Book VI : Yuddha Kanda - Book Of War
Having been informed that Atikaya, Dhumraksha, Akampana, Prahasta, Kumbhakarna and other mighty demons are killed in battle, Ravana felt anxious. He is surprised as to how Rama and Lakshmana got released from the bind of arrows, made by Indrajit, his son earlier. He feels that no demon is capable of defeating Rama, Lakshmana, Sugreeva and Vibhishana. He enjoins demons to protect the City of Lanka and even Ashoka garden, where Seetha has been kept in capture. He asks the army not to be indifferent to the movements of the monkey-warriors. After issuing the necessary instruction to his army, he enters deep into his palace and remains boarding over the loss of Atikaya, his son. |
atikaayaM hataM shrutvaa lakSmaNena mahaatmanaa |
udvegamagamadraajaa vachanam chedamabraviit || 6-71-1
1. shrutvaa= hearing; atkaayam= Atikaya; hatam= killed; mahaatmanaa lakShmaNena= in the hands of the high souled Lakshmana; raajaa= the king; agamat= got; udvegam= an anxiety; abraviit= and spoke; idam= these; vachanam= words:
Hearing Atikaya having been killed in the hands of the great-souled Lakshmana, Ravana was worried and spoke as follows:
dhuumraakSaH paramaamarSii sarvashastrabhR^itaaM varaH |
akampanaH prahastashcha kumbhakarNasttathaiva cha || 6-71-2
ete mahaabalaa viiraa raakShasaa yuddhakaaN^ikShaNaH |
jetaaraH parasainyaanaaM parairnityaaparaajitaaH || 6-71-3
sasainyaaste hataa viiraa raameNaakliShTakarmaNaa |
raakShasaaH sumahaakaayaa naanaashastravishaaradaaH || 6-71-4
anye cha bahavaH shuuraa mahaatmaano nipaatitaaH |
2, 3, 4. dhuumraakShaH= Dhumraksha; akampanaH= Akampana; paramaamarShii= greatly impatient; sarvashastrabhR^itaam varaH= excellent among all the wielders of weapons; prahastashcha= Prahasta; tathaivacha= and; kumbhakarNaH= Kumbhakarna; mahaabalaaH= the mighty; viiraaH= and valiant; raakShasaaH= demons; yuddhakaaNkShiNaH= longing for battle; jetaaraH= who conquer; parasainyaanaam= the army of adversaries; nityaaparaajitaaH= never conquered; pariah= by enemies; te viiraaH= those warriors; sasainyaaH= along with their armies; hataaH= were killed; raameNa= by Rama; akliShTa bahavaH= many; karmaaNaam= unwearied in action; bahavaH= many; anye= other; mahaatmanaH= mighty; shuuraaH= warriors; sumahaakaayaaH= with colossal bodies; naanaashastravishaaradaaH= skilled in various kinds of weaponry; vinipaatitaaH= were struck down.
“Dhumraksha, who was greatly impatient Akampana who was excellent among all wielders of weapons, Prahasta and Kumbhakarna were killed by Rama, who was unwearied in battle. The mighty and valiant demons longing for battle, who conquer the adversaries, who was never defeated in battle by the enemies they along with their enemies were killed. Many other mighty warriors.
prakhyaatabalaviiryeNa putreNendrajitaa mama || 6-71-5
tau bhraatarau tadaa baddhau ghorairdattavaraiH sharaiH |
5. tadaa= that day; mama patreNa indrajitaa= by Indrajit, my son; prakhyaata bala viiryeNa= having renowned strength and prowess; tau= those two; bhraatrau= brothers; baddhau= were bound; ghoraiH sharaiH= by terrific arrows; dattavaraiH= on which boons had been conferred.
“That day, Indrajit, my son, whose strength and prowess are renowned, bound both Rama and Lakshmana, the brothers with terrific arrows, on which boons had been conferred.”
yanna shakyam suraiH sarvairasurairvaa mahaabalaiH || 6-71-6
moktum tad bandhanam ghoraM yakSagandharvapannagaiH |
tanna jaane prabhaavairvaa maayayaa mohanena vaa || 6-71-7
sharabandhaadvimuktau tau bhraatarau raamalakShmaNau |
6, 7. tat= that; bandhanam= bondage; yat= which; na shakyam= is not possible; moktum= to be released; sarvaiH suraiH= by all the celestials; mahaabalaiH asurairvaa= or by the mighty demons; yakSha gandharva pannagaiH= or by Yakshas the supernatural beings or Gandharvas the celestials musicians or Pannagas the serpent-demons; ghoram= was terrific; raamalakShmaNau= Rama and Lakshmana; tau bhraatarau= two brothers; vimuktau= were released; sharabandhaat= from that tie of arrows; prabhaavaiH vaa= either by their power; maayayaa= or by sorcery; mohanenavaa= or by stupor; na jaane= I do not know; tat= that.
“That terrific bind of arrow cannot be released by any celestial or a mighty demon or by Yakshas the supernatural beings or Gandharvas the celestial musicians or Pannagas the serpent-demons. Rama and Lakshmana, the two brothers were released from that tie of arrows either by their power or by their sorcery or by their marvel I do not know that.”
ye yodhaa nirgataah shuuraa raakShasaa mama shaasanaat 6-71-8
te sarve nihataa yuddhe vaanaraiH sumahaabalaiH |
8. ye= which; shuuraaH= valiant; yodhaaH= warriors; raakShaaH= of demons; mama shaasanaat= at my command; nirgataaH= have set out; yuddhe= for battle; sarve= all of them; nihataaH= were killed; sumahaabalaiH= by highly mighty; vaanaraiH= monkeys.
“All of those valiant demon-warriors set out for battle, at my command, were killed by those exceptionally mighty monkeys.”
taM na pashyaamyaham yuddhe yo.dya raamaM salakSmaNam 6-71-9
naashayetsabalam viiraM sasugriivavibhiiShaNam |
9. aham= I; na pashyaami= do not find; tam= such a person; yaH naashayet= who can destroy; viiram= the valiant Rama; sa lakShmaNam= along with Lakshmana; sasugriiva vibhiiShaNam= Sugreeva and Vibhishana; sabalam= accompanied by their army; yuddhe= in battle; adya= now.
“I do not find any demon, who can destroy the valiant Rama along with Lakshmana, Sugreeva and Vibhishana accompanied by their army in battle now.”
aho subalavaan raamo mahadastrabalam cha vai || 6-71-10
yasya vikramamaasaadya raakShasaa nidhanam gataaH |
10. yasya= by which Rama’s; vikramam= valour; raakShasaaH= the demons; aasaadya nidhanam gataaH= reached past destruction; raamaH= (that) Rama; aho= alas!; subalavaan= has a great strength; astra balamcha mahatvai= and indeed has an arrow of great power too.
“By Rama’s valour, the demons were destroyed. Alas! How great is Rama’s strength! How great is the power of his arrow!”
apramatteshcha sarvatraa gulmai rakSyaa purii tviyam || 6-71-11
ashokavanikaa chaiva yatra siitaabhirakShyate |
11. gulmaiH= by some regiments of army; iyam= this city; ashokaianikaachaiva= and even Ashoka garden; yatra= where; siitaa= Seetha; abhirakShyate= is being guarded; rakShyaatu= have to be protected; apramattaiH= vigilantly; sarvatra= on all sides.
“Some regiments of the army have to protect this City and even Ashoka garden where Seetha is being guarded, vigilantly on all sides.”
niShkramo vaa pravesho vaa jJNaatvyaH sarvadaiva naH || 6-71-12
yatra yatra bhavedgulmastatra tatra punaH punaH |
12. JNaatavyaH= It should be known; naH= to us; yatra yatra= wherever; gulmaH= a regiment of army; bhavet= is there; tatra tva= in that and that place (where); niShkramovaa= persons are going out; praveshovaa= and where persons are entering; sarvadaiva= at all times; punaH punaH= again and again.
“We should know the locations of army-regiments and also the places where persons are exiting and entering at all times, again and again.
sarvatashchaapi tiSThadhvam svaiH svaiH parivR^itaa balaiH || 6-71-13
draSTavyam cha padam teShaam vaanaraaNaaM nishaacharaaH |
13. nishaacharaaH= O demons!; tiShThadhvam= stay; sarvataH= on all sides; parivR^itaaH= surrounded by; svaiH svaiH balaiH= by your respective armies; padam teShaam vaanaraaNaam= the position of those monkeys; draShTavyam cha= is to be watched.
“O demons! Stay on all sides with your respective armies. The various positioning of those monkeys are to be watched.”
pradoShe vaardharaatre vaa pratyuuShe vaapi sarvashaH || 6-71-14
naavajJNaa tatra kartavyaa vaanareShu kadaachana |
dviShataaM balamudyuktamaapatatkiM sthitaM tathaa || 6-71-15
14, 15. tatra vaanareShu= in the case of monkeys; avaJNaa na kartavyaa= disrespect should not be shown; kadaachana= at any time; sarvashaH= in any way; pradoShevaa= either at evening time; ardharaatrevaa= or at midnight; pratyuuShevaa= or at dawn; (You have to watch whether); dviShataam balam= the army of adversaries; udyuktam= is ready for war; aapatat= or appearing suddenly; tathaa= and ; sthitam= remaining.
“Indifference should not be shown to monkeys in any way at any time, either at evening or at midnight or at dawn. You have watch whether the army of adversaries is fervently active or advancing or staying where it was.”
tataste raakShasaah sarve shrutvaa laN^kaadhipasya tat |
vachanaM sarvamaatiSThan yathaavattu mahaabalaaH || 6-71-16
16. shrutvaa= hearing; tat vachanam= those words; laN^kaadhipasya= of Ravana; sarve= all; te mahaabalaaH= those mighty; raakShasaaH= demons; tataH= then; yathaavattu= precisely; aatiShThan= stood by; sarvam= all that.
Hearing those words of Ravana, all the mighty demons then precisely carried it out forthwith in its totality.
sa taan sarvaan hi saMdishya raavaNo raakShasaadhipaH |
manyushalyam vahan diinaH pravivesha svamaalayam || 6-71-17
17. samdishya= instructing; taan sarvaan= all of them; saH raavaNaH= that Ravana; raakShasaadhipaH= the king of demons; vahan manyushalyam= suffering from prickly sorrow; diinaH= and depression; pravivesha= entered; svam aalayam= his house.
Having thus instructed all of them, Ravana the king of demons, suffering from prickly sorrow and depression, penetrated deeply into his palace.
tataH sa saMdiipitakopapahni |
rnishaacharaaNaamadhipo mahaabalaH |
tadeva putravyasanam vichintayan |
muhurmuhushchaiva tadaa vyaniHshvasat || 6-71-18
18. samdiipita kopa vahniH= blazed as he was with a fire of anger, mahaabalaH= the mighty; adhipaH= lord; nishaacharaaNaam= of demons; tataH= then; vichintayan= thinking; tat puravyasanam eva= of that loss of his son; tadaa= then muhuH muhuH= again and again; vyaniHshvasat= sighing.
Blazed as he was with a fire of anger, Ravana the mighty lord of demons, then remained broading about the loss of his son (Atikaya) and also sighing again and again.
ityaarShe shriimadraamaayaNe aadikaavye yuddhakaaNDe dvipaptatitamaH sargaH
Thus, this is the 72nd chapter in Yuddha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
© May 2008, K. M. K. Murthy