THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA

BALA KANDA

A¾¢æO|S: sgI:      Canto 38(Contd)
sgraámEDaEp@m:      King   Sagara   commences  Aswamedha   sacrifice
tyaEÞt¹cn|   ½¤Ïva   B¦g¤:   prmDa¢mIk:   .
uvac   prma|   vaN£|   ÞvÅCÓdaE{æO   ¢vD£ytam¯   ¡ 11¡

tyaE:

their

tt¯

those

vcn|

words

½¤Ïva

on hearing

B¦g¤:

sage Bhrighu

prmDa¢mIk:

extremely righteous

uvac

replied

prma|

great

vaN£|

speech (words)

ÞvÅCÓd:

as you please

AæO

in this matter

¢vD£ytam¯

may you opt

That   extremely   righteous   Bhrigu,   having   heard   their   words,
spoke the   much-valued   words   as:   `In   this   matter,   you   may
yourselves   choose'   (11).
ekaE   v|SkraE   va{Þt¤   bhvaE   va   mhabla:   .
k£¢tImÓtaE   mhaEÏsaha:   ka   va   k|   vr¢mÅC¢t   ¡ 12¡

ek:

one person

v|Skr:

to establish the lineage

alone

AÞt¤

will be

bhv:

many

per se

mhabla:

of great valour

k£¢tImÓt:

of great fame

mhaEÏsaha:

very enthusiastic and resourceful

who

va	I want to know

what

vr|

boon

iÅC¢t

desires

The   singleton   son   will   be   the   one   who   will   firmly   establish
the   dynasty.   Those   many   sons   will   be   verily   greatly   mighty,
of great   enterprise   and   attain   high   fame.   Which   one   (of   you)
desires   (I   like   to   know)   which   boon'   (12).

m¤nEÞt¹cn|   ½¤Ïva   kE¢Sn£   rG¤nÓdn   .
p¤æO|   v|Skr|   ram   jg#ah   n¦ps¢°DaW   ¡ 13¡

m¤nE:

of the sage

tt¯

that

vcn|

word

½¤Ïva

hearing

kE¢Sn£

Kesini

rG¤nÓdn

O! The darling of the Raghu race!

p¤æO|

a son

v|Skr|

for continuing the lineage

ram

O! Rama!

jg#ah

requested

n¦ps¢°DaW

in the presence of the king

`O!   Delight   of   the   Raghu   race!   O!   Rama!   Upon   hearing   those
words   of   the   seer,   Kesini,   in   the   presence   of   the   king,   sought
(that   boon   conferring)   the   single   son,   who   would   firmly   uphold
the   family   tree   (13).

x¢¾|   p¤æOsh*a¢N   s¤pNIB¢gn£   tda   .
mhaEÏsahan¯ k£¢tImtaE jg#ah s¤m¢t: s¤tan¯ ¡ 14¡

x¢¾|

sixty

p¤æOsh*a¢N

thousand sons

s¤pNIB¢gn£

the coborn of Garuda (sister)

tda

therefore

mhaEÏsahan¯

of great effort

k£¢tImt:

of great renown

jg#ah

chose

s¤m¢t:

named Sumathi

s¤tan¯

sons

Thereafter,   the   co-born   with   Garuda   (sister   of   the   one   with
golden   wings)   Sumati,   chose   the   sixty   thousand   sons,   who
are highly   adventurous   and   of   high   reputation   (14).

p#d¢XNm¦¢x|   k]Ïva   ¢Srsa{¢Bp#NØy   tm¯   .
jgam   Þvp¤r|   raja   sBayaI   rG¤nÓdn   ¡ 15¡

p#d¢XN|

circumambulation

§¢x|

the sage

k]Ïva

having done

¢Srsa

with the head (lowered)

A¢Bp#NØy

having prostrated

tm¯

that

jgam

left for

Þvp¤r|

his own city

raja

king

sBayI:

along with his wives

rG¤nÓdn

O! Raghunandana!

O!   Delight   of   the   Raghu   clan!   Along   with   his   wives,   that   king
circumambulated   that   seer,   revered   him   with   head   bent and body
prostrate   and   then,   left   for   his   capital   city   (15).

AT   kalE   gtE   t¢ÞmM¯ÇyE¿a   p¤æO|   Ûyjayt   .
Asm¸   i¢t   Áyat|   kE¢Sn£   sgraÏmjm¯     ¡ 16¡

AT	thereafter

kalE

time

gtE

in due course of

t¢Þmn¯

that

ÇyE¿a

elder

p¤æO|

son

Ûyjayt

brought forth

Asm¸

Asamanja

i¢t

thus

Áyat|

famed

kE¢Sn£

Kesini

sgraÏmjm¯

son to Sagara

In   due   course   of   time,   the   elder   wife   Kesini   gave   birth   to   a
son   named   Asamanja, a   son   to   Sagara   (16).

s¤m¢tÞt¤   nrÛyaG#   gBIt¤Øv|   Ûyjayt   .
x¢¾:   p¤æOsh*a¢N   t¤ØbBEda¢¹¢nÞs¦ta:   ¡ 17¡

s¤m¢t:

Sumati

t¤

however

nrÛyaG#

O! Tiger among men!

gBIt¤Øv|

a mass of flesh with many embryos

Ûyjayt

brought forth

x¢¾:

sixty

p¤æOsh*a¢N

thousand sons

t¤ØbBEdat¯

by cutting the mass of flesh containing many embryos

¢v¢nÞs¦ta:

emerged

O! Tiger   among   men!   Sumati,   however,   brought forth a mass of
flesh   and   out   of   this   mass   containing   several   embryos,   sixty
thousand   sons   emerged   (17).

G¦tp¥NIx¤   kØBEx¤   DaæyÞtan¯   smvDIyn¯   .
kalEn   mhta   svI   yaWvn|   p#¢tpE¢drE     ¡ 18¡

G¦tp¥NIx¤

filled with ghee

kØBEx¤

in pots

Daæy:

foster-mothers

tan¯

them

smvDIyn¯

brought up

kalEn

passage of time

mhta

of a great length

svI

all of them

yaWvn|

youthful state

p#¢tpE¢drE

attained

Foster-mothers   nourished   these   sixty   thousand   ones   in   pots
filled   with   ghee.All   of   them   reached   youthful   state   after
a   long   time   (18).
AT   d£GIN   kalEn   ãpyaWvnSa¢ln:   .
x¢¾:   p¤æOsh*a¢N   sgrÞyaBv|Þtda     ¡ 19¡

AT	thereafter

d£GIN

passage of a lot of

kalEn

time

ãpyaWvnSa¢ln:

endowed with youth and handsome features

x¢¾:

sixty

p¤æOsh*a¢N

thousand sons

sgrÞy

of Sagara

ABvn¯

were born

tda

then

In   that   manner,they   became   sixty   thousand   sons   to   Sagara,
developing   into   handsome   and   youthful   ones,after   a
long   period   of   time   (19).
s   c   ÇyE¿aE   nr½E¿:   sgrÞyaÏms|Bv:   .
balan¯   g¦h£Ïva   t¤   jlE   srÙva   rG¤nÓdn   .
p#¢XÔy   p#hs¢°Ïy|   mÇjtÞta¢°r£ßy   vW       ¡ 20¡

however

ÇyE¿:

the elder

nr½E¿:

(though) the best among men

sgrÞy

of Sagara

AaÏms|Bv:

son

balan¯

boys

g¦h£Ïva

having caught

t¤

indeed

jlE

in water

srÙva:

of the Sarayu

rG¤nÓdn

O! Delight of the Raghu race!

p#¢XÔy

having thrown

p#hsn¯

laughed

¢nÏy|

always

mÇjt:

drowning

tan¯

them

¢nr£ßy

seeing

alas!

O!   Delight   of   the   Raghus!   Though,   he   (Asamanja)   was   the   first-born son   to   Sagara   and   best   among   men,contrary   to   all
this, he   was always   engaged   in   picking   up   children,   throwing
them   into   the river   Sarayu   and   laughing   at   the   sight   of   these   drowning in   the   river.   What   a   pity   !   (20)
ev|   papsmacar:   sÇjnp#¢tbaDk:   .
paWraNam¢htE y¤³: ¢pæOa ¢nvaI¢st: p¤rat¯ ¡ 21¡

ev|

thus

papsmacar:

engaging in evil acts

sÇjnp#¢tbaDk:

acting against the good

paWraNa|

of the citizens

A¢htE

tormenting

y¤³:

engaged

¢pæOa

by the father (king Sagara)

¢nvaI¢st:

banished

p¤rat¯

from the kingdom

Thus,   engaged   in   doing   evil   to   the   good,   acting   against   the
welfare   of   the   public,   and   being   wicked, he was banished from
the   country   by   his   father   (21).
tÞy   p¤æOaE|S¤ma°am   Asm¸Þy   v£yIvan¯   .
s|mt:   svIlaEkÞy   svIÞya¢p   ¢p#y|vd:    ¡ 22¡

tÞy

his

p¤æO:

son

A|S¤man¯

Ansuman

nam

by name

Asm¸Þy

of Asamanja

v£yIvan¯

the valorous

s|mt:

acceptable

svIlaEkÞy

in all the worlds

svIÞy

of all people

A¢p

also

¢p#y|vd:

speaking pleasingly

That   Asamanja   begot   a   son   by   name   Amsuman, who   was
acceptable to   all   the   people   and   who   spoke   with   everyone
in   a   pleasing   manner   (22).
tt:   kalEn   mhta   m¢t:   sm¢Bjayt   .
sgrÞy   nr½E¿   yjEy¢m¢t   ¢n¢àta       ¡ 23¡

tt:

then

kalEn

in due course of time

mhta

long

m¢t:

resolve

sm¢Bjayt

arose

sgrÞy

in (the mind of) Sagara

nr½E¿

O! Noble one!

yjEy|

`I shall perform a sacrifice'

i¢t

thus

¢n¢àta

firm

O!   Best   among   men!   After   a   long   time,   the   firm   thought,
`I   shall   engage   in   sacrifice'   came   to   Sagara   (23).
s   k]Ïva   ¢này| raja saEpaÒyaygNÞtda .
yåOkmI¢N   vEdMaE     y¾¤|   sm¤pc@mE      ¡ 24¡

k]Ïva

made

¢này|

resolve

raja

the king

saEpaÒyaygN:

along with the groups of priests

tda

then

yåOkmI¢N

in the performance of sacrifice

vEdM:

knowledgeable in the Vedas

y¾¤|

to peform the sacrifice

sm¤pc@mE

commenced

That   king,   who   was   well-versed   in   scriptural   lore,   in   the company   of   groups   of   priests,   decided   on   the   performance   of   the sacrifice   and   set   things   afoot   for   doing   so   (24).

iÏyaxI   ½£md#amayNE   vaÚm£k£yE   Aa¢dkaÛyE   balkaÎfE   A¾¢æO|S:   sgI:
Thus   ends   Canto   38   of   the   BalaKanda   of   the   first   and   ancient   poetical  work   Srimad   Ramayana   of   Valmiki

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