The immensely energetic Vishnu spoke to the grandfather. ‘O one who is good in vows! You should also grant these large numbers of people.800 All of these spirited ones have followed me, out of affection. They are devoted and you should honour them. For my sake, they have given up their bodies.’ Hearing Vishnu’s words, Brahma, the lord and preceptor of the worlds, said that all the assembled people could go to the world known as Santanika. ‘O Rama! If anyone born as inferior species thinks of you and gives up his life out of devotion, that person will also reside in Santanika. It possesses all the qualities and is only next to Brahma’s world. The apes will return to whichever gods they had been born from and so will the bears. The rishis, the serpents and the yakshas will also regain their own portions.’ When the lord of the gods said this, they reached the place from where they would leave the earth. Their eyes filled with tears of joy and without any lassitude, they went to the Sarayu. Full of joy, all those creatures submerged themselves in the water. They gave up their bodies as humans and ascended vimanas. Those born as inferior species also approached the waters of the Sarayu. Their forms became divine and celestial. They were as radiant as gods. All mobile and immobile objects also went to the waters of the Sarayu. From those unblemished waters, they went to the world of the gods. There were apes, bears and rakshasas that had been born from the portions of the gods. All of them gave up their bodies in the water and entered their own portions. The preceptor of the worlds and heaven thus ensured that all of them obtained heaven. Thereafter, with the happy and delighted gods, the immensely intelligent one also went to heaven. The Uttara Kanda account, worshipped by Brahma, ends here. It is part of the famous and excellent Ramayana composed by Valmiki.
This ends the Uttara Kanda.
This ends the Valmiki Ramayana.
1 The solar and the lunar dynasty, respectively.
2 Epic.
3 Incarnation, or descent.
4 Fish.
5 Turtle.
6 Boar.
7 Half-man, half-lion.
8 Dwarf.
9 Eras.
10 Constellations/stars and planets.
11 Lifespan of a Manu.
12 Curlew.
13 Nishada.
14 Articulation and pronunciation.
15 Prosody.
16 Grammar.
17 Etymology.
18 Astronomy.
19 Rituals.
20 Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography, Sanjeev Sanyal, Penguin, 2012.
21 The Ramayana of Valmiki, translated into English verse, Ralph T.H. Griffith, E.Z. Lazarus and Company, London, 1895.
22 Valmiki Ramayana, Manmatha Nath Dutt, R.K. Bhatia, Calcutta, 1891–92. Manmatha Nath Dutt (Shastri) was one of India’s greatest translators (in English). He also translated the Mahabharata and several Puranas.
23 The Ramayana of Valmiki, Hari Prasad Shastri, Shanti Sadan, London, 1952.
24 This is net based, on the site http://www.valmikiramayan.net/ and leaves out ‘Uttara Kanda’.
25 The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India, Robert P. Goldman, Princeton University Press, 1984 to 2016.
26 The Mahabharata, Bibek Debroy, Penguin (India), 10 volumes, 2010–2014, boxed set 2015.
27 Demons.
1 Narada was a son born to Brahma through Brahma’s mental powers.
2 We will not translate the word dharma, because there is no satisfactory word that captures all of its nuances —duty, good behaviour, morality, ethics, governance (for kings) and the metaphysical or the spiritual. The nuance depends on the context.
3 Heaven, earth and the nether regions. Alternatively, heaven, earth and the region between heaven and earth.
4 From Brahma. Narada recounts the core story of the Ramayana, in brief.
5 The first king of the solar (surya) dynasty.
6 This second reference to control is with reference to the senses and vices.
7 The Vedas are Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. The six Vedangas are shiksha (articulation and pronunciation), chhanda (prosody), vyakarana (grammar), nirukta (etymology), jyotisha (astronomy) and kalpa (rituals). Dhanurveda is the science of war or fighting.
8 This can also be translated as possessing an excellent memory. However, the sacred texts are of two types—shruti and smriti. The texts mentioned earlier, as ones that Rama knows, are shruti texts. Therefore, it seems natural to interpret this as smriti texts.
9 The word used is arya.
10 Rama’s mother.
11 This sentence is used to argue that the idea of Rama as Vishnu’s incarnation is a later one.
12 The fire that comes at the time of the destruction of a yuga (era).
13 Kubera.
14 The god of dharma.
15 Dasharatha wanted to make Rama the crown prince.
16 Dasharatha had three wives—Kousalya, Kaikeyee and Sumitra. Dasharatha had granted two boons to Kaikeyee earlier, boons she was going to redeem when the time was right. Bharata was Kaikeyee’s son. Lakshmana and Shatrughna were Sumitra’s sons.
17 The twenty-seven nakshatras are married to the moon god, though the moon god loves Rohini (Aldebaran) more. The nakshatras are not quite stars, they can also be constellations.
18 Shringaverapura is in Uttar Pradesh, near Allahabad.
19 It is difficult to pin down Chitrakuta now—it could have been in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh. Bharadvaja was a sage.
20 Semi-divine species, companions of Kubera, celestial musicians.
21 Bharata wanted Rama to return and become king, but Rama refused. Thereupon, Bharata returned with Rama’s sandals, which would be placed on the throne.
22 A village near Ayodhya.
23 Rama was single-minded that his exile should not be disturbed. Etymologically, the forest of Dandaka, or Dandakaranya, has a sense of punishment, that is, it is a place to which one was exiled or banished. Today, Dandakaranya straddles several central Indian states.
24 Demon.
25 A sage. Suteekshna is another sage.
26 Agastya’s brother.
27 He obtained these weapons from Agastya, Indra having given them to Agastya.
28 Lakshmana severed her nose and ears. Janasthana is a place in Dandakaranya. The place where Shurpanakha’s nose (and ears) were severed is identified as Nashika.
29 Rama’s.
30 Maya is the power of illusion. Maricha used these powers to adopt the form of a deer and draw Rama and Lakshmana away.
31 Ravana.
32 Maithilee is Sita, daughter of the king of Mithila, Janaka. The kingdom was Videha, the capital was Mithila. Sita is thus also known as Vaidehi. Raghu was one of Rama’s ancestors. Hence, Rama is referred to as Raghava.
33 Kabandha.
34 Hanumat is Hanuman, Hanumat being the correct way of translating the name. The lake Pampa is near Hampi, in Karnataka.
35 The enmity between Vali and Sugriva.
36 A gigantic demon in the form of a buffalo, killed by Vali.
37 A yojana is a measure of distance, between 8 and 9 miles.
38 A large tree, Shorea robusta.
39 The kingdom of the apes.
40 Vali.
41 Jatayu’s elder brother.
42 Rama’s ring.
43 Brahma.
44 Rama.
45 Rama.
46 A celestial vehicle, vimana. This belonged originally to Kubera, but was seized by Ravana.
47 There are four yugas—satya (krita), treta, dvapara and kali. Everything worsens as one moves from krita yuga to kali yuga. Though the incidents of the Ramayana occur in treta yuga, it seems as if it is krita yuga.
48 Brahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras.
49 That is, a vaishya.
50 Valmiki.
51 Alternatively, left for heaven.
52 The text uses the word muhurta. It is a measure of time. More specifically, it is a span of forty-eight minutes.
53 Ja
hnavee is the Ganga and Tamasa is a tributary that flows through Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Valmiki’s hermitage was on the banks of the Tamasa.
54 A tirtha is a sacred place of pilgrimage with water where one can have a bath.
55 Valmiki’s disciple.
56 The word used is tata. Though it means son, it is affectionately used for anyone who is younger or junior.
57 The krouncha bird.
58 The nishadas were hunters who dwelt in mountains and forests.
59 Valmiki looked on.
60 This celebrated verse (shloka) is regarded as the beginning of Sanskrit poetry.
61 There is an implied pun on the etymology of the word shloka, from shoka (sorrow). Sanskrit poetry has different kinds of metres. This particular one is known as anushtubh. An akshara is not quite a syllable, but syllable is a good enough approximation. Pada means a quarter and an anushtubh shloka possesses four padas, with eight syllables in each pada. That celebrated verse has these attributes.
62 These are objects always offered to a guest—padya (water to wash the feet), achamaniya (water to wash the mouth/face), arghya (a gift) and asana (a seat).
63 The hunter.
64 A long poem.
65 Literally, Ramayana means Rama’s progress (ayana).
66 There is the implication that something becomes a shloka when it is recited by others, not just the composer.
67 Rama’s. Having heard from Narada.
68 Water is touched before an auspicious act.
69 Sacred grass. It is not clear whether he stood, or seated himself.
70 What follows is a description of what is in the Ramayana. The sentence is incomplete (without a subject and a verb), not unusual in Sanskrit.
71 Parashurama.
72 Dasharatha.
73 Guha.
74 A consequent rise in Ravana’s wrath.
75 The kingship of the apes.
76 At Sugriva’s delay.
77 Because the apes had not been able to find Sita.
78 By Hanumat.
79 The ring.
80 The wind god; Hanumat was Vayu’s son.
81 Vibhishana explained how Ravana could be killed.
82 After Rama had left earth.
83 Ravana’s.
84 Svara (note) can be in seven tones—shadja, rishabha, gandhara, madhyama, panchama, dhaivat and nishada, commonly known as sa-re-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni. The three scales are udatta (high), anudatta (low) and svarita (accented).
85 There are nine rasas (emotions) in aesthetics—shringara (romance), hasya (comedy), karunya (compassion), roudra (ferocity), beebhatsa (disgusting), bhayanaka (horrible), veera (heroic), adbhuta (wonderful) and shanta (peaceful). However, other rasas are also sometimes mentioned.
86 Kusha and Lava.
87 Singing, dancing and music.
88 Valmiki.
89 Rama.
90 Stringed musical instrument.
91 Implying Manu.
92 The king’s name is Sagara and the ocean is named saagara after him.
93 These are regarded as the three objectives (trivarga) of human existence. Kama is the pursuit of the senses and artha is the pursuit of wealth. The goal of moksha (emancipation) transcends these three.
94 The text uses the word janapada.
95 The capital of Kosala.
96 A shataghni is a weapon that can kill one hundred at one stroke.
97 For women.
98 Indra’s capital.
99 Ashtapada was a game, probably a precursor to chess.
100 A fine rice.
101 We have translated mridanga in this way and dundubhi as drum.
102 Successful sages.
103 Shabdavedhyam, shooting at a target on the basis of sound, rather than sight. Unlike the others, which are principles of fair fighting, this prohibition might have been because of Dasharatha’s experience and curse, recounted later.
104 Great warrior, more specifically, a maharatha is someone who can single-handedly fight ten thousand warriors.
105 A maharshi is a great sage. A rajarshi is a royal sage.
106 Respectively, Indra and Kubera.
107 Dharma, artha and kama.
108 Instead of mountainous region, Vanayu might also refer to the name of a specific country, such as Arabia. Riverine tract might mean the region of the five rivers, especially the area around the Sindhu.
109 The Critical Edition excises half a shloka, where Iravata and Mahapadma are also mentioned. Eight elephants stand in the eight directions and their names are Airavata, Pundarika, Vamana, Kumuda, Anjana, Pushpadanta, Sarvabhouma and Suprateeka. All that is meant is that Ayodhya’s elephants had divine ancestry.
110 There were four classes of elephants, classified according to complexion, tusk and belly—bhadra, mandra, mriga and mishra. The first three are mentioned here, Ayodhya’s elephants interbred from these three classes.
111 Ayodhya means something that cannot be assailed. The sense is that the fortifications extended for another two yojanas, beyond the city’s perimeter.
112 By the king, so that they did not yield to nepotism and other relationships.
113 The ministers.
114 The sutas were charioteers and bards, but were sometimes, advisers to kings.
115 Sanatkumara, Sanaka, Sanatana and Sanandana were four sages who were created through Brahma’s mental powers.
116 This is being foretold as something that will happen in the future. Literally, Rishyashringa means the rishi who possesses horns. Since shringa also means peak, this can also be interpreted as a lofty sage.
117 The word brahmacharya is usually translated as celibacy, but that’s a simplification. Brahmacharya means conduct along the path of the brahman. In the four stages (ashramas) of life, brahmacharya is the first, followed by garhasthya, vanaprastha and sannyasa, in that order. Brahmacharya is the stage when one is a student and follows celibacy. Hence, this is the first kind of ashrama. On attaining the stage of a householder (garhasthya), brahmacharya is not interpreted as celibacy. Instead, it means intercourse at prescribed times and for prescribed purposes. This is the second kind of brahmacharya.
118 Vibhandaka.
119 The rain god.
120 There is another aspect to the expression son-in-law. According to some accounts, before he had sons, through Kousalya, Dasharatha had a daughter named Shanta, who became King Romapada’s adopted daughter.
121 Where the courtesans were.
122 There are different stories about Rishyashringa’s birth, such as he being the son of Vibhandaka and Urvashi. In some, not all, of these accounts, he is born from a doe, which explains the horns. Vibhandaka was descended from the sage Kashyapa.
123 To Anga.
124 Romapada.
125 Meaning Vibhandaka.
126 Since peace is shanti, there is a bit of a pun.
127 Sumantra is still speaking.
128 Sanatkumara.
129 The text leaves this vague enough for the ‘he’ to be interpreted as either Dasharatha or Romapada.
130 This Anga means Romapada’s father.
131 Dasharatha.
132 Obviously, another name for krita yuga.
133 Dasharatha.
134 Dasharatha and Romapada respectively.
135 Rishyashringa also worshipped Dasharatha.
136 Romapada.
137 Dasharatha.
138 Rishyashringa.
139 Rishyashringa.
140 Spoken by Rishyashringa. In a horse sacrifice, a horse is released, left free to wander around. When the horse wanders into another king’s kingdom, that king seizes the horse and provokes a battle, or accepts vassalage. When the triumphant horse eventually returns, it is sacrificed.
141 The brahman or paramatman is the supreme soul. Though Rishyashringa was the chief officiating priest, there were other officiating priests too.
142 Rishyashringa.
143 Brahmanas who become rakshasas after death.
&nb
sp; 144 The horse returned after wandering around for a year.
145 Dasharatha.
146 This probably means earlier friendship. At a stretch, this might also mean that Vasishtha knew about the future matrimonial alliance.
147 Specific rites connected with a soma sacrifice.
148 Rishyashringa.
149 Dasharatha.
150 In a horse sacrifice, stretching from the north to the south, twenty-one sacrificial posts are laid out. The horse is tied to the main one and this is made out of the rajjudala (shleshmataka) tree. Two posts made out of devadaru are to the north and south of this. There are six posts each from bilva, khadira and palasha (parnina).
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 142
