Ayodhya Kaanda
83 - Dialogue between king Dasaratha and Sumantra, Dasaratha's passing away
Chaupais
Description
Recovering himself the king got up and sat down. "Tell me, Sumantra, where is my gracious Rama? Where is Laksmana and where my loving Rama? Where is my beloved daughter-in-law, Vaidehi?" The restless monarch wailed in many ways; the night seemed to him like an age and he felt as though it would never end. He was reminded of the blind hermit's curse and he narrated the whole story to Kausalya. He was filled with agony as he related the circumstances*. "Fie on the hope of surviving without Rama. What shall I gain by preserving this body, which has failed to keep my vow of love? O delighter of Raghus, who are dear to me as life, already I have lived too long without you. Ah, Janaka's daughter and Laksmana, Ah, Chief of Raghu's line, who gladdened the loving heart of your father as a rain-cloud delights the Cataka bird."