THE VALMIKI RAMAYANA

BALA KANDA

ct¤àÏva¢r|S:   sgI: nbsp;    Canto   44
sgrÞvgIp#a¢çO      The   sons   of  Sagara   attaining   Heaven
s   gÏva   sagr|   raja   gÄñya{n¤gtÞtda   .
p#¢vvES   tl|   B¥mEyIæO   tE   BÞmsaÏk]ta:    ¡ 1¡

gÏva

having crossed

sagr|

the ocean

raja

the king

gÄñya

by Ganga

An¤gt:

followed

tda

then

p#¢vvES

reached

tl|

that part

B¥mE:

of the earth

yæO

where

they

BÞmsaÏk]ta:

were turned to ashes

That   king,   followed   by   (the   waters)   Ganga,   crossing   the   oceans,
went   to   that   part   of   the   earth   where   they   (the   sons of Sagara)
were   in   the   form   of   an   ash   mound   (1).

BÞmÓyTaÔl¤tE   ram   gÄñaya:   s¢llEn   vW   .
svIlaEkp#B¤bI'a   rajan¢mdmb#v£t¯              ¡ 2¡

BÞm¢n

the ashes

AT	thereafter

AaÔl¤tE

made wet

ram

O! Rama!

gÄñaya:

of the Ganga

s¢llEn

waters

indeed

svIlaEkp#B¤:

the Lord of all the worlds

b#'a

Brahma

rajan|

to the king

id|

as follows

Ab#v£t¯

said

`O!   Rama!   When   their   ashes   were   wetted   by   the   waters   of
the   Ganga,   the   Lord   of   all   the   worlds   Brahma,   addressed   the
king,   in   the   following   words   (2).

ta¢rta   nrSaÑ¥Il   ¢dv|   yata   ¢h   dEvvt¯   .
x¢¾:   p¤æOsh*a¢N   sgrÞy   mhaÏmn:       ¡ 3¡

ta¢rta:

having been ferried across

nrSaÑ¥Il

O! Most exalted among men!

¢dv|

the heavens

yata:

attained

¢h

indeed

dEvvt¯

like the gods

x¢¾:

sixty

p¤æOsh*a¢N

thousand sons

sgrÞy

of Sagara

mhaÏmn:

the highsouled

`O!   Tiger   among   men!   Those   sixty   thousand   sons   of   that
high-souled   Sagara   have   been   ferried   across   (the   bondage)
and   have   gone   to   their   celestial   abode,   like   gods   (3).

sagrÞy   jl|   laEkE   yavt¯   ÞTaÞy¢t   pa¢TIv   .
sgrÞyaÏmjaÞtavt¯   ÞvgI   ÞTaÞy¢Ót   dEvvt¯     ¡ 4¡

sagrÞy

of the ocean

jl|

waters

laEkE

in the world

yavt¯

till what time

ÞTaÞy¢t

will be available

pa¢TIv

O! King!

sgrÞy

of Sagara

AaÏmja:

the sons

tavt¯

till such time

ÞvgI

in the heavens

ÞTaÞy¢Ót

will live

dEvvt¯

like the gods

O!   King!   As   long   as   there   will   remain   water   in   the   oceans,
so   long   will   the   sons   of   Sagara   live   in   heaven     like   gods   (4).

iy|   c   Ñ¤¢hta   ÇyE¿a   tv   gÄña   B¢vÝy¢t   .
ÏvÏk]tEnWv   naØna{T   laEkE   ÞTaÞy¢t   ¢v½¤ta   ¡ 5¡

iy|

this

also

Ñ¤¢hta

daughter

ÇyE¿a

elder

to you

gÄña

Ganga

B¢vÝy¢t

will be

ÏvÏk]tEn

related to you

also

naØna

by name

AT	thereafter

laEkE

in the world

ÞTaÞy¢t

become

¢v½¤ta

very famous

This   Ganga   will   also   become   your   elder   daughter.   Thereafter,
she   will   remain   famous   in   this   world   with   a name connected
with   yours   (5).
gÄña   ¢æOpTga   rajn¯   ¢dÛya   Bag£rT£¢t   c   .
æO£n¯   pTaE   BavyÓt£¢t   tt¢ÞæOpTga   Þm¦ta     ¡ 6¡

gÄña

Ganga

¢æOpTga

taking three routes

rajn¯

O! King!

¢dÛya

holy

Bag£rT£

Bhagirathi

i¢t

named

also

æO£n¯

three

pT:

paths

BavyÓt£

coursing through

i¢t

nomenclatured

tt:

therefore

¢æOpTga

Tripathaga

Þm¦ta

wellknown

O!   King!   Ganga   runs   in   three   courses   and   is   also   known
as   the   divine   Bhagirathi.   Due   to   hre   coursing   in   three
paths,   she   will   be   known   as   `Tripathaga'   (6).
¢ptamhana|     svIxa|   ÏvmæO   mn¤ja¢Dp   .
kâÝv   s¢ll|   rajn¯   p#¢tMampvtIy    ¡ 7¡

¢ptamhana|

to your ancestors

svIxa|

all

Ïv|

you

AæO

in this

mn¤ja¢Dp

O! Noblest among men!

kâÝv

perform

s¢ll|

paying obeisance with water (and sesame seeds)

rajn¯

O! King!

p#¢tMa|

vow

ApvtIy

fulfill

O!   Best   among   men!   May   you   perform   the   water   oblations
to   all   your   grandfathers.   O!   King! May you fulfill your vow (7).
p¥vIkENa¢p   tE   raj|ÞtEna¢tySsa   tda    .
D¢mINa|   p#vrENaT   nWx   p#açOaE   mnaErT:   ¡ 8¡

p¥vIkEN

ancestor

A¢p

even

your

rajn¯

O! King!

tEn

that

A¢tySsa

of great fame

tda

at that time

D¢mINa|

among righteous persons

p#vrEN

best

moreover

not

ex:

this

p#açO:

satisfied

mnaErT:

one's yearnings

O!   King!   Moreover,   even   by   the   one   (Dilipa)   who   was   the
best   among   the   righteous   and   an   extremely   famous   ancestor
of   yours,   this   desire   could   not   be   fulfilled   (8).

tTWva|S¤mta   vÏs   laEkE{p#¢tmtEjsa       .
gÄña|   p#aTIyta   nEt¤|   p#¢tåOa   napv¢jIta   ¡ 9¡

tTa

likewise

also

A|S¤mta

by Amsuman

vÏs

O! Child!

laEkE

in the world

Ap#¢tmtEjsa

of unequalled radiance

gÄña|

Ganga

p#aTIyta

pleaded

nEt¤|

to bring

p#¢tåOa

vow

not

Apv¢jIta

fruitful

O!   Dear!   In   the   same   manner,   even   by   Amsuman   who   was
unparalleled   in   valour   in   the   world,   and   who   had   taken
the   effort   to   bring   Ganga,   this   vow   could   not   be   fulfilled   (9).
raj¢xINa   g¤Nvta   mh¢xIsmtEjsa      .
mäO¤Úytpsa   cWv   XæODmI¢ÞTtEn   c   ¡ 10¡
raj¢xINa      by the royal sage

g¤Nvta      by the righteous

mh¢xIsmtEjsa      in splendour equalling the great sages

mäO¤Úytpsa      equal to me in austerities

c   ev      and also

XæODmI¢ÞTtEn        established in the true Kshatriya spirit

c      and

¢dl£pEn   mhaBag   tv   ¢pæOa   yS¢Þvna   .
p¤nnI   S¢kta   nEt¤|   gÄña|   p#aTIyta{nG     ¡ 11¡
¢dl£pEn      by Dilipa

mhaBag      O! fortunate one!

tv      your

¢pæOa      father

yS¢Þvna      famous

p¤n:      again

n      not

S¢kta      could

nEt¤|      bring

gÄña|      Ganga

p#aTIyta      pleaded

AnG      O! Faultless one!

O!   One   of   extreme   good   fortune!   O!   Sinless   one!   This feat
was   not   achieved   even   by   your   father   Dilipa,   who   wanted
to   bring   Ganga   (to   the   earth),   though   he   was   a   royal   sage,
full   of   good   attributes,   equal   to   the   great   sages   in   effulgence,
on   par   with   me   in   observances,   austerities   and   penance, firmly
established   in   the   discharge   of   the   duties   of   the   ruler,   of
great   fame   and   goodwill   (10-11).

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