Valmiki Ramayana 1.9.11: Bala Kanda, Sarga 9, Shloka 11
ऋश्यशृङ्गानयनकथा · The Account of Bringing Ṛśyaśṛṅga
and the Remedy for Drought
Addressed to King DaśarathaSetting: अयोध्या (implied royal court of Daśaratha in Bālakāṇḍa context)Initiation of mission to fetch Ṛśyaśṛṅga
वक्ष्यन्ति ते महीपालं ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः ।
विभण्डकसुतं राजन्सर्वोपायैरिहानय ॥११॥
vakṣyanti te mahīpālaṃ brāhmaṇā vedapāragāḥ |
vibhaṇḍakasutaṃ rājan sarvopāyair ihānaya ||11||
पंडित लोगों ने राजा से कहा। राजन, एक काम करो। विभंडक पुत्र ऋष्यशृंग को लाओ। किसी भी तरह से लाओ। वो यहाँ ज़रूर आना चाहिए।
Sandhi Notes
- mahīpālaṃ (mahīpālam)
- vedapāragāḥ (veda-pāragāḥ)
- vibhaṇḍakasutaṃ (vibhaṇḍaka-sutam)
- sarvopāyair ihānaya = sarvopāyaiḥ iha ānaya (visarga sandhi: ḥ + i → r iha)
Those brahmins versed in the Vedas, said, to 'O king! bring here Rsyasringa, son of the sage Vibhandaka by all means'.
The teaching
Even political strategy must be yoked to śruti-guided dharma; ends (yajña, loka-kalyāṇa) do not license adharma, but require discerning upāya.
Duties in tension
- राजा’s duty to secure progeny/continuity of dynasty via dharmic yajña
- Ethical constraint on ‘सर्वोपाय’ (means) versus respect for ascetic autonomy
- Ethical theme
- राजधर्म / नीति-धर्म
- How it resolves
- Dharma-guided statecraft (upāya subordinated to yajña/dharma)
For your practice
Highlights reverence for Veda and the role of ṛṣi-tapas in sustaining dharmic order; encourages seeking wise counsel before action.
Mood and themes
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism), with Adbhuta (wonder)
- Mood
- Urgent counsel, strategic resolve, ritual expectancy
Themes
- Dharma
- Satya
- Ritual
- Counsel
- Itihasa
Brahmanical knowledge (śruti) guiding kṣatriya action: बुद्धि as instrument for dharmic ends (cf. Gītā 3–4 on yajña as cosmic order).
Śruti-authority directing action: ‘श्रद्धया देयम्’ / ‘सत्यं वद’ ethos of dharma-guided conduct (Taittirīya Upaniṣad śikṣāvallī, thematic echo).
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa: Ṛśyaśṛṅga-ānayana narrative cluster (1.9–1.11 context)
Arthaśāstra-style ‘upāya’ (sāma-dāna-bheda-daṇḍa) as ethically framed by dharma
Daśaratha’s putrakāmeṣṭi and need for Ṛśyaśṛṅga’s presence (Bālakāṇḍa subsequent sargas)
Anuṣṭup (śloka)
Commanding
Madhyama-gati, udātta emphasis on ‘सर्वोपायैः’ and ‘आनय’
FAQs
Dharma is pursued through qualified spiritual agency: the priests identify a sage whose presence and ritual power can rightly enable the king’s goal.
The priests propose a specific remedy: summoning Ṛśyaśṛṅga, renowned for ascetic potency, to facilitate the intended rite.
Reliance on spiritual expertise and proper means: the court accepts that sacred outcomes require sacred competence.
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