Sarga 75

Verse 1

राम दाशरथे राम वीर्यं ते श्रूयतेऽद्भुतम्।धनुषो भेदनं चैव निखिलेन मया श्रुतम्।।।।

O Rāma, son of Daśaratha—O Rāma! Your marvellous prowess is spoken of everywhere, and I have heard in full of your deed of breaking the bow.

Verse 2

तदद्भुतमचिन्त्यं च भेदनं धनुषस्त्वया।तच्छ्रुत्वाऽहमनुप्राप्तो धनुर्गृह्यापरं शुभम्।।।।

Your breaking of the bow is wondrous and beyond imagining. Hearing of it, I have come here, bringing another auspicious bow.

Verse 3

तदिदं घोरसङ्काशं जामदग्न्यं महद्धनु:।पूरयस्व शरेणैव स्वबलं दर्शयस्व च।।।।

Here is that mighty bow of Jāmadagni’s line, dreadful in appearance—set it with an arrow and display your own strength.

Verse 4

तदहं ते बलं दृष्ट्वा धनुषोऽस्य प्रपूरणे।द्वन्द्वयुद्धं प्रदास्यामि वीर्यश्लाघ्यस्य राघव।।।।

O Rāghava—once I see your strength in fully stringing and readying this bow, I will grant you a duel, for you are worthy of praise for valor.

Verse 5

तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा राजा दशरथस्तदा।विषण्णवदनो दीन: प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यमब्रवीत्।।।।

Hearing those words, King Daśaratha—downcast and distressed—spoke with folded hands.

Verse 6

क्षत्ररोषात्प्रशान्तस्त्वं ब्राह्मणश्च महायशा:।बालानां मम पुत्राणामभयं दातुमर्हसि।।।।

You are a renowned brāhmaṇa, and your wrath against kṣatriyas has been calmed; therefore you ought to grant fearlessness—assurance of safety—to my young sons.

Verse 7

भार्गवाणां कुले जात: स्वाध्यायव्रतशालिनाम्।सहास्राक्षे प्रतिज्ञाय शस्त्रं निक्षिप्तवानसि।।।।

Born in the Bhārgava line, steadfast in Vedic study and sacred vows, you vowed before Sahasrākṣa (Indra) and laid down your weapons.

Verse 8

स त्वं धर्मपरो भूत्वा काश्यपाय वसुन्धराम् ।दत्त्वा वनमुपागम्य महेन्द्रकृतकेतन:।।।।

Thus, devoted to dharma, you bestowed the earth upon Kāśyapa; then you withdrew to the forest and made your dwelling on Mount Mahendra.

Verse 9

मम सर्वविनाशाय सम्प्राप्तस्त्वं महामुने।न चैकस्मिन् हते रामे सर्वे जीवामहे वयम् ।।।।

O great sage, you have come as though for the utter ruin of my house; for if Rāma alone is slain, none of us will remain alive.

Verse 10

ब्रुवत्येवं दशरथे जामदग्न्य: प्रतापवान्।अनादृत्यैव तद्वाक्यं राममेवाभ्यभाषत।।।।

As Daśaratha spoke thus, the mighty Jāmadagnya, disregarding his words, addressed Rāma alone.

Verse 11

इमे द्वे धनुषी श्रेष्ठे दिव्ये लोकाभिविश्रुते।दृढे बलवती मुख्ये सुकृते विश्वकर्मणा।।।।

These two bows are supreme—celestial and renowned throughout the worlds—stout, powerful, foremost of their kind, and expertly fashioned by Viśvakarman.

Verse 12

अतिसृष्टं सुरैरेकं त्र्यम्बकाय युयुत्सवे।त्रिपुरघ्नं नरश्रेष्ठ भग्नं काकुत्स्थ यत्त्वया।।।।

O best of men, O Kākutstha! One of these bows—the Tripura-slayer—was bestowed by the gods upon the three-eyed Śiva when he sought battle; it is that bow which you have broken.

Verse 13

इदं द्वितीयं दुर्धर्षं विष्णोर्दत्तं सुरोत्तमै:।तदिदं वैष्णवं राम धनु: परमभास्वरम्।समानसारं काकुत्स्थ रौद्रेण धनुषा त्विदम्।।।।

This second bow is unassailable, given to Viṣṇu by the foremost of the gods. O Rāma! This radiant Vaiṣṇava bow is equal in power to the bow of Rudra, O Kākutstha.

Verse 14

तदा तु देवतास्सर्वा: पृच्छन्ति स्म पितामहम्।शितिकण्ठस्य विष्णोश्च बलाबलनिरीक्षया।।।।

Then all the gods questioned the Grandsire (Brahmā), seeking to assess the relative strength and weakness of Śitikaṇṭha (Śiva) and of Viṣṇu.

Verse 15

अभिप्रायं तु विज्ञाय देवतानां पितामह:।विरोधं जनयामास तयो स्सत्यवतां वर:।।।।

Understanding the gods’ intention, the Grandsire—foremost among the truthful—brought about a rivalry between the two.

Verse 16

विरोधे च महद्युद्धमभवद्रोमहर्षणम् ।शितिकण्ठस्य विष्णोश्च परस्परजिगीषुणो:।।।।

And from that rivalry there arose a great battle—hair-raising—between Śitikaṇṭha (Śiva) and Viṣṇu, each intent on victory over the other.

Verse 17

तदा तु जृम्भितं शैवं धनुर्भीमपराक्रमम्।हुङ्कारेण महादेव स्तम्भितोऽथ त्रिलोचन:।।।।

Then Śiva’s bow—terrible in its power—was made to strain; and by Viṣṇu’s resounding “huṃ”-utterance, the three-eyed Mahādeva was checked and held still.

Verse 18

देवैस्तदा समागम्य सर्षिसघै स्सचारणै:।याचितौ प्रशमं तत्र जग्मतुस्तौ सुरोत्तमौ।।।।

Then the gods—together with hosts of sages and the Cāraṇas—assembled there and pleaded with those two foremost deities; and the two accepted peace.

Verse 19

जृम्भितं तद्धनुर्द्रृष्ट्वा शैवं विष्णुपराक्रमै:।अधिकं मेनिरे विष्णुं देवा स्सर्षिगणास्तदा ।।।।

Seeing that Śiva’s bow had been made to strain by Viṣṇu’s prowess, the gods and the companies of sages then regarded Viṣṇu as the greater.

Verse 20

धनू रुद्रस्तु सङ्कृद्धो विदेहेषु महायशा:।देवरातस्य राजर्षेर्ददौ हस्ते ससायकम्।।।।

But Rudra—renowned and enraged—placed that bow, together with its arrow, into the hands of the royal sage Devarāta in the land of Videha.

Verse 21

इदं च वैष्णवं राम धनु: परपुरञ्जयम्।ऋचीके भार्गवे प्रादाद्विष्णु: स न्यासमुत्तमम्।।।।

And this Vaiṣṇava bow, O Rāma—able to conquer hostile strongholds—Viṣṇu entrusted as a supreme deposit to Ṛcīka of the Bhṛgu line.

Verse 22

ऋचीकस्तु महातेजा: पुत्रस्याप्रतिकर्मण:।पितुर्मम ददौ दिव्यं जमदग्नेर्महात्मन:।।।।

That mighty Ṛcīka, radiant in splendor, gave the divine bow to his son Jamadagni—my father—the great-souled one of unequaled prowess.

Verse 23

न्यस्तशस्त्रे पितरि मे तपोबलसमन्विते।अर्जुनो विदधे मृत्युं प्राकृतां बुद्धिमास्थित:।।।।

When my father—endowed with ascetic power—had laid aside his weapons, Arjuna, resorting to a base-minded course, brought about his death.

Verse 24

वधमप्रतिरूपं तु पितु श्शृत्वा सुदारुणम्।क्षत्रमुत्सादयन्रोषाज्जातं जातमनेकश:।।।।पृथिवीं चाखिलां प्राप्य काश्यपाय महात्मने ।यज्ञस्यान्ते तदा राम दक्षिणां पुण्यकर्मणे ।दत्त्वा महेन्द्रनिलयस्तपोबलसमन्वित:।।।।

Hearing of my father’s murder—unmatched in its cruelty—I, in wrath, destroyed the kṣatriyas again and again, as they arose generation after generation. Having won the whole earth, O Rāma, I bestowed it at the end of a sacrifice as a priestly gift upon the great-souled Kaśyapa, doer of merit; and, endowed with ascetic power, I made Mahendra mountain my dwelling.

Verse 25

वधमप्रतिरूपं तु पितु श्शृत्वा सुदारुणम्।क्षत्रमुत्सादयन्रोषाज्जातं जातमनेकश:।।1.75.24।।पृथिवीं चाखिलां प्राप्य काश्यपाय महात्मने ।यज्ञस्यान्ते तदा राम दक्षिणां पुण्यकर्मणे ।दत्त्वा महेन्द्रनिलयस्तपोबलसमन्वित:।।1.75.25।।

Hearing of my father’s murder—unmatched in its cruelty—I, in wrath, destroyed the kṣatriyas again and again, as they arose generation after generation. Having won the whole earth, O Rāma, I bestowed it at the end of a sacrifice as a priestly gift upon the great-souled Kaśyapa, doer of merit; and, endowed with ascetic power, I made Mahendra mountain my dwelling.

Verse 26

अद्यतूत्तमवीर्येण त्वया राम महाबल।श्रुतवान् धनुषो भेदं ततोऽहं द्रुतमागत:।।।।

O mighty Rāma, today, hearing that you shattered the bow by your unsurpassed prowess, I have come here at once.

Verse 27

तदिदं वैष्णवं राम पितृपैतामहं महत्।क्षत्रधर्मं पुरस्कृत्य गृह्णीष्व धनुरुत्तमम्।।।।

So, Rāma—honoring the dharma of a kṣatriya—take up this excellent, great Vaiṣṇava bow, inherited from my father and forefathers.

Verse 28

योजयस्व धनुश्श्रेष्ठे शरं परपुरञ्जयम्।यदि शक्नोषि काकुत्स्थ द्वन्द्वं दास्यामि ते तत:।।।।

Set upon this finest bow an arrow that can conquer the enemy’s strongholds; if you can do so, O Kākutstha, then I shall meet you in single combat.