Chapter 43
Bala Kanda - Book Of Youthful Majesties
देव देवे गते तस्मिन् सो अंगुष्ठ अग्र निपीडिताम्
कृत्वा वसुमतीम् राम वत्सरम् समुपासत
deva deve gate tasmin so aṃguṣṭha agra nipīḍitām
kṛtvā vasumatīm rāma vatsaram samupāsata
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"When the god of gods Brahma left from there Bhageeratha stood on the tip of his big-toe praying for the mercy of Lord Shiva for one year, while that tip of his big-toe pressurised the earth." Thus Vishvamitra continued his narration about Bhageeratha's effort to bring Ganga to earth. [1-43-1]
PURPORT
अथ संवत्सरे पूर्णे सर्व लोक नमस्कृतः
उमापतिः पशुपती राजानम् इदम् अब्रवीत्
atha saṃvatsare pūrṇe sarva loka namaskṛtaḥ
umāpatiḥ paśupatī rājānam idam abravīt
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"On completion of one year, he who is venerated by all worlds, the consort of Uma and the god of animals from insects to humans, that god Shiva revealed himself and spoke this to the king. [1-43-2]
प्रीतः ते अहम् नरश्रेष्ठ करिष्यामि तव प्रियम्
शिरसा धारयिष्यामि शैलराज सुताम् अहम्
prītaḥ te aham naraśreṣṭha kariṣyāmi tava priyam
śirasā dhārayiṣyāmi śailarāja sutām aham
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, best one among humans, I am delighted with your unwavering effort, and I will fulfil your cherish. I will therefore sustain Ganga, the daughter of king of mountains by my head. [1-43-3]
ततो हैमवती ज्येष्ठा सर्व लोक नमस्कृता
तदा सा अति महत् रूपम् कृत्वा वेगम् च दुःसहम्
tato haimavatī jyeṣṭhā sarva loka namaskṛtā
tadā sā ati mahat rūpam kṛtvā vegam ca duḥsaham
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Afterwards, she who is reverenced by all the worlds and who is the elder daughter of Himavanta, that Ganga assuming an unendurable form and an insupportable rapidity, they say, then plunged from the sky onto the auspicious head of Shiva. [1-43-4, 5a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"She who is an extremely unendurable river that goddess Ganga even speculated saying to herself, 'let me enter netherworld, indeed whisking Shiva with my streams.' [1-43-5b, 6a]
तस्याः वलेपनम् ज्ञत्व क्रुद्धः तु भगवन् हरः
tasyāḥ valepanam jñatva kruddhaḥ tu bhagavan haraḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Discerning her egotism god Shiva is infuriated, and then on his part that Three-eyed god Shiva thought to pent her up in the tufts of his head-hair. [1-43-6b, 7a]
सा तस्मिन् पतिता पुण्या पुण्ये रुद्रस्य मूर्धनि
sā tasmin patitā puṇyā puṇye rudrasya mūrdhani
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"And oh, Rama, she that holy River Ganga swooped down into the cavernous curls of matted hair-tufts on the holy head of God Shiva, and she became a detainee in them. [1-43-7b, 8a]
सा कथंचित् महीम् गंतुम् न अशक्नोत् यत्नम् आस्थिता
sā kathaṃcit mahīm gaṃtum na aśaknot yatnam āsthitā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Though she strove hard in one way or another to reach the earth that Ganga is rendered incapable, as she could not gain access for an outlet from any edge of the coils of matted hair-tufts of Shiva, hence she is held there in durance vile. [1-43-8b, 9a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Goddess Ganga whirled round and round in the coils of tufts alone for many number of years, and when Ganga's emanation from those coils is intangible Bhageeratha again firmed up in a marvellous penance in the matter of her descent to earth. [1-43-9b, 10a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, Rama, the legatee of Raghu, with that ascesis of Bhageeratha god Shiva is very much delighted, and thereupon he has also released Ganga aiming at Bindu Lake in Himalayas. [1-43-10b, 11a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"While god Shiva released Ganga into Bindu Lake seven streams have emerged out of it, and thus three auspicious Ganga-s with holy waters have cruised eastward which are known as Hlaadini, Paavani, and Nalini. [1-43-11b, 12]
सुचक्षुः च एव सीता च सिन्धुः च एव महानदी
तिस्रः एता दिशम् जग्मुः प्रतीचीम् तु शुभ उदकाः
sucakṣuḥ ca eva sītā ca sindhuḥ ca eva mahānadī
tisraḥ etā diśam jagmuḥ pratīcīm tu śubha udakāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Also thus Sucakshu, Seetha, and the excellent river Sindhu are the other three rivers which streamed to the westward direction with their holy waters. [1-43-13]
सप्तमी च अन्वगात् तासम् भगीरथ रथम् तदा
भगीरथो अपि रजर्षि दिव्यम् स्यंदनम् आस्थितः
saptamī ca anvagāt tāsam bhagīratha ratham tadā
bhagīratho api rajarṣi divyam syaṃdanam āsthitaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Of them the seventh Ganga flowed towards the path of Bhageeratha' chariot, and that great-resplendent and kingly sage Bhageeratha sitting in a divine chariot moved ahead and even Ganga followed him. [1-43-14, 15a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Thus Ganga came from heavens onto Shankara's head and from there onto the earth, and there on earth her waters advanced with a tumultuous sound advancing them. [1-43-15b, 16a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"The earth then verily shone forth with the shoals of fish, schools of tortoises, and scores of porpoises and other aquatic beings that have already fallen and that are still falling in step with the spates of Ganga. [1-43-16b, 17a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Later, they the gods, sages, gandharva-s, yaksha-s, and the assemblages of siddha-s have then seen there the swoop of Ganga in that way from heaven to earth, with curiosity. [1-43-17b, 18a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Some of the gods with aircrafts that are like cities in their shape and size, and some with horses that are prancing, and some with best elephants that are staggering, at the very sight of plunging Ganga, have entered the firmament at that place. [1-43-18b, 19a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"The gods whose animation is unlimited, and who are anxious to see the plunge of Ganga, have come together in assemblages, which plunge is a highest marvel in the universe by a better degree of her illimitable animation than that of gods who came to see, and even benignant to the world in according water and salving souls, which those gods cannot do. [1-43-19b, 20a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"The glitter of the ornaments of hosts of gods who are in stampede, made the cloudless sky to shine as if it is with a hundred of suns. [1-43-20b, 21a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"At that time, with the falling and rising of scores of porpoises and reptiles, even with the wriggling fishes, the sky became flashy as if flashes of lightning are strewn over it. [1-43-21b, 22a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Spattered innumerably with the whitish froth from the splashes of Ganga, and stippled with the flights of swans, the sky is as though overspread with silver-clouds of autumn. [1-43-22b, 23a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Somewhere Ganga is coursing precipitately, elsewhere sinuously, somewhere else staightly, elsewhere sloppily, somewhere gushingly, and somewhere else her cruise is leisurely and tardily. [1-43-23b, 24a] "Somewhere Ganga is coursing precipitately in declivities, elsewhere sinuously on zigzag lands, somewhere else staightly on uniform lands, elsewhere sloppily in canting lands, somewhere gushingly in craggy lands, and somewhere else her cruise is leisurely in flatlands and tardily in uplands.
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Somewhere her water repeatedly knocking against her own water is recurrently billowing upwards only to make nosedive onto earth. [1-43-24b, 25a]
तत् शंकर शिरो भ्रष्टम् भ्रष्टम् भूमि तले पुनः
tat śaṃkara śiro bhraṣṭam bhraṣṭam bhūmi tale punaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"That impeccable and immaculate water of Ganga then became outstanding as it has flounced down from heaven primarily onto the head of Shankara, and therefrom it has coasted down onto the earth. [1-43-25b, 26a]
तत्र ऋषि गण गन्धर्वा वसुधा तल वासिनः १४३२६
भव अंग पतितम् तोयम् पवित्रम् इति पस्पृशुः
tatra ṛṣi gaṇa gandharvā vasudhā tala vāsinaḥ 1-43-26
bhava aṃga patitam toyam pavitram iti paspṛśuḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"And asserting that the water as holy, because it descended touching the body of Shiva, viz., the head of Shiva, the assemblages of sages, gandharva-s, and those that are residents on the plane of earth have sipped that water at that place. [1-43-26b, 27a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Also those that have fallen from heaven onto the surface of earth by some curse or the other, they too became blemishless on taking head-bath in the water of Ganga. [1-43-27b, 28a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"When sins are washed away with the hallowing water of Ganga, they again transited skyward and then obtained their own empyrean worlds once again. [1-43-28b, 29a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"With her splendorous water people are blissful, and on taking dip-baths in Ganga they are totally removed of the strains of their sins, and they lived blissfully ever after. [1-43-29b, 30a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"In this way, the great-resplendent and kingly sage Bhageeratha sitting in a divine chariot continuously moved ahead and Ganga continually followed him at his behind. [1-43-30b, 31a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, Rama, all of the gods along with the assemblages of sages, ogres, monsters, demons, and even great reptiles with kinnara-s, and gandharva-s with best yaksha-s, and even serpents and apsara-s, have delightfully moved after Ganga who is following the chariot of Bhageeratha, and why they, in fact, all of the aquatic beings have followed Ganga. [31b, 32, 33a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"In whichever direction king Bhageeratha has advanced, that glorious River Ganga, who is the prominent river among all the rivers and the complete obliterator of sins, has also moved at his behind in that direction. [1-43-33b, 34a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"While in flow she started to completely inundate the field of Vedic-ritual belonging to the great-souled sage Jahnu, who is of marvellous deeds and who is presently an officiator of an ongoing Vedic-ritual. [1-43-34b, 35a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"But on knowing her hubris, oh, Raghava, that sage Jahnu has become irritated and causing an extreme marvel he drank off all the water of Ganga. [1-43-35b, 36a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Thereupon, the gods along with gandharva-s and sages at that extremely marvellous feat of Sage Jahnu are highly astounded, and they then started to worship that ablest human and great-souled sage Jahnu, and even deigned for the daughterhood of Ganga to that high-souled sage Jahnu. [1-43-36b, 37]
ततः तुष्टः महातेजाः श्रोत्राभ्याम् असृउजत् प्रभुः
तस्मात् जह्नु सुता गंग प्रोच्यते जाह्नवी इति च
tataḥ tuṣṭaḥ mahātejāḥ śrotrābhyām asṛujat prabhuḥ
tasmāt jahnu sutā gaṃga procyate jāhnavī iti ca
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"That greatly radiant and godly sage Jahnu is then delighted and released Ganga from both of his ears. Therefore Ganga became the daughter of sage Jahnu, and she is also renowned as Jahnavi, after the name of that sage. [1-43-38]
जगाम च पुनः गंग भगीरथ रथ अनुगा
सागरम् च अपि संप्रप्ता सा सरित् प्रवरा तदा
jagāma ca punaḥ gaṃga bhagīratha ratha anugā
sāgaram ca api saṃpraptā sā sarit pravarā tadā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Even though Ganga again proceeded moving behind the chariot of Bhageeratha and reached the ocean, therefrom she had to wend her way to netherworld, once dug by the sons of Sagara, only to accomplish the mission of Bhageeratha, namely drenching the ashes of Sagara's sons. [1-43-39, 40a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Even kingly-sage Bhageeratha making every effort ushered Ganga to netherworld, but on seeing his grandparents rendered to ashes he has became doleful. [1-43-40b, 41a]
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये बाल काण्डे त्रि चत्वारिंशः सर्गः
iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye bāla kāṇḍe tri catvāriṃśaḥ sargaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, Rama, the best of Raghu's dynasty, then Ganga inundated that mound of ashes of Sagara's six-thousand sons, by which those souls obtained heaven, while the sins of souls are cleansed with the water of Ganga." Thus Vishvamitra continued his narration. [1-43-41b, c]
