सह रामेण निर्यातो विना राममिहागतः।
सूतः किं नाम कौसल्यां शोचन्तीं प्रतिवक्ष्यति॥
यथा च मन्ये दुर्जीवमेवं न सुकरं ध्रुवम्।
आच्छिद्य पुत्रे निर्याते कौसल्या यत्र जीवति॥
saha rāmeṇa niryāto vinā rāmam ihāgataḥ
sūtaḥ kiṁ nāma kausalyāṁ śocantīṁ prativakṣyati
yathā ca manye durjīvam evaṁ na sukaraṁ dhruvam
ācchidya putre niryāte kausalyā yatra jīvati
saha rāmeṇa = with Rāma; niryātaḥ = was sent out; vinā rāmam = without Rāma; iha = here; āgataḥ = and has returned; sūtaḥ = the sūta; kim nāma = what is; kausalyām = Kausalyā; śocantīm = the lamenting; prativakṣyati = he going to tell; yathā ca = really; manye = I think; durjīvam = painful life; evam = that the; na = not; sukaram = easy; dhruvam = is certainly; ācchidya = in tolerance; putre = when her son; niryāte = has been banished; kausalyā = that Kausalyā; yatra1 = sort of; jīvati = is living.
The sūta was sent out with Rāma and has returned here without Rāma. What is he going to tell the lamenting Kausalyā? I really think that the sort of painful life that Kausalyā is living in tolerance—when her son has been banished—is certainly not easy.
1 The commentator points out that yatra has the sense of the nominative case here: yatreti vibhakti-pratirūpako nipātaḥ prathamārthe vartate, yathā “ka itthā veda yatra saḥ.” The quotation here is from Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.25.
“I think” indicates that this was spoken individually by each lady.
GLOSS. [Each lady thought,] “My life, like Kausalyā’s life, won’t be an easy life.”