Ayodhya Kanda · Sarga 80 of 119 · 22 verses
Building the Road to the Forest
Then a great company sets out ahead: men who know the lie of the land, experts in surveying with cords, brave workers devoted to their tasks, diggers and machine-workers, labourers, master builders, men skilled with machines, carpenters, road-makers, tree-fellers, well-diggers, plasterers, bamboo workers, and capable overseers. That great flood of people, going joyfully toward the place, shines like the ocean surging at the full moon. Skilled in road-work, each in his own team, they go ahead with many kinds of tools. They clear the way, cutting creepers, vines, bushes, stumps, stones and many kinds of trees. In treeless places some plant trees; others cut here and there with axes, chisels and sickles. Others, very strong, pull up clumps of virana grass and level the rough places and high ground. Others fill wells and long pits with earth, and some level the low places all around. They bridge what needs bridging, crush what needs crushing, and break through what needs breaking. In a short time they make many channels with plenty of water, of many shapes, like oceans. In waterless places they dig many fine wells and tanks, surrounded with platforms.
With its paved surface plastered with lime, its trees in flower, flocks of excited birds calling, decorated with banners, sprinkled with sandal-water and adorned with many flowers, the army’s road shines like the road to heaven. Then the appointed overseers, having given orders as instructed, further decorate the camping place chosen for great-souled Bharata, in lovely spots full of sweet fruit, making it like an ornament. At auspicious constellations and moments, those who know such things set up great-souled Bharata’s camp. Surrounded by earthworks and moats, with gateways like Indra’s pillars, lovely with fine streets, with rows of mansions and white-plastered walls, adorned with banners, with well-made highways, with their tall towers and dove-cotes seeming to rise into the sky, the camps shine like Indra’s city. Reaching the Jahnavi (Ganga), with its forests of many trees, its cool, clear water and its great fish, the king’s road, lovely, built by skilled craftsmen, shines like the clear night sky adorned with the moon and the hosts of stars.
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अथ भूमिप्रदेशज्ञाः सूत्रकर्मविशारदाः । स्वकर्माभिरताः शूराः खनका यन्त्रकास्तथा ॥ १ ॥
Then those who knew the lie of the land, experts in work with measuring cords, brave men devoted to their own work, diggers and machine-workers,
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कर्मान्तिकाः स्थपतयः पुरुषा यन्त्रकोविदाः । तथा वर्धकयश्चैव मार्गिणो वृक्षतक्षकाः ॥ २ ॥
labourers, master builders, men skilled in machines, carpenters, road-makers and tree-fellers,
कूपकाराः सुधाकारा वंशकर्मकृतस्तथा । समर्था ये च द्रष्टारः पुरतस्ते प्रतस्थिरे ॥ ३ ॥
well-diggers, plasterers, bamboo workers, and capable overseers set out in front.
स तु हर्षात्तमुद्देशं जनौघो विपुलः प्रयान् । अशोभत महावेगः सागरस्य इवपर्वणि ॥ ४ ॥
That great flood of people, going joyfully to that region, shone, with great speed, like the ocean at the full moon.
ते स्ववारं समास्थाय वर्त्मकर्मणि कोविदाः । करणैर्विविधोपेतैः पुरस्तात् सम्प्रतस्थिरे ॥ ५ ॥
Skilled in road-work, each taking up his own team, they set out in front with tools of many kinds.
लता वल्लीश्च गुल्मांश्च स्थाणूनश्मन एव च । जनास्ते चक्रिरे मार्गं छिन्दन्तो विविधान्द्रुमान् ॥ ६ ॥
Those people made the road, cutting creepers, vines and bushes, stumps and stones, and many kinds of trees.
अवृक्षेषु च देशेषु केचिद्वृक्षानरोपयन् । केचित्कुठारैष्टङ्कैश्च दात्रैश्छिन्दन्क्वचित्क्वचित् ॥ ७ ॥
In treeless places some planted trees; some cut here and there with axes, chisels and sickles.
अपरे वीरणस्तम्बान्बलिनो बलवत्तराः । विधमन्ति स्म दुर्गाणि स्थलानि चततस्ततः ॥ ८ ॥
Others, strong and stronger still, tore up clumps of virana grass and levelled the rough places and high ground here and there.
अपरेऽपूरयन्कूपान्पांसुभिः श्वभ्रमायतम् । निम्नभागांस्तथा केचित्समांश्चक्रुः समन्ततः ॥ ९ ॥
Others filled wells and long pits with earth; and some made the low places level all around.
बबन्धुर्बन्धनीयांश्च क्षोद्यान्संचुक्षुदुस्तदा । बिभिदुर्भेदनीयांश्च तांस्तान्देशान्नरास्तदा ॥ १० ॥
Then the men bridged what needed bridging, crushed what needed crushing, and broke through what needed breaking in those places.
अचिरेणैव कालेन परिवाहान् बहूदकान् । चक्रुर्बहुविधाकारान्सागरप्रतिमान्बहून् ॥ ११ ॥
In a very short time they made channels with much water, of many shapes, many of them like oceans.
निर्जलेषु च देशेषु खानयामासुरुत्तमान् । उदपानान्बहुविधान्वेदिकापरिमण्डितान् ॥ १२ ॥
And in waterless places they had excellent wells of many kinds dug, surrounded with platforms.
ससुधाकुट्टिमतलः प्रपुष्पितमहीरुहः । मत्तोद्घुष्टद्विजगणः पताकाभिरलंकृतः ॥ १३ ॥
चन्दनोदकसंसिक्तो नानाकुसुमभूषितः । बह्वशोभत सेनायाः पन्थाः सुरपथोपमः ॥ १४ ॥
With its surface paved and plastered with lime, its trees in flower, flocks of excited birds calling, adorned with banners, sprinkled with sandal-water, decorated with many kinds of flowers, the army’s road shone greatly, like the road of the gods.
आज्ञाप्याथ यथाज्ञप्तियुक्तास्तेऽधिकृता नराः । रमणीयेषु देशेषु बहुस्वादुफलेषु च ॥ १५ ॥
यो निवेशस्त्वभिप्रेतो भरतस्य महात्मनः । भूयस्तं शोभयामासुर्भूषाभिर्भूषणोपमम् ॥ १६ ॥
Then the men in charge, having given orders as instructed, further adorned with ornaments, like an ornament, the camp intended for great-souled Bharata, in lovely places with many sweet fruits.
नक्षत्रेषु प्रशस्तेषु मुहूर्तेषु च तद्विदः । निवेशान्स्थापयामासुर्भरतस्य महात्मनः ॥ १७ ॥
At auspicious constellations and moments, those who knew them set up the camps of great-souled Bharata.
बहुपांसुचयाश्चापि परिखापरिवारिताः । तन्त्रेन्द्रकीलप्रतिमाः प्रतोलीवरशोभिताः ॥ १८ ॥
With many heaps of earth, surrounded by moats, with gateway posts like Indra’s pillars, lovely with fine streets,
प्रासादमालासम्युक्ताः सौधप्राकारसंवृताः । पताकाशोभिताः सर्वे सुनिर्मितमहापथाः ॥ १९ ॥
joined with rows of mansions, enclosed by plastered walls, all adorned with banners, with well-built highways,
विसर्पत्भिरिवाकाशे विटङ्काग्रविमानकैः । समुच्च्रितैर्निवेशास्ते बभुः शक्रपुरोपमाः ॥ २० ॥
with their lofty towers and dove-cotes as if gliding in the sky, those camps shone like Shakra’s city.
जाह्नवीं तु समासाद्य विविधद्रुमकाननाम् । शीतलामलपानीयां महामीनसमाकुलाम् ॥ २१ ॥
सचन्द्रतारागणमण्डितं यथा नभः क्षपायाममलं विराजते । नरेन्द्रमार्गः स तथा व्यराजत क्रमेण रम्यः शुभशिल्पिनिर्मितः ॥ २२ ॥
And reaching the Jahnavi, with its forests of many trees, its cool, clear water, crowded with great fish, that road for the lord of men, lovely, built by good craftsmen, shone in sequence as the clear sky shines at night, adorned with the moon and the hosts of stars.