--- title: "Uttara Kanda, Sarga 96" canonical: "https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana/uttara-kanda/sarga-96" lang: "en" --- # Uttara Kanda, Sarga 96 > तौ रजन्यां प्रभातायां स्नातौ हुतहुताशनौ। > यथोक्तमृषिणा पूर्वं सर्वं तत्रोपगायताम्॥ १॥ > तां स शुश्राव काकुत्स्थः पूर्वाचार्यविनिर्मिताम्। > अपूर्वां पाठ्यजातिं च गेयेन समलंकृताम्॥ २॥ As the night passed and the day approached, both Kuśa and Lava having taken their bath and made offerings to the fire, sang the poem there, as instructed by the sage Vālmīki. That scion of Kakutstha heard that musical recitation accompanied with musical notes, unheard of before, composed as per the cadences set by former great masters of music. (1-2) > प्रमाणैर्बहुभिर्बद्धां तन्त्रीलयसमन्विताम्। > बालाभ्यां राघवः श्रुत्वा कौतूहलपरोऽभवत्॥ ३॥ The descendant of Raghu, Śrī Rāma, hearing that song, set to the proper time and tune and accompanied by the playing of the lute by the two boys, was amazed. (3) > अथ कर्मान्तरे राजा समाहूय महामुनीन्। > पार्थिवांश्च नरव्याघ्रः पण्डितान् नैगमांस्तथा॥ ४॥ > पौराणिकान् शब्दविदो ये वृद्धाश्च द्विजातयः। > स्वराणां लक्षणज्ञांश्च उत्सुकान् द्विजसत्तमान्॥ ५॥ > लक्षणज्ञांश्च गान्धर्वान् नैगमांश्च विशेषतः। > पादाक्षरसमासज्ञांश्छन्दःसु परिनिष्ठितान्॥ ६॥ > कलामात्राविशेषज्ञाञ्ज्यौतिषे च परं गतान्। > क्रियाकल्पविदश्चैव तथा कार्यविशारदान्॥ ७॥ > भाषाज्ञानिङ्गितज्ञांश्च नैगमांश्चाप्यशेषतः। > हेतूपचारकुशलान् हैतुकांश्च बहुश्रुतान्॥ ८॥ > छन्दोविदः पुराणज्ञान् वैदिकान् द्विजसत्तमान्। > चित्रज्ञान् वृत्तसूत्रज्ञान् गीतनृत्यविशारदान्॥ ९॥ > शास्त्रज्ञान् नीतिनिपुणान् वेदान्तार्थप्रबोधकान्। > एतान् सर्वान् समानीय गातारौ समवेशयत्॥ १०॥ Then in the midst of the performance of the Aśvamedha Yajña, the king, Śrī Rāma, the tiger among men, having called, the great ascetics, the other kings and the learned citizens, the specialists in the Purāṇas, and also those aged Brāhmaṇas who were proficient in the knowledge of words, and also those best among Brāhmaṇas, who were curious to hear the Rāmāyaṇa and knew the specialities of musical notes, the knowers of auspicious marks, the musicians, all citizens, the knowers of the relation between the syllables of stanza and were proficient in metres; those who excelled in art only, and those well-versed in astrology, knowers of ritual performances, and also those specializing in the details of the ritual and those skilled in suggesting remedial forms of ritual, the logicians and also the erudite ones, the verifiers and knowers of the Purāṇas, the Vedas, the best among Brāhmaṇas, knowers of the Citra (forms of the Kāvya), knowers of the Sūtras on righteous conduct (Dharmasūtras) and also experts in vocal music and dance, and bringing all of them together, made the two singers sit in the assembly of all these. (4—10) > तेषां संवदतां तत्र श्रोतॄणां हर्षवर्धनम्। > गेयं प्रचक्रतुस्तत्र तावुभौ मुनिदारकौ॥ ११॥ Those two sons of the sage (Lava and Kuśa) then started singing, causing more joy to audience who were talking among themselves. (11) > ततः प्रवृत्तं मधुरं गान्धर्वमतिमानुषम्। > न च तृप्तिं ययुः सर्वे श्रोतारो गेयसम्पदा॥ १२॥ Then continued the super-human music; all hearing it were not satiated by its musical culture and desired to hear more of it. (12) > हृष्टा मुनिगणाः सर्वे पार्थिवाश्च महौजसः। > पिबन्त इव चक्षुर्भिः पश्यन्ति स्म मुहुर्मुहुः॥ १३॥ The hosts of sages were in joy and also the mighty kings, seeing again and again the two boys as if they would drink them up through their eyes. (13) > ऊचुः परस्परं चेदं सर्व एव समाहिताः। > उभौ रामस्य सदृशौ बिम्बाद् बिम्बमिवोत्थितौ॥ १४॥ They looked attentively and said to each other: ‘Both are similar to Śrī Rāma as a reflection of the original object. (14) > जटिलौ यदि न स्यातां न वल्कलधरौ यदि। > विशेषं नाधिगच्छामो गायतो राघवस्य च॥ १५॥ ‘If they were not bearing matted hair or not dressed in bark-garments, we could not differentiate between those two singers and the descendant of Raghu, the king, Śrī Rāma. (15) > एवं प्रभाषमाणेषु पौरजानपदेषु च। > प्रवृत्तमादितः पूर्वसर्गं नारददर्शितम्॥ १६॥ While the citizens and townsmen talked in this way, the first canto attributed to Nārada was sung from the beginning. (16) > ततः प्रभृति सर्गांश्च यावद् विंशत्यगायताम्। > ततोऽपराह्णसमये राघवः समभाषत॥ १७॥ > श्रुत्वा विंशतिसर्गांस्तान् भ्रातरं भ्रातृवत्सलः। > अष्टादश सहस्राणि सुवर्णस्य महात्मनोः॥ १८॥ > प्रयच्छ शीघ्रं काकुत्स्थ यदन्यदभिकांक्षितम्। > ददौ स शीघ्रं काकुत्स्थो बालयोर्वै पृथक् पृथक्॥ १९॥ From then on, they sang till the twenty cantos were completed. Then in the evening Śrī Rāma, the descendant of Raghu, affectionate to his brothers after hearing the twenty cantos, spoke to his brother: “Give to these two noble ones soon, eighteen thousand gold coins, and whatever else they ask for.” The scion of Kakutstha, Bharata, at once began to give it to those two boys separately. (17—19) > दीयमानं सुवर्णं तु नागृह्णीतां कुशीलवौ। > ऊचतुश्च महात्मानौ किमनेनेति विस्मितौ॥ २०॥ The two—Kuśa and Lava, the noble ones, did not accept the gold coins being given to them and they said in surprise: ‘Of what use are these to us.’ (20) > वन्येन फलमूलेन निरतौ वनवासिनौ। > सुवर्णेन हिरण्येन किं करिष्यावहे वने॥ २१॥ ‘We reside in the forest and subsist daily on fruits and roots. What shall we do with gold and silver coins in the forest.’ (21) > तथा तयोः प्रब्रुवतोः कौतूहलसमन्विताः। > श्रोतारश्चैव रामश्च सर्व एव सुविस्मिताः॥ २२॥ Thus as both of them spoke, those who heard them together with Śrī Rāma, too, were surprised and filled with curiosity. (22) > तस्य चैवागमं रामः काव्यस्य श्रोतुमुत्सुकः। > पप्रच्छ तौ महातेजास्तावुभौ मुनिदारकौ॥ २३॥ Desirous to know the composer of that poem, Śrī Rāma, the mighty one, asked both of those two ascetics: (23) > किं प्रमाणमिदं काव्यं का प्रतिष्ठा महात्मनः। > कर्ता काव्यस्य महतः क्व चासौ मुनिपुङ्गवः॥ २४॥ “How long is this poem? What is the object of the noble one, Vālmīki? Where is the composer of this poem, the best among ascetics.” (24) > पृच्छन्तं राघवं वाक्यमूचतुर्मुनिदारकौ। > वाल्मीकिर्भगवान् कर्ता सम्प्राप्तो यज्ञसंविधम्। > येनेदं चरितं तुभ्यमशेषं सम्प्रदर्शितम्॥ २५॥ The two sons of ascetic said to the scion of Raghu, ‘The venerable sage Vālmīki is the composer who has come to this place of performance. By this poem he has revealed the whole life’s account to you. (25) > संनिबद्धं हि श्लोकानां चतुर्विंशत्सहस्रकम्। > उपाख्यानशतं चैव भार्गवेण तपस्विना॥ २६॥ ‘Twenty-four thousand Ślokas (verses) with a hundred legends have been composed by the ascetic, Bhārgava Vālmīki, the brother of Bhṛgu. (26) > आदिप्रभृति वै राजन् पञ्चसर्गशतानि च। > काण्डानि षट्कृतानीह सोत्तराणि महात्मना॥ २७॥ > कृतानि गुरुणास्माकमृषिणा चरितं तव। > प्रतिष्ठा जीवितं यावत् तावत् सर्वस्य वर्तते॥ २८॥ ‘From the beginning, O King, five hundred cantos with six Kāṇḍas (parts) together with the Uttara (best Kāṇḍa) have been composed by the noble one, our preceptor, sage Vālmīki, keeping in mind your life’s deeds which will continue till all beings live. (27-28) > यदि बुद्धिः कृता राजन् श्रवणाय महारथ। > कर्मान्तरे क्षणीभूतस्तच्छृणुष्व सहानुजः॥ २९॥ ‘O king, the great chariot-warrior, if you have a mind to hear it, then in between this performance of Yajña, listen joyfully together with your brothers.’ (29) > बाढमित्यब्रवीद् रामस्तौ चानुज्ञाप्य राघवम्। > प्रहृष्टौ जग्मतुः स्थानं यत्रास्ते मुनिपुङ्गवः॥ ३०॥ “Be it so” said Śrī Rāma, and the two taking leave (of Śrī Rāma), went cheerfully to the place where the great sage was staying. (30) > रामोऽपि मुनिभिः सार्धं पार्थिवैश्च महात्मभिः। > श्रुत्वा तद् गीतिमाधुर्यं कर्मशालामुपागमत्॥ ३१॥ Śrī Rāma too with the ascetics and the noble kings, having heard the sweet song, approached the place of performance. (31) > शुश्राव तत्ताललयोपपन्नं > सर्गान्वितं सुस्वरशब्दयुक्तम्। > तन्त्रीलयव्यञ्जनयोगयुक्तं > कुशीलवाभ्यां परिगीयमानम्॥ ३२॥ The song set into Chandas with proper words, embettered by proper beats and time, sung by Kuśa and Lava with lute in harmony, was heard by the scion of the Kakutsthas, Śrī Rāma. (32) Book: https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana --- Source: Gita Press, Gorakhpur editions. Buy the book: https://gitapress.org/product/sri-ramcharitmanas-special-edition Ramayana.com, a free, ad-free project of Ved Vyas Foundation.