Sources · மூலங்கள்

The first verse

Valmiki · Bala Kanda
1.2.16–1.3.39 (CrEd 1.2.15–1.3.29)

தமிழ் · விரைவில் வருகிறது · The Tamil is coming

Puzzled by the words that burst from him over the slain krauncha, Valmiki bathes and turns home, pondering what they mean. Brahma, creator of the worlds, comes to his hermitage, tells him the verse is a shloka, given by his own will, and bids him tell the whole life of Rama as he heard it from Narada: as long as mountains and rivers stand on the earth, the Ramayana will go about the worlds. His pupils sing the verse over in wonder, and Valmiki resolves to make the whole Ramayana in verses like it.

Sanskrit · English·Translation: Raam Leela

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Part 1 · பகுதி 1

What is this I have said?

Valmiki 1.2.16–1.2.21 (CrEd 1.2.15–1.2.20)

॥ 1.2.16 ॥

CrEd 1.2.15

Valmikiverse caption

Sanskrit

तस्यैवं ब्रुवतश् चिन्ता बभूव हृदि वीक्षतः ।
शोकार्तेनास्य शकुनेः किम् इदं व्याहृतं मया ॥

tasyaivaṃ bruvataś cintā babhūva hṛdi vīkṣataḥ
śokārtenāsya śakuneḥ kim idaṃ vyāhṛtaṃ mayā

English

As he spoke so, looking on,
a thought rose in his heart:
“Struck by grief for this bird,
what is this that I have said?”

॥ 1.2.16 ॥

CrEd 1.2.15

Valmiki

Sanskrit

तस्यैवं ब्रुवतश् चिन्ता बभूव हृदि वीक्षतः ।
शोकार्तेनास्य शकुनेः किम् इदं व्याहृतं मया ॥

tasyaivaṃ bruvataś cintā babhūva hṛdi vīkṣataḥ
śokārtenāsya śakuneḥ kim idaṃ vyāhṛtaṃ mayā

English

As he spoke so, looking on,
a thought rose in his heart:
“Struck by grief for this bird,
what is this that I have said?”

॥ 1.2.17 ॥

CrEd 1.2.16

silent moment

॥ 1.2.18 ॥

CrEd 1.2.17

Valmiki

Sanskrit

पादबद्धोऽक्षरसमस् तन्त्रीलयसमन्वितः शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु नान्यथा ॥

pādabaddho 'kṣarasamas tantrīlayasamanvitaḥ śokārtasya pravṛtto me śloko bhavatu nānyathā

English

Bound in feet, its syllables equal,
fit for the string and the beat,
it came from me, struck with grief:
let it be shloka, nothing else.

॥ 1.2.19 ॥

CrEd 1.2.18

silent moment

॥ 1.2.20 ॥

CrEd 1.2.19

silent moment

॥ 1.2.20 ॥

CrEd 1.2.19

silent moment

॥ 1.2.21 ॥

CrEd 1.2.20

silent moment

॥ 1.2.20–21 ॥

CrEd 1.2.19–20

Valmikiverse caption

Sanskrit

सोऽभिषेकं ततः कृत्वा तीर्थे तस्मिन् यथाविधि ।
तम् एव चिन्तयन्न् अर्थम् उपावर्तत वै मुनिः ।
भरद्वाजस् ततः शिष्यो विनीतः श्रुतवान् गुरोः ।
कलशं पूर्णम् आदाय पृष्ठतोऽनुजगाम ह ॥

so 'bhiṣekaṃ tataḥ kṛtvā tīrthe tasmin yathāvidhi
tam eva cintayann artham upāvartata vai muniḥ
bharadvājas tataḥ śiṣyo vinītaḥ śrutavān guroḥ
kalaśaṃ pūrṇam ādāya pṛṣṭhato 'nujagāma ha

English

Then, when he had bathed
in that ford as the rite ordains,
thinking only of that meaning,
the sage turned back for home.
Then Bharadvaja, his pupil,
modest, schooled by his teacher,
taking up the brimming pitcher,
followed close behind.

Part 2 · பகுதி 2

By my will

Valmiki 1.2.22–1.3.39 (CrEd 1.2.21–1.3.29)

॥ 1.2.22 ॥

CrEd 1.2.21

silent moment

॥ 1.2.22 ॥

CrEd 1.2.21

silent moment

॥ 1.2.23 ॥

CrEd 1.2.22

silent moment

॥ 1.2.24–25 ॥

CrEd 1.2.23–24

silent moment

॥ 1.2.26–28 ॥

CrEd 1.2.25–26

silent moment

॥ 1.2.28–29 ॥

CrEd 1.2.27

Valmiki

Sanskrit

पापात्मना कृतं कष्टं वैरग्रहणबुद्धिना यस् तादृशं चारुरवं क्रौञ्चं हन्याद् अकारणात् ॥

pāpātmanā kṛtaṃ kaṣṭaṃ vairagrahaṇabuddhinā yas tādṛśaṃ cāruravaṃ krauñcaṃ hanyād akāraṇāt

English

A cruel thing that evil soul has done,
his mind bent on enmity,
who could kill so sweet-voiced
a krauncha, and for no cause.

॥ 1.2.29–30 ॥

CrEd 1.2.28

Valmikiverse caption

Sanskrit

शोचन्न् एव मुहुः क्रौञ्चीम् उपश्लोकम् इमं पुनः ।
जगाव् अन्तर्गतमना भूत्वा शोकपरायणः ॥

śocann eva muhuḥ krauñcīm upaślokam imaṃ punaḥ
jagāv antargatamanā bhūtvā śokaparāyaṇaḥ

English

Grieving still, again and again, for the hen,
this verse once more
he sang, his mind turned inward,
lost wholly in his grief.

॥ 1.2.30 ॥

CrEd 1.2.29

Brahma

Sanskrit

श्लोक एव त्वया बद्धो नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥

śloka eva tvayā baddho nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

English

It is a shloka you have bound;
no need to ponder it here.

॥ 1.2.31 ॥

CrEd 1.2.30

Brahma

Sanskrit

मच्छन्दाद् एव ते ब्रह्मन् प्रवृत्तेयं सरस्वती ।
रामस्य चरितं सर्वं कुरु त्वम् ऋषिसत्तम ॥

macchandād eva te brahman pravṛtteyaṃ sarasvatī
rāmasya caritaṃ sarvaṃ kuru tvam ṛṣisattama

English

By my will alone, O brahmin,
this speech of yours came forth.
Rama’s story, all of it,
make it, best of seers.

॥ 1.2.31 ॥

CrEd 1.2.30

silent moment

॥ 1.2.32 ॥

CrEd 1.2.31

Brahma

Sanskrit

धर्मात्मनो गुणवतो लोके रामस्य धीमतः वृत्तं कथय धीरस्य यथा ते नारदाच् छ्रुतम् ॥

dharmātmano guṇavato loke rāmasya dhīmataḥ vṛttaṃ kathaya dhīrasya yathā te nāradāc chrutam

English

Of righteous Rama, rich in virtue,
wise in the world,
tell the life, the steadfast one’s,
as you heard it from Narada.

॥ 1.2.33–34 ॥

CrEd 1.2.32–33

Brahma

Sanskrit

रहस्यं च प्रकाशं च यद् वृत्तं तस्य धीमतः रामस्य सह सौमित्रे राक्षसानां च सर्वशः ।
वैदेह्याश् चैव यद् वृत्तं प्रकाशं यदि वा रहः तच् चाप्य् अविदितं सर्वं विदितं ते भविष्यति ॥

rahasyaṃ ca prakāśaṃ ca yad vṛttaṃ tasya dhīmataḥ rāmasya saha saumitre rākṣasānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ
vaidehyāś caiva yad vṛttaṃ prakāśaṃ yadi vā rahaḥ tac cāpy aviditaṃ sarvaṃ viditaṃ te bhaviṣyati

English

Hidden and open, all that befell
that wise one,
Rama, with Saumitri,
and the rakshasas, every part;
and all that befell Vaidehi,
in the open or in secret,
all of it, even the unknown,
shall be known to you.

॥ 1.2.35 ॥

CrEd 1.2.34

Brahma

Sanskrit

न ते वाग् अनृता काव्ये का चिद् अत्र भविष्यति ।
कुरु रामकथां पुण्यां श्लोकबद्धां मनोरमाम् ॥

na te vāg anṛtā kāvye kā cid atra bhaviṣyati
kuru rāmakathāṃ puṇyāṃ ślokabaddhāṃ manoramām

English

No word of yours in this poem
shall ever be untrue.
Make Rama’s story, holy,
bound in shlokas, lovely to the mind.

॥ 1.2.36 ॥

CrEd 1.2.35

Brahma

Sanskrit

यावत् स्थास्यन्ति गिरयः सरितश् च महीतले तावद् रामायणकथा लोकेषु प्रचरिष्यति ॥

yāvat sthāsyanti girayaḥ saritaś ca mahītale tāvad rāmāyaṇakathā lokeṣu pracariṣyati

English

As long as the mountains stand,
and the rivers on the earth,
so long the Ramayana’s story
shall go about the worlds.

॥ 1.2.38 ॥

CrEd 1.2.37

silent moment

॥ 1.2.39–40 ॥

CrEd 1.2.38–39

Valmikiverse caption

Sanskrit

तस्य शिष्यास् ततः सर्वे जगुः श्लोकम् इमं पुनः ।
मुहुर् मुहुः प्रीयमाणाः प्राहुश् च भृशविस्मिताः ।
समाक्षरैश् चतुर्भिर् यः पादैर् गीतो महर्षिणा ।
सोऽनुव्याहरणाद् भूयः शोकः श्लोकत्वम् आगतः ॥

tasya śiṣyās tataḥ sarve jaguḥ ślokam imaṃ punaḥ
muhur muhuḥ prīyamāṇāḥ prāhuś ca bhṛśavismitāḥ
samākṣaraiś caturbhir yaḥ pādair gīto maharṣiṇā
so 'nuvyāharaṇād bhūyaḥ śokaḥ ślokatvam āgataḥ

English

Then all his pupils
sang this verse again,
over and over, delighted,
and said, in great wonder:
“Sung by the great seer
in four feet of equal syllables,
by being said over after him,
the grief has become shloka.”

॥ 1.2.41 ॥

CrEd 1.2.40

Valmiki

Sanskrit

कृत्स्नं रामायणं काव्यम् ईदृशैः करवाण्य् अहम् ॥

kṛtsnaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ kāvyam īdṛśaiḥ karavāṇy aham

English

The whole Ramayana, the poem,
in verses such as these I will make.

॥ 1.3.1–2 ॥

CrEd 1.3.1–2

silent moment

॥ 1.3.10–39 ॥

CrEd 1.3.3–29

condensed from 1.3.10–39

Valmikiverse caption

Sanskrit

जन्म रामस्य सुमहद् वीर्यं सर्वानुकूलताम् ।
… ।
जानक्याश् च विवाहं च धनुषश् च विभेदनम् ।
… ।
व्याघातं चाभिषेकस्य रामस्य च विवासनम् ।
… ।
मारीचस्य वधं चैव वैदेह्या हरणं तथा ।
… ।
संगमं च समुद्रस्य नलसेतोश् च बन्धनम् ।
… ।
रावणस्य विनाशं च सीतावाप्तिम् अरेः पुरे ।
… ।
स्वराष्ट्ररञ्जनं चैव वैदेह्याश् च विसर्जनम् ।
अनागतं च यत् किं चिद् रामस्य वसुधातले ।
तच् चकारोत्तरे काव्ये वाल्मीकिर् भगवान् ऋषिः ॥

janma rāmasya sumahad vīryaṃ sarvānukūlatām
…
jānakyāś ca vivāhaṃ ca dhanuṣaś ca vibhedanam
…
vyāghātaṃ cābhiṣekasya rāmasya ca vivāsanam
…
mārīcasya vadhaṃ caiva vaidehyā haraṇaṃ tathā
…
saṃgamaṃ ca samudrasya nalasetoś ca bandhanam
…
rāvaṇasya vināśaṃ ca sītāvāptim areḥ pure
…
svarāṣṭrarañjanaṃ caiva vaidehyāś ca visarjanam
anāgataṃ ca yat kiṃ cid rāmasya vasudhātale
tac cakārottare kāvye vālmīkir bhagavān ṛṣiḥ

English

Rama’s birth, his mighty valour,
his goodwill toward all,
…
Janaki’s wedding,
and the breaking of the bow,
…
the consecration thwarted,
and Rama sent away,
…
Maricha slain,
and Vaidehi carried off,
…
the meeting with the ocean,
and Nala’s bridge made fast,
…
Ravana destroyed,
Sita won back in the enemy’s city,
…
his own realm made glad,
and Vaidehi sent away;
and whatever of Rama was yet to come
upon the earth,
that he made in the later poem,
Valmiki, the blessed seer.