Valmiki Ramayana 1.71
Vālmīkirāmāyaṇa 1.71
- Language
- Sanskrit
1.71.1
tam uktavantaṃ vaidehaṃ viśvāmitro mahāmuniḥ
uvāca vacanaṃ vīraṃ vasiṣṭhasahito nṛpam
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.2
acintyāny aprameyāni kulāni narapuṃgava
ikṣvākūṇāṃ videhānāṃ naiṣāṃ tulyo 'sti kaś cana
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.3
sadṛśo dharmasaṃbandhaḥ sadṛśo rūpasaṃpadā
rāmalakṣmaṇayo rājan sītā cormilayā saha
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.4
vaktavyaṃ ca naraśreṣṭha śrūyatāṃ vacanaṃ mama
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.5
bhrātā yavīyān dharmajña eṣa rājā kuśadhvajaḥ
asya dharmātmano rājan rūpeṇāpratimaṃ bhuvi
sutādvayaṃ naraśreṣṭha patnyarthaṃ varayāmahe
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.6
bharatasya kumārasya śatrughnasya ca dhīmataḥ
varayema sute rājaṃs tayor arthe mahātmanoḥ
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.7
putrā daśarathasyeme rūpayauvanaśālinaḥ
lokapālopamāḥ sarve devatulyaparākramāḥ
When royal Janak's words were done,
Joined with Vas'ishtha Kus'ik's son,
The mighty sage began his speech:
'No mind may soar, no thought can reach
The glories of Ikshváku's line,
Or, great Videha's King, of thine:
None in the whole wide world may vie
With them in fame and honours high.
Well matched, I ween, in holy bands,
These peerless pairs will join their hands.
But hear me as I speak once more;
Thy brother, skilled in duty's lore,
Has at his home a royal pair
Of daughters most divinely fair.
I for the hands of these sweet two
For Bharat and S'atrughna sue,
Both princes of heroic mould,
Wise, fair of form, and lofty-souled.
All Das'aratha's sons, I ween,
Own each young grace of form and mien:
Brave as the Gods are they, nor yield
To the great Lords the worlds who shield.
1.71.8
ubhayor api rājendra saṃbandhenānubadhyatām
ikṣvākukulam avyagraṃ bhavataḥ puṇyakarmaṇaḥ
By these, good Prince of merits high,
Ikshváku's house with thine ally.'
1.71.9
viśvāmitravacaḥ śrutvā vasiṣṭhasya mate tadā
janakaḥ prāñjalir vākyam uvāca munipuṃgavau
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.10
sadṛśaṃ kulasaṃbandhaṃ yad ājñāpayathaḥ svayam
evaṃ bhavatu bhadraṃ vaḥ kuśadhvajasute ime
patnyau bhajetāṃ sahitau śatrughnabharatāv ubhau
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.11
ekāhnā rājaputrīṇāṃ catasṛṇāṃ mahāmune
pāṇīn gṛhṇantu catvāro rājaputrā mahābalāḥ
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.12
uttare divase brahman phalgunībhyāṃ manīṣiṇaḥ
vaivāhikaṃ praśaṃsanti bhago yatra prajāpatiḥ
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.13
evam uktvā vacaḥ saumyaṃ pratyutthāya kṛtāñjaliḥ
ubhau munivarau rājā janako vākyam abravīt
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.14
paro dharmaḥ kṛto mahyaṃ śiṣyo 'smi bhavatoḥ sadā
imāny āsanamukhyāni āsetāṃ munipuṃgavau
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.15
yathā daśarathasyeyaṃ tathāyodhyā purī mama
prabhutve nāsit saṃdeho yathārhaṃ kartum arhathaḥ
The suit the holy sage preferred,
With willing ear the monarch heard:
Vas'ishtha's lips the counsel praised:
Then spake the king with hands upraised:
'Now blest indeed my race I deem,
Which your high will, O Saints supreme,
With Das'aratha's house unites
In bonds of love and marriage rites.
So be it done. My nieces twain
Let Bharat and S'atrughna gain,
And the four youths the selfsame day
Four maiden hands in theirs shall lay.
No day so lucky may compare,
For marriage--so the wise declare--
With the last day of Phálguni
Ruled by the genial deity.'
Then with raised hands in reverence due
To those arch-saints he spoke anew:
'I am your pupil, ever true:
To me high favour have ye shown;
Come, sit ye on my royal throne,
For Das'aratha rules these towers
E'en as Ayodhyá now is ours.
Do with your own whate'er ye choose:
Your lordship here will none refuse.'
1.71.16
tathā bruvati vaidehe janake raghunandanaḥ
rājā daśaratho hṛṣṭaḥ pratyuvāca mahīpatim
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.17
yuvām asaṃkhyeya guṇau bhrātarau mithileśvarau
ṛṣayo rājasaṃghāś ca bhavadbhyām abhipūjitāḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.18
svasti prāpnuhi bhadraṃ te gamiṣyāmi svam ālayam
śrāddhakarmāṇi sarvāṇi vidhāsya iti cābravīt
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.19
tam āpṛṣṭvā narapatiṃ rājā daśarathas tadā
munīndrau tau puraskṛtya jagāmāśu mahāyaśāḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.20
sa gatvā nilayaṃ rājā śrāddhaṃ kṛtvā vidhānataḥ
prabhāte kālyam utthāya cakre godānam uttamam
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.21
gavāṃ śatasahasrāṇi brāhmaṇebhyo narādhipaḥ
ekaikaśo dadau rājā putrān uddhiśya dharmataḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.22
suvarṇaśṛṅgāḥ saṃpannāḥ savatsāḥ kāṃsyadohanāḥ
gavāṃ śatasahasrāṇi catvāri puruṣarṣabhaḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.23
vittam anyac ca subahu dvijebhyo raghunandanaḥ
dadau godānam uddiśya putrāṇāṃ putravatsalaḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
1.71.24
sa sutaiḥ kṛtagodānair vṛtaś ca nṛpatis tadā
lokapālair ivābhāti vṛtaḥ saumyaḥ prajāpatiḥ
He spoke, and to Videha's king
Thus Das'aratha, answering:
'Boundless your virtues, lords, wbose sway
The realms of Mithilá obey.
With honouring care you entertain.
Both holy sage and royal train.
Now to my house my steps I bend--
May blessings still on you at end--
Due offerings to the shades to pay.'
Thus spoke the king, and turned away:
To Janak first he bade adieu,
Then followed fast those holy two.
The monarch reached his palace where
The rites were paid with solemn care.
When the next sun began to shine
He rose and made his gift of kine.
A bundled thousand cows prepared
For each young prince the Bráhmans shared.
Each had her horns adorned with gold;
And duly was the number told,
Four hundred thousand perfect tale:
Each brought a calf, each filled a pail.
And when that glorious task was o'er,
The monarch with his children four,
Showed like the Lord of Life divine
When the worlds' guardians round him shine.
Translations (1)
- The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse — Ralph T. H. Griffith 1870, English
Commentaries (6)
- Rāmāyaṇabhūṣaṇa — Govindarāja, Sanskrit
- Tilaka — Nāgeśa Bhaṭṭa, Sanskrit
- Dharmākūtam — Tryambaka Makhin, Sanskrit
- Kalpavallikā — Bommakanti Nṛsiṃhaśāstrin, Sanskrit
- Munibhāvaprakāśikā — Sanskrit
- Vālmīkibhāvadīpa (Anantācārya Prativādibhayaṅkara) — Anantācārya Prativādibhayaṅkara, Sanskrit
Linked texts (7)
- Rāmāyaṇamañjarī — Kṣemendra, Sanskrit
- Rāmakathāmañjarī — Sanskrit
- Dharmākūta — Dhuṇḍhirāja Vyāsa, Sanskrit
- Bhāvārtharāmāyaṇa — Ekanātha, Sanskrit
- Rāmāyaṇakathāsāra (Kṣemendra) — Kṣemendra, Sanskrit
- Āryacarita — Sanskrit
- Laghurāmāyaṇa (Govindanātha Guha) — Govindanātha Guha, Sanskrit