sarga 13, bAlakAnDam
Individual verses with meanings
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Hari Om.
Let us begin the 13th sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
In this sarga, daSaratha requests sage vasisTha to begin the sacrifice and orders appropriate workers to start working on accommodation for the royal guests. daSartaha commences the yajna along with his wives.
A full year passed since the resolve was taken to commence the yajna and the sacrificial horse was let free. It was the spring season. daSaratha approached sage vasisTha and reverentially requested him thus. “O foremost among the sages, you are an affectionate and well-meaning spiritual guide to me. Therefore the responsibility of performing this yajna by which I shall be blessed with progeny is on your shoulders. Kindly conduct the yajna in an unhindered and effective manner.” Sage vasisTha was pleased and agreed to conduct the sacrifice as proposed. He summoned learned brAhmins to inaugurate the yajna and also competent and appropriate workers such as carpenters, engineers, sculptors to erect temporary accommodations for the royal guests who would attend the sacrifice. He ordered that due structures be erected complete with all amenities, tastefully decorated and filled with various types of foods and drinks for the royal guests, the brAhmins and the rural folk who would come to witness the yajna. He insisted that every visitor to the yajna, be it a royal personage or a common citizen be treated respectfully bereft of anger or greed irrespective of their caste. vasisTha further instructed that the people associated with the arrangements of the yajna be specially honored in an unreserved manner. He exhorted them to not leave any stone unturned for the arrangements, pay attention to the minutest detail and above all put their heart and mind in to their work and do it with love and affection. All the people associated with the yajna took sage vasisTha’s advice to heart and reported back to him positively about the arrangements.
The sage then turned to minister sumantra and instructed him of the invitations to be sent to kings and citizens of other lands. He told him: “Please extend a warm invite to the citizens of other lands belonging to all the castes. Further please invite all the righteous kings on the earth warmly with due protocol. I must say this in advance about the righteous king janaka, the sweet spoken king of kASi, the elderly king of kEkaya who is the the revered father-in-law of our emperor, please personally invite them and escort them here since they are our old allies. Likewise please bring with honour the king of anga, rOmapAda who is very favorable to our king. Bring all the kings who are righteous and friendly with us, including those from the eastern and the southern regions – sindhu, sauvera and saurAshTra along with their retinues and relatives”.
Complying with the order of the sage, sumantra at once dispatched able emissaries to all the kingdoms who were favorable and friendly with the kOsala kingdom. Further, as instructed, he himself left to personally escort king janaka and other kings to kOsala. All the workers reported back to the sage vasisTha having accomplished his orders. He instructed them to treat the visitors with due regard and give away food and gifts without any conceit. Meanwhile, kings from other lands traveled relentlessly and reached ayOdhya carrying precious gifts befitting the occasion.
The sage vasisTha and RSyaSrnga then approached the king daSaratha and apprised him of all the elaborate arrangements made for the yajna as well as the friendly kings who have come to ayOdhya and are comfortably placed in suitable accommodations. They further described the tastefully decorated yajna mandapa, imaginatively created facilities and all the amenities set up for the comfort of visitors to the yajna as well as the guests from other kingdoms and invited the king to grace the yajna mandapa. The emperor was pleased and entered the pavilion of sacrifice on an auspicious day when a star favorable to him reigned (in the skies). vasisTha and RSyaSrnga then initiated the proceedings of the yajna as per the procedures laid down in the scriptures.
Here we conclude the thirteenth sarga of the bAlakAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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