---
title: "Bala Kanda, Sarga 22"
canonical: "https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana/bala-kanda/sarga-22"
lang: "en"
---

# Bala Kanda, Sarga 22

> तथा वसिष्ठे ब्रुवति राजा दशरथः स्वयम्।  
> प्रहृष्टवदनो राममाजुहाव सलक्ष्मणम्॥ १॥

While Vasiṣṭha was speaking as aforesaid, King Daśaratha with an exceptionally cheerful countenance personally called Śrī Rāma alongwith Lakṣmaṇa (knowing as he did that the two were inseparable). (1)

> कृतस्वस्त्ययनं मात्रा पित्रा दशरथेन च।  
> पुरोधसा वसिष्ठेन मङ्गलैरभिमन्त्रितम्॥ २॥  
> स पुत्रं मूर्ध्न्युपाघ्राय राजा दशरथस्तदा।  
> ददौ कुशिकपुत्राय सुप्रीतेनान्तरात्मना॥ ३॥

Smelling the head of his son as a token of affection, after he had been blessed by his mother, Queen Kausalyā, as well as by his father, King Daśaratha, and consecrated by Vasiṣṭha, the family priest, by means of benedictory Vedic texts, King Daśaratha then committed him to the care of Viśwāmitra (son of Gādhi) with an extremely delightful mind. (2-3)

> ततो वायुः सुखस्पर्शो नीरजस्को ववौ तदा।  
> विश्वामित्रगतं रामं दृष्ट्वा राजीवलोचनम्॥ ४॥

Seeing the lotus-eyed Rāma following Viśwāmitra at that moment, a breeze delightful to the touch and free from dust began to blow at once. (4)

> पुष्पवृष्टिर्महत्यासीद् देवदुन्दुभिनिःस्वनैः।  
> शङ्खदुन्दुभिनिर्घोषः प्रयाते तु महात्मनि॥ ५॥

Even as the high-souled Rāma was about to depart, there was a shower of flowers from the heavens and a loud blast of conches and beating of kettledrums in the capital, accompanied by the beat of celestial drums. (5)

> विश्वामित्रो ययावग्रे ततो रामो महायशाः।  
> काकपक्षधरो धन्वी तं च सौमित्रिरन्वगात्॥ ६॥

Viśwāmitra walked in the van and the highly renowned Rāma, adorned with side-locks and armed with a bow, followed next; while Lakṣmaṇa (son of Sumitrā) followed the latter. (6)

> कलापिनौ धनुष्पाणी शोभयानौ दिशो दश।  
> विश्वामित्रं महात्मानं त्रिशीर्षाविव पन्नगौ॥ ७॥  
> अनुजग्मतुरक्षुद्रौ पितामहमिवाश्विनौ।  
> अनुयातौ श्रिया दीप्तौ शोभयन्तावनिन्दितौ॥ ८॥

Equipped each with a pair of quivers, bow in hand, and illuminating the ten directions, viz., the four quarters, the four corners intervening the quarters, the upper and the lower directions, the two high-souled princes, who were devoted to the sage and were resplendent with glory and were irreproachable in everyway, and looked like a pair of three-headed serpents (the two quivers appearing like two additional heads), followed the noble-minded Viśwāmitra even as the twin-gods Aświnīkumāras, the physicians of gods, would accompany Brahmā (the progenitor of the entire creation)—adding lustre to the sage. (7-8)

> तदा कुशिकपुत्रं तु धनुष्पाणी स्वलंकृतौ।  
> बद्धगोधाङ्गुलित्राणौ खड्गवन्तौ महाद्युती॥ ९ ॥  
> कुमारौ चारुवपुषौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ।  
> अनुयातौ श्रिया दीप्तौ शोभयेतामनिन्दितौ॥ १०॥  
> स्थाणुं देवमिवाचिन्त्यं कुमाराविव पावकी।  
> अध्यर्धयोजनं गत्वा सरय्वा दक्षिणे तटे॥ ११॥  
> रामेति मधुरां वाणीं विश्वामित्रोऽभ्यभाषत।  
> गृहाण वत्स सलिलं मा भूत् कालस्य पर्ययः॥ १२॥

Following at his heels the two juvenile and irreproachable brothers, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa—who carried a bow in their hand, were duly adorned with jewels, nay, who had gloves of iguana skin fastened about their fingers and were further armed with a sword, who were possessed of great splendour and charming limbs and were radiant with glory—added to the lustre of Viśwāmitra (a scion of Kuśika) as the two boys Skanda and Viśākha (born of the fire-god) would adorn the immortal Lord Śiva, who is beyond all conception. Having walked to a distance of about twelve miles along the southern bank of Sarayū, the sage Viśwāmitra addressed the following sweet words : “Rāma, sip a little water; let there be no loss of time. (9—12)

> मन्त्रग्रामं गृहाण त्वं बलामतिबलां तथा।  
> न श्रमो न ज्वरो वा ते न रूपस्य विपर्ययः॥ १३॥

“Receive you from me with Lakṣmaṇa instruction in the chain of Mantras known by the name of Balā and the other known as Atibalā. By recourse to them you will have no fatigue, nor fever, nor will your loveliness be ever marred by old age etc. (13)

> न च सुप्तं प्रमत्तं वा धर्षयिष्यन्ति नैर्ऋताः।  
> न बाह्वोः सदृशो वीर्ये पृथिव्यामस्ति कश्चन॥ १४॥

“Nor will the ogres (born of Nirṛti, the goddess of death and variously regarded as the wife of Adharma or as a daughter of Adharma and Hiṁsā) overpower you even when you are asleep or careless (having omitted, for instance, to rinse your mouth, say, after evacuating your bladder); none on earth will equal you in the prowess of arms. (14)

> त्रिषु लोकेषु वा राम न भवेत् सदृशस्तव।  
> बलामतिबलां चैव पठतस्तात राघव॥ १५॥

“Nay, so long as you continue to mutter the spells known by the names of Balā and Atibalā, none will prove to be a match for you in all the three worlds, O Rāma ! (15)

> न सौभाग्ये न दाक्षिण्ये न ज्ञाने बुद्धिनिश्चये।  
> नोत्तरे प्रतिवक्तव्ये समो लोके तवानघ॥ १६॥

“None in the world will be your equal, O sinless one, either in good fortune or in prowess or in wisdom or in the judgment of your intellect or, again, in counter-arguments. (16)

> एतद्विद्याद्वये लब्धे न भवेत् सदृशस्तव।  
> बला चातिबला चैव सर्वज्ञानस्य मातरौ॥ १७॥

“When the two aforementioned spells have been received (learnt) by you, none will compare with you in any virtue whatsoever; for Balā and Atibalā are the sources of all wisdom (inasmuch as they dispel hunger and thirst etc., which dull one’s intellect and thereby make one forget whatever he has learnt). (17)

> क्षुत्पिपासे न ते राम भविष्येते नरोत्तम।  
> बलामतिबलां चैव पठतस्तात राघव॥ १८॥

“So long as you continue to repeat Balā as well as Atibalā, hunger and thirst, O Rāma, will never be felt by you, O jewel among men ! (18)

> गृहाण सर्वलोकस्य गुप्तये रघुनन्दन।  
> विद्याद्वयमधीयाने यशश्चाथ भवेद् भुवि।  
> पितामहसुते ह्येते विद्ये तेजस्समन्विते॥ १९॥

“So long as you go on muttering the two spells your renown will spread over the entire globe; for these two spells are the daughters of Brahmā (the creator) and are full of efficacy. (19)

> प्रदातुं तव काकुत्स्थ सदृशस्त्वं हि पार्थिव।  
> कामं बहुगुणाः सर्वे त्वय्येते नात्र संशयः॥ २०॥  
> तपसा सम्भृते चैते बहुरूपे भविष्यतः।  
> ततो रामो जलं स्पृष्ट्वा प्रहृष्टवदनः शुचिः॥ २१॥  
> प्रतिजग्राह ते विद्ये महर्षेर्भावितात्मनः।  
> विद्यासमुदितो रामः शुशुभे भीमविक्रमः॥ २२॥  
> सहस्ररश्मिर्भगवान् शरदीव दिवाकरः।  
> गुरुकार्याणि सर्वाणि नियुज्य कुशिकात्मजे।  
> ऊषुस्तां रजनीं तत्र सरय्वां ससुखं त्रयः॥ २३॥

“I feel inclined to impart the knowledge of these spells to you, O scion of Kakutstha; for you are fit to receive them, O prince! Even though all the manifold virtues referred to (in verses 13 to 19) above already exist in you—there is no doubt about it, the two spells mentioned above will grow many times more efficacious when duly grasped by you, who are asceticism personified, being the goal of all austerities.” Sipping water, Śrī Rāma, who is all-pure by nature, received with a most cheerful countenance initiation in the aforesaid two spells from that great sage, Viśwāmitra, of purified mind. Equipped with the knowledge of the aforesaid spells, Śrī Rāma of supreme prowess shone like the glorious sun, casting innumerable rays, in autumn. Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa performed all the duties that one owes to a teacher and all the three spent the night with ease on the bank of the Sarayū there. (20—23)

> दशरथनृपसूनुसत्तमाभ्यां तृणशयनेऽनुचिते तदोषिताभ्याम्।  
> कुशिकसुतवचोऽनुलालिताभ्यां सुखमिव सा विबभौ विभावरी च॥ २४॥

To Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, the two jewels among the sons of King Daśaratha, who, even though they lay there on a bed of straw, unworthy of princes, were bestowed with love all along by Viśwāmitra (son of Gādhi), that night appeared delightful indeed. (24)

Book: https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana

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