महावीरचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - वीररस-प्रधान रामकथा नाटक सम्पूर्ण ७ अङ्क सटीक)

ACT VII Then enters Lakshmaṇa. Lakshmaṇa—Ho, my worthy Sirs! To-day the exalted Vālmīki, as ye know (khalu), has summoned, along with ourselves, [our] subjects from towns and districts, with all Brahmans and Kshatriyas; and he has also, by his own [spiritual] power, secured the presence of hosts of Gods and Demons, [Apes and other] animals, the Serpent-lords with their retinue: in fact, the whole assemblage of Beings movable and immovable. And I am directed by the noble [King, Rāma] as follows—"Dear Lakshmaṇa, the exalted Vālmīki has invited us to witness his own play that is to be enacted by heavenly nymphs. Go, therefore, to the banks of the Ganges, which is to be the place for the concert, and seat the audience properly."— I have accordingly assigned proper seats to all the assemblage of Beings mortal and immortal. And here, now,— Is the noble [King, Rāma] who, even while carrying on the life- and-functions (āśrama) of royalty, has to follow the rigorous course of a hermit’s life: he is coming hither out of deference to [sage] Vālmīki. 1 Then enters Rāma. Rāma—Dear Lakshmaṇa, have the distinguished spectators (prāśnika) taken their seats? Lakshmaṇa—They have. Rāma—And those two boys—Kuśa and Lava—let them have accorded to them a position similar to [that of] Prince Chandraketu. Lakshmaṇa—Considering Your Lordship’s affection for them, that is just what I have done. Here is spread out the Royal seat. Both sit down. Rāma—Sirs, let the play begin. Stage-manager, entering—The exalted son of Varuṇa, [Vālmīki,] truthful in his utterances, thus commands the world movable and immovable— “Here is what dawned upon us in our spiritual insight—a certain composi- tion of ours pure-and-edifying and full of the Pathetic and the Marvellous sentiments. Do you, therefore, because of the importance of the issue [connected with it,] pay attention to the same.”