Bala Kanda, Sarga 20

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid request of Viśwāmitra, Daśaratha, a veritable tiger among kings, remained senseless, as it were, for an hour or so and, regaining his consciousness (afterwards), spoke as follows : (1)

Meaning

“My lotus-eyed Rāma is less than sixteen years old yet. I, therefore, do not perceive his capacity to contend with the Rākṣasas. (2)

Meaning

“Here is my army, one Akṣauhiṇī* strong, whose maintainer and controller am I. Marching with it, I shall personally wage war with those ogres. (3)

Meaning

“These heroic and valiant retainers of mine are all skilled in the use of missiles and other weapons and are capable of fighting with hosts of ogres. But you should not take away Rāma. (4)

Meaning

“I shall myself guard your sacrifice, bow in hand, and shall contend with the Rākṣasas in the van of a battle so long as I breathe. (5)

Meaning

“Fully guarded by me, the pursuit of the aforesaid observance by you will be rid of all obstacles; for I shall go thither in person. You should not, therefore, take away Rāma. (6)

Meaning

“A child yet and untrained in the science of warfare, he cannot estimate the strength or weakness of the enemy. He is neither equipped with the powerful missiles and other weapons, nor skilled in warfare. (7)

Meaning

“Besides he is no match for the Rākṣasas; for the ogres are given to treacherous fighting. Disunited from Rāma, I cannot really survive even for an hour or so, O tiger among ascetics ! You should not, therefore, take away Rāma. If, on the other hand, you are keen to take him (a scion of Raghu), O Brāhmaṇa of noble vows, take him with me as well as with my army consisting of four parts, viz., elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. Sixty millennia have elapsed since I was born, O Viśwāmitra (born in the line of King Kuśa) and this boy has been begotten with such hardship at this ripe old age. You ought not, therefore, to take away Rāma. Of all the four sons my supreme affection is truly speaking fastened on the eldest, in whom piety is predominant. Hence you ought not to take away Rāma. Of what prowess are those Rākṣasas, and whose sons are they? Again, who are they (by name) and of what size? Nay, who protect them and how can resistance be offered to those Rākṣasas, given as they are to treacherous fighting, by Rāma or my forces or by myself, O holy Brāhmaṇa? Tell me everything, O venerable sage ! What position should be taken up by me on the battlefield opposite to those ogres of wicked intent? For the Rākṣasas are proud of their prowess.” Hearing his above-quoted speech the sage Viśwāmitra replied as follows : (8—15)

Meaning

“There is an ogre, Rāvaṇa by name, descended in the line of the sage Pulastya (one of the nine mind-born sons of Brahmā, who are the procreators of the entire creation). Having been granted a boon of immunity from death at the hands of all others except a human being by Brahmā and followed by numerous Rākṣasas, and possessed of extraordinary strength and great prowess, he oppresses all the three worlds (heaven, earth and the intermediate region) to the utmost degree. Nay, Rāvaṇa, the ruler of Rākṣasas, O great king, is widely known to be a son of the sage Viśravā (Pulastya’s son) and a real half-brother of Kubera, the eldest son of Viśravā. When the mighty ogre does not personally interfere with a particular sacrifice, considering it below his dignity to interrupt a small undertaking, those two mighty ogres, Mārīca and Subāhu, actually cause obstruction in that sacrifice even as directed by him.” (16—19)

Meaning

Thus addressed by the aforesaid sage, Viśwāmitra, the king then replied to the hermit as follows : “I am not at all able to stand in an encounter with that evil-minded fellow. (20)

Meaning

“Celebrated as you are, O knower of what is right, show you your favour to my juvenile son as well as to myself, of poor luck as I am in not being able to carry out your behest; for you are a veritable god as well as worthy of adoration to me. (21)

Meaning

“Not even gods, demons and Gandharvas (celestial musicians), Yakṣas, birds and reptiles are able to withstand Rāvaṇa on the battlefield; how then can men do so? (22)

Meaning

“The said Rāvaṇa, truly speaking, takes away the prowess of the valiant on the battlefield. I am, therefore, not capable of contending with him or with his forces, even though accompanied by my troops or united with my sons, O jewel among sages ! I shall not, therefore, part in any case whatsoever with my juvenile and favourite son, Rāma, who looks like a god and is altogether unacquainted with wars, O holy Brāhmaṇa ! If Mārīca and Subāhu, the two notorious sons of Sunda and Upasunda respectively—who are full of prowess and highly trained as well and appear as Death on the battlefield—interfere with your sacrificial performance, I shall under no circumstance hand over my pet son Rāma to you. (23—26)

Meaning

“I shall personally proceed with hosts of my relations to give battle to either of the two. Otherwise, with my relations I shall crave your indulgence for my inability to comply with your behest.” (27)

Meaning

A fierce rage possessed the mind of Viśwāmitra (son of Gādhi, a scion of Kuśa), the foremost of Brāhmaṇas, as a sequel to the above incoherent talk of Daśaratha, a ruler of men. Like a fire well-fed with oblations and sprinkled over with ghee in the course of a sacrifice, the fire of anger thus kindled in the mind of Viśwāmitra, the eminent seer, grew fierce in no time. (28)