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.
एका जनयिता तात पुत्रं वंशकरं तव । षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि अपरा जनयिष्यति ॥१-३८-
One of your wives, dear one, will bear a single son, the continuer of your line; the other will bear sixty thousand sons.
भाषमाणं महात्मानं राजपुत्र्यौ प्रसाद्य तम् । ऊचतुः परमप्रीते कृताञ्जलिपुटे तदा ॥१-३८-
Having pleased the great sage as he spoke, the two princesses, with hands joined in reverence, addressed him with utmost delight.
एकः कस्याः सुतो ब्रह्मन् का बहूञ्जनयिष्यति । श्रोतुमिच्छावहे ब्रह्मन् सत्यमस्तु वचस्तव ॥१-३८-
O Brāhmaṇa, which of us will have the single son, and which will bear the many? We wish to hear this, O Brāhmaṇa; may your words come true.
तयोस्तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा भृगुः परमधार्मिकः । उवाच परमां वाणीं स्वच्छन्दोऽत्र विधीयताम् ॥१-३८-
Hearing their words, the supremely righteous Bhṛgu spoke these excellent words: 'Let it be as you each desire in this matter.'
एको वंशकरो वास्तु बहवो वा महाबलाः । कीर्तिमन्तो महोत्साहाः का वा कं वरमिच्छति ॥१-३८-
'Let one have a single son to continue the line, or let there be many mighty, renowned, and energetic sons—let each choose the boon she wishes.'
मुनेस्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा केशिनी रघुनन्दन । पुत्रं वंशकरं राम जग्राह नृपसंनिधौ ॥१-३८-
Hearing the sage's words, O descendant of Raghu, Keśinī chose, in the presence of the king, to have a single son to continue the line.
षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि सुपर्णभगिनी तदा । महोत्साहान् कीर्तिमतो जग्राह सुमतिः सुतान् ॥१-३८-
Then Sumati, sister of Suparṇa, chose to have sixty thousand sons, all energetic and renowned.
प्रदक्षिणमृषिं कृत्वा शिरसाभिप्रणम्य तम् । जगाम स्वपुरं राजा सभार्यो रघुनन्दन ॥१-३८-
Having circumambulated the sage and bowed to him with their heads, the king, together with his wives, returned to his own city.
अथ काले गते तस्य ज्येष्ठा पुत्रं व्यजायत । असमञ्ज इति ख्यातं केशिनी सगरात्मजम् ॥१-३८-
Then, after some time had passed, Keśinī bore Sagara a firstborn son, who became known as Asamañja.
सुमतिस्तु नरव्याघ्र गर्भतुम्बं व्यजायत । षष्टिः पुत्रसहस्राणि तुम्बभेदाद् विनिःसृताः ॥१-३८-
But Sumati, O tiger among men, gave birth to a gourd-like womb, from which sixty thousand sons emerged when it was split open.
घृतपूर्णेषु कुम्भेषु धात्र्यस्तान् समवर्धयन् । कालेन महता सर्वे यौवनं प्रतिपेदिरे ॥१-३८-
Nurses raised them in jars filled with ghee, and in due course, all of them attained youth.
अथ दीर्घेण कालेन रूपयौवनशालिनः । षष्टिः पुत्रसहस्राणि सगरस्याभवंस्तदा ॥१-३८-
Thus, after a long time, Sagara had sixty thousand sons, all endowed with beauty and youth.
स च ज्येष्ठो नरश्रेष्ठ सगरस्यात्मसम्भवः । बालान् गृहीत्वा तु जले सरय्वा रघुनन्दन ॥१-३८-
And that eldest son, O best of men, born of Sagara, would take children and, O descendant of Raghu, throw them into the waters of the Sarayu.