Bala Kanda, Sarga 39

Meaning

Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, felt supremely delighted to hear the speech of Viśwāmitra. At the end of the discourse he spoke as follows, to the sage who shone as fire : (1)

Meaning

“May God bless you, I wish to hear this story at length. How did my forefather, King Sagara, perform the sacrifice, O holy one?” (2)

Meaning

Seized with wonder to hear that question of Śrī Rāma, Viśwāmitra for his part replied to the scion of Kakutstha as follows as though laughing heartily : (3)

Meaning

“Hear, O Rāma, a detailed account of the sacrificial performance of the high-souled Sagara. The father-in-law of Lord Śaṅkara, widely known by the name of Himavān, and the Vindhya mountain gaze on one another, Himavān overlooking Vindhya and vice versa. The aforesaid sacrifice took place in the region lying between the two ranges, O chief of men ! (4-5)

Meaning

“That land,* O tiger among men, is really commended for a sacrificial performance. Remaining at Sagara’s beck and call, O dear Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha), Aṁśumān, a great car-warrior, who was armed with a strong bow played the role of attending the sacrificial horse during its wanderings as its guard. Assuming the semblance of an ogre Indra stole away the sacrificial horse of Sagara, while he was busy performing the said sacrifice on the day of Ukthya (a liturgical ceremony). While the aforesaid horse of the high-souled Sagara was actually being taken away, all the priests officiating at the sacrifice forthwith addressed the sacrificer as follows : ‘On the day of Ukthya, the sacrificial horse is being taken away with vehemence over there. Kill the thief, O scion of Kakutstha, and let the horse be recovered. This obstruction in the sacrificial performance is calculated to bring ill-luck to us all. (6—10)

Meaning

‘Therefore, it may be so arranged, O king, that the sacrificial performance is cleared of this impediment.’ Hearing the report of the priests including the family-priest, gathered in that assembly, the king addressed the following words to his sixty thousand sons: so the tradition goes : “I do not perceive, my sons, even the access of ogres to this sacrificial performance, O jewels among men, since this great sacrifice is presided over by highly blessed souls consecrated by the recitation of holy texts. Therefore, go and track out the thief, my beloved sons; may good luck attend you all. (11—13)

Meaning

‘Ransack the entire globe encircled by the oceans. Apportion to yourselves, my sons, land with an area of one square Yojana (64 sq. miles) each and scour it. (14)

Meaning

‘If, however, you fail to trace him on the earth’s surface, excavate the earth under my order, looking about for the very individual who has stolen away the horse, till the horse is found. (15)

Meaning

‘I for my part, who stand consecrated, will stay here alongwith my grandson, Aṁśumān, and the priests officiating at the sacrifice till the horse is in sight; may good betide you.’ (16)

Meaning

“Bound by the words of their father, all those very mighty princes traversed the earth’s surface with a delighted mind, O Rāma ! (17)

Meaning

“Traversing the whole earth and yet not finding the horse, the mighty princes, who were tigers among men, started excavating the earth with their arms whose impact was as hard as that of a thunderbolt, each digging land covering an area of one square Yojana or sixty-four square miles. (18)

Meaning

“The earth groaned even as it was being dug with pikes hard as adamant as well as with most formidable ploughshares, O scion of Raghu ! (19)

Meaning

“There was a loud roar, that could not be easily repressed, of Nāgas, demons, ogres and other living beings inhabiting the subterranean regions, that were being killed in the course of the excavation. (20)

Meaning

“They excavated, O scion of Raghu, land covering an area of sixty thousand square Yojanas as if to reach Rasātala (the sixth or penultimate subterranean sphere), a region excelled by no other sphere in point of beauty, splendour and amenities of life, O Rāma ! (21)

Meaning

“In this way, O tiger among princes, the sixty thousand sons of Sagara went about excavating in all directions the land of Jambūdwīpa, thick with mountains. (22)

Meaning

“Agitated in mind, gods including Gandharvas, demons and Nāgas, all sought the presence of Brahmā, the progenitor of the entire creation. (23)

Meaning

“Glorifying the high-souled Brahmā on that occasion, they made the following submission to him with a doleful face, greatly alarmed as they were : (24)

Meaning

“ ‘O Lord, the entire globe is being excavated and many exalted souls and aquatic animals killed in the process by the sons of Sagara. (25)

Meaning

“ ‘The aforesaid sons of Sagara are destroying all created beings suspecting that whosoever comes before them has interfered with their sacrificial performance and that the sacrificial horse has been taken away by him.’ (26)