Ramayana, Book VI, Canto 36: Rávan’s Replyयुद्धकाण्डम्

Ralph T. H. Griffith’s English verse (1870–74), beside the Sanskrit of sarga 6.36.

36Sanskrit sarga 6.36 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

तत् तु माल्यवतो वाक्यं हितमुक्तं दशाननः।
न मर्षयति दुष्टात्मा कालस्य वशमागतः॥ १॥
स बद्‍ध्वा भ्रुकुटिं वक्त्रे क्रोधस्य वशमागतः।
अमर्षात् परिवृत्ताक्षो माल्यवन्तमथाब्रवीत्॥ २॥
हितबुद्ध्या यदहितं वचः परुषमुच्यते।
परपक्षं प्रविश्यैव नैतच्छ्रोत्रगतं मम॥ ३॥
मानुषं कृपणं राममेकं शाखामृगाश्रयम्।
समर्थं मन्यसे केन त्यक्तं पित्रा वनाश्रयम्॥ ४॥
रक्षसामीश्वरं मां च देवानां च भयंकरम्।
हीनं मां मन्यसे केन अहीनं सर्वविक्रमैः॥ ५॥
वीरद्वेषेण वा शङ्के पक्षपातेन वा रिपोः।
त्वयाहं परुषाण्युक्तो परप्रोत्साहनेन वा॥ ६॥
प्रभवन्तं पदस्थं हि परुषं कोऽभिभाषते।
पण्डितः शास्त्रतत्त्वज्ञो विना प्रोत्साहनेन वा॥ ७॥
आनीय च वनात् सीतां पद्महीनामिव श्रियम्।
किमर्थं प्रतिदास्यामि राघवस्य भयादहम्॥ ८॥
वृतं वानरकोटीभिः ससुग्रीवं सलक्ष्मणम्।
पश्य कैश्चिदहोभिश्च राघवं निहतं मया॥ ९॥
द्वन्द्वे यस्य न तिष्ठन्ति दैवतान्यपि संयुगे।
स कस्माद् रावणो युद्धे भयमाहारयिष्यति॥ १०॥
द्विधा भज्येयमप्येवं न नमेयं तु कस्यचित्।
एष मे सहजो दोषः स्वभावो दुरतिक्रमः॥ ११॥
यदि तावत् समुद्रे तु सेतुर्बद्धो यदृच्छया।
रामेण विस्मयः कोऽत्र येन ते भयमागतम्॥ १२॥
स तु तीर्त्वार्णवं रामः सह वानरसेनया।
प्रतिजानामि ते सत्यं न जीवन् प्रतियास्यति॥ १३॥
एवं ब्रुवाणं संरब्धं रुष्टं विज्ञाय रावणम्।
व्रीडितो माल्यवान् वाक्यं नोत्तरं प्रत्यपद्यत॥ १४॥
जयाशिषा तु राजानं वर्धयित्वा यथोचितम्।
माल्यवानभ्यनुज्ञातो जगाम स्वं निवेशनम्॥ १५॥
रावणस्तु सहामात्यो मन्त्रयित्वा विमृश्य च।
लङ्कायास्तु तदा गुप्तिं कारयामास राक्षसः॥ १६॥
व्यादिदेश च पूर्वस्यां प्रहस्तं द्वारि राक्षसम्।
दक्षिणस्यां महावीर्यौ महापार्श्वमहोदरौ॥ १७॥
पश्चिमायामथ द्वारि पुत्रमिन्द्रजितं तदा।
व्यादिदेश महामायं राक्षसैर्बहुभिर्वृतम्॥ १८॥
उत्तरस्यां पुरद्वारि व्यादिश्य शुकसारणौ।
स्वयं चात्र गमिष्यामि मन्त्रिणस्तानुवाच ह॥ १९॥
राक्षसं तु विरूपाक्षं महावीर्यपराक्रमम्।
मध्यमेऽस्थापयद् गुल्मे बहुभिः सह राक्षसैः॥ २०॥
एवं विधानं लङ्कायां कृत्वा राक्षसपुंगवः।
कृतकृत्यमिवात्मानं मन्यते कालचोदितः॥ २१॥
विसर्जयामास ततः स मन्त्रिणो
विधानमाज्ञाप्य पुरस्य पुष्कलम्।
जयाशिषा मन्त्रिगणेन पूजितो
विवेश सोऽन्तःपुरमृद्धिमन्महत्॥ २२॥

English Griffith

But Rávaṇ’s breast with fury swelled,
And thus he spake by Death impelled,
While, under brows in anger bent,
Fierce glances from his eyes were sent:
“The bitter words which thou, misled
By friendly thought, hast fondly said,
Which praise the foe and counsel fear,
Unheeded fall upon mine ear.
How canst thou deem a mighty foe
This Ráma who, in stress of woe,
Seeks, banished as his sire decreed,
Assistance from the Vánar breed?
Am I so feeble in thine eyes,
Though feared by dwellers of the skies,—
Whose might in many a battle shown
The glorious race of giants own?
Shall I for fear of him restore
The lady whom I hither bore,
Exceeding fair like Beauty’s Queen⁹⁴⁴
Without her well-loved lotus seen?
Around the chief let Lakshmaṇ stand,
Sugríva, and each Vánar band,
Soon, Malyaván, thine eyes will see
This boasted Ráma slain by me.
I in the brunt of war defy
The mightiest warriors of the sky;
And if I stoop to combat men,
Shall I be weak and tremble then?
This mangled trunk the foe may rend,
But Rávaṇ ne’er can yield or bend,
And be it vice or virtue, I
This nature never will belie.
What marvel if he bridged the sea?
Why should this deed disquiet thee?
This, only this, I surely know,
Back with his life he shall not go.”

Thus in loud tones the king exclaimed,
And mute stood Malyaván ashamed,
His reverend head he humbly bent,
And slowly to his mansion went.
But Rávaṇ stayed, and deep in care
Held counsel with his nobles there,
All entrance to secure and close,
And guard the city from their foes.
He bade the chief Prahasta wait,
Commander at the eastern gate,
To fierce Mahodar, strong and brave,
To keep the southern gate, he gave,
Where Mahápárśva’s might should aid
The chieftain with his hosts arrayed.
To guard the west—no chief more fit—
He placed the warrior Indrajít,
His son, the giant’s joy and boast,
Surrounded by a Rákshas host:
And mighty Sáraṇ hastened forth
With Śuka to protect the north.⁹⁴⁵
“I will myself,” the monarch cried,
“Be present on the northern side.”
These orders for the walls’ defence
The tyrant gave, then parted thence,
And, by the hope of victory fired,
To chambers far within, retired.

Griffith’s notes (2)

Lakshmí is the Goddess both of beauty and fortune, and is represented with a lotus in her hand.
The poet appears to have forgotten that Śuka and Sáraṇ were dismissed with ignominy in Canto XXIX, and have not been reinstated.