# Bāla Kāṇḍa 52 — Story of Viśvāmitra: Śabalā’s feast and the rejected purchase *Śabalā feeds the entire company, Viśvāmitra offers escalating wealth to purchase her and Vasiṣṭha refuses to surrender the source of his ritual sustenance* Portion: Story of Viśvāmitra · Verses: 24 · Ref format: 1.52. ## Sequence - Śabalā produces sugarcane, sweet drinks and liquors, parched grain, steaming mountains of rice, broths, curds, sweets, and countless filled vessels → the entire army is satisfied, along with the King, his Queens, priests, ministers, and servants (52.1–7) - Viśvāmitra praises the hospitality and offers a hundred thousand cows for Śabalā → he argues that such a treasure properly belongs to a King (52.8–9) - Vasiṣṭha refuses any price, explaining that she sustains his life, havya (offerings to Devas), kavya (offerings to pitṛs), agnihotra, bali, homa and sacred learning (52.10–15) - Viśvāmitra raises the offer to fourteen thousand richly equipped elephants, eight hundred golden chariots, eleven thousand fine horses, and a crore of cows (52.16–20) - Vasiṣṭha again refuses: Śabalā is his wealth, life, and the foundation of all his rites (52.21–24). ## Verses **1.52.1** evam uktā vasiṣṭhena śabalā śatrusūdana vidadhe kāmadhuk kāmān yasya yasya yathepsitam Thus addressed by Vasiṣṭha, O slayer of foes, Śabalā the wish-yielder produced the desired objects of each and every one, according to their wish. **1.52.2** ikṣūn madhūṃs tathā lājān maireyāṃś ca varāsavān pānāni ca mahārhāṇi bhakṣyāṃś coccāvacāṃs tathā Sugarcanes, meads, and parched grain, maireya-liquors and the finest spirits, most costly drinks, and edibles of every kind— **1.52.3** uṣṇāḍhyasyaudanasyāpi rāśayaḥ parvatopamāḥ mṛṣṭānnāni ca sūpāś ca dadhikulyās tathaiva ca heaps of steaming, rich boiled rice like mountains, delicate foods and broths, and streams of curds as well— **1.52.4** nānāsvādurasānāṃ ca ṣāḍavānāṃ tathaiva ca bhājanāni supūrṇāni gauḍāni ca sahasraśaḥ and thousands of well-filled vessels of various sweet-flavoured dishes, of ṣāḍava confections likewise, and of preparations made from raw sugar. **1.52.5** sarvam āsīt susaṃtuṣṭaṃ hṛṣṭapuṣṭajanākulam viśvāmitrabalaṃ rāma vasiṣṭhenābhitarpitam Viśvāmitra's whole army, O Rāma, gratified by Vasiṣṭha, was thoroughly content and thronged with joyful, well-fed people. **1.52.6** viśvāmitro 'pi rājarṣir hṛṣṭapuṣṭas tadābhavat sāntaḥ puravaro rājā sabrāhmaṇapurohitaḥ Viśvāmitra too, the royal seer, then became joyful and well-fed; the king, together with the chief ladies of his harem, with his brahmins and house-priest, **1.52.7** sāmātyo mantrisahitaḥ sabhṛtyaḥ pūjitas tadā yuktaḥ pareṇa harṣeṇa vasiṣṭham idam abravīt with his ministers, accompanied by his counsellors and his servants, being then honoured and filled with the highest joy, said this to Vasiṣṭha: **1.52.8** pūjito 'haṃ tvayā brahman pūjārheṇa susatkṛtaḥ śrūyatām abhidhāsyāmi vākyaṃ vākyaviśārada 'I have been honoured by you, O brahmin, worthy of honour as you are, and well entertained; let it be heard—I shall speak a word, O you skilled in speech.' **1.52.9** gavāṃ śatasahasreṇa dīyatāṃ śabalā mama ratnaṃ hi bhagavann etad ratnahārī ca pārthivaḥ tasmān me śabalāṃ dehi mamaiṣā dharmato dvija 'Let Śabalā be given to me for a hundred thousand cows; for this is a jewel, O venerable one, and a king is a taker of jewels; therefore give me Śabalā—by right she is mine, O brahmin.' **1.52.10** evam uktas tu bhagavān vasiṣṭho munisattamaḥ viśvāmitreṇa dharmātmā pratyuvāca mahīpatim Thus addressed by Viśvāmitra, the venerable, righteous-souled Vasiṣṭha, the best of sages, replied to the king: **1.52.11** nāhaṃ śatasahasreṇa nāpi koṭiśatair gavām rājan dāsyāmi śabalāṃ rāśibhī rajatasya vā 'Not for a hundred thousand, nor even for hundreds of crores of cows, O king, will I give Śabalā, nor for heaps of silver.' **1.52.12** na parityāgam arheyaṃ matsakāśād ariṃdama śāśvatī śabalā mahyaṃ kīrtir ātmavato yathā 'I ought not to let her be parted from my side, O tamer of foes; Śabalā is everlasting to me, as fame is to a self-possessed man.' **1.52.13** asyāṃ havyaṃ ca kavyaṃ ca prāṇayātrā tathaiva ca āyattam agnihotraṃ ca balir homas tathaiva ca 'On her depend the offering to the gods and the offering to the ancestors, and likewise the sustaining of life, the fire-oblation, the bali-offering and the homa as well;' **1.52.14** svāhākāravaṣaṭkārau vidyāś ca vividhās tathā āyattam atra rājarṣe sarvam etan na saṃśayaḥ 'the utterances "svāhā" and "vaṣaṭ," and the manifold sciences likewise—all this rests upon her here, O royal seer, without doubt.' **1.52.15** sarva svam etat satyena mama tuṣṭikarī sadā kāraṇair bahubhī rājan na dāsye śabalāṃ tava 'Truly this is my whole wealth; she is always my giver of contentment. For many reasons, O king, I will not give you Śabalā.' **1.52.16** vasiṣṭhenaivam uktas tu viśvāmitro 'bravīt tataḥ saṃrabdhataram atyarthaṃ vākyaṃ vākyaviśāradaḥ Thus addressed by Vasiṣṭha, Viśvāmitra, skilled in speech, then spoke a word yet more agitated and vehement: **1.52.17** hairaṇyakakṣyāgraiveyān suvarṇāṅkuśabhūṣitān dadāmi kuñjarāṇāṃ te sahasrāṇi caturdaśa 'I will give you fourteen thousand elephants, with golden girths and neck-chains, adorned with golden goads.' **1.52.18** hairaṇyānāṃ rathānāṃ ca śvetāśvānāṃ caturyujām dadāmi te śatāny aṣṭau kiṅkiṇīkavibhūṣitān 'And I will give you eight hundred golden chariots, each yoked with four white horses and adorned with little bells.' **1.52.19** hayānāṃ deśajātānāṃ kulajānāṃ mahaujasām sahasram ekaṃ daśa ca dadāmi tava suvrata 'And of horses born in fine lands, of noble breed and great vigour, I will give you eleven thousand, O you of firm vows.' **1.52.20** nānāvarṇavibhaktānāṃ vayaḥsthānāṃ tathaiva ca dadāmy ekāṃ gavāṃ koṭiṃ śabalā dīyatāṃ mama 'And of cows distinguished by various colours and in the prime of age, I will give one crore; let Śabalā be given to me.' **1.52.21** evam uktas tu bhagavān viśvāmitreṇa dhīmatā na dāsyāmīti śabalāṃ prāha rājan kathaṃ cana Thus addressed by the wise Viśvāmitra, the venerable one said, 'I will not give Śabalā on any account, O king.' **1.52.22** etad eva hi me ratnam etad eva hi me dhanam etad eva hi sarvasvam etad eva hi jīvitam 'For this alone is my jewel, this alone my wealth, this alone my everything, this alone my very life;' **1.52.23** darśaś ca pūrṇamāsaś ca yajñāś caivāptadakṣiṇāḥ etad eva hi me rājan vividhāś ca kriyās tathā 'the new-moon and full-moon sacrifices, and the sacrifices with their due fees, and the manifold rites—all this, O king, is (dependent) on her for me.' **1.52.24** adomūlāḥ kriyāḥ sarvā mama rājan na saṃśayaḥ bahūnāṃ kiṃ pralāpena na dāsye kāmadohinīm 'All my rites have her as their root, O king, without doubt. What use is much prattle? I will not give up the wish-yielding cow.'