By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam: Bala Kandam 2 (Padalam 5)
5. Thiru avathara Padalam The chapter on divine incarnation (This chapter starts with Dasaratha telling Vasishta that he does not have sons and wants them. Vasishta remembers about the promise of Lord Vishnu to be born as son of Dasaratha. He advises him to get ASwamedha sacrifice by bringing sage Rishya Srunga. A ghost like being comes out of the fire and gives a PInda of sweet offering. Dasaratha divides it and gives it to his queens Kausalya , Kaikeyi and Sumathra . Rama , BHaratha, Lakshmana and Sathrugna are born to them. They grow up wel and are taught by sage Vasishta. Dasaratha loves Rama most. Valmiki Ramayana tells this story in a different manner. Dasaratha desires to do Aswamedha yaga to get sons. Sumanthra his minister tells him how he has heard Sage Sanathkumara telling other sages that Lord Vishnu would be born as son to Dasaratha. He also tells him that the Fire sacrifice should be performed under leadership of Rishya Srunga, Dasaratha brings Rishya Srunga and ASwamedha sacrifice is performed. At the end to fulfill the desire of Dasaratha for sons a “Puthra Ishti” is performed by Rishya Srunga. A divine being comes out of the fire and gives Payasa to Dasaratha who distributes it among his queens. Children are born to them and they are taught by sage Vasishta. )
180.One day that king approached and worshipped sage Vasishta* ,Who was equivalent to God Brahma and told him,“You are the result of penance of mothers and fathers of our clan,AS well the God on whom I have great respectful love ,And you all others as well all the souls to me .” * Vasishta is the son of Lord Brahma.
181. ”The leaders of my clan looked after the world like sun God and made their clan famous ,And though there are none who do not get soft by fame,I looked after this entire world properly from this Ayodhya ,Due to the shower of your grace .”
182. ”I have ruled over this world suppressing all my enemies,For the past sixty thousand years and I do not have any problems,Except a worry in me that after me this world is likely to be confused.”
183. ”The sages doing great penance and great Brahmins,Were living very comfortably without any sorrow til now,Due to my having no children , would not ,Those great ones suffer due to great sorrow.This worry is causing great sorrow in my mind.”
184. Then Vasishta , the son of Lord Brahma who sits on a lotus,Hearing all these words from the king ,Who had a door where drums are being played ,And who was wearing a crown studded with gems, Started thinking like this in his mind.
185. The God Vishnu who had the colour of the dark cloud,Who was sleeping like huge mountain on a serpent bed ,Which was in the middle of the ocean of milk,Had given word to the suffering devas , that ,He would put an end to the Rakshasas whose only job was killing.
186. When the devas who were living in heaven troubled.By the Rakshasas whose job was causing trouble to them,Approached the feet of Lord Shiva , who had poison standing in his neck,And when they told him about their sorrow , that God Shiva,Who already knew what the future holds,Told them, “I will not fight from now on” and,Along with the Devas went to Lord Brahma.
187. They reached the jeweled pavilion without any defects, At the top of the Meru mountain and saluted the Lord Brahma who came there,And started telling him about the evil acts of those Asuras,Who were enemies of devas , Which were like the thunder in the sky .
188. Then Lord Brahma who sits on the lotus flower told ,About how The Meghanadha(indrajith) kidnapped Indra from his town,And how he tied him and took to the city of Lanka,And how he went there and brought back Indra.
189. Against that twenty armed and ten headed Ravana,Who lacked the wealth of graceful nature,Since we were not able to take any action ,The only way to release us from this problem,Would be for Lord Vishnu who is like a black cloud ,And is the sea of mercy to wage a war and then kill him.
190. After mentally saluting Lord Vishnu who is like a divine emerald mountain,Who was lying on the ocean of milk with its torrential waves,If he salute him with folded hands , meditate on him and pray him,With a knowledge that this indeed is salvation , he would without delay help.
191. Then Lord Vishnu came like a blackish cloud ,Making the forest of lotus flowers bloom,And Holding two flames on both his sides,And appeared there as if he was climbing on a golden mountain,Along with Lakshmi who was sitting on a full open lotus flower ,Riding on Garuda and reached the great Meru mountain.
192. Then the lord with the blue neck and Brahma who likes ,To sit on a lotus flower saluted his feet and along with devas ,Along with all devas stood up and went before Lord Vishnu,And when they were praising him , danced with great joy.
193. They all drank the honey of joy thinking that,All the asuras have been killed and without knowing any other thing,Sang and danced , ran here and there and after saluting,The feet of that God with scent of THulasi (ocimum sanctum) and kept it on their head.
194. With the prettiness of a cloud getting down from the golden mount Meru, Getting down from the shoulders of the great one who has made me his own,Reaching the pavilion which was as tall as the sky ,My lord sat on a seat which was looking like a lion.
195. Lord Brahma, the sages , all the devas,And Lord Shiva who has tufted hair and wears the moon,With great wonder and with great happiness ,Sat on seats near to that of Lord Vishnu ,And informed him of the cruel acts of those bad Asuras.
196. ”Oh Lord of Goddess Lakshmi due to the ten headed Ravana,And those born after him who are all strong asuras,The earth and heavens are slowly loosing their blessed deeds,And there is no way to save them” saying this they left a deep breath.
197. ” Those asuras who have grown great , due to our great boons ,Are killing the people of all the three worlds by fighting with them.Oh Lord with lotus like eyes , if we do not put an end to their cruelties now,Very soon they would destroy all the three worlds.”
198. When so saying , those sorrowing devas prayed and saluted Lord Vishnu,He who is pretty wearing the scented THulasi and flower garlands ,Told them, “Do not wory, I would cut off the heads of those cheating asuras,And remove the sorrow of the worldand please hear about it.”
199. ” Let all of you in heavens , go and be born as monkeys,In the forests , mountains and valleys as my army “Thus told Lord Vishnu who was an ocean of mercy.
200. ”I myself would be born in the earth , as son of Dasaratha,Who has sea like army walking as well as riding on elephants, horses and chariots,And using my arrows which never miss their target .I would destroy the mirage like Asuras, their strength got out of boons and their lives.”
201. “The wheel and conch which are my weapons and Adhisesha,Who has a poison which would even destroy the northern fire ,Would be born as my younger brothers who would salute me,In the city of Ayodhya which has walls all across the earth.”
202. When he the enchanter who wears the scented Thulasi garland, Told like this , due to great happiness all the devas Thinking that God saved them all, stood up and danced ,And sang the auspicious song that does good to all.
203. Indra became happy thinking that his sorrow has come to an end,Brahma who lived in the pure lotus flower and Lord Shiva who wore the crescent ,And all those who live in the great heavens said, “our subjugation is now over”,And then That Lord Vishnu who had once swallowed the entire earth,Placed his divine feet with his anklets on Garuda , his steed.
204. After Lord Vishnu who has made me his, has gone back ,On the Garuda , Lord Brahma addressing the devas told,“Even earlier I have been born as Jambavan , the king of bears,And you all now go back take incarnation as monkeys.”
205. Then Indra who was the Lord of Devas who possessed the wish giving tree,Told, “My contribution is Vali who is like thunder to his enemies and Angadha,”Sun God told “Understand that my contribution is Sugreeva, the brother of Vali”,And the god of fire told, My contribution is the monkey hero called Neela.”
206. When the wind God told that he is represented by Maruthi,All the other devas told that they have decided to be born,AS monkeys who will destroy enemies in earth,And Lord Shiva who burnt the three cities told thatHe would be born as Hanuman and so he asked“How can there be sorrow to all people in the world?”
207. As per the desire of the merciful lotus eyed God ,Lord Brahma who sits on the lotus and the dark necked Lord Shiva,Along with the devas , took the forms as mentioned above ,And have come as monkeys in dark forests and the earth ,And Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva both went to their places of residences.
208. Sage Vasishta thought in his mind , that these have happened earlier,And told , “Oh king who has powerful shoulders and who has won in wars everywhere,Please do not get worried due to not getting a son. If you perform properlyThat fire sacrifice which can give you sons who can protect ,All the fourteen worlds , your sorrow of the mind will vanish,”
209. When the great sage Vasishta told like this , Dasaratha,Stood up with very great joy , saluted the feet of that great sage ,“How can sorrow come to me , when I have surrendered to you only?And so please tell me the work involved of doing that fire sacrifice properly?”
210-211. The son of sage Kashyapa who is the father of guiltless devas ,As well as other asuras , has a son called Vibhandaka ,Who has been praised even by Lord Shiva who carries the GangesAnd who is equal to his father Kashyapa , and he himself has a son,Who is equal to Lord Brahma , if we consider his great mastery of knowledge ,And due to his knowledge of tenets of justice as told by Vedas.He is one who is ignorant of of the differing personalities and nature of the world,And has a deer like antlers attached to his face and is called Sringa .
212. He is one with a mind which thinks that all human beings of this great earth,Which is carried by the very many heads of the snake are only animals, And who has done great penance and if we properly consider ,He is the one who is fit to be praised by Brahma who likes to sit on lotus,And the Lord Shiva who destroyed the three cities,And if that Rishya Srunga carries out the fire sacrifice,Which would give sons , definitely you will get sons.
213. Then that king of kings of all the worlds after worshipping,The flower like feet of that great sage , who gave him this good advice ,And who is the chief of all the great sages who do penance ,Asked him, “Where does that faultless sage who has all good qualities live?How can I bring that great sage here? Oh sage who is like a God to me ,please tell me.”
214. There is a king called Roma pada , who rules all this world and,Who is the son of Uthanapada who was born in the clan of Manu ,Who was capable of winning over all his enemies,Who was like the cool shade even for mercy , Who was having a true nature,Who used to rule his country in such a way that ,The bad fate which was like an anthill and strange sorrows are destroyed.
215. In the divine country ruled by that great king ,Since for a long time the clouds that lead to lightning was not there,Which lead to great sorrow , the king summoned great sages who were expert in Vedas,And gave them gifts of charity as mentioned in Vedas ,And since this also did not lead to the coming of the rain,He again summoned those sages and enquired ways to bring rain,And they told , if sage Rishya Srunga comes to the kingdom then it would rain.
216. ,When he thought about ways to bring that great sage ,Who thought that all men who are in this earth dressed by sea are only animals,And who has faultless great penance , some ladies of the assembly ,Who had shining forehead , long black eyes, red coral like lips .And who had firm breasts, stood up and told,“We would bring that great sage here.”
217. When they told like this, the king was overjoyed and gave them,Ornaments and cloths as per need and asked them with,Foreheads like a cool moon’s crescent , With shoulders like thick Bamboo,Thin waist , thick breasts , dark hair m, shifting eyes and red mouth like silk cotton flowers,And told them, “Oh ladies who resemble the ornamental climbing plant , please go”,And on hearing this they saluted the king and went by chariot.
218. Those girls after crossing several Yojanas and understanding,The hermitage of the faultless sage was only one Yojana from there,Constructed a place to stay using leaves and branches ,And Started living there as faultless sages of great penance.
219. Then waiting for a suitable time when his father of great penance was not there,Those ladies with black broad eyes who were experts in all arts reached the hermitage of the saint,And then that sage thinking that they are also sages,Who thought men are animals started being hospitable to them.
220. He gave them water to wash and drink , and offered them a seat ,And after sweetly telling them to occupy their seatsAnd then those girls who had lips like murukku flower,After saluting the saint speedily got up and entered his hermitage.
221. , Those ladies who were wearing gem studded ornaments , after a few days,Again visited him carrying several fruits like jack fruit , Banana fruit and mango fruit ,And also coconut and told him , “oh sage of great penance ,Please eat these and that age ate them.
222. After several similar days had passed by ,Those damsels having a pretty forehead,Requested that sage Rishya srunga who is faultless, “You have to come to our house also.”And then saluted him and that sage went along with them.
223. With very great joy and with great surprise ,Those ladies having dark eyes , followed by that great sage,Took him through the long broad path , saying this is our home, And took him speedily in a path, which they liked.
224. Even before the great sage Rishya Sringa came and reached the town,The clouds in the sky became as black as the poison filled neck of Lord Shiva,And went on raining with very huge rain drops , so that the ponds and rivers got filled up.
225. Due the flowing water due to that heavy rain ,When the ponds and rivers filled up as per the wishes of people,The sugarcane and red rice became pretty and grew luxuriously, Seeing the continuous heavy rain, the king knew about coming of the sage.
226. That king of sages Rishya Srunga who has forsaken,Passion , anger as well as enjoyment , due to the trick played by,Those ladies who had red lips like the Kovai fruit ,Face like lotus flower , teeth like lustrous pearls,And smoke like hair which was perfumed with smoke of Akil,Has possibly come here , that king thought.
227. Thinking like that, king who had strong rounded shoulders,Rose up and started , surrounded by four parts of his army ,Great sages who were expert in Vedas and went for two Yojanas,And saw Rishya Srunga who was like a mountain of penance,Amidst the girls who had pretty and scented hair.
228. ,As soon as that king saw the sage, with his eyes,Filled with tears of joy saluted him by falling on the floor and said,“From now on me and the people of my country have got back our life”,And then that king who had a mind filled with joy told those ladies,Who saluted him, “By your trick you have removed my sorrow.”
229. When the king and sages went and met him, the blessed saint,Understood that he has been brought there by deceit ,And the devas started shivering with fear and due to request of the king,That sage who was like a ocean with waves which can damage the shore kept quiet.
230. The king who possessed a sharp sword , requested that sage several times,And told him how the rain which cannot be stopped by any one removed sorrow,In great detail , then the great anger that was in the mind of sage left him.
231. , With grace entering him and anger going away , that sage ,Blessed the king and entered the chariot which can travel fast,And with many sages with good ideas and thoughts following him ,That sage who was capable of giving boons to all those with good thoughts , went further.
232. That city was decorated and the people came towards him to receive him,And the king along with the sage reached his palace in that city,Reached a pavilion constructed of matchless gold ,And then the king made that sage sit on a throne .
233.,. As if there is nothing to be told further ,after hospitably treating him,By giving him water to wash and drink , that king ,Adopting the rituals of the Vedas gave in marriage ,His daughter Santha who was as soft as the flower of Murukku tree.
234. Due to the gift from the sky , the disease of poverty was cured ,That country completely got rid of all its sorrow,And being properly looked after by the daughter of the king with pretty hair,That sage is happily staying there, told Vasishta.
235. When the great saint told like this Dasaratha saluted his feet,Said, “now itself I will go and bring him “ and he climbed in to his chariot decorated by gems,After being saluted by many kings who wore heroic armlets and gem studded crown,And after being saluted and praised by Sumanthra and great ministers like him,And then all the devas blessed him and showered ceaselessly flowers,Saying, “Our problems have come to an end from today,” and also praised the king.
236. With huge drums and other musical instruments making sound greater than ocean,With songs being sung by great musicians ,With great Brahmins who are experts in Vedas praising him,With pretty sweet ladies singing “long live” , With ocean like army accompanying him,He went speedily like Sun, crossing all difficulties and reached the divine city of Romapada.
237. Informed by the spies , that the king whose fame was spreading like burning fire ,Has reached his city , That king Romapada who wore heroic anklets ,Surrounded by ocean like soldiers who held bows , which has become thin with use,With very great ear studs and other ornaments shining , with poets coming as crowd and praising him,With ebbing joy , he went one Yojana to properly receive ,That king whose fame keeps on spreading like a climbing plant.
238. After seeing that victorious king who had come to receive him ,When he got down from his golden chariot which would make even the clouds ashamed,Romapada fell at his feet , with greatly ebbing love further increasing,Dasaratha made him rise up and hugged him and the very joyous Romapada , Seeing that king with greatly shining spear spoke as follows.
239. ” Oh king with a shining spear who made the world of devas firm,Is it due to the great penance that I did, that you have come here to see me?,Or is it because the penance this country undertook? Or other good acts done by us?”Saying like this with great joy Romapada , who made the bodies of enemies as dead bodies,With his shining and sharp spear and who had great shoulders made Dasaratha climb on his chariot,And brought that king who had a powerful chariot army , in to his prosperous city.
240. After reaching a pavilion in a mansion shining like gold,And after pretty ladies who had decorated their legs, ,Sang the greetings of a long life , the one with a flower decorated spear,Was made to sit on a golden seat and after .And was offered formalities as per the rules of hospitality,By that Romapada who was wearing a garland of densely tied flowers,And the king who saved the world of the devas became extremely happy..
241. After the feast the king Romapada offered scented sandal paste ,And looking at that king of ten chariots and told him,“Kindly tell us the purpose of your visit?”For which Dasaratha told in detail all that happened,And further told, “I would take sage Rishya srunga ,Who does not have any bad qualities like jealousy,To Ayodhya and after wards bring him back,Oh king who is wearing a pretty crown,” said Romapada,And immediately Dasaratha retuned back to Ayodhya.
242. After the king went back , the king Romapada who was victorious,Reached the place of the blessed saint who looked like personification of Vedas,And after saluting the lotus like feet of the sage so that it became ornament to his crown,And after doing necessary honours and while he was standing there,When the sage asked about the purpose of his visit ,The king told him “Please give a boon to this lowly man.”
243. Romapada told the boon he wanted was that,“You should visit the well protected city of Ayodhya,Decorated with gems which is ruled by the famous Dasaratha,Who is one with a great scepter and who has a spear ,Which defeated Asuras who caused trouble to devas.Who was one who followed Dharma strictly ,Who belonged to the clan of Emperor Shibi,Who for the sake of saving a dove,Kept his own flesh on the balance,And then return back to this same city.”
244. When that sage of great penance said, “ I give you that boon,And so go and bring the chariot “ that Romapada who possessed,A spear which was sharpened and which had very great luster,Saluted the feet of the sage Rishya Srunga , and thinking that,The king of kings Dasaratha would now live happily forsaking his sorrow,Immediately arranged for a chariot with a rolling sound brought,And said, “ Oh greatest in all arts , please get in to this chariot,Along with Santha who has a crescent like forehead and is like Lakshmi”,And then that sage took his seat as requested in that chariot.
245. With the king who possessed a curved bow , stood saluting him,With many faultless sages following him , that sage,Who looked like the personification of rare Vedas ,Along with his wife sat on that mechanical chariot ,And desired to proceed to do his Dharma.
246. Dharma as well as Devas thinking that this sage will ,Shower his grace so that the great god of truth would appear there,So that the fate that gives great sorrow due to the asuras would be destroyed,And started playing the divine drums and other musical instruments.And went on showering scented flowers from the sky.
247. The emissaries who were standing on the way reached Ayodhya,And informed about the arrival of the great sage Rishya Srunga ,Before the great assemblage of kings with big shoulders ,Who have arrived from different directions and ,King Dasaratha dipped himself in to the measureless ocean of love ,
248. Dasaratha speedily got on to his chariot,And flowers were showered on him ,Words of blessings were chanted,Various musical instruments were played,Drums were played and the bad fate was uprooted.
249. That great king of kings who had drums which made great sound,Thinking that the mountain of sorrow in his mind has been powdered,Travelled three Yojana distance and saw with his own eyes,That mature saint who had done great penance.
250-251. That sage looked as if all good penances ,Have taken a form of faultlessness , who was ,Looking like a deer and was wearing a wooden hide ,Who seems to have a form which was not looking suitable ,Who seems to have the ability to remove the fate ,Of the great sorrow of devas and the undefeatable strength of asuras,Who possessed water pot , umbrella , books as per the rules,As well as the staff in his hand ,
252. That king of king as soon as he saw the sage ,Got down from his chariot and fell down and saluted,On the lotus like feet of that sage and that sage ,
looking like a stick allowing the climbing plants of the Vedas to spread,According to the proper rules , told words of blessing.
253. With all other sages also blessing him , Dasaratha,With hands that gives charity like the clouds giving rain,Saluted that sage and his wife who had eyes ,Which were like fish in the ebbing water of the lake ,And made that expert in arts climb on the chariot,That he has taken and brought them,To his town with proper hospitality.
254. With ladies having lustrous face like lotus greeting him all the way,That king who was wearing a crown along with the sage Rishya Srunga ,With in a very short time reached Ayodhya where drums were being beaten by sticks.
255. Vasishta who has controlled his five sense organs ,Because they were wandering like ignorant thieves,Who were responsible for sinful activities,Being great sage who was greatly shining, Like the personification of rare VedasReached the royal court and made it shine further.
256. After reaching that great jeweled pavilion and making ,The great saint Rishya Srunga who was equal to Vedas ,Sit on throne , made by faultless gems and after attending Very properly to the responsibilities which he would accept,He started telling him about other aspects in a best manner.
257. ” Oh greatest among the greats , oh pure one ,Who shines just like penance and Dharma ,Due to your coming and by your grace ,My age old clan would shine greatly.And I also would not lose my penance like qualities.”
258. When he told like this , that sage saw him sweetly and told,“Please hear , oh king of kings, when you have the help ,Of the famous Vasishta who has done very great penance ,And also your own guiltless behavior ,Would any other king of this world be equal to you.”
259. After telling several such sweet words to him he told,“oh king with big shoulders who carries suitable and great bow,Did you call me here , thinking about performing the aswamedha sacrifice,Which would lead to good results .please tell”
260. Dasaratha replied, “for several innumerable years ,Without any problem I was carrying the burden of this kingdom,But sons who would look after it after me were not born to me,And so I request you to bless me with sons , who are capable of looking after,This kingdom after me so that my welfare and fame are increased.”
261. When he told like this “Oh king , do not become sad,Please get ready to do a great fire sacrifice which ,Can give you sons with great ability who can rule,Either this world or even all the fourteen worlds.”
262. All that was needed for that great fire sacrifice,Was brought by Dasaratha’s servants , even before he said “hey”,And that king of kings after taking bath in pure water ,Reached the pavilion erected as per Vedic injunctions.
263. After the fire sacrifice was started, in the fire that rose,During morning, noon and evening , sacrificial offerings ,Were offered and after twelve such months,In the faultless sky the music of divine instruments were heard,And devas assembled in the sky filling it without any left over space.
264. All the devas who were living in the heavens of the sky stood there,With their shining lotus like faces , rained scented flowers from there,And raised sounds of greetings and that saint who was suitable ,Offered the offering meant to get sons in the middle of the fire.
265. Then from the sacrificial fire one ghost * with burning fire like hair ,And red eyes , carrying a pretty golden plate ,Over which was one pure heap of cooked rice resembling nectarWas kept , rose from that fire. * It could be translated as “being” also.
266. That ghost which appeared in that manner , kept ,That golden plate on the earth and went again,Inside the sacrificial fire and vanished and the saint,Instructed the king to give that heap of nectar like rice,To his queens in the order of their seniority .
267. As per the instruction of that great saint , that king of kings ,Gave a part of that nectar like rice in the hands of Kausalya.Who had black hair scented by akil smoke and red fruit like mouth ,And then conches blared and the grace continued.
268. That Dasaratha king of Kosala country which is blessed,With ponds , rivers and gardens where swans live ,In a similar fashion gave a part of that nectar like riceIn the hands of the daughter of Kekaya with Devas greeting him loudly.
269. That king who was born in the clan of Nimi who was strong enough,To make all enemies shiver greatly , similar to the previous times,Gave a portion to Sumithra his youngest wife when, Indra ,The king of devas along with devas celebrated saying ,“From today all our enemies would be destroyed.”
270. And again that great one collected the remaining rice ,Which was scattered on the plate and gave it to Sumithra herself,Making the eyes and shoulders of his enemies ,Throb on the left side and to all other beings on the right side .
271. After completing the fire sacrifice of the horses that jump ,And the great fire sacrifice that would lead to birth of sins,And other connected rituals as per the instruction of that Brahmin,That protector of the world , stood up , being praised by every one.
272. Drums and several other musical instruments blared,All the people whose world was darkened by the asuras ,Got out from their sorrows and after finishing the fire sacrifice,That gives clarity , that graceful king reached his royal hall.
273. After doing his duties without error and having,Given offerings properly to proper Gods without mistake,After giving offerings to al the devas as per practice ,He also rained gold to all the Brahmins.
274. He also gave other kings as per their status ,Country , wealth , chariots , horses and good cloths ,And then accompanied by playing of various musical instruments,He reached the Ghats of the river Sarayu and took bath.
275. Then accompanied by playing of drums and other musical instruments,With a white pearl royal umbrella giving him shade ,With very many kings surrounding him , he reached the royal hall,And saluted the feet of sage Vasishta who had fame ,Which would make even Lord Brahma shy and became great.
276. As per the orders of Vasishta who had done very great penance ,He saluted the feet of sage Rishya srunga and praised him,Using suitable words of praise and told him,“Because of you I am honoured and what other thing is there for me to achieve.”
277. When Dasaratha told him, “Oh my father like saint , due to your grace and help,I have come out of my sorrow and have become successful”.That sage Rishya Srunga of great penance due to great joy blessed the king ,And along with sages who accompanied him got in to chariots to start back.”
278. That king who had got rid of his sorrow , afterwards saluted,And praised all sages who had accompanied Rishya Sringa ,And those sages who became very happy because of great treatment,Blessed the king and went back and Dasaratha lived happily.
279. Those three middle aged queens , after some more days,Got many desires and also underwent many sufferings of pregnancy,And apart from their face , their other limbs ,Also shined like moon and they were like moon because of it.
280. When the time for delivery came ,And the goddess earth became very happy And the bamboo like Punar poosam star . the devas,And the pure Rasi of Kadaka , jumped with joy.
281. Sidhas , devas and middle aged women,Famous saints , those who live in heaven,And those who live in heaven after death ,Shouted in joy when time came closer and closer ,Thinking that the great God of Dharma would live long.
282. That Kousalya with great ability , for the sake of auspiciousness.Gave birth to a child , who kept the world safe during the time of final deluge ,By keeping it in his belly , And who is the one who cannot be understood by Vedas,And who is the lustrous light showing the prettiness of a budding cloud.
283. With devas shouting with joy in all directions,And with Indra and other devas saluting and praising,The daughter of the faultless king of Kekaya ,Gave birth to a son in Pushya star ,When the meena Rasi was shining.
284. While Indra who wears the garland of flowers of the wish giving tree,Who cut off with great anger the feathers of all mountains ,And all his subjects who are the devas shouted in the world of devas ,When the snake born Ayilya atar and the crab rasi of Kadaka becoming friends ,The youngest queen who was like a thin climber gave birth to the younger one.
285. With the world supported by Adhi sesha with several heads dancing ,And the Vedas also recited the music for that dance ,The queen had eyes which can trouble like poison,Gave birth to another child when Maka star and Simha rasi joined together.
286. The divine damsels danced, Kinnaras sang the songs of seven notes,Several type of drums were played and due to ebbing joy,Born out of the feeling that all Asuras have been destroyed,They all ran and wandered all around the sky.
287,. The lady assistants ran to meet the king and after telling,The news of birth of his sons , they all danced,All priests of the palace joined together and examined position of planets and days, And told that by the birth of these sons world would be saved from evil.
288. The king of kings became extremely happy and,After bathing in cold water gave in charity ,Plenty of paddy and other grains and with white conches blowing,Went along with the great sage and went and saw pretty faces of the princes.
289. That great king ordered that it should be announced along with drums,That the kings who have paid seven year tribute need not pay further tribute ,And also that the doors of the treasury be opened and kept open,So that poor people can take away whatever they want without limit.
290. He further told., “Let all the kings captured by me in war be released,So that they can go to their homes and let Brahmins who are expert in Vedas , Be released if they have been punished for any misbehavior ,And let all the temples in the country celebrate festivals.”
291. Let all the temples in country be repaired,Let special roads be built for those who follow dharma along with junctions,And let pretty lamps and garlands for Gods be given as ,A gift to all temples in the country.”
292. When the king ordered like this , the announcer,Riding on an elephants and with beating of good drums ,Made this announcement and hearing this,The citizens and the ladies with lightning like waist ,Reached the immeasurable ocean of joy through weeping..
293. Again and again those citizens shouted with joy ,And their bodies were covered by the excess of joy leading to sweating,And they went on giving lot of gifts to all those who told the news of birth,Possibly indicating that they knew that God who should be saluted is born.
294. In that great pretty city , there was a great elation,Among girls in the crowd of girls and boys in crowd of boys,And they went on sprinkling oil mixed with,Scented powders as well as unguents.
295. Like this the citizens of Ayodhya for those twelve days,Were elated with joy in their mind and ,Were not able to recognize even their own selves,And the faultless sage thought of naming those children.
296. To that Lord who was real , who rushed and killed the crocodile,When the elephant who was caught by a crocodile and got tired,Called him “Oh God who sleeps on the bed of serpent “Sage Vasishta gave the name of “Rama.”
297. That Vasishta who observed all penances and knew ,The real meaning of Vedas as clear as the gooseberry in a palm,Named the next shining child as “Bharatha.”
298. And he said , “From now on the deceiving Asuras are dead,Devas would get welfare , the problems of Goddess earth comes to an end,And the lustrous baby who is very strong and who is going to do this all is called Lakshmana.”
299. Since the other baby was as pretty as if pearls ,Have taken a shape of baby and looks as if it is ,A fully opened lotus flower and called baby Sathrugna.
300. After Vasishta who has never gone in the path of lie,Named the children as per tenets of Vedas,The river of gifts that flowed through the hands of the king,More and more filled up the mind Brahmins who were experts in arts.
301. That Dasaratha who was looking after the earth all under his royal umbrella,Thinking that there is body and soul , which are there for him,Looked after Rama who was as pretty as a picture ,And who was like the blue lily and red lotus , lived happily.
302-304 . During the time when those babies were growing ,Talking nectar like lisping , practicing to walk the pretty baby walk,Looking like Sun God who is coming to remove the darkness,And similar to the four Vedas, so that all problems of earth are removed,Performed rituals like Choula(first hair cut) and Upanayana( sacred thread ceremony), as per rules,And when Vasishta who was equal to Lord Shiva who wears the moon,Taught them all the important arts along with the Vedas ,As if there is no end to such knowledge and with no measure to what is taught,They were taught managing and driving of elephant, horses and chariots,And also all other arts of war necessary for the princes,And also fighting with bow and arrow as well as other weapons ,As also the understanding of the body parts of enemies.And like this Rama who is the matchless leader of devasWas growing up along with his younger brothers,
305. Sages who are experts in Vedas, devas , the goddess earth,And the people living in that city , were confidant that ,All the problems that they faced would be solved by this prince ,And so they would never go away from the place where he lives,And were living in places where those princes resided.
306. The lord Rama and his younger brother , for the sake,Of intimately knowing about the penances and assets of the pretty earth,Reached rivers and gardens surrounded by dark clouds ,And wandered everywhere like the thread and the cloth.
307. Bharatha and Sathurugna , though , they were,Wandering everywhere riding on horses without a gap even in a minute,Were together even when they were learning Vedas,And were together like our Lord Rama and Lakshmana,
308. Rama and his brothers going to the gardens which were sweet scented,And there they met great sages and talked to them with love ,And when they were returning to city of Ayodhya in the evening,Whoever met them became joyous, like crops at the receipt of rain.
309. All the ladies and their very strong husbands ,Who lived hugging the heavy breasts of such ladies ,And the relations and friends who were living there,Said that these children would live long as also Kausalya and Dasaratha ,And for that purpose saluted and worshipped their Gods.
310. Rama and Lakshmana who are difficult to search and see by the Vedas,Resembled the black clouds given out by the sea and the bevy the lustrous lotus,Accompanied by the Meru mountain , said people who saw them both.
311. My God Rama with his very matured merciful kindness,When he saw the people of his city , with face shining like fully opened lotus,Asked “Is there any thing that I can do for you? Is there any sorrow?Is your wife doing well ? and Are your intelligent sons living with strength?”
312. ”oh sir , we are all OK, Since we have you as our king,This is not important to us but you should be our king,Till the deluge of Brahma and as long as,All the seven worlds exist and as long as we exist.”
313. Like this all the citizens , praised him truly,And his three younger brothers of great valour,Without fail prayed his divine holy feet ,And Rama who is the first among,Vishnu , Shiva and Brahma started living.