वाल्मीकिरुवाच । तच्छ्रुत्वा राजशार्दूलो विश्वामित्रस्य भाषितम् । मुहूर्तमासीन्निश्चेष्टः सदैन्यं चेदमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
vālmīkiruvāca | tacchrutvā rājaśārdūlō viśvāmitrasya bhāṣitam | muhūrtamāsīnniścēṣṭaḥ sadainyaṁ cēdamabravīt || 1 ||
Translation
Vālmīki said: Hearing what Viśvāmitra had said, the tiger among kings sat motionless for a moment, then spoke these words in distress:
Word by word
- vālmīkiḥ
- Vālmīki
- uvāca
- said
- tat
- that
- śrutvā
- hearing
- rāja
- among kings
- śārdūlō
- (śārdūlaḥ) the tiger
- viśvāmitrasya
- of Viśvāmitra
- bhāṣitam
- what had said
- muhūrtam
- for a moment
- āsīt
- sat
- niścēṣṭaḥ
- motionless
- sa
- with
- dainyaṁ
- distress
- ca
- and
- idam
- these words
- abravīt
- spoke
Meaning
The king who promised "whatever you ask" (1.6.52) has heard the request: his son. The whole sarga is his reply, and it is the reply of a father, not of a king. He tries every way out: Rāma's youth, his own army, the strength of the enemy, his own old age.