Book VI : Yuddha Kanda - Book Of War
Ravana turns his deaf ear to the words of Malyavan and even abuses him that the latter exaggerating the strength of Rama. Ravana further says that he will not restore Seetha to Rama and that Rama and his army will not go back alive, having crossed the ocean and reached Lanka. Then, Ravana assigns Prahasta and others to guard the four main gates of Lanka against the inroads of the enemy. He retires to his inner apartments, after ordering these assignments. |
tattu maalyavato vaakyam hitam uktam daza aananaH |
na marSayati duSTa atmaa kaalasya vazam aagataH || 6-36-1
1. dashaananaH= Ravana the ten-faced monster; duSTaatmaa= the evil-minded; aagataH= who had fallen; vasham= under the sway; kaalasya= of Death; na marSayati= could not brook; tat= that; hitam= beneficial; vaakyam= advice; uktam= uttered; maalyavataH= by Malyavan.
The evil- minded Ravana the ten-faced monster, who had fallen under the sway of Death; could not brook that beneficial advice tendered by Malyavan.
sa baddhvaa bhru kuTim vaktre krodhasya vazam aagataH |
amarSaat parivR^itta akSo maalyavantam atha abraviit || 6-36-2
2. saH= He; aagataH= had fallen; vasham= under the sway; krodhasya= of anger; baddhavaa= knitting; bhrukuTim= his brows; vaktre= on the face; parivR^ittaakSaH= rolling his eyes; dmarSaat= in fury; abraviit= spoke; atha= then; maalyavantam= to Malyavan; (as follows)
He had fallen under the sway of anger, knitting his brows on the face as he was, rolling his eyes in fury and spoke to Malyavan (as follows)
hita buddhyaa yad ahitam vacah paruSam ucyate |
para pakSam pravizya eva na etat zrotra gatam mama || 6-36-3
3. etat= these; ahitam= improper; paruSam= and harsh; vachaH= words; yat= which; uchyate= were spoken (by you); hita buddhyaa= taking them to be salutary; pravishyaiva= and even entering into parapakSam= the side of an enemy; na shrotagatam= has not caught the ears; mama= to me.
"I have closed my ears to the speech you have made, albeit with good intentions and even by taking sides with the enemy."
maanuSam kR^ipaNam raamam ekam zaakhaa mR^iga aazrayam |
samartham manyase kena tyaktam pitraa vana aalayam || 6-36-4
4. kena= how; manyase= are you thinking; raamaH= Rama; maanuSam= who is a human being; kR^ipaNam= a feeble man; ekam= a small man; shaakhamR^igaashrayam= taking help from monkeys; tyaktam= abandoned; pitraa= by his father; vanaashrayam= and dwelling in a forest; samartham= as competent?
"How can you hold Rama, who is a mere human being, a small feeble man, taking help from monkeys and dwelling in a forest having been abandoned by his father, to be a competent person?"
rakSasaam iizvaram maam ca devataanaam bhayam karam |
hiinam maam manyase kena;ahiinam sarva vikramaiH || 6-36-5
5. kena= why; manyase= are you thinking; maam= me; iishvaram= the Lord; rakSasaam= of demons; bhayamkaram= causing fear; devaanaam cha= to celestials; ahiinam= full; sarva vikramaiH= of all powers; hiinam= as a weaker person?
"How can you hold me, the Lord of demons, terrifying celestials and possessing all powers in full, to be a weaker person?"
viira dveSeNa vaa zanke pakSa paatena vaa ripoH |
tvayaa aham paruSaaNy uktaH para protsaahanena vaa || 6-36-6
6. aham= I; shaN^ke= suspect; paruSaaNi= (that) these harsh words; uktaH= were spoken; tvayaa= by you; viiradveSeNa= because of your hero-hatred; pakSapatena vaa= or your partiality; ripoH= towards the enemies; protsahanena vaa= or my (wrong) encouragement.
"I suspect that you spoke these harsh words to me because of your envy of my prowess or your partiality towards the enemies or my lenience towards you."
prabhavantam padastham hi paruSam ko ahbidhaasyati |
paNDitah zaastra tattvajno vinaa protsaahanaad ripoH || 6-36-7
7. kaH= which; panditaH= learned man; shaastra tattvajJNaH= understanding the truth in the scriptures abhibhaashhate= would speak; paruSam= thus harshly; padastham= to a person in power; prabhavantam= who is mighty vinaa protsaahanena vaa= without any instigation?
"Which learned man, understand the truth in the scriptures, would speak thus harshly to a mighty person in power, were it not to instigate him?"
aaniiya ca vanaat siitaam padma hiinaam iva zriyam |
kim artham pratidaasyaami raaghavasya bhayaad aham || 6-36-8
8. kimartham= why; aham= (should) I; pratidaasyaam= give back; siitaam= Seetha; shriyam iva= who is like Lashmi; the goddess of fortune; padmahiinaam= without the loutus; aaniiya= having brought her; vanaat= from the forest; bhayaat= through fear; raaghavasya of Rama?
"Why should I give back Seetha, who is like Lakshmi the goddess of fortune without the lotus, having brought her away from the forest, through fear of Rama?"
vR^itam vaanara koTiibhiH sasugriivam salakSmaNam |
pazya kaizcid ahobhis tvam raaghavam nihatam mayaa || 6-36-9
9. kaishchit= within a few; ahobhiH= days; pashya= see; raaghvam= Rama; salakSmaNam= along with Lakshama; sasngriivam= together with Sugreeva; nR^itam= in the midst; vaanara koTiibhiH= of crores of monkeys; nihatam= killed; mayaa= by me.
"See Rama killed within a few days by me, along with Lakshama together with Sugreeva in the midst of crores of monkeys."
dvandve yasya na tiSThanti daivataany api samyuge |
sa kasmaad raavaNo yuddhe bhayam aahaarayiSyati || 6-36-10
10. kasmaat= how; saH= (should) that; raavaNaH= Ravana; yasya= whom; samynge= in combat; daivataanyapi= the celestials themselves; na tiSThanti= dare not withstand; dvandve= in a duel; aahaarayiSyati= entertain; bhayam= fear; yuddhe= in the encounter?
"How should this Ravana, whom in combat, the celestials themselves dare not meet in a duel, entertain fear in this encounter?"
dvidhaa bhajyeyam apy evam na nameyam tu kasyacit |
eSa me sahajo doSah svabhaavo duratikramaH || 6-36-11
11. bhajyeyamapi= even if I am broken; dvidhaa= into two; na meyam= I shall not bend; kasya chit= to any body; evam= in this way; eSaH= this; me= is my; sahajaH= nature; doSaH= defect; svabhaavaH= which temperament; duratikramH= is difficult to be overcome.
"Rather would I be cut into two pieces than bend before anybody! Such was I from birth, it is my nature by difacult and unalterable."
yadi taavat samudre tu setur baddho yadR^icchayaa |
raameNa vismayaH ko atra yena te bhayam aagatam || 6-36-12
12. kaH= what; vismayaH= great marvel; atra= is there; yena = (in) that; aagatam= which should give way; bhayam= to terror; me= for me; yadi yadR^ichchhayaa= if by happy chance; setuH= a bridge; baddhaH taavat= indeed was constructed; samudre= accross the ocean; raameNa= by Rama.
"What great marvel is there in that which gave way to terror if by happy chance, a bridge indeed was constructed by Rama across the ocean."
sa tu tiirtvaa arNavam raamaH saha vaanara senayaa |
pratijaanaami te satyam na jiivan pratiyaasyati || 6-36-13
13. saH raaghavaH= that Rama; vaanara senayaa sha= along with his army of monkeys; tiirtraa= having crossed; aarNaam= the ocean; na pratiyaasyati= will not go back; jiivan= alive; pratijaanaami= I am promising; satyam= truely; te= to you.
"That Rama along with his army of monkeys, having crossed the ocean, will not go back alive. It is my true promise to you."
evam bruvaaNam samrabdham ruSTam vijnaaya raavaNam |
vriiDito maalyavaan vaakyam na uttaram pratyapadyata || 6-36-14
14. vijJNaaya= knowing; raavaNam= Ravana; ruSTam= to be furious; bruvaaNam= speaking; samrabdham= excited; iti= in this way; maalyavaan= Malyavan; vriiDitaH= felt bashful; na pratyapadyata= did not get; vaakyam= (any) words; uttaram= in reply.
Beholding Ravana to be highly excited and speaking with such fury, Malyavan, abashed, did not reply.
jaya aaziSaa ca raajaanam vardhayitvaa yathaa ucitam |
maalyavaan abhyanujnaato jagaama svam nivezanam || 6-36-15
15. vardhayitvaa= Invoking; jayaashiSaa= blessings of victory; raajaanam= to the king; yathochitam= as courtesy demanded; maalyavaan= Malyavan; abhyaanujJNaataH= having been given permission; jagaama= went; svam= to his own; niveshanam= house.
Invoking blessings of victory to the king as courtesy demanded Malyavan took permission and went home.
raavaNas tu saha amaatyo mantrayitvaa vimR^izya ca |
lankaayaam atulaam guptim kaarayaam aasa raakSasaH || 6-36-16
16. raakSasaH= Ravana the demon on his part, sahaamaatyaH= assisted by his ministers; mantrayitvaa= having deliberated; vimR^ishya= on the things to be examined; kaarayaamaasa= set about planning; tadaa= then; guptim= the defense; laN^kaayaaH= of Lanka.
Ravana the demon on his part, assisted by his ministers having deliberated on the things to be examined, set about planning the defense of Lanka.
vyaadideza ca puurvasyaam prahastam dvaari raakSasam |
dakSiNasyaam mahaa viiryau mahaa paarzva mahaa udarau || 6-36-17
pazcimaayaam atho dvaari putram indrajitam tathaa |
vyaadideza mahaa maayam raakSasair bahubhir vR^itam || 6-36-18
17, 18. atha= thereafter; vyaadidesha= he assigned; puurvaasyaam dvaari= eastern gate; raakSasam= to the demon; prahastam= Prahasta; vyaadidesha= assigned; dakSiNasyaam= the southern gate; mahaaparshva mahodarau= to Mahaparsva and Mahodara; mahaaviiryau= of great prowess; tadaa= then; pashchimaam= dvaasi= at the western gate; vyaadidesha= he appointed; putram= his son; indrajitam= Indrajit; mahaamaayam= a powerful conjuror; vR^itam= endowed with bahubhiH= a considerable force of; raakSasaiH= demons.
Thereafter, he assigned the eastern gate to the demon, Prahasta and the southern gate to Maha Parshva and Mhodara both of great prowess. At the western gate, he placed his son Indrajit, a powerful conjuror, with considerable force of demons.
uttarasyaam pura dvaari vyaadizya zuka saaraNau |
svayam ca atra bhaviSyaami mantriNas taan uvaaca ha || 6-36-19
19. vyaadishya= placing; shuka ssaraNau= shuka and Sarana; uttarasyaam= at the norhtern; puradvaari= city- gate; uvaacha ha= (he) spoke; mantriNaH= to his ministers; taan= that; gamiSyaami= he would go; tatra= there; svayam= personally.
Placing Shuka and Sarana at the northern city-gate, Ravana told his ministers that he would go there personally.
raakSasam tu viruupa akSam mahaa viirya paraakramam |
madhyame asthaapayad gulme bahubhih saha raakSasaiH || 6-36-20
20. aasthaapayat= He placed; raakSasam= the demon; viruupaakshham= Virupaksha; mahaa viirya paraakramam= who was full of energy and courage; madhyame= to be in the center; gulame= of the fort; bahubhiH raakSasaiH sha= with a large number of demons.
He place the demon Virupaksha, who was full of energy and courage, to be in the center of the fort, with a large number of demons.
evam vidhaanam lankaayaam kR^itvaa raakSasa pumgavaH |
mene kR^ita artham aatmaanam kR^ita anta vazam aagataH || 6-36-21
21. kR^itvaa= making; vidhaanam= an arrangement; evam= in this manner; laN^kaayaam= in Lanka; raakSasa puNgavaH= that bull among the demons; kaalachoditaH= under the sway of Time; manyate= deemed; aatmaanam= his; kR^ita kR^ityamiva= purpose as accomplished.
Making an arrangement in Lanka in this manner, that bull among demons, under the sway of Time, deemed his purpose as accomplished.
visarjayaam aasa tatah sa mantriNo |
vidhaanam aajnaapya purasya puSkalam |
jaya aaziSaa mantra gaNena puujito |
viveza so antah puram R^iddhiman mahat || 6-36-22
22. aajNaapya= having ordered; puSkalam= for the complete; vidhaanam= regulation; purasya= of the city; saH= Ravana; tataH= then; mantriNaH visarjayaamaasa= let his ministers depart; puujitaH= having been honoured; jayaashiSaa= by the body of counsellors; mantrigaNena= by the body of counsellors; saH= he; vivesha= entered; mahat= the mighty; R^iddhimat= and sumptuous; antaHpuram= inner apartments.
Having ordered for adequate arrangements for the defence of the city, Ravana then let his ministers depart. Having been honoured with blessings of victory by the body of counsellors, he entered his mighty and sumptuous inner apartments.
ityaarSe shriimadraamaayaNe aadikaavye yuddhakaaNDe saptatriMshaH sargaH
Thus completes 36th Chapter of Yuddha Kanda of the glorious Ramayana of Valmiki, the work of a sage and the oldest epic.
© October 2004, K. M. K. Murthy