Valmiki Ramayana - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Bala Kanda - Book Of Youthful Majesties

अथ रात्र्याम् व्यतीतायाम् विश्ह्वामित्रो महामुनिः
आपृष्ह्ट्वा तौ छ राजानौ जगाम उत्तर पर्वतम्

atha rātryām vyatītāyām viśhvāmitro mahāmuniḥ
āpṛṣhṭvā tau cha rājānau jagāma uttara parvatam

SYNONYMS

atha rātryām vyatītāyām [satyām]: then, night, elapse [is becoming true] | mahāmuniḥ viśvāmitraḥ: eminent-saint, Vishvamitra | rājānau: [all] kings | tau ca = both: Rama and Lakshmana, also | āpṛṣṭvā: on asking [leave of absence] | uttara parvatam jagāma: to northern, mountains [Himalayas,] set out. |

TRANSLATION

When that night is elapsing into the wee hours of next day, then the eminent-saint Vishvamitra on asking for the leave of absence from those kings, Dasharatha and Janaka, and from both Rama and Lakshmana, he set out to northern mountains, namely Himalayas. [1-74-1]

VERSE 2

विश्ह्वामित्रो गते राजा वैदेहम् मिथिला अधिपम्
आपृष्ह्ट्व इव जगाम आश्हु राजा दश्हरथः पुरीम्

viśhvāmitro gate rājā vaideham mithilā adhipam
āpṛṣhṭva iva jagāma āśhu rājā daśharathaḥ purīm

SYNONYMS

viśvāmitraḥ gate: Vishvamitra, on departure of | rājā daśarathaḥ: the ruler to the delight of people, Dasharatha | mithilā adhipam: Mithila's, king | vaideham = one vho outvies bodily affairs: Janaka | ā pṛṣṭva iva: on asking [leave of absence] | rājā: king Dasharatha | āśu purīm jagāma: promptly, for city Ayodhya, set forth. |

TRANSLATION

When Vishvamitra departed that ruler to the delight of people, namely Dasharatha, on asking leave of absence with king Janaka who outvies bodily affairs, promptly set forth for the city of Ayodhya. [1-74-2]

VERSE 3

अथ राजा विदेहानाम् ददौ कन्या धनम् बहु
गवाम् श्हत सहस्राणि बहूनि मिथिलेश्ह्वरः

atha rājā videhānām dadau kanyā dhanam bahu
gavām śhata sahasrāṇi bahūni mithileśhvaraḥ

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

Then that king Janaka of Mithila, the one from Videha lineage, gave innumerable patrimonial riches. He has also given umpteen number of cows, millions of excellent shawls and silk dresses, and elephants, horses, chariots, foot soldiers, besides hundreds of highly decorated girls, divine in their mien, as unexcelled chambermaids and handmaidens to the brides. [1-74-3, 4, 5a]

VERSE 5

हिरण्यस्य सुवर्णस्य मुक्तानाम् विद्रुमस्य छ

hiraṇyasya suvarṇasya muktānām vidrumasya cha

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

King Janaka gave beau idéal bridal riches in gold, silver, pearls and corals even, for he is very highly gladdened as Seetha's marriage came true. [1-74-5b, 6a]

VERSE 6

दत्त्वा बहु विधम् राजा समनुज्ञाप्य पार्थिवम्

dattvā bahu vidham rājā samanujñāpya pārthivam

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

Having given many kinds of bridal gifts and having accompanied his daughters for a distance, then having received a bid adieu from Dasharatha, that sovereign of Mithila, Janaka, re-entered is own palace in Mithila. [1-74-6, 7a]

PURPORT

It is customary to follow the wedding party up to the outskirts of village or town. In the meantime, there will be two or three hugs of mother and the bride, shedding two or three litres of tears, while the father of the bride secretly wipes his own moist eyes, and the like. Because, this despatch of the bride is considered as another life to her, for she cannot come to her father's house as and when she wants. Even if she comes, she has to return to her husband's place at some point of time, because from now onward 'that' house has become 'her' house. In this particular case of Seetha, she does not come to Mithila after this episode and even when Rama abandons her she goes into the womb of her mother, Mother Earth, but not to Mithila. So let us leave Janaka and his queen as they have the satisfaction in marrying their daughter, whose marriage itself is problematical so far, and when that has happened, now some sort of dissatisfaction has cropped up, in leaving her off with some forest ranger, called Rama.

VERSE 7

राजा अपि अयोध्या अधिपतिः सह पुत्रैः महात्मभिः

rājā api ayodhyā adhipatiḥ saha putraiḥ mahātmabhiḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 8a| ayodhyā adhipatiḥ rājā api: Ayodhya's, sovereign, king Dasharatha, even mahaa aatmabhiH putraiH saha = with noble-souled, sons, along with | sarvān ṛṣīn puraskṛtya: all sages, keeping in fore | sa bala anugaḥ: with, forces, following | jagāma: proceeded. |

TRANSLATION

Even the king Dasharatha, the sovereign of Ayodhya proceeded with his noble-souled sons, keeping all the sages in the fore, while his forces followed him. [1-74-7b, 8a]

VERSE 8

गछ्छ्हंतम् तु नरव्याघ्रम् स ऋष्हि संघम् स राघवम्

gachchhaṃtam tu naravyāghram sa ṛṣhi saṃgham sa rāghavam

SYNONYMS

b, 9a| sa ṛṣi sangham: with, sages, assemblages | sa rāghavam = vith [young] ṟaghava: s - Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna | gacchantam = vho is going: Dasharatha | naravyāghram: at that tigerly-man [facing Dasharatha] | samantataḥ: from all around | pakṣiṇaḥ ghorāḥ vācaḥ vyāharanti: birds, with horrible, voice, started to screech. |

TRANSLATION

But while going with the assemblages of sages and with young Raghava-s, namely Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrughna, the sky-bound birds started to screech with startling voice from all around facing that tigerly-man Dasharatha. [1-74-8b, 9a]

VERSE 9

भौमाः छैव मृगाः सर्वे गछ्छ्हन्ति स्म प्रदक्ष्हिणम्

bhaumāḥ chaiva mṛgāḥ sarve gachchhanti sma pradakṣhiṇam

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

Also thus, all of the earth bound animals are going his leftward, and on seeing this, albeit he is a tigerly king he is perplexed, and particularly asked Vashishta. [1-74-9b, 10a]

VERSE 10

असौंयाः पक्ष्हिणो घोरा मृगाः छ अपि प्रदक्ष्हिणाः

asauṃyāḥ pakṣhiṇo ghorā mṛgāḥ cha api pradakṣhiṇāḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 11a| ghorā [vācaḥ]: startling [voicing] | pakṣiṇaḥ: bird's | a saumyāḥ: not, gentle [not favourable, unpropitious] | mṛgāḥ ca api pradakṣiṇāḥ: animals, also, even, going leftward [propitious] | hṛdaya ut kampi: heart, to up, beating [with one's heart in one's mouth, throbbing up] | idam kim: this is, what [why so?] | mama manaḥ viṣīdati: my, heart, is sinking [throbbing down]. |

TRANSLATION

"Unpropitious is the starling voicing of birds, whereby my heart is throbbing down... and propitious is the leftward going of the animals, thereby my heart is throbbing up... why so?" [1-74-10b, 11a]

VERSE 11

राज्ञो दश्हरथस्य एतत् श्ह्रुत्वा वाक्यम् महान् ऋष्हिः

rājño daśharathasya etat śhrutvā vākyam mahān ṛṣhiḥ

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

On hearing all that is said by king Dasharatha, the instinctual sage Vashishta said this sentence in a soothing voice, "I will tell apart the result of these auguries... [1-74-11b, 12a]

VERSE 12

उपस्थितम् भयम् घोरम् दिव्यम् पक्ष्हि मुखात् छ्युतम्

upasthitam bhayam ghoram divyam pakṣhi mukhāt chyutam

SYNONYMS

b, 13a| pakṣi mukhāt cyutam: bird's, from mouths, fallen [shrieks voiced, foretokening] | divyam: providential | ghoram bhayam: perilous, trepidation | upa sthitam: [indicate it as] forthcoming | ete mṛgāḥ praśamayanti: these, animals' [behaviour,] mitigable [betokening as] | ayam santāpaḥ tyajyatām: this, consternation, be forsaken. |

TRANSLATION

"The shrieks voiced by the birds are foretokening the forthcoming providential and perilous trepidation, but the behaviour of these animals is betokening it as mitigable... hence, let this consternation be forsaken... [1-74-12b, 13a]

VERSE 13

तेष्हाम् संवदताम् तत्र वायुः प्रादुर् बभूव ह

teṣhām saṃvadatām tatra vāyuḥ prādur babhūva ha

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

While they are discussing among themselves, a whirlwind started to whirligig there, as though to shake the earth and shatter all gigantic trees. [1-74-13b, 14a]

VERSE 14

तमसा संवृतः सूर्यः सर्वे न वेदिष्हुर् दिश्हः

tamasā saṃvṛtaḥ sūryaḥ sarve na vediṣhur diśhaḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 15a| sūryaḥ tamasā samvṛtaḥ: sun, by murkiness, is enshrouded | sarve diśaḥ na vediṣuḥ: all, quarters, not, aware | tat sarvam balam = that, all, army: of Dasharatha | bhasmanā āvṛtam: by ash [simoom, sandstorm,] is enwrapped | sammūḍham iva = ensorcelled, as though: it became. |

TRANSLATION

Murkiness enshrouded the sun, thus everyone is unaware of quarters, a sandstorm enwrapped that army, by which it has become as though ensorcelled. [1-74-14b, 15a]

VERSE 15

वसिष्ह्ठ ऋष्हयः छ अन्ये राजा छ ससुतः तदा

vasiṣhṭha ṛṣhayaḥ cha anye rājā cha sasutaḥ tadā

SYNONYMS

TRANSLATION

Then Vashishta and the other sages, the king Dasharatha along with his sons remained there with animation, and everything and every other one available there has become inanimate. [1-74-15b, 16a]

VERSE 16

तस्मिन् तमसि घोरे तु भस्म छ्हन्न इव सा छमूः

tasmin tamasi ghore tu bhasma chhanna iva sā chamūḥ

SYNONYMS

b, 17, 18, 19| tasmin ghore tamasi: in that, catastrophic, darkness | bhasma channa iva: by ashes [sand,] muffled up, as though | sā camūḥ: that, military | bhīma samkāśam: calamitous, in looks | jaṭā maṇḍala dhāriṇam: tufted, matted-hair, wearing | rājā rāja vimardanam: he [who is,] king, of kings, subjugator of | kailāsam iva durdharṣam: Mt. Kailash, like, unassailable one | kāla agnim iva duḥsaham: epoch-end, fire, like, unbearable one | tejobhiḥ jvalantam iva: with his own radiance, irradiant, like | pṛthak janaiḥ dur nirīkṣyam: by common, people, one impossible, to gaze at | paraśum skandhe āsajya: axe, on shoulder, clinching | vidyut gaṇa upamam: electric discharges, groups, in simile to | dhanuḥ = bov: bow of Vishnu | ugram śaram pragṛhya ca: terrible [electrocuting one,] arrow, clasping, also | tri pura ghnam śivam yathā: triple, cities, devastator, Shiva, as with | ayam jamadagne bhārgavam dadarśa: him, sage Jamadagni's, Bhaargava, they all have seen. |

TRANSLATION

In that catastrophic darkness, that sand-muffled military of king Dasharatha has seen the son of Sage Jamadagni, namely Bhaargava Rama, the subjugator of kings of kings. He appeared calamitous in his look by wearing tufty matted and unruly head-hair, an unassailable one like Mt. Kailash, an unbearable one like the Epoch-End-Fire, irradiant with his own radiance, hence imperceivable for commoners, and such as he is, he clinched an axe on his right shoulder and clasped a bow in his left hand, that in simile is like a congeries of electroluminescence, and handling an arrow which is as if ready to electrocute, and he vied in his overall look with the devastator of triple cities, namely God Shiva. [1-74-16b, 17, 18, 19]

VERSE 20

तम् दृष्ह्ट्वा भीम संकाश्हम् ज्वलंतम् इव पावकम्
वसिष्ह्ठ प्रमुखा विप्रा जप होम परायणाः

tam dṛṣhṭvā bhīma saṃkāśham jvalaṃtam iva pāvakam
vasiṣhṭha pramukhā viprā japa homa parāyaṇāḥ

SYNONYMS

, 21a| bhīma samkāśam: peril, similar [perilous in his propensity] | jvalantam pāvakam iva: flaming, Ritual-fire, as with | tam dṛṣṭvā: him, on seeing | japa homa parāyaṇāḥ viprāḥ: meditation, fire-oblation, practisers of, Brahman-s | vasiṣṭha pramukhā: Vashishta, other prominent ones | sarve munayaḥ sangatā: all of the, sages, coming together | athaḥ mithaḥ: up and down | samjajalpuḥ: started to susurrate. |

TRANSLATION

On seeing him who is perilous in his propensity and flaming like the Ritual-fire, Vashishta and the other prominent Brahman-s who are the practisers of meditation and fire-oblations have come together and started to susurrate, up and down. [1-74-20, 21a]

VERSE 21

कछ्छित् पितृ वध अमर्ष्ही क्ष्हत्रम् न उत्सादयिष्ह्यति

kachchit pitṛ vadha amarṣhī kṣhatram na utsādayiṣhyati

SYNONYMS

b-22| pitṛ vadha amarṣī: father's, murder, envenomed by | kṣatram na utsādayiṣyati kaccit = k͟hśatriya race, not, going to eradicate [nov,] vill he be: or what | pūrvam kṣatra vadham kṛtvā: previously, Kshatriya-s, on eliminating | gata manyuḥ: gone [abated,] is his anger | gata jvaraḥ: gone [alleviated,] is his frenzy | bhūyaḥ: again | kṣatrasya utsādanam: Kshatriya, for elimination | asya na cikīrṣitam khalu: his, not, intended [action,] really. |

TRANSLATION

"Will he eradicate the race of Kshatriya-s even now as he was once envenomed by the murder of his father, or what... abated is his anger and alleviated is his frenzy previously when he eliminated Kshatriya-s... but is he really intending to eliminate Kshatriya-s once again, or what?" Thus, those Brahmans talked among themselves. [1-74-21b, 22]

PURPORT

An account of Parashu Rama's elimination of Kshatriya clans is given in endnote.

VERSE 23

एवम् उक्त्वा अर्घ्यम् आदाय भार्गवम् भीम दर्श्हनम्
ऋष्हयो राम राम इति मधुरम् वाक्यम् अब्रुवन्

evam uktvā arghyam ādāya bhārgavam bhīma darśhanam
ṛṣhayo rāma rāma iti madhuram vākyam abruvan

SYNONYMS

ṛṣayaḥ: sages | evam uktvā: thus, saying [after susurrus] | arghyam ādāya: oblational water, on taking | bhīma darśanam bhārgavam: a visitation, in his look, towards Bhaargava Rama | rāma rāma: oh, Rama, oh, Rama | iti madhuram vākyam abruvan = thus, svītly [benignly,] sentence [lines of grītings,] vhile speaking: they approached. |

TRANSLATION

After their susurrus the sages have approached him, who in his very look is like a visitation, with oblational water and addressed him with benign words of greeting like, "oh, Rama, oh, Bhaargava Rama..." [1-74-23]

VERSE 24

इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये बाल काण्डे छतुः सप्ततितमः
सर्गः

iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye bāla kāṇḍe chatuḥ saptatitamaḥ
sargaḥ

SYNONYMS

pratāpavān: inexorable one | jāmadagnyaḥ rāmaḥ: of Jamadagni, Rama | ṛṣi dattām: sage, given by | tām pūjām pratigṛhya: that, deference, on receiving | dāśarathim rāmam abhyabhāṣata: of Dasharatha, to Rama, started to talk. |

TRANSLATION

On receiving the deference paid by the sage Vashishta, that inexorable Rama of Jamadagni started to talk to Rama of Dasharatha. [1-74-24]