Aranya Kanda · Sarga 29 of 76 · 28 verses
Words Before the End
To Khara, standing without his chariot, mace in hand, Rama of great splendour speaks harsh words, gently at first: “Standing in a great army crowded with elephants, horses and chariots, you have done a cruel deed, loathed by all the world. One who terrifies creatures, cruel and doing evil, does not last, even if he is lord of the three worlds. Everyone kills a man who does what the world condemns, night-ranger, as they kill a vicious snake that comes near. He who does evil out of greed or desire and does not understand, people gladly see his end, as a brahmani sees the end of the karaka. Having killed the fortunate ascetics living in the Dandaka forest, who walk in dharma, what fruit will you gain, rakshasa? The wicked and cruel, loathed by the world, do not stay long even when they gain power, like trees with rotten roots. The doer surely reaps the fruit of an evil deed, a terrible one, when its time comes, as a tree bears its seasonal flower. The fruit of evil deeds comes soon in this world, night-ranger, like poisoned food once eaten. I have been sent by the king, night-ranger, to take the lives of those who do terrible evil and wish the world ill. Today my gold-adorned arrows will pierce you and fly on, tearing through you, like snakes through an anthill. You will follow, killed in battle with your army, the righteous ones you ate in the Dandaka forest. Let the supreme seers whom you killed before, now in their celestial chariots, see you today killed by arrows and in hell. Strike as you please; make your effort, lowest of your family. Today I will bring down your head like a palm fruit.”
Spoken to so by Rama, angry, his eyes red, beside himself with rage, Khara laughs and answers: “Having killed common rakshasas in battle, son of Dasharatha, how can you praise yourself, you who deserve no praise? Men who are truly valiant and strong say nothing; they are not so proud of their splendour. It is the common, undisciplined men, disgraces among kshatriyas, who boast for nothing in the world, as you are boasting, Rama. What hero, naming his family in battle, would sing his own praise when the time of death has come? Your boasting has shown your lightness in every way, as a kusha-grass fire shows a fake that looks like gold. Do you not see me standing here, mace in hand, unshakable as a mountain, a peak full of minerals? With my mace in hand I am enough to take your life in battle, like Death with the noose in his hand, even for the three worlds. I could say much against you, but I will not; the sun is setting, and that would hinder the battle. Fourteen thousand rakshasas have been killed by you; by destroying you today I will wipe away their tears.” Saying this, in supreme anger, Khara hurls his mace, with its great bands, at Rama like a blazing thunderbolt. The great blazing mace, released from Khara’s arms, turns trees and bushes to ash and flies toward him. As that huge mace, like the noose of death, comes through the sky, Rama cuts it into many pieces with arrows. Shattered and broken by arrows, the mace falls to the ground like a she-serpent brought down by the power of spells and herbs.
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खरं तु विरथं रामो गदापाणिमवस्थितम् । मृदुपूर्वं महातेजाः परुषं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
To Khara, standing without a chariot, mace in hand, Rama of great splendour spoke harsh words, gently at first:
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गजाश्वरथसम्बाधे बले महति तिष्ठता । कृतं ते दारुणं कर्म सर्वलोकजुगुप्सितम् ॥ २ ॥
“Standing in a great army crowded with elephants, horses and chariots, you have done a cruel deed, loathed by all the world.
उद्वेजनीयो भूतानां नृशंसः पापकर्मकृत् । त्रयाणामपि लोकानामीश्वरोऽपि न तिष्ठति ॥ ३ ॥
“One who troubles creatures, cruel, a doer of evil deeds, does not last, even if he is lord of the three worlds.
कर्म लोकविरुद्धं तु कुर्वाणं क्षणदाचर । तीक्ष्णं सर्वजनो हन्ति सर्पं दुष्टमिवागतम् ॥ ४ ॥
“Everyone kills a harsh one doing deeds opposed to the world, night-ranger, as they kill a vicious snake that has come.
लोभात् पापानि कुर्वाणः कामाद् वा यो न बुध्यते । हृष्टः पश्यति तस्यान्तं ब्राह्मणी करकादिव ॥ ५ ॥
“He who does evil out of greed or desire and does not understand: people gladly see his end, as a brahmani sees the end of the karaka.
वसतो दण्डकारण्ये तापसान् धर्मचारिणः । किं नु हत्वा महाभागान् फलं प्राप्स्यसि राक्षस ॥ ६ ॥
“Having killed the fortunate ascetics living in the Dandaka forest, who walk in dharma, what fruit will you gain, rakshasa?
न चिरं पापकर्माणः क्रूरा लोकजुगुप्सिताः । ऐश्वर्यं प्राप्य तिष्ठन्ति शीर्णमूला इव द्रुमाः ॥ ७ ॥
“The cruel doers of evil, loathed by the world, do not last long, having gained power, like trees with decayed roots.
अवश्यं लभते कर्ता फलं पापस्य कर्मणः । घोरं पर्यागते काले द्रुमः पुष्पमिवार्तवम् ॥ ८ ॥
“The doer surely gains the terrible fruit of an evil deed when its time has come round, as a tree its seasonal flower.
नचिरात् प्राप्यते लोके पापानां कर्मणां फलम् । सविषाणामिवान्नानां भुक्तानां क्षणदाचर ॥ ९ ॥
“The fruit of evil deeds is gained in the world before long, night-ranger, like that of food with poison, once eaten.
पापमाचरतां घोरं लोकस्याप्रियमिच्छताम् । अहमासादितो राज्ञा प्राणान् हन्तुं निशाचर ॥ १० ॥
“I have been sent by the king, night-ranger, to take the lives of those doing terrible evil and wishing what the world does not love.
अद्य भित्त्वा मया मुक्ताः शराः काञ्चनभूषणाः । विदार्यातिपतिष्यन्ति वल्मीकमिव पन्नगाः ॥ ११ ॥
“Today the gold-adorned arrows released by me, having pierced you, will tear through and fly on, like snakes through an anthill.
ये त्वया दण्डकारण्ये भक्षिता धर्मचारिणः । तानद्य निहतः संख्ये ससैन्योऽनुगमिष्यसि ॥ १२ ॥
“The righteous ones who were eaten by you in the Dandaka forest: you, killed in battle with your army, will follow them today.
अद्य त्वां निहतं बाणैः पश्यन्तु परमर्षयः । निरयस्थं विमानस्था ये त्वया निहताः पुरा ॥ १३ ॥
“Let the supreme seers who were killed by you before, standing in celestial chariots, see you today killed by arrows, standing in hell.
प्रहरस्व यथाकामं कुरु यत्नं कुलाधम । अद्य ते पातयिष्यामि शिरस्तालफलं यथा ॥ १४ ॥
“Strike as you wish; make your effort, lowest of your family. Today I will bring down your head like a palm fruit.”
एवमुक्तस्तु रामेण क्रुद्धः संरक्तलोचनः । प्रत्युवाच ततो रामं प्रहसन् क्रोधमूर्च्छितः ॥ १५ ॥
Spoken to so by Rama, angry, with reddened eyes, beside himself with anger, he then, laughing, answered Rama:
प्राकृतान् राक्षसान् हत्वा युद्धे दशरथात्मज । आत्मना कथमात्मानमप्रशस्यं प्रशंससि ॥ १६ ॥
“Having killed common rakshasas in battle, son of Dasharatha, how do you yourself praise yourself, who are not praiseworthy?
विक्रान्ता बलवन्तो वा ये भवन्ति नरर्षभाः । कथयन्ति न ते किंचित् तेजसा चातिगर्विताः ॥ १७ ॥
“Those bulls among men who are valiant or strong say nothing; they are not overly proud of their splendour.
प्राकृतास्त्वकृतात्मानो लोके क्षत्रियपांसनाः । निरर्थकं विकत्थन्ते यथा राम विकत्थसे ॥ १८ ॥
“Common men of undisciplined self, disgraces of the kshatriyas in the world, boast pointlessly, Rama, as you are boasting.
कुलं व्यपदिशन् वीरः समरे कोऽभिधास्यति । मृत्युकाले तु सम्प्राप्ते स्वयमप्रस्तवे स्तवम् ॥ १९ ॥
“What hero, naming his family in battle, would utter his own praise, unasked for, when the time of death has come?
सर्वथा तु लघुत्वं ते कत्थनेन विदर्शितम् । सुवर्णप्रतिरूपेण तप्तेनेव कुशाग्निना ॥ २० ॥
“In every way your lightness has been shown by your boasting, as by a kusha fire heating something that only looks like gold.
न तु मामिह तिष्ठन्तं पश्यसि त्वं गदाधरम् । धराधरमिवाकम्प्यं पर्वतं धातुभिश्चितम् ॥ २१ ॥
“Do you not see me standing here, holding a mace, unshakable like a mountain, a peak heaped with minerals?
पर्याप्तोऽहं गदापाणिर्हन्तुं प्राणान् रणे तव । त्रयाणामपि लोकानां पाशहस्त इवान्तकः ॥ २२ ॥
“I, mace in hand, am enough to take your life in battle, like Death with the noose in hand, even of the three worlds.
कामं बह्वपि वक्तव्यं त्वयि वक्ष्यामि न त्वहम् । अस्तं प्राप्नोति सविता युद्धविघ्नस्ततो भवेत् ॥ २३ ॥
“Though much could be said against you, I will not say it; the sun is reaching its setting; from that there would be an obstacle to battle.
चतुर्दश सहस्राणि राक्षसानां हतानि ते । त्वद्विनाशात् करोम्यद्य तेषामश्रुप्रमार्जनम् ॥ २४ ॥
“Fourteen thousand rakshasas have been killed by you; by your destruction today I will wipe away their tears.”
इत्युक्त्वा परमक्रुद्धः स गदां परमाङ्गदाम् । खरश्चिक्षेप रामाय प्रदीप्तामशनिं यथा ॥ २५ ॥
Having said this, in supreme anger, Khara hurled at Rama his mace with its great bands, like a blazing thunderbolt.
खरबाहुप्रमुक्ता सा प्रदीप्ता महती गदा । भस्म वृक्षांश्च गुल्मांश्च कृत्वागात् तत्समीपतः ॥ २६ ॥
That great blazing mace, released from Khara’s arms, having turned trees and bushes to ash, went near him.
तामापतन्तीं महतीं मृत्युपाशोपमां गदाम् । अन्तरिक्षगतां रामश्चिच्छेद बहुधा शरैः ॥ २७ ॥
That great mace, like the noose of death, falling through the sky, Rama cut into many pieces with arrows.
सा विशीर्णा शरैर्भिन्ना पपात धरणीतले । गदा मन्त्रौषधिबलैर्व्यालीव विनिपातिता ॥ २८ ॥
Shattered, broken by arrows, it fell on the ground, the mace, like a she-serpent brought down by the power of spells and herbs.