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.
श्रोतुमिच्छामि भद्रं ते विस्तरेण कथामिमाम् । पूर्वजो मे कथं ब्रह्मन् यज्ञं वै समुपाहरत् ॥१-३९-
"I wish to hear, may good befall you, this story in detail: how did my ancestor, O Brāhmaṇa, complete the sacrifice?"
तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा कौतूहलसमन्वितः । विश्वामित्रस्तु काकुत्स्थमुवाच प्रहसन्निव ॥१-३९-
Hearing these words, Viśvāmitra, filled with curiosity, spoke to Kākutstha, smiling as if in delight.
श्रूयतां विस्तरो राम सगरस्य महात्मनः । शंकरश्वशुरो नाम्ना हिमवानिति विश्रुतः ॥१-३९-
"Listen in detail, O Rāma, to the story of the great-souled Sagara. His father-in-law, renowned by name, was Himavat."
विन्ध्यपर्वतमासाद्य निरीक्षेते परस्परम् । तयोर्मध्ये समभवद् यज्ञः स पुरुषोत्तम ॥१-३९-
Having reached Mount Vindhya, they gazed at each other; between them, O best of men, that sacrifice took place.
स हि देशो नरव्याघ्र प्रशस्तो यज्ञकर्मणि । तस्याश्वचर्यां काकुत्स्थ दृढधन्वा महारथः ॥१-३९-
That region, O tiger among men, is highly esteemed for sacrificial rites. There, O Kākutstha, the mighty archer Aṃśumān, following Sagara's will, tended the sacrificial horse.
अंशुमानकरोत् तात सगरस्य मते स्थितः । तस्य पर्वणि तं यज्ञं यजमानस्य वासवः ॥१-३९-
On the occasion of that sacrifice, Indra, assuming the form of a demoness, stole the horse belonging to the sacrificer.
राक्षसीं तनुमास्थाय यज्ञियाश्वमपाहरत् । ह्रियमाणे तु काकुत्स्थ तस्मिन्नश्वे महात्मनः ॥१-३९-
As that noble horse was being carried away, O Kākutstha, the great-souled one—
उपाध्यायगणाः सर्वे यजमानमथाब्रुवन् । अयं पर्वणि वेगेन यज्ञियाश्वोऽपनीयते ॥१-३९-
Then all the groups of priests said to the sacrificer: 'This sacrificial horse is being swiftly led away during the ceremony.'
हर्तारं जहि काकुत्स्थ हयश्चैवोपनीयताम् । यज्ञच्छिद्रं भवत्येतत् सर्वेषामशिवाय नः ॥१-३९-
'O descendant of Kakutstha, slay the thief and bring back the horse; otherwise, a flaw will arise in the sacrifice, which will bring misfortune to us all.'
तत् तथा क्रियतां राजन् यज्ञोच्छिद्रः कृतो भवेत् । सोपाध्यायवचः श्रुत्वा तस्मिन् सदसि पार्थिवः ॥१-३९-
'Let it be done so, O King, so that the sacrifice is not left incomplete.' Having heard these words of the priests in that assembly, the king—
षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि वाक्यमेतदुवाच ह । गतिं पुत्रा न पश्यामि रक्षसां पुरुषर्षभाः ॥१-३९-
—spoke these words to his sixty thousand sons: 'O best among men, I do not see any way for you, my sons, except to pursue the demons.'