05094001a tasminn abhihite vAkye kezavena mahAtmanA 'Hearing these words uttered by the high-souled kezava,
05094001c stimitA hRSTaromANa Asan sarve sabhAsadaH all the persons who sat in that assembly remained silent, their hair standing on their ends.
(skipped 20 lines)
05094012a anekajananaM sakhyaM yayoH puruSasiMhayoH 'There are two persons who are foremost of all men and who are always victorious in battle.
05094012c tayos tvanM na samo rAjan bhavitAsi kadA cana Thou, O king, wilt by no means be equal to them if thou seekest an encounter with any one of them.'
05094013a evam uktasH sa rAjA tu punaH papraccha tAn dvijAn And thus addressed by them, the king asked those brAhmaNas, saying,
05094013c kva tau vIrau kvajanmAnau kiGMkarmANau ca kau ca tau 'Where may those two heroes be found? In what race are they born? What feats have they achieved? And who are they?
05094014 brAhmaNA UcuH And the brAhmaNas answered him, saying,
05094014a naro nArAyaNaz caiva tApasAv iti nazH zrutam It had been heard by us that those two persons are ascetics called nara and nArAyaNa.
05094014c AyAtau mAnuSe loke tAbhyAM yudhyasva pArthiva They have both taken their births in the race of man. Go and fight with them, O king.
05094015a zrUyate tau mahAtmAnau naranArAyaNAv ubhau It is said that the illustrious pair, nara and nArAyaNa,
05094015c tapo ghoram anirdezyanM tapyete gandhamAdane are now practising the severest of penances in some hidden region of the mountains of Gandhamadana.'
05094016 rAma uvAca jAmadagni said
05094016a sa rAjA mahatIM senAM yojayitvA SaDaGginIm Hearing those words of the brAhmaNas, that king speedily mustered his large army consisting of six kinds of forces,
05094016c amRSyamANasH samMprAyAd yatra tAv aparAjitau and unable to bear their reputation, marched to the spot where those unvanquished ascetics were,
05094017a sa gatvA viSamaGM ghoramM parvataGM gandhamAdanam and arrived at the rugged and frightful mountains of Gandhamadana.
05094017c mRgayANo 'nvagacchat tau tApasAv aparAjitau He began to search after those RSis, and at last, came upon them concealed within the woods.
05094018a tau dRSTvA kSutpipAsAbhyAGM kRzau dhamanisanMtatau And beholding those two best of persons emaciated with hunger and thirst, their veins swollen and visible,
05094018c zItavAtAtapaiz caiva karzitau puruSottamau and themselves much afflicted with cold winds, and the hot rays of the sun,
05094018e abhigamyopasaGMgRhya paryapRcchad anAmayam he approached them, and touching their feet, enquired after their welfare.
05094019a tam arcitvA mUlaphalair Asanenodakena ca And the two RSis received the king hospitably, with fruits and roots, and a seat and water.
05094019c nyamantrayetAM rAjAnaGM kiGM kAryaGM kriyatAm iti And they then enquired after the king's business, saying, 'Let it be done.' And thus addressed by them, the king said unto them the same words that he was in the habit of saying unto all.
05094020 dambhodbhava uvAca
05094020a bAhubhyAmM me jitA bhUmir nihatAsH sarvazatravaH And he said, 'The whole earth has been conquered by the might of my arms. All my foes have been slain.
05094020c bhavadbhyAM yuddham AkAGkSann upayAto 'smi parvatam Desiring a battle with you both I have come to this mountain.
05094020e AtithyanM dIyatAm etat kAGkSitamM me ciramM prati Offer me this hospitality. I have been cherishing this wish from a long time.'
05094021 naranArAyaNAv UcatuH Thus addressed, nara and nArAyaNa said,
05094021a apetakrodhalobho 'yam Azramo rAjasattama 'O best of kings, wrath and covetousness have no place in this retreat.
05094021c na hy asminn Azrame yuddhaGM kutazH zastraGM kuto 'nRjuH How can a battle, therefore, be possible here? There are no weapons here, and nothing of unrighteousness and malice.
05094021e anyatra yuddham AkAGkSva bahavaH kSatriyAH kSitau Seek battle elsewhere. There are many kSatriyas on earth.'
05094022 rAma uvAca 'rAma continued,
05094022a ucyamAnas tathApi sma bhUya evAbhyabhASata 'Although thus addressed, the king still pressed them for giving him battle.
05094022c punaH punaH kSamyamANaH sAntvyamAnaz ca bhArata The RSis, however, continually soothed him and overlooked his importunity.
05094022e dambhodbhavo yuddham icchann Ahvayaty eva tApasau King Dambhodbhava, still desirous of battle, repeatedly summoned those RSis to fight.
05094023a tato naras tv iSIkANAmM muSTim AdAya kaurava nara, then, O bharata, taking up a handful of grass-blades,
05094023c abravId ehi yudhyasva yuddhakAmuka kSatriya said, 'Desirous of battle as thou art, come, O kSatriya, and fight!
05094024a sarvazastrANi cAdatsva yojayasva ca vAhinIm Take up all thy arms, and array thy troops.
05094024c ahaM hi te vineSyAmi yuddhazraddhAm itaH param I will curb thy eagerness for battle hereafter!'
05094025 dambhodbhava uvAca Dambhodbhava then said,
05094025a yady etad astram asmAsu yuktanM tApasa manyase If, O ascetic, thou thinkest this weapon of thine fit to be used against us,
05094025c etenApi tvayA yotsye yuddhArthI hy aham AgataH I shall fight with thee though thou mayest use that weapon, for I have come hither desirous of fighting.'
05094026c dambhodbhavas tApasanM taJM jighAMsusH sahasainikaH Saying this, Dambhodbhava with all his troops, desirous of slaying that ascetic, covered all sides with a shower of arrows.
05094027a tasya tAn asyato ghorAn iSUn paratanucchidaH That ascetic baffled all those terrible shafts of the king that were capable of mangling the bodies of hostile warriors
05094027c kadarthIkRtya sa munir iSIkAbhir apAnudat by means of those blades of grass.
05094028a tato 'smai prAsRjad ghoram aiSIkam aparAjitaH
05094028c astram apratisanMdheyanM tad adbhutam ivAbhavat The invincible RSi then let off towards the king his own terrible weapon made of grass-blades and which was incapable of being counteracted. And highly wonderful was that which happened,
05094029a teSAm akSINi karNAMz ca nastakAMz caiva mAyayA The eyes and ears and noses of the hostile warriors,
05094029c nimittavedhI sa munir iSIkAbhisH samarpayat that ascetic, incapable of missing his aim, pierced and cut off, by those grass-blades and his power of illusion.
05094030a sa dRSTvA zvetam AkAzam iSIkAbhisH samAcitam And beholding the entire welkin whitened by those grass-blades,
05094030c pAdayor nyapatad rAjA svasti me 'stv iti cAbravIt the king fell at the feet of the RSi and said, 'Let me be blessed!
05094031a tam abravIn naro rAjaJ zaraNyazH zaraNaiSiNAm Ever inclined to grant protection unto those that sought it, nara then, O king, said unto that monarch,
05094031c brahmaNyo bhava dharmAtmA mA ca smaivamM punaH kRthAH 'Be obedient to the brAhmaNas and be virtuous. Never do so again. O king, O tiger among monarchs, a conqueror of hostile towns, a kSatriya mindful of the duties of his own or, should never, within even his heart, be as thou art.
05094032a mA ca darpasamAviSTaH kSepsIH kAMz cit kadA cana Filled with pride, never insult anybody on any occasion,
05094032c alpIyAMsaM viziSTaM vA tat te rAjan paraM hitam be inferior or superior to thee. Even such conduct would befit thee.
05094033c dAntaH kSAnto mRduH kSemaH prajAH pAlaya pArthiva practising forgiveness and humility, and becoming amiable, O king, go, and cherish thy subjects. Without ascertaining the strength and weakness of men, never insult any one under any circumstances.
05094034a anujJAtasH svasti gaccha maivamM bhUyasH samAcareH Blessed be thou, and with our leave, go hence, and never again behave in this way.
05094034c kuzalamM brAhmaNAn pRccher Avayor vacanAd bhRzam At our command, enquire thou always of the brAhmaNas as to what is for thy good!
05094035a tato rAjA tayoH pAdAv abhivAdya mahAtmanoH The king then, worshipping the feet of those two illustrious RSis,
05094035c pratyAjagAma svapuranM dharmaJM caivAcinod bhRzam returned to his city, and from that time began to practise righteousness.
05094036a sumahac cApi tat karma yan nareNa kRtamM purA Great indeed, was that feat achieved of old by nara.
05094036c tato guNaisH subahubhizH zreSTho nArAyaNo 'bhavat nArAyaNa, again, became superior to nara in consequence of many more qualities.
05094037a tasmAd yAvad dhanuzHzreSThe gANDIve 'stranM na yujyate
05094037c tAvat tvamM mAnam utsRjya gaccha rAjan dhanaJMjayam Therefore, O king, lay aside thy pride, and go unto dhanaJjaya, before on the string of that best of bows called gANDIva, are placed such weapons as
05094039a etair viddhAsH sarva eva maraNaM yAnti mAnavAH Struck with these weapons, men always yield up their lives. Indeed, these weapons have other means corresponding with the eight passions, such as lust, wrath, covetousness, vanity, insolence, pride, malice, and selfishness.
05094039c unmattAz ca viceSTante naSTasaJMjJA vicetasaH Struck with them, men are confounded, and move about frantically deprived of their senses.
05094040a svapante ca plavante ca chardayanti ca mAnavAH Under their influence, persons always sleep heavily, cut capers, vomit,
05094040c mUtrayante ca satataM rudanti ca hasanti ca pass urine and excreta, weep, and laugh incessantly. Indeed, that arjuna is irresistible in fight, who hath for his friend Narayana--the Creator and Lord of all the worlds--fully acquainted with the course of everything. Who is there in the three worlds, O bharata, who would venture to vanquish that hero--the Ape-bannered Jishnu--who hath no equal in battle?
05094041a asaGMkhyeyA guNAH pArthe tadviziSTo janArdanaH Countless are the virtues that reside in pArtha. janArdana again, is superior to him.
05094041c tvam eva bhUyo jAnAsi kuntIputranM dhanaJMjayam Thou art thyself well-acquainted with dhanaJjaya, the son of kuntI.
05094042a naranArAyaNau yau tau tAv evArjunakezavau They that were nara and nArAyaNa in days of yore are now arjuna and kezava.
05094042c vijAnIhi mahArAja pravIrau puruSarSabhau Know then, O great king, who those brave and foremost of persons are.
05094043a yady etad evaJM jAnAsi na ca mAm atizaGkase If thou believest in this and dost not mistrust me
05094043c AryAmM matiM samAsthAya zAmya bhArata pANDavaiH adopt thou a virtuous resolution and make peace with the sons of pANDu.
05094044a atha cen manyase zreyo na me bhedo bhaved iti If thou regardest this as thy good, viz., that there should be no disunion in thy family,
05094044c prazAmya bharatazreSTha mA ca yuddhe manaH kRthAH then make peace, O foremost of bharata's race, and do not set thy heart upon battle.
05094045a bhavatAJM ca kuruzreSTha kulamM bahumatamM bhuvi O thou, that are foremost of kuru's line, the race to which thou belongest is highly regarded on earth.
05094045c tat tathaivAstu bhadranM te svArtham evAnucintaya Let that regard continue to be paid to it. Blessed be thou, think of what conduces to thy own welfare.''
