Agastya, Vasishtha, and the Birth of Janaka

Shloka 1 (uttara.57.1)

तां श्रुत्वा दिव्यसङ्काशां कथामद्भुतदर्शनाम् । लक्ष्मणः परमप्रीतो राघवं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ।। 57.1 ।।

tāṃ śrutvā divyasaṅkāśāṃ kathāmadbhutadarśanām | lakṣmaṇaḥ paramaprīto rāghavaṃ vākyamabravīt || 57.1 ||

Hearing that divine, wondrous-seeming story, Lakshmana, greatly delighted, spoke this word to Raghava.

Shloka 2 (uttara.57.2)

निक्षिप्तदेहौ काकुत्स्थ कथं तौ द्विजपार्थिवौ । पुनर्देहेन संयोगं जग्मुर्देवसम्मतौ ।। 57.2 ।।

nikṣiptadehau kākutstha kathaṃ tau dvijapārthivau | punardehena saṃyogaṃ jagmurdevasammatau || 57.2 ||

"O Kakutstha, how did those two — a brahmin and a king — who had cast off their bodies, come again into union with a body, honoured by the gods?

Shloka 3 (uttara.57.3)

तस्य तद्भाषितं श्रुत्वा रामः सत्यपराक्रमः । तां कथां कथयामास वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः ।। 57.3 ।।

tasya tadbhāṣitaṃ śrutvā rāmaḥ satyaparākramaḥ | tāṃ kathāṃ kathayāmāsa vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ || 57.3 ||

Hearing his words, Rama of true valour told the story of the great-souled Vasishtha.

Shloka 4 (uttara.57.4)

यस्तु कुम्भो रघुश्रेष्ठ तेजःपूर्णो महात्मनोः । तस्मिंस्तेजोमयौ विप्रौ सम्भूतावृषिसत्तमौ ।। 57.4 ।।

yastu kumbho raghuśreṣṭha tejaḥpūrṇo mahātmanoḥ | tasmiṃstejomayau viprau sambhūtāvṛṣisattamau || 57.4 ||

"O best of the Raghus, that jar which was filled with the potency of the two great souls — in it two brahmins of pure splendour, foremost among sages, came into being.

Shloka 5 (uttara.57.5)

पूर्वं समभवत्तत्र ह्यगस्त्यो भगवानृषिः । नाहं सुतस्तवेत्युक्त्वा मित्रं तस्मादपाक्रमत् ।। 57.5 ।।

pūrvaṃ samabhavattatra hyagastyo bhagavānṛṣiḥ | nāhaṃ sutastavetyuktvā mitraṃ tasmādapākramat || 57.5 ||

First the venerable sage Agastya came into being there; saying to Mitra, 'I am not your son,' he departed from him.

Shloka 6 (uttara.57.6)

तद्धि तेजस्तु मित्रस्य उर्वश्याः पूर्वमाहितम् । तस्मिन्समभवत्कुम्भे तत्तेजो यत्र वारुणम् ।। 57.6 ।।

taddhi tejastu mitrasya urvaśyāḥ pūrvamāhitam | tasminsamabhavatkumbhe tattejo yatra vāruṇam || 57.6 ||

For that potency of Mitra which had earlier been placed on account of Urvashi came into being in that same jar where the potency of Varuna also was.

Shloka 7 (uttara.57.7)

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य मित्रावरुणसम्भवः । वसिष्ठस्तेजसा युक्तो जज्ञे इक्ष्वाकुदैवतम् ।। 57.7 ।।

kasyacittvatha kālasya mitrāvaruṇasambhavaḥ | vasiṣṭhastejasā yukto jajñe ikṣvākudaivatam || 57.7 ||

Then after some time, Vasishtha, born of the union of Mitra and Varuna, endowed with splendour, came into being as the family deity of the Ikshvakus.

Shloka 8 (uttara.57.8)

तमिक्ष्वाकुर्महातेजा जातमात्रमनिन्दितम् । वव्रे पुरोधसं सौम्य वंशस्यास्य भवाय नः ।। 57.8 ।।

tamikṣvākurmahātejā jātamātramaninditam | vavre purodhasaṃ saumya vaṃśasyāsya bhavāya naḥ || 57.8 ||

O gentle one, the greatly splendorous Ikshvaku chose him — blameless, just born — as the family priest, for the prosperity of our line.

Shloka 9 (uttara.57.9)

एवं त्वपूर्वदेहस्य वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः । कथितो निर्गमः सौम्य निमेः शृणु यथा ऽभवत् ।। 57.9 ।।

evaṃ tvapūrvadehasya vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | kathito nirgamaḥ saumya nimeḥ śṛṇu yathā 'bhavat || 57.9 ||

Thus, O gentle one, has been told the origin of great-souled Vasishtha's new body; now hear how it happened with Nimi.

Shloka 10 (uttara.57.10)

दृष्ट्वा विदेहं राजानमृषयः सर्व एव ते । तं च ते योजयामासुर्यागदीक्षां मनीषिणः ।। 57.10 ।।

dṛṣṭvā videhaṃ rājānamṛṣayaḥ sarva eva te | taṃ ca te yojayāmāsuryāgadīkṣāṃ manīṣiṇaḥ || 57.10 ||

Seeing the king now bodiless, all those wise sages engaged him in the initiation for a sacrifice.

Shloka 11 (uttara.57.11)

तं च देहं नरेन्द्रस्य रक्षन्ति स्म द्विजोत्तमाः । गन्धैर्माल्यैश्च वस्त्रैश्च पौरभृत्यसमन्विताः ।। 57.11 ।।

taṃ ca dehaṃ narendrasya rakṣanti sma dvijottamāḥ | gandhairmālyaiśca vastraiśca paurabhṛtyasamanvitāḥ || 57.11 ||

And the foremost brahmins, together with the citizens and servants, guarded the body of that lord of men with perfumes, garlands, and cloths.

Shloka 12 (uttara.57.12)

ततो यज्ञे समाप्ते तु भृगुस्तत्रेदमब्रवीत् । आनयिष्यामि ते चेतस्तुष्टो ऽस्मि तव पार्थिव ।। 57.12 ।।

tato yajñe samāpte tu bhṛgustatredamabravīt | ānayiṣyāmi te cetastuṣṭo 'smi tava pārthiva || 57.12 ||

Then, when the sacrifice was completed, Bhrigu spoke there: "I shall bring back your consciousness; I am pleased with you, O king."

Shloka 13 (uttara.57.13)

सुप्रीताश्च सुराः सर्वे निमेश्चेतस्तथाब्रुवन् । वरं वरय राजर्षे क्व ते चेतो निरूप्यताम् ।। 57.13 ।।

suprītāśca surāḥ sarve nimeścetastathābruvan | varaṃ varaya rājarṣe kva te ceto nirūpyatām || 57.13 ||

All the gods, well pleased, likewise said to Nimi's consciousness: "O royal sage, choose a boon; declare where your consciousness should reside."

Shloka 14 (uttara.57.14)

एवमुक्तः सुरैः सर्वैर्निमेश्चेतस्तदाब्रवीत् । नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां वसेयं सुरसत्तमाः ।। 57.14 ।।

evamuktaḥ suraiḥ sarvairnimeścetastadābravīt | netreṣu sarvabhūtānāṃ vaseyaṃ surasattamāḥ || 57.14 ||

Thus addressed by all the gods, Nimi's consciousness then said: "O best of gods, let me dwell in the eyes of all beings."

Shloka 15 (uttara.57.15)

बाढमित्येव विबुधा निमेश्चेतस्तदा ऽब्रुवन् । नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां वायुभूतश्चरिष्यसि ।। 57.15 ।।

bāḍhamityeva vibudhā nimeścetastadā 'bruvan | netreṣu sarvabhūtānāṃ vāyubhūtaścariṣyasi || 57.15 ||

"So be it," the gods then said to Nimi's consciousness. "You shall move about, in the form of wind, in the eyes of all beings.

Shloka 16 (uttara.57.16)

त्वत्कृते च निमिष्यन्ति चक्षूंषि पृथिवीपते । वायुभूतेन चरता विश्रमार्थं मुहुर्मुहुः ।। 57.16 ।।

tvatkṛte ca nimiṣyanti cakṣūṃṣi pṛthivīpate | vāyubhūtena caratā viśramārthaṃ muhurmuhuḥ || 57.16 ||

And because of you, O lord of the earth, all eyes shall blink again and again, for the sake of rest, as you move about in the form of wind."

Shloka 17 (uttara.57.17)

एवमुक्त्वा तु विबुधाः सर्वे जग्मुर्यथागतम् । ऋषयो ऽपि महात्मानो निमेर्देहं समाहरन् ।। 57.17 ।।

evamuktvā tu vibudhāḥ sarve jagmuryathāgatam | ṛṣayo 'pi mahātmāno nimerdehaṃ samāharan || 57.17 ||

Having said this, all the gods went as they had come; and the great-souled sages then gathered together Nimi's body.

Shloka 18 (uttara.57.18)

अरणिं तत्र निक्षिप्य मथनं चक्रुरोजसा । मन्त्रहोमैर्महात्मानः पुत्रहेतोर्निमेस्तदा ।। 57.18 ।।

araṇiṃ tatra nikṣipya mathanaṃ cakrurojasā | mantrahomairmahātmānaḥ putrahetornimestadā || 57.18 ||

Placing it in the fire-drill wood there, those great souls churned it forcefully, with sacred formulas and oblations, for the sake of a son for Nimi.

Shloka 19 (uttara.57.19)

अरण्यां मथ्यामानायां प्रादुर्भूतो महातपाः । मथनान्मिथिरित्याहुर्जननाज्जनको ऽभवत् । यस्माद्विदेहात्सम्भूतो वैदेहस्तु ततः स्मृतः ।। 57.19 ।।

araṇyāṃ mathyāmānāyāṃ prādurbhūto mahātapāḥ | mathanānmithirityāhurjananājjanako 'bhavat | yasmādvidehātsambhūto vaidehastu tataḥ smṛtaḥ || 57.19 ||

As the fire-drill wood was being churned, a being of great austerity appeared; because of the churning [mathana] they called him Mithi; because of his birth [janana] he became Janaka; and because he was born from the bodiless Videha, he was thereafter known as Vaideha.

Shloka 20 (uttara.57.20)

एवं विदेहराजश्च जनकः पूर्वको ऽभवत् । मिथिर्नाम महातेजास्तेनायं मैथिलो ऽभवत् ।। 57.20 ।।

evaṃ videharājaśca janakaḥ pūrvako 'bhavat | mithirnāma mahātejāstenāyaṃ maithilo 'bhavat || 57.20 ||

Thus Janaka became the first king of Videha; being greatly splendorous and named Mithi, he thereby became known as Maithila."