The Valmiki Ramayana

by Amish Tripathi

  ‘O tiger among men! Ikshvaku had a son who was supremely devoted to dharma. His mother was Alambusha and he was famous as Vishala.358 In this spot, he is the one who constructed the city of Vishala. O Rama! Vishala’s son was the immensely strong Hemachandra. After this, Hemachandra’s son was the famous Suchandra. O Rama! Suchandra’s son was famous by the name of Dhumrashva. Dhumrashva had a son named Srinjaya. Srinjaya’s son was the handsome and powerful Sahadeva. Kushashva was Sahadeva’s son and he was extremely devoted to dharma. Kushashva had a greatly energetic and powerful son, Somadatta. Somadatta’s son was known as Kakutstha. His son is greatly famous and invincible. That immensely energetic one is named Sumati and he is the one who now resides in this city. Through Ikshvaku’s favours, all the kings of Vishala are great-souled, valiant and extremely devoted to dharma. They have long lives. O Rama! We will happily spend the night here. O best among men! Tomorrow, when it is morning, we should see Janaka.’ The immensely energetic and greatly illustrious Sumati heard that Vishvamitra had come. On hearing this, the best among men came out to welcome him. With his priests and relatives, he worshipped him in excellent ways. Asking about his welfare, he joined his hands in salutation and told Vishvamitra, ‘O sage! I am blessed that you have shown me your favours by coming to my kingdom. I have now seen you. There is no one who is more fortunate than I am.’

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  Having met, they asked about each other’s welfare. After the conversation was over, Sumati addressed the great sage in these words. ‘O fortunate one! These two young ones are like the gods in their valour. These brave ones possess the strides of elephants and lions. They are like tigers and bulls. Their eyes are large, like the petals of lotuses. They hold swords, quivers and bows. They are about to become adults and are as handsome as the Ashvins. They are like immortals from the world of the gods, who have followed their will and come down to earth. Why have they come here? O sage! What is the reason? Whose sons are they? They are ornaments for this kingdom, like the moon and the sun in the sky. The proportions of their limbs and signs are just like each other’s, identical. What is the reason why these best of men have traversed this difficult path?359 These brave ones wield the best of weapons. I wish to hear the truth about this.’ Hearing his words, Vishvamitra told him about what had happened—the residence in Siddhashrama and the slaughter of the rakshasas. Hearing Vishvamitra’s words, the king was greatly delighted. Dasharatha’s sons had arrived there, as great guests. He worshipped them in the proper way and tended to the two extremely strong ones. The two Raghavas were honoured extremely well by Sumati. After having spent a night there, they left for Mithila.

  On seeing Janaka’s sacred city, all the sages had words of commendation and praise for Mithila and worshipped it. Raghava saw that there was a hermitage in a grove near Mithila. ‘This looks like a beautiful hermitage. Why has it been abandoned by the sages? O illustrious one! I wish to hear about it. Whose hermitage was it earlier?’ Hearing the words spoken by Raghava, the immensely energetic and great sage, Vishvamitra, eloquent in the use of words, replied. ‘O Raghava! I will tell you with pleasure. Hear the truth about whose hermitage this was and which great-souled one cursed it in rage. O best among men! Earlier, it belonged to the great-souled Goutama. This hermitage was divine and it was worshipped even by the gods. Earlier, he practised austerities here, together with Ahalya. O prince! The immensely illustrious one spent innumerable years here. Discerning that there was an opportunity,360 the thousand-eyed one, Shachi’s husband,361 assumed the garb of a sage. He came to Ahalya and addressed her in these words. “O one who is well proportioned! Those who seek pleasure362 do not wait for the time of conception to arrive. O slender-waisted one! I desire to have intercourse with you.” O descendant of the Raghu lineage! She knew that it was the one with the one thousand eyes in the garb of a sage. However, because of her curiosity, the evil-minded one acceded to what the king of the gods wanted. Satisfied in her heart of hearts, she told the best of the gods, “O best among the gods! I have been satiated. O lord! However, leave this spot quickly. O lord of the gods! O one who shows honours! Always protect me and your own self.” Indra laughed at these words and told Ahalya, “O one with the excellent hips! I am also satiated. I will go back to where I have come from.” After the act of intercourse, he emerged from the cottage. O Rama! He was terrified and scared that Goutama might return. He saw that the great sage, Goutama, was entering. He was full of the strength of austerities and the gods and danavas found him impossible to withstand. He blazed like the fire and was wet with water from various tirthas. The bull among sages arrived there, after collecting kindling and kusha grass. On seeing him, the lord of the gods was terrified. His face bore the marks of distress. Seeing the one with the one thousand eyes, attired in the garb of a sage, the sage, full of good conduct, became angry. He spoke these words to the one with evil conduct. “O evil-minded one! You have assumed my form363 and have done this. Since you have done what should not have been done, you will become infertile.” The great-souled sage, Goutama, said this in rage and instantly, the testicles of the thousand-eyed one fell down on the ground. Having cursed Shakra, he also cursed his wife. “You will reside here for many thousands of years. Subsisting on air and without food, you will torment yourself through austerities. You will sleep on ashes. You will live in this hermitage, unseen by all creatures. When the invincible Rama, Dasharatha’s son, arrives in this terrible forest, you will be purified. O one who is evil in conduct! When he becomes your guest, you will lose your avarice and confusion. You will then regain your own form and find delight with me.” The extremely energetic Goutama spoke in this way to the one who was evil in conduct. He abandoned this hermitage, once frequented by siddhas and charanas. The great ascetic performed austerities on a beautiful summit in the Himalayas.’

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  ‘Having been rendered infertile, with Agni at the forefront and with a distressed face, Shakra spoke to the gods and large numbers of rishis and charanas. “I have caused an obstruction in the austerities of the great-souled Goutama and have ignited his rage, but I have accomplished a task for the gods.364 In his rage, he has rendered me infertile and has banished her. Because he released that great curse, I have been able to rob him of his store of austerities.365 I have helped the cause of the gods. O best among the gods! O large numbers of rishis! O charanas! Therefore, all of you should strive to render me potent again.” Hearing Shatakratu’s words, the gods, with all the Maruts and with Agni at the forefront, went to the ancestors366 and spoke these words. “This ram has testicles and Shakra has lost his testicles. Quickly take away the testicles from this ram and give them to Shakra. To cause you delight, if humans offer you rams without testicles, even then, you will grant them supreme satisfaction.”367 Hearing Agni’s words, the assembled ancestors severed the ram’s testicles and gave them to the thousand-eyed one. O Kakutstha! Since then, the assembled ancestors enjoy rams without testicles and discard the testicles if those are offered.368 O Raghava! Since then, Indra possesses the testicles of a ram. This is as a result of the power of austerities of the great-souled Goutama. O immensely energetic one! Therefore, enter the hermitage of the performer of auspicious deeds.369 Save the immensely fortunate Ahalya, who has the form of a goddess.’

  Hearing Vishvamitra’s words, with Vishvamitra at the forefront, Raghava entered the hermitage, accompanied by Lakshmana. He saw the immensely fortunate one, radiant in complexion because of her austerities. He approached the one who could not be seen by the worlds, not even by gods and asuras. She had been carefully crafted by the creator, using divine maya. Her limbs were covered in smoke and she was like the blazing flames of a fire. She was like a cloud covered in snowy mist, with a radiance like that of the full moon. She was unapproachable, with the complexion of the blazing sun, amidst a store of water. Because of Goutama’s words, she had been rendered invisible to the three worlds, until she had seen Rama. The two Raghavas approached her and touched her feet. Reme
mbering Goutama’s words, she received them. Extremely controlled, she treated them as guests and offered padya and arghya. Following the prescribed rites, Kakutstha accepted this hospitality. A great shower of flowers descended from above and the drums of the gods were sounded. There was a large assembly of gandharvas and apsaras. The gods worshipped Ahalya and uttered words of praise. She had followed Goutama’s instructions and had purified her limbs through the strength of austerities. The immensely energetic Goutama was happy with Ahalya. Following the prescribed ordinances, the great ascetic worshipped Rama. Rama also worshipped the great sage, Goutama, in excellent ways. Having met him in the proper way, he then moved on to Mithila.

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  With Vishvamitra at the forefront and with Soumitri, Rama then travelled towards the north-east and arrived at the sacrificial arena. With Lakshmana, Rama spoke to the tiger among sages. ‘The sacrifice of the great-souled Janaka is auspicious and prosperous. O immensely fortunate one! There are many thousand brahmanas who have come here. There are the residents of many countries and are accomplished in studying the Vedas. The residences of the rishis can be seen and there are hundreds of carts. O brahmana! We should identify a proper spot for us to dwell.’ Hearing Rama’s words, Vishvamitra, the great sage, instructed that an abode should be constructed in an uninhabited spot that had water.

  Hearing that Vishvamitra, the best among sages, had arrived, the great king came, with his unblemished priest, Shatananda, at the forefront. With arghya, the great-souled officiating priests also arrived. Following dharma, they offered this and water sanctified with mantras to Vishvamitra. The great-souled one accepted Janaka’s worship. He asked about the king’s welfare and about whether all was well with the sacrifice. As is proper, the sage cheerfully asked about the priests and the preceptors and about all those who had arrived. The king joined his hands in salutation and spoke to the best among sages. ‘O illustrious one! With all the excellent sages, please be seated.’ Hearing Janaka’s words, the great sage sat down. With his officiating priest370 at the forefront, and with his ministers, so did the king. On seeing that everyone had properly sat down on seats in different directions, the king spoke to Vishvamitra. ‘Today, the gods have ensured that my sacrifice will be successful. O illustrious one! Now that I have seen you, I will obtain the fruits of the sacrifice. I am blessed. I am favoured. O bull among sages! O brahmana! With all the sages, you have come to this sacrificial arena. O brahmana rishi! The learned ones have said that only twelve days remain for the sacrifice to be concluded. O Koushika! You should remain here, to see the gods receive their shares.’ With a cheerful face, the king addressed the tiger among sages in this way.

  Controlling himself, he joined his hands in salutation and asked, ‘O fortunate one! These two young ones are like the gods in their valour. These brave ones possess the strides of elephants and lions. They are like tigers and bulls. They have large eyes that are like the petals of lotuses. They hold swords, quivers and bows. They are like the Ashvins in beauty and are about to become adults. They are like immortals from the world of the gods, who have voluntarily come down to earth. O sage! Why have they come here on foot? What is the reason? Whose sons are they? O great sage! These brave ones wield the best of weapons. Whose sons are they? They are ornaments for this country, like the moon and the sun in the sky. They are identical to each other, in the proportion of their limbs and in their bodily signs. These brave ones possess sidelocks that are like the wings of a crow. I wish to hear the truth about this.’ Hearing the words of Janaka, the great-souled one told him that these two were Dasharatha’s great-souled sons. He also recounted the residence in Siddhashrama, the slaughter of the rakshasas, their subsequent sight of Vishala, the meeting with Ahalya, Goutama’s arrival and their decision to come there, to examine the great bow. Vishvamitra, the great sage, told all this to the great-souled and immensely energetic Janaka. He then stopped.

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  Hearing the words of the intelligent Vishvamitra, the body hair of the immensely energetic and great sage, Shatananda, stood up. He was Goutama’s eldest son and was extremely radiant because of his austerities. Having seen Rama, he was supremely astounded. Those two princes were happily seated, with their heads bowed. On seeing them, Shatananda spoke to Vishvamitra, best among sages. ‘O tiger among sages! After having performed austerities for a long period of time, my illustrious mother371 showed herself to these two princes. Using forest fare, my illustrious mother worshipped the immensely energetic Rama, who deserves to be worshipped by all creatures that have bodies. You have told Rama about the ancient account, whereby my mother was treated badly by that immensely energetic god.372 O Koushika! O fortunate one! O best among sages! After having met Rama, my mother has been united with my senior.373 O descendant of Kushika! My senior has been worshipped by Rama. The immensely energetic and great-souled one has now arrived here and deserves to be worshipped. O descendant of Kushika! Before coming here, did Rama honour my father with a peaceful and controlled state of mind?’ The great sage, Vishvamitra, was accomplished in the use of words and eloquent in speech. Hearing Shatananda’s words, he replied, ‘O best among sages! I have not neglected anything that I could have done. The sage has been united with his wife, just as Bhargava was with Renuka.’374

  Hearing the words of the intelligent Vishvamitra, the immensely energetic Shatananda spoke these words to Rama. ‘O best among men! Welcome. O Raghava! It is good fortune that you have come here, with Vishvamitra, the unvanquished maharshi, leading the way. The brahmana rishi is infinite in his splendour and austerities and has accomplished unthinkable deeds. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra has to be recognized as the supreme destination. O Rama! The truth is that there is no one on earth who is more blessed than he is. You have been protected by Kushika’s son, who tormented himself through great austerities. Listen. I will tell you about the great-souled Koushika, about his strength and his conduct. Listen attentively. For a long time, this destroyer of enemies used to be a king, with dharma in his soul. He knew about dharma and was accomplished in learning. He was devoted to the welfare of the subjects. There was a king named Kusha and he was Prajapati’s son. Kusha’s son was the powerful Kushanabha, who was extremely devoted to dharma. Kushanabha’s son was the famous Gadhi. The immensely energetic and great sage, Vishvamitra, is Gadhi’s son. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra ruled over the earth. He was a king and ruled the kingdom for many thousand years. On one occasion, the immensely energetic one arrayed an army. Surrounded by an akshouhini, he roamed around the earth. The king progressively travelled through cities, kingdoms, rivers and mountains and arrived at a hermitage. This was Vasishtha’s hermitage and there were trees with many kinds of flowers and fruit there. There were diverse kinds of animals and the place was frequented by siddhas and charanas. It was adorned by gods, danavas and gandharvas and those who were in the form of kinnaras. It was populated by peaceful deer and large numbers of birds dwelt there. It was full of a large number of brahmana rishis and inhabited by devarshis.375 There were siddhas who practised austerities and those great-souled ones were like the fire. There was prosperity everywhere and there were great-souled ones who were like Brahma. Some lived on water, others survived on air. There were others who subsisted on dry leaves. There were self-controlled ones who lives on fruits and roots. They had conquered anger and had conquered their senses. There were valakhilya rishis,376 devoted to chanting and the offering of oblations. Vasishtha’s hermitage was like Brahma’s world. The immensely strong Vishvamitra, best among victorious ones, saw that.’

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  ‘Seeing this, the immensely strong Vishvamitra was greatly delighted. In humility, the brave one bowed down before Vasishtha, supreme among those who meditate. The great-souled Vasishtha said, “Welcome.” The illustrious Vasishtha requested him to take a seat. When the intelligent Vishvamitra had seated himself, as is proper, the supreme among sages offered him roots and fruits. The supreme among kings accepted th
e honour Vasishtha showed him. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra asked him about the well-being of austerities, the agnihotra, his disciples and the trees. Vasishtha told the supreme among kings that all was well, everywhere. King Vishvamitra was seated comfortably. The great ascetic, Vasishtha, Brahma’s son377 and best among those who meditate, then asked, “O king! Is everything well with you? Do you take delight in dharma? O king! O one who follows dharma! Are you upright in ruling over your subjects? Are your servants well trained? Do they adhere to your commands? O slayer of enemies! Have you defeated all your enemies? O scorcher of enemies! O tiger among men! O unblemished one! Is everything well about your army, treasury, friends and your sons and grandsons?” The king told Vasishtha that all was well, everywhere. The immensely energetic Vishvamitra behaved in a humble way towards Vasishtha. Devoted to dharma, they spent a long period of time in conversing about auspicious accounts. They were supremely delighted and behaved affectionately towards each other. O descendant of the Raghu lineage! When the conversation was over, the illustrious Vasishtha smiled and spoke these words to Vishvamitra. “O greatly strong one! I wish to show my hospitality towards you and your army. O immeasurable one! Accept the honours that you deserve. I wish to behave properly towards you. Please accept what I am about to render. O king! You are the best of guests and I will make efforts to show you worship.” When Vasishtha spoke in this way, the immensely intelligent King Vishvamitra replied, “You have already shown me hospitality. You have given me honours through your words. O illustrious one! I have received the fruits and roots that can be obtained in the hermitage. O illustrious one! I have received padya and achamaniya and I have seen you. O immensely wise one! You have worshipped me well in every possible way of worship. I bow down before you. I will depart now. Please look on me with eyes of affection.”378 The king spoke in this way. However, Vasishtha, with dharma in his soul, invited him again and repeatedly entreated him. At this, Gadhi’s son agreed and replied to Vasishtha, “O illustrious one! O supreme sage! Then, so be it—whatever brings you pleasure.” Thus addressed, the immensely energetic Vasishtha, supreme among those who meditate, was delighted. The one who was cleansed of sin summoned his speckled cow. “O Shabala!379 Come here quickly and listen to my words. I wish to make all the arrangements to treat this royal sage and his army. Make all the arrangements for an extremely expensive banquet. Let every desirable food be brought, characterized by the six kinds of flavour.380 O divine one! O one who yields every object of desire! For my sake, shower all of this down. Let the food be succulent. Let there be drink. Let there be lehya and choshya.381 O Shabala! Swiftly create a store of every kind of food.”’