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The Seventeenth Chapter
Then all the Vidhyadhara kings, having known the news, arrived in Ayodhya with their wives. || 1 || Vibhishana, along with his sons, Chandrodara, the son of the king, Sugriva, and Sasivardhana, all arrived with their retinues. || 2 || Their eyes were filled with tears, and their minds were disturbed. They entered the palace of Padmanabha, with folded hands and bowed heads. || 3 || Filled with sorrow, they performed the proper rites, sat down on the ground in front of Rama, and after remaining silent for a while, they slowly spoke these words: "O Lord, although this sorrow, born from the loss of a beloved one, is difficult to bear, yet you are the knower of all things, and therefore you should be able to overcome this sorrow." || 4-5 || Having spoken thus, and while they were still silent, Vibhishana, who was wise in the nature of the ultimate truth and the worldly affairs, spoke these words: "O King, this state of existence is without beginning and end. This is not the first time that such a thing has happened in the world." || 6-7 || "In this cage of the world, whoever is born must die. Even with various means, death cannot be avoided." || 8 || "When this body is certainly perishable, then it is futile to seek solace in it. In reality, those who are wise in their own interests, engage in the means of self-benefit." || 9 || "O King, no one who has gone to the other world responds to our cries. Therefore, you should not grieve." || 10 || "From the union of man and woman, the bodies of beings are born, and they perish like bubbles of water." || 11 || "Even the Indras, along with the Lokapalas, are subject to falling from heaven when their karmic bodies are destroyed due to the depletion of their merit." || 12 || "In this body of a mortal, which is filled with the pains of the womb, afflicted with diseases, as unstable as a drop of water on a blade of grass, and a mere collection of flesh and bones, what is there to cherish?" || 13 || "Why does one grieve for the dead, thinking of oneself as immortal? Why does one not grieve for oneself, which is caught in the jaws of death?" || 14 ||