The Sage's Wrath and Vashishtha's Counsel

Shloka 1 (bala.21.1)

तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य स्नेहपर्याकुलाक्षरम् । समन्युः कौशिको वाक्यं प्रत्युवाच महीपतिम् ॥ २१.१ ॥

tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasya snehaparyākulākṣaram | samanyuḥ kauśiko vākyaṃ pratyuvāca mahīpatim || 21.1 ||

On hearing those words of his, faltering with fondness for his son, Kaushika (Vishwamitra), filled with wrath, replied to the king.

Shloka 2 (bala.21.2)

पूर्वमर्थं प्रतिश्रुत्य प्रतिज्ञां हातुमिच्छसि । राघवाणामयुक्तोऽयं कुलस्यास्य विपर्ययः ॥ २१.२ ॥

pūrvamarthaṃ pratiśrutya pratijñāṃ hātumicchasi | rāghavāṇāmayukto'yaṃ kulasyāsya viparyayaḥ || 21.2 ||

“Having first promised to fulfil my request, you now wish to go back upon your word—such inconstancy ill becomes this house of Raghu.

Shloka 3 (bala.21.3)

यदीदं ते क्षमं राजन् गमिष्यामि यथागतम् । मिथ्याप्रतिज्ञः काकुत्स्थ सुखी भव सबान्धवः ॥ २१.३ ॥

yadīdaṃ te kṣamaṃ rājan gamiṣyāmi yathāgatam | mithyāpratijñaḥ kākutstha sukhī bhava sabāndhavaḥ || 21.3 ||

“If this suits you, O king, then I shall go back the way I came. Live happily with your kinsmen, O Kakutstha, you whose promise has proved false.”

Shloka 4 (bala.21.4)

तस्य रोषपरीतस्य विश्वामित्रस्य धीमतः । चचाल वसुधा कृत्स्ना विवेश च भयं सुरान् ॥ २१.४ ॥

tasya roṣaparītasya viśvāmitrasya dhīmataḥ | cacāla vasudhā kṛtsnā viveśa ca bhayaṃ surān || 21.4 ||

When the wise Vishwamitra was thus overcome with anger, the whole earth trembled, and fear entered the gods.

Shloka 5 (bala.21.5)

त्रस्तरूपं तु विज्ञाय जगत्सर्वं महानृषिः । नृपतिं सुव्रतो धीरो वसिष्ठो वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ २१.५ ॥

trastarūpaṃ tu vijñāya jagatsarvaṃ mahānṛṣiḥ | nṛpatiṃ suvrato dhīro vasiṣṭho vākyamabravīt || 21.5 ||

Perceiving the whole world thus struck with terror, the great sage Vashishtha, steadfast in his vows and wise, spoke these words to the king.

Shloka 6 (bala.21.6)

इक्ष्वाकूणां कुले जातः साक्षाद्धर्म इवापरः । धृतिमान् सुव्रतः श्रीमान्न धर्मं हातुमर्हसि ॥ २१.६ ॥

ikṣvākūṇāṃ kule jātaḥ sākṣāddharma ivāparaḥ | dhṛtimān suvrataḥ śrīmānna dharmaṃ hātumarhasi || 21.6 ||

“Born in the line of Ikshvaku, you are like a second embodiment of Dharma itself; steadfast, of noble vows and glorious as you are, it is not fitting for you to forsake righteousness.

Shloka 7 (bala.21.7)

त्रिषु लोकेषु विख्यातो धर्मात्मा इति राघव । स्वधर्मं प्रतिपद्यस्व नाधर्मं वोढुमर्हसि ॥ २१.७ ॥

triṣu lokeṣu vikhyāto dharmātmā iti rāghava | svadharmaṃ pratipadyasva nādharmaṃ voḍhumarhasi || 21.7 ||

“You are famed throughout the three worlds as a righteous soul, O Raghava; hold fast to your own duty, for it does not befit you to bear the burden of unrighteousness.

Shloka 8 (bala.21.8)

प्रतिश्रुत्य करिष्येति उक्तं वाक्यमकुर्वतः । इष्टापूर्तवधो भूयात्तस्माद्रामं विसर्जय ॥ २१.८ ॥

pratiśrutya kariṣyeti uktaṃ vākyamakurvataḥ | iṣṭāpūrtavadho bhūyāttasmādrāmaṃ visarjaya || 21.8 ||

“For one who, having promised ‘I shall do it,’ fails to fulfil that word, the merit of all sacrifice and charitable works is destroyed; therefore send Rama forth.

Shloka 9 (bala.21.9)

कृतास्त्रमकृतास्त्रं वा नैनं शक्ष्यन्ति राक्षसाः । गुप्तं कुशिकपुत्रेण ज्वलनेनामृतं यथा ॥ २१.९ ॥

kṛtāstramakṛtāstraṃ vā nainaṃ śakṣyanti rākṣasāḥ | guptaṃ kuśikaputreṇa jvalanenāmṛtaṃ yathā || 21.9 ||

“Whether trained in weapons or not, the demons will not be able to harm him, so long as he is guarded by Kushika’s son, just as ambrosia is guarded by fire.

Shloka 10 (bala.21.10)

एष विग्रहवान् धर्म एष वीर्यवतां वरः । एष बुद्ध्याधिको लोके तपसश्च परायणम् ॥ २१.१० ॥

eṣa vigrahavān dharma eṣa vīryavatāṃ varaḥ | eṣa buddhyādhiko loke tapasaśca parāyaṇam || 21.10 ||

“This sage is virtue incarnate; he is the foremost among the mighty; he surpasses all in the world in wisdom, and he is the very refuge of ascetic power.

Shloka 11 (bala.21.11)

एषोऽस्त्रान् विविधान् वेत्ति त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे । नैनमन्यः पुमान् वेत्ति न च वेत्स्यन्ति केचन ॥ २१.११ ॥

eṣo'strān vividhān vetti trailokye sacarācare | nainamanyaḥ pumān vetti na ca vetsyanti kecana || 21.11 ||

“He knows the many divine weapons that exist in these three moving and unmoving worlds; no other man knows him fully, nor will anyone come to know him so in the future.

Shloka 12 (bala.21.12)

न देवा नर्षयः केचिन्नामरा न च राक्षसाः । गन्धर्वयक्षप्रवराः सकिन्नरमहोरगाः ॥ २१.१२ ॥

na devā narṣayaḥ kecinnāmarā na ca rākṣasāḥ | gandharvayakṣapravarāḥ sakinnaramahoragāḥ || 21.12 ||

“Neither the gods, nor any of the sages, nor the immortals, nor the demons, nor the foremost gandharvas and yakshas, together with the kinnaras and great serpents—none of them know him as I do.

Shloka 13 (bala.21.13)

सर्वास्त्राणि कृशाश्वस्य पुत्राः परमधार्मिकाः । कौशिकाय पुरा दत्ता यदा राज्यं प्रशासति ॥ २१.१३ ॥

sarvāstrāṇi kṛśāśvasya putrāḥ paramadhārmikāḥ | kauśikāya purā dattā yadā rājyaṃ praśāsati || 21.13 ||

“All the divine weapons are the supremely righteous sons of sage Krishashva; they were given to Kaushika long ago, when he was ruling over his kingdom.

Shloka 14 (bala.21.14)

तेऽपि पुत्रा कृशाश्वस्य प्रजापतिसुतासुताः । नैकरूपा महावीर्या दीप्तिमंतो जयावहाः ॥ २१.१४ ॥

te'pi putrā kṛśāśvasya prajāpatisutāsutāḥ | naikarūpā mahāvīryā dīptimaṃto jayāvahāḥ || 21.14 ||

“Those sons of Krishashva, born of the daughters of Prajapati Daksha, are of varied forms, of great might, radiant, and bringers of victory.

Shloka 15 (bala.21.15)

जया च सुप्रभा चैव दक्षकन्ये सुमध्यमे । ते सुवातेऽस्त्रशस्त्राणि शतं परमभास्वरम् ॥ २१.१५ ॥

jayā ca suprabhā caiva dakṣakanye sumadhyame | te suvāte'straśastrāṇi śataṃ paramabhāsvaram || 21.15 ||

“Jaya and Suprabha, the slender-waisted daughters of Daksha, gave birth between them to a hundred supremely radiant weapons.

Shloka 16 (bala.21.16)

पंचाशतं सुतान् लेभे जया लब्धवरा वरान् । वधायासुरसैन्यानामप्रमेयानरूपिणः ॥ २१.१६ ॥

paṃcāśataṃ sutān lebhe jayā labdhavarā varān | vadhāyāsurasainyānāmaprameyānarūpiṇaḥ || 21.16 ||

“Jaya, having obtained a boon, bore fifty excellent sons, formless and of immeasurable power, meant for the destruction of the armies of the asuras.

Shloka 17 (bala.21.17)

सुप्रभाजनयत् चापि पुत्रान् पंचाशतं पुनः । संहारान्नाम दुर्धर्षान् दुराक्रामान् बलीयसः ॥ २१.१७ ॥

suprabhājanayat cāpi putrān paṃcāśataṃ punaḥ | saṃhārānnāma durdharṣān durākrāmān balīyasaḥ || 21.17 ||

“And Suprabha likewise bore another fifty sons, unassailable and hard to overcome, exceedingly mighty, known as the Samharas, the ‘Destroyers.’

Shloka 18 (bala.21.18)

तानि चास्त्राणि वेत्त्येष यथावत् कुशिकात्मजः । अपूर्वाणां च जनने शक्तो भूयः स धर्मवित् ॥ २१.१८ ॥

tāni cāstrāṇi vettyeṣa yathāvat kuśikātmajaḥ | apūrvāṇāṃ ca janane śakto bhūyaḥ sa dharmavit || 21.18 ||

“This son of Kushika knows all these weapons exactly as they are, and being versed in dharma, he is further capable of creating weapons never known before.

Shloka 19 (bala.21.19)

तेनास्य मुनिमुख्यस्य धर्मज्ञस्य महात्मनः । न किंचिदस्त्यविदितं भूतं भव्यं च राघव ॥ २१.१९ ॥

tenāsya munimukhyasya dharmajñasya mahātmanaḥ | na kiṃcidastyaviditaṃ bhūtaṃ bhavyaṃ ca rāghava || 21.19 ||

“Therefore, O Raghava, nothing whatsoever, past or future, remains unknown to this foremost of sages, this great soul versed in dharma.

Shloka 20 (bala.21.20)

एवंवीर्यो महातेजा विश्वामित्रो महायशाः । न रामगमने राजन् संशयं गन्तुमर्हसि ॥ २१.२० ॥

evaṃvīryo mahātejā viśvāmitro mahāyaśāḥ | na rāmagamane rājan saṃśayaṃ gantumarhasi || 21.20 ||

“Such is the might of the greatly resplendent and renowned Vishwamitra; O king, it is not proper for you to entertain any doubt about sending Rama with him.

Shloka 21 (bala.21.21)

तेषां निग्रहणे शक्तः स्वयं च कुशिकात्मजः । तव पुत्रहितार्थाय त्वामुपेत्याभियाचते ॥ २१.२१ ॥

teṣāṃ nigrahaṇe śaktaḥ svayaṃ ca kuśikātmajaḥ | tava putrahitārthāya tvāmupetyābhiyācate || 21.21 ||

“Kushika’s son is himself fully capable of subduing those demons; it is only for the welfare of your son that he has come to you and is entreating you.

Shloka 22 (bala.21.22)

इति मुनिवचनात् प्रसन्नचित्तो रघुवृषभश्च मुमोद पार्थिवाग्र्यः । गमनमभिरुरोच राघवस्य प्रथितयशाः कुशिकात्मजाय बुद्ध्या ॥ २१.२२ ॥

iti munivacanāt prasannacitto raghuvṛṣabhaśca mumoda pārthivāgryaḥ | gamanamabhiruroca rāghavasya prathitayaśāḥ kuśikātmajāya buddhyā || 21.22 ||

On hearing these words of the sage, that foremost of kings, the bull among the descendants of Raghu, became serene and glad at heart; and that renowned monarch wholeheartedly consented to Rama’s departure with Kushika’s son.