Bala Kanda, Sarga 27

Meaning

Having rested during that night (in the forest haunted so long by Tāṭakā), the highly illustrious Viśwāmitra smiled and addressed the following words in a sweet tone to Śrī Rāma : (1)

Meaning

“I am highly pleased with you, O highly glorious prince! May prosperity attend you ! Full of supreme affection I hereby impart to you the knowledge of all the missiles, whereby you will forcibly bring under control and conquer in battle all your enemies on earth and even hosts of gods and demons including the Gandharvas and Nāgas. (2-3)

Meaning

“I deliver to you all those celestial missiles, may good betide you! I shall deliver to you, O scion of Raghu, the great and ethereal Daṇḍa-Cakra and then the Dharma-Cakra, O gallant prince, as well as the Kāla-Cakra, also the Viṣṇu-Cakra as well as the most formidable Indra-Cakra and the missile in the shape of a thunderbolt, O jewel among men, similarly the Śula of Śiva, the best among all presided over by Lord Śiva, as well as the missile called Brahmaśirā and even the Aiṣīka (that employed through the medium of a reed, rush or stem of grass), O scion of Raghu ! (4—6)

Meaning

“I am going to deliver to you, O mighty-armed prince, the missile presided over by Brahmā, which is excelled by no other missile, and hand over to you, O tiger among men, a pair of blessed maces, Modakī and Śikharī by name, shining brightly, O scion of Kakutstha ! I also deliver to you, O Rāma, the noose possessed by Dharma, the god of piety, as well as that wielded by Kāla, the Time-Spirit and the superb missile in the form of the noose employed by Varuṇa, the god presiding over the waters. I further deliver to you, O scion of Raghu, a pair of Aśanis, one dry and the other moist. (7—9)

Meaning

“I also deliver to you the missile presided over by Lord Śiva, the Wielder of the bow named Pināka and the missile presided over by Lord Nārāyaṇa as well as the well-known missile Śikhara by name, presided over by and beloved of Agni, the god of fire. (10)

Meaning

“I further deliver to you, O sinless one, the missile par excellence presided over by the wind-god, the missile named Hayaśiras, presided over by Lord Hayagrīva, who bears the head of a horse, as well as the missile called Krauñca. (11)

Meaning

“I hand over to you, O Rāma, a scion of Kakutstha, a pair of Śaktis (javelins—the one presided over by Lord Viṣṇu and the other by Lord Śiva) as also Kaṅkāla, the dreadful Musala, the Kāpāla and Kiṅkiṇī, missiles wielded by the demons. I deliver to you all these missiles, which are capable of destroying the ogres. I hand over to you, O mighty-armed son of Daśaratha (a jewel among men), a great missile used by the Vidyādharas, viz., the well-known excellent sword, Nandana by name. I further deliver to you, O scion of Raghu, the celebrated missile beloved of the Gandharvas, Mohana by name (so-called because it is capable of stupefying the enemy), the soporific missile, Praswāpana, the gentle missile Praśamana, which possesses the virtue of pacifying the anger of the enemy, as well as the missiles Varṣaṇa, Śoṣaṇa, Santāpana and Vilāpana, which possess the virtues of discharging showers, sucking up moisture, releasing excessive heat and making the enemy wail, respectively, as well as the formidable missile Mādana, which inebriates the enemy, beloved of Kandarpa, the god of love, and the well-known missile beloved of the Gandharvas, Mānava by name. (12—16)

Meaning

“Receive from me, O illustrious prince, O tiger among men, the well-known missile beloved of the fiends, Mohana by name, so-called because it infatuates the enemy, as also the missiles Tāmasa and the mighty Saumana, O tiger among men, as well as Saṁvarta and the formidable Mausala, O son of King Daśaratha, the missile known by the name of Satya as also the great missile called Māyāmaya, O mighty-armed one, the missile presided over by the sun-god, Tejaḥprabha by name, which takes away the glory of the enemy, the missile presided over by the moon-god, Śiśira by name, the most formidable missile presided over by Twaṣṭā, the architect of gods, the dreadful missile of Bhaga (one of the twelve sons of Aditi, presiding over the sun by turns month after month) as well as the missile presided over by Manu, known by the name of Śīteṣu. (17—20)

Meaning

“Receive at once, O mighty-armed Rāma, these very powerful and supremely beneficent missiles capable of taking any form at will, O son of King Daśaratha !” (21)

Meaning

Getting purified through ablutions etc., and sitting with his face turned towards the east, Viśwāmitra, the foremost of hermits, who was highly delighted, imparted to Śrī Rāma a string of Mantras (sacred texts capable of invoking the missiles) unexcelled by others in their field. (22)

Meaning

The Brāhmaṇa, Viśwāmitra, then delivered to Śrī Rāma, as well as to Lakṣmaṇa the missiles which could not be easily retained in one’s memory in their entirety even by gods. (23)

Meaning

Even while that intelligent sage Viśwāmitra was silently repeating the Mantras, embodying the said missiles, all the missiles, worthy of great adoration as they were, appeared before Śrī Rāma in their shining ethereal forms. (24)

Meaning

Nay, full of joy, all spoke as follows with folded hands (as a mark of respect) to Śrī Rāma : “Here do we stand as your servants, O supermely generous Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu ! We are prepared to do all that you would have us do. May good betide you !” Addressed thus by those mighty missiles in living form, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Kakutstha, thereupon accepted them with a cheerful mind as his own and, stroking them with his hand, commanded them as follows : “Appear in my mind whenever I think of you.” (25—27)

Meaning

Saluting the great sage Viśwāmitra, the highly glorious Śrī Rāma with a delighted mind then got ready to proceed further. (28)