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.
प्रक्षिप्य प्राहसन्नित्यं मज्जतस्तान् निरीक्ष्य वै । एवं पापसमाचारः सज्जनप्रतिबाधकः ॥१-३८-
He would always laugh as he watched them drowning, behaving in such a sinful way, obstructing the good people.
पौराणामहिते युक्तः पित्रा निर्वासितः पुरात् । तस्य पुत्रोंऽशुमान् नाम असमञ्जस्य वीर्यवान् ॥१-३८-
Engaged in actions harmful to the citizens, he was banished from the city by his father; Asamañja's son was named Aṃśumān, a man of great strength.
सम्मतः सर्वलोकस्य सर्वस्यापि प्रियंवदः । ततः कालेन महता मतिः समभिजायत ॥१-३८-
He was approved by all people and spoke kindly to everyone; in due time, wisdom arose in him.
सगरस्य नरश्रेष्ठ यजेयमिति निश्चिता । स कृत्वा निश्चयं राजा सोपाध्यायगणस्तदा । यज्ञकर्मणि वेदज्ञो यष्टुं समुपचक्रमे ॥१-३८-
Sagara, O best of men, resolved to perform a sacrifice; having made up his mind, the king, along with his teachers, prepared to conduct the Vedic ritual.
thumb|एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः श्रूयताम्|center श्रीमद्वाल्मीकियरामायणे बालकाण्डे एकोनचत्वारिंशः सर्गः ॥१-
Hear now the thirty-ninth sarga (chapter) in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa.
विश्वामित्रवचः श्रुत्वा कथान्ते रघुनन्दनः । उवाच परमप्रीतो मुनिं दीप्तमिवानलम् ॥१-३९-
Having heard Viśvāmitra's words at the end of the story, Rāma, delighted, spoke to the sage, radiant like fire.