Uttara Kanda, Sarga 57

तां श्रुत्वा दिव्यसङ्काशां कथामद्भुतदर्शनाम् । लक्ष्मणः परमप्रीतो राघवं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ।। 7.57.1 ।।

tāṃ śrutvā divyasaṅkāśāṃ kathāmadbhutadarśanām | lakṣmaṇaḥ paramaprīto rāghavaṃ vākyamabravīt || 7.57.1 ||

Having heard that divine-like and amazing story, Lakshmana was greatly pleased and spoke these words to Rama.

निक्षिप्तदेहौ काकुत्स्थ कथं तौ द्विजपार्थिवौ । पुनर्देहेन संयोगं जग्मुर्देवसम्मतौ ।। 7.57.2 ।।

nikṣiptadehau kākutstha kathaṃ tau dvijapārthivau | punardehena saṃyogaṃ jagmurdevasammatau || 7.57.2 ||

Lakshmana asked Rama how those two, the Brahmin and the king, who had abandoned their bodies and were respected by the gods, managed to regain a physical form.

तस्य तद्भाषितं श्रुत्वा रामः सत्यपराक्रमः । तां कथां कथयामास वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः ।। 7.57.3 ।।

tasya tadbhāṣitaṃ śrutvā rāmaḥ satyaparākramaḥ | tāṃ kathāṃ kathayāmāsa vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ || 7.57.3 ||

Having heard Lakshmana's words, Rama, whose valor is truth, then narrated the story of the great-souled Vasishtha.

यस्तु कुम्भो रघुश्रेष्ठ तेजःपूर्णो महात्मनोः । तस्मिंस्तेजोमयौ विप्रौ सम्भूतावृषिसत्तमौ ।। 7.57.4 ।।

yastu kumbho raghuśreṣṭha tejaḥpūrṇo mahātmanoḥ | tasmiṃstejomayau viprau sambhūtāvṛṣisattamau || 7.57.4 ||

O best of Raghu's lineage, in that pot, which was filled with the radiant semen of the two great souls (Mitra and Varuna), two radiant Brahmins, who were excellent sages, were born.

पूर्वं समभवत्तत्र ह्यगस्त्यो भगवानृषिः । नाहं सुतस्तवेत्युक्त्वा मित्रं तस्मादपाक्रमत् ।। 7.57.5 ।।

pūrvaṃ samabhavattatra hyagastyo bhagavānṛṣiḥ | nāhaṃ sutastavetyuktvā mitraṃ tasmādapākramat || 7.57.5 ||

First, the divine sage Agastya was born there, and having said "I am not your son," Mitra then departed from him.

तद्धि तेजस्तु मित्रस्य उर्वस्याः पूर्वमाहितम् । तस्मिन्समभवत्कुम्भे तत्तेजो यत्र वारुणम् ।। 7.57.6 ।।

taddhi tejastu mitrasya urvasyāḥ pūrvamāhitam | tasminsamabhavatkumbhe tattejo yatra vāruṇam || 7.57.6 ||

That semen of Mitra, which had previously been placed in Urvashi, was born in that pot where the semen of Varuna was also present.

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य मित्रावरुणसम्भवः । वसिष्ठस्तेजसा युक्तो जज्ञे इक्ष्वाकुदैवतम् ।। 7.57.7 ।।

kasyacittvatha kālasya mitrāvaruṇasambhavaḥ | vasiṣṭhastejasā yukto jajñe ikṣvākudaivatam || 7.57.7 ||

Then, after some time, Vasishtha, born of Mitra and Varuna and endowed with radiance, was born as the priest of Ikshvaku.

तमिक्ष्वाकुर्महातेजा जातमात्रमनिन्दितम् । वव्रे पुरोधसं सौम्य वंशस्यास्य भवाय नः ।। 7.57.8 ।।

tamikṣvākurmahātejā jātamātramaninditam | vavre purodhasaṃ saumya vaṃśasyāsya bhavāya naḥ || 7.57.8 ||

O gentle one, the exceedingly radiant Ikshvaku chose that blameless Vasishtha, as soon as he was born, to be the family priest for the prosperity of our lineage.

एवं त्वपूर्वदेहस्य वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः । कथितो निर्गमः सौम्य निमेः शृणु यथा ऽभवत् ।। 7.57.9 ।।

evaṃ tvapūrvadehasya vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | kathito nirgamaḥ saumya nimeḥ śṛṇu yathā 'bhavat || 7.57.9 ||

O gentle one, thus has been narrated the birth of the great-souled Vasistha, who had an unprecedented body; now listen to how it happened with Nimi.

दृष्ट्वा विदेहं राजानमृषयः सर्व एव ते । तं च ते योजयामासुर्यागदीक्षां मनीषिणः ।। 7.57.10 ।।

dṛṣṭvā videhaṃ rājānamṛṣayaḥ sarva eva te | taṃ ca te yojayāmāsuryāgadīkṣāṃ manīṣiṇaḥ || 7.57.10 ||

All those wise sages, having seen the king Nimi bodiless, then engaged him in the initiation rites for the sacrifice.

तं च देहं नरेन्द्रस्य रक्षन्ति स्म द्विजोत्तमाः । गन्धैर्माल्यैश्च वस्त्रैश्च पौरभृत्यसमन्विताः ।। 7.57.11 ।।

taṃ ca dehaṃ narendrasya rakṣanti sma dvijottamāḥ | gandhairmālyaiśca vastraiśca paurabhṛtyasamanvitāḥ || 7.57.11 ||

And the best among the twice-born, accompanied by citizens and servants, protected that body of the king with fragrances, garlands, and clothes.

ततो यज्ञे समाप्ते तु भृगुस्तत्रेदमब्रवीत् । आनयिष्यामि ते चेतस्तुष्टो ऽस्मि तव पार्थिव ।। 7.57.12 ।।

tato yajñe samāpte tu bhṛgustatredamabravīt | ānayiṣyāmi te cetastuṣṭo 'smi tava pārthiva || 7.57.12 ||

Then, when the sacrifice was concluded, Bhrigu said: O king, I am pleased with you, and I shall restore your consciousness.

सुप्रीताश्च सुराः सर्वे निमेश्चेतस्तथाब्रुवन् । वरं वरय राजर्षे क्व ते चेतो निरूप्यताम् ।। 7.57.13 ।।

suprītāśca surāḥ sarve nimeścetastathābruvan | varaṃ varaya rājarṣe kva te ceto nirūpyatām || 7.57.13 ||

And all the gods, being very pleased, thus spoke to Nimi's spirit: "O royal sage, choose a boon; where should your mind be fixed?"

एवमुक्तः सुरैः सर्वैर्निमेश्चेतस्तदाब्रवीत् । नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां वसेयं सुरसत्तमाः ।। 7.57.14 ।।

evamuktaḥ suraiḥ sarvairnimeścetastadābravīt | netreṣu sarvabhūtānāṃ vaseyaṃ surasattamāḥ || 7.57.14 ||

Thus spoken to by all the gods, Nimi's spirit then said: "O best among gods, may I dwell in the eyes of all beings."

बाढमित्येव विबुधा निमेश्चेतस्तदा ऽब्रुवन् । नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां वायुभूतश्चरिष्यसि ।। 7.57.15 ।।

bāḍhamityeva vibudhā nimeścetastadā 'bruvan | netreṣu sarvabhūtānāṃ vāyubhūtaścariṣyasi || 7.57.15 ||

The gods then spoke to Nimi's spirit, saying, "Indeed, you will move as air within the eyes of all beings."

त्वत्कृते च निमिष्यन्ति चक्षूंषि पृथिवीपते । वायुभूतेन चरता विश्रमार्थं मुहुर्मुहुः ।। 7.57.16 ।।

tvatkṛte ca nimiṣyanti cakṣūṃṣi pṛthivīpate | vāyubhūtena caratā viśramārthaṃ muhurmuhuḥ || 7.57.16 ||

O King, for your sake, the eyes will blink repeatedly for rest, as you move within them as air.

एवमुक्त्वा तु विबुधाः सर्वे जग्मुर्यथागतम् । ऋषयो ऽपि महात्मानो निमेर्देहं समाहरन् ।। 7.57.17 ।।

evamuktvā tu vibudhāḥ sarve jagmuryathāgatam | ṛṣayo 'pi mahātmāno nimerdehaṃ samāharan || 7.57.17 ||

Having spoken thus, all the gods departed to their respective abodes, and the great-souled sages then collected Nimi's body.

अरणिं तत्र निक्षिप्य मथनं चक्रुरोजसा । मन्त्रहोमैर्महात्मानः पुत्रहेतोर्निमेस्तदा ।। 7.57.18 ।।

araṇiṃ tatra nikṣipya mathanaṃ cakrurojasā | mantrahomairmahātmānaḥ putrahetornimestadā || 7.57.18 ||

Then, the great-souled sages, for the sake of a son for Nimi, placed the fire-stick there and performed churning with might and mantra-oblations.

अरण्यां मथ्यामानायां प्रादुर्भूतो महातपाः । मथनान्मिथिरित्याहुर्जननाज्जनको ऽभवत् । यस्माद्विदेहात्सम्भूतो वैदेहस्तु ततः स्मृतः ।। 7.57.19 ।।

araṇyāṃ mathyāmānāyāṃ prādurbhūto mahātapāḥ | mathanānmithirityāhurjananājjanako 'bhavat | yasmādvidehātsambhūto vaidehastu tataḥ smṛtaḥ || 7.57.19 ||

From the churned fire-stick, a great ascetic appeared, who was called Mithi because of the churning, became Janaka due to his birth, and was known as Vaideha because he was born from the bodyless Nimi.

एवं विदेहराजश्च जनकः पूर्वको ऽभवत् । मिथिर्नाम महातेजास्तेनायं मैथिलो ऽभवत् ।। 7.57.20 ।।

evaṃ videharājaśca janakaḥ pūrvako 'bhavat | mithirnāma mahātejāstenāyaṃ maithilo 'bhavat || 7.57.20 ||

Thus, the ancestor of Janaka, the king of Videha, was the greatly effulgent Mithi, from whom this region became known as Maithila. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये श्रीमदुत्तरकाण्डे सप्तपञ्चाशः सर्गः ।। 57 ।। Thus ends the fifty-seventh sarga of Uttara Kanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.