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Ravanavadha 5

English (machine translation) 5

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English

Contents

5.1

Bent on expelling, bent on prevailing, bent on advancing the battle further, / swift to leap and steadfast, Khara and Dūṣaṇa moved about.

5.2

Armed with swords, pestles, lances, discuses, arrows, and clubs, / they cast a shadow of weapons in the battle obscured by dust.

5.3

Then the two foremost of Raghu's line, unerring, pierced their vital spots again and again / with sharp iron arrows, and dispatched their two enemies into Yama's power.

5.4

Then, her kinsmen slain, Śūrpaṇakhā went from the forest / to her lord Rāvaṇa, dwelling across the ocean in Laṅkā.

5.5

Having reached the demons' assembly, overwhelmed with fury she cried out; / she wept and wailed the names of her two brothers in Rāvaṇa's presence:

5.6

"O hero! Those two eminent demons who occupied Daṇḍaka / have been laid low in combat by two men, together with their attendants, merely swelling the soil.

5.7

Your hostility is with Indra, who has Bṛhaspati as priest / and Kumāra as army commander; what policy is this, that you sit idle?

5.8

If I had not come, lord, mutilated of nose and my kinsmen slain, / you would not have known all this, negligent and weak in spies as you are.

5.9

A deed about to be done must be known, not to speak of what has been done by foes! / Even when an injury has been inflicted, you do not know it—are you an ambitious conqueror or not?

5.10

Surrounded by table companions, lying in bed, heedless, / addicted to drink, absent-minded, you will not lead your sovereignty to everlasting endurance.

5.11

Now Indra approaches sacrifices having fire-altars / from the hermitages of soma-pressers, to consume his mighty share.

5.12

Curds and milk for curd-offerings, sacred cakes, herbs, / sacrificial butter, and fresh butter—these the demons no longer spoil.

5.13

Rāma, having a young wife, bow in hand, standing on the ground, / his arrows like death, slays those who roam the sky and obstruct sacrifices.

5.14

The deities consume the flesh offered by the lip / and fit to be prepared; the demons flee to the quarters in fear of Rāma.

5.15

Make your intellect sharp as the tip of kuśa grass, abandon self-will; / lead your hereditary royal fortune to endure through your sons and grandsons.

5.16

Do not rest secure, holding in your hand that fickle fortune / which many skillful, energetic men with allies desire!

5.17

Fortune, seeking union with a man, out of wantonness like an unchaste wife, / even while standing beside her husband glances deceitfully at another.

5.18

He has a darling wife, foremost of women, moving like a swan, / dark as a stalk of dūrvā grass, her body symmetrical as a nyagrodha tree.

5.19

He who does not behold her face, or kiss her lower lip, / or hear her words, has his senses placed in him in vain.

5.20

She is the quintessence of sense-objects; he who possesses her has true joy; / immersion in a bed along with other women I deem worthless.

5.21

I see no one whose mind would not be agitated by her; / win her even at the cost of the three worlds, and be fulfilled.

5.22

Neither Indrāṇī, nor Rudrāṇī, nor the daughter of Manu, nor Rohiṇī, / nor Varuṇānī, nor Agnāyī is a woman equal to her."

5.23

The lord of demons replied to her: "Take heart, why do you fear? / Dispel your agitation, night-roamer! Chatterer, I am Rāvaṇa!

5.24

Hari, desiring to see me, held back by staff-bearers, / served me from afar, eager to receive a command, looked upon with contempt out of the corner of an eye.

5.25

The thunderbolt, having the tip of its fierce edge broken against my chest, / strong though it was, deemed itself mighty merely for not breaking into a hundred pieces.

5.26

Having made the elephant Airāvata a tying-post for the trees of Laṅkā, / I abandoned him bowed down like straw, since he was useless for binding.

5.27

Behold my vaunted greatness: even though darkness in my city / is destroyed by the brilliance of fine gems, the full moon is ever present.

5.28

Robbed of his jewels, deprived of vigor, paying tribute to the demons, / does not Gotrabhid in heaven approach his wife full of shame?

5.29

A conflict of mine with Rāma, whose splendour is not my match, / is shameful; nevertheless, I shall strive for his suppression."

5.30

Leaping into the sky, the ten-necked one, travelling at the speed of thought, bearing sharp weapons, / proceeded toward Mārīca, whose abode was near the ocean.

5.31

Arriving at his dwelling, he told him the account; / then, having heard the matter, the frightened one addressed the ten-faced one:

5.32

"Conceal yourself, O lord of demons, from that tiger of Raghu's line, / who is irresistible in battle, bearing a bow that stops the hands [of foes]!

5.33

Kārtavīrya, who made you conclude an ignominious peace— / Rāma conquered the killer of that very king, celebrated through all the worlds.

5.34

Tāḍakā, who saw the face of Yama, knows his prowess; / and I, imagining myself a hero, was driven from the battle by that lion-roaring warrior.

5.35

You have not experienced him, nor has he experienced you; / but he has been experienced by me, and I was experienced by him.

5.36

Rāma is pre-eminent among weapon-bearers; those like me are inferior compared to him. / At Mithilā, at the sacrifice, he broke the bow that was the bride-price for the maiden.

5.37

Khara and Dūṣaṇa, fighting side by side, recognized his power, / as did the sacrificers and soma-pressers whom he protected at the rites.

5.38

Born to comfort, wine-drinking, man-eating, garland-wearing, / sport with women throughout Laṅkā! Do not undertake war with the mighty."

5.39

Reviling that panic-monger, Rāvaṇa replied: / "If that Rāma defeated one whose strength was already spent, what of it?

5.40

Tāḍakā, whose ornaments were modesty and fear, was slain by him; / if that is praise-worthy against women, shame on this base-minded world!

5.41

That Rāma frightened you with arrows at a petty brahmanic sacrifice— / you, a coward barking only at home—that is no valour!

5.42

A bow lying around for ages, decayed and eaten by worms— / what wonder if it was broken by Rāma before wretched kṣatriyas?

5.43

What wonder if the two heroes Khara and Dūṣaṇa, / scornful and heedless of an adversary who was a wretched forest ascetic, met their death?"

5.44

"And you are a coward, O very foolish one! You always seek refuge, / and you conceal our virtues, and you constantly praise our enemies.

5.45

Therefore I will have you beheaded, causing you to nourish the earth, / or else, wishing to seize the two forest-dwellers, I will make you do the task."

5.46

To him, whose sharp sword was drawn, Mārīca, wishing to live, / replied, appeasing him out of fear: "I will be on the front against the enemy for you.

5.47

Turning into a deer, I will lure away Rāma and Saumitri, who delight in the chase; / and you, marching against the foe, carry out your enterprise at your pleasure."

5.48

Then, causing wonder, that deer made of gold and gems / bounded in front of Sītā, enticing her greatly.

5.49

With that deer, deer-eyed Maithilī / impelled broad-chested Rāma to play the hunter, wishing to wear the deer-skin.

5.50

Then, having appointed Lakṣmaṇa to ensure Sītā's welfare, / Rāma, endowed with the prowess of an elephant, went following the track of the deer.

5.51

Seeing the deer, wondrous in behavior, which went pausing again and again somewhere / and stood still somewhere after bounding again and again, Rāma was astonished.

5.52

Having exerted himself for a long time, Rāma, who strikes the vitals, / struck with an arrow that frightful night-wanderer, whose bounds were erratic, as he screamed.

5.53

Hearing the cry like a thunderclap, the lamenting woman, / thinking Rāma had fallen into distress, urged Saumitri to go.

5.54

"Here your brother cries out, sounding like a cloud born in the rainy season; / show your fraternal duty, O Saumitri! Protect Raghava from danger!"

5.55

"This is not Rāma's cry; it belongs to the deer itself who wishes to deceive; / it is a sound resembling Rāma's roar," he said to her.

5.56

"O timid woman, who is able to withstand angry Kākutstha in battle, / whose neck, shoulders, and throat are stout, and who blankets the quarters with arrows?

5.57

Wishing to cast his body into the fire of weapons, seeking to gamble with his life, / the deer approached Rāma, whose thumb is hardened by the bowstring's friction, out of a desire to die.

5.58

Who could terrify that Rāma who strikes fear into enemies? / Do not be afraid; your husband will be seen by you this very day, his purpose accomplished."

5.59

"It is my wish that you should go, and yet you do not venture to go; / you are desirous of enjoying me!" Thus was he spoken to by her.

5.60

To her speaking falsehood, the best of the Raghus, whose speech was true, / master of his senses, departed, cursing her: "You shall fall into the hands of the enemy!"

5.61

When he had departed, Rāvaṇa, clean with water, with clean teeth, with a top-knot, / constantly muttering prayers, carrying a rosary, bearing a soft gourd,

5.62

with a clean water-pot and skull, and with a cleansed head, / clad in two lac-dyed garments, with his requisites packed into a bundle, holding a staff,

5.63

studying the science of the Self, observing the vow of a mendicant, / snapping his fingers repeatedly as he spoke, and looking with a twitch of his eyebrow,

5.64

wishing to show mildness, wishing to conceal his nature as a night-wanderer, / walking about slowly, approached and said to Sītā: "May you be happy!"

5.65

She of pure smile put to shame the evening splendor of the day-ending lunar day / and the daytime beauty of lotuses with her eternal splendor.

5.66

"Who are you, timid lady, alone in the forest devoid of kinsfolk? / How is it that the beasts of prey, though hungry, have not devoured you, unguarded?

5.67

Making this forest, though fearful, into one that turns charming, / you whose form captivates the heart: speak, for what reason have you come?

5.68

You who do pleasant deeds, what fortunate man do you serve with pleasure? / What flatterer, performer of meritorious deeds, is your servant in love's delights?

5.69

This beauty of yours is rare all around the ocean and as far as heaven; / for us who have seen it, life has truly reached its highest purpose.

5.70

Like a lotus-plant on a fine day, whose honey has been drunk by bees, / possessing the splendor of fine fragrance, it is my belief that you are not husbandless.

5.71

Falsely does Śrī think herself fortunate; Hari considers himself possessed of fortune in vain; / having seen you in person, I consider that you carry away the fortune of Śrī!

5.72

Smara would not long so excessively, if he were to see you, / nor would he dwell sporting constantly with Rati joined to him.

5.73

Seeing you behaving so charmingly, what woman here would not become jealous? / Or what man, even if like an inanimate post, would not set his mind on your splendor?

5.74

Every person suffers; he alone is happy / toward whom, full of longing, you are not averse when in his presence.

5.75

What man, pretending to be wise, taking you who resemble a bait of flesh, / fearing those who act as enemies, has settled in this desolate forest?"

5.76

Summoning her courage, having offered him the water of hospitality, Janaka's daughter, / full of respect, spoke faltering words to the ten-headed one:

5.77

"Of noble birth in the race of Ikṣvāku, Daśaratha's son is my husband, / who does what is pleasing to his father, and who brings security to ascetics;

5.78

the slayer of those who create enmity, who always confers many benefits upon the good, / who brought an end to the power of axe-bearing Rāma in battle;

5.79

who always protects the sacrifices of ritual performers, and completes sacred deeds, / who, by the command of his father, gave up kingship and came to the forest.

5.80

In this fearful forest, demons attended by birds and jackals, / cut down by his arrows, lie fallen in rows.

5.81

How do you not know Rāma, who plays with sharp arrows, / who hurls great maces, and who slays his foes?

5.82

Having entrusted me to his brother, that huntsman went to hunt the deer; / his younger brother has been sent by me into the forest to search for him."

5.83

Then the ten-faced one, growing angry, with red eyes, / prominent with dripping drops of sweat, showing his inner intention, said to her:

5.84

"Who would respect Raghava, who resembles one stripped naked and robbed, / the eldest son banished for the sake of the son of the youngest wife?

5.85

If he overthrew demons in the sacrifices of novice boys, heroes only over lumps of food, / O frog in a well, what wonder is there to you in this much?

5.86

Why is it fitting for me to recount how Hari is reduced to poverty, / the enjoyment and retinue of his kingdom cut short by my prowess?

5.87

Because the lord of wealth, stripped of Laṅkā, deprived of pride, his Puṣpaka taken away, / dwells inside a mountain—who does not know the reason for that?

5.88

Even Yama himself, trembling before me, meditating like a shipwrecked man, / sits helpless with his face bearing a dark hue.

5.89

The golden city situated in the ocean's basin, on the table-land of a mountain, / a treasury of gems, is named Laṅkā, O Maithilī!

5.90

In a dwelling sprinkled and swept clean, anointed and perfumed with scents, / having put on large fragrant garlands, dwell there with me!"

5.91

"Unite, O woman fond of men, with me, a youthful man fond of women, O lovely maiden! / The scion of Raghu has become worse by living abroad; abandon that destitute man!

5.92

Living a life of eating and drinking, intent upon the works of love, / having brought the Ten-necked one under your sway, rejoice in my splendid palace!

5.93

Do not remain obstinate, O timid one! Become eager to go, / and, shining forth, come rub against my chest!"

5.94

Knowing her to be hostile, and desiring to carry her off, the night-roamer of terrifying form / squeezed her tight in his arms, embraced her, and plunged into the sky.

5.95

As he set off toward the dwelling of night-roamers carrying her as she trembled, / the beasts and birds fell silent out of fear and sat motionless.

5.96

To her as she wailed aloud in distress, "O Rāma! O Lakṣmaṇa!", / came Jaṭāyu, the lord of birds, speaking harsh words to Rāvaṇa.

5.96.p1

Thus ends the first miscellaneous section.

5.96.p2

Now begins the section on governing rules.

5.97

"O enemy! You, wandering about and carrying off the best of forest-dwellers in the forest, / are the foremost of vile wretches: you shall not go ahead of me!

5.98

Shame on you, the shameless one who torments Rāma, / who practices fame-producing conduct, who is known on earth as merciful, and who obeys his father's command!

5.99

I am surely the end-maker of yours, as the sun is to darkness, / O demon!—a servant-like follower who must be guided by Rāma."

5.100

Making an outcry to slay that man-eater who brings affliction upon the virtuous / and creates enmity, the bird who makes strife swooped down from the sky.

5.100.p1

Hereafter, miscellaneous [rules].

5.101

Spreading out in the sky an awning that extended in all directions with his two wings, / he fought with blows of his beak so that flesh and blood were laid bare.

5.102

He did not fear, he felt no shame, he did not grow weary, he did not suffer pain, / and, striking and being pierced, he did not retreat from the fight.

5.103

He shattered in battle that terrible chariot bearing a banner, furnished with an umbrella and armor, / drawn by goblins with ghost-faces, as if it were a wretched cart.

5.103.p1

Hereafter, the section on the affix ām.

5.104

He terrified the enemy; he brought joy to the gods looking on; / he made the enemy let go of Sītā with his twenty arms.

5.105

Rāvaṇa, undistressed and fierce, coughed; / then the bird, whose weapons were claws and beak, tore him to pieces once more.

5.106

Under the sway of fury the two strove to kill one another; / the bird did not flee, nor did the demon show mercy.

5.107

The gods, Gandharvas, and Kinnaras sat around to watch; / by deceit, the meat-eater cut off the wings of the bird.

5.108

Seeing that best of sky-goers cut down and rolling upon the ground, the Ten-faced one, rejoicing, / mounted his excellent chariot drawn by terrible steeds and went to his city, taking along Rāma's beloved.

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