Individual verses with meanings
Listen to the audio of the recitation of this sarga
Hari: Om.
Let us begin the second sarga by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Briefly, in this sarga, maharShi vAlmIki sets out to the river tamasa to perform his ablutions and is preoccupied with what nArada has told him. He is wondering how he will get the wherewithal to complete this mammoth task. He sees a bird being hunted down when it was in union with its partner and sorrow fills up his heart. Words flow out of him spontaneously in a metre known as anushTup chhanda. Lord brahmA appears in front of him and grants him the boon of clairvoyance to visualize rAma’s story exactly as it happened. Here goes…
Thrilled at the words of sage nArada, sage vAlmIki worshipped him along with his disciples and after receiving the worship, nArada sought to leave and went back to the heavens. After the departure of nArada, vAlmIki went to the banks of tAmasa river (which isn’t too far from the banks of river gangA) along with his disciples. He beheld the beautiful and clear waters of the river tamasa. He told his disciple bharadwAja, “look at the crystal-clear waters of the river tamasa, they are pleasant and delightful like the clear mind of a virtuous man”.
अकर्दममिदं तीर्थं भरद्वाज निशामय । रमणीयं प्रसन्नाम्बु सन्मनुष्यमनो यथा ।।1.2.5।।
He handed over his pitcher to his disciple and, taking his garments from him, took a dip in those pleasing waters of the river. He completed his ablutions and started wandering in the nearby forests with his disciples, his mind preoccupied with the message of sage nArada. As he walked by, he spotted male and female krauncha birds revelling in their union. However, just then, a cruel hunter shot an arrow and felled the male krauncha bird. vAlmIki was moved by compassion at this terrible act of the hunter, and also at the piteous cries of the female krauncha bird.
Quite involuntarily and spontaneously, these words came out of the sage vAlmIki –
मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमश्शाश्वतीस्समा: । यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधी: काममोहितम् ।।1.2.15।।
This means, “O fowler! Since you broke the union of these birds by your cruel act, may you never attain glory!”. But soon after, a thought arose at the way his utterances came about spontaneously in reaction to the grief of the bird! He told his disciples, ‘Look at the way these words emanated from me! They are rhythmic, they have the same number of letters, they can be tuned to a stringed instrument. Let this be known as a SlOka and by no other name!’ The excellent poetry that emerged from him was duly received by his disciples, which thrilled the guru.
This is said to be a significant SlOkam in the rAmAyaNam, since writing an epic of this proportion demands complete mastery over vocabulary and poetic forms. In this particular verse, vAlmIki feels blessed that he has the literary resources needed to write down the epic story of rAma.
He then went to the river again, took another dip and reached his AShram again, while his humble and learned disciple, bharadwAja, followed him with a pitcher full of water. MaharShi vAlmIki sat in his AShram in meditation reflecting upon nArada’s words and also the occurrences of that day, and started to compose other works.
While he was thus engaged, the lord brahmA, the four-faced, resplendent creator of the worlds, arrived in the AShram to see the maharShi. The disciplined and pure sage was stunned to see lord brahmA there. In that surprise, he immediately stood up with folded hands and, at once, prostrated at the feet of lord brahmA, offered Him a high seat, revered Him by washing his feet and appropriately worshipped him. Pleased, lord brahmA showed a seat for the sage to sit.
Although seated in front of lord brahmA himself, the events that led to the killing of the krauncha bird dominated the maharShi’s mind and he was troubled by it, causing him to keep repeating the SlOkam that came through spontaneously. Lord brahmA grasped it, smiled at him and said, “O brahmArshi, no doubt a SlOkam has originated from you. By My will, saraswatI has blessed you with these words. Please compose the story of rAma in this chhanda or metre. Elaborate on what sage nArada told you about the righteous, mighty, intelligent and virtuous rAma. The known and unknown events and facts about rAma, lakshmaNa, sIta and the demons will be revealed unto you by My grace. Not only their deeds that were not known to you or anyone else, even their thoughts will be revealed to you by My grace. Further, not a single word of what you write about rAma will be untrue. Compose this sacred and delightful story of rAma set in the form of SlOkams.
न ते वागनृता काव्ये काचिदत्र भविष्यति । कुरु रामकथां पुण्यां श्लोकबद्धां मनोरमाम् ।।1.2.35।।
Further,
यावत् स्थास्यन्ति गिरयस्सरितश्च महीतले । तावद्रामायणकथा लोकेषु प्रचरिष्यति ।।1.2.36।।
यावद्रामायणकथा त्वत्कृता प्रचरिष्यति । तावदूर्ध्वमधश्च त्वं मल्लोकेषु निवत्स्यसि ।।1.2.37।।
As long as there are mountains and rivers on the earth, so long will the rAmayaNam written by you, be in circulation. And as long as the rAmayaNam is celebrated in this world, so long will you be staying with me in the brahmAlOka.”
Thus spoke lord brahmA to maharShi vAlmiki! Conferring boons on the blessed sage, lord brahmA vanished and the sage and his disciples were taken by astonishment.
Enchanted by the SlOkam so validated by lord brahmA, the disciples recited it again and again and each time, it sounded all the more glorious. Having an equal number of syllables in each of the four lines, it was an absolute delight to repeatedly recite the SlOka and listeners admired it greatly. Watching this stellar reception, vAlmIki was convinced that he would compose the entire epic of rAma’s story in this meter and in this manner.
उदारवृत्तार्थपदैर्मनोरमैः तदास्य रामस्य चकारकीर्तिमान् ।
समाक्षरैश्श्लोकशतैर्यशस्विनो यशस्करं काव्यमुदारधीर्मुनि: ।।1.2.42।।
तदुपगतसमाससन्धियोगं सममधुरोपनतार्थवाक्यबद्धम् ।
रघुवरचरितं मुनिप्रणीतं दशशिरसश्च वधं निशामयध्वम् ।।1.2.43।।
The renowned and gracious sage vAlmIki composed the supreme story of SrIrAma with hundreds of charming verses, each pregnant with graceful words with meaning, delightful rhyme and equal number of syllables.
The story of SrIrAma and the slaying of the ten-headed rAvaNa was composed by the sage in verses that contained compound words (known as samAsa) and conjunctions (known as sandhi). The sentences in the verses are at once appealing, meaningful and pleasant. You may listen to this wonderful narration of the epic story of SrIrAma’s conduct. Come all, let us listen.
Here we conclude the 2nd sarga of the bAla kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma!
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 