Ayodhya Kaanda
83 - Dialogue between king Dasaratha and Sumantra, Dasaratha's passing away
Chaupais
Description
The life-breath of the king had now stuck to his throat; he felt uneasy like a serpent robbed of its gem. All his senses were blighted as a cluster of lotuses in a lake that had been left without water. When Kausalya saw the king withered and blasted, she concluded in her mind that the sun of the solar race was about to set. Summoning up courage, therefore, Sri Rama's mother spoke words appropriate to the occasion: "Ponder in your heart, my lord, and reflect that separation from Rama is a vast ocean, you are the helmsman and Ayodhya the bark which has been boarded by our near and dear ones as its passengers. We can hope to reach a shore only if you have patience. If not, the whole family will be drowned. If you take to heart this entreaty of mine, my beloved lord, we are sure to see Rama, Laksmana and Sita again."