Ayodhya Kanda

Chapter 28: The king vows; the Raghu rule of truth

5 verses · 28 of 326

What happens in this chapter

The king vows; the Raghu rule of truth

The king laughs: now I see; you love to sulk. You kept the boons in trust and never asked, and I forgot. Do not blame me falsely; ask four instead of two. The custom of the Raghu line has always been this: let life go, but never the word. No heap of sins equals untruth; can crores of gunja seeds equal a mountain? Truth is the root of all good deeds, as the Vedas and Puranas say and Manu sang. Then he swears by Rama, the very limit of his love. With the promise sealed, the evil-minded queen smiles and speaks, unhooding the hawk of her intent, ready like a Bhil woman to loose it on the bird-filled forest of the king's hopes.

28.1

जानेउँ मरम राउ हँसि कहई । तुम्हहिँ कोहाब परम प्रिय अहई ॥
थाती राखि न मागिहु काऊ । बिसरि गयउ मोहि भोर सुभाऊ ॥

jāneum̐ marama rāu ham̐si kahaī | tumhahim̐ kohāba parama priya ahaī ||
thātī rākhi na māgihu kāū | bisari gayau mohi bhora subhāū ||

28.2

झूठेहुँ हमहिँ दोष जनि देहू । दुइ कै चारि माँगि मकु लेहू ॥
रघुकुल-रीति सदा चलि आई । प्रान जाहु बरु बचन न जाई ॥

jhūṭhehum̐ hamahim̐ doṣa jani dehū | dui kai cāri mām̐gi maku lehū ||
raghukula-rīti sadā cali āī | prāna jāhu baru bacana na jāī ||

28.3

नहिँ असत्य सम पातक-पुञ्जा । गिरि सम होहिँ कि कोटिक गुञ्जा ॥
सत्य-मूल सब सुकृत सुहाये । बेद पुरान बिदित मनु गाये ॥

nahim̐ asatya sama pātaka-puñjā | giri sama hohim̐ ki koṭika guñjā ||
satya-mūla saba sukṛta suhāye | beda purāna bidita manu gāye ||

28.4

तेहि पर राम-सपथ करि आई । सुकृत-सनेह-अवधि रघुराई ॥
बात दृढाइ कुमति हँसि बोली । कुमत-कुबिहग कुलह जनु खोली ॥

tehi para rāma-sapatha kari āī | sukṛta-saneha-avadhi raghurāī ||
bāta dṛḍhāi kumati ham̐si bolī | kumata-kubihaga kulaha janu kholī ||

दो॰ 28Doha

भूप मनोरथ सुभग बन, सुख सुबिहङ्ग समाज ।
भिल्लनि जिमि छाड़न चहति, बचन भयङ्कर बाज ॥

bhūpa manoratha subhaga bana, sukha subihaṅga samāja |
bhillani jimi chār̤ana cahati, bacana bhayaṅkara bāja ||

Text source: Wikisource · Public domain (Tulsidas, 16th c.; 1925 edition, Wikisource PD-1996 tag); transcription CC BY-SA 4.0