Chapter 24

[English text for this chapter is available]

| sanatkumāra uvāca |
vālmīkeśvaramityākhyaṃ yastu devaṃ prapūjayet |
maunī dhyānaparo bhūtvā sa kavitvamavāpnuyāt || 1 ||
[Analyze grammar]

vyāsa uvāca |
kathamatra samutpannaḥ ko'sau vālmīkeśvaraḥ prabhuḥ |
yasya darśanamātreṇa kavitvamupajāyate || 2 ||
[Analyze grammar]

sanatkumāra uvāca |
āsīdvyāsa purā vipraḥ sumatirbhṛgu vaṃśajaḥ |
rūpayauvanasaṃpannā tasya bhāryātha kauśikī || 3 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tasya putraḥ samutpanno hyagniśarmeti nāmataḥ |
sa pitrā procyamāno'pi vedābhyāsaṃ na manyate || 4 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tato bahutithe kāle anāvṛṣṭirajāyata |
tasyāṃ vipadgataḥ so'tha dakṣiṇāmāśrito diśam || 5 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tato'sau sumatirvipraḥ sabhāryaḥ sa sutastathā |
videśaṃ kānanaṃ prāptaḥ kṛtvā cāśramamāśritaḥ || 6 ||
[Analyze grammar]

ābhīrairdasyubhiḥ sārdhaṃ saṃgo'bhūdagniśarmaṇaḥ |
āgacchati pathā tena yastaṃ haṃti sa pāpakṛt || 7 ||
[Analyze grammar]

smṛtirnaṣṭā gatā vedā gataṃ gotraṃ gatā śrutiḥ |
kasmiṃścidatha kāle tu tīrthayātrā्prasaṃgataḥ || 8 ||
[Analyze grammar]

saptarṣayaḥ pathā tena suvratāḥ samupasthitāḥ |
agniśarmātha tāndṛṣṭvā hantukāmo'bravīdidam || 9 ||
[Analyze grammar]

vastrāṇīmāni mucyadhvaṃ chatrikopānahau tathā |
hantavyā hi mayā yūyaṃ gantāro yama sādane || 10 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā atrirvacanamabravīt |
asmatpīḍanajaṃ pāpaṃ kathaṃ te hṛdi vartate |
vayaṃ tapasvino bhūtvā tīrthayātrākṛtodyamāḥ || 11 ||
[Analyze grammar]

agniśarmovāca |
mamāsti mātātha pitā suto bhāryā garīyasī |
poṣayāmi sadā tāṃstu etanme hṛdi saṃsthitam || 12 ||
[Analyze grammar]

atriruvāca |
pitrādīnāśu pṛcchasva svakarmopārjitaṃ prati |
yadyuṣmadarthaṃ kriyate pāpaṃ tatkasya kathyatām || 13 ||
[Analyze grammar]

yadi te kathayaṃti sma mā mṛṣā prāṇino vadhīḥ || 14 ||
[Analyze grammar]

agniśarmovāca |
na kadācinmayā te tu saṃpṛṣṭā īdṛśaṃ vacaḥ |
yuṣmākaṃ vacasā me'dya pratibodhaḥ pravartate || 15 ||
[Analyze grammar]

gatvā pṛcchāmi tānsarvānkasya bhāvaśca kīdṛśaḥ |
yūyamatraiva tiṣṭhadhvaṃ yāvadāgamanaṃ mama || 16 ||
[Analyze grammar]

ityuktvā tāñjagāmāśu pitaraṃ svamuvāca ha |
dharmasya pratighātena prāṇināṃ pīḍanena ca || 17 ||
[Analyze grammar]

sumahaddṛśyate pāpaṃ kasya tatkathyatāṃ mama |
pitā prāha tathā mātā nāpuṇyamāvayoriha || 18 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tvaṃ jānāsi yatkuruṣe kṛtaṃ bhāvyaṃ punastvayā |
tayostadvacanaṃ śrutvā bhāryā vacanamabravīt || 19 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tayāpyuktaṃ na me pāpaṃ pāpametattavaiva hi |
tadvākyamabravītputraṃ bālo'hamitiso'bravīt || 20 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tajjñātvā hṛdayaṃ teṣāṃ ceṣṭitaṃ caiva tattvataḥ |
naṣṭo'hamiti manvānaḥ śaraṇaṃ me tapasvinaḥ || 21 ||
[Analyze grammar]

kṣiptvātha laguḍaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ yena vai jaṃtavo hatāḥ |
prakīrya keśāṃstvarita ṛṣīṇāmagrataḥ sthitaḥ || 22 ||
[Analyze grammar]

praṇamya daṃḍapātena tato vacanamavravīt |
na me mātā na ca pitā na bhāryā na ca me sutaḥ || 23 ||
[Analyze grammar]

sarvaistaiḥ parimuktau'haṃ bhavatāṃ śaraṇaṃ gataḥ |
suṣṭhūpadeśadānānmāṃ narakāttrātumarhatha || 24 ||
[Analyze grammar]

evaṃ taṃ vādinaṃ dṛṣṭvā ṛṣayo'trimathābruvan |
bhavato vacanādasya pratibodhaḥ samāgataḥ || 25 ||
[Analyze grammar]

bhavatā'yamanugrāhyaḥ śiṣyo bhavatu te mune |
tathetyuktātha tānprāha cāgniṃ dhyānaṃ samācara || 26 ||
[Analyze grammar]

anena dhyānayogena mahāmaṃtrajapena ca |
anekadustarātyugrapāpakṛjjanaghātakaḥ |
saṃsthito vṛkṣa mūle tvaṃ parā siddhiṃ gamiṣyasi || 27 ||
[Analyze grammar]

ityuktvā te yayuḥ sarve saṃkāmaṃ so'pi tatra vai |
taddhyānastho'bhavadyogī vatsarāṇi trayodaśa || 28 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tasyoparyabhavattatra valmīko'vicalasya ca |
nivṛttāstu pathā tena munayastatra śuśruvuḥ || 29 ||
[Analyze grammar]

udīritaṃ dhvaniṃ tena valmīke vismayānvitāḥ |
tataḥ khanitvā valmīkaṃ kāṣṭhībhūtoruśaṃkubhiḥ || 30 ||
[Analyze grammar]

taṃ dṛṣṭvotthāpayāmāsurmunayo nayasaṃyutam |
namaścakre'tha tānsarvānsa vipro munipuṃgavān || 31 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tānprāha praṇato bhūtvā tapasā dīptatejasaḥ |
prasādādbhavatāmadya jñānaṃ labdhaṃ mayā śubham || 32 ||
[Analyze grammar]

dīno'hamuddhṛtaḥ sarvairmagno'haṃ pāpakardame |
tasyeti te vākyamūcuḥ paramadhārmikāḥ || 33 ||
[Analyze grammar]

valmīke'sminsthitaḥ putra yatastvamekacittataḥ |
vālmīkiriti te nāma bhuvi khyātaṃ bhavi ṣyati || 34 ||
[Analyze grammar]

ityuktvā munayo jagmuḥ svāṃ diśāṃ tapasānvitāḥ |
gateṣu munimukhyeṣu vālmīkistapatāṃ varaḥ |
kuśasthalyāmathāgamya samārādhya maheśvaram || 35 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tasmātkavitvamāsādya cakre kāvyaṃ manoramam |
rāmāyaṇaṃ ca yatprāhuḥ kathāṃ suprathamasthitām || 36 ||
[Analyze grammar]

tataḥ prabhṛti deveśo vālmīkeśvarasaṃjñakaḥ |
khyāto'vaṃtyāṃ tato vyāsa nṛṇāṃ kavitvadāyakaḥ || 37 ||
[Analyze grammar]

iti te kathitaṃ liṃgaṃ vālmīkeśvaramuttamam |
yasya darśanamātre ṇa kavitvamupapadyate || 38 ||
[Analyze grammar]