Verse 1
जनकस्य वचः श्रुत्वा विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः ।
उवाच मधुरं वाक्यं रामं सत्यपराक्रमम् ॥
Hearing the words of Janaka, the great sage Vishvamitra spoke sweet words to Rama, who possessed true valour.
Verse 2
धनुर्दर्शय रामस्य कौशिकस्य महात्मनः ।
इत्युक्तो मुनिशार्दूलो जनकं प्रत्यभाषत ॥
“Show the bow to Rama.” Thus addressed, Janaka, the tiger among sages, replied.
Verse 3
इदं धनुर्वरं राजन् देवैर्दत्तं महात्मना ।
शैवं चापि महाबाहो त्र्यम्बकेण महात्मना ॥
“O king, this excellent bow was given by the gods. It is the great bow of Shiva, the mighty-armed one, the great-souled Tryambaka.”
Verse 4
दक्षयज्ञवधं कृत्वा रुद्रेण परमात्मना ।
त्र्यम्बकेण महात्मा हि क्रोधाद् धृतमिदं धनुः ॥
“After destroying Daksha’s sacrifice, the great-souled Rudra, Tryambaka, took up this bow in anger.”
Verse 5
ततो देवाः सगन्धर्वा ऋषयश्च महर्षयः ।
त्र्यम्बकस्य महात्मानो धनुरेतदुपासते ॥
“Then the gods together with the Gandharvas, sages and great seers revered this bow of the great-souled Tryambaka.”
6
एतद् धनुर्वरं राजन् पूजितं सर्वदैवतैः ।
न शक्नुवन्ति देवाश्च न गन्धर्वा न राक्षसाः ॥
“O king, this excellent bow is worshipped by all the deities. Neither the gods, nor Gandharvas, nor Rakshasas are able to lift it.”
7
न च नागा न यक्षाश्च न सिद्धा न च चारणाः ।
न च कश्चिद् नरः शक्तो द्रष्टुमप्यस्य लाघवम् ॥
“Neither Nagas, Yakshas, Siddhas nor Charanas, nor any human being, is capable even of displaying the lightness of this bow.”
8
एतद् धनुर्वरं राजन् मम पूर्वपितामहैः ।
न्यासभूतं महाभाग जनकेन महात्मना ॥
“O king, this excellent bow was entrusted to my forefathers by the great-souled Janaka and has remained as a sacred trust.”
9
तस्य पुत्रो महातेजा देवमीढ इति स्मृतः ।
तस्य पुत्रो महाबाहुः ह्रस्वरोमा महाबलः ॥
“His son was greatly radiant and was known as Devamidha. His son was the mighty-armed and very powerful Hrasvaroma.”
10
ह्रस्वरोमणः पुत्रौ द्वौ सीरध्वजमकल्मषम् ।
कुशध्वजं च धर्मज्ञं ज्येष्ठं भ्रातरमन्तिके ॥
“Hrasvaroma had two sons, the sinless Sīradhvaja and the righteous Kushadhvaja, his younger brother.”
11
तयोस्तु ज्येष्ठः पुत्रोऽयं सीरध्वज इति स्मृतः ।
कनिष्ठोऽस्य तु पुत्रोऽभूत् कुशध्वज इति श्रुतः ॥
“Of the two, the elder was this Sīradhvaja, and the younger was known as Kushadhvaja.”
12
सीरध्वजस्य राजर्षेः पुत्री सीता महात्मनः ।
कुशध्वजस्य पुत्रौ तु शतधन्वा महाबलः ॥
“The daughter of the royal sage Sīradhvaja, the great-souled one, is Sita. Kushadhvaja had a mighty son named Shatadhanvan.”
13
एतद् धनुर्वरं राजन् मया दत्तं तु राघव ।
सीतायाः पाणिग्रहणं यः करिष्यति तस्य वै ॥
“O king, this excellent bow shall be given to that person who, as Raghava, wins the hand of Sita in marriage.”
14
इत्युक्त्वा तु नृपश्रेष्ठं जनकं मुनिपुङ्गवः ।
उवाच वचनं धीमान् विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः ॥
Having spoken thus to the best of kings, the wise great sage Vishvamitra, the foremost of sages, spoke further.
15
धनुरेतन्महाभाग दर्शयस्व नरर्षभ ।
रामाय राजशार्दूल लक्ष्मणाय च धीमते ॥
“O greatly fortunate one, O bull among men, show this bow to Rama, O tiger among kings, and to the wise Lakshmana.”
16
ततः स राजा जनकः सचिवान् व्यादिदेश ह ।
धनुरानयितुं शीघ्रं रघूणां कुलनन्दनम् ॥
Then King Janaka ordered his ministers to quickly bring the bow for the delight of the descendants of Raghu.
17
ततः सचिवाः समागम्य धनुरादाय सुवर्चसः ।
न्यस्तं मञ्चे महाबाहो समुपानयत प्रभो ॥
Then the radiant ministers came together, brought the bow and placed it upon a platform, O mighty-armed lord.
18
तद्धनुर्मण्डलं दिव्यं शतचक्रसमप्रभम् ।
सर्वायुधमयं घोरं सर्वलोकभयावहम् ॥
That divine bow was terrible, radiant like a hundred wheels, composed of every kind of weapon and frightening to all the worlds.
19
तं दृष्ट्वा धनुरायान्तं विस्मयं परमं गताः ।
रामलक्ष्मणयोर्वीरौ विश्वामित्रं च राघवौ ॥
Seeing the bow being brought, the two heroic sons of Raghu, Rama and Lakshmana, and Vishvamitra were filled with great wonder.
20
ततः स राजा जनकः प्रहृष्टो वदतां वरः ।
उवाच मधुरं वाक्यं विश्वामित्रं महामुनिम् ॥
Then King Janaka, delighted and foremost among speakers, spoke sweet words to the great sage Vishvamitra.
21
इदं धनुर्वरं ब्रह्मन् जनकानां निवेशनम् ।
न शक्नोति नरः कश्चिद् धर्तुमेतन्महाबलम् ॥
“O Brahman, this excellent bow has remained in the house of the Janakas. No human being is able to lift this mighty bow.”
22
यदा तु त्र्यम्बकं नाम धनुरेतन्महामुने ।
आनीतं तु महाबाहो तदा देवैः समर्पितम् ॥
“O great sage, when this bow known as Tryambaka was brought here, it was entrusted to us by the gods.”
23
तदा मे पूर्वजैः सर्वैः पूजितं तदनुत्तमम् ।
न च शक्नोति कश्चिद् वै त्रैलोक्येऽपि महाबलः ॥
“Then all my ancestors worshipped that unsurpassed bow. Even a person of great strength throughout the three worlds cannot lift it.”
24
अथ तु रामो भगवान् विश्वामित्रस्य शिष्यकः ।
धनुर्द्रष्टुमथाभ्यागाद् जनकस्य निवेशनम् ॥
Then Rama, the venerable disciple of Vishvamitra, approached the residence of Janaka to see the bow.
25
स तं दृष्ट्वा धनुर्दिव्यं विष्णोः परममद्भुतम् ।
मनसा चिन्तयामास किं नु शक्यं मया कृतम् ॥
Seeing that divine and exceedingly wondrous bow, Rama thought within himself, “What can I possibly accomplish with this?”
26
ततो रामो महातेजा धनुरादाय वीर्यवान् ।
लघुहस्त इवाभ्यस्य प्रत्यञ्चमुपसर्पत ॥
Then the greatly radiant and powerful Rama took up the bow and, as though it were light in his hand, moved toward its string.
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदिकाव्ये बालकाण्डे षट्षष्टितमः सर्गः ।
Thus ends the sixty-sixth Sarga of the Bala Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana, the original epic.