Srimad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa | Bāla Kāṇḍa ~ Sarga 14 of 77

Then after completion of one year and on regaining the ritual horse, the Emperor Dasharatha commenced his Vedic Ritual on the northern banks of River Sarayu.[1-14-1]

Comment: In aswametha yaga, a well-decorated horse will be let out with an insignia on its forehead challenging any king to capture it and face the wrath of releasing king. If any one captures the horse, he shall be strong enough to incite a war. Otherwise, the valour and invincibility of releasing king are well established and he may proceed with the ritual proper. Now that the ritual horse released during last year by King Dasharatha has come back without being captured by anyone, thus establishing the invincibility of King Dasharatha, as such he can commence the ritual proper. .

Keeping Rishyasringa at the helm of affairs those eminent Brahmans commenced,ashva medha , the Horse-ritual of that noble-souled Dasharatha.[1-14-2] .

Those well-versed conductors of Vedic rituals called ritviks, have started to perform works relating to ritual as per canon and rules, and conducted them scripturally and customarily. [1-14-3] .

On performing pravargya ritual as per scriptures, like that upasada ritual too, those Brahmans have customarily performed all of those other rituals incidental to the main one scripturally.[1-14-4] .

Then all of those distinguished sages are contended with what they have performed by worshipping gods already summoned, they also conducted early morning savana ritual and its ancillaries as enjoined.[1-14-5] .

The oblations addressed to Indra are well given as ordained, and the flawless king Dasharatha also crushed the Soma creeper to squeeze Soma juice, and thus the mid-day savana ritual has come to pass according to sequence.[1-14-6]

Soma creeper is from Sacrostemma Brevistigma of Asclepiadacea family and some other scholars hold the view that it is from Sarcostema Viminalis family. .

Like that those proficient Brahmans have also performed the third savana, ritual of that great-exalted soul Dasharatha according to the viewpoint of scriptures.[1-14-7] .

Rishyasringa and other best scholars with their well lettered and intonated Vedic hymns have invoked Indra and other gods to that place.[1-14-8] .

The hotaa-s, invocators, have welcomed the celestials for partaking oblations by singing saama Veda hymns sweetly and harmoniously, and on inviting them with Vedic hymns they have offered oblations to them.[1-14-9] .

There is no unburnt oblation resulted in that fire-ritual nor even a small mishap slipped in the performance of ritual. Everything appeared canonically correct and hymn oriented. Indeed the ritual is performed in a secure way.[1-14-10] .

In these days of ritual none found there to be weary or hungry, and there is no single unscholarly person, nor any Brahman without at least a hundred apprentices.[1-14-11] .

Given anytime the Brahmans, servants, sages, and pilgrims are fed with food for their arrival at the place of boarding is unpredictable, and that arrival is dependent on their duties for Brahmans, and by their masters for servants, and for pilgrims that do not have a particular time of arrival or departure.[1-14-12]

Some scholars tend to conclude that Ramayana might have been written in post Buddhist period by finding the words like shramaNa etc., the famous wandering Buddhist monk sect. The word shramaNa in Sanskrit means only a pilgrim, and pilgrimage is an ordained aspect of salvation as per Indra is the friend of traveller. Therefore wander – aitareya brahmaNa [VII.33.3] The Buddhist shramaNa-s are the wandering monks in search of converts whereas Hindu shramana-s are pure sanyasi-s wandering for their own salvation. .

Elderly people, sick ones, women and children though dining on always thus, no satisfaction to complete the meal is attained for themselves, as the food served is that pleasant.

Or

Elderly people, sick ones, women and children though dining on always thus, there is no satisfaction to Emperor Dasharatha, for it appeared to be too meagre a serving and a lot more is to be served.][1-14-13] .

“Food be given abundantly, clothing be given variously” are the directives, accordingly the king’s men have distributed numerously there at the ritual place.[1-14-14] .

Heaps of foodstuffs are also appearing there, many of them and mountain similar, which is made available customarily, day after day.[1-14-15] .

To that ritual of that great-souled Dasharatha masses of men and women have arrived from different countries, and they are all well-pleased with the sumptuous food and drink supplied.[1-14-16] .

“The eminent Brahmans have appreciated the food that is prepared by perfect cooking to be relishable, and it is heard as they said,”oh, Raghava, blessed are you for we are satisfied…” [1-14-17] .

Well-decorated men have served food to Brahmans, while others who wore gem-studded and lustrous earrings have helped them.[1-14-18] .

Those eminent Brahmans that are good debaters have debated many intellectual debates to defeat each other, during the gap-periods of ritual works.[1-14-19] .

Day by day those expert Brahmans have performed all ritual works as encouraged by Vashishta, and others and as contained in scriptures.[1-14-20] .

There is no scholar without the knowledge of the six branches of Vedas, none who is an unavowed scholar, none who heard learnt less scriptures, and none among the members of the ritual of that king Dasharatha is an inexpert in debating, thus all are scholarly Brahmans.[1-14-21]

The six branches of Veda-s are: 1]sikSa- phonetics, 2]vyaakaraNa- grammar, 3]chandas- prosody, 4]nirukta- etymology, 5]jyotiS- astronomy, 6]kalapa- ritual acts. .

All of those the posts are made by the authorities on scriptures and ritual scholars, and they are gold-pleated and decorated for the purpose of elegance to that ritual.[1-14-24] .

They are altogether twenty-one posts, each post is twenty-one cubits in height, and each is decoratively clothed with each cloth.[1-14-25] .

Carpenters have carved all the posts well, and built them strongly with octahedral surfaces that are smoothened, and thereby they are implanted procedurally.[1-14-26] .

Those posts draped in cloths and worshipped with flowers and perfumery are irradiant, and they shone forth like the constellation of Seven Sages in the sky.[1-14-27]

The Seven Sages is the constellation of stars in the Ursa Major – The Great Bear, and is called sapta R^ishi maNDala. The Indian names of the Seven Sages are 1]atri, 2]angiirasa, 3]pulastya, 4]pulaha, 5]kratu, 6] mariichi, 7]vashiSTha. .

The bricks for Altar of Fire are well designed and made according to rules and standard measurements. The Brahmans who are experts in the architecture of laying Fire Altar, by calculating the ritual field with a one-ply rope and decide where and how the that shall be, the Altar of Fire is layered well with bricks in that ritual.[1-14-28]

The construction of Fire Altar itself is a ritual, called iSTikaa chayana, where each brick is to be consecrated with hymns. On completion of the layering of bricks to the required shape, i.e., that of an eagle-like platform for a garuDa yaj~na vedi etc., then Holy head bath abhiSeka is performed to the brick-work of the Altar by pouring milk and other sacred liquids to the chanting of Vedic hymns. .

That Altar of Fire of that King, the Lion, is layered by expert Brahmans in the shape of an eagle with golden wings, with its size being three folds bigger than the altars of other rituals, thus it has eighteen separators, and fire is laid on it.[1-14-29]

The garuDa, the Divine Eagle is the vehicle of Vishnu with an all-pervading vision and fastest wings. He is the only one who once brought amrita, the Divine Elixir, for the release of his mother from slavery. Hence, the Altar of Fire is given the shape of this Divine Eagle, with its wings and tail outstretched, head turned downward, and the eyes looking eastward. yaj~na is also termed as suparNa i.e.,su good,parNa winged; carrier of the oblations with his golden wings to heavens. Or its wings are glittering with gold sahasram hiraNya shakalaiH prati dinam agnim prokShati – shruti meaning every day with thousands of gold chips oblate the fire… scriptures say so. So the Altar of fire is glittering with thousands of gold chips sprinkled every day. This altar is laid threefold bigger than the usual one. .

In that ritual animals, serpents and birds designated to such and such deities are readied according to the scriptural directives.[1-14-30] .

The sages have arranged those animals that are to be there in animal sacrifices, like horse and other aquatic animals, in that ritual according to scriptures.[1-14-31]

Many animals are sacrificed in Horse ritual. But they will be segregated as forest animals and village animals. In them many of the forest animals will be let off by taking them round the fire on to their right in salutation to fire,agni paradakshiNa namaskara. The animals pertaining to village will be sacrificed in ritual. Hence it is up to the priests to decide which is to be retained or let off. .

Three hundred animals are tied to the ritual posts, along with the gemlike best ritual horse of that King Dasharatha.[1-14-32] .

With great delight coming on her Queen Kausalya reverently made circumambulations to the horse, and symbolically killed the horse with three knives.[1-14-33]

Here Kausalya did not butcher the horse as queens do not butcher animals in rituals, but the horse is already sacrificed. It is a symbolical act of queens to pierce with three golden knives like needles. The scripture says that all the eligible wives of the performer of ritual have to pierce that way.sauvarNiibhi suuciibhiH patnayoH ashvasya asipathaan kalayanti – shruti/ scripture. So, all the three queens have performed that symbolic act by piercing that horse, which is already dead, with golden needle-like knives. Govindaraja. .

Queen Kausalya desiring the results of ritual disconcertedly resided one night with that horse that flew away like a bird.[1-14-34] .

Thus, the officiating priests of the ritual, namely hota, adhwaryu and udgaata have received in their hand the Crowned Queen, the neglected wife, and a concubine of the king, next as a symbolic donation in the ritual by the performer, the king.[1-14-35]

There will be four officiating priests for these Vedic rituals. 1.brahma, 2. hota, 3.adhvaryu, 4.udgaata, to whom the king has to donate his inner core properties like wives, lands etc. By practice a king has to marry four wives. The four women of the king are 1.mahiSi= Queen, 2.parivR^itti= neglected women, 3.vaavaata= concubine, 4.paalaakali= goblet-maid. The order of donation is that the Queen to brahma, concubine to hota, neglected woman to udgaata, and the goblet-maid to the adhwaryu. Here, though the brahma ritvik is not cited along with paalaakali, goblet-maid, they are implied. The donation is symbolic and later bartering with some valuable items that is redeemed. Govindaraja. There is another way of translating this. For the wording,hastena samayojayan the priests took these wives by hand to bring them in contact with the dead horse. .

Then the priest, one with controlled senses and rich in scriptural wealth, took up the omentum [fat] of the horse and cooked it as per scriptures while dropping into the altar of fire to bake as a food to the celestials.[1-14-36]

Some more scholars give a non-violent touch to this act and they say that a medicinal plant ,is offered in altar and its smell is smelt. That plant is substituted for omentum of the horse, and the wording is read differently. When the sequence is running on horse and horse’s body parts how a medical plant is brought in, is unclear. And some say that a horse will not have omentum according to Vedic texts. .

The king Dasharatha smelt the smell of smoke as per time and procedure to cleanse his own sin.[1-14-37] .

Those remaining body parts that horse are there, the sixteen officiating priests have procedurally oblated all of them into fire.[1-14-38] .

In other rituals the oblations will be offered into sacrificial fire with spoon-like sticks of plaksha tree, but in Horse-sacrifice ritual they are offered through the vetasa creeper, a rattan plant, cane.[1-14-39] .

The Horse Ritual is to be performed for three days as laid down in kalpa sutra-s, the rules governing such rituals, and by brahmaNa-s, the penultimate parts of Veda-s, and the one performed on the first day is called chatuhSToma ritual.[1-14-40] .

The ritual on the second day is called ukthyam, and the next one performed on third day is called atiraatra. These apart many of the preordained rituals are performed there in that ritual as envisaged in scriptures.[1-14-41]

The horse-ritual is conducted only for three days. But Dasharatha got it performed with more variously connected rituals, in all his eagerness to appease gods for progeny. .

The rituals called jyothiSToma, aayuSi, and atiraatra rituals are performed. And also rituals of great kind like abhijit, vishwajit, aptoryaama are performed. [1-14-42] .

On completing the ritual thus that best man Dasharatha justifiably donated those lands to the officiating priests, called ritwiks, to promote of his dynasty.[1-14-45] .

Thus on giving away the vast expanses of his kingdom he that glorious one born in Ikshvaku dynasty is gladdened, but all the officiating priests said to the king who by now is rid of his sins.[1-14-46] .

“You alone are capable to protect the earth in its entirety, and there is no use for us with these lands, and we are not capable to rule it, either.” Thus the priests are addressing the king.[1-14-47] .

“We are always preoccupied with self-study and teaching of scriptures, oh, king, thus you may give us something else in barter, any modest thing.”[1-14-48] .

“Let best gems, gold, or cows or anything else that is available you may give us, what is the use of these vast expanses to us.” So said the scholars.[1-14-49] .

On hearing the sweet words of Sage Rishyasringa, he that king of kings Dasharatha went into a state of ecstasy and venerating that great soul, Rishyasringa, again said this to him.[1-14-60] .