Aranya Kanda · Sarga 19 of 76 · 26 verses
Khara Sends Fourteen Rakshasas
Seeing his sister fallen like that, disfigured and drenched in blood, the rakshasa Khara, burning with anger, asks: “Get up and tell me; throw off your faint and your alarm. Tell me clearly who has disfigured you like this. Who, taking it as sport, pokes with his fingertip a black, venomous snake lying quietly and doing no harm? Who has tied the noose of Time round his own neck in his folly and does not know it, having come up against you today and drunk the deadliest poison? You are strong and brave, go where you like and take any form you wish; who has brought you to this state, coming to his own end? Who among gods, gandharvas, spirits and great seers is so mighty that he has disfigured you? I see no one in the world who could do me harm, not even thousand-eyed great Indra, chastiser of Paka, among the immortals. Today with life-ending arrows I will take his life, as a crane drinks the milk out of water. Whose foaming blood does the earth want to drink, when I have killed him in battle, his vital parts cut by arrows? From whose body will the gathered birds tear the flesh and eat it gladly, when I have killed him in battle? Neither gods nor gandharvas, pishachas nor rakshasas can save that wretch from me in a great battle. Recover yourself slowly and tell me who that insolent one is who overpowered you in the forest.”
Hearing her brother, especially angry, Shurpanakha says through her tears: “Two young men, handsome, delicate, very strong, with large lotus eyes, wearing bark and black deerskin, living on fruit and roots, self-controlled, ascetics, celibate, the sons of Dasharatha, brothers named Rama and Lakshmana, like kings of the gandharvas, with the marks of kings; whether they are gods or danavas I cannot guess. There I saw a woman between them, young, beautiful, slender-waisted, adorned with every ornament. Because of that woman, the two of them together have brought me to this state, like an unprotected, wicked woman. I want to drink the foaming blood of that crooked woman, and of those two when they are killed, at the front of the battle. Let this first wish of mine be fulfilled by you: let me drink her blood and theirs in battle.” As she speaks, Khara, angry, commands fourteen mighty rakshasas, like Death: “Two men, armed, wearing bark and black deerskin, have entered the terrible Dandaka forest with a woman. Kill them and that wicked woman and come back; this sister of mine will drink their blood. This is my sister’s dear wish, rakshasas; go quickly and fulfil it, crushing them with your own power. Seeing those two brothers killed by you in battle, she will be delighted and drink their blood in the fight.” So commanded, those fourteen rakshasas go there with her, like clouds driven by the wind.
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तां तथा पतितां दृष्ट्वा विरूपां शोणितोक्षिताम् । भगिनीं क्रोधसंतप्तः खरः पप्रच्छ राक्षसः ॥ १ ॥
Seeing his sister fallen like that, disfigured, drenched with blood, the rakshasa Khara, burning with anger, asked:
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Khara Sends Fourteen Rakshasas 1 min read.
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उत्तिष्ठ तावदाख्याहि प्रमोहं जहि सम्भ्रमम् । व्यक्तमाख्याहि केन त्वमेवंरूपा विरूपिता ॥ २ ॥
“Get up and tell me; cast off your faint and alarm. Tell me clearly by whom you have been disfigured in this form.
कः कृष्णसर्पमासीनमाशीविषमनागसम् । तुदत्यभिसमापन्नमङ्गुल्यग्रेण लीलया ॥ ३ ॥
“Who, as sport, pokes with his fingertip a black, venomous serpent, sitting harmless, that he has come near?
कालपाशं समासज्य कण्ठे मोहान्न बुध्यते । यस्त्वामद्य समासाद्य पीतवान् विषमुत्तमम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Who, having fastened the noose of Time on his neck, does not realise it in his delusion, he who, having come up against you today, has drunk the deadliest poison?
बलविक्रमसम्पन्ना कामगा कामरूपिणी । इमामवस्थां नीता त्वं केनान्तकसमागता ॥ ५ ॥
“Endowed with strength and valour, going where you like, taking any form you like: by whom have you been brought to this state, he who has met his ender?
देवगन्धर्वभूतानामृषीणां च महात्मनाम् । कोऽयमेवं महावीर्यस्त्वां विरूपां चकार ह ॥ ६ ॥
“Among gods, gandharvas and beings, and great-souled seers, who is this of such great might who has disfigured you?
नहि पश्याम्यहं लोके यः कुर्यान्मम विप्रियम् । अमरेषु सहस्राक्षं महेन्द्रं पाकशासनम् ॥ ७ ॥
“I see no one in the world who could do what is unpleasant to me, not even thousand-eyed great Indra, chastiser of Paka, among the immortals.
अद्याहं मार्गणैः प्राणानादास्ये जीवितान्तगैः । सलिले क्षीरमासक्तं निष्पिबन्निव सारसः ॥ ८ ॥
“Today I will take his life-breaths with life-ending arrows, like a crane drinking up milk mixed with water.
निहतस्य मया संख्ये शरसंकृत्तमर्मणः । सफेनं रुधिरं कस्य मेदिनी पातुमिच्छति ॥ ९ ॥
“Whose foaming blood does the earth wish to drink, when he has been killed by me in battle, his vital parts cut by arrows?
कस्य पत्ररथाः कायान्मांसमुत्कृत्य संगताः । प्रहृष्टा भक्षयिष्यन्ति निहतस्य मया रणे ॥ १० ॥
“From whose body, killed by me in battle, will the gathered birds tear the flesh and eat it with delight?
तं न देवा न गन्धर्वा न पिशाचा न राक्षसाः । मयापकृष्टं कृपणं शक्तास्त्रातुं महाहवे ॥ ११ ॥
“Neither gods nor gandharvas, neither pishachas nor rakshasas, can save that wretch, dragged off by me, in a great battle.
उपलभ्य शनैः संज्ञां तं मे शंसितुमर्हसि । येन त्वं दुर्विनीतेन वने विक्रम्य निर्जिता ॥ १२ ॥
“Recovering your senses slowly, you should tell me of him, the insolent one by whom you were overpowered in the forest.”
इति भ्रातुर्वचः श्रुत्वा क्रुद्धस्य च विशेषतः । ततः शूर्पणखा वाक्यं सबाष्पमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ १३ ॥
Hearing these words of her brother, especially angry as he was, Shurpanakha then said these words with tears:
तरुणौ रूपसम्पन्नौ सुकुमारौ महाबलौ । पुण्डरीकविशालाक्षौ चीरकृष्णाजिनाम्बरौ ॥ १४ ॥
फलमूलाशनौ दान्तौ तापसौ ब्रह्मचारिणौ । पुत्रौ दशरथस्यास्तां भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ ॥ १५ ॥
“Young, endowed with beauty, delicate, very strong, with large eyes like white lotuses, wearing bark and black deerskin, eating fruit and roots, self-controlled, ascetics, celibates, they are the sons of Dasharatha, brothers, Rama and Lakshmana,
गन्धर्वराजप्रतिमौ पार्थिवव्यञ्जनान्वितौ । देवौ वा दानवावेतौ न तर्कयितुमुत्सहे ॥ १६ ॥
“like kings of the gandharvas, endowed with the marks of kings. Whether they are gods or danavas, I cannot guess.
तरुणी रूपसम्पन्ना सर्वाभरणभूषिता । दृष्टा तत्र मया नारी तयोर्मध्ये सुमध्यमा ॥ १७ ॥
“A young woman, endowed with beauty, adorned with every ornament, slender-waisted, was seen by me there between the two.
ताभ्यामुभाभ्यां सम्भूय प्रमदामधिकृत्य ताम् । इमामवस्थां नीताहं यथानाथासती तथा ॥ १८ ॥
“By the two of them together, on account of that woman, I was brought to this state, like an unprotected, unchaste woman.
तस्याश्चानृजुवृत्तायास्तयोश्च हतयोरहम् । सफेनं पातुमिच्छामि रुधिरं रणमूर्धनि ॥ १९ ॥
“I wish to drink at the front of the battle the foaming blood of her of crooked conduct, and of those two when they are killed.
एष मे प्रथमः कामः कृतस्तत्र त्वया भवेत् । तस्यास्तयोश्च रुधिरं पिबेयमहमाहवे ॥ २० ॥
“Let this first wish of mine be accomplished by you there: let me drink in battle the blood of her and of those two.”
इति तस्यां ब्रुवाणायां चतुर्दश महाबलान् । व्यादिदेश खरः क्रुद्धो राक्षसानन्तकोपमान् ॥ २१ ॥
As she was speaking so, Khara, angry, commanded fourteen very mighty rakshasas, like Death:
मानुषौ शस्त्रसम्पन्नौ चीरकृष्णाजिनाम्बरौ । प्रविष्टौ दण्डकारण्यं घोरं प्रमदया सह ॥ २२ ॥
“Two men, endowed with weapons, wearing bark and black deerskin, have entered the terrible Dandaka forest with a woman.
तौ हत्वा तां च दुर्वृत्तामुपावर्तितुमर्हथ । इयं च भगिनी तेषां रुधिरं मम पास्यति ॥ २३ ॥
“Having killed them and that wicked woman, you should come back. And this sister of mine will drink their blood.
मनोरथोऽयमिष्टोऽस्या भगिन्या मम राक्षसाः । शीघ्रं सम्पाद्यतां गत्वा तौ प्रमथ्य स्वतेजसा ॥ २४ ॥
“This is the cherished wish of this sister of mine, rakshasas. Go quickly and fulfil it, crushing those two with your own power.
युष्माभिर्निहतौ दृष्ट्वा तावुभौ भ्रातरौ रणे । इयं प्रहृष्टा मुदिता रुधिरं युधि पास्यति ॥ २५ ॥
“Seeing those two brothers killed by you in battle, she, delighted and glad, will drink their blood in the fight.”
इति प्रतिसमादिष्टा राक्षसास्ते चतुर्दश । तत्र जग्मुस्तया सार्धं घना वातेरिता इव ॥ २६ ॥
Commanded so, those fourteen rakshasas went there with her, like clouds driven by the wind.