Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventy second sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
After daSaratha reached mithila with his entourage, he was given a rousing reception and with due honor hosted. Then the wedding prelude began by detailing the lineage of the ikshvAkus by sage vasisTha and of the janakas by king janaka himself. Detailing the pedigree of the bride and the groom is a common and ancient practice in weddings and it helps understand the people, accomplishments and their culture better there by strengthening the marital bond. Onwards…
As the vaidEha (king of videha region) janaka concluded the narration of his lineage, sage viSwAmitra in the presence of other elders and sage vasisTha said – “O king, indeed the two races of the ikshvAkus and the vidEhas are peerless and their greatness is immeasurable and beyond imagination. The match of rAma with sIta and that of lakshmaNa with Urmila are equal in merit and beauty. Listen to my words, O king, this righteous younger brother of yours kuSadhwaja is blessed with two daughters of unrivalled beauty. We seek those two daughters in marriage for our princes the benevolent bharata and the sagacious Satrughna, the younger brothers of rAma. These youthful and handsome sons of king daSaratha are godly in their valour. By virtue of this alliance between the daughters of you two brothers and sons of king daSaratha, the sacred alliance between the two families and kingdoms will prosper”. Thus viSwamitra spoke and sage vasisTha concurred.
King janaka with folded hands said – “my race is indeed blessed that you two great sages have, of your own volition suggested this alliance. I suggest that the four princes of ayOdhya wed our princesses on the same day. The celebrated bhaga prajApati has opined that when the star uttaraphalguni is reigning ascendant after the pUrva phalguni, it is an apt time for performing the wedding. You both sages (vasisTha and viSwAmitra) have indeed done me a big favour. I shall always be your disciple. Kindly assume your high seats. Just like you have the rights on daSaratha’s ayOdhya, you also have rights on this city of mithila. Please have no doubt about it and do what you consider best”.
King daSaratha addressed janaka and his brother and said – “you both brothers are embodiments of countless virtues having worshipped and served sages and learned men. Stay blessed. I shall now retire to my camp and perform the rites of forefathers”.
[progeny is a gift of forefathers and hence in any ceremony involving the progeny, the forefathers are propitiated]
So saying, king daSaratha took leave of king janaka and went back to his camp along with the sages vasisTha and viSwAmitra. Having reached the camp, daSaratha performed the obsequies for the forefathers and remembered them with gratitude. The following day, the doting father daSaratha, focused on the well being of his sons, performed the charity of giving away hundred thousand well endowed cows in the name of each son. Each of the cow had a calf and was adorned with golden covering on the horns. He also gave away copper vessels to be used while milking the cows. He also gave away money in plenty to deserving brAhmins.
Having performed the prelude rituals of the marriage and conducted the charity, daSaratha was happy in his heart and he looked verily like lord brahma surrounded by the guardian deities of the world.
Here we conclude the seventy second sarga of the bAla kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: 1.73. siyAvar rAmachandra ki Jai!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 