Bala Kanda, Sarga 10

Meaning

Urged by the king Daśaratha, Sumantra then made the following reply : “Hear from me with your counsellors, as being exhaustively told by me, how and by what device the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga was brought to the capital of Romapāda by his counsellors. (1)

Meaning

Accompanied by the ministers, the family-priest of Romapāda spoke to Romapāda as follows : “The following unfailing expedient has been carefully thought of by us : (2)

Meaning

“Living as he does in the woods and rich in askesis and study of the Vedas, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga is wholly unacquainted with the fair sex as well as with the objects of senses and the pleasures relating to them. (3)

Meaning

“We shall in no time cause him to be brought to your capital by means of pleasing objects of senses that attract the mind of men; steps may, therefore, be taken towards this end. (4)

Meaning

“Let beautifully adorned courtesans of comely appearance proceed there to the hermitage of his father. Received kindly by the youthful sage, they will lure him away to this place by recourse to diverse devices.” (5)

Meaning

Hearing this, the king Romapāda said to the priest, “So be it !” The family priest in his turn, forthwith instructed the counsellors accordingly and the latter did as they were told, i.e., despatched the courtesans with the necessary equipment. (6)

Meaning

Hearing the royal command, the foremost of the courtesans of Romapāda’s capital entered the extensive forest and, staying not very far from the hermitage of the sage Vibhāṇḍaka in the woodland (adjoining Śṛṅgaverapura, associated with the name of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga) made attempts to have a look at the Ṛṣi’s son, who was full of self-control and always stayed in the hermitage. Ever contented with his father’s affection and fostering care, he never stepped beyond the hermitage. (7-8)

Meaning

Since his very birth that hermit boy had never before seen any man or woman or, for that matter, any other living being born in a town or in the countryside. (9)

Meaning

Impelled by providence one day Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (son of Vibhāṇḍaka) came out of his hermitage to the area where the courtesans were encamping, and beheld there the aforesaid lovely women. (10)

Meaning

Singing in a melodious strain, all the aforesaid young women, who were attired in different colours, approached Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (son of Vibhāṇḍaka) and addressed to him the following question : (11)

Meaning

“We desire to know, O holy one, who you are and how you get on. Pray, tell us, wherefore do you roam about all alone in the remote and lonely forest?” (12)

Meaning

Women, as they were, whose form had never been seen by him before in that forest and who were endowed with an exterior worth coveting, there appeared in him an urge, born of natural attraction, to mention the name of his father and other things too. (13)

Meaning

“Vibhāṇḍaka is the name of my father and I am his own son (sprung from his loins). My name is Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, my prusuit in the form of austerities is celebrated in this tract of land. (14)

Meaning

“In this very forest close by there is the site of our hermitage, O lovely ones! There I shall certainly offer worship (hospitality) to you all with due ceremony.” (15)

Meaning

On hearing the reply of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (son of sage Vibhāṇḍaka) there appeared in all of them a resolve to see the site of his hermitage, and all the women accordingly departed from that place to the hermitage. (16)

Meaning

Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (son of Vibhāṇḍaka), so the tradition goes, then offered worship (hospitality) to them even as they arrived at his hermitage, saying, “Here is water to wash your hands and there is water to wash your feet with; and here are roots and fruits offered to you by me.” (17)

Meaning

Accepting the aforesaid worship hospitality, however, all of them actually made up their mind to return apace, ill at ease as they were, being afraid of the Ṛṣi Vibhāṇḍaka, who had gone out on some errand at that particular moment. (18)

Meaning

While returning, they said, “Accept, O sage, these excellent fruits offered by us too and eat them without delay, O holy one ! This may do you good.” (19)

Meaning

Closely embracing him and full of delight they all then gave him small round sweetmeats and various kinds of other dainty dishes to eat. (20)

Meaning

Even after enjoying them the glorious sage took them for fruits (alone); for they were such as had never been tasted before by those ever dwelling in the woods. Taking leave of the young Brāhmaṇa and telling him of some sacred observance to be gone through by them, those women then departed under that pretext, afraid as they were of his father. (21-22)

Meaning

When they had all left, the Brāhmaṇa, Rṣyaśṛṅga, sprung from the loins of Vibhāṇḍaka (a scion of the sage Kaśyapa), felt uneasy at heart and was restless through agony. (23)

Meaning

Thinking of them in his mind again and again, that powerful and glorious sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (son of Vibhāṇḍaka) departed from that place the following day to that area where those charming courtesans had been seen by him beautifully adorned the previous day. Going forth to meet him with a delighted mind the moment they saw the sage coming from his hermitage, they all then addressed to him the following request : “Just pay a visit to our hermitage, O gentle one !” and further spoke as follows : (24—26)

Meaning

“Although roots and fruits of various kinds may be had in abundance here, this process of entertainment will surely be gone through there in our hermitage in a special degree even as compared to this place”. (27)

Meaning

Hearing the prayer of them all, which was so captivating to the heart, he made up his mind to go with them and the women took him to the capital of King Romapāda in that manner in a boat on the holy Gaṅgā. (28)

Meaning

Even while the high-souled Brāhmaṇa was being escorted there to the Aṅga territory, the god of rain sent down a shower all of a sudden at that very time, bringing great joy to all of them. (29)

Meaning

Going forth to meet the ascetic Brāhmaṇa, who had arrived in his kingdom synchronously with the rain, the said ruler of men bowed low to the sage and touched the ground with his head. (30)

Meaning

Fully composed in mind he offered him with due ceremony water to wash his hands with and begged of that prince among Brāhmaṇas a boon to the effect that no wrath might enter the mind of the sage or his father for his having caused the sage to be lured away to his kingdom from his father’s hermitage. (31)

Meaning

Having ushered him into the gynaeceum and duly given away with a tranquil mind his daughter, Śāntā, the said king experienced great joy. (32)

Meaning

Duly entertained with all the desired objects in this way, the said Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, who was possessed of unique glory, lived there in the gynaeceum of King Romapāda with his wedded wife, Śāntā. (33)