Valmiki Ramayana 2.20.55: Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 20, Shloka 55
अयोध्याकाण्डे विंशः सर्गः
Rama Enters Kauśalyā’s Antaḥpura; Ritual Preparations and the Shock of Exile
भृशमसुखममर्षिता तदाबहु विललाप समीक्ष्य राघवम्।व्यसनमुपनिशम्य सा महत्सुतमिव बद्धमवेक्ष्य किन्नरी।।।।
bhṛśam asukham amarṣitā tadā bahu vilalāpa samīkṣya rāghavam |
vyasanam upaniśamya sā mahat sutam iva baddham avekṣya kinnarī ||
そのとき彼女は――激しい苦しみと燃える憤りに圧され――ラ―ガヴァを見て長く嘆き悲しんだ。大いなる災厄を聞き、彼女は、成長した我が子が縛られ囚われているのを見つめるキンナリーのように、彼を見つめた。
Kausalya, filled with anger due to extreme sorrow reflected over her misfortune, and burst into harrowing tears, looking at Rama, like a kinnari looking at her grown-up son taken captive.ityārṣē śrīmadrāmāyaṇē vālmīkīya ādikāvyē ayōdhyākāṇḍē viṅśassargaḥ৷৷Thus ends the twentieth sarga of Ayodhyakanda of the the holy Ramayana, the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.
FAQs
The verse frames grief within a dharmic world where suffering arises from adherence to vows and truth-bound decisions; it invites reflection on how dharma can demand painful restraint even from the innocent.
The narration describes Kausalya’s emotional collapse and extended lament upon realizing the magnitude of Rama’s impending separation and misfortune.
Kausalya’s depth of maternal attachment and emotional integrity, presented through a vivid simile of a mother confronting her child’s captivity.
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