Reading section 40

Válmíki said:—When the prince Ráma (having his eyes resembling the petals of a lotus), had concluded his speech calculated to remove all ignorance from the mind.

2. All the men in the assembly had their eyes beaming forth with wonder, and the hairs on their bodies stood erect and pierced through their garments, as if wishing to hear the speech.

3. The assembly seemed for a moment to have lost their worldly desires in their eagerness after a stoic indifference, and to be rolling in the sea of nectar.

4. The audience remained (motionless) as the figures in a painting, being enraptured with internal delight at hearing the sweet words of the fortunate Ráma.

5. There were Vasishtha and Viswámitra with other sages, and the prime minister Jayanta and other counsellors (of the king) then seated in that assembly.

6. There were also king Dasaratha and his subordinate rajas, with the citizens and foreign delegates, the chieftains and princes, together with Bráhmans and men learned in the Vedas and divine knowledge.

7. These accompanied by their friends and allies, with the birds in the cages and the royal antelopes and steeds of sport (about the palace), listened to Ráma with fixed and mute attention.

8. There were likewise the queen Kausalyá and other ladies adorned with their best jewels, and seated at the windows, all mute and motionless.

9. Besides these the birds on the trees and creepers of the princely pleasure garden, were listening to Ráma without fluttering their wings or making any motion or sound.

10. There were the Siddhas and ærial beings, and the tribes of Gandharvas and Kinnaras, together with Nárada, Vyása and Pulapa the chiefs of sages (present at that place).

11. There were also some of the gods and chiefs of gods, Vidyádharas and the Nágas, who heard the speech of Ráma which was full of meaning and clearness.

12. As Ráma whose eyes were beautiful as the lotus, whose face was as lovely as the moon, and who likened the nocturnal luminary in the atmosphere of Raghu’s family, held his silence.

13. Flowers were cast upon him from heaven in showers by the hands of the divine personages with their loud cheers and blessings.

14. The people in the assembly were highly regaled with the sweet scent and beauty of these flowers of paradise fraught with humming bees in their cells.

15. These flowers when blown in the air by the breeze of heaven, appeared as they were clusters of stars, which after their fall brightened the ground with their beauty as with the beaming smiles of heavenly maids.

16. They appeared in the form of rain drops falling from the clouds, and blazing by the light of mute lightenings, and scattering about like balls of fresh butter.

17. They resembled also as particles of snow-balls, or as the grains of a necklace of pearls or as beams of moon-light, or as the little billows of the sea of milk, or like drops of ice-cream.

18. There were also borne by the loose and sweet winds of heaven, some lotuses with long filaments, and attended by clusters of bees humming and flying about them.

19. There were also to be seen heaps of _ketaki_ and _Kairava_, _Kunda_ and blue lotus flowers, falling and shining brightly among them.

20. These flowers covered the court hall and the roofs of houses and their courtyards. The men and women in the city raised their heads to behold them falling.

21. The sky was quite unclouded when the flowers fell incessantly from above. A sight like this that was never seen before struck the people with wonder.

22. The shower of flowers fell for quarter of an hour, but the Siddhas from whose hands they fell were unseen all the while.

23. The falling of the flowers having ceased after the assembly was covered with them, they heard the following words, coming to them from the divine personages in the sky.

24. “We have been travelling every where in whole bodies of the Siddhas from the beginning of creation; but never have we heard any where so sweet a speech as this.

25. “Such a magnanimous speech of indifference as has been just now spoken by Ráma—the moon of Raghu’s race, was never heard even by gods like ourselves.

26. “We account ourselves truly blessed to hear this highly charming and wondrous speech from the mouth of Ráma himself to-day.

27. “Indeed we are awakened and edified by attending diligently to this truly excellent speech, delivered by Ráma on the ambrosial bliss of asceticism, and leading to the highest felicity of men”.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

ASSOCIATION OF AERIAL AND EARTHLY BEINGS.

The Siddhas said:—

It behoves us to hear the decision of the great sages, in reply to the holy sermon, already delivered by the chief of Raghu’s race.

2. Come forward you great chiefs of the sages, you Nárada, Vyása, Pulaha and all ye great sages, and be ready (to hear).

3. Let us descend to the full open court of Dasaratha, which is as bright as gold and free from stain, in the manner of bees alighting on the aureate and immaculate lotus.

4. Válmíki said:—

So saying, the whole company of divine sages alighted themselves in that court from their aerial abode.

5. There Nárada the chief of sages, sat foremost playing on his lute, and in the midst was Vyása, with his dark blue complexion resembling a rainy cloud.

6. It was more over adorned with the presence of the chief sages Bhrigu, Angiras, Pulastya and others, with Chyavana, Uddálaka, Usira, Saraloman and many more about them.

7. Their garments of deer skins hang loosely down as they embraced one another. Their beads of _rudráksha_ moved in one hand, and their water pots shook in the other.

8. Their bodies shed a lustre in the Court-hall, resembling the yellow light of the stars in the sky, and like the beams of so many suns blazing upon one another.

9. They appeared as a shower of moon beams or as a halo about the full moon, or as a circle about the orb of the sun out of its season.

10. They looked like a circlet of gems of varied colors, or like a belt of pearls of great lustre.

11. Vyása appeared at the place where he sat, to be as a dark cloud amidst the stars; and Nárada was beheld upon his seat as the white orb of the moon amongst the starry group.

12. Here Pulastya shone as Indra among the gods, and there Angirá blazed as the sun amidst the heavenly bodies.

13. On seeing the body of Siddhas descending from the sky on earth, the whole court of king Dasaratha rose up (to greet them).

14. There was a promiscuous assemblage of the aerial and earthly sages, whose commingled glory spread a lustre to the ten sides of the Court.

15. Some of them held bamboo sticks in their hands, and others had lotuses in theirs. Some had put the sacred grass in their crests, while others had inserted some gems to the braids of their hair.

16. Some had matted and tawny brown hairs on their heads, and others wore garlands of flowers on theirs. Some had strings of beads for their bracelets and others wore wristlets made of the jasmine flowers.

17. Some were clothed in tatters, and others wore garments made of bark, while there were others who wore raiments of silk. Some were girt with girdles of grass and skin about their waists, and others wore waist bands with pendant strings of pearl.

18. Vasishtha and Viswámitra honoured the aerials one by one; with respectful offerings and water and courteous address.

19. The great body of the etherials also honored Vasistha and Viswámitra in their turn, with water and offerings worthy of them and with polite speeches.

20. The king also honoured the gods and the body of the Siddhas, who in return greeted the monarch with inquiries about his welfare.

21. Then the heavenly and earthly saints interchanged their greetings with one another with cordial welcomes and gestures, and were all seated afterwards on seats made of the _kusa_ grass.

22. They next honoured Ráma, who lay bowing before them, with gentle words and congratulations accompanied with shedding of flowers.

23. There were seated in that assembly the sages:—Viswámitra, Vasishtha, Váma Deva and the ministers of state.

24. There were also Nárada, the son of Brahmá, Vyása the greatest of sages, Maríchi, Durvása and Angirá.

25. There were Kratu, Pulastya, Pulaha, Saraloma, the great sage Vátsáyana, Bharadwája, Válmíki the great bard and sage.

26. There were also Uddálaka, Richika, Sarjati as well as Chyavana.

27. These and many others versed in the Vedas and their branches, and knowing all things worth knowing, were the leading members (of the assembly).

28. Then Nárada and others joined with Viswámitra and Vasishtha in addressing Ráma, who was sitting silent with his face turned downwards; and said:—

29. We admire the blest and graceful speech of the prince which is dignified with the spirit of stoicism that breathes through the whole of it.