Individual verses with meanings
Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventy third sarga of the bAlakAnDam with offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
mithila is all set to witness the wedding of the divine couple rAma and sIta. rAma won sIta through his valour. sIta’s younger sister Urmila was chosen as lakshmaNa’s bride. And then viSwAmitra, the matchmaker proposed that the daughters of janaka’s brother kuSadhwaja – mAnDavi and SrutakIrti be given in marriage to bharata and Satrughna respectively. This proposal was met with approval of the parents and preceptors. King daSaratha hastened to perform the rituals that precede the wedding. He gave away cows and wealth in charity to deserving brAhmins. The stage was set for the making of the couple who would be the ideal for humanity for all time to come. Onwards…
The day king daSaratha performed the charity for the well being of his four sons, yudhAjit, the maternal uncle of bharata and the son of the king of kEkaya arrived in mithila. He conveyed the affectionate enquiries of his father to the elderly king daSaratha. He elaborated that he came to ayOdhya with a desire to see his sister’s son (kaikeyi’s son bharata). Having learnt about the wedding in mithila, he made it a point to hasten to mithila immediately to take part in the wedding. King daSartha was delighted at the advent of the beloved guest, warmly welcomed and honored him duly.
That night was happily spent by daSaratha in the company of his four sons. The next morning, they all performed their morning ablutions and daSaratha hastened to the venue of the wedding along with the Rshis. Princes rAma and his three brothers adorned with jewelry appropriate to the occasion and having completed other preparatory rituals for the wedding, led by sage vasisTha and followed by other Rshis reached the venue to the presence of daSaratha at the appointed time.
The godly vasisTha then approached king janaka and said – “the princes and the king daSaratha, having completed the preparatory rituals for the wedding await the bestower of the brides. The giver and the receiver in fact ensure the culmination of any event. Hence please be true to your duty and perform the wedding”.
To this, the righteous and resplendent janaka replied – “Of course, this kingdom is indeed yours. So who is obstructing and for whose permission are we waiting for! There is no scope for hesitation. My daughters, having completed their preparatory rituals are awaiting at the altars shining like bright flames of fire. I am all set to perform this wedding”.
Thus welcomed by king janaka, daSaratha entered the grand venue of wedding along with the princes, sage vasisTha and all the other Rshis. King janaka requested sage vasisTha to officiate the wedding and begin the ceremony to which the sage kindly consented. Sage vasisTha flanked by the virtuous viSwAmitra and Satananda constructed a sacrificial pit (yajna manDapa) at the middle of the pavilion. They sanctified the yajna manDapa and decorated it with fragrant flowers and akshitas (rice grains mixed with turmeric signifying auspiciousness). The duly worshipped yajna mandapa was surrounded by all the paraphernalia that is due of a wedding – golden plates, earthen pots with sprouts of various pulses, holders of incense sticks, conches, smaller pots filled with water, ladle and spoon (for performing yajna), sanctified popped rice and akshitas and darbha grass. vasisTha then invoked the fire in the yajna with the sacred chants appropriate to the occasion.
Then janaka brought the beautifully bedecked bride sIta to the yajna venue and placed her in front of the bridegroom rAma, the magnifier of kausalya’s joy and addressing his said –
[goods sons magnify and enhance the joy of the parents and to underscore that mahaRsgi vAlmIki uses these phrases repeatedly – कौसल्यानन्दवर्धनः, सुमित्रानन्दवर्धनः, कैकेय्यानन्दवर्धनः ]
“O rAma, this sIta, my daughter shall be your partner in performing righteous duty. Prosperity to you. Please accept her hand in yours. She will be devoted and loyal to you ever and follow you verily like your shadow”. Thus having placed sIta’s hands in rAma’s the king sprinkled sacred and sanctified water on the couple.
इयं सीता मम सुता सहधर्मचरी तव।
प्रतीच्छ चैनां भद्रं ते पाणिं गृह्णीष्व पाणिना।।1.73.27।।
पतिव्रता महाभागा छायेवानुगता सदा।
इत्युक्त्वा प्राक्षिपद्राजा मन्त्रपूतं जलं तदा।।1.73.28।।
The gods and the Rshis signaled their acclaim by chants of “excellent excellent, sAdhu sAdhu” and the trumpets blew loudly while there was a floral rain to celebrate the divine occasion of the wedding of rAma and sIta.
Overcome by the occasion and his eyes filled with tears of joy, janaka then called up on lakshmaNa and said “O lakshmaNa, please accept the hand of Urmila. Let there be no delay” He then called bharata and said “O son of the raghu clan, please accept the hand of mAnDavi in yours”. And finally he called the righteous Satrughna and said “O valorous one, accept the hand of SRtakIrti in yours”.
Then addressing the four princes at once king janaka said “O kAkutsthAs (descendents of king kakutstha), you all are gentlemen and possess sound character. Let there be no delay in accepting the hands of the princesses and let them be your wives at once”. Ordered thus by janaka and with the consent of sage vasisTha, the four brothers accepted the hands of the four sisters respectively.
rAma, lakshmaNa, bharata and Satrughna holding the hands of their brides circumambulated the sacrificial fire, the stage, the king janaka respectfully. The wedding ceremony was conducted grandly in accordance with the scriptures.
As rAma held the hand of sIta, lakshmaNa accepted Urmila, bharata married mAnDavi and Satrughna tied knots with SRtakIrti there was floral rain from the heavens. Celebrations touched the heavens as the divine damsels danced in delight to the notes of kettledrums and trumpets and the melodious renditions of the demi gods (gandharvas). Surreal scenes played up in the wedding of the best of the raghu’s scions.
As the wind instruments rendered melodious notes, the glorious and resplendent princes with their brides circumambulated the sacred fire and wedded the daughters of kings janaka and kuSadhwaja.
As the wedding culminated, the four newly wed couples left for their camps along with king daSaratha and the Rshis.
Here we conclude the seventy third sarga of the bAla kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Next: 1.74. paraSurAma has an axe to grind!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 