Chapter 1(8)
He knew about dharma, was great-souled and was powerful. However, he did not have a son who would extend the lineage and he was tormented because of the lack of a son. While he reflected on this, a thought occurred to the great-souled one. ‘For the sake of a son, why don’t I perform a horse sacrifice?’ The intelligent one made up his mind to undertake such a sacrifice and consulted with all his pure ministers. The king told Sumantra, supreme among ministers, ‘Quickly summon the priests and all my seniors.’
Having heard this, the suta,114 Sumantra, spoke to the king in secret. ‘I have heard an ancient account that was instructed by the officiating priests. O king! In an assembly of sages, the illustrious Sanatkumara had earlier recounted this tale about how you would obtain sons.115 Kashyapa has a son who is famous by the name of Vibhandaka. He will have a son who will be renowned by the name of Rishyashringa.116 That sage will always be reared in the forest and will always roam around in the forest. That Indra among brahmanas will not know anyone else and will always follow his father. That great-souled one will observe both kinds of brahmacharya.117 O king! He will be famous in the world and will always be spoken about by brahmanas. The illustrious one will tend to the sacrificial fire and his father. The time will come for him to be brought here. At that time, there will also be an extremely strong, powerful and famous king named Romapada in Anga. Because of a transgression committed by the king, there will be an extremely terrible period of drought. It will be so terrible that all the creatures will face fear. Because of the onset of the drought, the king will be overcome by grief. He will summon brahmanas and those who are aged in learning and address them. “All of you know the sacred texts of dharma and also know about the nature of the worlds. Instruct me about the rituals and about the atonement I should perform.” The brahmanas, learned in the Vedas, will tell the king, “O king! Vibhandaka’s son provides all the means. Bring him here. O king! Bring Rishyashringa and honour him extremely well. Control yourself, follow the rituals and bestow your daughter, Shanta, on him.” Hearing their words, the king will begin to think. Through what means will I be able to bring the valiant one here? Having consulted with his ministers, the king will make up his mind. With the requisite honours, he will dispatch his priests and advisers. On hearing the king’s words, they will be distressed and will lower their faces. “O king! We entreat you. We are scared of the rishi118 and cannot go there. Having thought about it, we will tell you of a means whereby he can be brought here. We will be able to bring the brahmana here and no taint will result.” Hence, the lord of Anga will employ a courtesan to bring the rishi’s son there. The god119 will shower down and he will bestow Shanta on him. This son-in-law, Rishyashringa, will also ensure sons for you.120 I have told you everything that Sanatkumara had said.’
At this, Dasharatha was delighted and replied, ‘How can Rishyashringa be brought here? You should tell me in detail.’
Chapter 1(9)
Urged by the king, Sumantra replied in these words. ‘With your ministers, hear about how Rishyashringa can be brought here. The advisers and priests told Romapada, “We have thought of a means so that there is no harm. Devoted to austerities and studying, Rishyashringa wanders around in the forest. He is inexperienced about women, worldly matters and pleasure. Excessive addiction to the senses causes turbulence in the minds of men. We must make efforts to bring him to the city quickly. Let beautiful and ornamented courtesans go there. Let them honour and seduce him in many kinds of ways and bring him here.” On hearing this, the king agreed to what the priests had said. Accordingly, the priests and ministers made the arrangements. Hearing the instruction, the best among courtesans entered that great forest. They stationed themselves close to the hermitage and made efforts to show themselves. The rishi’s patient son always resided in the hermitage. He was always content with his father and never ventured outside the hermitage. Since his birth, the ascetic had never seen anyone else, woman, man, or any other being, from either the city or the countryside. Wandering around as he willed, on an occasion, he arrived at that spot.121 Vibhandaka’s son arrived there and saw the courtesans. The women were splendidly attired and were singing in melodious voices. All of them approached the rishi’s son and spoke these words. “O brahmana! Who are you? Why do you conduct yourself like this? We wish to know this. You are roaming around alone in this desolate and terrible forest? Tell us.” In that forest, those women possessed desirable forms and these were forms he had not seen earlier. Affection was generated in him and he desired to tell them about his father and himself. “My father is Vibhandaka and I am his son. I am known as Rishyashringa because of an act that happened on earth.122 O beautiful ones! Our hermitage is not far from here. I wish to honour all of you there, following the prescribed rites.” Hearing the words of the rishi’s son, all of them desired to see the hermitage and all of them went there with him. When they had gone there, the rishi’s son worshipped them. “Here are arghya, padya, roots and fruits for you.” All of them eagerly accepted this worship. However, they were scared of the rishi and made up their minds to depart quickly. “O brahmana! Take these best of fruits from us. May you be fortunate. Accept them and eat them, without any delay.” Full of delight, all of them embraced him. They gave him many kinds of wonderful sweetmeats to eat. The energetic one ate them, taking them to be fruits. Having always resided in the forest, he had never tasted anything like this before. They told the brahmana that they had their vows to tend to and took his leave. The women were terrified of the father and desired to leave the spot. When they had all left, the brahmana who was Kashyapa’s descendant was miserable and did not feel well. His heart was in a whirl. After some time, the valiant one went to the spot where the delightful and ornamented courtesans could be seen. On seeing the brahmana arrive, they were delighted in their minds. All of them surrounded him and spoke these words. “O amiable one! Come to our hermitage. There will be special and wonderful rituals there.” He heard all their words, pleasing to the heart. He made up his mind to go and the women took him away. When the great-souled brahmana was thus brought,123 the god suddenly showered down and delighted the world. When the brahmana arrived in his kingdom with the rains, the king124 advanced to worship the sage, bowing his head down on the ground. Controlled, as is proper, he offered him arghya. He sought the favour of that Indra among brahmanas, in particular from the anger the brahmana125 would be overwhelmed with. He made him enter the inner quarters and following the prescribed rites, bestowed his daughter Shanta on him. The king obtained peace of mind.126 In this way, the immensely energetic Rishyashringa resided there, with his wife, Shanta, worshipped extremely well and with all his desires satisfied.’
Chapter 1(10)
‘O Indra among kings!127 Listen yet again to my beneficial words. This is what the intelligent one, foremost among gods,128 had said. “A king named Dasharatha will be born in the lineage of Ikshvaku. He will be extremely devoted to dharma. He will be handsome and truthful to his vows. That king will be friendly with the king of Anga. He will have an extremely fortunate daughter named Shanta.129 Anga’s130 son will be a king who will be spoken of as Romapada. The immensely illustrious King Dasharatha will go to him and say, ‘O one with dharma in your soul! I am without a son. For the sake of my sacrifice, grant me Shanta’s husband. For the sake of a son and for the sake of the lineage, he will preside over the sacrifice.’ The king who will be controlled will hear these words and think about them in his mind, about granting Shanta’s husband for the sake of obtaining a son. He will grant him, and devoid of anxiety, the king131 will receive the brahmana. Delighted in his mind, he will make arrangements for the sacrifice. Desiring to perform the sacrifice, King Dasharatha, knowledgeable about dharma, will join his hands in salutation and request Rishyashringa, foremost among brahmanas. For the sake of the sacrifice, for the sake of sons and for the sake of heaven, the lord of men and the lord of the earth will have his desires satisfied by that foremost among brahmanas. He will have fou
r sons, infinite in valour. They will establish lineages and will be famous in all the worlds.” This is what the illustrious lord Sanatkumara, foremost among gods, told in an account in an ancient time, during deva yuga.132 O great king! Let that tiger among men be honoured well and brought here. You should yourself go, with your army and mounts.’
Having heard the suta’s words and having obtained Vasishtha’s permission, he133 left for where that brahmana was, with the residents of his inner quarters and his advisers. They gradually passed over forests and rivers. They entered the country where that bull among sages was. He approached that best among brahmanas, seated near Romapada. He saw the rishi’s son, who blazed like a fire. On seeing the king, the king134 followed the proper rites and worshipped him, especially because of their friendship. He was delighted in his mind. Romapada told the intelligent rishi’s son and about their friendship and relationship and he also worshipped him.135 Honoured extremely well in this way, the bull among men spent some time there. After having spent seven or eight days there, the king told the king, ‘O king! O lord of the earth! Let your daughter, Shanta, and her husband come to my city. There is the task of a great sacrifice to be performed.’ Hearing this, the intelligent king agreed to the idea of their travelling there and spoke these words. ‘O brahmana! Go there with your wife.’ The rishi’s son agreed with what the king had said. Having taken the king’s permission, he left with his wife. The valiant Dasharatha and Romapada were delighted. They joined their hands in salutation and affectionately embraced each other. Having taken leave of his well-wisher,136 the descendant of the Raghu lineage departed. He sent along swift messengers ahead, to inform the citizens. ‘Swiftly make arrangements for the city to be decorated in every possible way.’ The citizens were delighted to hear that the king was arriving. They made all the arrangements, as the king’s messengers had conveyed. Placing the bull among brahmanas ahead of him and to the sound of the blaring of conch shells and the beating of drums, the king entered the ornamented city. On seeing the brahmana, everyone in the city was delighted. When the Indra among men,137 with deeds to rival those of Indra, entered, he was honoured extremely well. He made him138 enter the inner quarters and following the sacred texts, worshipped him. Having brought him there, he thought that his task had already been accomplished. All those in the inner quarters saw that the large-eyed Shanta had arrived there, with her husband. They were filled with joy. She was honoured by them, especially by the king. With the brahmana, she happily resided there for a while.
Chapter 1(11)
After several days had passed, the extremely pleasant season of spring presented itself and the king made up his mind to undertake the sacrifice. He bowed his head down before the brahmana,139 whose complexion was like that of the gods, and sought his favours. For the sake of sons and the lineage, he requested him to be the officiating priest at the sacrifice. Honoured extremely well, he agreed to the king’s words. ‘Let the requisite objects be brought and let the horse be released.’140 The king spoke the following words to Sumantra, supreme among ministers. ‘O Sumantra! Quickly invite officiating priests who are knowledgeable about the brahman.’141 Sumantra, swift in his valour, departed quickly. He brought all the brahmanas who were accomplished in the Vedas—Suyajna, Vamadeva, Javali, Kashyapa, the priest Vasishtha and other supreme brahmanas. King Dasharatha, with dharma in his soul, worshipped them. He gently spoke these words, full of dharma and artha. ‘My mind is not at peace. There is no happiness without a son. That is the reason I have made up my mind to undertake a horse sacrifice. I wish to perform that sacrifice in accordance with the rites laid down in the sacred texts. Through the powers of the rishi’s son,142 I hope to accomplish my desire.’ All the brahmanas, with Vasishtha at the forefront, praised the undecaying words that had emerged from the king’s mouth and honoured the king back. With Rishyashringa at the forefront, they told the king, ‘Let all the necessary objects be brought and let the horse be released. By all means, you will obtain four infinitely valorous sons. Because your mind has turned towards dharma, those sons will arrive.’ On hearing the words that the brahmanas had spoken, the king was delighted. Filled with joy because of those auspicious words, the king told the advisers, ‘Obeying the words of the preceptors, let all the necessary objects be brought quickly. Let the horse be released, guarded adequately and followed by preceptors. Let the sacrificial arena be marked out on the northern banks of the Sarayu. Following the ordinances laid down in the sacred texts, let peace prosper. This is the supreme sacrifice. If all the kings are capable of performing this sacrifice without any hindrances, they do not suffer from any hardships. The learned brahma-rakshasas143 always seek out weaknesses. If the ordinances are not observed, the performer of a sacrifice is always destroyed. Therefore, let the sacrifice be completed in accordance with the prescribed ordinances. All of you are capable of acting in accordance with the ordinances.’ All the ministers agreed to this and honoured him back. They followed the king’s words, exactly as they had been instructed. All the brahmanas also granted permission to that bull among kings, who knew about dharma, and returned to wherever they had come from. When the brahmanas had departed, the lord of men also allowed the ministers to leave. The immensely radiant one entered his own abode.
Chapter 1(12)
After an entire year had passed, it was spring again.144 Following the rites, he145 greeted Vasishtha and worshipped him. To obtain sons, he spoke these humble words to that supreme among brahmanas. ‘O brahmana! O bull among sages! Please perform the sacrifice properly. Let impediments not be caused to any part of the sacrifice. You are extremely affectionate towards me and you are my supreme preceptor. The sacrifice that I am about to undertake is a burden and you are capable of bearing that load.’ The supreme among brahmanas agreed to what the king had said and replied, ‘I will do everything that you have asked.’ He accordingly instructed all the aged brahmanas who were familiar with sacrificial rites, accomplished architects, those who were aged and extremely devoted to dharma, artisans who could see everything through until completion, carpenters, those who dug, astrologers, craftsmen, actors, dancers and extremely learned men acquainted with the unsullied sacred texts, ‘Following the king’s command, engage yourselves in tasks connected with the sacrifice. Quickly bring several thousand bricks. For the kings, construct many structures that possess all the qualities. You must build hundreds of auspicious residences for the brahmanas. They must be properly stocked with many kinds of food and drink. For the residents of the city and the countryside, there must be many beautiful abodes that are stocked with diverse kinds of food and all the objects of desire. Food must be given properly and with honour, not indifferently. All the varnas must be worshipped, respected well and given this. Nothing must be offered with disrespect, or with sentiments of desire and anger. Men and artisans who are eagerly engaged in tasks connected with the sacrifice must be specially worshipped, in the due order. If no one is disrespected, then they will perform their tasks properly. All of you act in this way, pleasantly and with affection.’ Vasishtha summoned all of them and told them this and they promised that they would all act in this way, with nothing being ignored.
Vasishtha summoned Sumantra and spoke these words. ‘Invite all the kings on earth who are devoted to dharma and thousands of brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras. Respectfully summon men from all the countries and the brave Janaka, lord of Mithila, for whom truth is his valour. He is devoted to all the sacred texts and devoted to the Vedas. Honour that immensely fortunate one well and bring him here yourself. It is because I know about the earlier alliance that I am mentioning him first.146 Then there is the gentle king of Kashi, always pleasant in speech. His conduct is like that of a god. Bring him yourself. The aged king of Kekaya is extremely devoted to dharma. He is the father-in-law of this lion among kings. Bring him, together with his son. The illustrious and immensely fortunate Romapada, lord of Anga, is a friend to this lion among kings. Honour him well and bring him here. Bring all
the kings from the east, Sindhu, Souvira and the kings from the southern regions. Bring all the other virtuous and pleasant kings on earth. Bring all of them swiftly, with their followers and relatives.’ Hearing Vasishtha’s words, Sumantra quickly instructed men to act in accordance with the king’s auspicious words. Following the sage’s instructions, Sumantra, with dharma in his soul, himself departed quickly to invite the kings.
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 5