Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty seventh sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
viSwAmitra requests janaka to show the brilliant bow of lord Siva housed in the royal palace. janaka narrates the legend of the bow and also his resolve to give his daughter sIta as prized possession in marriage to the worthy suitor who is able to string the bow. Onwards…
Having heard the words of janaka about the bow and the condition associated with stringing it, viSwAmitra agreed and asked the bow to be shown to the princes of ayOdhya. janaka asked his ministers to arrange to bring the bow to the court after worshipping it duly with sandal paste and flowers. Receving the royal orders, the ministers went inside to fetch the majestic bow. Five thousand mighty men, placed the bow on an eight wheeled cart and with great difficulty wheeled it into the royal court of janaka! Having somehow brought the best of bows contained in an iron casket into the court, the ministers submitted to the king that the bow is ready to be shown to the prince rAma.
janaka acknowledged their submission and turned to viSwAmitra, rAma and lakshmaNa and said – “here is the bow that was worshipped by my forefathers also. Several kings have tried their hand at stringing the bow and have faced nothing but humiliation. Not only kings, but gods, demi gods, minion gods, kinnaras as well as demons tried and failed to string the bow. I wonder what ability mere men will have to either, lift or string the bow or to pull its string! In any case, O sage, here is the bow that the princes were desirous of witnessing. They might take a careful look at it”.
Having heard the words of king janaka, viSwAmitra ordered – “child! rAma! behold the bow”
विश्वामित्रस्तु धर्मात्मा श्रुत्वा जनकभाषितम्।
वत्स राम धनु: पश्य इति राघवमब्रवीत्।।1.67.12।।
Ordered thus by his guardian sage, rAma went near the iron casket that contained the bow. He opened the lid of the casket and respectfully asked – “O brahman, may I touch this bow and try my hand at lifting and stringing it”. The king as well as the sage answered in the affirmative and encouraged rAma to try and string the bow.
Encouraged by both king janaka and sage viSwAmitra, rAma held the bow in the middle and lifted it in one go with supreme ease! The famous, best-among-men and righteous rAma held it upright and stringed it. He then drew the string to twang it and the bow broke in the middle in to two pieces making a noise so loud that it sounded like thunder, like earthquake and even more like a mighty mountain splitting in the middle. Struck by the thunderous noise everyone in the court fell and fainted except for the sage viSwAmitra, king janaka and the princes rAma and lakshmaNa.
In a while, the people in the court regained their senses lost by witnessing an unprecedented feat by rAma! The king janaka then submitted to the sage without any inhibition whatsoever, “O sage, I have witnessed the amazing valor of rAma, the son of daSaratha – this accomplishment of his is simply marvelous, unimaginable and beyond my reasoning and comprehension! My daughter sIta will enhance the glory of the janaka clan by having rAma as her husband. I had vowed that she will be given in marriage to someone who proves his valor by stringing this bow. My vow has met fulfilment in rAma”!
He further said – “O lord, with your persmission, may swift moving ministers of mine go to ayOdhya in chariots and convey to king daSaratha that sIta will be given in marriage to the valorous rAma as per my vow. May they narrate the whole episode of the visit of the ayOdhya princes to mithila in your guidance and care. And after conveying this news to emperor daSaratha and filling him with delight, may they usher him soon to mithila”
viSwAmitra said “so be it” and then the king janaka sent his emissaries giving them the whole instructions, the chief message being to convey the glad tidings that mithila witnessed and to escort daSaratha to mithila at once.
Here we conclude the sixty seventh sarga of the bAla kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: 1.68. Glad tidings reach ayOdhya
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 