THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA

BALA KANDA

¹adS:   sgI:     Canto 12
s|Bars|BrNm¯      Gathering  materials   for   the   sacrifice
tt:   kalE   bh^¢tTaW   k¢Þm|¢àt¯   s¤mnaEhrE   .
vsÓtE   smn¤p#açOE   raMaE   y¾¤|   mnaE{Bvt¯   ¡1¡

tt:

thereafter

kalE

season

bh^¢tTaW

comprising several days

k¢Þm|¢àt¯

a certain

s¤mnaEhrE

lovely

vsÓtE

spring

smn¤p#açOE

on its advent

raM:

the king

y¾¤|

to perform sacrifice

mn:

desire

ABvt¯

arose

Thereafter,   when   the   season   of   spring   set   in,   which   had   many   auspicious days   in   it   and   which   was   a   season   pleasing   to   the   mind,   there   arose   in the   mind   of   the   king   the   desire   to
perform   the   sacrifice   (1).

tt:   p#NØy   ¢Srsa   t|   ¢vp#|   dEvv¢NInm¯   .
yMay   vryamas   sÓtanaTI|   klÞy   c   ¡2¡

tt:

then

p#NØy

bent in worship

¢Srsa

with head

that

¢vp#|

brahmin

dEvv¢NInm¯

comparable to the devas in radiance

yMay

for the sacrifice

vryamas

invited

sÓtanaTI|

for the sake of progeny

klÞy

of the lineage

and

Thereupon,   paying   obeissance   to   that   learned   one,   who   was   resplendent   like the   celestials,   (the   king)   invited   him   for   the   sacrifice,   intended   to confer   progeny   for   the   lineage   (2).

tTE¢t   c   s   rajanm¤vac   c   s¤sÏk]t:   .
s|Bara:   s|¢B#yÓta|   tE   t¤rgà   ¢vm¤Åytam¯   ¡3¡

tTa

so be it

i¢t

said

and

rajan|

to the king

uvac

said

and

s¤sÏk]t:

well-worshipped

s|Bara:

materials

s|¢B#yÓta|

be collected

your

t¤rg:

horse

also

¢vm¤Åytam¯

be set free

Being   duly   worshipped,   he   also   said,   `So   be   it'   to   the   king   and   added `May   all   the   materials   for   the   sacrifice   be   collected   and also   may   the horse   be   set   free'   (3).

ttaE   raja{b#v£¹aÀy|   s¤mÓæO|   m¢ÓæOsäOmm¯   .
s¤mÓæOavahy   ¢Xp#m¦¢ÏvjaE   b#'va¢dn:   ¡4¡

tt:

then

raja

the king

Ab#v£t¯

said

vaÀy|

words

s¤mÓæO|

to Sumantra

m¢ÓæOsäOmm¯

the foremost among ministers

s¤mÓæO

O! Sumantra!

Aavahy

please fetch hither

¢Xp#|

quickly

§¢Ïvj:

priests

b#'va¢dn:

Vedic pundits

s¤yM| vamdEv| c jaba¢lmT kaÜypm¯ .
p¤raE¢ht| v¢s¿| c yE caÔyÓyE ¢¹jaEäOma: ¡5¡

s¤yM|

Suyajna

vamdEv|

Vamadeva

and

jaba¢l|

Jabali

also

kaÜypm¯

Kashyapa

p¤raE¢ht|

priest

v¢s¿|

Vasishta

and

yE	whoever (is available among brahmins)

also

A¢p

moreover

AÓyE

other

¢¹jaEäOma:

noble brahmins

Thereupon,   the   king   spoke   the   following   words   to Sumantra, the   chief   among ministers:-`O!   Sumantra!   May   you   fetch   quickly   the   priests   and   the   Vedic pundits   Suyajna,   Vamadeva,   Jabali   and   Kashyapa,   the   family   priest   Vasishta and   all   other   brahmins   of   eminence.'   (4-5).

tt:   s¤mÓæOÞÏv¢rt|   gÏva   Ïv¢rt¢v@m:   .
smanyt¯   s   tan¯   ¢vp#an¯   smÞtan¯   vEdpargan¯   ¡6¡

tt:

thereupon

s¤mÓæO:

Sumantra

Ïv¢rt|

quickly

gÏva

going

Ïv¢rt¢v@m:

fleet-footed

smanyt¯

brought

tan¯

those

¢vp#an¯

brahmins

smÞtan¯

everyone

vEdpargan¯

those who have reached the other shore of the Vedic lore

Then,   that   fleet-footed   Sumantra   went   post-haste   and he fetched all   those brahmins,   who   were   extremely   well-versed   in   the   vedic   lore   (literally   those who   had   crossed   the   ocean   of   Vedas   and   reached   the   other   shore)   (6).

tan¯   p¥j¢yÏva   DmaIÏma   raja   dSrTÞtda   .
DmaITIs¢ht|   y¤³|   ÜlßN|   vcnmb#v£t¯   ¡7¡

tan¯

them

p¥j¢yÏva

having offered worship

DmaIÏma

the soul of righteousness

raja

king

dSrT:

Dasaratha

tda

then

DmaITIs¢ht|

full of the two aims of life,viz. Dharma and Artha

y¤³|

appropriate

ÜlßN|

sweet

vcn|

words

Ab#v£t¯

said

That   soul   of   righteousness,   king   Dasaratha,   thereafter   worshipping   them, spoke   the   (following)   words,   brimming   with the two aims of   life   (Dharma and   Artha),   which   were   both   soft and appropriate (7).

mm   lalÔymanÞy   p¤æOaTI|   na¢Þt   vW   s¤Km¯   .
tdTI|   hymEDEn   yßyam£¢t   m¢tmIm   ¡8¡

lalÔymanÞy

pining

p¤æOaTI|

for the sake of a son

not

A¢Þt

verily

s¤Km¯

happiness

tdTI|

for that purpose

hymEDEn

Aswamedha

yßya¢m

to perform sacrifice

i¢t

m¢t:

idea

`
I   do   not   have   any   happiness_   I,   who   am   pining   for   a   son.
For   that   purpose (for   begetting   a   son),   I   am   of   the   opinion
that   I   should   perform   the horse-sacrifice   (8).

tdh|   y¾¤¢mÅCa¢m   SaÞæO¾En   kmINa   .
§¢xp¤æOp#BavEn   kaman¯   p#ap¯Þya¢m   caÔyhm¯   ¡9¡

tt¯

therefore

Ah|

y¾¤|

to perform sacrifice

iÅCa¢m

desire

SaÞæO¾En

as seen in the shastras

kmINa

the ritual

§¢xp¤æOp#BavEn

with (the blessings and) the prowess of the son of the sage

kaman¯

desires

p#ap¯Þya¢m

will attain

and

A¢p

moreover

Ahm¯

And   that   sacrifice,   I   desire   to   perform   strictly   as   per   injunctions
in the   scriptures.   I   shall   also   attain   my   desires   due   to   the
prowess   of the   son   of   the   sage'   (9).

tt:   sa¢Òv¢t   t¹aÀy|   b#a'Na:   p#Ïyp¥jyn¯   .
v¢s¿p#m¤Ka:   svI   pa¢TIvÞy   m¤KE¢rtm¯   ¡10¡

tt:

then

saD¤

quite so

i¢t

thus

tt¯

that

vaÀy|

utterance

b#a'Na:

the enlightened ones

p#Ïyp¥jyn¯

hailed

v¢s¿p#m¤Ka:

with Vasishta in theitr lead

svI

all

pa¢TIvÞy

the king's

m¤KE¢rtm¯

issued forth from

Upon this, all the brahmins gathered there led by Vasishta, hailed those words that emerged from the king as `Excellent' (10).
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