Sarga 4: Lava and Kusha Sing the Epic
prāptarājyasya rāmasya vālmīkirbhagavānṛṣiḥ | cakāra caritaṁ kṛtsnaṁ vicitrapadamarthavat || 4-1 ||
caturviṁśatsahasrāṇi ślokānāmuktavānṛṣiḥ | tathā sargaśatān pañca ṣaṭ kāṇḍāni tathottaram || 4-2 ||
kṛtvā tu tanmahāprājñaḥ sabhaviṣyaṁ sahottaram | cintayāmāsa ko nvetat prayuñjīta iti prabhuḥ || 4-3 ||
tasya cintayamānasya maharṣerbhāvitātmanaḥ | agṛhṇītāṁ sutau pādau muniveṣau kuśīlavau || 4-4 ||
kuśīlavau tu dharmajñau rājaputrau yaśasvinau | bhrātarau svarasampannau dadarśa āśramavāsinau || 4-5 ||
sa tu medhāvinau dṛṣṭvā vedeṣu pariniṣṭhitau | vedopabṛṁhaṇārthāya tāvagrāhayata prabhuḥ || 4-6 ||
kāvyaṁ rāmāyaṇaṁ kṛtsnaṁ sītāyāścaritaṁ mahat | paulastyavadhamityevaṁ cakāra caritavrataḥ || 4-7 ||
pāṭhye geye ca madhuraṁ pramāṇaistribhiranvitam | jātibhiḥ saptabhiryuktaṁ tantrīlayasamanvitam || 4-8 ||
rasaiḥ śṛṅgārakaruṇahāsyaraudrabhayānakaiḥ | vīrādibhī rasairyuktaṁ kāvyametadagāyatām || 4-9 ||
tau tu gāndharvatattvajñau sthānamūrcchanakovidau | bhrātarau svarasampannau gandharvāviva rūpiṇau || 4-10 ||
rūpalakṣaṇasampannau madhurasvarabhāṣiṇau | bimbādiva samuddhūtau rāmadehāttathāparau || 4-11 ||
tau rājaputrau kārtsnyena dharmyamākhyānamuttamam | vācovidheyaṁ tatsarvaṁ kṛtvā kāvyamaninditau || 4-12 ||
ṛṣīṇāṁ ca dvijātīnāṁ sādhūnāṁ ca samāgame | yathāpadeśaṁ madhuraṁ tau tadā samagāyatām || 4-13 ||
mahātmānau mahābhāgau sarvalakṣaṇalakṣitau | tau kadācit sametānāmṛṣīṇāṁ bhāvitātmanām || 4-14 ||
madhye maharṣipramukhā munayaḥ saṁśitavratāḥ | śuśrūvuste tadā sarva āścaryaṁ paramaṁ gatāḥ || 4-15 ||
te sādhu sādhviti tadā munayo harṣasaṁplutāḥ | praśaśaṁsuḥ praśasanīyau gāyamānau kuśīlavau || 4-16 ||
aho gītasya mādhuryaṁ ślokānāṁ ca viśeṣataḥ | ciranirvṛttamapyetat pratyakṣamiva darśitam || 4-17 ||
praviśya tāvubhau suṣṭhu sabhāṁ munigaṇānvitām | sametya ca susamprītyā gāyantau tau yaśasvinau || 4-18 ||
tau tu saṁstūtasantuṣṭau munibhirbhāvavidyayā | adhikaṁ dadhatū rūpaṁ gāyantau madhurasvaram || 4-19 ||
prītaḥ kaścit tadā tābhyāṁ kalaśaṁ sannyavedayat | kaścidbalkalamutkṛṣṭaṁ dadau kaścidajinaṁ varam || 4-20 ||
yajñopavītaṁ kaścicca kaupīnaṁ kaścidādarāt | kaścinmauñjīṁ dadau tābhyāṁ kaściddaṇḍaṁ kamaṇḍalum || 4-21 ||
kaścidāśīḥ prayuñjīta kaściddīrghāyurastviti | maharṣayaḥ prasannātmā varadānaṁ dadustathā || 4-22 ||
aho nu gītaṁ gāndharvaṁ sarvaśrutimanoharam | āyuṣyaṁ puṣṭijananaṁ dhanyaṁ sarvasukhāvaham || 4-23 ||
praśasyamānau sarvatra kadācit tau kuśīlavau | rathyāsu rājamārgeṣu gāyantau tau dadarśa ha || 4-24 ||
dadarśa rāmaḥ svāṁ gehe gāyantau tau kuśīlavau | śrutvā tu tau mahābhāgau pūjayāmāsa rāghavaḥ || 4-25 ||
uvāca ca tadā rāmo bhrātṝn sarvān samāgatān | śrūyatāmidamākhyānaṁ sarvapāpapraṇāśanam || 4-26 ||
tau tu saṁcoditau rāmeṇa samagāyetāṁ mudānvitau | tadgītaṁ śrutisubhagaṁ sarvalokasukhāvaham || 4-27 ||
śrotāraḥ sarva evaite babhūvuḥ paramotsukāḥ | na ca tṛptiṁ yayuḥ sarve śṛṇvanto rāmasatkathām || 4-28 ||
evametanmahākāvyaṁ vālmīkiprabhavaṁ śubham | kuśīlavābhyāṁ gīyamānaṁ rarāja bhuvanatraye || 4-29 ||