Chapter LXXV

“Rāma, son of Daśaratha, I have, O hero, heard of your wonderful prowess; and I have also heard all about your breaking of the bow.

Having heard of that wonderful and inconceivable breaking of the bow, I have bent my steps hither. Do you take another auspicious bow, Do you stretch it, fix the arrow upon this mighty and dreadful bow, belonging to Jamadagni; and thus display your prowess.

Then, having witnessed your might in stretching the bow, I shall offer you combat, laying under contribution our utmost strength.”

Hearing his words, king Daśaratha with a blank countenance, and clasped hands, said,

You have quenched your ire against the Kṣatriyas; and, moreover, you are a Brāhmaṇa boasting of high austerities. It therefore behove you to dispel the fears of my sons who are boys. You bring your life from the race of the Bhārgavas engaged in observing vows, and studying you Veda; and you have renounced arms vowing in the presence of the thousandeyed one.

Embracing a life of righteousness, you did confer the earth upon Kaśyapa and repaired to the forest, making the Mahendra hill your home.

O mighty Muni, you have come here to compass the destruction of my all; but if Rāma be slain, we shall never live.

Thus addressed by Daśaratha, the powerful son of Jamadagni, disregarding his words, thus addressed Rāma,

These two foremost of bows, extraordinary, and worshipped of all the worlds, and stout, and powerful, surpassingly excellent, were constructed with care by Viśvakarman.

One of these, O foremost of men, for the destruction of Tripura, the celestials gave to Tryambaka, desirous of encounter, even that which, O Kākutstha, which you have snapped.

This second, which is irrepressible, was given to Viṣṇu, by the chiefs of the celestials. And, O Rāma, this bow belonging to Viṣṇu, capable of conquering hostile cities, is,

O Kākutstha, equal in energy to the bow belonging to Rudra. Once on a time the deities, with the object of ascertaining the respective prowess of Viṣṇu and the blue-throated one, asked the great-father, foremost of those abiding by truth, reading the intention of the deities, fomented a quarrel between them.

Upon that quarrel breaking out among the deities, there took place a mighty contest capable of making one’s hair stand on end, between Viṣṇu and the blue-throated one, each burning to beat the other down.

Then on Viṣṇu uttering a roar, Śiva’s bow of dreadful prowess became flaccid. And thereupon the three-eyed Mahaḍeva became moveless.

Upon the assembled gods with the saints and the Cāraṇas beseeching those two foremost of celestials, they became pacified.

Upon beholding that bow of Śiva rendered flaccid by Viṣṇu’s prowess, the deities with the saints acknowledged Viṣṇu as the more powerful.

The enraged Rudra of high fame made over the bow along with its shafts to the hands of the Rājarṣi, Devarāta of Videha.

O Rāma, this bow belonging to Viṣṇu, capable of conquering hostile cities, Viṣṇu consigned to Bhṛgus’ son, Ṛcīka, as a worthy trust.

The exceedingly energetic Ṛcīka made over the divine bow to his son of immeasurable prowess, my sire the high-souled son of Jamadagni.

Once on a time, on my sire surcharged with ascetic energy, renouncing the bow, Arjuna, under the influence of unrighteous sentiment, compassed the death of my father.

Thereupon, learning of the lamentable and untoward slaughter of my sire, I from ire, annihilated the Kṣatryas, springing up afresh by numbers, then bringing under sway the whole earth, I, O Rāma, on the sacrifice being over, conferred it upon the righteous Kaśyapa as Dakṣiṇā.

Having made this gift, I was dwelling in the Mahendra hill equipped with ascetic energy, when, hearing of your snapping of the bow, I have speedily come hither.

Do you now, O Rāma, agreeably to the cannon of the Kṣatriya morality, take this excellent and mighty bow of Viṣṇu, that had belonged to my father and grand father. And do you set upon this best of bows an arrow capable of conquering hostile cities. And, O Kākutstha, if you succeed, I shall then offer you combat.