Bala Kanda, Sarga 50

Meaning

Proceeding in a north-easterly direction from the said hermitage, and placing Viśwāmitra at the head of the party, Śrī Rāma, accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa (son of Sumitrā), reached the sacrificial enclosure of Janaka, the king of Mithilā. (1)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma for his part alongwith Lakṣmaṇa remarked to Viśwāmitra (a tiger among hermits), “Excellent indeed is the preparation made for the sacrifice undertaken by the high-souled Janaka. (2)

Meaning

“Many thousands of Brāhmaṇas enriched with a study of the Vedas and living in different parts of the country can be seen here, as well as small enclosures set apart for Ṛṣis and full of hundreds of carts, carrying the requisites for their Agnihotra or daily oblations to the sacred fire, O highly blessed sage! Let a suitable site be selected, where we should halt, O holy one !” (3-4)

Meaning

Hearing the submission of Śrī Rāma, the great sage Viśwāmitra halted at a secluded and clean spot supplied with water. (5)

Meaning

Hearing of Viśwāmitra having arrived (with his party) on that occasion, the irreproachable Janaka, the foremost of kings, full of humility, went forth all at once in a hurry to meet him, placing at the head his family priest, Śatānanda (son of Gautama) and other high-souled priests officiating at his sacrifice, and taking water to wash the hands of the distinguished guests, and offered it to Viśwāmitra alongwith other items of hospitality such as Madhuparka* in accordance with the scriptural ordinance. Accepting the aforesaid hospitality of the high-souled Janaka, Viśwāmitra for his part inquired after the welfare of Janaka as well as about the unhampered progress of his sacrificial performance. Inquiring after the welfare of those hermits too that had accompanied the king as well as that of the priests officiating at the sacrifice and Śatānanda, the family priest, he next embraced all the Ṛṣis in order of seniority

Meaning

with great delight. The king then submitted to Viśwāmitra, the foremost of hermits with folded hands as follows : (6—10)

Meaning

“Let Your Holiness be seated on the seat offered by me alongwith these jewels among ascetics.” Hearing the request of Janaka, the great sage Viśwāmitra sat down. (11)

Meaning

Śatānanda, Janaka’s family priest, as well as the priests officiating at the sacrifice and the king himself with his ministers sat down on their seats in order of seniority on all sides of Viśwāmitra at his request. (12)

Meaning

Turning his eyes towards Viśwāmitra, the said king then spoke to him as follows in that assembly : “The preparations made for my sacrificial performance have been fulfilled by the gods today. (13)

Meaning

“Nay, the fruit of my sacrifice has been attained by me this very day through Your Holiness’ sight alone. I feel blessed and indebted to you, in that you, the foremost of ascetics, have arrived at my sacrificial grounds alongwith a number of sages. The wise among the priests, O Brāhmaṇa Ṛṣi, declare that my sacrificial vow is to continue for twelve more days only. After that, O scion of Kuśa, you will see (with your clairvoyant vision) the gods who appear in person seeking their share of the sacrificial offerings.” Having submitted to Viśwāmitra, a veritable tiger among sages, as aforesaid on that occasion, the king, piously disposed as he was, questioned him once more with a cheerful countenance and folded-hands as follows : “May God bless you ! These two valiant lads who are equal in prowess to the gods and whose gait resembles that of an elephant, look like a tiger and a bull, respectively. Having eyes as large as the petals of a lotus and carrying as they do on their person a sword, quiver and bow each, they vie with the Aświns (the twin-born physicians of gods, celebrated for their physical charm) in their comeliness of form and stand at the threshold of youth. (14—18)

Meaning

“Nay, they look like a pair of gods descended on earth from the celestial plane of their own will. How and what for or for whose sake have they travelled on foot to this place, O sage? (19)

Meaning

“Whose sons, O great sage, may be the two heroes wielding excellent weapons? I wish to hear in reality about the two gallant youths, who are gracing this land even as the moon and the sun illumine the sky, who are replicas of each other in the size of their body, in the outer expression of their feelings, as well as in the movements of their body, and who wear side-locks on their head.” (20-21)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid inquiry of King Janaka, who was well-known to be an exalted soul, Sage Viśwāmitra, who wields immense spiritual power, declared them to be sons of Emperor Daśaratha. (22)

Meaning

He also told Janaka of their intrepid journey to and sojourn at Siddhāśrama, as well as about the destruction of ogres at their hands, nay, of their visit to Viśālā and calling on Ahalyā as well as of their meeting with Sage Gautama and finally of their visit to Mithilā in order to know about the great bow (kept by Janaka for testing the valour of those suing the hand of his daughter). (23-24)

Meaning

Having related all this to the high-souled Janaka, the great sage Viśwāmitra, who was exceptionally glorious, forthwith paused. (25)