Bala Kanda, Sarga 51

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid story told by the celebrated Viśwāmitra, who was a repository of wisdom, the exceptionally glorious Śatānanda, the eldest son of Gautama—who was a great ascetic (like his father), nay, whose brilliance stood heightened by his asceticism—was thrilled with joy and felt greatly astonished at the very sight of Śrī Rāma. (1-2)

Meaning

Beholding these two princes, Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, seated and comfortably ensconced, the celebrated Śatānanda now spoke to Viśwāmitra, the foremost of hermits as follows : (3)

Meaning

“Was my illustrious mother, who had been going through a long course of austerities, shown by you to Śrī Rāma, son of King Daśaratha, O tiger among sages?(4)

Meaning

“Did my exceptionally glorious and illustrious mother offer hospitality with wild fruits etc., to Śrī Rāma, who deserves to be honoured by all embodied souls? (5)

Meaning

“Did you tell Śrī Rāma the old story of the outrage which was done by Indra to my mother, O exceptionally glorious sage? (6)

Meaning

“ May God bless you, O scion of Kuśika ! Was my mother united once again with my father, O jewel among ascetics, as a result of Śrī Rāma’s sight and other factors? (7)

Meaning

“Was Śrī Rāma honoured by my father, O son of Kuśika, and has this exceptionally glorious prince come here after receiving the hospitality of that exalted soul? (8)

Meaning

“Was my father greeted with a tranquil mind by Śrī Rāma when arrived and honoured by him in this grove, O son of Gādhi (a scion of Kuśa)?” (9)

Meaning

Hearing his aforesaid questionnaire, the great sage Viśwāmitra, who was well-versed in elocution, replied as follows to Śatānanda, a master of expression himself : (10)

Meaning

“What ought to have been done was done by me; no omission was made. Ahalyā, the wife of Gautama, has been re-united with the sage (her husband), as Reṇukā, mother of Paraśurāma got re-united with her spouse, Jamadagni, a scion of Bhṛgu.” (11)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid reply of the celebrated Viśwāmitra, a man of wisdom, the exceptionally glorious Śatānanda spoke to Śrī Rāma as follows : (12)

Meaning

“Welcome is your advent to this place, O jewel among men! Placing at the head the eminent seer, Viśwāmitra, who cannot be easily worsted, O scion of Raghu, you have arrived here through our good luck. (13)

Meaning

“The exceptionally glorious Viśwāmitra is credited with achievements which cannot even be conceived by others and has attained to the rank of a Brāhmaṇa Ṛṣi through sheer dint of askesis. He is invested with a splendour which is beyond measure. I know him to be the highest resort of all. (14)

Meaning

“None else on earth is more blessed than you, O Rāma, inasmuch as your guardian is Viśwāmitra, son of Kuśika, by whom great austerities have been performed. (15)

Meaning

“Please listen ! I shall point out to you as it is the might as well as the reality of the high-souled Viśwāmitra, son of Kuśika. Hear it from me even as I speak to you. (16)

Meaning

“This sage has for a long time been a pious king capable of subduing his enemies, knowing what is right, learned and devoted to the good of the people. (17)

Meaning

“Formerly there was a king, Kuśa by name, a son of Brahmā, the lord of created beings; while Kuśa’s son was the mighty and highly pious Kuśanābha. (18)

Meaning

“The son of Kuśanābha was widely known by the simple name of Gādhi, while Gādhi’s exceptionally glorious son is the great sage Viśwāmitra. (19)

Meaning

“The highly glorious King Viśwāmitra carried on his administration and ruled over the earth for many thousands of years. (20)

Meaning

“Collecting an army and accompanied by an Akṣauhiṇī (a division consisting of 21,870 elephants, an equal number of chariots, 65,610 horse and 1,09,350 foot), the exceptionally glorious king once went round the globe. (21)

Meaning

“Marching successively across cities and states, rivers and great mountains and hermitages, the king, they say, came to the site of Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage, rich in flowers, creepers and trees of various kinds, infested with hordes of wild animals of every description, and frequented by Siddhas and Cāraṇas. (22-23)

Meaning

“It was graced by the presence of gods, demons, Gandharvas and Kinnaras, abounded in most peaceful deer and was resorted to by flocks of birds. (24)

Meaning

“Nay, it was crowded with multitudes of Brāhmaṇa Ṛṣis, visited by batches of celestial sages and incessantly thronged with noble souls accomplished of purpose through the performance of austerities and resplendent as fire, and adorned on all sides with exalted souls vying with the glorious Brahmā (the creator), Ṛṣis living (in some cases) on water or air and (in other cases) on leaves fallen on earth or on fruits and roots alone, nay, who had controlled not only their external senses but their inner sense, the mind, as well and conquered all their weaknesses as well as with the class of Ṛṣis known as the Vālakhilyas (so-called because they took their descent from the hair of Brahmā), intent on Japa (the muttering of prayers) and Homa (pouring oblations into the sacred fire), and others, called the Vaikhānasas, who are said to have sprung up from the nails* of Brahmā. The mighty Viśwāmitra, the foremost of the victorious, beheld the aforesaid site of the hermitage of Vasiṣṭha, which was a second Brahmaloka (the realm of Brahmā) as it were. (25—28)