Monday, June 24, 2013

Bala Kanda Sarga- 50-77

Sarga(Chapter):50: Visit to place of Yagna of Janaka and introduction of  Rama and Lakshmana.

(Viswamithra along withy Rama and Lalkshmana visits the place of Yagna of  the king Janaka.  The sage is received hospitably.  Janaka is curios to know about Rama and Lakshmana, Viswamithra introduces them.)
From there Viswamithra along with Rama and Lakshmana walking in the front proceeded towards the North east  and reached the place  of the Yagna.                                                                                             50.1
Rama along with Lakshmana addressing the   tiger among sages told, “The preparations of  the Yagna  by the  great Janaka are  remarkable. “                                                                                                                    50.2
“Oh great one, thousands  of Brahmins who have studied Vedas properly belonging to various countries have assembled here . Hundreds of carts  and quarters for sages are seen here ,. Oh God like sage, let us decided to the place that we are going to stay here.”                                                                           50.3-50.4
The great sage after listening to words of Rama  chose a place for staying , near the water front which was overtly  crowded.                                                                                                                                         50.5
The king hearing about the arrival of sage Viswamithra , placing in front his blemish less priest Sathanaanda , went forward to welcome him with great humility.                                                              50.6
The very eminent officiating priests   brought quickly  the materials for worship  and offered them to Viswamithra with prayers.                                                                                                                                 50.7
Having accepted the worship by the great soul Janaka , the sage enquired about the welfare of the king as well as the proper conduct of the Yagna.                                                                                                  50.8
Then  as per tradition making enquiries  with the teachers and priests , Viswamithra joined together with them happily.                                                                                                                                                       50.9
Then the king with folded hands requested the sage “You may kindly take your seat along with these  great sages. “                                                                                                                                                     50.10
Hearing the words of Janaka , that great sage occupied his seat. The  king along with  his family priest and along with priests and ministers also sat down.                                                                                  50.11
Afterwards the king  examining all his sides and having seen that all persons are seated according to their rank , spoke to Viswamithra.                                                                                                                  50.12
“Today the greatness of my Yagna has been fulfilled  by your god like presence and I feel that I have already obtained the fruits of my Yagna.”                                                                                                     50.13
“Oh Great sage, Oh Brahmana , I am blessed because you have come to this hall of Yagna along with these ascetics . I am indebted to you for that.”                                                                                           50.14
“Oh Brahmarishi, learned persons are telling me  that only twelve more days are there to complete this Yagna  and Oh sage Viswamithra ,  you are suitable to see the  Devas claiming their share from this yagna.”                                                                                                                                                                  50.15
The king after talking like this to the tiger among sages , with folded hands and a cheerful face again asked him.                                                                                                                                                             50.16
“Oh Viswamithra, I wish you safety. Who are these two youths, who are as valorous as devas, who have the gait of an elephant or a lion,  appearing similar to the tiger or bull, who have broad eyes like the lotus petal, who armed with sword and quiver full of arrows , who have the prettiness of Aswini Kumaras, who have just attained the youth and  who seem to have come   to earth by their own free will from the  land of devas? Whose sons are they?  Have they come on foot to this place? And for what purpose have they come here”                                                                                                               50.17-50.19
“Oh great saint , they resemble  each other in their personality  with their mesh of hair falling on their temples  and  expression and movements. They are decorating this country like moon and sun decorates the sky and  Holding blessed weapons these heroes have come. Whose sons are they”? I desire to hear about this from you. “                                                                                                                     50.20-50.21  
Hearing the words of the great Janaka, the great sage presented Rama and Lakshmana to him and told him that they are sons of Dasaratha.                                                                                                               50.22   
That great sage with great luster  told  the distinguished king Janaka  , about their visit to sidhasramam,  their meeting with Rakshasas there, their undaunted Journey to Vishala and meeting with king of Vishala, the appearance of Ahalya, their meeting with sage Gauthama  and lastly  about  their  inquisitiveness to see the great bow     as their  purpose of visit to this place     and stopped. 
                                                                                                                                                                     50.23-50.25  
This is the end of the fiftieth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga (Chapter)51: Sathananda starts  telling the story of sage Viswamithra.
  (Sathananda  the Guru of Janaka who is the son of Ahalya enquires about his mother. Later he starts telling the story of Viswamithra. After telling  his lineage  , he tells about how Viswamithra during a royal hunt visits   the hermitage of Vasishta)

Having heard the words of the  great   Viswamithra, Sathanaanda the eldest son of sage Gauthama, who possessed great splendour  and had done great penances  was thrilled on seeing Rama  and was greatly astonished.                                                                                                                                                    51.1-51.2
Then Sathanaanda seeing the two princes who were comfortably seated  addressed the great sage Viswamithra and said.                                                                                                                                         51.3
“Oh tiger among sages, did you show my famous mother who was practicing great penance for a long time, to the princes.”                                                                                                                                           51.4
“Did my famous mother possessing great luster , offer homage to Rama, who is worthy of being worshipped by all beings , with things available in forest.?”                                                                        51.5
“Oh greatly lustrous one , was Rama told about the injustice done by the devas to my mother?”      51.6
“Oh Viswamithra , remain safe , oh great sage , after seeing Rama did my mother get united with my father.? “                                                                                                                                                                 51.7
“Oh Kushika , was Rama honoured by my father ?Did the illustrious Rama   honour my father who was a person with great luster , when he arrived there?                                                                                         51.8
“Oh son of Khusika , did the pious Rama , who visited  the hermitage , salute my father  with a peaceful mind?”                                                                                                                                                                    51.9
The great sage Viswamithra after hearing these words , replied to Sathanaanda , who was master of his words   and  had a great vocabulary .                                                                                                             51.10
“Oh great ascetic, all that was needed to be done was done without omitting anything  and Ahalya was united with Gauthama like Renuka  was united  with her husband sage Jamadagni.”                          51.11
Hearing the words spoken by  sage Viswamithra , that greatly lustrous Sathananda   spoke  to Rama.     
                                                                                                                                                                                51.12
“Oh great man, Rama, you have come here following  the great sage Viswamithra because of your good fortune. I offer  welcome to you.”                                                                                                                     51.13
“The great sage Viswamithra  did penance of unimaginable extent of penance to become  equivalent to a Brahmarishi . He possesses unmatched brilliance and know him by his great aim. “                          51.14
“Oh Rama there is no one in this world as lucky as   you are being protected  by Viswamithra who did great  penance .”                                                                                                                                                 51.15
“I will now tell you the story   in detail of that  great sage Viswamithra along with his great power.” 51.16
“Viswamithra   was the soul of Dharma, destroyer of enemies, an expert in Dharma , one who was an expert in knowledge  and ruled his subjects for a long time only interested in their welfare.”             51.17
“ There was a king named Kusa who  was the son of Lord Brahma and Kushanabha  who was strong and a follower of Dharma was his son “                                                                                                                   51.18
“The very famous Gadhi was the son of Kushanabha and the great sage  Viswamithra who has exceedingly great luster was his son.”                                                                                                              51.19
“Viswamithra  with great luster ruled over this earth,  as a king for very many thousands of years. “51.20
“The highly lustrous Viswamithra once assembled a great army and surrounded by an army of An Akshouhini  size went round the earth.”                                                                                                          51.21
“He wandered round countries , over cities, rivers , mountains and hermitages   one by one and he reached the  hermitage of Vasishta , which was surrounded by trees and animals of various types and  it shined as it was being  served by Sidhas ,  Charanas, devas, asuras  and  Gandharwas .It was endowed with peace , crowded  by Brahmins , had large number of Brahmarishis who were served by Deva rishis. Those sages who had attain perfection through penance , resembled fire , were magnanimous and some of them lived by taking only water, some others only by air ,  some others by consuming  fallen leaves and  others subsisting by eating fruits and roots. They were self restrained, had controlled  their anger and had won over their sense organs. That hermitage was shining by the presence of Valakhilyas( Sages born out of the thumb of Lord Brahma, and Vaikasanas(Sages born out of nail of  Brahma.”  51.22-51.27
“That very strong Viswamithra who had conquered all his enemies  saw that hermitage of Vasishta , which was looking like a second Brahmaloka.”                                                                                              51.28

This is the end of the fifty first  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 52: Vasishta offers  a feast to Viswamithra and his army.
(Vasishta hospitably receives Viswamithra. After exchanges of the news of the welfare , Vasishta offers a feast to Viswamithra and his army. Viswamithra accepts it with reluctance.  Vasishta calls the divine cow Sabala and requests her to arrange  for a feast  to Viswamithra and his army.)

“The very strong Viswamithra  became  greatly loved seeing that place  which was the greatest place for chanting names of God and offered salutations. “                                                                                           52.1
“The Great Vasishta received  him properly  and said “welcome to you” and ordered that a seat may be put for him.”                                                                                                                                                            52.2
“Then the great sage after being seated  offered fruits and roots to the  powerful Viswamithra according to tradition.”                                                                                                                                                            52.3
“That great king with Luster Viswamithra , after accepting the hospitality from sage Vasishta , enquired about welfare of his disciples, about the fire sacrifices which he does and about the trees in the hermitage , and Vasishta informed him that everything was all right.”                                               52.4-52.5
“ The great ascetic Vasishta , the son of Brahma   and the greatest among those who pray, enquired with Viswamithra who was sitting comfortably.”                                                                                                      52.6
“Oh king, how is your welfare? Oh king are you ruling the country according to the king’s Dharma and giving  happiness to  your people?”                                                                                                                     52.7
“Are your servants well provided?  Are your orders obeyed? Oh destroyer  of foes, are you able  win over your enemies.”                                                                                                                                               52.8
“Oh tormenter of enemies, Oh blemish less one, Oh tiger among men, hope everything is all right with your treasury , friends, sons and grandsons?  “                                                                                                 52.9
“The king  with great luster told  with great humility to sage Vasishta  that everything was all right ,”                     
                                                                                                                                                                                  52.10
“Both those followers of Dharma spent some time happily  in exchange   of stories  and pleased each other.”                                                                                                                                                                     52.11
“Oh son of  the Raghu clan, after their conversation came to an end , the god like Vasishta smilingly told  the following to Viswamithra.”                                                                                                                          52.12
“Oh very powerful one, I would like to offer hospitality in a suitable manner to you   and your very strong army .Please  accept it.”                                                                                                                        52.13
“You may kindly accept the honours extended by me to you , as you are   a honoured guest  and worthy of the homage which would be offered with all sincerity.”                                                                        52.14
“After Vasishta  spoke , the very intelligent Viswamithra said, “The pleasing words that you have spoken is itself a great hospitality.”                                                                                                                               52.15
“Oh good like sage you have already offered water to wash my feet, water for drinking as well as various fruits and roots that are available in your hermitage. Seeing your great self is itself a great honour and worship. Oh very intelligent sage my salutations to you. Please lok at me with friendship in your eye.”
                                                                                                                                                                    52.16-52.17
“When the king spoke like this , sage Vasishta  again and again requested him to accept his hospitality.”
                                                                                                                                                                              52.18
“In reply to those entireties , the son of Gadhi said , “Let it be so , Oh great sage, please do what pleases  you.”                                                                                                                                                                    52.19
“That blemish less sage Vasishta with great luster and who was  one who is great in chanting, called the cow with variegated stripes.”                                                                                                                        52.20
“Oh Sabala , Please listen to my following words. I have decided  to offer food in a befitting manner to this royal saint  along with his army and so please make arrangements.”                                           52.21
“Oh fulfiller of wishes, for my sake quickly rain  food of six different tastes as per the likes and dislikes of each and every one. “                                                                                                                                      52.22
“Oh Sabala, let food  in the form of  a collection of juice , pastes  and solid food be created quickly and offered to them.”

This is the end of the fifty first  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)53: Sabala arranges for a great feast  and Viswamithra wants Sabala for himself.
(A great feast is arranged by Sabala  and Viswamithra is greatly impressed . He feels that Sabala should belong to him.  In spite of offer of great wealth  , Vasishta refuses to part with Sabala.)

“Oh destroyer of enemies Rama, once these words were spoken by Vasishta to Sabala, the wish fulfilling cow , it arranged to fulfill the desires of each and every one as  per their desire.”                               53.1
“Sugarcane , honey, puffed rice  in good containers , invigorating drinks,  excellent syrups , and different kings of food were made available.”                                                                                                              53.2
“Hot rice heaped similar to mountains, savoury  foods, pulses  and rivers of milk and curds , Various type of juices , food items with six different tastes  filled in containers and preparations made of Jaggery  were distributed in thousands.”                                                                                                             53.3-53.4
“Oh Rama , all the members of the army of Viswamithra  was completely satisfied  and highly pleased  and the place was filled with well fed and happy people.”                                                                       53.5
“Then the royal sage Viswamithra along with the royal priests , lady family members  were all satisfied by the food and were pleased.”                                                                                                                      53.6
“Having been honoured  and  participated along with his ministers, counselors and  attendants, Viswamithra was filled with delight and spoke the  following words to Vasishta,”                                53.7
“Oh Brahmin, you are worthy of being worshipped . I was received with warmth and respect and feel honoured. Oh expert in speech, please listen to my following words.”                                                  53.8
“Please give Sabala to me and I would give you hundred thousand cows. Oh god like sage , this Sabala is like a precious gem and the king my collector of gems, Sabala really belongs to me and Brahmin following Dharma, give her to me.”                                                                                                                53.9
“That god like sage , the soul of Dharma and eminent among sages  , after Viswamithra addressed him like this , replied like this to the king.”                                                                                                          53.10
“Oh king, I will not give you Sabala even if you give me  hundred thousand cows or even hundred crores cows  or  heaps of silver.”                                                                                                                                 53.11
“Oh killer of Enemies Viswamithra, it is not proper to take away this cow from my proximity  for the relation between me and Sabala is like the relation between man of Dharma and his fame.”         53.12
“ For our oblation to the Gods  and manes , for our necessities for living , for maintenance of fire,  for sacrificial offering to Gods  and for our fire sacrifices, we are dependent on this cow.”                    53.13
“Oh royal sage  we are dependent on this cow for our knowledge and offering in fire  telling  Swaha and Vashat.”                                                                                                                                                             53.14
“She is my only possession and provides satisfaction to me at all times .Ok king these as well as for various other reasons, I cannot give Sabala  to you.”                                                                                53.15
“Viswamithra who was an expert in conversation, hearing the words of Vasishta , spoke with excitement.  “                                                                                                                                                    53.16
“I shall give you fourteen thousand elephants  with gold ornaments around their neck and body and further adorned    with lots and lots of gold.”                                                                                              53.17
“I shall give you eight hundred golden  chariots drawn by four horses each decorated with tinkling bells.”
                                                                                                                                                                               53.18
“Oh sage of great penance ,  I shall give  you eleven thousand mighty horses of good breed originating from good countries”                                                                                                                                        53.19
“I shall give you one crore of  youthful cows with distinctly   separated colours , please give me Sabala.” 
                                                                                                                                                                               53.20
“Oh Brahmin , I shall  you as much gold or gem stones  as you desire  and all that and more, please give me Sabala.”                                                                                                                                                          53.21
“After the godly and valorous Viswamithra spoke like this, Vasishta replied, “Oh ing I will not give Sabala  to you.”                                                                                                                                                                  53.22 
“She is my jewels, she is my wealth, She is everything to me and she is my life.”                                   53.23
“Oh king she is needed for me  for yagnas to be conducted in month beginnings and during the full moon and  also for various of my activities.”                                                                                                   53.24
“Oh king this is the foundation of all my activities  and so there is no use of telling further useless words for I shall never give this cow which fulfills all desires to you.”                                                                    53.25

This is the end of the fifty third chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 54: Sabala being taken away by Viswamithra , destroys his army.
(Viswamithra tries to drag away Sabala . The sad cow appeals to Vasishta   and with his permission creates army after army and destroys the   entire army of Viswamithra)
“Oh Rama, when Vasishta did not give  him  the wish giving cow , Viswamithtra started pulling her.”   
                                                                                                                                                                                    54.1
“Oh Rama, when Sabala was being dragged away by the great king , she became  sad, wept and started thinking.”                                                                                                                                                                  54.2
“I am being carried away in this pitiable manner by the servants of the king and am greatly distressed. Have I been  abandoned by the great Vasishta?”                                                                                             54.3
“What harm have I done to the great sage  who has a pure soul so that he forsakes me , who am  innocent, likable and follower of Dharma.”                                                                                                       54.4
“Oh Rama, the killer of enemies, thinking like this , sighing often  she shook and got free  from  the hundred of servants of Viswamithra and with a sped of wind rushed towards  the feet of sage Vasishta.” 
                                                                                                                                                                                   54.5
“That weeping and very sad Sabala , stood in front of Vasishta and  roared like a thunder and a drum.”
                                                                                                                                                                                   54.6
“Oh son of a Brahmin, Oh God like sage, have I been give up by you? May I know for what reason , the attendants of the king are dragging me away from your presence.”                                                          54.7
“Addressed like this that Brahmin sage told her  who was like his sister with a heart full of sorrow.” 54.8
“Oh Sabala , I am not forsaking you .No harm has  been done to you .That powerful one is taking you by force from me.”                                                                                                                                                     54.9
“My power is not equal to his as on today, he being a king, a great warrior  as  well the lord of this earth.”                                                                                                                                                                   54.10
“His power is mighty  as he has one Akshouhini  of soldiers  , with several horses yoked to the chariot  and  is surrounded by elephants and banners.”                                                                                            54.11
“Hearing the words of Vasishta , With humility,  she who was an expert in usage of words    replied  to the  Brahma rishi with matchless power .”                                                                                                   54.12
“Oh Brahmin, it is believed that the strength of a Kshatriya is not  countable  before a Brahmin of great strength  , for his strength is God given  and greater.”                                                                              54.13
“Your strength is matchless  and the great warrior Viswamithra’s  strength is not greater  than yours and it can never reach  your strength . “                                                                                                            54.14
“Oh greatly fortunate  one, since I posses your brahminic power,  give me orders and I would destroy the pride  of this wicked minded one.”                                                                                                        54.15
“Oh Rama when told like this that one with great fame told, “create  an army capable of tormenting this powerful enemy.”                                                                                                                                            54.16
“Oh Rama, Having heard his order that wish giving cow , she created  an army ,. A sound “Humbha” from her  brought in to existence hundreds of paplavas  , who destroyed the entire army of Viswamithra I, when he was helplessly looking.”                                                                                                       54.17-54.18
“Then that enraged king Viswamithra seeing his army became very angry , and with eyes widened by anger got in to his chariot , with various weapons destroyed the Paplavas.”                                     54.19
“When hundreds of  paplavas were troubled by Viswamithra, once again with her anger she   created Yavanasas well as  Sakas.”                                                                                                                            54.20
“The Yavanas with sakas  , possessing the great splendour  and great valour  and resembling the filaments of Gold crowded that place “                                                                                                    54.21
“Armed with long swords and lances  and dressed in gold coloured cloth  and shining like a flame of fire, they destroyed the entire army of Viswamithra.”                                                                                   54.22
Then Viswamithra who had great luster released several arrows and those weapons  scattered Yavanas, Sakas  And Paplavas.”                                                                                                                                    54.23

This is the end of the fifty fourth  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)55: defeat of Viswamithra , his penance and coming for with Vasishta.
(When Viswamithra’s army and hundred sons are killed, he goes for a penance. At the end of penance Lord Shiva gives him all  arrows  known to all sections of the world. With this knowledge he wages a war against Vasishta.)
“Thereafter  Vasishta seeing that Viswamithra’s arrows have benumbed  the army created by  Sabala ,  told her, “Create additional forces.”                                                                                                              55.1
“From her sound Humbha, Khambhojas  as powerful as sun were  born, from her udder well armed Paplavas were born, from her womb Yavanas were born, from her Anus  Sakas were born and from her root hair Mlechas were born.”                                                                                                                55.2-55.3
“Oh son of Raghu clan, they destroyed the army of Viswamithra consisting of infantry, horses, elephants and chariots.”                                                                                                                                                       55.4
“Having seen that their army being destroyed by Vasishta, the hundred sons of Viswamithra  became very angry   and armed with various types of weapons  and rushed towards the adorable Vasishta , the greatest among  those  who chant Vedas and he burnt all of them with a sound of “hum”. “
                                                                                                                                                                         55.5-55.6
“Then those one hundred  sons of Viswamithra along  with their horses, chariots  and foot soldiers were burnt in to ashes   by tat great Vasishta.”                                                                                                         55.7
“That famous Viswamithra seeing that his sons as well as army was destroyed became plunged in sorrow and as well as started thinking.”                                                                                                           55.8
“Like an ocean without waves, and a snake without fangs  and Sun under eclipse , he had become devoid of power.”                                                                                                                                              55.9
“With his sons and army destroyed he became like a bird without wings , his pride vanished  and his pride was shattered    and he became  laden with thought.”                                                                  55.10
“In accordance of the tradition of Kashtriyas , he appointed one of his sons to rule the earth  and reached the forest.”                                                                                                                                        55.11
“That mighty ascetic reached the slopes of Himalaya mountains  inhabited by Kinnaras  and serpents  and entered in to  penance.”                                                                                                                       55.12
“After passage  of time the great Maheswara , the lord of all devathas , with bull on his standard  presented himself before the mighty Viswamithra to grant boons.”                                                  55.13
“Oh king  why are you doing this penance? Tell me what you want to inform me. I am the giver of boons, please tell me  about that boon that you desire.”                                                                                  55.14
“When the God spoke like this Viswamithra of great penance  after saluting Maheswara spoke.”
                                                                                                                                                                         55.15
“Oh stainless one, Oh Mahadeva , if you are pleased give me the secrets of the science of archery(Dhanur Veda) , with its branches, sub division and philosophy.”                                            55.16
“Oh Stainless one , let all those weapons   that are known to devas, asuras, great sages, Gandharwas, Yakshas and Rakshasas  be present  like a flash in my mind. “                                                            55.17
“Oh lord, By your grace , please fulfill  my desire , the lord of devas said ,”So be it”, and having spoken went back.”                                                                                                                                                    55.18
“That royal sage  endowed with great strength  and became more  haughty  and his insolence greatly increased.”                                                                                                                                                     55.19
“With his ebbing energy  similar to the ocean on full moon and new moon , his only thought was the slaying of the great ascetic Vasishta.”                                                                                                      55.20
“Thereafter   that king went towards the hermitage and released the weapons and  with their energy that entire forest for penance was burnt  down by their power .”                                                     55.21
“Having seen those powerful weapons released by Viswamithra, hundreds of saints living there fled in all directions.”                                                                                                                                                    55.22
“Disciples of Vasishta and animals and birds living there , being  scared  ran in all directions  in their thousands.”                                                                                                                                                     55.23
“The hermitage  of that great sage became deserted in an instant  and became like a barren field blessed with silence.”                                                                                                                                                   55.24
“Though Vasishta was saying repeatedly  “I will destroy this son of Gadhi like a mist”, all of them fled.” 
                                                                                                                                                                            55.25
“After saying this that  foremost expert in Chanting Vedas , Told  these words of great anger to Viswamithra,”                                                                                                                                                  55.26
“Oh fool,  this great hermitage has been developed by effort  of many years and for what  reason did you destroy it and for that reason you are wicked and  would not live long.”                                   55.27
“Saying this, speedily  in great anger  he lifted his staff , which shined like the fire  and another staff of the God of death .”                                                                                                                                       55.28

This is the end of the fifty fifth  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)56: The defeat of Viswamithra by Vasishta.
(Viswamithra wages a great war and uses all great weapons known to him. The staff of Vasishta makes all of them useless  and Viswamithra is defeated.)
“When addressed like this by Vasishta , the very strong Viswamithra after lifting the Agneya Asthra(The arrow of fire) said, “stay, stay.”                                                                                                                     56.1
“The God like Vasishta  took the staff of Brahma , which looked like the staff of death , lifted it in great anger and told.”                                                                                                                                                56.2
“Oh friend of Kshatriyas, I am standing here. Show me if you have strength. Oh son of Gadhi , if you are proud of  the strength of your weapons, now itself I will destroy it.”                                                     56.3
“Oh  shame of Kshatriyas , where does the power of Kshatriya stand before the power of a Brahmin? Now please see my  divine strength as  a Brahmin”                                                                                  56.4
“That fierce arrow of fire discharged  by son of Gadhi,  was put out , like fire put out by water by Vasishta’s staff of Brahma.”                                                                                                                            56.5
“That son of Gadhi  then sent  arrows called of Varuna(rain), Roudhra(anger) , Iyndhra(indra) , Pasupatha(Lord Shiva)  and Aishika. “                                                                                                           56.6
“Oh son of Raghu clan, then Viswamithra employed arrows called  Mohana(bewicher) , Gandharawa, Swapana(inducer of sleep) Jrumbana(shaker) , Madana (love god) , SAnthapana (causing burn), vilapana (Causing wailing) , Sishana(That which tires you out) , Dharana(that which splits) , Sudurjayam(difficult to defeat) , Vajra astha9 The diamond arrow, Brahma asthra(arrow of Brahma), Kala pasa(The rope of death), Varuna Pasa(The rope of rain god) , Painaka arrow, Dayitha arrow,Suskadra(Dry and wet), The twin of thunderbolt, Danda asthra(That which punishes), Paisacha(devil), Krauncha asthra, Dharma Chakra, (wheel of justice) , Kala Chakra (The wheel of death), Vishnu Chakra(the wheel of Vishnu), Vayavya(Weapon of wind), Mathana (Churning weapon) , Haya sira(horse’s head) , Kankala ( skeleton) ,
Musala (pestle) , the twin shakthis, weapon of Vidhyadharas, Mahasthra(the great  arrow) against the great sage. All those became greatly awful ”                                                                                 56.7-56.12
“Vasishta the son of Brahma   swallowed all these weapons by his staff. When all those weapons were made peaceful, the son of Gadhi sent the Brahmastra.”                                                                      56.13
“Seeing that Asthra(arrow) was employed, the devas lead by the fire God, divine sages , great serpents,
and Gandharwas  were greatly agitated  and all the  three  worlds were distressed.”        56.14-56.15
“Oh Rama Vasishta , the son of Brahma , possessing his power  using the Brahma staff  made even that Brahmasthra peaceful.”                                                                                                                               56.16
“While taming that Brahmastra , the form of the great Vasishta  was fierce   and  terrible causing all the three worlds to faint. “                                                                                                                                 56.17
“From every pore of hair  of the body of  that great Vasishta , flames of fire and smoke arose and looked as if rays of light were coming out from every point of his body.”                                                      56.18
“The shining staff of Brahma  which was in the hand of Vasishta , shined like another  smokeless staff of the God of death.”                                                                                                                                         56.19
“Then all the hoards of sages praised Vasishta, the best among sages “Oh Brahmin, your energy is great. Hold that energy by your own energy.”                                                                                                    56.20
“Oh Brahmin, you have controlled  Viswamithra by your great penance. Oh Great sage , calm down so that  all the three worlds  gets out of their distress.”                                                                           56.21
“Thus spoken that great ascetic with immense splendour became peaceful   and the humiliated Viswamithra ,  took a deep breath and spoke these words.”                                                             56.22
“The power of Kshatriyas is useless. The shining power of Brahmanas is the real power . The staff  of Brahma has destroyed all my weapons.”                                                                                                   56.23
“Because of this incident  which I have seen  and with a clear mind as  well as sense organs , I shasll

This is the end of the fifty sixth  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 57: Penance of Viswamithra and the desire of Trishanku
(Viswamithra does further penance. Lord Brahma recognizes him as a royal sage ,. At that Trisanku the king of Ayodhya wants to go to heaven along with his body. Vasishta , his guru says that he cannot help him. Then he approaches   the sons of Vasishta , who become very angry.)

“Oh Rama , with a very sad heart  and with a  mind  greatly upset , making  tortured breaths of anger again and again, Viswamithra thought of his enmity with Vasishta and along with his chief queen, went to the southern side  and eating only fruits and roots performed   a great penance.”                 57.1-57.2
“There  they had sons dedicated to truth and Dharma called Havishpanda, Madhushyandha , Dritha nethra and Maharadha.”                                                                                                                                   57.3
“After the passage of full one thousand years, Lord Brahma, the grand father of the world, appeared before Viswamithra who did great penance and told him in a sweet voice, “You have won the world of royal sages by your great penance.”                                                                                                    57.4-57.5
“Due to your great many penances done, you have become a royal sage” , saying this Lord Brahma , the supreme ruler of the worlds with great luster  went back to heaven along with other devas accompanying him.”                                                                                                                                         57.6
“Hearing that Viswamithra felt disgraced and  fell in to great sorrow  and with rancor told.”           57.7
“Though I  have done great penance , the devas and sages are only recognizing me as a royal sage  and so there is no use of my penance.”                                                                                                                57.8
“Oh son of Kakustha clan, deciding like this, that great sage again started doing great penance .”  57.9
“At this time there was king called Trishanku of the Kakustha dynasty who was a great votary of truth and a king who controlled   his sense  organs.”                                                                                         57.10
“Oh Rama, he got an idea of doing a Yagna by which  attain along with his body  the divine place of the devas and he then called  Vasishta and informed him about his thought .”                            57.11-57.12
“ That  great sage Vasishta said  that he would not be able to do it and disappointed by Vasishta , the king went to the southern direction, and met the sons of sage Vasishta.”                                         57.13
“He went to the place where sons of Vasishta were doing penance  and Trisanku there met   those one hundred  of the shining sages .”                                                                                                         57.14-57.15
“On seeing the sons of his Guru , he saluted them sequentially as per their age , but with a down cast face  and with  folded hands  he spoke to those great souls.”                                                              57.16
“As a shelter seeker , I have come to surrender  to you, who are those helping the needy . Be safe. Sage Vasishta has   refused my request.”                                                                                                              57.17
“I want to do a great Yagna and I want your consent for that  and I am saluting all of you who are my  teachers sons and requesting you to bless me.”                                                                                        57.18
“I am saluting you who are Brahmins steeped in penance  and requesting you  to get the Yagna performed by me , so that I can go the land of devas   with my body.”                                     57.19-57.20
“Since sage Vasishta  has refused the proposal  , I do not have any other option  except approaching you who are the sons of my Guru.”                                                                                                                      57.21
“For the clan members of Ikshuvaku  , you priests are the only recourse  and therefore next to Vasishta , you are  my  only gods.”                                                                                                                                  57.22

This is the end of the fifty seventh chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 58: The cursed Trishanku approaches Viswamithra to help him
(When the sons of Vasishta also refuse Trishanku pesters them and later they Curse that  Trishanku should become a Chandala. In that form he approaches sage Viswamithra and requests for his help.)

“Oh Rama those hundred sons of the sage hearing the words of king Trishanku got enraged  and told the  king like this,.”                                                                                                                                                       58.1
“Oh bad brained one, after the refusal of your teacher who is the votary of truth , how dare you approach  another branch of the  of the same tree of wisdom.”                                                               58.2
“For all the members of the clan of Ikshuvaku, their priest is the only recourse  and it is highly improper to doubt the words of that priest who is the votary of truth.”                                                                   58.3
“When the god like sage Vasishta has told that it is not possible, please tell us how we would be capable of doing it? “                                                                                                                                                        58.4
“You are childish , oh king, go back to your city and the god like king sage Vasishta is only capable   of performing any Yagna for any king in the three worlds.”                                                                             58.5
“Having heard their faltering  words laden with   great  anger , the king again told them the following words.’                                                                                                                                                                  58.6
Oh sages rich in penance , though you are  the sons of my God like Guru, I would find out some other method of achieving my aim, You be safe.”                                                                                                 58.7
“Those sons of the sage hearing these words which had  horrible implication, became greatly angry and cursed him to become a Chandala.”                                                                                                                58.8
“Saying like those sages returned to their hermitages , and when the night got over, the king became a Chandala,”                                                                                                                                                             58.9
“With a blue body , wearing blue cloths , with a hateful  shaggy hair, and wore garlands from cremation ground  and wore iron ornaments instead of gold ornaments.”                                                               58.10
“Oh Rama Seeing him in the form of a Chandala all his ministers left him, as also his citizens  and followers  and  ran away in a crowd.”                                                                                                             58.11
“Oh son of Kakustha clan, that  highly adamant king burnt within himself for a day and night and later approached the great sage Viswamithra,”                                                                                                     58.12
“Oh Rama, that sage Viswamithra  seeing the king rendered useless  and having the form of a Chandala, became sympathetic to him.”                                                                                                                          58.13
“Due to great mercy , that great follower of Dharma  who had great luster told told that king who had this horrible looking form , “Safety to you.”                                                                                                   58.14
“Oh very strong son of king, Oh  mighty king of Ayodhya, for what purpose have you come here , You have become a Chandala due to a curse.”                                                                                                      58.15
“That king who has become a Chandala , hearing those words , told with folded hands to that  lord of words who knew how to use them.”                                                                                                               58.16
“I have been  spurned by my Guru as well as his sons and my desire remains  unfulfilled.”                 58.17
“Oh gentle one, I wanted to go to heaven along with this body  and though I have performed hundred rituals  I am not able to fulfill my desire.”                                                                                                        58.18
“Oh gentle one, I have never been a liar  and now on will not speak any lie due to my this predicament  and I am taking this pledge based on   the Dharma of Kshatriyas.”                                                            58.19
“I have conducted many types of Yagnas and was ruling over my subjects with Dharma  and many great elders have been very happy with my conduct.”                                                                                           58.20
“Oh saint , completely following Dharma , I developed this desire but my Gurus are  not  happy with my aim and threw me out.”                                                                                                                                     58.21
“I believe that God is the only divine one and my manly effort is meaningless , and that God helps us to surmount all  problems and that God is my only aim.”                                                                                  58.22
“I desire your grace on this soul in great anguish and I think that I deserve help from you  to  succeed in this effort  stopped by the gods.”                                                                                                                      58.23
“I will not approach anyone else , I will not seek protection from anyone else  and I merit your help  in this which has been caused by God and human beings, “                                                                            58.24

This is the end of the fifty eighth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 59:  Viswamithra invites sons of Viswamithra to the Yagna to send Trishanku to heaven.

(Viswamithra arranges for a great  Yagna to send Trishanku to heaven along with his  physical body. He invites all sages including sons of Viswamithra.   Not only they refuse to come but make fun of Viswamithra. Viswamithra burns them to ash and curses that for hundred births , they will live by eating corpses.)
“Hearing the proper words from the king , the son Of Kushika developed mercy on him, told the following sweet words to him who has become a Chandala.”                                                                      59.1
“Welcome to you oh son of Ikshuvaku clan,  I know about your good deeds. Do not fear   as I am your protection.  Oh great king.”                                                                                                                                  59.2
“For conducting this blessed deed, I shall invite all sages and then you can conduct the Yagna  in a proper manner.”                                                                                                                                                     59.3    
“You would be living further with this form due to the curse  of the Guru and you would be going to heaven with this form only.”                                                                                                                                 59.4 
“Oh king heaven now  is within the reach of your hands as you have surrendered to Kaushika , who fulfills wishes of those who  surrender to him.”                                                                                                59.5    
“After saying this that saint  asked his sons who were great followers of Dharma  to make all arrangements  for the ritual. “                                                                                                                         59.6 
“He then summoned all his disciples  and told them, “As per my order invite all great sages who have learnt the Vedas along with their disciples , friends  and also those who are famous for conducting the Yagna,”                                                                                                                                                                 59.7   
“If any  invitee speaks back excited by my words , which is not proper  and not considerate , please report all that words to me.”                                                                                                                           59.8      
“Hearing his words , his disciples went in all directions inviting peoples  and many  votaries of Brahman from all countries   started arriving.”                                                                                                              59.9 
“All his disciples after return met with the resplendent sage and reported all the words spoken  by the votaries of Brahma whom they had invited.”                                                                                             59.10
“On hearing your words, many of the Brahmins have come and many more coming except Mahodaya, the son of Vasishta.”                                                                                                                                         59.11 
“All the one hundred sons of sage Vasishta spoke explosively  angry words  and oh great sage, please hear   all those words.”                                                                                                                                     59.12
“A Kshatriya is performing a Yagna of a Chandala  , how will a ritual assembly participate and how  will Gods and Sages  receive the offering.”                                                                                                           59.13
“Ruled over  by Viswamithra   , if they take the food of the Chandala, how can great Brahmins    go to heaven?”                                                                                                                                                              59.14
“Oh tiger like sage , such insulting words, with eyes turning red with anger  were spoken by all the sons of Vasishta including  Mahodaya.”                                                                                                                   59.15   
“After hearing these words from his disciples that great sage , with eyes turning red with anger told the following words.”                                                                                                                                                 59.16
“Those who berate me , who is not one who should be found fault  and who is one who does great penance  , are bad souls and without doubt they will all be turned to ash.”                                            59.17   
“Now they will be dragged by the rope of God of death and for the coming seven hundred births, they would be born as  persons who eat corpses.”                                                                                                59.18 
“They will take birth in a ruthless tribe called Mushtikas , would be disfigured and deformed and wander all over the world eating the flesh of a dog.”                                                                                                  59.19
“Mahodhaya with a bad soul  has found fault with me who is blemish less and let me born as a night wanderer who is berated by all the world.”                                                                                                   59.20
“And he would suffer the very bad fate  for a long time as a barbaric murderer  due to my anger.”  59.21
“Viswamithra  who has done great penance  after saying these words  then  stayed amidst  those great sages   with great splendour , who have arrived.”                                                                                          59.22

This is the end of the fifty ninth  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 60: Creating a new heaven  for Trishanku  by Viswamithra,
(After the Yagna when the devas did not come to receive their share, Viswamithra by his power of  penance sends Trishanku to heaven but he is pushed back by the devas. Seeing him falling head downwards , Viswamithra creates a new heaven  to accommodate Trishanku. The disturbed devas agree to make it in to a star constellation which will live forever.)
“The most brilliant Viswamithra having destroyed the power of penance of Mahodhaya and other sons of Vasishta , said in the midst of sages.”                                                                                                             60.1   
“This person born in the clan of Ikshuvaku   whose name is  Trishanku , is a famous follower of Dharma and this person has sought refuge in me wanting to conquer   the land of devas along with this physical body.”                                                                                                                                                                        60.2
“You should perform the sacrifice , along with me ,in such a way that this king attains heaven along with his physical body.”                                                                                                                                                  60.3
“All those sages who were endowed with Dharma  after hearing the words of Viswamithra in harmony, said.”                                                                                                                                                                         60.4
“This sage born in the clan of Kushika  is a very angry one and his words , without doubt, should be fulfilled properly , for if that sage who is like fire gets angry , he will curse  us.”                      60.5-60.6
“For that reason let the Yagna be performed   , so that the descendent of Ikshuvaku clan , would go to heaven with his physical body , through the spiritual power of sage Viswamithra . Let the Yagna be commenced.”                                                                                                                                                  60.7
“Having spoken like this those great sages , they started performing their respective roles under the chief priest who was sage Viswamithra,”                                                                                                 60.8
“The officiating priests who were experts in Manthras , in accordance of the manthra and the prescribed Kalpa, according to the rules and traditions performed the tasks according to their seniority.”    60.9
“After a long time  that great sage Viswamithra  requested the devathas   to received their share of the offering.”                                                                                                                                                          60.10
“The Gods who were  invited by him  did not come to receive their share of the offerings and the great sage Viswamithra seized by great anger , lifted the ladle used to offer  the sacrifice  and spoke   to these words to Trishanku.”                                                                                                                   60.11-60.12
“Oh king , see the power of my penance which is self earned, I will lead you with your body to heaven using my power , Oh king ,  you go to the difficult to achieve  heaven with your physical body.”  60.13
“Oh king , even if little of the power of penance that I have earned is remaining , by its power you may go to heaven with your physical body.”                                                                                                      60.14
“Oh  son of Kakustha clan, When these proper words were spoken by  the sage, the king along with his physical body  went towards heaven in presence of the sages present there.”                                  60.15
“After seeing Trishanku who was going to heaven  , Devendra(One who killed Paka) along with many  other  devas spoke these words.”                                                                                                               60.16
“Oh Trishanku, you are not fit to live in heaven, and so go back. Oh fool , who was cursed by his  own Guru , fall to the earth with head downwards.”                                                                                       60.17
“After hearing the words of  that  great Indra, addressing the penance rich Viswamithra wailing  again and again “Protect me, Protect me”, fell down.”                                                                                     60.18
“Viswamithra after listening to the   wails of  sorrow of  Trishanku, flew in to great rage  and shouted “Stay, stay.”                                                                                                                                                     60.19
“That mighty sage in the middle of great sages  with great luster , looked like another Lord Brahma  standing in the southern constellation of great bear(Saptha rishi)  grew  very much angry  and started creating another constellation of stars. “                                                                                       60.20-60.21
“After creating that constellation of stars in great wrath said that Indra was having a blurred vision, and so  he will create another world with  Indra or without Indra  and even devathas and started commencing such a creation.”                                                                                                        60-22-60.23
“Thereafter the greatly bewildered  hosts of sages along with devas and asuras  addressed the sage in a conciliatory tone and  said.”                                                                                                                       60.24
“Oh Great one , oh great sage , that king cursed by his Guru is not worthy of going to the heaven with his physical body.”                                                                                                                                                60.25
“That greatest among sages Viswamithra  having heard the words of sages and devas  replied them in these great words.”                                                                                                                                       60.26
“You be safe. Having promised Trisanku that he will ascend to the heaven with his physical body, I do not want to make my words a lie.”                                                                                                           60.27
“Let this heaven , which I have created , exist  for ever ,  where Trisanku will live with his physical form. Let  these stars  created by me, survive as long  as all the  worlds exist. Oh devas it is only proper that  you consent to this.”                                                                                                                          60.28-60.29
“Told like this  all those devas answered to the great sage,” Let it be so, Oh greatest among sages, be safe.  Let those stars which are many  be outside the path of the  Vaiswanara(zodiac )and be among the stars.Let TRishanku shine for ever from there but with his downwards.”                                 60.30-60.31
“These stars will follow this illustrious one who has gained his objective and would be as if he has attained heaven. “                                                                                                                                         60.32
“When all devas  spoke like this in praise of him, that  Viswamithra who is the soul of Dharma told the devas, “Let it be so.”                                                                                                                                     60.33
“Oh best among men,  then after the conclusion  of the Yagna, those magnanimous devas and the great sages whose only wealth  is their penance,  went their way.”                                                              60.34

This is the end of the sixtieth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 61: Further penance of Viswamithra and story of Sunasepha .
   (Viswamithra does penance in Pushkara . The sacrificial animal of King Ambarisha is stolen and his priests suggest that he can give a human being in sacrifice instead of the horse.  Kng approaches sage Richaka  and buys from him his middle son  Sunasepha.)

“Oh Tiger among men,  after that, the  great sage Viswamithra  after bidding farewell to all those sages who were on their way, spoke to the dwellers of forest like this.”                                                         61.1
“In the southern side a great obstruction has taken place    and so we will go to another place to do our penances.”                                                                                                                                                         61.2
“Oh great ones , on the western region there is a vast space known as Pushkara . That forest is suitable for doing our penance. Let us all go there and carry out further penances without being disturbed.” 
                                                                                                                                                                              61.3
“That exceeding powerful great sage  reached Pushkara  and living on fruits and roots that are grown there  started performing matchless  intense penance.”                                                                           61.4
“At that time Ambarisha, the well known king of Ayodhya  commenced to perform   a Yagna.”       61.5
“The sacrificial animal of the performer at that time was stolen by Indra  and when it could not be seen , the priest  addressed the king and told.”                                                                                                       61.6
“Oh king the animal has been stolen away due to wrong policies followed by you and a king who fails to protect the sacrificial animal perishes.”                                                                                                         61.7
“Oh best among men, for this we have to do an act of redemption. If the animal is not available speedily bring a man, who can be sacrificed instead of the beast.”                                                                         61.8
“oh great man, that great intellectual king , having heard the words of the priest , started searching for a man with a compensation of   one thousand cows.”                                                                                  61.9
“Oh Child who is the delight of the clan of Raghu, that king after searching over many countries, cities, villages , forests  and sacred  hermitages  reached the Bhruguthunga mountains where he saw  the sage Richika seated along with his wives and sons.”                                                                                  61.10-61.11
“That greatly resplendent king  bowed before the Brahmin sage who was shining because of his great penance , enquired about his and his families welfare   told him.  “                                                         61.12
“Oh  sage Richaka , who is the lucky  descendent of the Bhrugu clan, if you sell your son  for being used as a sacrificial animal  , for the cost of hundred thousand cows my purpose  would be fulfilled.”    61.13
“I roamed and searched in all countries  for the sake of  completing the Yagna  but  could not get a lad  , for being used as a sacrificial animal and so it would be proper for you to give one of  your sons for this price.”                                                                                                                                                                  61.14
‘When the extremely brilliant sage Richaka  heard these words , he told,  “Oh great man, under no circumstances I would sell  my eldest son.”                                                                                               61.15
“Having heard the words of Richaka  to the great king , the mother who also was an expert in penance
Addressed Ambarisha, the  foremost among men told.”                                                                          61.16
“The venerable descendent of the Bhrugu clan , sage Richaka says he cannot give the eldest son and I also cannot give the youngest son  Sunaka to you as he is my pet son.”                                    61.17-61.18
“Oh best among men, normally the eldest son is very dear to their father and the youngest is the pet of the mother  and So I will protect the youngest.”                                                                                        61.19
“Hearing the very proper replies from the sage and his wife , their middle son Sunasepha himself spoke on his own.”                                                                                                                                                       61.20
“Oh king, my father says eldest son cannot be sold and my mother says  that the youngest son cannot be sold and so I consider that I am to be sold and so you can take me away.”                                              61.21
“Oh son of the Raghu clan, the king after purchasing him by giving hundred thousand cows  and receives Sunasepha  and was extremely pleased.”                                                                                                        61.22
“The greatly lustrous  and very famous royal sage Ambarisha mounted his chariot with Sunasepha  and instantly  went away.”                                                                                                                                          61.23

This is the end of the sixty first  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 62: Sunasepha  is saved by Viswamithra and penance continues
(In Pushkara  when Sunasepha sees Viswamithra he requests him  to save him.Viswamithra’s son refuse to help him. Viswamithra curses them and later teaches a Manthra  which saves life of Sunasepha . Viswamithra continues his penance.)
“Oh best among men,  Oh son of Raghu clan, that very famous king  carrying  Sunasepha by noon reached Pushkara and took rest there.                                                                                                           62.1
“When after reaching  sacred Pushkara   that king was taking rest , the very famous Sunasepha, was greatly aggrieved  , saw his maternal uncle Viswamithra performing sacrifices in the company of other sages.    “                                                                                                                                                                62.2
“With the  very wan face  and greatly worn out by thirst and the fatigue , he fell on the sages lap and told these words.”                                                                                                                                                62.3
“Oh gentle one , oh great sage , to me neither mother nor father exist  nor have I clan relations  or other relations, It is only proper by tenets of Dharma,  that you a gentleman should protect me.”               62.4
“Oh great sage , you give protection to all  as you are the promoter of welfare of others,. May the king fulfill his purpose  and let me become imperishable by performing matchless   penances  and go to heaven.”                                                                                                                                                         62.5-62.6
“Oh soul of Dharma, as I am an orphan and as you are my lord, protect me , like a father    who protects   his son.”                                                                                                                                                                   62.7
“That mighty sage Viswamithra , hearing all those different words, consoled him, addressed his sons and told.”                                                                                                                                                                        62.8
“The parents who want to get auspiciousness , for their well being in other worlds  beget sons at  the proper time .”                                                                                                                                                         62.9
“Oh sons of sage, the young boy has requested protection from me  and oh sons offer him protection so that he  retains his soul.”                                                                                                                                  62.10
“All of you have done good deeds  and are engaged in observation of Dharma  and so become the sacrificial animal for the king and give satisfaction to the  Fire God.”                                                    62.11
“Then Sunasepha will have a protector , the Yagna would continue without hindrance , the devas would be gratified and my words also would become the truth.”                                                                     62.12
“Oh best among men, hearing the words of the sage, Maduchanda and his other sons , with great self esteem and playfulness told.”                                                                                                                       62.13
“Oh Lord , abandoning  ones sons and rescuing the sons of other people  is like eating the flesh of a dog, which is a prohibited act.”                                                                                                                              62.14
“Hearing these words from them , the great sage , flew in to great anger and with reddened eyes  commenced to speak.”                                                                                                                                    62.15
“Not only you have gone against my words but also broken Dharma. These words are  bad  , makes my hairs stand erect and needs to be censured. “                                                                                            62.16
“You would all live in this earth for another thousand years eating the flesh of a dog , like the sons of Vasishta,”                                                                                                                                                           62.17
“That great sage having doomed the life of his sons by a curse  spoke to Sunasepha  who was filled with sorrow, so that his pain will be relieved.”                                                                                                   62.18
“Once you reach the Vaishnava sacrificial spot, they will anoint you with red sandal paste , dress you in red cloths  and tie you  to the sacrificial post with sacrificial ropes. When you reach there pray the fire God using this prayer.”                                                                                                                                 62.19
“Oh son of a sage , in the sacrifice of Ambarisha chant these two Manthras and you will definitely achieve success.”                                                                                                                                           62.20
“Sunasepha  , with a concentrated  learnt those  verses well, and approached Ambarisha a lion among kings and told him.”                                                                                                                                     62.21
“Oh lion among kings , you are endowed  with great strength . We shall both go to the sacrificial assembly without any delay  and Oh Indra among kings, let perform the sacrificial rituals on me.” 
                                                                                                                                                                         62.22
“With great joy and enthusiasm, the king heard the words of the son of the sage, and the king started speedily to reach the place of fire sacrifice.”                                                                                           62.23
“The king with the consent of the assembly,  formed sacred knots of Kusa grass, dressed him in red and having thus made him a sacrificial animal tied him to the sacrificial post.”                                       62.24
“That son of the sage having been tied like this , properly praised the two devathas Indra and Upendra.”
                                                                                                                                                                          62.25
“Then Indra who was gratified by that praise by those secret  verses, blessed Sunasepha to have long life.”                                                                                                                                                                 62.26
“Oh great man, Oh Rama, That king was able to complete the Yagna properly by the grace of the thousand eyed one  and obtained rewards much , much higher than what he expected.”          62.27
“Oh best among men, the soul of Dharma, sage Viswamithra  continued his penance at that sacred spot for another one thousand years.”                                                                                                              62.28

This is the end of the Sixty second  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 63: Further penance  of Viswamithra  and his relation with Menaka
(Viswamithra further does penance  . He sees Menaka and lives with her for some. Realizes his error, does further penance  and Brahma recognizes him as a great sage, Indra wants to stop  further  penance of Viswamithra  by sending Rambha.) 
“After one thousand years of penance, the great sage took ritual bath ,all the devas with an aim  to give him the fruits of the penance approached him.”                                                                                          63.1
“The great lustrous Lord Brahma  spoke the following sweet words,” With self earned sacred deeds you have become a sage .May be you safe.”                                                                                                         63.2
“After  the lord of the gods spoke like this to him,  he went back to heaven . The greatly lustrous Viswamithra continued to  do his  great penance .”                                                                                     63.3
“Oh great man, after a lapse of lot of time, the prettiest Apsara called Menaka   came to bathe in Pushkara.”                                                                                                                                                             63.4
“The highly lustrous son of Kushika , saw Menaka in the tank and she looked like a streak of lightning in the clouded sky  and she was incomparably pretty.”                                                                                    63.5
“Sage Viswamithra after seeing her under the influence of God of love  spoke the following words to her.” Oh Apasara , a hearty welcome to you to my hermitage . I am completely under the influence of God of love  and so bless me. Be safe.”                                                                                                            63.6
“Oh Rama, after these words were spoken to her who was of exalted breeding , she started living with him in the hermitage and ten years were passed  happily.”                                                              63.7-63.8
“When time passed by , that great sage Viswamithra became greatly sorrowful and also felt greatly ashamed.”                                                                                                                                                             63.9
“Oh son of Raghu clan, when the sage was feeling  a sense of indignation arose in his mind and he thought, “All this has been done by the devas  so that I am deprived of doing great penance.”        63.10
“Being possessed by lust and delusion the entire night as well as day of ten years  have passed by and a great roadblock has fallen on me.”                                                                                                                63.11
“Oh Rama, that great sage Viswamithra  , the son of Khusika,  became distressed and started repenting  and was frequently sighing. The Apsara  Menaka who was greatly frightened  and stood trembling with folded palms  and seeing this  the sage with sweet words asked her to leave and went towards the  mountains.”                                                                                                                                            63.12-63.13
“The very famous Viswamithra  took to life of abstinence and chastity  , with a view to win over his senses  on the banks of the Kaushiki river  and performed highly rigid penance.”                             63.14
“Oh Rama when he was performing strict penance over one thousand years in the northern part  of the country, fear arose in the mind of devathas.”                                                                                            63.15
“ They invited all the sages and all the devas  and decided that it would only be proper to give Viswamithra the title of Maharshi(great sage)”.                                                                                        63.16
“The grandfather of all the worlds, Lord Brahma hearing the words of the Devas , spoke using sweet words   to the sage Viswamithra.”                                                                                                                63.17
“Oh son, Oh great sage, I have been greatly pleased by your intense penances  and Oh son of Khusika,
Recognizing your eminence among the eminent sages , I hereby give you the title of Maharshi (great sage). Welcome to you. “                                                                                                                               63.18
“Afterwards , the great sage Viswamithra , having heard the words of Lord Brahma  was neither pleased or sorry.”                                                                                                                                                          63.19
“After bowing and saluting  the grandfather of all the worlds , That great sage Viswamithra   spoke the following words.”                                                                                                                                            63.20
“I have obtained the title Maharshi due to my matchless and auspicious deeds. And it implies that I have conquered all my senses.”                                                                                                                            63.21
“Then Lord Brahma addressed him and told, “Oh best among sages, you have definitely conquered all your senses .Please shine still more.” Saying this Lord Brahma went away.”                                     63.22
“When all the devas and sages have departed , with arms raised upwards  and without   any support   and subsisting only on air further performed   great penance.”                                                           63.23
“That sage whose wealth was penance, performed further penance for another one thousand   years  in the summer  surrounded by five fires  and in the summer under the open sky  and in the winter by immersing himself in water  day and night .”                                                                                            63.24
“When the great saint Viswamithra was performing penances, Indra and the devas felt a great tremor. “
                                                                                                                                                                          63.25
“Indra along with the maruths spoke the  following words which were good for him   to the apsaras called Rambha  and which was against the welfare of the son of Kushika,.”                                     63.26

This is the end of the Sixty third  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 64: Rambha tries to entice Viswamithra  and he cursed her.
(Rambha reluctantly tries to entice Viswamithra. He curses her. Indra runs away. Viswamithra continues  penance  without food.)
“Oh Rambha you have   to a great help  to the devas ,by enticing the son of Kushika by simulating his lust and pension.”                                                                                                                                                          64.1
“Oh Rama, when the clever Indra has spoken thus , that bashfully saluted him with   folded hands, replied to the lord of  devas.”                                                                                                                              64.2
“Oh Lord of devas , the great sage Viswamithra is a frightful person  and there is no doubt  that  he  will   with great anger  curse me  and sop it is proper that you do not ask this service from me.”                  64.3
“Oh Rama,  that Indra seeing Rambha standing there   trembling with folded  hands  and hearing what she said, told.”                                                                                                                                                       64.4
“Oh Rambha , do not get scared and carry out my order. IN the spring season when trees are in full bloom , I will assume the form of a Cuckoo  and along with God of love by my side  , stay there.”
                                                                                                                                                                        64.5-64.6
“Oh Rambha,  assuming a form of variety  and having a very shining form, break the penance of that great ascetic.”                                                                                                                                                    64.7
“She after listening to the words of Indra ,  assumed a matchless form of beauty, , with a pretty smile , she tried to attract Viswamithra.”                                                                                                                64.8
“Hearing the very musical sound of Cuckoo , Viswamithra looked at her with great joy.”                64.9
“Hearing the  matchless song of the cuckoo and seeing before him the very pretty Rambha , a doubt arose in the mind of the sage.”                                                                                                                   64.10
“The great sage who was the  son of Kushika , having understood , it as a work of Indra , got  extremely angry and cursed Rambha.”                                                                                                                          64.11
“Oh horrible Rambha , you were trying to seduce me  , who was trying  conquer desire and passion and because you will become a stone in earth, for ten thousand years.”                                                  64.12
“Oh Rambha a Brahmin endowed with great penance  and  with great luster  would  will liberate you  from the curse brought about my great anger.”                                                                                    64.13
“That exceedingly  lustrous great sage  Viswamithra who was unable to control his great   anger , having spoke thus , felt   greatly depressed.”                                                                                                       64.14
“Due to his great curse Rambha became a rock and having listen to the words of the great sage, Indra fled from there   along with   the God of love.”                                                                                      64.15
“Oh Rama, that highly powerful  Viswamithra  , being stolen   of the  effect of his great penance due to his anger , lost his peace of mind due to his inability   to control the senses.”                               64.16
“Having lost the strength got out of his penance , he thought in his mind that he will never get angry  and I shall also not speak.”                                                                                                                       64.17
“Further I will not breath even in one hundred years  and after controlling my senses , I will   dry up my body.”                                                                                                                                                          64.18
“Until I am able to get Brahmin hood , I will stop my breath   and will not any food  for innumerable number of years and I am sure that while performing these strict penances , my body   will not become greatly weaker.”:                                                                                                                                       64.19
“Oh Rama, that great sage carried out such unparalleled austerities for another  one thousand years and vowed to lead a life of self denial for thousands of years.”                                                             64.20

This is the end of the Sixty fourth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 65: Brahma and devas recognize Viswamithra as Brahmarishi.
( After another great penance , which Indra tries to break, Viswamithra is recognized  by Brahma and devas as  a Brahmarishi. Sathananda  ends the story and king Janaka honours him.)

“Oh Rama, then abandoning , the northern place on the Himalaya mountain, Viswamithra , reached the eastern portion and commenced doing great penance.”                                                                            65.1
“Oh Rama, he then observed silence for one thousand years and practiced , unprecedented very difficult penance.”                                                                                                                                                            65.2
“Oh Rama, At the end of the thousand years , that great sage was like a piece  of wood, and in spite of various difficulties he faced, anger did not enter his mind  and with great determination , he practiced great penances.”                                                                                                                                               65.3
“Oh great one of the Raghu clan, and that great penance   completed one thousand years  and at that time when he started eating cooked rice, Indra came in the guise of a Brahmin and begged for  that rice.”                                                                                                                                                          65.4-65.5
“That god like Viswamithra blessed with great penance , who was firmly observing the penance of silence , gave all the rice he was about to consume to that Brahmin  and he consumed everything without leaving any reminder and the great sage without uttering anything , continued his penance suspending his breath .”                                                                                                                        65.6-65.7
“When he was observing the penance without breathing a  smoke came out of his head , by which all world was agitated , thinking that it is fire.”                                                                                               65.8
“Then the devas along with Gandharwas, Pannagas, Uragas(Serpents) and Rakshasas, greatly scared by the shining energy of his penance , became dimmed in luster   and had  a mind full of worry,   and addressed the grandfather in this way.”                                                                                                         65.9
“Oh great one , we have tried to lure Viswamithra by various methods and this only increases   his anger and he is doing still harsher penance.”                                                                                                           65.10
“Also in spite of minute examination , no sin is seen in him. If he is not given what he desires by his mind, he would destroy all the three worlds by his penance.”                                                      65.11-65.12
“There is fearsome thoughts everywhere and it is dark everywhere. Also seas, mountains and rivers are agitated.”                                                                                                                                                              65.13
“Oh lord Brahma, the earth is trembling , the wind is blowing fiercely , the people are becoming atheists and we are not clear as to what is to be done.”                                                                                           65.14
“Al the three worlds  are with agitated minds  and looks faded by the luster of the great sage and even Sun appears to be less  bright.”                                                                                                                    65.15
“Oh God, before that mighty sage , full of great luster  and resembling fire , makes up his mind to destroy all the three worlds , That great sage should be appeased.”                                                    65.16
“The three worlds are on  deadly  fire like the deluge  and before he burns down the land of devas , his desire , even if it is to rule the land of devas , may be satisfied.”                                                           65.17
“Then all the devas lead by the grandfather  leading them went and spoke these sweet words  to the great sage Viswamithra.”                                                                                                                                65.18
“Welcome , Oh Brahmarishi , we are greatly pleased by your penance  and Oh son of Kushika  by your severe penance you have attained Brahmin hood.”                                                                                 65.19
“Oh Brahmin, I along with the Maruths  am granting you long life. Be  safe and healthy. May be you be prosperous. Oh Gentle one , you may now go with happiness.”                                                             65.20
“That great sage Viswamithra hearing the words of Grandfather and other devas was mightily pleased and spoke the following words after bowing to them.”                                                                           65.21
“If I have  acquired Brahmin hood and long life , the sounds of “Om” and “Vashat” as well as Vedas would accept me.(I will be entitled to perform Vedic Yagna.)                                                                 65.22
“Oh devas , let  Vasishta the eminent son of Brahma, knowledgeable in Vedas as well as archery   and also a worthy Brahmin  address me as “Brahmarishi” .If this great desire of mine is granted, Oh devas, you may go.”                                                                                                                                                    65.23
“After that , requested  by the devas  sage Vasishta who was great chanter of Vedas  made friendship with him, by calling him,” Oh Brahmarishi.”                                                                                              65.24
“There is no doubt whatsoever that  you are a Brahmarishi  as have  achieved perfection in penance.”  And after that all the devas went back to their places.”                                                                         65.25
“That soul of Dharma Viswamithra having got the great position of a Brahmin,  worshipped Vasishta who was great in chanting Vedas.”                                                                                                                       65.26
“He having achieved his aim, wandered all over the world fixing his attention on penance. And Oh Rama , this is how this  great  one attained Brahmin hood.”                                                                             65.27
“Oh Rama this great sage is the personification of penance , he is daily interested in practicing Dharma  and aims at getting valorous  penance .”                                                                                                  65.28
After speaking thus the great Brahmin Sathananda  became silent. Janaka  with folded hands , in the presence of Rama and Lakshmana spoke the following words to Viswamithra.”                  65.29-65.30
“Oh great sage , oh follower of Dharma , I consider myself blessed as you have come to grace my Yagna along  with these   sons of Kakustha clan . I consider myself as  blessed.”                                       65.31
“Oh great sage I consider myself purified by your presence  and I am sure  by your visit  , I would get many benefits.”                                                                                                                                             65.32
“Oh greatly lustrous sage,  your fame as Brahmin  and the great penances you did has been heard in detail by me and  the great Rama.”                                                                                                           65.33
“Your unmatched penances have been heard  by the members of this assembly who have gathered here to perform the sacrifice. Oh son of Kushika your power  is not measurable  and so are your great qualities.”                                                                                                                                                            65.34
“Oh lord , hearing about your wondrous deeds   never makes us fully content. OH Great sage the sin is about to set and it is time for evening ablations.”                                                                                       65.35
“Oh saint of great luster, I feel that I should  consider myself as blessed if I can welcome you again,  tomorrow at dawn after  the ablations Kindly give me permission to leave.”                                       65.36
After being spoken thus , that great sage became greatly pleased , having been praised by the best among men, Janaka and left immediately.                                                                                                  65.37
That Videha who was the king of Mithila after having spoken thus to the sage , went round him along with his priests and relatives.                                                                                                                         65.38
Viswamithra , the soul of Dharma accompanied by Rama and Lakshmana , after being honoured by other great sages, left for his quarters.                                                                                                         65.39

This is the end of the Sixty fifth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga (Chapter) 66: The story Of  Sita as well  as Shiva’s bow.
  (The next day when Viswamithra requests Janaka to show  the bow of shiva  to Rama and Lakshmana , he tells the story of the bow and how it came in to his family.  He then tells about how he found Sita   when he was ploughing the field. He further tells  that Sita would be given in marriage to the man of great prowess and the kings quarreled with him when they did not get her. He defeated all of them and drove out. He further   said   that if Rama lifts the bow, he would give his daughter Sita in marriage   to him.)
The next day after performing his morning ablations at the dawn, that king  invited the great sage as well  as the sons of Raghu clan.                                                                                                                            66.1
After worshipping  according to the scriptures  Viswamithra that follower of Dharma  , addressed the great one as well as the sons of Raghu clan as follows.                                                                                   66.2
“Oh God like sage, I offer you a great welcome. Oh faultless one, what can I do to please you. Please  command me.”                                                                                                                                                        66.3
After Janaka , the great follower of Dharma spoke like this, the expert in speech and words Viswamithra  addressing the valorous one told.                                                                                                                        66.4
“The world famous Rama and Lakshmana of the royal lineage  are eager to see that great bow in your possession.”                                                                                                                                                             66.5
“Safety unto you. Show this great bow to these two princes according to their wish. Having seen it they will return.”                                                                                                                                                             66.6
The great king having been told like this by the  great sage Viswamithra “Please hear how this great bow came to be deposited here.”                                                                                                                               66.7
“Oh god like person, there was a king called Devaratha , sixth in succession to the great Nimi. He was a very famous king and this great bow was given to him by Lord Shiva.”                                                     66.8
“Formerly before the destruction of the sacrifice of Daksha , Rudra of great valour , lifted this bow and addressed the devas  and playfully spoke these words to them.”                                                                66.9
“Oh devas waiting to get their share from the sacrifice , you have failed to provide my share to me and so I shall cut off your worthy hands and limbs.”                                                                                             66.10
“Oh great sage , then those devas with a dejected mind , propitiated the lord of devas  and then Rudra was greatly pleased.”                                                                                                                                           66.11
“That greatly pleased lord gave this bow to the  great  devas  and oh Lord , then that gem of the weapon was deposited by the devas with my ancestor.”                                                                                            66.12
“Afterwards once , when I was ploughing the sacrificial land  and was trying to purify it, the plough lifted  the well known Sita from that sacrificial ground.”                                                                                         66.13
“She who was not born from a womb but has risen from the earth grew as my daughter .  I decided that this maiden would be offered only to one who gives valour as a fee to me.”                                          66.14
“That one who has arisen from the earth is growing up as my daughter and many kings have arrived and sought her  in marriage.”                                                                                                                                   66.15
“That maiden is being sought by all the kings in this world and I told them I will not give her who is my daughter except for a fee of great valour.”                                                                                                 66.16
“Oh great sage after that all those kings met and have come   to Mithila with a wish to test their prowess.”                                                                                                                                                          66.17
“That bow has been brought and placed before them who were interested in testing their prowess  but none of them  , have been able to even lift the bow.”                                                                             66.18
“Oh great sage, after recognizing that the valour of all those kings who have come to  test their prowess  is negligible , I rejected all of them.”                                                                                                            66.19
“All those great kings, whose prowess was doubted by me , flew in to great rage and have surrounded my town of Mithila.”                                                                                                                                        66.20
“Those great kings thinking that  I have insulted them , became enraged and are tormenting my town of Mithila.”                                                                                                                                                              66.21
“Oh great sage , after the passage of one year , the availability of everything got diminished , and I became extremely worried about the situation.”                                                                                       66.22
“And  then I pleased by my penance several devas and those devas  gave me an army with four divisions.”                                                                                                                                                            66.23
“Then those powerless wicked kings , who were themselves doubtful of their prowess  were defeated and fled in all directions along with their ministers.”                                                                                  66.24
“Oh great sage who observes great penances  , I shall show Rama and Lakshmana that highly  lustrous bow.”                                                                                                                                                                     66.25
“Oh Sage , If Rama is able to lift that great bow, I will give that son of Dasaratha, my daughter who was not born from a womb.”                                                                                                                                    66.26

This is the end of the Sixty sixth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter): 67 The breaking of bow by Rama and offer of marriage of Sita
(The bow is brought before Rama. He takes it and while he tries to string it , the bow breaks. Janaka offers  his daughter  Sita in marriage to Rama. He sends messengers to inform king Dasaratha)

The great sage Viswamithra heard the words of king Janaka  and told the king , “Let the bow be shown to Rama”                                                                                                                                                                  67.1
Then that king Janaka ordered his ministers “Let the bow be brought here decorated by sandal paste and flowers.”                                                                                                                                                          67.2
As per the orders of Janaka those ministers went in to the city brought the bow and kept it before  them and departed .                                                                                                                                                       67.3
Fifty hundred   stalwarts of great strength were required to draw the eight wheeled cart with  very great difficulty,                                                                                                                                                                 67.4
The ministers of the king   who brought the bow which was kept in an iron box  told the following words to Janaka who had divine luster.                                                                                                                        67.5
“Oh king of Mithila  , here is the great bow worshipped by all kings , which you desire to show to Rama.”  
                                                                                                                                                                                67.6
The king, after hearing their words  with folded hands addressed the great Viswamithra  and  Rama as well as Lakshmana.                                                                                                                                             67.7
“Oh Brahmin, in olden days the kings of the dynasty of Nimi as well as other kings who possessed great prowess, were incapable of stringing  this great bow. And this is the bow that was worshipped by all of them.”                                                                                                                                                                  67.8
“The groups of devas, Gandharwas, Yakshas, Kinnaras , asuras as well as Rakshasas, the Kinnaras and great serpents  were also not able to wield it.”                                                                                           67.9
“How can  then mere men be able to , stretch, string, fix an arrow  and pull the string  after lifting  and weighing it?”                                                                                                                                                     67.10
“Oh great sage, this great bow has been brought here, Oh great one ,please show it to the princes.”
                                                                                                                                                                               67.11
That soul of Dharma Viswamithra after hearing the words of spoke to Rama,”Oh Rama, Oh  lad , please see the bow.”                                                                                                                                                      67.12
After hearing the words of Brahmarishi, Rama went near the box in which the bow was kept and then opened  it  and after seeing the bow, spoke.                                                                                                 67.13
“Oh Brahmin, I shall touch this  great bow with my hand and try to take it in my hand and string it “67.14
The king and the sage addressing Rama said, “So be it” and following the words of the sage took hold of the bow by its middle easily.                                                                                                                              67.15
That son of The Raghu clan, being seen by  thousand kings  stringed the bow  and drew it as if it was a play.”                                                                                                                                                                      67.16
When  the great one  who was very famous and the best among men, stringed the bow  and  pulled and twanged it  that bow broke in its middle.                                                                                                      67.17
That sound was great and equaled the sound of a thunder and the earth trembled like it will do when the mountain is split.                                                                                                                                         67.18
Except for Viswamithra, the king  and sons of Raghava clan, all other men fell  fainted on hearing that great noise.                                                                                                                                                         67.19
After comforting those people  the king who was the master of language , without any apprehension, addressed the great sage with folded hands and said.                                                                              67.20
“Great sage, Rama the son of Dasaratha is without any doubt is  having great prowess   and has completed this  marvelous and unimaginable   task.”                                                                                67.21
“If my daughter gets him as her husband  the clan  of Janaka  would become very famous .”           67.22
“Oh son of Kushika , I had taken an oath  regarding her being given as a fee for prowess and this has now become true. Sita is more valuable to me than my soul and is going to be given to Rama.”               67.23
“Oh Brahmin , with your permission, immediately my ministers would go speedily  in chariots to Ayodhya. May you be safe , son of Khusika.”                                                                                                67.24
“That king  Dasaratha with reverential words would be brought to my city  after informing that my daughter is being given to Rama as a fee to his prowess .”                                                                        67.25
“Let the king be informed about the safety of sons of Kakustha under the protection of the sage  and very dear king should be brought hear with haste.”                                                                                    67.26
After Kaushika said “So be it”, that king who was the follower of Dharma consulted his ministers  and sent his counselors to Ayodhya  to communicate the information to king Dasaratha and bring him here.”                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                   67.28-67.29        

 This is the end of the Sixty seventh  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)  68: The messengers  of Janaka reach Ayodhya and Dasaratha starts  to Mithila.
( The messengers  reach Ayodhya and  inform Dasaratha about the marriage proposal. Dasaratha becomes happy and makes arrangement to start with  his ministers and priests)

Commanded by king Janaka those messengers travelled  for three days  , rested for the night   and entered the city of Ayodhya with their tired horses.                                                                             68.1   
Having reached the palace of the king  they talked to the door keepers and told, “Tell the king Dasaratha immediately  that messengers of king Janaka have come.”                                                                 68.2    
After hearing this from them,  the door keepers informed about the coming of the messengers and  then obeying the orders of the king,  the messengers were made to enter the palace and saw  the aged king Dasaratha  who resembled the devas.                                                                                                      68.3   
All those messengers freed from any apprehension, with folded hands  addressed the king in reverential tones   and sweetly told him.                                                                                                                       68.4 
“Oh great king , Janaka the king of Mithila     who  conducted  a yagna by fire, using sweet words laden with affection  enquires your welfare  with stability ,  along with your teachers  and priests”. 68.5-68.6
“The king of Mithila  after  getting to know   your permanent welfare ,  wants to  tell you the following message  with the permission  of sage Viswamithra.”                                                                                 68.7
“It is known to everybody that I decided to give my daughter  in marriage in exchange of a prowess of a person  and many powerless disappointed kings were made to retreat.”                                                68.8
“Oh king , this daughter Sita of mine has been won your valorous son Rama who had come along  accidentally lead by  sage Viswamithra.”                                                                                                        68.9
“Oh great king , the great Rama had broken in the middle , that divine bow of limitless glory  in a big  assembly of people.”                                                                                                                                        68.10
“To fulfill my vow  to compensate her to the one who has great prowess , I have to give Sita in marriage to   Rama and for that reason it is proper for you to give your consent to fulfill my desire.”            68.11
“Oh great king, speedily come here along with your teachers and priests .Safety to you. It is proper   for you reunite yourself with Rama and Lakshmana.”                                                                                     68.12
“Oh Indra among kings, it is proper for you to cause pleasure to me,  and for you also to joyfully meet your two sons.”                                                                                                                                                68.13
“Janaka , the king of Videha , according to the permission of Sathananda  and approval of Viswamithra , have conveyed these sweet words.” After speaking thus the messengers out of respect and fear for the king stopped.                                                                                                                                           68.14-68.15
After hearing the words of the messengers, the king became greatly happy  and told like this to Vasishta, Vamadeva   and others.                                                                                                                                   68.16
“Rama who increases greatly the joy of Kausalya , is living in the country of Videha , protected by the   son of Kushika.”                                                                                                                                                 68.17
“Since Rama has proved his prowess , king Janaka   is desiring  to give his daughter in marriage   to him.”
                                                                                                                                                                              68.18
“If you look with favour the behaviour of  the great Janaka, we will immediately go to Mithila , without wasting  any more time.”                                                                                                                                 68.19
All ministers  and great sages approved the idea  and the very happy king  said, “We will start our journey tomorrow.”                                                                                                                                         68.20
“The ministers of king Janaka endowed with all virtues were treated with great hospitality   and were pleased and spent the night there.                                                                                                                68.21

This is the end of the Sixty eighth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)69: Dasaratha arrives in Mithila
(Dasaratha starts the next day along with his ministers, Guru and priests, They are very hospitably received by Janaka  ,Dasaratha is happy to see his sons.)
King Dasaratha spent that night in company of his guru, priests and relations and when night got over spoke to Sumanthra.                                                                                                                                           69.1
“Today itself may the chief of treasury may go well prepared in advance  with great quantity of wealth including several type of gems .”                                                                                                                      69.2
“I command that the four divisions of army from the   four quarters  may depart along  as also let  excellent  chariots  and palanquins march out.”                                                                                            69.3
“Let  the Brahmins Vasishta, Vamadeva , Jabali, Kashyapa, , the long lived Markandeya and sage Kathyayana  depart in advance. Let my chariot be kept ready  so that there would not be time delay as the messengers of king Janaka are hastening me up.”                                                                         69.4-69.5
As per the orders of the king, the four divisions of army departed and the king and the sages followed behind.                                                                                                                                                                    69.6
After covering the path in a span of  four days, they arrived in the country of Videhas  and hearing about it, King Janaka made arrangements for worship and hospitality for them.                                               69.7
Afterwards  the king Janaka who was immensely pleased having approached    the aged Dasaratha   was extremely happy.                                                                                                                                                 69.8
Then Janaka the great man spoke with joy  to Dasaratha the great man, “Oh king,  welcome to you. It is great fortune to us that you have come .You will experience the love of both your sons who have won over us by their prowess.”                                                                                                                                   69.9
“Luckily the  god like sage  Vasishta has also   arrived surrounded by great Brahmins. They resemble the Indra   surrounded by the devas.”                                                                                                                    69.10
“I am lucky that there were no problems and I am lucky to have an alliance with the clan of Raghu, which is well known for its valour  and is greatly distinguished.”                                                                           69.11
“Oh emperor of men, It is proper for you to  conduct  the marriage tomorrow after the end of the Yagna  with the consent of the sages, Oh best among men.”                                                                                   69.12
The king who was in the middle of the sages after hearing these words from Janaka and the king who had great control over his words  and was an expert in using them replied  to Janaka.                         69.13
“Oh king , I have heard in olden times that  the gift should be received as per the words of the giver and so follower of Dharma, I will do according to your words.”                                                                          69.14
Hearing the words from the  famous follower of Dharma who was an votary of truth , the king of Videha   was greatly filled with admiration.                                                                                                                  69.15
Afterwards all the sages  spent the night  in great joy  in each other’s company.                                  69.16
King Dasaratha was  very happy to see  both his sons  and spent the time well being honoured by Janaka.
                                                                                                                                                                                 69.17
That Janaka with great luster who was a great philosopher  after performing the acts relating to the Yagna, spent the night in the sacrificial hall   along with his daughters.                                                    69.18

This is the end of the Sixty ninth  chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter) 70: Vasishta tells  about clan of Rama
(Kusadwaja who is the younger brother of Janaka is summoned and given and  sage Vasishta tells in detail about the clan of Rama.) 
After that in the morning , after performing the rituals of the Yagna  , Janaka  , an expert in speech  told the  chief priest Sathananda as follows.                                                                                                             70.1
My younger brother Kusadwaja , a great follower of Dharma, who is famous and brilliant is ruling the auspicious  city of  Sankhasya  , which is like the Pushpaka Vimana  and on the banks of river Ikshumathi with the water of the rivers as its boundary.                                                                                            70.2-70.3
“I would like to see him who is greatly lustrous as the protector of this Yagna along with me as I would enjoy it.”                                                                                                                                                                   70.4
After informing this to Sathananda , he gave orders to some competent attendants who had come there.                                                                                                                                                                         70.5
As per the commands of the they rushed to bring the tiger among men Kusadwaja similar  to obeying the orders of Indra to bring Lord Vishnu.                                                                                                            70.6
After having reached the city of Sankhasya , they saw Kusadwaja and informed him  what had happened  in Mithila and the intention of the king.                                                                                         70.7
That greatly strong king Kusadwaja , having learnt of the events from those great attendants, set out as per the wishes of king Janaka.                                                                                                                             70.8
There he saw the great Janaka who liked Dharma  and having saluted  Sathananda and the great king Janaka, occupied   a divine seat which was suitable to a king near the king.                                             70.9
Those two valorous brothers  possessing great splendour , sent Sudhama , the wisest of the ministers to Dasaratha                                                                                                                                                              70.10
“Oh great minister  , speedily go to the invincible Ikshuvaku king Dasaratha who has great luster  and bring him with his sons and ministers.”                                                                                                            70.11
After he went to the tent  , he saw the great king of the Raghu  clan , bowed his head and spoke after saluting him.                                                                                                                                                           70.12
“Oh valorous king of Ayodhya , Janaka the king of Mithila desires to see you along with your Guru and priests .”                                                                                                                                                               70.13
Then the king having heard these words along with his great ministers , reach along with great sages  and relations, the place  where Janaka was waiting.                                                                                   70.14
The king , an expert in speech  who was  with  his ministers, gurus as well as relations  spoke these words addressed to the great king of Videha,                                                                                               70.15
“It is well known  oh king , that  god like sage Vasishta who is like a god to the clan of Ikshuvakus  would be our spokesman for all occasions.”                                                                                                             70.16
“This Virtuous sage Vasishta with the permission of sage Viswamithra and all other sages  will tell you  the particulars of our race  in proper order.”                                                                                               70.17
After having spoken like this amidst great people that king  became silent   and  sage Vasishta who was an expert in speech and who was god like along with several other sages , spoke as follows to king  Janaka.                                                                                                                                                     70.18-70.19
“From the power   which did not have a clear form was born the ever living   and  ever stable Lord Brahma  and from him Marichi was born and from him , Kashyapa  was  born.”                                 70.20
“Kashyapa had a son called Vivaswan (sun God) , Manu  who was called Prajapathi was the son Of Vivaswan  and his son was Ikshuvaku.”                                                                                                         70.21
“That Ikshuvaku during early times ruled over Ayodhya  and he had a vey lustrous and famous son called Kukshi.”                                                                                                                                                                 70.22
“Kukshi’s son was Vikukshi  and to him was born  highly lustrous and valorous Bana.”                        70,23
“The valorous Ananarnya with great luster and fame was the son of Bana , Prathu was born to him and to him was born Trishanku.”                                                                                                                            70.24
“The famous Dundhumara  also known as Yuvanaswa  was the son of Trishanku and he had a son called Mandhatha .”                                                                                                                                                     70.25
“Susandhi was the son of Mandhatha  and to him two sons  Dhruvasandhi and Presanajith were born.” 
                                                                                                                                                                               70.26
“Dhruvasandhi had a famous son called Bharatha  and from him was born the greatly lustrous Asitha.” 
                                                                                                                                                                               70.27
“For Asitha the kings Haihayas, Sasabindhus  and  Talanghas  and their race  became enemies.”      70.28
“The weak Asitha  was defeated by them in a war and was exiled out of his kingdom and he along with his ministers travelled towards Himalaya mountains  and lived in a place called Bhruguprasravana.” 
                                                                                                                                                                              70.29
“It is heard that he had two queens who became pregnant at the same time and one queen gave poison mixed  with food to the other queen so that  the embryo would be destroyed.”                               70.30
“In that very pretty mountain a rishi named Bhrugu who was also called Chyavana  liked very much to live.”                                                                                                                                                                    70.31
“One of those two wives called Kalindhi  who had lotus like eyes  desiri8ng for a son, saluted Chyavana
Who was  very much similar to devas.”                                                                                                       70.32
“When that Kalindhi approached that sage and saluted that Brahmin  desiring for a son, he spoke to her about the birth of a son to her.”                                                                                                                   70.33
“Oh prosperous one , in your womb  a very powerful , virtuous , highly lustrous  and glorious son is growing . In a short time that glorious son carrying the poison administered to you would be born to you. So Oh lotus eyed one, do not be sad.”                                                                                     70.34-70.35
“That princess who eldest queen and was a chaste and virtuous wife , who was sad due to the loss of her husband , gave birth to a son due to the blessing of sage Chyavana.”                                                 70.36
“Since poison was given to his mother by her co wife   with a view to destroy him , he was born along with the poison and was called Sagara.”                                                                                                    70.37
“Asamanja was born to sagara  and from him amshuman was born and to him was born Dilipa and his son was Bhagiratha.”                                                                                                                                     70.38
“Kakushta was the son of Bhagiratha and his son was Raghu .The powerful Pravrudha was his son .He became Kanmashapada as the e=water of curse fell on his feet and his son was Samkhana.”      70.39
“Sudarshana was born to Sankhana and to him Agnivarna who had the colour of fire was born. His son was Sigharaha and his son was Maru.Prasusruka was born to Maru and his son was Ambareesha.,
                                                                                                                                                                70.40-70.41
“Amabareesha’s son was king Nahusha  and Yayathi was the son of Nahusha  and  his son was Naabhaga.”                                                                                                                                                      70.42
“Nabhagha’s son was Aja and his son is Dasaratha and his sons are Rama and Lakshmana .”        70.43
“Oh great king  Rama and Lakshmana  , were born of a pure heritage from the beginning, are supremely virtuous , votaries of truth  and belong to the clan of Ikshuvaku kings., I choose both your daughters as brides for them  as both your worthy daughters are accomplished and virtuous . It is only proper for you to give them in marriage  to Rama and Lakshmana.”                                                                    70.44-70.45

            
This is the end of the Seventieth    chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)71: Janaka tells about his clan.
(Janaka tells about his clan starting from Nimi. He also introduces his brother Kusadwaja. The marriage of Rama with Sita and Urmila Janaka’s younger daughter with Lakshmana is proposed and accepted.)
Hearing what was spoken by Vasishta , king Janaka replied with folded hands “”You be safe. It is only proper that  you listen to our genealogy.”                                                                                                   71.1
“Oh great sage , it is very important to listen to  the genealogy  completely and it is appropriate for one born in a great clan to tell about it .Please   listen.”                                                                                   71.2
“There was a king called Nimi who was famous in all the three worlds by his own acts. He was a great follower of Dharma  and greatly endowed with strength.”                                                                         71.3
“He had a son called Mithi who constructed this town of Mithila , He was the first Janaka and his son was Udhavasu.”                                                                                                                                                  71.4
“To the virtuous Udavasu was born a son called Nandhivardhana. And sukethu was the son of Nandhivardhana.”                                                                                                                                              71.5
“Top the virtuous Sukethu the very strong Devaratha was born. He was a royal sage and to him was born  a son calleds Brihadartha.”                                                                                                                    71.6
“The Son of  Brihadratha was the valorous  and famous Mahaveera.He had a courageous and truthful son called  Sudruthi.”                                                                                                                                        71.7
“The soul of Dharma Drishtakethu   who was a great follower of Dharma    was born to Sudruthi and to that royal sage a son named Haryaswa was born.”                                                                                   71.8
“Maru was the son  of Haryaswa and Prathindhaka was the son of  Maru.  The son of Prathinthaka was  king Keerthiratha who was a follower of Dharma.”                                                                                    71.9
“Devameedha was the son of Keerthiratha . Vibhudha was the son of Devameedha   and his son  was Maheedraka.”                                                                                                                                                  71.10
“The mighty king Keerthiratha   was the son of Maheedraka  and that royal sage’s son was Maharoma.”
                                                                                                                                                                            71.11
“Maharoma’s son was the virtuous Swarnaroma and his son was the royal sage Hrusvaroma.”     71.12
“For that great follower of Dharma  was born two sons . I am the eldest and Krusdwaja   is the second son.”                                                                                                                                                                  71.13
“My son Hrusvaroma after crowning me, who is the eldest son  as the king , placed the burden of bringing up  Kusadwaja and went  to the forest.”                                                                                   71.14
“After my  aged father attained heaven, I am looking after my brother Kusadwaja , who resembles the devas in an affectionate manner  and am ruling the kingdom as per the tenets of Dharma.”          71.15
“Then after passage of sometime a powerful king  Sudhanwa set out from town of Sankhasya with a view to besiege  Mithila.”                                                                                                                                71.16
“He sent a message to me to hand over   to him the matchless bow of Lord shiva  and lotus eyed maid Sita .”                                                                                                                                                                  71.17
“Oh Brahmarishi, by  my not  giving these, a big war broke out between him and me  and in that encounter, Sudhanwa was killed by me.”                                                                                                    71.18
“Oh great sage, after killing that king Sudhanwa , I crowned my heroic brother Kusadwaja as the king of Sankhasya.”                                                                                                                                                        71.19
“Oh great sage, this is my younger brother and I am the elder one. Oh great sage , I am immensely pleased  to offer the two maidens Sita   to Rama and Urmila to Lakshmana .May you be safe.”     71.20
“As a reward for the prowess , I am offering my daughter Sita who is similar to the daughter of devas and also my second daughter Urmila. I am proclaiming this thrice   so that there is no doubt about it.” 
                                                                                                                                                                             71.21
“I am giving these two brides who are greatly loved by me as brides to the sons of Raghu clan. Oh king please make Rama and Lakshmana    give away a gift of cows .Let it be performed for satisfying the manes, Safety to you. Afterwards the marriage may be performed.”                                        71.22-71.23
“Oh valorous one, Oh Lord , today the star is Makha  and third day from today  the star is Uthara Phalguni(Uthram) .Oh king , perform the marriage . For ensuring happiness OF Rama and Lakshmana, let  Dhana(charity of various forms may be given.”                                                                                         71.24


This is the end of the Seventy first   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga (Chapter) 72:Offer of daughters of Kusadwaja in marriage To Bharatha and Sathrugna.
  (Mandavi and Sruthakeerthi daughters of   Kusdawaja is offered as brides  to Bharatha and  Sathrugna.  The offer is accepted and  the marriage is fixed for next day. Dasaratha does the preliminary rituals for the marriage.)
The great sage Viswamithra    along  with Vasishta after hearing these words  of king Janaka , told Janaka.                                                                                                                                                                     72.1
“OH great king, the glory of the clan of Ikshuvaku  as well as that of Vaideha  is immeasurable and beyond mere thought  and there is no one equal to kings of these clans.”                                                 72.2
“Oh king, Urmila with Lakshmana and Sita with Rama  are a perfect match. There is perfect match in their forms and  their marriage is accordance with Dharma.”                                                                       72.3
“Oh great man, What I intend to tell may please be heard. This  Kushadwaja  who is the brother of the king  is the great follower of Dharma.”                                                                                                              72.4
“Oh king, Oh best among men, we are seeking  his  two daughters matchless in beauty and  virtue as brides  to grooms.”                                                                                                                                                 72.5
“Oh king, the lads Bharatha and Shatrugna are great and magnanimous  and  for both of them, we choose them as brides.”                                                                                                                                        72.6
“These two sons of Dasaratha are handsome and youthful  and are like kings who are protectors of the world   and  the devas. “                                                                                                                                       72.7
“Oh king,  let the bond be strengthened  between the  clan of Ikshuvaku  and your clan of pious deeds  with great and clear vision.”                                                                                                                               72.8
Then having heard  the wishes of Viswamithra and Vasishta , Janaka with folded palms addressed  those sages   and told.                                                                                                                                                    72.9
“Our  clans are indebted to you oh great sages , for your commanding  us, yourselves for this relation between our clans .”                                                                                                                                         72.10
“And let it happen as suggested by you , you be safe. Let the daughters of Kusadwaja   would becomes the wives of Bharatha and Shatrugna and serve them.”                                                                             72.11
“On  the same day  let the hands of our four daughters be held by the four very strong  princes.” 72.12
“The prajapathi called Bhaga appreciates  the holding    of the marriage on the day , when there is Utharaphalguni star(Uthram) .”                                                                                                                       72.13
The king Janaka after telling these pleasing words , stood up with folded hands  and told the two great saints.                                                                                                                                                                     72.14
“Both of you have done supreme dharma for me. Oh eminent sages , I am your disciple and so please occupy these great thrones.”                                                                                                                             72.15
“My city is like Ayodhya for king Dasaratha  and there is no doubt about, you can govern it as you please.”                                                                                                                                                                  72.16
When the king Janaka  talked in this manner,  the son of Raghu clan King Dasaratha became very happy  and replied to king Janaka.                                                                                                                              72.17
“You brothers who are the kings of Mithila  have countless good qualities. Sages and groups  of kings  have been worshipped by you.”                                                                                                                    72.18
“Be peaceful, may you obtain safety , I shall go to my residence  and perform all rituals concerning ancestors “ he spoke like this.                                                                                                                       72.19
Then that very famous king Dasaratha took leave  and Janaka also went away after those two sages. 
                                                                                                                                                                             72.20
After going to his residence king Dasaratha did the Sradha(ceremony addressed to ancestors)  as per the scriptures  and got up in the morning and did  the very great charity of giving cows..                       72.21
That king  gave thousands of cows to Brahmins  and these charities were meant for the sake of  each of his sons.                                                                                                                                                            72.22
That great man Dasaratha who was affectionate towards his sons , distributed  hundred thousand cows, with their horns covered in gold , with abundant  yield of milk, accompanied by their calves   as well as bronze vessel for milking  and also  many valuables  to the Brahmins , in the name of his sons.
                                                                                                                                                                  72.23-72.24
The king who had given the cows in charity as well as observed penance for the sake of his sons , looked like Lord Brahma  surrounded by the guardians of the world.                                                                  72.25

This is the end of the Seventy second   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)73: The celebration of the marriage
(The uncle of Bharatha arrives in Mithila.   The four marriages are conducted by giving the bride to the grooms and by their going round the fire.)
On the day when the king gave away the cows in charity , that day the valorous  Yudhajit(uncle of Bharatha)  arrived.                                                                                                                                               73.1
He was the son of the king of Kekaya  and uncle of Bharatha , after seeing and enquiring  about  the welfare to Dasaratha , he told the king Dasaratha.                                                                                        73.2
“My father , the king of Kekaya   enquired about your welfare and all the people whose welfare you would ask are all OK.”                                                                                                                                          73.3
“Oh joy of Raghu clan, Oh Indra of all kings, My father , the king of Kekaya wished me  to see   the lady  of our  family  and so I went to Ayodhya.”                                                                                                       73.4
“Oh king, hearing that you have arrived in Mithila along with your sons for their marriage, I came speedily here to see   the son of my sister.”                                                                                                     73.5
Then Dasaratha accorded him great  hospitality  and also extended   proper honours to him.”           73.6
Thereafter spending that night with his illustrious sons , king Dasaratha who knew his  duties , woke up at dawn , completed his morning rituals , reached the sacrificial place , being preceded  by sages. 
                                                                                                                                                                           73.7-73.8
At the auspicious time , Rama along with  his brothers , all of them completely adorned by various ornaments , after having performed the rituals preceding the marriage , with Vasishta and other great sages   walking ahead of him , reached his father’s presence.                                                            73.9-73.10
The God like Vasishta approached  the king Janaka  and spoke the  following words, ”Oh king, oh great man, King Dasaratha has performed all rites preparatory to the marriage along with his sons and is waiting for the one who would give them the brides.”                                                                         73.11
“All other rituals of marriage take place only when , the giver and receiver meet together and so fulfill your duty by performing an auspicious marriage .”                                                                                73.12
After the great Vasishta who was exceedingly generous told like this , king Janaka , who had great luster  and one who follows the tenets of Dharma strictly  replied using the following words.                  73.13
“Did any guard prevent you? To whose command are you waiting for? Why this hesitation to enter your own house? For this kingdom is like your kingdom.”                                                                              73.14
“Oh great sage, my daughters who have performed all the rites preceding the marriage  and  shining like the flame of a fire ., have already arrived at the  foot of the altar.”                                                    73.15
“I am keeping myself ready and am awaiting you. WE would proceed further without any problems  and why should be there  further delay? “                                                                                                        73.16
Having heard the words spoken by Janaka, Dasaratha  made his sons as well as very many sages enter the marriage  arena.                                                                                                                                      73.17
Afterwards , Janaka , the king of Videha  spoke these words to sage Vasishta, “Oh Lord , who observes Dharma, Oh sage , Along with other sages, be pleased to perform the marriage ceremonies of Rama, so that  the whole world is happy.”                                                                                                        73.18-73.19
The god like sage Vasishta addressed Janaka and said, “Let it be so.”  And along with sage Viswamithra and virtuous  Sathananda , reached  the centre of the marriage arena  and constructed   an altar   according to  the scriptures. He decorated the altar with fragrant flowers , golden  pots with holes  , earthen ware  pots filled with water and sprouts , pots for holding incense . conch shaped vessels, sacrificial bowls and ladles , water pots for offering Arghya , vessels containing puffed rice and  the well prepared sacred rice .”                                                                                                                          73.20-73.23
Then the very lustrous god like sage Vasishta , according to tradition placed equal quantity of Durba grass around the altar , recited manthras according to scriptures  and started fire on the altar by placing fire on it and started giving ablations..                                                                                                         73.24
Then King Janaka having brought Sita adorned with all types of ornaments , in the presence of fire , placed her facing Rama  and spoke To Rama who  was the one who increased joy of Kausalya.” 
                                                                                                                                                                  73.25-73.26
“This girl Sita who is my daughter  would be travelling with you  in your journey to observe Dharma .Please accept her hand  and hold it with yours. May there be safety for both of you.”                   73.27
“This greatly lucky  and Virtuous Sita would always follow you like your shadow”, saying like this . along with chanting of Manthras he   released sanctified water  in to hands of Rama .                              73.28
Then all the devas and sages said , “Great, great”  and the divine drums were played and there was a rain of flowers.                                                                                                                                               73.29
Then the king Janaka having given Sita to Rama along with the sanctified waters , shed    tears  of joy, and said.                                                                                                                                                          73.30
“Oh Lakshmana , please come .Urmila is ready to be given to you. Please  accept her hand  and hold it with your hand. Let there be no delay in doing it.”                                                                                73.31
After speaking like to this to Lakshmana  Janaka addressed Bharatha and said, “Oh son of Raghu clan, please hold the hand of Mandavi.”                                                                                                          73.32
That soul of Dharma king Janaka then  addressed Shatrugna and also spoke to him, “Oh great hero, please hold  Sruthakeerthi’s hand in yours.”                                                                                           73.33
“Oh sons of Kakustha dynasty , all of you posses good conduct , have a gentle disposition  and are faithful to your vows. Without any delay  start living with your wives. “                                           73.34
After hearing the words of  Janaka , after taking the consent of Vasishta, those four took the hands of their wives in their hand.”                                                                                                                          73.35
Those good and great sons of Raghu clan  accompanied by their wives , in obedience with sage Vasishta, went round the sacred fire in the altar and  entered in to matrimony.                                                 73.36
When the sons of Kakustha clan  were holding the tender and soft  hands of their wives, with immense splendour there was a rain of flowers from the sky.                                                                                73.37
Accompanied by the playing of the divine drum was  the sound of playing of various musical instruments. The gang of Apasaras danced    and the Gandharwas    sang , when the important sons of Raghu clan were getting married and it felt wonderful.                                                                73.38-73.39
With the tunes of wind instruments were making the sweet music  those lustrous brothers  went round the fire three times and got married.                                                                                                           73.40
Thereafter the sons of Raghu clan along with their wives , went towards   their residences accompanied by the king, hosts of sages  and relations.                                                                                                    73.41

This is the end of the Seventy third   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)74:  The departure to Ayodhya and  meeting with Parasurama
( Viswamithra took leave and went to the forests to  do penance. Dasaratha, his sons and the new brides along with sages and the army started towards  Ayodhya, Janaka  came with them and gave   several presents  to his daughters and bid them farewell. On the way , they saw lot of disturbance. Then Parasurama , the son of Jamadagni appeared before them and started talking to Rama,)

After the night was spent the great sage Viswamithra , after blessing the sons of the Raghu clan, took leave of those two kings and went towards  the northern mountains.                                                     74.1
After the departure of Viswamithra , the king Dasaratha who causes happiness in people  took leave  of Janaka  , the king  of  Mithila  and speedily started going towards Ayodhya.                                           74.2
While they were going, King Janaka followed them to a certain distance  and king of Videha gave very many presents to his daughters.                                                                                                                        74.3
The king of Mithila gave them several crores of cows , several excellent carpets , crores of silk dresses , elephants, horses , chariots and infantry  and also well decorated  excellent female  and male servants , possessing divine beauty.                                                                                                                             74.4-74.5
That greatly pleased one also gave them matchless dowry  in the form of golden ornaments with luster, decorated by pearls   and corals.                                                                                                                       74.6
The king of Mithila  after having given them plenty of wealth  and after taking leave  of King Dasaratha   went back to his home.                                                                                                                                       74.7
The king of Ayodhya also left  along with his great sons  and the sages who were going in the front  and his followers and servants following him.                                                                                                       74.8
That tiger among men along with his sons and sages , here and there noticed that the birds were making sounds of fear.                                                                                                                                                      74.9
All the animals of the place  went to their right in the clockwise fashion  and having seen this the tiger among men approached   sage Vasishta and asked.                                                                                               74.10
“Why are The frightened birds  as well as the suffering deer going round us ?I am in great fear and my heart is trembling and I am in depressed spirits. “                                                                                    74.11
The sage Vasishta heard these words of king Dasaratha and said, “ I shall listen to these noises and then tell you.”                                                                                                                                                            74.12
“The sounds released by the birds indicate an event of divine nature  and the dreadful sound made by the animals indicates that they are restoring peace and so do not get worried.”                              74.13
When they were talking with each other , the earth started shaking  and a great wind started blowing making many  pretty trees fell on the ground.                                                                                        74.14
Darkness enveloped the sun and all directions did not shine  and the entire army was covered with ashes and looked as if they had  fainted.                                                                                                            74.15
But sage Vasishta, other saints, Dasaratha and his sons retained their consciousness  and all  others lost  their consciousness.                                                                                                                                     74.16
In that fearful darkness , the army looked  as if it was covered by ashes and king Dasaratha saw that descendent of sage Brugu,  looking dreadful with his matted hair and crown, who was inaccessible like the Kailasa mountains , who had killed several king of kings , who was difficult to endure due to his shine like  the fire  at the time of deluge, whose power was burning ordinary men and making him difficult to see , who was carrying an axe   on his shoulder , who was carrying   a bow similar to series of lightning   and also an arrow and who looked like Lord Shiva who had come to  destroy Tripura.             74.17-74.20
Seeing him who was fearful in appearance  with a looks of flaming fire that was raging , Vasishta and others who were experts in chanting Manthras and oblations  in fire assembled in one place and whispered among themselves,                                                                                                                         74.21
“Enraged by the slaughter of his father , was he not intent upon exterminating the race of Kshatriyas? Earlier by slaughtering the  Kshatriyas , he got himself  freed from anger and sorrow.  Is he again desirous of killing of Kshatriyas? “                                                                                                                                         74.22-74.23
After the saints have talked among themselves , they offered water to wash his feet to the son of Bhargava   with fearsome appearance  and started to speak to him in soft and sweet  words, “Rama, Rama.                                                                                                                                                                74.24
That valiant son of Jamadagni after accepting the worship offered by the saints  , started speaking to Rama , the son  of Dasaratha.”                                                                                                                      74.25

This is the end of the Seventy fourth    chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter)75: The story of Parasurama and the Vishnu bow
(Sage Parasurama tells about how Viswakarma   made two bows   and how gave one to Vishnu and another to Shiva.  The Vishnu bow was given to his grand father who gave it to his father , who gave it to him. At this Dasaratha was scared but Parasurma  completed the story of the bows and Challenged Rama to string it and send an arrow usingit.)
“Oh Rama, Oh sons of Dasaratha, Oh  Rama , I have been hearing about your great prowess  and I have also heard about your breaking of the Shiva’s bow.”                                                                                  75.1
That  breaking the  bow is wonderful and beyond our thought . Hearing about that I have come with another divine bow.”                                                                                                                                          75.2
“This great bow of dreadful appearance was obtained by sage Jamadagni  and complete the test of your prowess by  sending an arrow with that bow.”                                                                                             75.3
“After seeing  your prowess  , while you are stretching the bow , I shall engage you in a duel for appreciating your valour.”                                                                                                                                75.4
After the king Dasaratha heard those words , he with dejected face full of sorrow , spoke the following.
                                                                                                                                                                               75.5
“You are a very famous Brahmana  who has become quiet  by your anger against Kshatriyas  and it would  be proper if you give protection  to my sons who are only boys.”                                               75.6
“You are born in the clan of Bhrugu,  shining due to his study of Vedas  and observance of penance .You have already left off use of  weapons  by taking a vow in the name of Indra.”                                      75.7
“You being  one intent on Dharma , have conferred this entire earth to Kashyapa , you have retired to the forest and are living on Mahendra mountain.”                                                                                    75.8
“Oh great sage , you have come for my complete destruction today for if you kill Rama , none of us will survive.”                                                                                                                                                                75.9
When  Dasaratha was talking like this to the famous son of Jamadagni , disregarding those words, he was only addressing Rama.                                                                                                                             75.10
“These two great divine bows are famous all over the world for they are  both stout and powerful and were made by Viswakarma himself  at the same time.”                                                                            75.11
“Oh Great human being, Oh son of Kakustha clan, the one which was broken by you was given to devas by the three eyed Lord Shiva who was the destroyer of the three cities.”                                            75.12
“The second unassailable bow was given  was given by  the chief of devas to Lord Vishnu .Oh Rama, Oh son born in the Kakustha clan, this highly radiant   bow of Lord Vishnu is as strong  as the other bow of Rudra.”                                                                                                                                                               75.13
“Then all the devas    at that time asked Lord Brahma to find out about the comparative strength and weaknesses of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.”                                                                                              75.14
“The grandfather who was foremost among all those who speak , after he came to know about the intension of devas, instigated the quarrel between both the Gods.”                                                      75.15
“A great war took place  between Shiva and Vishnu , each desirous of a victory over other , making  one’s hairs to stand erect.”                                                                                                                               75.16
“Then by the sound of “hum” the dreadful power of Shiva’s bow was compromised  and the three eyed one was made motionless.”                                                                                                                              75.17
“All the Devas along with sages and Charanas who had  assembled there requested with both of them and  As both of them were great devas they both were pacified.”                                                          75.18
“Since the Shiva’s bow was made benumbed  by the bow of Vishnu, the devas and sages thought that Vishnu’s bow was superior.”                                                                                                                           75.19
“The famous Shiva who got angry with this , placed the bow along with arrow with the Royal sage Devaratha in the country Videha.”                                                                                                               75.20
“Oh Rama, that Vishnu capable of conquering  hostile cities  gave his bow  with trust to  Richaka belonging to the race of Bhrigus.”                                                                                                                 75.21
“That Richaka who had great  luster gave it to his son , the famous  Jamadagni , who was one with matchless valour.”                                                                                                                                          75.22
“:Endowed with  great power of penance , my father renounced use of all weapons and king Karthaveeryarjuna killed him in a vulgar manner.”                                                                                   75.23
“Having heard of the killing of my father which was incomparable and ruthless , out of great anger I went on killing Kshatriyas who were being born again and again as they were born and reborn. Having won the entire earth , at the end of a fire sacrifices, I gave it to sage Kashyapa who was doing meritorious acts . There after I am living on the Mahendra mountains  due to  the power of great penance .”                                                                                                                                               75.24-75.25
“Oh very strong Rama with great valour, having heard about your great prowess which lead to the breaking of the bow of Shiva, I am come  here for the  same purpose.”                                                75.26
“Oh Rama, treating with respect  the Dharma of Kshatriyas,  take hold of this eminent and excellent bow belonging to Vishnu  , which was inherited by me from my father and forefathers.”                         75.27 
“Oh son of Kakustha clan, this great  bow  is capable of conquering cities as well as enemies. F it is possible by you , place an arrow on it , then I will engage you in fight.”                                              75.28

This is the end of the Seventy fifth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

Sarga(Chapter )76: destruction of pride of Parasurama
(Rama easily strings the bow, keeps an arrow in it and requests Parasurama to say whether the arrow should be used to destroy his feet or should it be used to destroy the result of his accumulated penances. Parasurama  realizes that Rama is Vishnu himself and chooses the latter as  he has to leave all countries he has given to sage Kashyapa. After destroying all penance by the arrow, Parasurama salutes Rama and goes to his abode in Mahendra mountains.)
The son of Dasaratha after hearing the words of  the son of Jamadagni , avoiding further conversation due to respect to his father   told.                                                                                                                76.1
“Oh Bhrugu’s son, I have listened to the great acts done by you. I am greatly appreciating  the acts done by you to repay your debts to your father.”                                                                                               76.2
“Oh Bhargava , You have  insulted me  as I am without valour and incompetent to perform the duties of a  Kshatriya .”                                                                                                                                                   76.3
Rama of the speedy valour , having thus spoken angrily , grasped the bow and arrow from the hands of the son of Bhrugu clan.”                                                                                                                                76.4
After bending , the , pulling the string and keeping the arrow on it , The angry Rama asked   the son of Jamadagni.                                                                                                                                                       76.5
“You are Brahmin  fit to be worshipped and  you are worthy of homage through  Viswamithra  to me, and so , I do not have the power  to  release it to take your life.”                                                       76.6
“Oh Rama I have  decided to either destroy the movement by your feet or the power that you earned by penance  which is incomparable in this world  and please tell me your choice.”                             76.7
“This celestial arrow of Vishnu would conquer cities or destroy the pride and strength of a person and will not go in vain.”                                                                                                                                     76.8
To see Rama holding that blessed weapon , the devas and assembly of sages lead by Lord Brahma  as well as Gandharwas, Yakshas, Apasaras   and Kinnaras, as well as Yakshas , Rakshasas and Nagas  assembled in the sky.                                                                                                                       76.9-76.10
When Rama  stretched  the divine bow , the world became benumbed  and Rama the son of Jamadagni  , lost all his power and gazed at Rama.                                                                                                    76.11
Having  lost all his prowess and power   and having been made motionless , the son of Jamadagni spoke to Rama with eyes like petals of a lotus flower.                                                                                      76.12
“Earlier when I gave this earth earned me to Kashyapa, he told me , “You should not live in my country.”
                                                                                                                                                                          76.13
“Oh Rama, since I have gifted the earth to Kashyapa , I assured him that I will not live here and following the words of Guru I am not living here during night time.”                                                                    76.14
“Oh valorous Rama, for that reason , you should not destroy the power of my  movement  and I shall go with the speed of mind to the great mountain Mahendra.”                                                                  76.15
“Oh  Rama strike with that divine arrow the unmatched worlds of penance that I have conquered. Let there not be a delay in it.”                                                                                                                           76.16
“As soon as you stretched this bow , I understood that you are the imperishable slayer of Madhu  and the lord of all devas. Please be safe.”                                                                                                        76.17
“All these crowds of devas who have assembled here know about your incomparable deeds  and in combat you are unassailable .”                                                                                                                  76.18
“Oh son of Kakustha dynasty, because  I have been defeated by you , who are the lord of the three worlds , I should not feel ashamed.”                                                                                                         76.19
“Oh Rama , who does proper penance , it is only proper for you to release  this incomparable arrow at me  and after its release, I would go to the Mahendra mountain.”                                                   76.20
When Rama the son of famous Jamadagni spoke thus , Rama the son of Dasaratha  released that excellent arrow.                                                                                                                                            76.21
After seeing to it that the worlds of great penance earned by Parasurama were destroyed, That Parasurama speedily went to the excellent Mahendra  mountain.                                                  76.22
Then all directions and   semi directions were cleared of darkness  and the devas and sages praised Rama for wielding that bow .                                                                                                                    76.23
Lord Parasurama, the son of Jamadagni  , praised Rama , went round him and  went to his abode. 
                                                                                                                                                                        76.24

This is the end of the Seventy sixth   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.
Sarga(Chapter) 77: Arrival back to Ayodhya.
(After departure  of Parasurama, all of them  continue the journey and arrive back in Ayodhya.  They are received with joy by people of Ayodhya.
When Parasurama had gone,  Rama the son of Dasaratha  who had a peaceful mind  , gave the unmatched  Bow and arrow     to God Varuna.                                                                                          77.1
Then Rama saluted Vasishta and other important saints  and seeing his very scared father , That son of Raghu clan told him.                                                                                                                                         77.2
“Rama the son of Jamadagni has gone . Please give order to the four divisions of the army to march towards Ayodhya   as its supreme commander. “                                                                                      77.3
“Oh king, direct the army that is under your control, they like orders like a Chataka  bird waits for water.”                                                                                                                                                               77.4
Hearing the words of Rama that Parasurama has departed , Dasaratha was filled with joy , hugged his son and having done that, smelt his forehead and felt as if his son has taken a rebirth.          77.5-77.6
He ordered his army to go speedily  and when reached the city, it was decorated by banners and flags , resounding with playing of Trumpets . Delightfully looking  forward to the king’s entry. The royal highways were sprinkled with water, with flowers strewn on them and auspicious musical instruments were being played. The city was filled with people  who were waiting the king to enter.”  77.7-77.8
That  great and very  famous king  followed by his elegant sons  entered the city  where the citizens including Brahmins who have come from a long distance  had gathered to welcome him  and then he entered  his home like the Himalaya mountain.                                                                                    77.9
The king in house was honoured by his   relations  and Kausalya , Sumithra and Kaikeyi with the slender waist  were busy in welcoming the brides along with the women of the  royal house.       77.10-77.11
Thereafter the wives of the king welcomed the highly fortunate Sita, the very famous Urmila,  and the daughters of Kusadwaja   in to their house.                                                                                         77.12
All of them holding auspicious substances  and shining in their silk dresses , immediately  went and worshipped Gods in temple .                                                                                                                  77.13
Then all those daughters of kings  paid homage to all those  worthy of being paid homage and went to their individual houses which were like the house of Khubera. Then they gave cows   and  grains and satisfied great Brahmins  and en joyed happily the company of their husbands .               77.14-77.15
Those great sons with no one comparable to them in the earth in their valour , competent in use of arrows,  and along with their wives  served their father  and obeyed his commands. “             77.16
After passage  of some time , Dasaratha the delight of Raghu clan  , addressed  Bharatha , the son of Kaikeyi   and told.                                                                                                                                    77.17
“Oh son, the heroic Yudhajit who is the son of King of Kekaya and your maternal uncle has come to take you to their home.”                                                                                                                               77.18
‘Oh knower of Dharma , he has made the same request in Mithila , when we were with  great sages  and it is only proper to make him happy , by going with him. “                                                             77.19
Having heard  the words of Dasaratha, Bharatha , the son of Kaikeyi , paid salutations to Dasaratha and Rama and embraced Lakshmana  and together with Shatrugna  started for the journey.” 77.20-77.21
That valorous great man bid farewell  from Dasaratha, Rama who did jobs without any fatigue ,  and mothers , and departed with Shatrugna.                                                                                                  77.22
After the departure  of Bharatha , the very strong  Rama and Lakshmana worshipped and served  their god like father.                                                                                                                                               77.23
Obeying the  orders  of their father they looked after the welfare and well being  of their citizens .
                                                                                                                                                                           77.24
They looked after their mothers and requirement of their mothers   in a very disciplined manner  and supervised the welfare of their gurus and their needs  at appropriate intervals. “                            77.25
Dasaratha started liking them very much for their good conduct and character  and they were liked by the Brahmins and other citizens of the country.                                                                                       77.26
Rama who was truthful  and greatly valorous  , possessed many virtues and was very famous  and for the people of the kingdom he was like Lord Brahma to the living beings.                                                 77.27
The sensitive Rama always fixed his mind on Sita, his heart being dedicated to her  and several seasons went by.                                                                                                                                                          77.28
Sita being chosen by his father became a darling to him and is affection towards her increased further due to her prettiness and great virtue.                                                                                                     77.29
For her,  her husband acted  doubly because  they were communicating their thoughts revolving in their heart as well those born there.                                                                                                                  77.30
In  beauty she was equal to Gods who had assumed human form and she was also a personification of Goddess Lakshmi in wealth. Sita  became especially dear to Rama because she was born in MIthila and the daughter of Janaka .                                                                                                                               77.31
That Rama being the son of the Royal sage and being pretty every moment , united with the daughter of excellent king  Janaka   and shined like Indra, the king of devas  and possessed joy like Lord Vishnu who was with Goddess Lakshmi.                                                                                                                           77.32

This is the end of the Seventy seventh   chapter  Of Balakanda   of the holy Ramayana   composed by Valmiki  as the first epic.

                                                  End  of Bala Kanda  of Ramayana                                                                                                                                                    





























                                                                                        














3 comments:

  1. “Since the Shiva’s bow was made benumbed by the bow of Vishnu, the devas and sages thought that Vishnu’s bow was superior.” 75.19

    Sir,

    This translation is not correct. The original in Sanskrit says "adhikaM menire viShNuM devAH sa RShigaNAs tadA" meaning,

    "from then on the gods along with the assemblages of sages deemed Vishnu to be the paramount".

    People may very well believe that Vishnu and Shiva are equal. But we do not have the license to put that into Valmiki's mouth.

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  2. m giving you another translation of the same verse done by a team of experts, "The bow of Siva having been made inert by the prowess of Visnu, hosts of sages and devatas considered Visnu as superior. "

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  3. Hats Off to You Sir!! Its a stupendous effort and its simply superlative. I thank you for this priceless gem, especially for Palakkad Iyers like me who are in a profession that keeps them far away from our roots and thus losing it.
    I salute you for this gift!
    Lt Col V Balaji

    ReplyDelete