18 shlokas
यामेव रात्रिं शत्रुघ्नः पर्णशालामुपाविशत् । तामेव रात्रिं सीतापि प्रसूता दारकद्वयम् ।। 7.66.1 ।।
yāmeva rātriṃ śatrughnaḥ parṇaśālāmupāviśat | tāmeva rātriṃ sītāpi prasūtā dārakadvayam || 7.66.1 ||
Translation
On the very night that Shatrughna lodged in the leaf-hut, on that same night Sita too gave birth to two boys.
ततो ऽर्धरात्रसमये बालका मुनिदारकाः । वाल्मीकेः प्रियमाचख्युः सीतायाः प्रसवं शुभम् ।। 7.66.2 ।।
tato 'rdharātrasamaye bālakā munidārakāḥ | vālmīkeḥ priyamācakhyuḥ sītāyāḥ prasavaṃ śubham || 7.66.2 ||
Translation
Then, at the hour of midnight, the boys, the sons of the sages, announced to Valmiki the welcome and auspicious news of Sita's delivery.
भगवन्रामपत्नी सा प्रसूता दारकद्वयम् । ततो रक्षां महातेजः कुरु भूतविनाशिनीम् ।। 7.66.3 ।।
bhagavanrāmapatnī sā prasūtā dārakadvayam | tato rakṣāṃ mahātejaḥ kuru bhūtavināśinīm || 7.66.3 ||
Translation
"Reverend one, that wife of Rama has given birth to two boys; therefore, O greatly resplendent one, perform a protective rite to ward off the spirits."
तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा महर्षिः समुपागमत् । बालचन्द्रप्रतीकाशौ देवपुत्रौ महौजसौ ।। 7.66.4 ।।
teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā maharṣiḥ samupāgamat | bālacandrapratīkāśau devaputrau mahaujasau || 7.66.4 ||
Translation
Having heard their words, the great sage went there and beheld the two sons of the god, mighty in vigor and resembling the newborn moon.
जगाम तत्र हृष्टात्मा ददर्श च कुमारकौ । भूतघ्नीं चाकरोत्ताभ्यां रक्षां रक्षोविनाशिनीम् ।। 7.66.5 ।।
jagāma tatra hṛṣṭātmā dadarśa ca kumārakau | bhūtaghnīṃ cākarottābhyāṃ rakṣāṃ rakṣovināśinīm || 7.66.5 ||
Translation
Glad at heart he went there and looked upon the two little boys, and for them he performed a protective rite that slays spirits and destroys the rakshasas.
कुशमुष्टिमुपादाय लवं चैव तु स द्विजः । वाल्मीकिः प्रददौ ताभ्यां रक्षां भूतविनाशिनीम् ।। 7.66.6 ।।
kuśamuṣṭimupādāya lavaṃ caiva tu sa dvijaḥ | vālmīkiḥ pradadau tābhyāṃ rakṣāṃ bhūtavināśinīm || 7.66.6 ||
Translation
That twice-born Valmiki, taking up a handful of kusha grass and a lava (a single blade of it), bestowed upon the two of them a protection that destroys evil spirits.
यस्तयोः पूर्वजो जातः स कुशैर्मन्त्रसत्कृतैः । निर्मार्जनीयस्तु तदा कुश इत्यस्य नाम तत् ।। 7.66.7 ।।
yastayoḥ pūrvajo jātaḥ sa kuśairmantrasatkṛtaiḥ | nirmārjanīyastu tadā kuśa ityasya nāma tat || 7.66.7 ||
Translation
He of the two who was born the elder was to be wiped clean with kusha blades hallowed by sacred mantras, and so his name came to be Kusha.
यश्चावरो भवेत्ताभ्यां लवेन स समाहितः । निर्मार्जनीयो वृद्धाभिर्लव इत्येव नामतः ।। 7.66.8 ।।
yaścāvaro bhavettābhyāṃ lavena sa samāhitaḥ | nirmārjanīyo vṛddhābhirlava ityeva nāmataḥ || 7.66.8 ||
Translation
And he of the two who was the younger, attended carefully, was to be wiped clean by the old women with a lava (a tuft of grass), and so by name he became Lava.
एवं कुशलवौ नाम्ना तावुभौ यमजातकौ । मत्कृताभ्यां च नामभ्यां ख्यातियुक्तौ भविष्यतः ।। 7.66.9 ।।
evaṃ kuśalavau nāmnā tāvubhau yamajātakau | matkṛtābhyāṃ ca nāmabhyāṃ khyātiyuktau bhaviṣyataḥ || 7.66.9 ||
Translation
"Thus shall these two twin-born boys, by the names Kusha and Lava that I have given them, become endowed with renown."
तां रक्षां जगृहुस्ताश्च मुनिहस्तात्समाहिताः । अकुर्वंश्च ततो रक्षां तयोर्विगतकल्मषाः ।। 7.66.10 ।।
tāṃ rakṣāṃ jagṛhustāśca munihastātsamāhitāḥ | akurvaṃśca tato rakṣāṃ tayorvigatakalmaṣāḥ || 7.66.10 ||
Translation
Those women, attentive, received that protective rite from the hand of the sage, and then, freed of impurity, performed the protection of the two boys.
तथा तां क्रियमाणां च वृद्धाभिर्जन्म नाम च । सङ्कीर्तनं च रामस्य सीतायाः प्रसवौ शुभौ ।। 7.66.11 ।।
tathā tāṃ kriyamāṇāṃ ca vṛddhābhirjanma nāma ca | saṅkīrtanaṃ ca rāmasya sītāyāḥ prasavau śubhau || 7.66.11 ||
Translation
And so the old women carried out that rite, the birth and the naming, and the proclamation of Rama and the auspicious twin birth borne by Sita—
अर्धरात्रे तु शत्रुघ्नः शुश्राव सुमहत्प्रियम् । पर्णशालां ततो गत्वा मातर्दिष्ट्येति चाब्रवीत् ।। 7.66.12 ।।
ardharātre tu śatrughnaḥ śuśrāva sumahatpriyam | parṇaśālāṃ tato gatvā mātardiṣṭyeti cābravīt || 7.66.12 ||
Translation
—and at midnight Shatrughna heard that exceedingly welcome news; then, going to the leaf-hut, he said, "Mother, by good fortune!"
तथा तस्य प्रहृष्टस्य शत्रुघ्नस्य महात्मनः । व्यतीता वार्षिकी रात्रिः श्रावणी लघुविक्रमः ।। 7.66.13 ।।
tathā tasya prahṛṣṭasya śatrughnasya mahātmanaḥ | vyatītā vārṣikī rātriḥ śrāvaṇī laghuvikramaḥ || 7.66.13 ||
Translation
And so for that delighted, great-souled Shatrughna the rainy night of the month of Shravana passed swiftly by.
प्रभाते सुमहावीर्यः कृत्वा पौर्वाह्णिकीं क्रियाम् । मुनिं प्राञ्जलिरामन्त्र्य ययौ पश्चान्मुखः पुनः ।। 7.66.14 ।।
prabhāte sumahāvīryaḥ kṛtvā paurvāhṇikīṃ kriyām | muniṃ prāñjalirāmantrya yayau paścānmukhaḥ punaḥ || 7.66.14 ||
Translation
At dawn that hero of mighty valor, having performed the morning rites, took leave of the sage with joined palms and once more set out facing westward.
स गत्वा यमुनातीरं सप्तरात्रोषितः पथि । ऋषीणां पुण्यकीर्तीनामाश्रमे वासमभ्ययात् ।। 7.66.15 ।।
sa gatvā yamunātīraṃ saptarātroṣitaḥ pathi | ṛṣīṇāṃ puṇyakīrtīnāmāśrame vāsamabhyayāt || 7.66.15 ||
Translation
Going to the bank of the Yamuna, having lodged seven nights upon the road, he took up his abode in the hermitage of sages of holy fame.
स तत्र मुनिभिः सार्धं भार्गवप्रमुखैर्नृपः । कथाभिरभिरूपाभिर्वासं चक्रे महायशाः ।। 7.66.16 ।।
sa tatra munibhiḥ sārdhaṃ bhārgavapramukhairnṛpaḥ | kathābhirabhirūpābhirvāsaṃ cakre mahāyaśāḥ || 7.66.16 ||
Translation
There the king of great renown, together with the sages led by the descendant of Bhrigu, made his stay with becoming and pleasant discourse.
स काञ्चनाद्यैर्मुनिभिः समेतो रघुप्रवीरो रजनीं तदानीम् । कथाप्रकारैर्बहुभिर्महात्मा विरामयामास नरेन्द्रसूनुः ।। 7.66.17 ।।
sa kāñcanādyairmunibhiḥ sameto raghupravīro rajanīṃ tadānīm | kathāprakārairbahubhirmahātmā virāmayāmāsa narendrasūnuḥ || 7.66.17 ||
Translation
That great-souled hero of the Raghu line, the son of the king of men, in the company of the sages headed by Kanchana, passed that night by means of many kinds of stories.
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये श्रीमदुत्तरकाण्डे षट्षष्टितमः सर्गः ।। 66 ।।
ityārṣe śrīmadrāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye ādikāvye śrīmaduttarakāṇḍe ṣaṭṣaṣṭitamaḥ sargaḥ || 66 ||
Translation
Thus ends the sixty-sixth canto of the Uttara Kanda in the venerable Ramayana, the first epic poem composed by the sage Valmiki.