Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty sixth sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Decimated by the army of Sabala and anger of vasisTha, a despondent viSwAmitra delegates the rule of his kingdom to one of his sons and himself indulges in penance for lord Siva. Armed with vast weaponry by the grace of lord Siva, a vengeful viSwAmitra heads to the ASram of vasisTha and wreaks havoc there. vasisTha stands up to the destruction with his shaft. Onwards…
viSwAmitra launched the fiery AgnEya weapon and said hold on O sage. Sage vasisTha was upto it, he lifted his shaft (brahmadanDa) in fury and spoke sternly – “Show me your might, O wicked kshatriya, here I stand, I shall destroy your weaponry, bring it on! You shall see that the kshatra might stands no where in front of the might of brahman”. vasisTha’s brahmadanDa subsumed the fiery AgnEya of viSwAMitra and rendered it impotent like water dousing fire. Incensed by the ineffectiveness of his weapons in front of the brahmadanDa (shaft) of sage vasisTha , viSwAmitra hurled the following weapons one after the other –
vAruNa, aindra, raudra, pASupata, aishika, mAnava, mOhana, jRmbhaNa, mAdana, SoshaNa, dAraNa, vajra, brahmapASa, varuNapASa, kAlapASa, painAka, aSani, danDa, paiSAca, krauncha, dharmachakra, kAlachakra, vishNuchakra, vAyavya, mathana, hayaSira, kankAla, musala, vaidyAdhara, triSUla, kApAla and kankaNa –
The glorious son of lord brahma – sage vasisTha – stood there with his uplifted shaft and then wonder of wonders – all those weapons deployed by viSwAmitra were subsumed in to that shaft! viSwAmitra was livid at this mitigation of his weaponry. He now took recourse to the ultimate weapon, the brahmAstra and hurled it at vasisTha. As the deadly weapon capable of causing annihilation was hurled, the Rshis, gods, demigods – all of them became very agitated at the prospective calamity that the weapon can bring about!
However the radiant son of brahma sage vasisTha, by his brAhmic radiance subsumed even the ultimate weapon into his shaft! As he subsumed that weapon, vasisTha glowed in such a manner that it was even impossible to behold him. From every pore on his body emanated smoke and light. It was a dreadful sight indeed. The upheld shaft was glowing brilliantly like a shaft of death that was reminiscent of the ultimate dissolution.
All the Rshis and gods prayed to vasisTha and praised him for his amazing ability to contain the energy of the brahmAstra by his sheer power. The valiant viSwAmitra has been contained by you, please calm down, O sage, they all prayed thus. And then vasisTha relented and withdrew his posture with the upraised staff.
viSwAmitra was aghast and sighed heavily and said. Fie on this might of kshatriya, the brAhmic valour is the real valour, since just a staff has negated all my repertoire of weaponry.
धिग्बलं क्षत्रियबलं ब्रह्मतेजो बलं बलम्।
एकेन ब्रह्मदण्डेन सर्वास्त्राणि हतानि मे।।1.56.23।।
He then reflected, “I have realised the might of the brAhmic power. I shall calm down my senses and mind and perform intense penance to attain that brAhminhood.
Here we conclude the fifty sixth 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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