Book I : Bala Kanda - The Youthful Majesties
Dasaratha brings Rishyasringa to Ayodhya
Chapter [Sarga] 11
ततः प्रमुदिताः सर्वे दृष्ट्वा तम् नागरा द्विजम् || १-११-२७
प्रवेश्यमानम् सत्कृत्य नरेन्द्रेण इन्द्र कर्मणा |
यथा दिवि सुरेन्द्रेण सहस्राक्षेण काश्यपम् || १-११-२८
प्रवेश्यमानम् सत्कृत्य नरेन्द्रेण इन्द्र कर्मणा |
यथा दिवि सुरेन्द्रेण सहस्राक्षेण काश्यपम् || १-११-२८
27b, 28. tataH sarve naagaraaH = then, all, citizens; indra karmaNaa = one who has exploits like that of Indra; nara indreNa = by people's, lord Dasharatha; satkritya praveshyamaanam = well honoured, and being entered; yathaa = as with; kaashyapam = sage Kashyapa's son, namely Vamana, the dwarf boy incarnation of Vishnu; sahasra aksheNa surendreNa = by thousand eyed, lord of gods, namely Indra; divi = in heaven [while entered]; tam dvijam = him, at that Brahman; dR^iSTvaa pramuditaaH = on seeing, highly gladdened.
Then all the citizens are very happy on seeing that Brahman, Sage Rishyasringa, who is well honoured and being entered into the city by their king Dasharatha, as has been done once by Indra when he entered sage Kashyapa's son Vamana, the dwarfish boy and the incarnation of Vishnu, into heavens, and thus those citizens felt that their human lord Dasharatha vies with divine lord Indra. [1-11-27b, 28]
The simile of Indra to king Dasharatha is in two ways. Dasharatha ruled kingdom like Indra who rules Heavens. The word Indra karmaNa also refers to the deeds of Dasharatha, in helping the gods' forces combating the demonic forces. Thus the deeds performed by Dasharatha are like those of Indra's. Here Dasharatha is bringing Sage Rishyasringa to Ayodhya. Earlier Indra led Vamana, the dwarf-boy to heavens. Vamana is the incarnation of Vishnu in early ages and after Vamana suppressed Bali, the Emperor to netherworlds, Indra took Vamana to heavens. Thus Dasharatha is like Indra on earth, both by his virtue and deed. Incidentally, Vamana i.e., Vishnu, is the son-incarnate to Sage Kaashyapa, while sage Rishyasringa is the grandson of the same Kaashyapa. Thus Sage Kaashyapa is instrumental to these two incarnations. Through the divine grace of Sage Rishyasringa, the same Vishnu is going to take birth as Rama, while Sage Kashyapa is a grandparent of Rama in this era, and while he alone was Vishnu's father when Vishnu incarnated as Dwarf boy Vamana.
अन्तःपुरम् प्रवेश्य एनम् पूजाम् कृत्वा च शास्त्रतः |
कृतकृत्यम् तदा आत्मानम् मेने तस्य उपवाहनात् || १-११-२९
कृतकृत्यम् तदा आत्मानम् मेने तस्य उपवाहनात् || १-११-२९
29. enam = him; antaHpuram = palace-chambers; praveshya = having entered; shaastrataH = as per scriptures; puujaam cha = worshipped, too;tadaa = then; tasya = his [for Rishyasringa]; upavaahannat = by bringing here; aatmaanam = for himself; kR^itakrityam = one with his desire fulfilled;mene = beleived.
Dasharatha entered the sage into the palace chambers and worshipped him there as ordained in the scriptures, and in bringing the Sage here into his country, king Dasharatha believed that his desired is fulfilled. [1-11-28]
अन्तःपुराणि सर्वाणि शांताम् दृष्ट्वा तथा आगताम् |
सह भर्त्रा विशालाक्षीम् प्रीत्या आनंदम् उपागमन् || १-११-३०
सह भर्त्रा विशालाक्षीम् प्रीत्या आनंदम् उपागमन् || १-११-३०
30. antaHpura striyaH sarvaaH = palace, ladies, all of them; tathaa = thus; bhartraa saha aagataam = her husband, along with, one who arrived;vishaala akshiim = broad-eyed lady; shaantaam = at Shanta; dristwaa = on seeing; priityaa = with affection; aanandam = happiness; upaagaman = they derived.
On seeing her, the broad-eyed Shanta, who came there along with her husband all the ladies of palace derived happiness for the homecoming of their own daughter, as it were. [1-11-29]
पूज्यमाना तु ताभिः सा राज्ञा च एव विशेषतः |
उवास तत्र सुखिता कन्चित् कालम् सह द्विजा || १-११-३१
उवास तत्र सुखिता कन्चित् कालम् सह द्विजा || १-११-३१
31. saa = she, Shanta; taabhiH = by them; [by far] visheshataH = in an exceptional manner; raajnaa cha eva = by king, also, thus; puujayamaanaa= while being admired; sukhitaa = comfortably; R^itwijaa saha = that, Vedic scholar - her husband, along with; kamchit kaalam = for some time; tatra = there; uvaasa = resided.
Shanta thus being admired by all of them, and in an exceptional manner by Dasharatha, comfortably resided there along with her husband, the Vedic scholar Rishyasringa. [1-11-30]
The Riwik is not just a reciter of Veda-s but more a director or conductor of whole orchestration of the Vedic ritual, which involves lots of rules, in reciting hymns, in performing deeds and all in their exactness. The whole lots of works that need be performed have the order of precedence like prime, auxiliary or adjunctive in their ordinance. A Ritwik is the elated scholar who keeps track of these activities while other scholars recite hymns as directed by these Ritwik-s. Hence, Ritwik-hood is the highest.
The Four Era system of Hindus
The Four Era system, chaturyuga has the following components: satya yuga or krita yuga 17, 28, 000 years of duration. This is the era of Rama's ancestors of Ikshvaku dynasty, or the Solar dynasty. treta yuga 12, 96, 000 years.[The era is of Rama's near ancestors, again of Solar dynasty 3. dwapara yuga 8, 64, 000 years. This is the period of Epic Maha Bharata with an admixture of Solar and Lunar dynasties ruling. kali yuga 4, 32, 000 years. The present period obtaining from the ruination of Maha Bharata civilisation.
One cycle of the above four eras is called one mahaa yuga and seventy-one [71] of such of the Fourfold Eras mahaa yugaa-s will become onemanvantara, Manu-Epoch, the time scale attributed to one Manu, the Supreme Ruler of Mankind. There are total fourteen such Manu-epochs and six of them over in the present manvantara , the time-scale.
The completed Manu cycles are 1.] svayambhu manu , 2.] svaarochiSa manu , 3.] auuttami manu , 4.] taamasa manu , 5.] raivata manu , 6.] chaaksha manu . Presently we are in the Seventh cycle called vaivasvata mnavantara , and there are seven more manvantara -s to come, starting with 8.] surya saavarni Manu, 9.] dharma saavani, 10.] daksha savarni, 11.] rudra saavarni, 12.] brahma saavrani, 13.] rouchya manu , 14.] bhoutya manu.
Such fourteen Manu time cycles will be said to be a Day of Brahma, the Absolute. Ramayana is said to have happened in kR^ita yuga, the second Manu time cycle. The earlier one is satya yuga , in which the ancestors of Rama, descendants of Raghu dynasty, like Saagara, Harishchandra et al, were the rulers, which is called Ikshvaku dynasty.
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये बाल काण्डे एकादशः सर्गः
Thus, this is the end of 11th chapter in Bala Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
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