THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA

BALA KANDA

ct¤dIS: sgI: Canto 14 AámEDyjnm¯ Performance of the Horse-sacrifice AT s|vÏsrE p¥NI t¢Þmn¯ p#açOE t¤rÄñmE .
srÙvaàaEäOrE t£rE raMaE yMaE{×yvtIt ¡1¡

AT	thereafter

s|vÏsrE

year

p¥NI

completed

t¢Þmn¯

that

p#açOE

returned

t¤rÄñmE

horse

srÙva:

of Sarayu river

and

uäOrE

northern

t£rE

banks

raM:

the king's

yM:

sacrifice

A×yvtIt

took place

When   that   year   was   complete,   on   the   return   of   the   (sacrificial)   horse, the   sacrifice   was   performed   by   the   king   on   the   northern
bank   of   (river) Sarayu   (1).

§Üy½¦Äñ|   p¤rÞk]Ïy   kmI   c@r¢¹jxIBa:   .
AámEDE   mhayME   raMaE{Þy   s¤mhaÏmn:   ¡2¡

§Üy½¦Äñ|

Rishyasrunga

p¤rÞk]Ïy

having as the chief

kmI

the act of

c@:

performed

¢¹jxIBa:

the noble brahmins

AámEDE

in the horse sacrifice

mhayME

in the great sacrifice

raM:

the king's

AÞy

this

s¤mhaÏmn:

good and great soul

The   noble   Brahmins   conducted   the   rituals,   with   Rishyasrunga   as   their guide,   at   that   great   sacrifice   (called)   Aswamedha   of   this   greatly
high-souled   king   (2).

kmI   kvI¢Ót   ¢v¢Dvïajka   vEdparga:   .
yTa¢v¢D   yTaÓyay|   p¢r@am¢Ót   SaÞæOt:   ¡3¡

kmI

the act (of sacrifice)

kvI¢Ót

are doing

¢v¢Dvt¯

as laid down

yajka:

learned in the Rig veda

vEdparga:

having deep knowledge of the vedas, (lit.having reached

the other shores of the vedas as it were)

yTa¢v¢D

as per rules

yTaÓyay|

in the right manner

p¢r@am¢Ót

commenced the ritual

SaÞæOt:

according to the shastraic injunctions

Those   who   had   reached   the   other   shore   of   the   ocean   of   the   Vedas,   officiating as   the   priests,   commenced   and   performed   the   sacrifice,   exactly   as   laid   down in   the   scriptures   and   as   ordained
on   the   procedures   (3).

p#vÂyI|   SaÞæOt:   k]Ïva   tTWvaEpsd|   ¢¹ja:   .
c@à   ¢v¢Dvt¯   svIm¢Dk|   kmI   SaÞæOt:   ¡4¡

p#vÂyI|

a ritual named `Pravargya'

SaÞæOt:

in accordance with shastras

k]Ïva

after performing

tTa

moreover

upsd|

yagna named `Upasadam'

¢¹ja:

the brahmins

c@:

conducted

and

¢v¢Dvt¯

asper injunctions

svI|

all

A¢Dk|

what was to be done over and above

kmI

rites

SaÞæOt:

in line with the scriptures

The   priests,   having   performed   as   per   procedure   the   ritual   known
as `Pravargya',performed   the   ritual   called   `Upasat'   and   further   rites   as   laid down   and   prescribed   in   the   manuals   for   rituals   and   strictly   in   line   with the   injunctions   (4).

A¢Bp¥Çy   ttaE   ¶¾a:   svI   c@yITa¢v¢D   .
p#at:svnp¥vaI¢N   kmaI¢N   m¤¢np¤Äñva:   ¡5¡

A¢Bp¥Çy

having worshipped

tt:

and then

¶¾a:

pleased

svI

all

c@:

did

yTa¢v¢D

as per rules

p#at:svnp¥vaI¢N

along with the ritual `Pratassavana'

kmaI¢N

rituals

m¤¢np¤Äñva:

the foremost among sages

After   conducting   the   needed   propitiatory   rights,   the   leading
sages,   with happy   hearts,   went   about   the   subsequent   rites
like   `Pratassavana'   conforming to   the   procedures   laid   down   (5).

eÓd#à   ¢v¢DvêäOaE   raja   ca¢B¾¤taE{nG:   .
maÒy¢Ódn|   c   svn|   p#avtIt   yTa@mm¯   ¡6¡

eÓd#:

the rightful dues to Lord Indra

and

¢v¢Dvt¯

as perurles

däO:

proffered

raja

king

and

A¢B¾¤t:

was praised

AnG:

reliever of sins

maÒy¢Ódn|

suited to the afternoon time

and

svn|

sacrifice

p#avtIt

took place

yTa@mm¯

in due order

The   oblations   due   to   Lord   Indra   were   offered,   as   prescribed.   The   sinless (remover of sin) Moon   god   was   duly   eulogised.   The   sacrifice   to be performed in the middle of the day was also gone through   (6).

t¦t£ysvn|   cWv   raMaE{Þy   s¤mhaÏmn:   .
c@ÞtE   SaÞæOtaE   ¾va   yTa   b#a'Np¤Äñva:   ¡7¡

t¦t£ysvn|

the third Savana ritual

and

also

raM:

the king's

AÞy

this

s¤mhaÏmn:

extremely high-souled

c@:

did

those

SaÞæOt:

as per scriptural biddings

¾va

on seeing

yTa

as it is

b#a'Np¤Äñva:

the noble brahmins

Those   best   among   Brahmins,   performed   the   third   sacrifice   of   this   greatly high-souled   king   strictly   according   to   the   methods   prescribed   in   the sacred   books   (7).
n   cah^tmB¥äOæO   ÞK¢lt|   va{¢p   ¢k·n   .
ÜytE   b#'vt¯   svI|   XEmy¤³|   ¢h   c¢@rE   ¡8¡

not

and

Ah^t|

not proffered

AB¥t¯

was

tæO

at that time

ÞK¢lt|

lapsed

A¢p

also

¢k·n

not even an iota

ÜytE

could be seen

b#'vt¯

as in the scriptures

svI|

all

XEmy¤³|

for the welfare

¢h

therefore

c¢@rE

performed

In   that   sacrifice,   there   was   absolutely   no   let   up   in   the   oblations   and everything   was   done   in   full   compliance   to   the   injunctions   and   prohibitions laid   down   in   the   books.Thus   (they)   performed   the   rites   in   such   a   manner as   to   bestow   benefits   (8).

n   tEÝvhÞs¤   ½aÓtaE   va   X¤¢DtaE   va{¢p   ÜytE   .
na¢v¹an¯   b#a'NÞtæO   naStan¤crÞtTa   ¡9¡

not

tEx¤

during those

AhÞs¤

days

½aÓt:

fatigued

X¤¢Dt:

hungry

A¢p

even

ÜytE

was seen

not

A¢v¹an¯

uninitiated

b#a'N:

brahmin

tæO

there

not

AStan¤cr:

without hundreds of disciples

tTa

moreover

During   those   days,   there   was   no   one   to   be   seen   who   was
in   difficulty   or suffering   the   pangs   of   hunger.   Nor   was   there
an   unenlightened   Brahmin; neither   was   one   with   disciples   not
in   hundreds   (9).

b#a'Na   B¤¸tE   ¢nÏy|   naTvÓtà   B¤¸tE   .
tapsa   B¤¸tE   va{¢p   ½mNa   B¤¸tE   tTa   ¡10¡

b#a'Na:

brahmins

B¤¸tE

were feasting

¢nÏy|

always

naTvÓt:

the sudras

and

B¤¸tE

were feasting

tapsa:

sages

B¤¸tE

were satiated

A¢p

also

½mNa:

mendicants

B¤¸tE

satiated

tTa

as also

There was always a means of sustenance to the Brahmins, the Sudras, the saints and also the sages (10).
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