Passage 1
अथास्य ते तृतीयस्य कुमारस्याग्निवर्चसः। शृणु नामानि भूमीश पावनानि युगे युगे॥१॥
Now hear, lord of the earth, the names of this third son of yours, a prince with the radiance of fire—names that sanctify age after age.
Passage 2
भरणो भरणात्मा च भूभारहरणोत्कटः। अयोध्यापुरभर्ता च भरणीयो भरावहः॥२॥
He is the bearer; the very soul of support; mighty in removing the earth’s burden; sustainer of the city of Ayodhyā; worthy of being sustained; and bearer of responsibility.
Passage 3
प्रद्युम्नो मन्मथोऽनङ्गो वीरकर्मा निराकुलः। पुष्पधन्वा त्रिलोकीजिच्छम्बरारिर्मनोभवः॥३॥
He is Pradyumna; Manmatha; the bodiless god of love; heroic in deed; untroubled; flower-bowed; conqueror of the three worlds; enemy of Śambara; and mind-born desire.
Passage 4
परप्रतापनो वंशः सर्वाश्चर्यनिकेतनः। मीनकेतुर्महामारः कामिनीजनरोषणः॥४॥
He scorches his foes; perpetuates the lineage; is the abode of every wonder; bears the fish-banner; is mighty Māra; and excites the company of loving women.
Passage 5
पोषणस्तोषणः क्रोशी द्वारकापुरपालकः। रामविश्लेषसहनो रामविश्लेषकातरः॥५॥
He nourishes; gives contentment; raises the call; guards the city of Dvārakā; endures separation from Rāma; and yet is stricken by separation from Rāma.
Passage 6
कन्दर्पो दर्पहा दर्पो दर्पणो दर्पनाशनः। अयोध्याजनसंस्नेहो रामविश्लेषवारकः॥६॥
He is Kandarpa; destroyer of pride; pride itself; a mirror; destroyer of arrogance; deeply affectionate toward Ayodhyā’s people; and one who prevents separation from Rāma.
Passage 7
श्रीरामगमनाकाङ्क्षी प्रजादुर्भिक्षपोषकः। प्रजादुःखहरो वीरो धार्मिकः प्रतिपालकः॥७॥
He longs for Śrī Rāma’s return; sustains the subjects during famine; removes their suffering; is heroic; righteous; and their protector.
Passage 8
वाभ्रवीप्राणदयितो माण्डवीप्राणवल्लभः। रामतुल्यो रामबलो रामवत्प्रियसाधकः॥८॥
He is dearer than life to Vābhravī and the life-beloved of Māṇḍavī; equal to Rāma; strong through Rāma; and, like Rāma, fulfils what is dear.
Passage 9
कैकेयीनेत्रसुखदो महासाम्राज्यभाजनः। रुक्मिणीनेत्रसुखदो रुक्मिणीप्रीतिवर्द्धनः॥९॥
He gives delight to Kaikeyī’s eyes; is the recipient of a vast empire; gives delight to Rukmiṇī’s eyes; and increases Rukmiṇī’s love.
Passage 10
त्यक्तराज्यो रामगतिर्विष्णुर्भरतरूपधृक्। अथोच्यन्ते चतुर्थस्य नामानि तनयस्य ते॥१०॥
He renounced the kingdom; has Rāma as his sole refuge; is Viṣṇu bearing Bharata’s form. Now the names of your fourth son are told.
Passage 11
शत्रुघ्नः शत्रुहन्ता च मथुरापुरपालकः। श्रीमान् मधुवनानन्दी मधुजिज्जयवर्द्धनः॥११॥
He is Śatrughna; slayer of enemies; guardian of Mathurā; possessed of splendour; rejoicing in Madhuvana; conqueror of Madhu; and increaser of victory.
Passage 12
चापहस्तः कुशलधीरनिरुद्धोऽप्युषापतिः। श्रुतकीर्तिप्रियाकान्तः कामिनीजनवल्लभः॥१२॥
He holds a bow in hand; is skilfully resolute; is also Aniruddha, Uṣā’s husband; the beloved darling of Śrutakīrti; and dear to loving women.
Passage 13
चित्रलेखाकृतोत्साह उषावरणकामुकः। परसद्मप्रवेशी च परपत्तनदाहकृत्॥१३॥
He is encouraged by Citralekhā; desires to choose Uṣā as his bride; enters another’s mansion; and burns an enemy city.
Passage 14
परदारप्रभोगी च वाणासुरविरोधकृत्। वाणजिद् वाणदहनो धर्ममूर्तिः सनातनः॥१४॥
He enjoys another’s wife; opposes the asura Bāṇa; conquers Bāṇa; burns Bāṇa; and is the eternal embodiment of dharma.
Passage 15
एतान्यन्यानि च तथा नामानि तनयस्य ते। चत्वार एते सदृशा नाम्ना कीर्त्या च मेधया॥१५॥
These and further such names belong to your son. These four are alike in name, renown, and wisdom.
Passage 16
अहमेतद्विजानामि भवान् ज्ञास्यसि कालतः। एते रविकुलोत्तंसा रघुवंशविभूषणाः॥१६॥
I know this now; you will understand it in due course. They are crests of the solar line and ornaments of Raghu’s dynasty.
Passage 17
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थायावतरन्ति युगे युगे। एषां प्रभावं ब्रह्मापि न जानाति कुतोऽपरे॥१७॥
Age after age they descend to establish dharma. Even Brahmā does not know the full extent of their power—how then could others?
Passage 18
रामस्यैवाखिला देहास्तत्तत्कार्यविधित्सया। अवतीर्णस्य पूर्णस्य पूर्णब्रह्मस्वरूपिणः॥१८॥
All are bodies of Rāma alone, assumed for the accomplishment of their respective tasks—of him who has descended in fullness, whose nature is complete Brahman.
Passage 19
रामचन्द्रस्य सर्वेऽपि अवताराः सनातनाः। एवं नामविधिं कृत्वा तूष्णीम्भूते महामुनौ॥१९॥
They are all eternal descents of Rāmacandra. When the great sage had performed the naming rite in this way and fallen silent,
Passage 20
राजा दशरथः प्रादाद् द्विजेभ्यः सुमहद्धनम्। रामनाममहाकर्मण्यमराः सकला अपि॥२०॥
King Daśaratha gave immense wealth to the twice-born. At the great ceremony of Rāma’s naming, all the immortals too
Passage 21
शृङ्गारितस्त्रीसहिताः समाजग्मुर्मुदा युताः। तेभ्यो दशरथः प्रादादलङ्काराननेकधा॥२१॥
came joyfully with their adorned women. Daśaratha gave them ornaments of many kinds.
Passage 22
ते प्रीणिता बहुवसनान्नभूषणैः कृताशिषो दशरथभूपसूनुषु। यथागतं प्रतिययुरात्मनो गृहान् मनोरथैर्बहुपरिपूरितान्तराः॥२२॥
Gratified with abundant garments, food, and ornaments, and having pronounced blessings upon King Daśaratha’s sons, they returned by the way they had come to their own homes, their hearts richly filled with fulfilled desires.
Passage 23
ते जातनामान उदाररोचिषो वर्द्धिष्णवस्तुल्यवयोविभाविताः। धनुर्धरा बालककेलिकारिणो बभुर्यथा कुञ्जरराजशावकाः॥२३॥
The newly named boys, nobly radiant, growing together and appearing of equal age, carried bows and played children’s games. They shone like the calves of lordly elephants.
Passage 24
दिने दिने पूर्णकलस्तु रामः प्रभावभृद्दशरथनेत्रनन्दनः। व्यरोचत त्रिभुवनशोकनाशनः शनैः शनैः क्षितितलरिङ्गणादिभिः॥२४॥
Day by day Rāma, complete in every divine power, bearer of majesty and joy of Daśaratha’s eyes, shone forth as the destroyer of the three worlds’ sorrow, little by little crawling and playing upon the ground.
Passage 25
कौशल्या रहसि तमिन्दुशोभिवक्त्रं क्रीडन्तं क्षितितलरिङ्गणादिरीत्या। मायूरीः स्वशिरसि चन्द्रिका वहन्तं सम्प्रेक्ष्य प्रसभमवाप दृष्टिसौख्यम्॥२५॥
In private, Kauśalyā gazed upon him as he played and crawled over the ground, his face lovely as the moon and peacock-plume crescents upon his head. At once she gained the fullest delight of sight.
Passage 26
राजापि प्रणयवशीकृतान्तरोऽभूद् रामस्य स्मितसुभगं मुखं विलोक्य। रिङ्गन्तं शिशुकमजातचूडकृत्तं नो शेकुः स्वमुप विलोक्य संविभर्तुम्॥२६॥
The king too was inwardly overcome by love on seeing Rāma’s lovely smiling face. The mothers, though beholding their own still-untonsured infant crawling, could not hold him properly in their hands.
Passage 27
सुन्दर्यो नरनगनागदेवकन्याः दृग्दोषं शमयितुमात्तराजिकास्ताः। चुम्बन्त्यो रहसि मुखं रघूद्वहस्य श्लिष्यन्त्यो नवघनसुन्दरं वपुश्च॥२७॥
Beautiful daughters of humans, mountains, serpents, and gods took mustard seeds to ward away the evil eye. In private they kissed the scion of Raghu’s face and embraced his body, lovely as a fresh raincloud.
Passage 28
भूयस्योऽन्तःपुरमुषिताश्चिराय नार्यो रामेन्द्रं प्रणयवशाद्विलोकयन्त्यः। आत्मानं सपदि न सस्मरुः स्वरूपं सौन्दर्यामृतरससारमापिबन्त्यः॥२८॥
Many women remained in the inner palace for a long time, gazing lovingly at Lord Rāma. Drinking the very essence of the nectar of his beauty, they at once forgot themselves and their own identities.
Passage 29
कौशल्या कैकेयी चैव सुमित्रा च हरेर्मुखम्। वीक्ष्य तृप्तिं न चैवाप विधुं कुमुदिनी यथा॥२९॥
Kauśalyā, Kaikeyī, and Sumitrā never reached satisfaction from beholding Hari’s face, just as a night-lotus is never sated by the moon.
Passage 30
सोऽव्यक्तकलया वाण्या बन्धूनां नाम सङ्गिरन्। विततान मुदं भूरि राज्ञो दशरथस्य च॥३०॥
With the indistinct art of an infant’s speech, he began uttering the names of his relatives, spreading immense joy among them and in King Daśaratha.
Passage 31
बालोऽपि रामचन्द्रोऽभूत् स्वानां मोदाय पुष्टिवान्। भ्रातृभिर्वयसा तुल्यैर्भूयसीं कान्तिमावहन्॥३१॥
Though still a child, Rāmacandra grew strong for the delight of his own people. Together with his brothers of the same age, he bore ever greater radiance.
Passage 32
कमनीयं किशोरस्य श्यामलं कोमलं वपुः। विलोक्य मुदमाजग्मुस्त्रैलोक्यस्थानवासिनः॥३२॥
Seeing the young prince’s enchanting, dark, tender body, the inhabitants of every station in the three worlds attained joy. --- Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, “Description of Childhood,” in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍa in the Śrīmad Ādi Rāmāyaṇa. Textual notes The source prints verse 26 with an abrupt change from the singular king to a plural verb and records स्वमपि as an alternative to its printed स्वमुप. Its accompanying editorial gloss supplies Kauśalyā and the other mothers as the plural subject and explains संविभर्तुम् as holding the crawling child properly with their hands; the translation follows that gloss while retaining the photographed root text.