Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 19: Rāma Promises to Leave for the Forest
Text 2.19.9
तदाश्वासय हीमं त्वं किन्विदं यन्महीपतिः।
वसुधासक्तनयनो मन्दमश्रूणि मुञ्चति॥
tad āśvāsaya hīmaṁ tvaṁ kiṁ nv idaṁ yan mahī-patiḥ
vasudhāsakta-nayano mandam aśrūṇi muñcati
tat = so; āśvāsaya hi = please console; imam = him; tvam1 kim nu idam yat = is unnecessarily; mahī-patiḥ = the king; vasudhā-āsakta-nayanaḥ = his eyes always looking at the floor; mandam = and silently; aśrūṇi = tears; muñcati = shedding.
The king is unnecessarily and silently shedding tears. His eyes are always looking at the floor. So please console him.
1 Technical note: tvam āśvāsaya.
GLOSS. [The glossator has the reading hrīmantaṁ instead of hīmaṁ tvaṁ. The verse would then mean:] “So please console him who is embarrassed. [Why is the king, his eyes always looking at the floor, unnecessarily shedding tears?]”
The king was embarrassed while thinking, “How can I speak that which is unworthy of speech?” His eyes were always looking at the floor. The author thus hints that he was thinking [about earth], “You are the cause of the destruction of my association with my son!”