Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty first sarga of bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
rAma and lakshmaNa spent that night happily having achieved the purpose of their travel with the sage. As the day broke, the duo performed the morning ablutions and approached the congregations of the sages led by effulgent viSwAmitra, bowed down to them and sweetly submitted that they are the service of the sage and waited for his command about the next steps.
viSwamitra said “O foremost among men, we are now headed to mithila, where the king janaka is performing a yajna. You two shall accompany us and behold the wonderful bow that is housed there. That strong, sturdy and supremely lustrous bow was bestowed in the past by the gods themselves in a sacrificial assembly. It is impossible for either gods or demi gods or demons or humans o string that bow. Many a mighty king and prince have miserably failed in their attempt to string it. This bow has been bestowed upon the king of mithila as a result of the sacrifice he performed. Ever since the bow is duly worshipped in the royal family of mithila.” Having narrated the legend of the bow, viSwAmitra reverentially circumambulated the sidhhASrama and declared that his purpose of living in the ASrama has been achieved and that he shall now go northward and live in the himavath mountains on the northern banks of jahnavi (ganga).
He then commenced the journey in the northern direction accompanied by the sages and the two princes taking leave of the deity of the forest and people who remained at the ASrama. Other sages and vEdic scholars followed the sage in about a hundred carts. Even the birds and beasts that lives around the hermitage followed the sage to a great distance till he lovingly sent them back!
The entourage traveled a long distance till the shadows lengthened and stopped by in the banks of river sONa. As the sun set, the splendorous sages took bath, offered ablutions and oblations in the fire and sat in front of the sage viSwAmitra. rAma and lakshmaNa also joined the sages and settled down in front of the highly intellectual sage viSwAmitra. Filled with curiosity rAma enquired about the land of lush groves they were presently in and the reason behind the prosperity of that region. viSwAmitra, the supreme sage of vows and austerities began narrating the story of the region in its entirety…
Here we conclude the thirtyfirst 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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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 