← 3.10.17 · Araṇya Kāṇḍa 10: Ten years among the hermitages · 3.10.19 →
Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.10.18
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 10: Ten years among the hermitages. Māṇḍakarṇi’s lake music is explained, years of visits lead toward Agastya, Rāma recounts his digestion of Vātāpi
In the sequence: Māṇḍakarṇi fell in love with them, and they became his wives → they live in a hidden dwelling within the lake, where his tapas has restored his youth → the sounds come from their music, play, and ornaments
3.10.18
tāsāṃ saṃkrīḍamānānām eṣa vāditraniḥsvanaḥ
śrūyate bhūṣaṇonmiśro gītaśabdo manoharaḥ
As they sport together, this sound of instruments, mingled with the chime of their ornaments, is heard, and the enchanting sound of their song.
Words: tāsāṃ — of them; saṃkrīḍamānānām — as they sport together; eṣa — this; vāditraniḥsvanaḥ — the sound of instruments; śrūyate — is heard; bhūṣaṇonmiśro — mingled with (the sound of) ornaments; gītaśabdo — the sound of song; manoharaḥ — enchanting, heart-stealing
Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.