Bala Kanda, Sarga 11

Meaning

Further hear from me, O king of kings, the wholesome words which the aforesaid wise seer, the foremost of all heavenly beings, was actually pleased to utter : (1)

Meaning

“In the line of the Ikṣwākus will be born a highly pious and glorious king, Daśaratha by name, who will be true to his promise. (2)

Meaning

“Friendship will be developed by the said monarch with the ruler of the Aṅgas. And the latter will have a highly blessed daughter, Śāntā by name (given in adoption to him by Daśaratha). (3)

Meaning

“The ruler of the Aṅgas (the son of King Aṅga) will be known by the name of Romapāda. Possessed of great renown, the said King Daśaratha will approach the latter with the following request : (4)

Meaning

‘Since I am without a male issue, O king whose mind is given to piety, let the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, the husband of Śāntā, when permitted by you, perform a sacrifice for the propagation of my race’. (5)

Meaning

“Hearing the aforesaid request of the emperor and revolving it in his mind, and resolving to comply with it, the noble-minded Romapāda will instantly part with the sage Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (the husband of Śāntā), already blessed with a son. (6)

Meaning

“Taking with him the said Brāhmaṇa, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, and rid of his agony by securing his very presence, the celebrated monarch Daśaratha will perform with his help and guidance the aforementioned sacrifice for being blessed with a son, with his inner mind highly gratified. (7)

Meaning

“Nay, desirous of fame, King Daśaratha, the ruler of men, who knows what is right will request Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, the foremost among the Brāhmaṇas, with folded hands to officiate as a priest for conducting the sacrifice, for obtaining a male progeny and securing an abode in heaven through a son. And through that jewel among the Brāhmaṇas, King Daśaratha, the ruler of the people, will get that desired object. (8-9)

Meaning

“And as a result of that sacrifice there will be born to him as many as four sons possessed of immense prowess, and well-known among all created beings, who will bring honour to their lineage.” (10)

Meaning

So did that omniscient and powerful sage Sanatkumāra, the foremost among heavenly beings, utter of yore a prophecy in the Satyayuga, preceding the current round of four Yugas. (11)

Meaning

“As such, keen as you are to obtain a male progeny, O tiger among men, bring you the sage, highly honoured, with due ceremony, going personally to escort him with a detachment of your troops and animals and vehicles used for conveying men, O great king !” (12)

Meaning

Daśaratha was rejoiced to hear the advice of Sumantra; nay, having conveyed the opinion of the charioteer to Vasiṣṭha and on securing his consent, king Daśaratha proceeded with the queens (the inmates of his gynaeceum) as well as with his ministers to the place where that Brāhmaṇa was—passing through forests and crossing streams, he gradually reached that land where Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, the foremost among the sages, actually lived. Reaching that place, he forthwith saw the son of Vibhāṇḍaka, the foremost among the Brāhmaṇas, resplendent as fire and seated near Romapāda. With an extremely delighted mind the king (Romapāda) thereupon offered worship in order of seniority to the emperor as well as to those who accompanied him with particular reverence because of the emperor being his esteemed friend. By Romapāda was made known to the enlightened Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (the son of Vibhāṇḍaka) his friendship with the emperor as well as the relation in which the emperor stood to the sage (being the real father of his wife, Śāntā) as also how Śāntā was given in adoption by the emperor to Romapāda, who was issueless, at the latter’s request; thereupon Ṛṣyaśṛṅga honoured the emperor in return for the latter’s salutations. Greatly honoured in this way by Romapāda and having stayed with him for seven or eight days, the emperor, the foremost among men, spoke to the king as follows : “Let your daughter, Śāntā, O king, proceed alongwith her husband to my capital, O ruler of the people, since there is a great undertaking on foot there.” Having promised the visit of that wise man, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, with the words “Amen !”, the king addressed the following request to the Brāhmaṇa : “Proceed you to Ayodhyā with your wife !” Hearing this, Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (the son of Vibhāṇḍaka) said to the king at once, “So be it !” (13—21)

Meaning

Thus permitted by the king, he left with his wife for Ayodhyā. Greeting with joined palms and clasping each other to their bosom out of affection, the mighty Daśaratha and Romapāda both rejoiced. Taking leave of his friend, Daśaratha, a scion of Raghu, then departed for his capital. (22-23)

Meaning

While doing so he despached in advance swift-footed messengers with the following instructions to the citizens of Ayodhyā : “Let the whole city be tastefully decorated at once, nay, sprinkled with water and then dusted, fumigated with incense and adorned with buntings.” Overjoyed to hear of the king having well-nigh arrived, the aforesaid citizens thereupon did at once all that precisely as had been desired by the king. Placing Ṛṣyaśṛṅga, the foremost of the Brāhmaṇas ahead, the king then entered the well-decorated city in the midst of blasts of conches and the beating of kettle-drums; so the tradition goes. All the citizens were really much delighted at that time to see the Brāhmaṇa (Ṛṣyaśṛṅga) being treated with respect and ushered into the city by the king, who had rendered help to Indra in his campaign against the demons—even as Lord Vāmana (son of the sage Kaśyapa) was ushered into paradise by the thousand-eyed Indra, the ruler of the gods. (24—28)

Meaning

Having introduced the sage into the gynaeceum and offered him worship according to the scriptural ordinance, Daśaratha thought himself at that time as one whose object in life had been accomplished, by escorting him to his palace. (29)

Meaning

Seeing the large-eyed Śāntā come with her husband in that state with a babe, all the queens experienced great joy through love. (30)

Meaning

Being treated with honour by them and particularly by the king himself, she lived there happily for some time alongwith her husband and babe. (31)