Ramayana · Book I · Bāla Kāṇḍa
Ramayana, Book I, Canto 15: The Nectarबालकाण्डम्
Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 1.16.
Sanskrit
ततो नारायणो विष्णुर्नियुक्तः सुरसत्तमैः ।
जानन्नपि सुरानेवं श्लक्ष्णं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥१-१६-१॥
उपायः को वधे तस्य राक्षसाधिपतेः सुराः ।
यमहं तं समास्थाय निहन्यामृषिकण्टकम् ॥१-१६-२॥
एवमुक्ताः सुराः सर्वे प्रत्यूचुर्विष्णुमव्ययम् ।
मानुषं रूपमास्थाय रावणं जहि संयुगे ॥१-१६-३॥
स हि तेपे तपस्तीव्रं दीर्घकालमरिन्दमः ।
येन तुष्टोऽभवद् ब्रह्मा लोककृल्लोकपूर्वजः ॥१-१६-४॥
संतुष्टः प्रददौ तस्मै राक्षसाय वरं प्रभुः ।
नानाविधेभ्यो भूतेभ्यो भयं नान्यत्र मानुषात् ॥१-१६-५॥
अवज्ञाताः पुरा तेन वरदाने हि मानवाः ।
एवं पितामहात् तस्मात् वरदानेन गर्वितः ॥१-१६-६॥
उत्सादयति लोकांस्त्रीन् स्त्रियश्चाप्युपकर्षति ।
तस्मात् तस्य वधो दृष्टो मानुषेभ्यः परंतप ॥१-१६-७॥
इत्येतद् वचनं श्रुत्वा सुराणां विष्णुरात्मवान् ।
पितरं रोचयामास तदा दशरथं नृपम् ॥१-१६-८॥
स चाप्यपुत्रो नृपतिस्तस्मिन् काले महाद्युतिः ।
अयजत् पुत्रियामिष्टिं पुत्रेप्सुररिसूदनः ॥१-१६-९॥
स कृत्वा निश्चयं विष्णुरामन्त्र्य च पितामहम् ।
अन्तर्धानं गतो देवैः पूज्यमानो महर्षिभिः ॥१-१६-१०॥
ततो वै यजमानस्य पावकादतुलप्रभम् ।
प्रादुर्भूतं महद् भूतं महावीर्यं महाबलम् ॥१-१६-११॥
कृष्णं रक्ताम्बरधरं रक्तास्यं दुन्दुभिस्वनम् ।
स्निग्धहर्यक्षतनुजश्मश्रुप्रवरमूर्धजम् ॥१-१६-१२॥
शुभलक्षणसम्पन्नं दिव्याभरणभूषितम् ।
शैलशृङ्गसमुत्सेधं दृप्तशार्दूलविक्रमम् ॥१-१६-१३॥
दिवाकरसमाकारं दीप्तानलशिखोपमम् ।
तप्तजाम्बूनदमयीं राजतान्तपरिच्छदाम् ॥१-१६-१४॥
दिव्यपायससम्पूर्णां पात्रीं पत्नीमिव प्रियाम् ।
प्रगृह्य विपुलां दोर्भ्यां स्वयं मायामयीमिव ॥१-१६-१५॥
समवेक्ष्याब्रवीद् वाक्यमिदं दशरथं नृपम् ।
प्राजापत्यं नरं विद्धि मामिहाभ्यागतं नृप ॥१-१६-१६॥
ततः परं तदा राजा प्रत्युवाच कृताञ्जलिः ।
भगवन् स्वागतं तेऽस्तु किमहं करवाणि ते ॥१-१६-१७॥
अथो पुनरिदं वाक्यं प्राजापत्यो नरोऽब्रवीत् ।
राजन्नर्चयता देवानद्य प्राप्तमिदं त्वया ॥१-१६-१८॥
इदं तु नरशार्दूल पायसं देवनिर्मितम् ।
प्रजाकरं गृहाण त्वं धन्यमारोग्यवर्धनम् ॥१-१६-१९॥
भार्याणामनुरूपाणामश्नीतेति प्रयच्छ वै ।
तासु त्वं लप्स्यसे पुत्रान् यदर्थं यजसे नृप ॥१-१६-२०॥
तथेति नृपतिः प्रीतः शिरसा प्रतिगृह्य ताम् ।
पात्रीं देवान्नसम्पूर्णां देवदत्तां हिरण्मयीम् ॥१-१६-२१॥
अभिवाद्य च तद्भूतमद्भुतं प्रियदर्शनम् ।
मुदा परमया युक्तश्चकाराभिप्रदक्षिणम् ॥१-१६-२२॥
ततो दशरथः प्राप्य पायसं देवनिर्मितम् ।
बभूव परमप्रीतः प्राप्य वित्तमिवाधनः ॥१-१६-२३॥
ततस्तदद्भुतप्रख्यं भूतं परमभास्वरम् ।
संवर्तयित्वा तत् कर्म तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ॥१-१६-२४॥
हर्षरश्मिभिरुद्द्योतं तस्यान्तःपुरमाबभौ ।
शारदस्याभिरामस्य चन्द्रस्येव नभोंऽशुभिः ॥१-१६-२५॥
सोऽन्तःपुरं प्रविश्यैव कौसल्यामिदमब्रवीत् ।
पायसं प्रतिगृह्णीष्व पुत्रीयं त्विदमात्मनः ॥१-१६-२६॥
कौसल्यायै नरपतिः पायसार्धं ददौ तदा ।
अर्धादर्धं ददौ चापि सुमित्रायै नराधिपः ॥१-१६-२७॥
कैकेय्यै चावशिष्टार्धं ददौ पुत्रार्थकारणात् ।
प्रददौ चावशिष्टार्धं पायसस्यामृतोपमम् ॥१-१६-२८॥
अनुचिन्त्य सुमित्रायै पुनरेव महामतिः ।
एवं तासां ददौ राजा भार्याणां पायसं पृथक् ॥१-१६-२९॥
ताश्चैवं पायसं प्राप्य नरेन्द्रस्योत्तमस्त्रियः ।
सम्मानं मेनिरे सर्वाः प्रहर्षोदितचेतसः ॥१-१६-३०॥
ततस्तु ताः प्राश्य तमुत्तमस्त्रियो
:::महीपतेरुत्तमपायसं पृथक् ।
हुताशनादित्यसमानतेजसो-
:::ऽचिरेण गर्भान् प्रतिपेदिरे तदा ॥१-१६-३१॥
ततस्तु राजा प्रतिवीक्ष्य ताः स्त्रियः
:::प्ररूढगर्भाः प्रतिलब्धमानसः ।
बभूव हृष्टस्त्रिदिवे यथा हरिः
:::सुरेन्द्रसिद्धर्षिगणाभिपूजितः ॥१-१६-३२॥
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये बालकाण्डे षोडशः सर्गः ॥१-१६॥
English Griffith
When wisest Vishṇu thus had given
His promise to the Gods of heaven,
He pondered in his secret mind
A suited place of birth to find,
Then he decreed, the lotus-eyed,
In four his being to divide,
And Daśaratha, gracious king,
He chose as sire from whom to spring.
That childless prince of high renown,
Who smote in war his foemen down,
At that same time with utmost care
Prepared the rite that wins an heir.109
Then Vishṇu, fain on earth to dwell,
Bade the Almighty Sire farewell,
And vanished while a reverent crowd
Of Gods and saints in worship bowed.
The monarch watched the sacred rite,
When a vast form of awful might,
Of matchless splendour, strength, and size
Was manifest before his eyes.
From forth the sacrificial flame,
Dark, robed in red, the being came.
His voice was drumlike, loud and low,
His face suffused with rosy glow.
Like a huge lion’s mane appeared
The long locks of his hair and beard.
He shone with many a lucky sign,
And many an ornament divine;
A towering mountain in his height,
A tiger in his gait and might.
No precious mine more rich could be,
No burning flame more bright than he.
His arms embraced in loving hold,
Like a dear wife, a vase of gold
Whose silver lining held a draught
Of nectar as in heaven is quaffed:
A vase so vast, so bright to view,
They scarce could count the vision true.
Upon the king his eyes he bent,
And said: “The Lord of life has sent
His servant down, O Prince, to be
A messenger from heaven to thee.”
The king with all his nobles by
Raised reverent hands and made reply:
“Welcome, O glorious being! Say
How can my care thy grace repay.”
Envoy of Him whom all adore
Thus to the king he spake once more:
“The Gods accept thy worship: they
Give thee the blessed fruit to-day.
Approach and take, O glorious King,
This heavenly nectar which I bring,
For it shall give thee sons and wealth,
And bless thee with a store of health.
Give it to those fair queens of thine,
And bid them quaff the drink divine:
And they the princely sons shall bear
Long sought by sacrifice and prayer.”
“Yea, O my lord,” the monarch said,
And took the vase upon his head,
The gift of Gods, of fine gold wrought,
With store of heavenly liquor fraught.
He honoured, filled with transport new,
That wondrous being, fair to view,
As round the envoy of the God
With reverential steps he trod.110
His errand done, that form of light
Arose and vanished from the sight.
High rapture filled the monarch’s soul,
Possessed of that celestial bowl,
As when a man by want distressed
With unexpected wealth is blest.
And rays of transport seemed to fall
Illuminating bower and hall,
As when the autumn moon rides high,
And floods with lovely light the sky.
Quick to the ladies’ bower he sped,
And thus to Queen Kauśalyá said:
“This genial nectar take and quaff,”
He spoke, and gave the lady half.
Part of the nectar that remained
Sumitrá from his hand obtained.
He gave, to make her fruitful too,
Kaikeyí half the residue.
A portion yet remaining there,
He paused awhile to think.
Then gave Sumitrá, with her share.
The remnant of the drink.
Thus on each queen of those fair three
A part the king bestowed,
And with sweet hope a child to see
Their yearning bosoms glowed.
The heavenly bowl the king supplied
Their longing souls relieved,
And soon, with rapture and with pride,
Each royal dame conceived.
He gazed upon each lady’s face,
And triumphed as he gazed,
As Indra in his royal place
By Gods and spirits praised.
Griffith’s notes (2)
- The Horse-Sacrifice, just described.
- To walk round an object keeping the right side towards it is a mark of great respect. The Sanskrit word for the observance is pradakshiṇá, from pra pro, and daksha right, Greek δεξίος, Latin dexter, Gaelic deas-il. A similar ceremony is observed by the Gaels. “In the meantime she traced around him, with wavering steps, the propitiation, which some have thought has been derived from the Druidical mythology. It consists, as is well known, in the person who makes the deasil walking three times round the person who is the object of the ceremony, taking care to move according to the course of the sun.” SCOTT. The Two Drovers.