श्रीवाल्मीकिरुवाच । कथयत्येवमुद्दामवचने मुनिनायके । श्रोतुमेकरसे जाते जने मौनमुपस्थिते ॥ १ ॥
śrīvālmīkiruvāca | kathayatyēvamuddāmavacanē munināyakē | śrōtumēkarasē jātē janē maunamupasthitē || 1 ||
Translation
Vālmīki said: While the lord of sages was speaking in this way, with words of great power, and the people, of one mind in their wish to hear, had fallen silent,
Word by word
- kathayati
- was speaking
- ēvam
- in this way
- uddāma
- of great power
- vacanē
- with words
- muni
- of sages
- nāyakē
- the lord
- śrōtum
- to hear
- ēka
- one
- rasē
- of mind
- jātē
- had become
- janē
- the people
- maunam
- silent
- upasthitē
- had fallen
Meaning
Vālmīki, who tells the whole work to Bharadvāja, steps back into the frame. The first three verses are one sentence: everything in the hall stops to listen. Of one mind (ekarasa): with a single taste, the whole assembly absorbed in one thing. Silence is the first condition of hearing what Vasiṣṭha has been saying.