# Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa 74 — Construction of Bharata’s route *Workers clear and level the ground, plant trees, dig wells and build supplied, defended camps along the road to the Gaṅgā* Portion: The expedition to bring Rāma back · Verses: 21 · Ref format: 2.74. ## Sequence - Surveyors, builders, diggers, carpenters, tree-cutters, well-makers, and other workers move ahead (74.1–4) - they clear vegetation, stumps, and stones, and plant trees in treeless stretches (74.5–7) - they level rough ground, fill hollows, and make difficult stretches passable (74.8–10) - they provide waterworks and wells, then decorate and water the road (74.11–13) - suitable stopping places are prepared in well-supplied areas (74.14–16) - the camps include roads, defenses, and accommodation for the traveling company (74.17–19) - the completed route reaches the Gaṅgā (74.20–21). ## Verses **2.74.1** atha bhūmipradeśajñāḥ sūtrakarmaviśāradāḥ svakarmābhiratāḥ śūrāḥ khanakā yantrakās tathā Then those who knew the lay of the land, skilled in surveying with the measuring-line, devoted to their tasks and stout of heart, and diggers and machinists as well, **2.74.2** karmāntikāḥ sthapatayaḥ puruṣā yantrakovidāḥ tathā vardhakayaś caiva mārgiṇo vṛkṣatakṣakāḥ labourers, master-builders, men expert with machines, and likewise carpenters, road-makers, and tree-cutters, **2.74.3** kūpakārāḥ sudhākārā vaṃśakarmakṛtas tathā samarthā ye ca draṣṭāraḥ puratas te pratasthire well-diggers, plasterers, and workers in bamboo, and those capable ones who serve as overseers — they set out in front. **2.74.4** sa tu harṣāt tam uddeśaṃ janaugho vipulaḥ prayān aśobhata mahāvegaḥ sāgarasyeva parvaṇi That vast crowd of people, advancing in joy toward that region, shone with great momentum, like the surge of the sea at the full moon. **2.74.5** te svavāraṃ samāsthāya vartmakarmāṇi kovidāḥ karaṇair vividhopetaiḥ purastāt saṃpratasthire Taking up each his own station, those skilled in road-work set out in front, equipped with various implements. **2.74.6** latāvallīś ca gulmāṃś ca sthāṇūn aśmana eva ca janās te cakrire mārgaṃ chindanto vividhān drumān Cutting down creepers and vines and shrubs, stumps and stones, and trees of many kinds, those men made the road. **2.74.7** avṛkṣeṣu ca deśeṣu ke cid vṛkṣān aropayan ke cit kuṭhāraiṣ ṭaṅkaiś ca dātraiś chindan kva cit kva cit In treeless places some planted trees, while some cut here and there with axes, chisels, and sickles. **2.74.8** apare vīraṇastambān balino balavattarāḥ vidhamanti sma durgāṇi sthalāni ca tatas tataḥ Others, strong and stronger still, tore up clumps of vīraṇa-grass and cleared away rough ground and high spots here and there. **2.74.9** apare 'pūrayan kūpān pāṃsubhiḥ śvabhram āyatam nimnabhāgāṃs tathā ke cit samāṃś cakruḥ samantataḥ Others filled up the wells and a long chasm with earth; and some made the low-lying parts level all around. **2.74.10** babandhur bandhanīyāṃś ca kṣodyān saṃcukṣudus tadā bibhidur bhedanīyāṃś ca tāṃs tān deśān narās tadā Then the men bound up what was to be bound, pounded flat what was to be crushed, and broke up what was to be broken — those various places. **2.74.11** acireṇaiva kālena parivāhān bahūdakān cakrur bahuvidhākārān sāgarapratimān bahūn udapānān bahuvidhān vedikā parimaṇḍitān In no long time they made many overflowing channels full of water, of manifold form and resembling seas, and many kinds of wells adorned with railed platforms. **2.74.12** sasudhākuṭṭimatalaḥ prapuṣpitamahīruhaḥ mattodghuṣṭadvijagaṇaḥ patākābhir alaṃkṛtaḥ With its ground paved smooth with plaster, its trees in full bloom, its flocks of birds crying out in rapture, and decked with banners, **2.74.13** candanodakasaṃsikto nānākusumabhūṣitaḥ bahv aśobhata senāyāḥ panthāḥ svargapathopamaḥ sprinkled with sandal-scented water and decorated with all sorts of flowers, the army's road shone greatly, like a path to heaven. **2.74.14** ājñāpyātha yathājñapti yuktās te 'dhikṛtā narāḥ ramaṇīyeṣu deśeṣu bahusvāduphaleṣu ca Then, being commanded, the appointed men, diligent, according to the order, in lovely regions abounding in sweet fruits, **2.74.15** yo niveśas tv abhipreto bharatasya mahātmanaḥ bhūyas taṃ śobhayām āsur bhūṣābhir bhūṣaṇopamam whatever encampment was desired by the great-souled Bharata, that they made all the more beautiful with adornments, so it was like an ornament itself. **2.74.16** nakṣatreṣu praśasteṣu muhūrteṣu ca tadvidaḥ niveśaṃ sthāpayām āsur bharatasya mahātmanaḥ Under auspicious constellations and at favourable moments, those who knew such matters set up the encampment of the great-souled Bharata. **2.74.17** bahupāṃsucayāś cāpi parikhāparivāritāḥ tatrendrakīlapratimāḥ pratolīvaraśobhitāḥ with high ramparts of heaped earth and surrounded by moats, resembling Indra's peaks there, graced with fine broad streets, **2.74.18** prāsādamālāsaṃyuktāḥ saudhaprākārasaṃvṛtāḥ patākā śobhitāḥ sarve sunirmitamahāpathāḥ furnished with rows of palaces, enclosed by white-plastered ramparts, all graced with banners and with well-made great roads — **2.74.19** visarpatbhir ivākāśe viṭaṅkāgravimānakaiḥ samucchritair niveśās te babhuḥ śakrapuropamāḥ With their lofty turret-topped mansions seeming to glide through the sky, those encampments looked like the city of Śakra. **2.74.20** jāhnavīṃ tu samāsādya vividhadruma kānanām śītalāmalapānīyāṃ mahāmīnasamākulām And reaching the Jāhnavī, with its forests of many kinds of trees, its cool clear waters, and teeming with great fish — **2.74.21** sacandratārāgaṇamaṇḍitaṃ yathā nabhaḥkṣapāyām amalaṃ virājate narendramārgaḥ sa tathā vyarājata krameṇa ramyaḥ śubhaśilpinirmitaḥ Just as the spotless sky, adorned with the moon and hosts of stars, shines by night, so did that king's highway shine — delightful in every stretch, wrought by skilled artisans.