The RÁMÁYAN of VÁLMÍKI - Part 1 - 13 in English Spiritual Stories by MB (Official) books and stories PDF | The RÁMÁYAN of VÁLMÍKI - Part 1 - 13

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The RÁMÁYAN of VÁLMÍKI - Part 1 - 13

Canto XIII.The Sacrifice Finished.

The circling year had filled its course,

And back was brought the wandering horse:

Then upon Sarjú's northern strand

Began the rite the king had planned.

With Rishyaśring the forms to guide,

The Bráhmans to their task applied,

At that great offering of the steed

Their lofty-minded king decreed.

The priests,who all the Scripture knew,

Performed their part in order due,

And circled round in solemn train

As precepts of the law ordain.

Pravargya rites92were duly sped:

For Upasads93the flames were fed.

Then from the plant94the juice was squeezed,

And those high saints with minds well pleased

Performed the mystic rites begun

With bathing ere the rise of sun

They gave the portion Indra's claim,

And hymned the King whom none can blame.

The mid-day bathing followed next,

Observed as bids the holy text.

Then the good priests with utmost care,

In form that Scripture's rules declare,

For the third time pure water shed

On high souled Daśaratha's head.

Then Rishyaśring and all the rest

To Indra and the Gods addressed

Their sweet-toned hymn of praise and prayer,

And called them in the rite to share.

With sweetest song and hymn entoned

They gave the Gods in heaven enthroned,

As duty bids,the gifts they claim,

The holy oil that feeds the flame.

And many an offering there was paid,

And not one slip in all was made.

For with most careful heed they saw

That all was done by Veda law.

None,all those days,was seen oppressed

By hunger or by toil distressed.

Why speak of human kind?No beast

Was there that lacked an ample feast.

For there was store for all who came,

For orphan child and lonely dame;

The old and young were well supplied,

The poor and hungry satisfied.

Throughout the day ascetics fed,

And those who roam to beg their bread:

While all around the cry was still,

“Give forth,give forth,”and“Eat your fill.”

“Give forth with liberal hand the meal,

And various robes in largess deal.”

Urged by these cries on every side

Unweariedly their task they plied:

And heaps of food like hills in size

In boundless plenty met the eyes:

And lakes of sauce,each day renewed,

Refreshed the weary multitude.

And strangers there from distant lands,

And women folk in crowded bands

The best of food and drink obtained

At the great rite the king ordained.

Apart from all,the Bráhmans there,

Thousands on thousands,took their share

Of various dainties sweet to taste,

On plates of gold and silver placed,

All ready set,as,when they willed,

The twice-born men their places filled.

And servants in fair garments dressed

Waited upon each Bráhman guest.

Of cheerful mind and mien were they,

With gold and jewelled earrings gay.

The best of Bráhmans praised the fare

Of countless sorts,of flavour rare:

And thus to Raghu's son they cried:

“We bless thee,and are satisfied.”

Between the rites some Bráhmans spent

The time in learned argument,

With ready flow of speech,sedate,

And keen to vanquish in debate.95

There day by day the holy train

Performed all rites as rules ordain.

No priest in all that host was found

But kept the vows that held him bound:

None,but the holy Vedas knew,

And all their six-fold science96too.

No Bráhman there was found unfit

To speak with eloquence and wit.

And now the appointed time came near

The sacrificial posts to rear.

They brought them,and prepared to fix

Of Bel97and Khádir98six and six;

Six,made of the Paláśa99tree,

Of Fig-wood one,apart to be:

Of Sleshmát100and of Devadár101

One column each,the mightiest far:

So thick the two,the arms of man

Their ample girth would fail to span.

All these with utmost care were wrought

By hand of priests in Scripture taught,

And all with gold were gilded bright

To add new splendour to the rite:

Twenty-and-one those stakes in all,

Each one-and-twenty cubits tall:

And one-and-twenty ribbons there

Hung on the pillars,bright and fair.

Firm in the earth they stood at last,

Where cunning craftsmen fixed them fast;

And there unshaken each remained,

Octagonal and smoothly planed.

Then ribbons over all were hung,

And flowers and scent around them flung.

Thus decked they cast a glory forth

Like the great saints who star the north.102

The sacrificial altar then

Was raised by skilful twice-born men,

In shape and figure to behold

An eagle with his wings of gold,

With twice nine pits and formed three-fold

Each for some special God,beside

The pillars were the victims tied;

The birds that roam the wood,the air,

The water,and the land were there,

And snakes and things of reptile birth,

And healing herbs that spring from earth:

As texts prescribe,in Scripture found,

Three hundred victims there were bound.

The steed devoted to the host

Of Gods,the gem they honour most,

Was duly sprinkled.Then the Queen

Kauśalyá,with delighted mien,

With reverent steps around him paced,

And with sweet wreaths the victim graced;

Then with three swords in order due

She smote the steed with joy,and slew.

That night the queen,a son to gain,

With calm and steady heart was fain

By the dead charger's side to stay

From evening till the break of day.

Then came three priests,their care to lead

The other queens to touch the steed,

Upon Kauśalyáto attend,

Their company and aid to lend.

As by the horse she still reclined,

With happy mien and cheerful mind,

With Rishyaśring the twice-born came

And praised and blessed the royal dame.

The priest who well his duty knew,

And every sense could well subdue,

From out the bony chambers freed

And boiled the marrow of the steed.

Above the steam the monarch bent,

And,as he smelt the fragrant scent,

In time and order drove afar

All error that his hopes could mar.

Then sixteen priests together came

And cast into the sacred flame

The severed members of the horse,

Made ready all in ordered course.

On piles of holy Fig-tree raised

The meaner victims'bodies blazed:

The steed,of all the creatures slain,

Alone required a pile of cane.

Three days,as is by law decreed,

Lasted that Offering of the Steed.

The Chatushṭom began the rite,

And when the sun renewed his light,

The Ukthya followed:after came

The Atirátra's holy flame.

These were the rites,and many more

Arranged by light of holy lore,

The Aptoryám of mighty power,

And,each performed in proper hour,

The Abhijit and Viśvajit

With every form and service fit;

And with the sacrifice at night

The Jyotishṭom andÁyus rite.103

The task was done,as laws prescribe:

The monarch,glory of his tribe,

Bestowed the land in liberal grants

Upon the sacred ministrants.

He gave the region of the east,

His conquest,to the Hotri priest.

The west,the celebrant obtained:

The south,the priest presiding gained:

The northern region was the share

Of him who chanted forth the prayer,104

Thus did each priest obtain his meed

At the great Slaughter of the Steed,

Ordained,the best of all to be,

By self-existent deity.

Ikshváku's son with joyful mind

This noble fee to each assigned,

But all the priests with one accord

Addressed that unpolluted lord:

“Tis thine alone to keep the whole

Of this broad earth in firm control.

No gift of lands from thee we seek:

To guard these realms our hands were weak.

On sacred lore our days are spent:

Let other gifts our wants content.”

The chief of old Ikshváku's line

Gave them ten hundred thousand kine,

A hundred millions of fine gold,

The same in silver four times told.

But every priest in presence there

With one accord resigned his share.

To Saint Vaśishṭha,high of soul,

And Rishyaśring they gave the whole.

That largess pleased those Bráhmans well,

Who bade the prince his wishes tell.

Then Daśaratha,mighty king,

Made answer thus to Rishyaśring:

“O holy Hermit,of thy grace,

Vouchsafe the increase of my race.”

He spoke;nor was his prayer denied:

The best of Bráhmans thus replied:

“Four sons,O Monarch,shall be thine,

Upholders of thy royal line.”