उत्तररामचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - संस्कृत मूल एवं हिन्दी व्याख्या)

204 TRANSLATION OF [II 3-
Ātreyī -- And the venerable Vālmīki having taken
charge of them from the duties of a nurse brought them up
and looked after them. When their tonsure ceremony was
performed he carefully instructed them in the lores except
the three Vedas. Just after that in the eleventh year
from conception, he invested them with the sacred thread
according to the rite proper to the Kshatriya class, and taught
them the three Vedas. There is no possibility of persons like
me studying with these two possessing a very brilliant intellect
and a strong memory. For, (Verse 4) The teacher imparts
knowledge to the clever as well as to the dullard, but he does
not, indeed, give them the talent for learning nor does he take
it away, and there is a great difference between them with
respect to results, it happens thus: a pure jewel is able to take
in a reflection, not so a lump of clay and other things.
Goddess -- Is this the impediment to study (to which
you referred)?
Ātreyī -- There is another also.
Goddess -- What is that other?
Ātreyī -- Thereafter once the Brāhmaṇa sage went to the
river Tamasā for the mid-day bath. There he saw that one
out of a pair of herons was being shot by a hunter. He then
uttered divine speech, of well-regulated composition, which
suddenly manifested itself to him and which developed in the
form of the Anushṭubh metre. (Verse 5) 'Mayst thou
never attain rest, O Nishāda through eternal years, inasmuch
as thou slewest one of a pair of herons when it was maddened
by love.'
Goddess -- Wonderful! A new advent of metre different
from that of the Veda!
Ātreyī -- Then just at that time, the divine Brahmā, the
pro-creator of beings appearing before the revered sage, to
whom the light of Brahma in the form of speech had been
revealed, said -- 'Sage, thou art enlightened in the Śabda-form
of Brahma: describe, therefore the life of Rāma. Thy eye of
genius will be prophetic and will have its vision never obstruct-
ed, thou art the first sage who has seen the light of speech
and there is by thee the story of Rāma to be
composed in the metre called Anushṭubh which is the first
Śabdabrahma in that garb in the mortal world.'
Goddess -- Ah, then the world has been embellished.