom of your father!
2.108.8 ஸம்ருத்தாயாமயோத்யாயாம்
ஆத்மாநமபிஷேசய ।
ஏகவேணீதரா ஹி த்வாம்
நகரீ ஸம்ப்ரதீக்ஷதே ॥
samṛddhāyāmayōdhyāyāṃ
ātmānamabhiṣēcaya ।
ēkavēṇīdharā hi tvāṃ
nagarī sampratīkṣatē ॥
Crown yourself in the plentiful
and prosperous city of Ayōdhyā;
the city, (like a lady) wearing
her hair in a single plait, longs for you.
2.108.9 ராஜபோகாநநுபவந்
மஹார்ஹாந்பார்திவாத்மஜ ।
விஹர த்வமயோத்யாயாம்
யதா ஸக்ரஸ்த்ரிவிஷ்டபே ॥
rājabhōgānanubhavan
mahārhānpārthivātmaja ।
vihara tvamayōdhyāyāṃ
yathā ṡakrastriviṣṭapē ॥
O prince, enjoying the esteemed royal luxuries,
sport yourself in Ayōdhyā like Ṡakra in heaven.
2.108.10 ந தே கஸ்சித்தஸரத:
த்வம் ச தஸ்ய ந கஸ்சந ।
அந்யோ ராஜா த்வமந்ய ச
தஸ்மாத்குரு யதுச்யதே ॥
na tē kaṡciddhaṡarathaḥ
tvaṃ ca tasya na kaṡcana ।
anyō rājā tvamanya ca
tasmātkuru yaducyatē ॥
Daṡaratha is nobody to you and you are nobody to him.
He is someone. And you are someone else. Do as I say.
2.108.11 பீஜமாத்ரம் பிதா ஜந்தோ:
ஸுக்லம் ருதிரமேவ ச ।
ஸம்யுக்தம்ருதுமந்மாத்ரா
புருஷஸ்யேஹ ஜந்ம தத் ॥
bījamātraṃ pitā jantōḥ
ṡuklaṃ rudhiramēva ca ।
saṃyuktamṛtumanmātrā
puruṣasyēha janma tat ॥
A father is no more than
the seed (giver) for any being.
Semen meets the blood of an ovulating mother;
and that is all it takes for a man to be born. Obviously the science of biology did not mature enough in those times to know about sperm and egg, but the purport of this Ṡlōka is evident, the trivializing of relationships.
2.108.12 கத: ஸ ந்ருபதிஸ்தத்ர
கந்தவ்யம் யத்ர தேந வை ।
ப்ரவ்ருத்திரேஷா மர்த்யாநாம்
த்வம் து மித்யா விஹந்யஸே ॥
gataḥ sa nṛpatistatra
gantavyaṃ yatra tēna vai ।
pravṛttirēṣā martyānāṃ
tvaṃ tu mithyā vihanyasē ॥
The king has gone where he had to go.
Such is the nature of mortals.
You vex yourself in vain, for no reason.
2.108.13 அர்ததர்மபரா யே யே
தாம்ஸ்தாம்சோசாமி நேதராந் ।
தே ஹி து:கமிஹ ப்ராப்ய
விநாஸம் ப்ரேத்ய பேஜிரே ॥
arthadharmaparā yē yē
tāṃstāṃchōcāmi nētarān ।
tē hi duḥkhamiha prāpya
vināṡaṃ prētya bhējirē ॥
I feel sorry for those who cling
to Artha and Dharma, and not for the others;
for they get nothing but misery in this life
and (surely) are doomed after death.
2.108.14 அஷ்டகா பித்ருதைவத்யம்
இத்யயம் ப்ரஸ்ருதோ ஜந: ।
அந்நஸ்யோபத்ரவம் பஸ்ய
ம்ருதோ ஹி கிமஸிஷ்யதி ॥
aṣṭakā pitṛdaivatyaṃ
ityayaṃ prasṛtō janaḥ ।
annasyōpadravaṃ paṡya
mṛtō hi kimaṡiṣyati ॥
See how people indulge in performing such rites
as Ashṭaka Ṡrāddha and the annual Ṡrāddha.
Look at the food wasted! Do the dead eat?
2.108.15 யதி புக்தமிஹாந்யேந
தேஹமந்யஸ்ய கச்சதி ।
தத்யாத்ப்ரவஸத ஸ்ஸ்ராத்தம்
ந தத்பத்யஸநம் பவேத் ॥
yadi bhuktamihānyēna
dēhamanyasya gacchati ।
dadyātpravasata ṡṡrāddhaṃ
na tatpathyaṡanaṃ bhavēt ॥
If what one eats here were to
transmit itself into someone else’s body,
one might as well perform Ṡrāddha
for someone who is travelling abroad.
That should feed him while
he is away, should it not?
2.108.16 தாநஸம்வநநா ஹ்யேதே
க்ரந்தா மேதாவிபி: க்ருதா: ।
யஜஸ்வ தேஹி தீக்ஷஸ்வ
தபஸ்தப்யஸ்வ ஸந்த்யஜ ॥
dānasaṃvananā hyētē
granthā mēdhāvibhiḥ kṛtāḥ ।
yajasva dēhi dīkṣasva
tapastapyasva santyaja ॥
The books that say,
‘Give, take Deeksha, do Tapa, perform Yajñas,
give away all that you have’
were written by clever men intent
on snatching generous honorariums! This Ṡlōka indicates one more characteristic of Nāstikas, cynicism, perhaps born out of seeing some clever people, who actually do things like these!
2.108.17 ஸ நாஸ்தி பரமித்யேவ
குரு புத்திம் மஹாமதே ।
ப்ரத்யக்ஷம் யத்ததாதிஷ்ட
பரோக்ஷம் ப்ருஷ்டத: குரு ॥
sa nāsti paramityēva
kuru buddhiṃ mahāmatē ।
pratyakṣaṃ yattadātiṣṭha
parōkṣaṃ pṛṣṭhataḥ kuru ॥
O great thinker!
Take it that there is nothing beyond.
Go with only what is in front of the eyes,
and leave behind what is not.
2.108.18 ஸதாம் புத்திம் புரஸ்க்ருத்ய
ஸர்வலோகநிதர்ஸிநீம் ।
ராஜ்யம் த்வம் ப்ரதிக்ருஹ்ணீஷ்வ
பரதேந ப்ரஸாதித: ॥
satāṃ buddhiṃ puraskṛtya
sarvalōkanidarṡinīm ।
rājyaṃ tvaṃ pratigṛhṇīṣva
bharatēna prasāditaḥ ॥
Keeping that thought,
which should be illustrious to the entire world,
in the front and center of your mind,
accept the kingdom from Bharata,
who would thus be pleased.
இத்யார்ஷே ஸ்ரீமத்ராமாயணே
வால்மீகீயே ஆதிகாவ்யே
அயோத்யாகாண்டே
அஷ்டோத்தரஸததமஸ்ஸர்க: ।
ityārṣē ṡrīmadrāmāyaṇē
vālmīkīyē ādikāvyē
ayōdhyākāṇḍē
aṣṭōttaraṡatatamassargaḥ ।
Thus concludes the one hundred and eighth Sarga
in Ayōdhyā Kāṇḍa of the glorious Rāmāyaṇa,
the first ever poem of humankind,
composed by Vālmeeki.