bAla kAnDam, 21st sarga
Individual verses with meanings
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Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty first sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
In this sarga, maharshi describes the anger of sage viSwAmitra upon refusal of daSaratha to send rAma with him and finally agrees after vasisTha’s intervention.
Listening to the confused words of king daSaratha laden with affection viSwAmitra got angry and said these words to the king. It doesn’t befit one born in the race of the emperor raghu to go back on one’s promise. If you think this is appropriate and could be forgiven for not honoring your promise, you live in peace with your family and friends while I go back the way I came.
Sensing the wrath of the sage viSwAmitra, the earth and the dEvas shook in fear. Recognizing the fright of the whole world, the great sage vasishTha, adherent of asceticism and steadfast, spoke these words to the king daSaratha. Born in the celebrated line of the ikshvAkus, (O daSaratha) you are considered next to god in following the righteous vows and virtues. Therefore, it is not right on your part to go back on your promise. O daSaratha, you are famous in the three worlds for being righteous. It doesn’t suit you to stay away from doing your duty, which is verily to honor your word. Do not follow a path that doesn’t get you respect. O king, going back on a promise results in the destruction of merit accumulated so far through good deeds and hence please send rAma along with sage viSwAmitra. It doesn’t really matter whether rAma is trained or untrained in warfare as long as he is under the protection of the son of kuSika, the great viSwAmitra. He will protect rAma just as the divine nectar is protected by the flaming fire gods! This viSwAmitra is verily the embodiment of dharma and supremely powerful. No one in this world can surpass him in either intellect and he is the ultimate in asceticism. The vast amount of knowledge he has in using various weapons is something that no other man in the three worlds either has or will ever have. Well, not just any man, even the gods or demigods or demons or yakshas or anyone else will never know the use of weaponry as he does.
The grandchildren of prajApati (brahma), in diverse forms, highly energetic and effulgent and always victorious, the sons of bhRSAsva conferred these weapons on viSwAmitra. jaya and suprabha (meaning victory and effulgence) are the two beautiful daughters of daksha who by virtue of boons gave birth to fifty sons each known as astras and Sastras (the various weapons). These children possess immeasurable power, can change forms at will, invincible and unconquerable.
[[The various weaponry which are known as divyAstras, meaning divine weapons are presided over by specific deities and can be invoked for specific purposes. A contemporary parallel would the various types of missiles viz. Surface-to-surface, surface-to-air etc. and specialists who operate these. Likewise each weapon is embodied by a specific deity who can be invoked by a specific mantra. All the weapons therefore are embodied beings who were born to jaya and suprabha]]
This sage viSwAmitra has complete mastery on all these weapons and not only that, being righteous and virtuous at heart, he can also create new weapons at will! Therefore, O king, you need not entertain any doubt about the safety of rAma and send him with the sage without hesitation with the mighty and valorous viSwAmitra. vasisTha further said, this son of kuSika is very well capable of dealing with the demons himself but it is for the welfare of rAma that the sage is seeking his help. And hence, please do not hesitate to give your consent to send rAma with viSwAmitra.
daSaratha, the foremost among raghus, listened to the sage vasisTha’s words intently and was pleased. He gained composure at these reassuring words and gave his consent to send rAma alongwith the sage viSwAmitra for the protection of the yajna.
Here we conclude the twenty first 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 