Sarga 2: Krauncha Vadha & The Birth of Shloka
sa tatheti tato vākyaṃ nāradasya niśamya ca । pūjayāmāsa dharmātmā sahaśiṣyo mahāmunim ॥ 1 ॥
yathāvatpūjitastena devarṣirnāradastadā । āpṛṣṭvaivābhyanujñāto jagāma vihāyasam ॥ 2 ॥
sa muhūrtaṃ gate tasmin devarṣau nārade tadā । jagāma tamasātīraṃ jāhnavyāstvavidūrataḥ ॥ 3 ॥
sa tu tīraṃ samāsādya tamasāyā munistadā । śiṣyamāha sthitaṃ pārśve bharadvājamato muniḥ ॥ 4 ॥
akardamamidaṃ tīrthaṃ bharadvāja niśāmaya । ramaṇīyaṃ prasannāmbu sanmanuṣyamano yathā ॥ 5 ॥
nyasyatāṃ kalaśastāta dīyatāṃ valkalaṃ mama । idamevāvagāhiṣye tamasātīrthamuttamam ॥ 6 ॥
evamukto bharadvājo vālmīkena mahātmanā । prayacchadvalkalaṃ tasmai munaye bhāvitātmane ॥ 7 ॥
sa pragṛhya tato valkalaṃ muniryātāntarātmavān । snātvā vimalamambhastat tamasāyā vyalokayaత్ ॥ 8 ॥
tasyābhyāśe tu mithunaṃ carantamanapāyinam । dadarśa bhagavāṃstatra krauñcayoścāruniḥsvanam ॥ 9 ॥
tasmāttu mithunādekaṃ pumāṃsaṃ pāpaniścayaḥ । jaghāna vairanilayo niṣādastasya paśyataḥ ॥ 10 ॥
taṃ śoṇitaparītāṅgaṃ ceṣṭamānaṃ mahītale । bhāryā tu nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā rurāva karuṇāṃ giram ॥ 11 ॥
viyuktā patinā tena dvijena sahacāriṇā । tāmraśīrṣeṇa mattena patriṇā saha saṃyutā ॥ 12 ॥
tathā tu krandatīṃ dṛṣṭvā krauñcīṃ tāṃ munipuṅgavaḥ । karuṇyābhiparītātmā jagāma paramāṃ vyathām ॥ 13 ॥
tataḥ karuṇaveditvād adharmo'yamiti dvijaḥ । niśāmya rudatīṃ krauñcīm idaṃ vacanamairayat ॥ 14 ॥
mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṃ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ । yatkrauñcamithunādekamavadhīḥ kāmamohitam ॥ 15 ॥
tasyetthaṃ bruvataścintā babhūva hṛdi vīkṣataḥ । śokārttasya pravṛtto me śloko bhavatu nānyathā ॥ 16 ॥
cintayan sa mahāprājñaścakāra matimān matim । śiṣyaṃ caivābravīd vākyamidaṃ sa munipuṅgavaḥ ॥ 17 ॥
pādabaddho'kṣarasamastantrīlayasamanvitaḥ । śokārtasya pravṛtto me śloko bhavatu nānyathā ॥ 18 ॥
śiṣyastu tasya vākyaṃ tajjagrāha hṛṣṭacetanaḥ । so'nvabhāṣata saṃhṛṣṭastasya tuṣṭirabhūnmahat ॥ 19 ॥
so'bhiṣekaṃ tataḥ kṛtvā tīrthe tasmin yathāvidhi । tameva cintayannarthamupāvarttata vai muniḥ ॥ 20 ॥
bharadvājaḥ sthitaḥ śiṣyo vinītaḥ śrutavān munim । upāgamya mudā yuktaḥ kalaśaṃ jalapūritam ॥ 21 ॥
sa praviśyāśramapadaṃ śiṣyeṇa saha dharmavit । upaviṣṭaḥ kathāścānyāścakāra dhyānamāsthitaḥ ॥ 22 ॥
ājagāma tato brahmā lokakartā svayaṃ prabhuḥ । caturmukho mahātejā draṣṭuṃ taṃ munipuṅgavam ॥ 23 ॥
taṃ dṛṣṭvā sahasotthāya vālmīkirmunipuṅgavaḥ । prāñjalirniyato bhūtvā tasthau paramavismitaḥ ॥ 24 ॥
pūjayāmāsa taṃ devaṃ pādyārghyāsanavandanaiḥ । praṇamya vidhivaccainaṃ pṛṣṭvā cāmayamavyayam ॥ 25 ॥
athopariṣṭādāsīnaḥ sa devaḥ parameśvaraḥ । vālmīkaye munīndrāya vyājahāra mahārthavat ॥ 26 ॥
upaviśya tadājñāto vālmīkirmunipuṅgavaḥ । tadgatenaiva manasā cintayāmāsa taṃ munim ॥ 27 ॥
pāpātmanā kṛtaṃ kaṣṭaṃ vairamutpāditaṃ mudhā । yastādṛśaṃ vihaṅgaṃ vai nyahanan mandacetanaḥ ॥ 28 ॥
śocanneva muhuḥ krauñcīṃ tāmuvāca tadā muniḥ । punarevāvadacchlokaṃ sa muniḥ śokamohitaḥ ॥ 29 ॥
tamuvāచ tato brahmā prahasanniva suvratam । śloka eva bhavatveṣa nātra kāryā vicāraṇā ॥ 30 ॥
macchandādeva te brahman pravṛtteyaṃ sarasvatī । rahasyaṃ ca prakāśaṃ ca yadvṛttaṃ tasya dhīmataḥ ॥ 31 ॥
rāmasya saha saumitre rākṣasānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ । vaidehyāścaiva yadvṛttaṃ prakāśaṃ yadi vā rahaḥ ॥ 32 ॥
taccāpyaviditaṃ sarvaṃ viditaṃ te bhaviṣyati । na te vāganṛtā kāvye kācidatra bhaviṣyati ॥ 33 ॥
kuru rāmakathāṃ puṇyāṃ ślokabaddhām manoramām । yāvatsthāsyanti girayaḥ saritaśca mahītale ॥ 34 ॥
tāvadrāmāyaṇakathā lokeṣu pracariṣyati । yāvad rāmasya caritaṃ tvatkṛtaṃ pracariṣyati ॥ 35 ॥
tāvadūrdhvamadhaścaiva matlokeṣu nivatsyasi । ityuktvā bhagavān brahmā tatraivāntaradhīyata ॥ 36 ॥
tataḥ saśiṣyo bhagavān vismayaṃ paramaṃ yayau । tasya śiṣyāstataḥ sarve jaguḥ ślokamimaṃ punaḥ ॥ 37 ॥
muhurmuhuḥ prīyamāṇāḥ prāhuśca bhṛśavismitāḥ । samākṣaraiścaturbhiryaḥ pādairgīto maharṣiṇā ॥ 38 ॥
so'nuvyāharaṇād bhūyaḥ śokaḥ ślokatvamāgataḥ । tasya buddhiriyaṃ jātā vālmīkerbhāvitātmanaః ॥ 39 ॥
kṛtsnaṃ rāmāyaṇaṃ kāvyaṃ ślokaireva karavāṇyaham । udāravṛttārthapadaiḥ manoramapadākṣaraiḥ ॥ 40 ॥
sa babandha tatastvarthaṃ vicitrārthapadaiḥ śubhaiḥ । śokajaṃ ślokarūpeṇa ślakṣṇamakṣarasaṃmitam ॥ 41 ॥
tadupagatasamāsasandhiyogaṃ samamadhuropanatārthavākyabaddham । raghuvaracaritaṃ munipraṇītaṃ daśaśirasaśca vadhaṃ niśāmayadhvam ॥ 42 ॥
tathā sa kṛtvā caturakṣaraiḥ padairvicitritaṃ ślokamanalpacetasam । jagāma śiṣyaiḥ sahitāya cāśramaṃ punaḥ punarvismitacetasā muniḥ ॥ 43 ॥