ये चेमे कठकालापा बहवो दण्डमाणवाः। नित्यस्वाध्यायशीलत्वान्नान्यत्कुर्वन्ति किञ्चन॥
अलसाः स्वादुकामाश्च महतां चापि सम्मताः। तेषामशीतियानानि रत्नपूर्णानि दापय॥
शालिवाहसहस्रं च द्वे शते भद्रकांस्तथा। व्यञ्जनार्थं च सौमित्रे गोसहस्रमुपाकुरु॥
ye ceme kaṭha-kālāpā bahavo daṇḍa-māṇavāḥ nitya-svādhyāya-śīlatvān nānyat kurvanti kiñcana
alasāḥ svādu-kāmāś ca mahatāṁ cāpi sammatāḥ teṣām aśīti-yānāni ratna-pūrṇāni dāpaya
śālivāha-sahasraṁ ca dve śate bhadrakāṁs tathā vyañjanārthaṁ ca saumitre go-sahasram upākuru
ye ca ime = here; kaṭha-kālāpāḥ = studying the Kaṭha and Kalāpa hymns of the Vedas; bahavaḥ = many; daṇḍa-māṇavāḥ = brahmacārīs; nitya-svādhyāya-śīlatvāt = because they are habituated to constant study; na anyat kurvanti kiñcana = they do nothing else to procure their food and other necessities; alasāḥ = they are inactive; svādu-kāmāḥ = like to eat tasty food; ca = and; mahatām ca api = by great souls because of their extremely good conduct; sammatāḥ = they are approved; teṣām = the; aśīti-yānāni = eighty vehicles; ratna-pūrṇāni = filled with jewels and ornaments; dāpaya = have given; śālivāha-sahasram = a thousand bulls; ca = also; dve = two; śate = hundred; bhadrakān = useful oxen; tathā = and; vyañjana-artham ca = to derive [from them] milk, yoghurt and ghee; saumitre = son of Queen Sumitrā; go-sahasram = [give them] a thousand cows; upākuru = give [them].
Son of Queen Sumitrā, have the many brahmacārīs here studying the Kaṭha and Kalāpa hymns of the Vedas given eighty vehicles filled with jewels and ornaments. Because they are habituated to constant study and they do nothing else to procure their food and other necessities. They are inactive and like to eat tasty food. They are approved by the great souls because of their extremely good conduct. Give [them] also a thousand bulls and two hundred useful oxen. [Give them] a thousand cows to derive [from them] milk, yoghurt and ghee.
1 It is clear from these verses that Lord Śrī Rāma was in favor of genuine brahmacārīs fully devoted to Vedic study. Followers of the Lord might as well take inspiration from this to sponsor such genuine brahmacārīs fully devoted to study of the Vedic scriptures.
Daṇḍa-māṇavāḥ indicates that these brahmacārīs always had a palāśa stick with them. [Lord Rāma wanted that] they be given a thousand cows because they liked to eat nice food, that is, delicious juicy food. Because Rāma states that they should be given eighty vehicles, it can be inferred that there were eighty such brahmacārīs. Śālivāha-sahasram indicates that Lakṣmaṇa should arrange to give in charity bulls that carried grains. “Useful oxen” refers to oxen useful for agriculture.1