Being   sent   by   Janaka,   those   messengers,   with   vehicles   in a   state   of   fatigue,   spent   three   nights   en   route   and   then entered   the   city   of   Ayodhya   (1).  
raåOaE   Bvnmasaï   ¹arÞTa¢ndmb#¤vn¯            .
S£G#|   ¢nvEïta|   raåOE   Ñ¥ta°aW   jnkÞy   c    ¡
iÏy¤³a   ¹arpalaÞtE   raGvay   ÓyvEdyn¯     ¡ 2¡

raåO:

the king's

Bvn|

palace

Aasaï

on reaching

¹arÞTan¯

at the guards at the gate

id|

as under

Ab#¤vn¯

said

S£G#|

quickly

¢nvEïta|

be made known

raåOE

to the king

Ñ¥tan¯

the messengers

n:

we

jnkÞy

of king Janaka

c

and

i¢t

like this

u³a:

requested

¹arpala:

the security guards

tE

they

raGvay

to king Dasaratha

ÓyvEdyn¯

informed

 
They   informed   the   guards   at   the   gate,   having   reached   the palace   of   that   king:   `May   you   please   inform   the   king   that we   are   the   messengers   of   king   Janaka'.   Being   thus requested,   (they)   broke   the   news   to   Dasaratha   (2).
 
tE   rajvcnaê¥ta   rajvEÜm   p#vE¢Sta:   .
dS¤dEIvsÄðaS|   v¦ÑG|   dSrT|   n¦pm¯   ¡ 3¡

tE

they

rajvcnat¯

upon the instructions of the king (Dasaratha)

Ñ¥ta:

messengers

rajvEÜm

the abode of the king

p#vE¢Sta:

ushered

dS¤:

saw

dEvsÄðaS|

glowing like a god

v¦ÑG|

aged

dSrT|

Dasaratha

n¦pm¯

king

 
These   messengers   were   thereafter   ushered   into   the   palace, upon   the   instructions   of   the   king   (Dasaratha)   and   there   they saw   the   aged   king   Dasaratha,   who   was   shining   like   a   celestial   (3).  
bѯDa¸¢lp¤za:   svEI   Ñ¥ta   ¢vgtsaÒvsa:   .
rajan|   p#Nta   vaÀymb#¤vÓmD¤raXrm¯     ¡ 4¡

bѯDa¸¢lp¤za:

with palms united in reverence

svEI

all

Ñ¥ta:

messengers

¢vgtsaÒvsa:

with a calm mind

rajan|

to the king

p#Nta:

paying respects

vaÀy|

the message

Ab#¤vn¯

conveyed

mD¤raXrm¯

comprising sweet words

 
All   these   messengers,   supplicating   before   the   king,   with their   palms   folded   in   reverence,   and   with   a   quietened   mind, spoke   the   following   composed   of   sweet   words   (4).
 
raj¢s|h   mhast¯Ïv   rG¤½E¿   prÓtp           .
mW¢TlaE   jnkaE   raja   sa¢g"haEæOp¤rÞk]tm¯     ¡
k¤Sl|   caÛyy|   cWv   saEpaÒyayp¤raE¢htm¯   ¡ 5¡

raj¢s|h

O! Lion among kings!

mhast¯Ïv

O! One of great might!

rG¤½E¿

O! Best among Raghus!

prÓtp

O! The scorcher of foes!

mW¢Tl:

the one from Mithila

jnk:

Janaka

raja

king

sa¢g"haEæOp¤rÞk]tm¯

with the ritual Agnihotra being observed

k¤Sl|

welfare

c

and

AÛyy|

without deficiency

c

and

ev

also

saEpaÒyayp¤raE¢htm¯

in the company of preceptors and priests

 
`O!   Lion   among   kings!   O!   Mighty   One!   Best   among   Raghus! One   who   torments   his   enemies!   we   carry   the   enquiries   of your   total   welfare   from   king   Janaka   who   is   practising fire-sacrifice   and   is   in   the   company   of   preceptors and   priests   (5).  
m¤h^m¤Ih^mID¤rya   s"Ehs|y¤³ya   ¢gra               .
jnkÞÏva|   mharaja{{p¦ÅCtE   sp¤r:srm¯   ¡ 6¡

m¤h^:

again

m¤h^:

again

mD¤rya

with sweet

s"Ehs|y¤³ya

affectionate

¢gra

words

jnk:

Janaka

Ïva|

you

mharaja

the king

Aap¦ÅCtE

asks about your welfare

sp¤r:srm¯

in the company of your retinue

 
King   Janaka,   again   and   again,   made   affectionate   enquiries about   your   welfare   through   sweet   words,   you   who   are surrounded   by   your   retinue   (6).  
p¦¾¯va   k¤SlmÛyg#|   vWdEhaE   ¢m¢Tla¢Dp:   .
kaW¢Skan¤mtE   vaÀy|   BvÓt¢mdmb#v£t¯   ¡ 7¡

p¦¾¯va

having enquired

k¤Sl|

welfare

AÛyg#|

at the appropriate time

vWdEh:

the one from Videha

¢m¢Tla¢Dp:

the ruler of Mithila

kaW¢Skan¤mtE

upon the approval of Kausika

vaÀy|

words

BvÓt|

to you

id|

thus

Ab#v£t¯

has conveyed

 
Having   enquired   about   your   welfare,   the   ruler   of   Mithila, the   Vaideha,   upon   the   instructions   of   the   son   of   Kusika, has   sent   this   message   to   you,   to   be   communicated   at   the proper   time   (7).  
p¥vI|   p#¢tåOa   ¢v¢hta   v£yIS¤Úka   mmaÏmja   .
rajanà   k]tamxaI   ¢nv£yaI   ¢vm¤K£k]ta:   ¡ 8¡

p¥vI|

in the days past

p#¢tåOa

a vow

¢v¢hta

was made

v£yIS¤Úka

to be won as a prize for valour

mm

my

AaÏmja

daughter

rajan:

kings

c

and

k]tamxaI:

enraged

¢nv£yaI:

rendered incapable

¢vm¤K£k]ta:

turned away

 
`It   was   settled   earlier   that   my   daughter   was   to   be   won   as   the   bride for   the   exhibition   of   valorous   prowess,   as   the   bride-price.
Many   kings   lacking   in   prowess   could   not   be   accepted     and   they
became   angry   (8).  
sEy|   mm   s¤ta   raj¢Óváa¢mæOp¤r:srW:     .
yèÅCya{{gtWv£rW¢nI¢jIta   tv   p¤æOkW:   ¡ 9¡

sa

that

iy|

this

mm

my

s¤ta

daughter

rajn¯

O! King!

¢váa¢mæOp¤r:srW:

having Viswamitra in the lead

yèÅCya

by luck

AagtW:

having come

v£rW:

by the valiant one (archaic usage)

¢n¢jIta

won

tv

your

p¤æOkW:

tender son (archaic)

 
O!   King!   That   daughter   of   mine,   this   girl,   fortunately   has been   won   by   the   valorous   son   of   yours,   who   has   been   brought
here   by   Viswamitra   (9).  
tÅc   rajÓDn¤¢dIÛy|   mÒyE   Bg"|   mhaÏmna    .
ramEN   ¢h   mhatEjaE   mhÏya|   jns|s¢d   ¡ 10¡

tt¯

that

c

and

rajn¯

O! King!

Dn¤:

bow

¢dÛy|

divine

mÒyE	in the middle

Bg"|

broken

mhaÏmna

by the highsouled

ramEN

by Rama

¢h

indeed

mhatEj:

of great effulgence

mhÏya|

in a great

jns|s¢d

assembly of men

 
O!   King   of   extreme   radiance!   That   divine   bow   has   also   been
broken   in   the   middle   by   that   high-souled   Rama,   in   the   midst
of   a   great   assembly   of   men   (10).