ततस् तयोः शरीरे ते दृष्ट्वा मोहवशं गता ॥
हाहा पुत्रेति कौसल्या पपात सहसा भुवि ॥
तां प्रेक्ष्य पतिताम् आर्तां पौरजानपदो जनः ॥
रुरोद सस्वनं सर्वो राजभक्त्या कृपान्वितः ॥
क्लान्तानीवार्तनादेन सर्वाणि च विचुक्रुशुः ॥
मानुषैः सह भूतानि तिर्यग्योनिगतान्य् अपि ॥
tatas tayoḥ śarīre te dṛṣṭvā mohavaśaṃ gatā ||
hāhā putreti kausalyā papāta sahasā bhuvi ||
tāṃ prekṣya patitām ārtāṃ paurajānapado janaḥ ||
ruroda sasvanaṃ sarvo rājabhaktyā kṛpānvitaḥ ||
klāntānīvārtanādena sarvāṇi ca vicukruśuḥ ||
mānuṣaiḥ saha bhūtāni tiryagyonigatāny api ||
"Then, seeing their bodies, having fallen into a swoon, 'Alas, alas, my son!' — Kausalya suddenly fell to the ground. Seeing her fallen, stricken, the whole people — of town and country — wept aloud, out of devotion to the king, filled with pity; and, as if exhausted by the cry of anguish, all beings cried out together with humans, even those born in the wombs of animals."
60e5c1afbdb1 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here grief reaches its height — a mother falls senseless over her son's body. Telling is that Kausalya's (Ambalika's) sorrow sweeps up the whole people with it: the mother's grief and love for the king merge into one common lament. Telling too is that "even the beasts cry out": scripture shows a universal response to the death of the righteous — as if nature itself grieves. Here is both the power of righteous love binding all living beings together, and at the same time a lesson in impermanence: even a godlike king and his faithful wife turn to ashes, and the weeping over this is universal. And yet the wise remember what was said before: one who has fulfilled his path should not only be mourned but also rejoiced over for his good destination. Thus scripture brings together the boundlessness of human grief and the calm wisdom about death.