Aranya Kanda · Sarga 3 of 76 · 26 verses
Viradha Carries Off the Brothers
Filling the forest with his voice, Viradha speaks again: “Tell me as I ask: who are you two, and where are you going?” Rama of great splendour tells the rakshasa with the blazing face of his Ikshvaku family: “Know us to be two kshatriyas of good conduct, wandering in the forest. But we want to know you: who are you, roaming the Dandakas?” Viradha says to Rama of true valour: “I will tell you, king; listen, Raghava. I am the son of Java, they say, and my mother is Shatahrada; all the rakshasas on earth call me Viradha. By austerity I won from Brahma’s grace the gift of being unkillable by weapons in the world, impossible to cut or pierce. Leave this young woman and go back the way you came, without looking back; run quickly, and I will not take your lives.” His eyes red with anger, Rama answers the deformed, evil-minded rakshasa: “Shame on you, petty creature of base purpose! You are surely seeking death, and you will find it in battle. Stand; you will not escape me alive.” Stringing his bow, Rama swiftly fits very sharp arrows and strikes the rakshasa. From the strung bow he releases seven gold-feathered arrows of great speed, swift as Garuda and the wind. They pierce the body of Viradha, who wears peacock feathers, and fall to the ground smeared with blood, like fire.
Wounded, the rakshasa sets Vaidehi down, raises his spear and rushes in fury at Rama and Lakshmana. Roaring a great roar, holding the spear like Indra’s banner, he looks like Death with open mouth. The two brothers rain a blazing shower of arrows on Viradha, like Death at the end of time. The terrible rakshasa stands laughing and yawns; as he yawns, the swift arrows fall out of his body. Holding his life-breath by the power of the boon, Viradha raises his spear and runs at the two Raghavas. Rama, best of those who bear weapons, cuts the spear, like a thunderbolt, blazing like fire in the sky, with two arrows. Cut by Rama’s arrows, the spear falls to the ground like a rock-face of Meru split by lightning. Raising their swords quickly, like two black snakes rearing, they rush at him and strike with force. Struck hard, the terrible one seizes the two unshakable tigers among men in his arms and tries to go off. Understanding his intention, Rama says to Lakshmana: “Let the rakshasa carry us as he likes along this path, Saumitri; this is the very path we must take, the way the night-ranger is going.” With his own strength and might the night-ranger, swollen with power, lifts them up and sets them on his shoulders like two boys. Carrying the two Raghavas on his shoulders, Viradha, roaring terribly, goes toward the forest. He enters a forest like a great cloud, full of great trees of many kinds, bright with many flocks of birds, full of jackals and strewn with beasts of prey.
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अथोवाच पुनर्वाक्यं विराधः पूरयन् वनम् । पृच्छतो मम हि ब्रूतं कौ युवां क्व गमिष्यथः ॥ १ ॥
Then Viradha spoke again, filling the forest: “Tell me, as I ask: who are you two, and where will you go?”
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Viradha Carries Off the Brothers 1 min read.
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तमुवाच ततो रामो राक्षसं ज्वलिताननम् । पृच्छन्तं सुमहातेजा इक्ष्वाकुकुलमात्मनः ॥ २ ॥
Then Rama of great splendour told the rakshasa with the blazing face, who asked, of his own Ikshvaku family:
क्षत्रियौ वृत्तसम्पन्नौ विद्धि नौ वनगोचरौ । त्वां तु वेदितुमिच्छावः कस्त्वं चरसि दण्डकान् ॥ ३ ॥
“Know us two to be kshatriyas endowed with good conduct, wandering in the forest. But we wish to know you: who are you, roaming the Dandakas?”
तमुवाच विराधस्तु रामं सत्यपराक्रमम् । हन्त वक्ष्यामि ते राजन् निबोध मम राघव ॥ ४ ॥
Viradha said to Rama of true valour: “Well, I will tell you, king; learn about me, Raghava.
पुत्रः किल जवस्याहं माता मम शतह्रदा । विराध इति मामाहुः पृथिव्यां सर्वराक्षसाः ॥ ५ ॥
“I am the son of Java, they say; my mother is Shatahrada. All the rakshasas on earth call me Viradha.
तपसा चाभिसम्प्राप्ता ब्रह्मणो हि प्रसादजा । शस्त्रेणावध्यता लोकेऽच्छेद्याभेद्यत्वमेव च ॥ ६ ॥
“By austerity I obtained, born of Brahma’s grace, unkillability by weapons in the world, and being uncuttable and unpierceable.
उत्सृज्य प्रमदामेनामनपेक्षौ यथागतम् । त्वरमाणौ पलायेथां न वां जीवितमाददे ॥ ७ ॥
“Leave this young woman and, without looking back, run quickly the way you came; I will not take your lives.”
तं रामः प्रत्युवाचेदं कोपसंरक्तलोचनः । राक्षसं विकृताकारं विराधं पापचेतसम् ॥ ८ ॥
His eyes red with anger, Rama answered this to the rakshasa of deformed shape, Viradha of evil mind:
क्षुद्र धिक् त्वां तु हीनार्थं मृत्युमन्वेषसे ध्रुवम् । रणे प्राप्स्यसि संतिष्ठ न मे जीवन् विमोक्ष्यसे ॥ ९ ॥
“Petty one, shame on you, of base purpose! You are surely seeking death; you will find it in battle. Stand; you will not escape me alive.”
ततः सज्यं धनुः कृत्वा रामः सुनिशितान् शरान् । सुशीघ्रमभिसंधाय राक्षसं निजघान ह ॥ १० ॥
Then, stringing his bow, Rama very swiftly fitted very sharp arrows and struck the rakshasa.
धनुषा ज्यागुणवता सप्त बाणान् मुमोच ह । रुक्मपुङ्खान् महावेगान् सुपर्णानिलतुल्यगान् ॥ ११ ॥
From the strung bow he released seven gold-feathered arrows of great speed, going like Suparna and the wind.
ते शरीरं विराधस्य भित्त्वा बर्हिणवाससः । निपेतुः शोणितादिग्धा धरण्यां पावकोपमाः ॥ १२ ॥
Piercing the body of Viradha, wearer of peacock feathers, they fell to the ground smeared with blood, like fire.
स विद्धो न्यस्य वैदेहीं शूलमुद्यम्य राक्षसः । अभ्यद्रवत् सुसंक्रुद्धस्तदा रामं सलक्ष्मणम् ॥ १३ ॥
Wounded, the rakshasa, putting down Vaidehi and raising his spear, then rushed in great fury at Rama with Lakshmana.
स विनद्य महानादं शूलं शक्रध्वजोपमम् । प्रगृह्याशोभत तदा व्यात्तानन इवान्तकः ॥ १४ ॥
Roaring a great roar, holding the spear like Shakra’s banner, he then shone like Death with his mouth open.
अथ तौ भ्रातरौ दीप्तं शरवर्षं ववर्षतुः । विराधे राक्षसे तस्मिन् कालान्तकयमोपमे ॥ १५ ॥
Then the two brothers rained a blazing rain of arrows on that rakshasa Viradha, like Death at the end of time.
स प्रहस्य महारौद्रः स्थित्वाजृम्भत राक्षसः । जृम्भमाणस्य ते बाणाः कायान्निष्पेतुराशुगाः ॥ १६ ॥
That very terrible rakshasa, laughing, stood and yawned; as he yawned, those swift arrows fell out of his body.
स्पर्शात् तु वरदानेन प्राणान् संरोध्य राक्षसः । विराधः शूलमुद्यम्य राघवावभ्यधावत ॥ १७ ॥
Holding his life-breaths by touch, through the gift of the boon, the rakshasa Viradha raised his spear and rushed at the two Raghavas.
तच्छूलं वज्रसंकाशं गगने ज्वलनोपमम् । द्वाभ्यां शराभ्यां चिच्छेद रामः शस्त्रभृतां वरः ॥ १८ ॥
That spear, like a thunderbolt, like fire in the sky, Rama, best of weapon-bearers, cut with two arrows.
तद् रामविशिखैश्छिन्नं शूलं तस्यापतद् भुवि । पपाताशनिना छिन्नं मेरोरिव शिलातलम् ॥ १९ ॥
Cut by Rama’s arrows, his spear fell to the ground, as a rock-face of Meru falls when split by a thunderbolt.
तौ खड्गौ क्षिप्रमुद्यम्य कृष्णसर्पाविवोद्यतौ । तूर्णमापेततुस्तस्य तदा प्रहरतां बलात् ॥ २० ॥
Quickly raising their swords, like two black snakes rearing, the two rushed at him swiftly then, striking with force.
स वध्यमानः सुभृशं भुजाभ्यां परिगृह्य तौ । अप्रकम्प्यौ नरव्याघ्रौ रौद्रः प्रस्थातुमैच्छत ॥ २१ ॥
Being struck very hard, the terrible one, seizing those two unshakable tigers among men with his arms, wished to go off.
तस्याभिप्रायमाज्ञाय रामो लक्ष्मणमब्रवीत् । वहत्वयमलं तावत् पथानेन तु राक्षसः ॥ २२ ॥
Understanding his intention, Rama said to Lakshmana: “Let this rakshasa carry us enough along this path.
यथा चेच्छति सौमित्रे तथा वहतु राक्षसः । अयमेव हि नः पन्था येन याति निशाचरः ॥ २३ ॥
“Let the rakshasa carry us as he wishes, Saumitri; for this is our very path, by which the night-ranger is going.”
स तु स्वबलवीर्येण समुत्क्षिप्य निशाचरः । बालाविव स्कन्धगतौ चकारातिबलोद्धतः ॥ २४ ॥
The night-ranger, swollen with great strength, lifting them up by his own strength and might, set them on his shoulders like two boys.
तावारोप्य ततः स्कन्धं राघवौ रजनीचरः । विराधो विनदन् घोरं जगामाभिमुखो वनम् ॥ २५ ॥
Then, having set the two Raghavas on his shoulders, the night-ranger Viradha, roaring terribly, went toward the forest.
वनं महामेघनिभं प्रविष्टो द्रुमैर्महद्भिर्विविधैरुपेतम् । नानाविधैः पक्षिकुलैर्विचित्रं शिवायुतं व्यालमृगैर्विकीर्णम् ॥ २६ ॥
He entered a forest like a great cloud, filled with great trees of many kinds, bright with flocks of birds of many kinds, full of jackals, strewn with beasts of prey.