CHAPTER CC. The Loud applause of the court on the sage’s speech.
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Valmiki and Mitra, Viharilala
40. Saying so, Ráma bowed down his head, lowly at the feet of his guide; and then scattered handful of flowers on his pure person, as the trees on the sides of a mountain, sprinkle their dew drops at the foot and base of the mount. (Gloss. The branches of trees serving as their hands, and the leaves as their palms).
41. Then the pious prince made his repeated bows of reverence to his venerable preceptor; while his lotus like eyes were suffused with the tears of his inward joy and piety. (Ánandásru—tears issuing from pious and joyous feelings).
42. Next rose the brother princes, of Dasaratha’s royal race; namely Bharata, Satrughna and Lakshmana, together with their equals in kith and kin; and they all advanced to the sage, and bowed down to him with their respectful reverence.
43. The other chiefs and nobles and regents, that sat in their order at a distance; together with the saints, sages and the clergy at large, rose in groups from their seats, and did their homage to the sage, with flinging handfuls of flowers upon him.
44. At this instant the sage was almost covered with and hid under the heap of flowers, that were poured upon him from all sides; in the same manner as the snowy mountain of Himálaya, is wrapped and concealed under the snows of water.
45. After clangor of the assembly was over, and the peals of their pranáma-hailings had ended; Vasishtha remembered his saying with the assembled sages, of proving to them the truth of his doctrines, and of removing the doubts of his audience regarding the miracles he had wrought.
46. He then shoved off with both his arms, the heaps of flowers from about his sides; and showed out his fair face from amidst them, as when the disc of the moon, shines forth from within the hoary clouds.
47. Then there ensued a hush over the flourish of the trumpets, and a silence upon the fanfare of applauses; the falling of flowers was at a stop, and the murmur of siddhas above, ceased with the clamour of the assemblage below.
48. After the princes and assembled nobles, had made their obeisances and greetings, there occurred a calm stillness in the assembly, as when a lull takes place in the atmosphere after a storm.
49. Then the chief of sages Vasishtha, upon hearing the applauses poured upon him from all sides; spoke softly to the royal sage Viswámitra, from the unblemished purity of his soul.
50. Hear me, O sage, that art the lotus of the princely race of Gádhi, and ye sages that are assembled here, namely Vámadeva, Nimi and Kruta, together with Bharadwája, Pulastya, Atri, Nárada and Ghrishti, and Sándilya.
51. Hear me also, O ye sages Bhása, Bhrigu, Bharanda, Vatsa and Vátsyáyana, with all others that are assembled here at present, and had the patience to listen to this contemptible discourse of mine.
52. Please now with your well known affability to me, point out to me whatever you have found as meaningless or unintelligible and ambiguous in my discourse.
53. The audience responded:—O Venerable sir, we have never heard or marked in ＜a＞ single word in this spiritual and divine discourse of thine, that is meaningless or unintelligible to anybody.
54. We confess that whatever foulness was inbred in our natures, by our repeated births in this sinful world; has been all purged out by your holy lecture, as the alloy in gold is burnt away by the purifying fire.
55. O sir, our minds are as expanded by your divine sermon, as the blue lotus buds are opened to bloom, by the cold and ambrosial beams of moon light.
56. We all bow down to thee, O thou chief of sages, as our best guide in divine knowledge; and the giver of true wisdom to us, with regard to all things in nature.
57. Válmíki relates:—The sages said so far and then hailed and bowed down to Vasishtha again, and their united applause of him, rose as high as the loud roar of raining clouds.
58. Then the speechless siddhas, poured down again their showers of flowers from above; and these hid the body of the sage under them, as the clouds of winter cover the rocks under ice and snows.
59. Afterwards the intelligent and learned men in the court, gave their praises to King Dasaratha and to Ráma also; saying that the four princes were no other than the four fold incarnation of the God Mádhava or Vishnu himself.
60. The siddhas said:—We hail the four princes of Dasaratha line, who are the quadruple forms of the self incarnate Vishnu, and are quite liberated from the bonds of flesh, in these their living states of humanity.
61. We hail king Dasaratha, as having the mark of the sovereignty of the whole world. (Imprinted in his person); that is of this world which extends to the limits of the four oceans, and lasts forever in his race.
62. We hail the sage Vasishtha, who is as bright as the sun, and stands at the head of the whole host of sages; and also the royal sage Viswámitra of renowned fame and dignity.
63. It is through their means (i.e. because of their assemblage in this court), that we had this fair opportunity of hearing this divine discourse, which is so full of knowledge and fraught with reason, that it serves to dispel the great gloom of error at once.
64. So saying the siddhas of heaven again let fall their handfuls of flowers in showers; and made the assembly look up to them in silence, with their uplifted eyes and gladdened minds.
65. And then there was a mutual greeting of the siddhas from above, and of the assembled people to them from below.
66. At last the assembly broke, with their respectful greetings to one another, accompanied with their mutual offerings of flowers and salutations. And the celestial and terrestrial, the great Munis and sages, the Pandits and Bráhmans; together with the princes and nobles, bade adieu to and took leave of one another (in order to repair to their respective abodes).