Chapter Ten
The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra
TEXTS 6–7
yo loka-vīra-samitau dhanur aiśam ugraṁ
sītā-svayaṁvara-gṛhe triśatopanītam
ādāya bāla-gaja-līla ivekṣu-yaṣṭiṁ
sajjyī-kṛtaṁ nṛpa vikṛṣya babhañja madhye
jitvānurūpa-guṇa-śīla-vayo ’ṅga-rūpāṁ
sītābhidhāṁ śriyam urasy abhilabdhamānām
mārge vrajan bhṛgupater vyanayat prarūḍhaṁ
darpaṁ mahīm akṛta yas trir arāja-bījām
SYNONYMS
yaḥ—Lord Rāmacandra who; loka-vīra-samitau—in the society or in the midst of many heroes of this world; dhanuḥ—the bow; aiśam—of Lord Śiva; ugram—very fierce; sītā-svayaṁvara-gṛhe—in the hall where mother Sītā stood to select her husband; triśata-upanītam—the bow carried by three hundred men; ādāya—taking (that bow); bāla-gaja-līlaḥ—acting like a baby elephant in a forest of sugarcane; iva—like that; ikṣu-yaṣṭim—a stick of sugarcane; sajjyī-kṛtam—fastened the string of the bow; nṛpa—O King; vikṛṣya—by bending; babhañja—broke it; madhye—in the middle; jitvā—gaining by victory; anurūpa—just befitting His position and beauty; guṇa—qualities; śīla—behavior; vayaḥ—age; aṅga—body; rūpām—beauty; sītā-abhidhām—the girl named Sītā; śriyam—the goddess of fortune; urasi—on the chest; abhilabdhamānām—had gotten her previously; mārge—on the way; vrajan—while walking; bhṛgupateḥ—of Bhṛgupati; vyanayat—destroyed; prarūḍham—rooted very deep; darpam—pride; mahīm—the earth; akṛta—finished; yaḥ—one who; triḥ—three times (seven); arāja—without a royal dynasty; bījām—seed.
TRANSLATION
O King, the pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra were wonderful, like those of a baby elephant. In the assembly where mother Sītā was to choose her husband, in the midst of the heroes of this world, He broke the bow belonging to Lord Śiva. This bow was so heavy that it was carried by three hundred men, but Lord Rāmacandra bent and strung it and broke it in the middle, just as a baby elephant breaks a stick of sugarcane. Thus the Lord achieved the hand of mother Sītā, who was equally as endowed with transcendental qualities of form, beauty, behavior, age and nature. Indeed, she was the goddess of fortune who constantly rests on the chest of the Lord. While returning from Sītā’s home after gaining her at the assembly of competitors, Lord Rāmacandra met Paraśurāma. Although Paraśurāma was very proud, having rid the earth of the royal order twenty-one times, he was defeated by the Lord, who appeared to be a kṣatriya of the royal order.
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