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BALAKANDA
 
पादबद्धोऽक्षरसमस् तन्त्रीलयसमन्वितः ।
शोकार्तस्य प्रवृत्तो मे श्लोको भवतु नान्यथा ॥
 
"This which has issued forth from me
suffering from grief, divided into four parts
with the same number of syllables in each
with rhythm and tone complete, this can
only be a Sloka and nothing else."
 
तमेव चिन्तयन्नर्थम् उपावर्तत वै मुनिः ।
आजगाम ततो ब्रह्मा लोककर्ता स्वयं प्रभुः ॥
 
Turning over this very thought, the
ascetic returned. Then Brahma himself,
the lord and the creator of the worlds,
came thither.
 
तमुवाच ततो ब्रह्मा प्रहस्य मुनिपुङ्गवम् ।
 
श्लोक एव त्वया बद्धो नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥
 
Smilingly, Brahma informed the fore-
most of ascetics thus: "A sloka indeed has
been composed by you; there is no need
for further enquiry as to this.
 
मच्छन्दादेव ते ब्रह्मन् प्रवृत्तेयं सरस्वती ।
वृत्तं कथय वीरस्य यथा ते नारदाच्छ्रुतम्
 

 
Through my will indeed this Goddess of
Speech (Sarasvathi) has issued forth. Com-
pose the story of the hero as you have
heard it from Narada.