वाल्मीकिरुवाच । इति नादेन महता वचस्युक्ते सभागतैः । राममग्रगतं प्रीत्या विश्वामित्रोऽभ्यभाषत ॥ १ ॥
vālmīkiruvāca | iti nādēna mahatā vacasyuktē sabhāgataiḥ | rāmamagragataṁ prītyā viśvāmitrō’bhyabhāṣata || 1 ||
Translation
Vālmīki said: When those who had come to the assembly had spoken these words in a great voice, Viśvāmitra, with affection, addressed Rāma, who stood before him.
Word by word
- vālmīkiḥ
- Vālmīki
- uvāca
- said
- iti
- these
- nādēna
- in a voice
- mahatā
- great
- vacasy
- (vacasi) words
- uktē
- when had spoken
- sabhā
- the assembly
- āgataiḥ
- by those who had come to
- rāmam
- Rāma
- agragataṁ
- who stood before him
- prītyā
- with affection
- viśvāmitrō
- (viśvāmitraḥ) Viśvāmitra
- abhyabhāṣata
- addressed
Meaning
The second book, on the conduct of the seeker of liberation (mumukṣu-vyavahāra), begins where the first ended. Rāma has described his dispassion and asked for the truth; the Siddhas have called on the sages to answer. Viśvāmitra is the first to speak, and he speaks with affection (prītyā). The commentary gives the reason: a fit student is rare, and Viśvāmitra, who knows the highest knowledge, delights in talk of it. It also says why this part of the work opens with a story and not with doctrine. Someone who has a little dispassion may think that he is already ready for the teaching and rush into it; the story of Śuka shows what readiness really is, and that knowledge becomes firm when it is received from a teacher, as the Upaniṣad says: "Knowledge learned from a teacher reaches the best end." Rāma stands "before" (agragata) in two senses: in front of the sage, and first among those fit to hear.