The Hermitage at the Confluence

Shloka 1 (bala.23.1)

प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः । अभ्यभाषत काकुत्स्थौ शयानौ पर्णसंस्तरे ॥ २३.१ ॥

prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ viśvāmitro mahāmuniḥ | abhyabhāṣata kākutsthau śayānau parṇasaṃstare || 23.1 ||

When that night had turned to dawn, the great sage Vishwamitra spoke to the two scions of Kakutstha, who lay sleeping upon a bed of leaves.

Shloka 2 (bala.23.2)

कौसल्या सुप्रजा राम पूर्वा संध्या प्रवर्तते । उत्तिष्ठ नरशार्दूल कर्तव्यं दैवमाह्निकम् ॥ २३.२ ॥

kausalyā suprajā rāma pūrvā saṃdhyā pravartate | uttiṣṭha naraśārdūla kartavyaṃ daivamāhnikam || 23.2 ||

“Blessed indeed is Kausalya to have begotten you, O Rama! The eastern twilight is now dawning; rise, O tiger among men, for the morning rites owed to the gods must be performed.

Shloka 3 (bala.23.3)

तस्यर्षेः परमोदारं वचः श्रुत्वा नरोत्तमौ । स्नात्वा कृतोदकौ वीरौ जेपतुः परमं जपम् ॥ २३.३ ॥

tasyarṣeḥ paramodāraṃ vacaḥ śrutvā narottamau | snātvā kṛtodakau vīrau jepatuḥ paramaṃ japam || 23.3 ||

Hearing those most gracious words of the sage, the two heroic and noblest of men bathed, offered their water oblations, and silently recited the supreme hymn.

Shloka 4 (bala.23.4)

कृताह्निकौ महावीर्यौ विश्वामित्रं तपोधनम् । अभिवाद्यातिसंहृष्टौ गमनायाभितस्थतुः ॥ २३.४ ॥

kṛtāhnikau mahāvīryau viśvāmitraṃ tapodhanam | abhivādyātisaṃhṛṣṭau gamanāyābhitasthatuḥ || 23.4 ||

Having completed their morning duties, those two mighty heroes, greatly delighted, saluted Vishwamitra, whose wealth was his austerity, and presented themselves ready for the onward journey.

Shloka 5 (bala.23.5)

तौ प्रयान्तौ महावीर्यौ दिव्यां त्रिपथगां नदीम् । ददृशाते ततस्तत्र सरय्वाः संगमे शुभे ॥ २३.५ ॥

tau prayāntau mahāvīryau divyāṃ tripathagāṃ nadīm | dadṛśāte tatastatra sarayvāḥ saṃgame śubhe || 23.5 ||

As those two mighty heroes journeyed on, they beheld there, at the auspicious confluence with the Sarayu, the divine river that flows in three courses.

Shloka 6 (bala.23.6)

तत्राश्रमपदं पुण्यं ऋषीणां भावितात्मनाम् । बहुवर्षसहस्राणि तप्यतां परमं तपः ॥ २३.६ ॥

tatrāśramapadaṃ puṇyaṃ ṛṣīṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām | bahuvarṣasahasrāṇi tapyatāṃ paramaṃ tapaḥ || 23.6 ||

There they saw the sacred hermitage of sages of purified soul, who for many thousands of years had been practising the highest austerities.

Shloka 7 (bala.23.7)

तं दृष्ट्वा परमप्रीतौ राघवौ पुण्यमाश्रमम् । ऊचतुस्तं महात्मानं विश्वामित्रमिदं वचः ॥ २३.७ ॥

taṃ dṛṣṭvā paramaprītau rāghavau puṇyamāśramam | ūcatustaṃ mahātmānaṃ viśvāmitramidaṃ vacaḥ || 23.7 ||

On seeing that sacred hermitage, the two Raghavas, greatly pleased, spoke these words to the great soul Vishwamitra.

Shloka 8 (bala.23.8)

कस्यायमाश्रमः पुण्यः को न्वस्मिन्वसते पुमान् । भगवन् श्रोतुमिच्छावः परं कौतूहलं हि नौ ॥ २३.८ ॥

kasyāyamāśramaḥ puṇyaḥ ko nvasminvasate pumān | bhagavan śrotumicchāvaḥ paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi nau || 23.8 ||

“Whose is this sacred hermitage, O lord, and what illustrious person dwells within it? We are eager to hear of it, for our curiosity in this matter is truly great.”

Shloka 9 (bala.23.9)

तयोस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रहस्य मुनिपुंगवः । अब्रवीच्छ्रूयतां राम कस्यायं पूर्व आश्रमः ॥ २३.९ ॥

tayostadvacanaṃ śrutvā prahasya munipuṃgavaḥ | abravīcchrūyatāṃ rāma kasyāyaṃ pūrva āśramaḥ || 23.9 ||

Hearing their words, the eminent sage smiled and said, “Listen then, O Rama, to whom this hermitage belonged in ancient times.

Shloka 10 (bala.23.10)

कन्दर्पो मूर्तिमानासीत् काम इत्युच्यते बुधैः । तपस्यन्तमिह स्थाणुं नियमेन समाहितम् ॥ २३.१० ॥

kandarpo mūrtimānāsīt kāma ityucyate budhaiḥ | tapasyantamiha sthāṇuṃ niyamena samāhitam || 23.10 ||

“Once Kandarpa, the god of love—whom the wise call Kama—had a bodily form; it was he who dared assail Lord Shiva here, as Shiva sat practising disciplined and concentrated austerity,

Shloka 11 (bala.23.11)

कृतोद्वाहं तु देवेशं गच्छन्तं समरुद्गणम् । धर्षयामास दुर्मेधा हुंकृतश्च महात्मना ॥ २३.११ ॥

kṛtodvāhaṃ tu deveśaṃ gacchantaṃ samarudgaṇam | dharṣayāmāsa durmedhā huṃkṛtaśca mahātmanā || 23.11 ||

Shiva, who, having wed, was returning together with his troop of Wind-gods; that ill-minded one dared to assail him, and thereupon that great being roared out in displeasure.

Shloka 12 (bala.23.12)

अवध्यतश्च रौद्रेण चक्षुषा रघुनन्दन । व्यशीर्यन्त शरीरात् स्वात् सर्वगात्राणि दुर्मतेः ॥ २३.१२ ॥

avadhyataśca raudreṇa cakṣuṣā raghunandana | vyaśīryanta śarīrāt svāt sarvagātrāṇi durmateḥ || 23.12 ||

O delight of the Raghus, that malicious one was consumed by Shiva’s fierce eye, and all the limbs of that ill-minded one fell away scattered from his own body.

Shloka 13 (bala.23.13)

तत्र गात्रं हतं तस्य निर्दग्धस्य महात्मनः । अशरीरः कृतः कामः क्रोधाद्देवेश्वरेण ह ॥ २३.१३ ॥

tatra gātraṃ hataṃ tasya nirdagdhasya mahātmanaḥ | aśarīraḥ kṛtaḥ kāmaḥ krodhāddeveśvareṇa ha || 23.13 ||

There his body was utterly destroyed by that great being’s burning gaze, and through the wrath of the lord of gods, Kama was thus rendered bodiless.

Shloka 14 (bala.23.14)

अनङ्ग इति विख्यातस्तदाप्रभृति राघव । स चाङ्गविषयः श्रीमान् यत्राङ्गं स मुमोच ह ॥ २३.१४ ॥

anaṅga iti vikhyātastadāprabhṛti rāghava | sa cāṅgaviṣayaḥ śrīmān yatrāṅgaṃ sa mumoca ha || 23.14 ||

From that time onward, O Raghava, he became renowned as Ananga, ‘the bodiless one’; and the glorious region where he shed his body became known as the province of Anga.

Shloka 15 (bala.23.15)

तस्यायमाश्रमः पुण्यस्तस्येमे मुनयः पुरा । शिष्या धर्मपरा वीर तेषां पापं न विद्यते ॥ २३.१५ ॥

tasyāyamāśramaḥ puṇyastasyeme munayaḥ purā | śiṣyā dharmaparā vīra teṣāṃ pāpaṃ na vidyate || 23.15 ||

“This sacred hermitage, O hero, belongs to him, to Shiva; these sages here were, of old, his disciples, devoted to righteousness; in them no sin whatever is found.

Shloka 16 (bala.23.16)

इहाद्य रजनीं राम वसेम शुभदर्शन । पुण्ययोः सरितोर्मध्ये श्वस्तरिष्यामहे वयम् ॥ २३.१६ ॥

ihādya rajanīṃ rāma vasema śubhadarśana | puṇyayoḥ saritormadhye śvastariṣyāmahe vayam || 23.16 ||

“Let us stay tonight here, O Rama of auspicious countenance, between these two sacred rivers; tomorrow we shall cross over.

Shloka 17 (bala.23.17)

अभिगच्छामहे सर्वे शुचयः पुण्यमाश्रमम् । इह वासः परोऽस्माकं सुखं वस्त्यामहे वयम् ॥ २३.१७ ॥

abhigacchāmahe sarve śucayaḥ puṇyamāśramam | iha vāsaḥ paro'smākaṃ sukhaṃ vastyāmahe vayam || 23.17 ||

“Let us all, purified, approach this sacred hermitage; our stay here will be truly comfortable, and we shall dwell at ease—

Shloka 18 (bala.23.18)

स्नाताश्च कृतजप्याश्च हुतहव्या नरोत्तम । तेषां संवदतां तत्र तपोदीर्घेण चक्षुषा ॥ २३.१८ ॥

snātāśca kṛtajapyāśca hutahavyā narottama | teṣāṃ saṃvadatāṃ tatra tapodīrgheṇa cakṣuṣā || 23.18 ||

having bathed, O best of men, performed our silent recitations, and offered our fire-oblations.” While they were thus conversing there, with vision made far-seeing by long ascetic practice—

Shloka 19 (bala.23.19)

विज्ञाय परमप्रीता मुनयो हर्षमागमन् । अर्घ्यं पाद्यं तथातिथ्यं निवेद्य कुशिकात्मजे ॥ २३.१९ ॥

vijñāya paramaprītā munayo harṣamāgaman | arghyaṃ pādyaṃ tathātithyaṃ nivedya kuśikātmaje || 23.19 ||

the sages, perceiving them, came forward greatly delighted and full of joy, and offered water for the hands and feet, and hospitality, presenting these first to Kushika's son.

Shloka 20 (bala.23.20)

रामलक्ष्मणयोः पश्चादकुर्वन्नतिथिक्रियाम् । सत्कारं समनुप्राप्य कथाभिरभिरंजयन् ॥ २३.२० ॥

rāmalakṣmaṇayoḥ paścādakurvannatithikriyām | satkāraṃ samanuprāpya kathābhirabhiraṃjayan || 23.20 ||

Afterwards they performed the rites of hospitality for Rama and Lakshmana as well; and having received such honour, those sages delighted their guests with many tales.

Shloka 21 (bala.23.21)

यथार्हमजपन् संध्यामृषयस्ते समाहिताः । तत्र वासिभिरानीता मुनिभिः सुव्रतैः सह ॥ २३.२१ ॥

yathārhamajapan saṃdhyāmṛṣayaste samāhitāḥ | tatra vāsibhirānītā munibhiḥ suvrataiḥ saha || 23.21 ||

Those sages, with minds composed, recited the twilight prayer each according to his own capacity; and being led in by the resident sages of pious vows, they all stayed there most comfortably in the precincts of Kama's hermitage.

Shloka 22 (bala.23.22)

न्यवसन् सुसुखं तत्र कामाश्रमपदे तथा । कथाभिरभिरामभिरभिरामौ नृपात्मजौ । रमयामास धर्मात्मा कौशिको मुनिपुङ्गवः ॥ २३.२२ ॥

nyavasan susukhaṃ tatra kāmāśramapade tathā | kathābhirabhirāmabhirabhirāmau nṛpātmajau | ramayāmāsa dharmātmā kauśiko munipuṅgavaḥ || 23.22 ||

With his delightful stories, the righteous-souled Kaushika, that foremost of sages, gave pleasure to those two charming princes.