Ramayana, Book V, Canto 23: The Demons’ Threatsसुन्दरकाण्डम्

Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 5.23.

23Sanskrit sarga 5.23 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

इत्युक्त्वा मैथिलीं राजा रावणः शत्रुरावणः।
संदिश्य च ततः सर्वा राक्षसीर्निर्जगाम ह॥ १॥
निष्क्रान्ते राक्षसेन्द्रे तु पुनरन्तःपुरं गते।
राक्षस्यो भीमरूपास्ताः सीतां समभिदुद्रुवुः॥ २॥
ततः सीतामुपागम्य राक्षस्यः क्रोधमूर्च्छिताः।
परं परुषया वाचा वैदेहीमिदमब्रुवन्॥ ३॥
पौलस्त्यस्य वरिष्ठस्य रावणस्य महात्मनः।
दशग्रीवस्य भार्यात्वं सीते न बहु मन्यसे॥ ४॥
ततस्त्वेकजटा नाम राक्षसी वाक्यमब्रवीत्।
आमन्त्र्य क्रोधताम्राक्षी सीतां करतलोदरीम्॥ ५॥
प्रजापतीनां षण्णां तु चतुर्थोऽयं प्रजापतिः।
मानसो ब्रह्मणः पुत्रः पुलस्त्य इति विश्रुतः॥ ६॥
पुलस्त्यस्य तु तेजस्वी महर्षिर्मानसः सुतः।
नाम्ना स विश्रवा नाम प्रजापतिसमप्रभः॥ ७॥
तस्य पुत्रो विशालाक्षि रावणः शत्रुरावणः।
तस्य त्वं राक्षसेन्द्रस्य भार्या भवितुमर्हसि॥ ८॥
मयोक्तं चारुसर्वाङ्गि वाक्यं किं नानुमन्यसे।
ततो हरिजटा नाम राक्षसी वाक्यमब्रवीत्॥ ९॥
विवृत्य नयने कोपान्मार्जारसदृशेक्षणा।
येन देवास्त्रयस्त्रिंशद् देवराजश्च निर्जितः॥ १०॥
तस्य त्वं राक्षसेन्द्रस्य भार्या भवितुमर्हसि।
वीर्योत्सिक्तस्य शूरस्य संग्रामेष्वनिवर्तिनः।
बलिनो वीर्ययुक्तस्य भार्यात्वं किं न लिप्ससे॥ ११॥
प्रियां बहुमतां भार्यां त्यक्त्वा राजा महाबलः।
सर्वासां च महाभागां त्वामुपैष्यति रावणः॥ १२॥
समृद्धं स्त्रीसहस्रेण नानारत्नोपशोभितम्।
अन्तःपुरं तदुत्सृज्य त्वामुपैष्यति रावणः॥ १३॥
अन्या तु विकटा नाम राक्षसी वाक्यमब्रवीत्।
असकृद् भीमवीर्येण नागा गन्धर्वदानवाः।
निर्जिताः समरे येन स ते पार्श्वमुपागतः॥ १४॥
तस्य सर्वसमृद्धस्य रावणस्य महात्मनः।
किमर्थं राक्षसेन्द्रस्य भार्यात्वं नेच्छसेऽधमे॥ १५॥
ततस्तां दुर्मुखी नाम राक्षसी वाक्यमब्रवीत्।
यस्य सूर्यो न तपति भीतो यस्य स मारुतः।
न वाति स्मायतापाङ्गि किं त्वं तस्य न तिष्ठसे॥ १६॥
पुष्पवृष्टिं च तरवो मुमुचुर्यस्य वै भयात्।
शैलाः सुस्रुवुः पानीयं जलदाश्च यदेच्छति॥ १७॥
तस्य नैर्ऋतराजस्य राजराजस्य भामिनि।
किं त्वं न कुरुषे बुद्धिं भार्यार्थे रावणस्य हि॥ १८॥
साधु ते तत्त्वतो देवि कथितं साधु भामिनि।
गृहाण सुस्मिते वाक्यमन्यथा न भविष्यसि॥ १९॥

English Griffith

Then round the helpless Sítá drew
With fiery eyes the hideous crew,
And thus assailed her, all and each,
With insult, taunt, and threatening speech:
“What! can it be thou prizest not
This happy chance, this glorious lot,
To be the chosen wife of one
So strong and great, Pulastya’s son?
Pulastya—thus have sages told—
Is mid the Lords of Life⁸³⁸ enrolled.
Lord Brahmá’s mind-born son was he,
Fourth of that glorious company.
Viśravas from Pulastya sprang,—
Through all the worlds his glory rang.
And of Viśravas, large-eyed dame!
Our king the mighty Rávaṇ came.
His happy consort thou mayst be:
Scorn not the words we say to thee.”

One awful demon, fiery-eyed,
Stood by the Maithil queen and cried:
’Come and be his, if thou art wise,
Who smote the sovereign of the skies,
And made the thirty Gods and three,⁸³⁹
O’ercome in furious battle, flee.
Thy lover turns away with scorn
From wives whom grace and youth adorn.
Thou art his chosen consort, thou
Shall be his pride and darling now.”

Another, Vikatá by name,
In words like these addressed the dame:
“The king whose blows, in fury dealt,
The Nágas⁸⁴⁰ and Gandharvas⁸⁴¹ felt,
In battle’s fiercest brunt subdued,
Has stood by thee and humbly wooed.
And wilt thou in thy folly miss
The glory of a love like this?
Scared by his eye the sun grows chill,
The wanderer wind is hushed and still.
The rains at his command descend,
And trees with new-blown blossoms bend.
His word the hosts of demons fear,
And wilt thou, dame, refuse to hear?
Be counselled; with his will comply,
Or, lady, thou shalt surely die.”

Griffith’s notes (4)

Prajápatis are the ten lords of created beings first created by Brahmá; somewhat like the Demiurgi of the Gnostics.
“This is the number of the Vedic divinities mentioned in the Rig-veda. In Ashṭaka I. Súkta XXXIV, the Rishi Hiraṇyastúpa invoking the Aśvins says: Á Násatyá tribhirekádaśairiha devebniryátam: ‘O Násatyas (Aśvins) come hither with the thrice eleven Gods.’ And in Súkta XLV, the Rishi Praskanva addressing his hymn to Agni (ignis, fire), thus invokes him: ‘Lord of the red steeds, propitiated by our prayers lead hither the thirty-three Gods.’ This number must certainly have been the actual number in the early days of the Vedic religion: although it appears probable enough that the thirty-three Vedic divinities could not then be found co-ordinated in so systematic a way as they were arranged more recently by the authors of the Upanishads. In the later ages of Bramanism the number went on increasing without measure by successive mythical and religious creations which peopled the Indian Olympus with abstract beings of every kind. But through lasting veneration of the word of the Veda the custom regained of giving the name of ‘the thirty-three Gods’ to the immense phalanx of the multiplied deities.” GORRESIO.
Serpent-Gods who dwell in the regions under the earth.
In the mythology of the epics the Gandharvas are the heavenly singers or musicians who form the orchestra at the banquets of the Gods, and they belong to the heaven of India in whose battles they share.