Chapter 50 — Ayodhya Kanda, Sarga 50

Valmiki Ramayana — Ayodhya Kanda

Verse 50.10

तत्र त्रिपथगां दिव्यां शीततोयामशैवलाम्। ददर्श राघवो गङ्गां रम्याषिनिषेविताम्॥ आश्रमैरविदूरस्थैः श्रीमद्भिः समलंकृताम्। कालेऽप्सरोभिहष्टाभिः सेविताम्भोह्रदां शिवाम्॥ देवदानवगन्धर्वैः किंनरैरुपशोभिताम्। नागगन्धर्वपत्नीभिः सेवितां सततं शिवाम्॥ देवाक्रीडशताकीर्णो देवोद्यानयुतां नदीम्। देवार्थमाकाशगतां विख्यातां देवपद्मिनीम्॥ जलाघाताट्टहासोग्रां फेननिर्मलहासिनीम्। क्वचिद् वेणीकृतजलां क्वचिदावर्तशोभिताम्॥ क्वचित् स्तिमितगम्भीरां क्वचिद् वेगसमाकुलाम्। क्वचिद् गम्भीरनिर्घोषां क्वचिद् भैरवनि:स्वनाम् ।।१७ देवसंघाप्लुतजलां निर्मलोत्पलसंकुलाम्। क्वचिदाभोगपुलिनां क्वचिनिर्मलवालुकाम्॥ हंससारससंघुष्टां चक्रवाकोपशोभिताम्। सदामत्तैश्च विहगैरभिपन्नामनिन्दिताम्॥ क्वचित् तीररुहैर्वृक्षैर्मालाभिरिव शोभिताम्। क्वचित् फुल्लोत्पलच्छन्नां क्वचित् पद्मवनाकुलाम्।।२ क्वचित् कुमुदखण्डैश्च कुड्मलैरुपशोभिताम्। नानापुष्परजोध्वस्तां समदामिव च क्वचित्॥ व्यपेतमलसंघातां मणिनिर्मलदर्शनाम्। दिशागजैर्वनगजैर्मत्तैश्च वरवारणैः॥ देवराजोपवाह्यश्च संनादितवनान्तराम्। प्रमदामिव यत्नेन भूषितां भूषणोत्तमैः॥ फलपुष्पैः किसलयैर्वृतां गुल्मैर्द्विजैस्तथा। विष्णुपादच्युतां दिव्यामपापां पापनाशिनीम् ॥ शिंशुमारैश्च नत्रैश्च भुजङ्गैश्च समन्विताम्। शंकरस्य जटाजूटाद् भ्रष्टां सागरतेजसा ॥ समुद्रमहिषीं गङ्गां सारसक्रौञ्चनादिताम्। आससाद महाबाहुः शृङ्गवेरपुरं प्रति॥

tatra tripathagāṃ divyāṃ śītatoyāmaśaivalām| dadarśa rāghavo gaṅgāṃ ramyāṣiniṣevitām|| āśramairavidūrasthaiḥ śrīmadbhiḥ samalaṃkṛtām| kāle'psarobhihaṣṭābhiḥ sevitāmbhohradāṃ śivām|| devadānavagandharvaiḥ kiṃnarairupaśobhitām| nāgagandharvapatnībhiḥ sevitāṃ satataṃ śivām|| devākrīḍaśatākīrṇo devodyānayutāṃ nadīm| devārthamākāśagatāṃ vikhyātāṃ devapadminīm|| jalāghātāṭṭahāsogrāṃ phenanirmalahāsinīm| kvacid veṇīkṛtajalāṃ kvacidāvartaśobhitām|| kvacit stimitagambhīrāṃ kvacid vegasamākulām| kvacid gambhīranirghoṣāṃ kvacid bhairavani:svanām ||17 devasaṃghāplutajalāṃ nirmalotpalasaṃkulām| kvacidābhogapulināṃ kvacinirmalavālukām|| haṃsasārasasaṃghuṣṭāṃ cakravākopaśobhitām| sadāmattaiśca vihagairabhipannāmaninditām|| kvacit tīraruhairvṛkṣairmālābhiriva śobhitām| kvacit phullotpalacchannāṃ kvacit padmavanākulām||2 kvacit kumudakhaṇḍaiśca kuḍmalairupaśobhitām| nānāpuṣparajodhvastāṃ samadāmiva ca kvacit|| vyapetamalasaṃghātāṃ maṇinirmaladarśanām| diśāgajairvanagajairmattaiśca varavāraṇaiḥ|| devarājopavāhyaśca saṃnāditavanāntarām| pramadāmiva yatnena bhūṣitāṃ bhūṣaṇottamaiḥ|| phalapuṣpaiḥ kisalayairvṛtāṃ gulmairdvijaistathā| viṣṇupādacyutāṃ divyāmapāpāṃ pāpanāśinīm || śiṃśumāraiśca natraiśca bhujaṅgaiśca samanvitām| śaṃkarasya jaṭājūṭād bhraṣṭāṃ sāgaratejasā || samudramahiṣīṃ gaṅgāṃ sārasakrauñcanāditām| āsasāda mahābāhuḥ śṛṅgaverapuraṃ prati||

English Meaning

Then Rāghava saw the celestial Gangā running in three courses with cool waters free from moss, beautiful to behold, frequented by the sages, adorned with graceful asylums close by, containing sacred watery expanses haunted at the hours of sport by delighted Apsaras, graced with celestials, Danvas, Gandharbas, and Kinnaras, ever holy, attended by the wives of Nagas and Gandharbas, with hills serving as sporting-places for the celestials, the river surrounded by gardens of the immortals, that for the behoof of the celestials had ascended heaven, famous, furnished with assemblage of celestial lotuses, with the rocks laughing aloud in consequence of the dashing of water, laughing without blemish with foam, sometimes having her water flowing like a braid, and sometimes decked by eddies, sometimes still and deep, and sometimes rushing furiously, sometimes sounding solemnly and sometimes roaring dreadfully, with crowds of deities bathing in its water, embellished with fresh-blown lotuses, having spacious shoals and spots covered with glittering sand, resounding with the cries of cranes of various kinds graced by Chakravakas, ever resorted to by maddened fowls, without blame, decked by trees on its banks resembling garlands somewhere covered with full-blown lotuses and somewhere containing multitudes of lotuses, at places decked with tracts of lilies, at others with opening buds, rife with the farina of various flowers, sometimes resembling a proud female, removing the dirt of sin, translucent like a gem to the view, with the elephants of the quarters, wild ones, mad ones, as well as those the best of their species, and those carrying the foremost of celestials, roaring in the neighbouring woods, adorned carefully with the choicest ornaments like to a damsel, crowded with flowers and fruits and bushes as also with birds, flowing from the feet of Vişnu, divine, without sin, capable of destroying it, filled with porpoises, crocodiles and snakes, drawn out from the matted locks of Sankara by the energy of Sagara's descendant, the queen of the Ocean, resonant with the cries of cranes and krauñcas. The mighty-armed Rāma came to the Gangā near Śộngaverapura.

M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)