Aranya Kanda · Sarga 2 of 76 · 26 verses
Viradha Seizes Sita
Having received hospitality, Rama takes leave of all the sages at sunrise and plunges deeper into the forest. Followed by Lakshmana, he sees the middle of the forest, crowded with many herds of animals, frequented by bears and tigers, its trees, creepers and bushes broken, its water-holes hard to see, its birds silent, loud with crickets. There, in that forest full of fearsome beasts, Kakutstha with Sita sees a man-eater like a mountain peak, with a great roar: deep-set eyes, huge mouth, monstrous and pot-bellied, loathsome, misshapen, tall, deformed, terrible to see, wearing a tiger skin wet with fat and sprinkled with blood, terrifying to all beings, like Death with mouth gaping. On an iron spear he has spitted three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten spotted deer and the great head of an elephant with its tusks, smeared with fat, and he roars aloud. Seeing Rama, Lakshmana and Sita Maithili, he rushes at them in fury like Death at creatures, and with a terrible roar that seems to shake the earth he snatches up Vaidehi in his arm, steps back and says: “You two, wearing matted hair and rags, with a wife, your lives nearly over, have entered the Dandaka forest with arrows, bows and swords in your hands. How do two ascetics live with a young woman? Who are you, wicked, unrighteous defilers of sages? I am the rakshasa Viradha; I roam this difficult forest always armed, eating the flesh of seers. This woman with lovely hips will be my wife, and I will drink the blood of you two wicked ones in battle.”
Hearing the wicked Viradha’s arrogant words, Janaka’s daughter, terrified, trembles like a plantain in the wind. Seeing auspicious Sita in Viradha’s grip, Raghava, his mouth drying, says to Lakshmana: “See, gentle one: King Janaka’s own daughter, my wife of good conduct, has been taken into Viradha’s arms, the glorious princess raised in the greatest comfort. What Kaikeyi wanted for us, what she chose with her boon, has come about quickly, this very day, Lakshmana, she who was not content with the kingdom for her son, far-seeing as she is, by whom I, dear to all beings, was sent to the forest. Today my middle mother has her wish. Nothing grieves me more than another’s touching Vaidehi, Saumitri, not my father’s death nor the loss of my kingdom.” As Kakutstha speaks, Lakshmana, flooded with tears and grief, angry, hissing like a checked serpent, says: “You are the protector of all beings, like Vasava; why do you grieve like one without a protector, Kakutstha, when I am your servant? Today the earth will drink the blood of the rakshasa Viradha, lifeless, killed by my arrow in anger. The anger I felt at Bharata, who wanted the kingdom, I will release on Viradha, as the thunderbolt-wielder releases his thunderbolt on a mountain. Driven by the strength and speed of my arms, let my great arrow fall on his broad chest, take the life from his body, and let him fall, whirling, to the ground.”
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कृतातिथ्योऽथ रामस्तु सूर्यस्योदयनं प्रति । आमन्त्र्य स मुनीन् सर्वान् वनमेवान्वगाहत ॥ १ ॥
Then Rama, having received hospitality, took leave of all the sages at sunrise and plunged into the forest itself.
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Viradha Seizes Sita 1 min read.
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नानामृगगणाकीर्णमृक्षशार्दूलसेवितम् । ध्वस्तवृक्षलतागुल्मं दुर्दर्शसलिलाशयम् ॥ २ ॥
निष्कूजमानशकुनिं झिल्लिकागणनादितम् । लक्ष्मणानुचरो रामो वनमध्यं ददर्श ह ॥ ३ ॥
Crowded with herds of many kinds of animals, frequented by bears and tigers, its trees, creepers and bushes broken, its water-holes hard to see, its birds not singing, resounding with hosts of crickets: Rama, followed by Lakshmana, saw the middle of the forest.
सीतया सह काकुत्स्थस्तस्मिन् घोरमृगायुते । ददर्श गिरिशृङ्गाभं पुरुषादं महास्वनम् ॥ ४ ॥
Kakutstha, with Sita, in that forest full of fearsome beasts, saw a man-eater like a mountain peak, with a great roar,
गभीराक्षं महावक्त्रं विकटं विकटोदरम् । बीभत्सं विषमं दीर्घं विकृतं घोरदर्शनम् ॥ ५ ॥
with deep-set eyes, a huge mouth, monstrous, with a monstrous belly, loathsome, misshapen, tall, deformed, terrible to see,
वसानं चर्म वैयाघ्रं वसार्द्रं रुधिरोक्षितम् । त्रासनं सर्वभूतानां व्यादितास्यमिवान्तकम् ॥ ६ ॥
wearing a tiger’s skin, wet with fat, sprinkled with blood, terrifying to all beings, like Death with his mouth open.
त्रीन् सिंहांश्चतुरो व्याघ्रान् द्वौ वृकौ पृषतान् दश । सविषाणं वसादिग्धं गजस्य च शिरो महत् ॥ ७ ॥
अवसज्यायसे शूले विनदन्तं महास्वनम् । स रामं लक्ष्मणं चैव सीतां दृष्ट्वा च मैथिलीम् ॥ ८ ॥
Having fixed on an iron spear three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten spotted deer and the great head of an elephant with its tusks, smeared with fat, he roared with a great roar. Seeing Rama and Lakshmana and Sita Maithili,
अभ्यधावत् सुसंक्रुद्धः प्रजाः काल इवान्तकः । स कृत्वा भैरवं नादं चालयन्निव मेदिनीम् ॥ ९ ॥
he rushed at them in great fury, like Death the ender at creatures. Making a terrible roar, as if shaking the earth,
अङ्केनादाय वैदेहीमपक्रम्य तदाब्रवीत् । युवां जटाचीरधरौ सभार्यौ क्षीणजीवितौ ॥ १० ॥
taking Vaidehi in his arm, he stepped back and then said: “You two, wearing matted hair and rags, with a wife, your lives nearly spent,
प्रविष्टौ दण्डकारण्यं शरचापासिपाणिनौ । कथं तापसयोर्वां च वासः प्रमदया सह ॥ ११ ॥
“have entered the Dandaka forest, with arrows, bows and swords in your hands. How do you two ascetics live with a young woman?
अधर्मचारिणौ पापौ कौ युवां मुनिदूषकौ । अहं वनमिदं दुर्गं विराधो नाम राक्षसः ॥ १२ ॥
“Who are you two, practising adharma, wicked, defilers of sages? I am the rakshasa named Viradha, in this difficult forest;
चरामि सायुधो नित्यमृषिमांसानि भक्षयन् । इयं नारी वरारोहा मम भार्या भविष्यति ॥ १३ ॥
“I roam always armed, eating the flesh of seers. This woman with lovely hips will be my wife.
युवयोः पापयोश्चाहं पास्यामि रुधिरं मृधे । तस्यैवं ब्रुवतो दुष्टं विराधस्य दुरात्मनः ॥ १४ ॥
“And I will drink the blood of you two wicked ones in battle.” As the evil-souled Viradha spoke these wicked words,
श्रुत्वा सगर्वितं वाक्यं सम्भ्रान्ता जनकात्मजा । सीता प्रवेपितोद्वेगात् प्रवाते कदली यथा ॥ १५ ॥
hearing those arrogant words, Janaka’s daughter Sita, alarmed, trembled with agitation like a plantain in the wind.
तां दृष्ट्वा राघवः सीतां विराधाङ्कगतां शुभाम् । अब्रवील्लक्ष्मणं वाक्यं मुखेन परिशुष्यता ॥ १६ ॥
Seeing that auspicious Sita in Viradha’s arms, Raghava, his mouth drying, said these words to Lakshmana:
पश्य सौम्य नरेन्द्रस्य जनकस्यात्मसम्भवाम् । मम भार्यां शुभाचारां विराधाङ्के प्रवेशिताम् ॥ १७ ॥
“See, gentle one, the daughter born of King Janaka, my wife of good conduct, taken into Viradha’s arms,
अत्यन्तसुखसंवृद्धां राजपुत्रीं यशस्विनीम् । यदभिप्रेतमस्मासु प्रियं वरवृतं च यत् ॥ १८ ॥
कैकेय्यास्तु सुसंवृत्तं क्षिप्रमद्यैव लक्ष्मण । या न तुष्यति राज्येन पुत्रार्थे दीर्घदर्शिनी ॥ १९ ॥
“the glorious princess, raised in the greatest comfort. What was intended for us, the dear thing chosen by boon by Kaikeyi, has come about quickly, this very day, Lakshmana, by her who, far-seeing for her son’s sake, is not content with the kingdom,
ययाहं सर्वभूतानां प्रियः प्रस्थापितो वनम् । अद्येदानीं सकामा सा या माता मध्यमा मम ॥ २० ॥
“by whom I, dear to all beings, was sent to the forest. Today, now, she has her wish, she who is my middle mother.
परस्पर्शात् तु वैदेह्या न दुःखतरमस्ति मे । पितुर्विनाशात् सौमित्रे स्वराज्य हरणात् तथा ॥ २१ ॥
“For there is nothing more painful to me than Vaidehi’s being touched by another, Saumitri, not my father’s death, nor the taking of my own kingdom.”
इति ब्रुवति काकुत्स्थे बाष्पशोकपरिप्लुतः । अब्रवील्लक्ष्मणः क्रुद्धो रुद्धो नाग इव श्वसन् ॥ २२ ॥
As Kakutstha spoke so, Lakshmana, flooded with tears and grief, angry, hissing like a checked serpent, said:
अनाथ इव भूतानां नाथस्त्वं वासवोपमः । मया प्रेष्येण काकुत्स्थ किमर्थं परितप्यसे ॥ २३ ॥
“You, who are like Vasava, are the protector of beings; why do you grieve like one without a protector, Kakutstha, when I am your servant?
शरेण निहतस्याद्य मया क्रुद्धेन रक्षसः । विराधस्य गतासोर्हि मही पास्यति शोणितम् ॥ २४ ॥
“Today the earth will drink the blood of the rakshasa Viradha, killed by my arrow in anger, his life gone.
राज्यकामे मम क्रोधो भरते यो बभूव ह । तं विराधे विमोक्ष्यामि वज्री वज्रमिवाचले ॥ २५ ॥
“The anger I had at Bharata, who wanted the kingdom, I will release on Viradha, as the thunderbolt-wielder releases his thunderbolt on a mountain.
मम भुजबलवेगवेगितः पततु शरोऽस्य महान् महोरसि । व्यपनयतु तनोश्च जीवितं पततु ततश्च महीं विघूर्णितः ॥ २६ ॥
“Driven by the force and speed of my arms’ strength, let my great arrow fall on his great chest; let it take away the life from his body, and then let him fall, whirling, to the earth.”