Sarga 4¶

Vairāgya Prakaraṇa · Śrī Rāma's homecoming and happy daily life (12 verses)

Sarga 4 at a glance

Vālmīki continues his account to Bharadvāja.

Śrī Rāma returns home and is welcomed with joy (1.4.1–1.4.5).
His full and happy daily life as a prince: worship, court, time with Vasiṣṭha, hunting, family (1.4.6–1.4.11).
A closing verse in a longer metre (1.4.12).

This short sarga paints the happy life that Sarga 5 will see unravel.

Verse 1.4.1¶

श्रीवाल्मीकिरुवाच ।
रामः पुष्पाञ्जलिव्रातैर्विकीर्णः पुरवासिभिः ।
प्रविवेश गृहं श्रीमाञ्जयन्तो विष्टपं यथा ॥ १.४.१ ॥

पुरवासिभिः (by the citizens) पुष्प-अञ्जलि-व्रातैः (with handfuls of flowers) विकीर्णः (showered), श्रीमान् रामः (glorious Rāma) गृहं प्रविवेश (entered his home), यथा जयन्तः विष्टपम् (as Jayanta [enters] heaven).

Translation: Vālmīki said: Showered by the citizens with handfuls of flowers, the glorious Rāma entered his home, as Jayanta, son of Indra, enters heaven.

Pointers for Reflection:

Homecoming. Sarga 3 ended with Rāma's return; Sarga 4 describes the welcome. Outwardly everything is festive.
Jayanta, Indra's son. Rāma is pictured as a prince of heaven returning home — the same image of heavenly enjoyment that Ariṣṭanemi turned down (1.1.40).

Verse 1.4.2¶

प्रणनामाथ पितरं वसिष्ठं भ्रातृबान्धवान् ।
ब्राह्मणान्कुलवृद्धांश्च राघवः प्रथमागतः ॥ १.४.२ ॥

अथ (then) प्रथम-आगतः राघवः (Rāghava, just arrived) पितरं (his father) वसिष्ठं (Vasiṣṭha) भ्रातृ-बान्धवान् (brothers and relatives) ब्राह्मणान् कुल-वृद्धान् च (brāhmaṇas and family elders) प्रणनाम (bowed to).

Translation: Rāghava, who had come in first, then made his obeisance — to his father, to Vasiṣṭha, to his brothers and kin, to the brāhmaṇas and to the elders of the clan.

Pointers for Reflection:

Taittirīya Upaniṣad 1.11.2: मातृदेवो भव । पितृदेवो भव । आचार्यदेवो भव । अतिथिदेवो भव । — treat your mother, father, teacher and guest as God. Rāma bows first to his father, then to his teacher Vasiṣṭha.
Vasiṣṭha is named second, right after the father. The teacher is already in Rāma's heart, though no teaching has yet been asked for.

Verse 1.4.3¶

सुहृद्भिर्भ्रातृभिश्चैव पित्रा द्विजगणेन च ।
मुहुरालिङ्गिताचारो राघवो न ममौ मुदा ॥ १.४.३ ॥

सुहृद्भिः भ्रातृभिः च एव (by friends and brothers) पित्रा (by his father) द्विज-गणेन च (and by the brāhmaṇas) मुहुः आलिङ्गित-आचारः (embraced again and again) राघवः मुदा न ममौ (Rāghava could not contain his joy).

Translation: Embraced again and again by friends, brothers, father and brāhmaṇas, Rāma could hardly contain his joy.

Pointers for Reflection:

न ममौ मुदा — joy overflowing. Remember this happiness. Within a few verses of Sarga 5, the same Rāma will grow pale and silent. The contrast is the point.
Joy that depends on circumstances. It is real, but it is borrowed from the moment. The text will soon ask what joy does not depend on anything.

Verse 1.4.4¶

तस्मिन्गृहे दाशरथेः प्रियप्रकथनैर्मिथः ।
जुघूर्णुर्मधुरैराशा मृदुवंशस्तनैरिव ॥ १.४.४ ॥

तस्मिन् दाशरथेः गृहे (in that house of Daśaratha's son) आशाः (the quarters) मिथः मधुरैः प्रिय-प्रकथनैः (with sweet, loving conversations among them) मृदु-वंश-स्तनैः इव (as if with soft notes of a flute) जुघूर्णुः (resounded).

Translation: In Rāma's house, every corner rang with sweet, loving conversation, as if with the soft notes of a flute.

Pointers for Reflection:

The household as music. The image is of harmony. This is the world at its best: love, welcome, family. The coming dispassion is not a rejection of a bad world, but a questioning of even the best one.

Verse 1.4.5¶

बभूवाथ दिनान्यष्टौ रामागमन उत्सवः ।
सुखं मत्तजनोन्मुक्तकलकोलाहलाकुलः ॥ १.४.५ ॥

अथ (then) राम-आगमन-उत्सवः (the festival of Rāma's return) मत्त-जन-उन्मुक्त-कल-कोलाहल-आकुलः (filled with the sweet clamour of joyful people) अष्टौ दिनानि सुखं बभूव (went on happily for eight days).

Translation: The festival of Rāma's homecoming went on happily for eight days, filled with the happy clamour of celebrating people.

Pointers for Reflection:

Eight days of festival. A human detail. Celebrations have a beginning and an end; the text will soon notice that all pleasures do (compare Gītā 5.22, quoted at 1.10.30).

Verse 1.4.6¶

उवास स सुखं गेहे ततः प्रभृति राघवः ।
वर्णयन्विविधाकारान्देशाचारानितस्ततः ॥ १.४.६ ॥

ततः प्रभृति (from then on) सः राघवः (that Rāghava) इतः ततः (here and there) विविध-आकारान् देश-आचारान् (the many customs of various lands) वर्णयन् (describing) गेहे सुखम् उवास (lived happily at home).

Translation: From then on Rāma lived happily at home, describing the many different customs he had seen in various lands.

Pointers for Reflection:

The returned traveller. Rāma shares what he saw. Nothing yet shows the inner change; it is still hidden, even from himself perhaps.

Verse 1.4.7¶

प्रातरुत्थाय रामोऽसौ कृत्वा संध्यां यथाविधि ।
सभासंस्थं ददर्शेन्द्रसमं स्वपितरं तथा ॥ १.४.७ ॥

असौ रामः (that Rāma) प्रातः उत्थाय (rising at dawn) यथाविधि संध्यां कृत्वा (performing the twilight worship as prescribed) सभा-संस्थम् इन्द्र-समं स्व-पितरं (his father, seated in the assembly like Indra) तथा ददर्श (then went to see).

Translation: Rising at dawn and performing the morning worship as prescribed, Rāma would go to see his father, who sat in the assembly like Indra.

Pointers for Reflection:

A dutiful daily life. Rāma does everything right: worship, respect, attendance at court. His later crisis does not come from neglecting duty.
Recall 1.1.14: the lifelong twilight worship (संध्या) that Kāruṇya questioned. Rāma still performs it.

Verse 1.4.8¶

कथाभिः सुविचित्राभिः स वसिष्ठादिभिः सह ।
स्थित्वा दिनचतुर्भागं ज्ञानगर्भाभिरादृतः ॥ १.४.८ ॥

सः (he) आदृतः (honoured) वसिष्ठ-आदिभिः सह (with Vasiṣṭha and others) ज्ञान-गर्भाभिः सुविचित्राभिः कथाभिः (with varied stories full of wisdom) दिन-चतुः-भागं स्थित्वा (spending a quarter of the day) …

Translation: Honoured by all, he would spend a quarter of the day with Vasiṣṭha and others, in many kinds of conversations full of wisdom.

Pointers for Reflection:

Gītā 10.9:
- मच्चित्ता मद्गतप्राणा बोधयन्तः परस्परम् । कथयन्तश्च मां नित्यं तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च ॥
- Their minds on me, their lives given to me, awakening one another and always speaking of me, they are content and joyful.
- Rāma already spends time in ज्ञानगर्भा कथा, wisdom-filled talk. The soil is prepared for the teaching.
A quarter of the day. The daily rhythm includes time with the wise. Perhaps a good habit for any reader.

Verse 1.4.9¶

जगाम पित्रानुज्ञातो महत्या सेनयावृतः ।
वराहमहिषाकीर्णं वनमाखेटकेच्छया ॥ १.४.९ ॥

पित्रा अनुज्ञातः (permitted by his father) महत्या सेनया आवृतः (surrounded by a large army) आखेटक-इच्छया (wishing to hunt) वराह-महिष-आकीर्णं वनं जगाम (he went to the forest full of boars and buffaloes).

Translation: With his father's permission he would go hunting, surrounded by a large troop, to forests full of boars and buffaloes.

Pointers for Reflection:

A prince's life. Hunting was part of a kṣatriya's training. The text paints an ordinary royal routine, complete in every way.

Verse 1.4.10¶

तत आगत्य सदने कृत्वा स्नानादिकं क्रमम् ।
समित्रबान्धवो भुक्त्वा निनाय ससुहृन्निशाम् ॥ १.४.१० ॥

ततः सदने आगत्य (then returning home) स्नान-आदिकं क्रमं कृत्वा (bathing and so on in due order) स-मित्र-बान्धवः भुक्त्वा (dining with friends and relatives) स-सुहृत् निशां निनाय (he spent the night with his friends).

Translation: Then, returning home, he would bathe and do the rest in due order, dine with friends and family, and spend the evening with his companions.

Pointers for Reflection:

Every part of the day is full. Worship, court, wisdom, hunting, family, friends. Hold this picture in mind; Sarga 10 will show the same day emptied of all its savour.

Verse 1.4.11¶

एवंप्रायदिनाचारो भ्रातृभ्यां सह राघवः ।
आगत्य तीर्थयात्रायाः समुवास पितुर्गृहे ॥ १.४.११ ॥

एवं-प्राय-दिन-आचारः (with such a daily routine) राघवः (Rāghava) तीर्थ-यात्रायाः आगत्य (having returned from pilgrimage) भ्रातृभ्यां सह (with his two brothers) पितुः गृहे समुवास (lived in his father's house).

Translation: Back from his pilgrimage, Rāghava lived in his father's house together with his two brothers, and his days passed mostly in this manner.

Pointers for Reflection:

गृहस्थ life in miniature. Before any renunciation, the text shows a full and good household life. When Śrī Rāma later returns to such a life as a free person (see wisdom lived, not renounced), it will be the same life, seen differently.

Verse 1.4.12¶

नृपतिसंव्यवहारमनोज्ञया सुजनचेतसि चन्द्रिकयानया ।
परिनिनाय दिनानि स चेष्टया स्तुतसुधारसपेशलयाऽनघ ॥ १.४.१२ ॥

अनघ (sinless one), सः (he) नृपति-संव्यवहार-मनोज्ञया (pleasing in his dealings with kings) सुजन-चेतसि अनया चन्द्रिकया [इव] (like moonlight in the hearts of good people) स्तुत-सुधा-रस-पेशलया (gentle as praised nectar) चेष्टया (by his conduct) दिनानि परिनिनाय (passed his days).

Translation: So, O blameless one, he let the days go by, his ways pleasing in all his dealings with princes, a moonlight to the minds of good people, soft as the nectar the poets praise.

Pointers for Reflection:

A closing verse in a longer metre, as at the end of each sarga.
Gītā 12.15: यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः — one by whom the world is not disturbed, and who is not disturbed by the world. Rāma's conduct is gentle and pleasing to all — the outer form of the inner freedom he will later reach.
Moonlight. Soft, cooling, giving pleasure to all. The next sarga turns from this moonlight to an autumn in which the lake dries up.