Hari Om.
Let us begin the forty ninth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Good begets good! Dreaming through the day, assuming that the duo rAma and lakshmaNa have met with their end, rAvaNa schemed that if he presents this scene in front of sItA, she would turn desperate through sheer helplessness and seek him since her husband had fallen. So he sent her on the pushpaka with trijaTa as her attendant to behold the presumed victory of the demons. The brave woman was very upset, wailed uncontrollably but had a sense that this fall of rAma was betraying all her auspicious marks. She was perplexed. Her wails suggested doubt was ruling over reason. Her pure conduct won trijaTa over and she broke the secret to her that the pushpaka wouldn’t take off if she was a widow! She substantiated her argument and said finally that there was no one who could slay rAma in the battle and that this setback was temporary and soon her lord will recover and reign. With those words trijaTa took her back to the aSOka grove. Although reassured by the good Samaritan trijaTa, the scenes of the destruction that the vAnara ranks suffered upset sItA. Onwards…
The duo rAma and lakshmaNa were seized by the terrible network of arrows that resembled a net. They breathed heavily which sounded like the hissing of the snakes. Keeping a vigil on them were the vAnara warriors led by sugrIva who were devastated at this situation of the duo. In the meantime, the heroic rAma regained consciousness by virtue of his stoicism (steadfastness) and providence arising from his own merit despite being bound by the arrows.
एतस्मिन्नन्तरेरामःप्रत्यबुध्यतवीर्यवान् ।
स्थिरत्वात्सत्त्वयोगाच्चशरैस्सन्दानितोऽपिसन् ।।6.49.3।।
He looked at his brother who was under siege, his body bloodied, his countenance piteous, lamented earnestly –
“With my brother fallen thus in the battlefield what have I got to do with sItA or my own life? It may be possible to find a woman like sItA after searching with much effort on the earth but where can I find a counsellor and warrior like lakshmaNa? If this enhancer of the delight of sumitrA passes away, I shall shed my life too in the full view of the vANaras. Alas, what shall I say to the mothers kausalyA, kaikEyI or sumitrA who would be eagerly waiting to behold her son. She would be devastated like a cow without her calf and how am I to comfort her without lakshmaNa? What I will say to bharata and Satrughna when I return to ayOdhyA without lakshmaNa? I cannot face sumitrA and hence shall give up my life right here and now. Fie on me who is laden with misfortune, ignoble, it is due to my deeds that lakshmaNa has fallen in the battlefield like one who has lost his life. O lakshmaNa, you have always comforted me in my grief, but you can’t do so today having fallen yourself. Alas, you have slain many a demon in the past with your arrows but are yourself lying in the middle of the arrows with blood oozing out of you and you resembling the setting sun. However, even if you don’t speak, hit on your vitals, your eyes convey the pain.
यथैवमांवनंयान्तमनुयातोमहाद्युतिः ।
अहमप्यनुयास्यामितथैवैनंयमक्ष्यम् ।।6.49.17।।
The way this illustrious lakshmaNa followed me to the forest, I shall follow him in the same manner to the abode of yama. Alas, one who is liked by the kin, and who followed me always has fallen thanks to my lack of diligence.
सुरुष्टेनापिवीरेणलक्ष्मणेननसंस्मरे ।
परुषंविप्रियंवापिश्रावितंनकदाचन ।।6.49.19।।
The valiant lakshmaNa, even if he was made angry, never replied harshly, I don’t remember any such instance. With two hands he could unleash five hundred and more arrows and hence he is superior to even kArtavIrya (who has a thousand hands). The one who can overwhelm indra with his arrows and deserves an elegant couch is lying on the battlefield. Alas, my promise to vibhIshaNa to make him the king of the demons remains unfulfilled and has been falsified. This will haunt me. O sugrIva, you may return from here along with angada, nala, nIla and the vAnara army, for rAvaNa will chase you because of me.
I am pleased with the impossible task performed by hanumAn which is not possible by anyone else. I commend jAmbavAn, the chief of the gOlangUla vANaras, the way kEsari and sampAti waged war, gavaya, gaVaksha, Sarabha, gaja and all other vAnaras who gave up lives for my sake.
नचातिक्रमितुंशक्यंदैवंसुग्रीव मानुषैः ।
यत्तुशक्यंवयस्येनसुहृदाचपरन्तप ।।6.49.28।।
कृतंसुग्रीव तत्सर्वंभवताधर्मभीरुणा ।
O sugrIva, man cannot win over providence. Whatever can be done by an associate, a well wisher, O scorcher of the foe, sugrIva that all has been done without violation of dharma. O vAnara warriors, you all have done a great job and are permitted by me to go back”.
The vAnara warriors shed profuse tears upon hearing these words of rAma. In the meantime, having restored order in the army and arranging them appropriately the mace wielding vibhIshaNa arrived there. At the sight of him the vANaras were startled and scurried around mistaking him for vibhIshaNa.
ततस्सर्वाण्यनीकानिस्थापयित्वाविभीषणः ।।6.49.31।।
आजगामगदापाणिस्त्वरितंयत्रराघवः ।
Here we conclude the forty ninth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 6.050. A friend in need is garuDa indeed!
Previous: 6.048. trijaTa to the fore, again
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
