देवतानां प्रतिज्ञाय गङ्गामभ्येत्य पावकः । गर्भं धारय वै देवि देवतानामिदं प्रियम् ॥१-३७-
Having promised the gods, Agni approached Gaṅgā and said, 'O goddess, bear the embryo; this is dear to the gods.'
इत्येतद् वचनं श्रुत्वा दिव्यं रूपमधारयत् । स तस्या महिमां दृष्ट्वा समन्तादवशीर्यत ॥१-३७-
Hearing these words, she assumed a divine form; seeing her greatness, his energy dispersed in all directions.
समन्ततस्तदा देवीमभ्यषिञ्चत पावकः । सर्वस्रोतांसि पूर्णानि गङ्गाया रघुनन्दन ॥१-३७-
Then, O descendant of Raghu, Fire anointed the goddess on all sides, and all the streams of the Ganga became full.
तमुवाच ततो गङ्गा सर्वदेवपुरोगमम् । अशक्ता धारणे देव तेजस्तव समुद्धतम् ॥१-३७-
Thereupon, Ganga spoke to the assembly of all the gods: 'O god, I am unable to bear the blazing energy that has arisen from you.'
दह्यमानाग्निना तेन सम्प्रव्यथितचेतना । अथाब्रवीदिदं गङ्गां सर्वदेवहुताशनः ॥१-३७-
Burned by that fire and her mind greatly disturbed, Ganga was then addressed by the Fire, the receiver of all offerings from the gods.
इह हैमवते पार्श्वे गर्भोऽयं संनिवेश्यताम् । श्रुत्वा त्वग्निवचो गङ्गा तं गर्भमतिभास्वरम् ॥१-३७-
‘Let this embryo be placed here, on the slopes of the Himalayas.’ Hearing the words of Agni, Ganga released that exceedingly radiant embryo.
उत्ससर्ज महातेजाः स्रोतोभ्यो हि तदानघ । यदस्या निर्गतं तस्मात् तप्तजाम्बूनदप्रभम् ॥१-३७-
O sinless one, the mighty and radiant embryo was discharged from her streams; what emerged from her shone with the brilliance of molten gold.
काञ्चनं धरणीं प्राप्तं हिरण्यमतुलप्रभम् । ताम्रं कार्ष्णायसं चैव तैक्ष्ण्यादेवाभिजायत ॥१-३७-
Gold, shining like the sun, reached the earth, as did incomparable radiant silver; copper and black iron also arose from its sharpness.
मलं तस्याभवत् तत्र त्रपु सीसकमेव च । तदेतद्धरणीं प्राप्य नानाधातुरवर्धत ॥१-३७-
There, her impurity became tin and lead; and, having reached the earth, various metals increased.
निक्षिप्तमात्रे गर्भे तु तेजोभिरभिरञ्जितम् । सर्वं पर्वतसंनद्धं सौवर्णमभवद् वनम् ॥१-३७-
When the embryo was deposited, infused with radiance, the entire forest, encircled by mountains, became golden.
जातरूपमिति ख्यातं तदाप्रभृति राघव । सुवर्णं पुरुषव्याघ्र हुताशनसमप्रभम् । तृणवृक्षलतागुल्मं सर्वं भवति काञ्चनम् ॥१-३७-
From that time on, O Raghava, it has been known as 'jātarūpa'—gold, equal in brilliance to fire; all grass, trees, creepers, and shrubs there became golden.
तं कुमारं ततो जातं सेन्द्राः सह मरुद्गणाः । क्षीरसम्भावनार्थाय कृत्तिकाः समयोजयन् ॥१-३७-
Then, the gods together with Indra and the hosts of wind deities, assigned the Krittikas to nourish the boy who had been born.
ताः क्षीरं जातमात्रस्य कृत्वा समयमुत्तमम् । ददुः पुत्रोऽयमस्माकं सर्वासामिति निश्चिताः ॥१-३७-
Having made an excellent agreement to give milk to the newborn, the Krittikas, firmly resolved, said, 'He is the son of all of us.'
ततस्तु देवताः सर्वाः कार्तिकेय इति ब्रुवन् । पुत्रस्त्रैलोक्यविख्यातो भविष्यति न संशयः ॥१-३७-
Then all the gods declared, 'He shall be called Kartikeya; he will become renowned throughout the three worlds as our son—there is no doubt.'
तेषां तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा स्कन्नं गर्भपरिस्रवे । स्नापयन् परया लक्ष्म्या दीप्यमानं यथानलम् ॥१-३७-
Hearing those words, they bathed the radiant one, who had emerged from the flow of the embryo, with supreme splendor, as if he were blazing fire.
स्कन्द इत्यब्रुवन् देवाः स्कन्नं गर्भपरिस्रवे । कार्तिकेयं महाबाहुं काकुत्स्थ ज्वलनोपमम् ॥१-३७-
The gods called him Skanda, because he had flowed forth from the embryo; O descendant of Kakutstha, Kartikeya, mighty-armed and blazing like fire.
प्रादुर्भूतं ततः क्षीरं कृत्तिकानामनुत्तमम् । षण्णां षडाननो भूत्वा जग्राह स्तनजं पयः ॥१-३७-
Then, the excellent milk of the Krittikas appeared; having six faces, he took the milk from the breasts of the six.
गृहीत्वा क्षीरमेकाह्ना सुकुमारवपुस्तदा । अजयत् स्वेन वीर्येण दैत्यसैन्यगणान् विभुः ॥१-३७-
Having taken the milk in a single day, with a tender body, the mighty one conquered the hosts of demon armies by his own strength.
सुरसेनागणपतिमभ्यषिञ्चन्महाद्युतिम् । ततस्तममराः सर्वे समेत्याग्निपुरोगमाः ॥१-३७-
All the immortals, led by Agni, then anointed him, the one of great splendor, as the commander of the divine armies.
एष ते राम गङ्गाया विस्तरोऽभिहितो मया । कुमारसम्भवश्चैव धन्यः पुण्यस्तथैव च ॥१-३७-
O Rama, thus I have recounted to you the full story of Ganga and the auspicious and blessed birth of the boy.
भक्तश्च यः कार्तिकेये काकुत्स्थ भुवि मानवः । आयुष्मान् पुत्रपौत्रैश्च स्कन्दसालोक्यतां व्रजेत् ॥१-३७-
O Kakutstha, any man on earth who is devoted to Kartikeya, blessed with sons and grandsons, will attain the world of Skanda.
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये बालकाण्डे सप्तत्रिंशः सर्गः ॥१-
Thus ends the thirty-seventh sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, the first poem.
thumb|अष्टात्रिंशः सर्गः श्रूयताम्|center श्रीमद्वाल्मीकियरामायणे बालकाण्डे अष्टात्रिंशः सर्गः ॥१-
Here begins the thirty-eighth sarga in the Bālakāṇḍa of the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa.
तां कथां कौशिको रामे निवेद्य मधुराक्षराम् । पुनरेवापरं वाक्यं काकुत्स्थमिदमब्रवीत् ॥१-३८-
Having narrated that sweetly-worded story to Rāma, Viśvāmitra again spoke these further words to Kakutstha.
अयोध्याधिपतिर्वीर पूर्वमासीन्नराधिपः । सगरो नाम धर्मात्मा प्रजाकामः स चाप्रजः ॥१-३८-
O hero, there was once a king of Ayodhyā, a righteous ruler named Sagara, who longed for offspring but was childless.
वैदर्भदुहिता राम केशिनी नाम नामतः । ज्येष्ठा सगरपत्नी सा धर्मिष्ठा सत्यवादिनी ॥१-३८-
O Rāma, the elder queen of Sagara was Keśinī by name, daughter of the king of Vidarbha, virtuous and truthful.
अरिष्टनेमेर्दुहिता सुपर्णभगिनी तु सा । द्वितीया सगरस्यासीत् पत्नी सुमतिसंज्ञिता ॥१-३८-
The second wife of Sagara was Sumati, sister of Suparṇa and daughter of Ariṣṭanemi.
ताभ्यां सह महाराजः पत्नीभ्यां तप्तवांस्तपः । हिमवन्तं समासाद्य भृगुप्रस्रवणे गिरौ ॥१-३८-
Together with his two wives, the great king performed austerities, reaching Mount Himavat at the Bhṛguprasravaṇa peak.
अथ वर्षशते पूर्णे तपसाऽऽराधितो मुनिः । सगराय वरं प्रादाद् भृगुः सत्यवतां वरः ॥१-३८-
Then, after a hundred years had passed, the sage Bhṛgu, foremost among the truthful, was pleased by their austerities and granted Sagara a boon.
अपत्यलाभः सुमहान् भविष्यति तवानघ । कीर्तिं चाप्रतिमां लोके प्राप्स्यसे पुरुषर्षभ ॥१-३८-
O sinless one, you will obtain great offspring, and you will attain incomparable fame in the world, O best of men.