Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 103 of 128 · 31 verses
Rama Rebukes Ravana
Hard pressed by Kakutstha, Ravana, boastful in battle, flies into a great rage. Eyes blazing with indignation, he raises his bow and floods Raghava with thousands of streams of arrows, like a cloud filling a pond from the sky. Filled with the net of arrows, Kakutstha, immovable as a great mountain, does not tremble; standing firm, warding off nets of arrows with arrows, he receives them as if they were the rays of the sun. Then the swift-handed night-wanderer, enraged, strikes thousands of arrows into great Raghava’s chest, and Lakshmana’s elder brother, smeared with blood, looks like a great kimshuka tree in flower in the forest. Roused by the blows of the arrows, radiant Kakutstha takes up arrows bright as the sun at the end of an age, and the two, enraged with each other, can no longer see one another in the darkness of arrows.
Then heroic Rama, son of Dasharatha, filled with anger, laughs and speaks harshly to Ravana: because you carried off my wife, helpless, from Janasthana, lowest of rakshasas, while I did not know, you are no hero. Having seized the Vaidehi by force when she was wretched in the great forest, parted from me, you think, “I am a hero.” Hero against women without protectors! Having done the coward’s deed of laying hands on another’s wife, you think, “I am a hero.” Breaker of bounds, shameless, unsteady in conduct, having taken death upon yourself in your pride, you think, “I am a hero.” A great, praiseworthy and glorious deed has been done by you, hero, brother of the Lord of Wealth, endowed with armies! Receive now the very great fruit of that blameworthy, harmful deed, done in arrogance. You think yourself a hero, evil-minded one, and feel no shame at dragging Sita away like a thief. Had you assaulted Sita by force in my presence, you would already have joined your brother Khara, killed by my arrows. By good fortune, fool, you have come into my sight; today with sharp arrows I will send you to Yama’s abode. Today let the flesh-eaters drag your head, cut off by my arrows, with its blazing earrings, scattered in the dust of battle. Let the vultures fall on your chest as you lie on the ground, Ravana, and thirstily drink the blood rising between the barbs of the arrows; today let birds drag out your entrails as you lie dead, pierced by my arrows, as Garudas drag serpents.
Saying this, heroic Rama, destroyer of enemies, covers the rakshasa king standing near with rains of arrows. His valour, strength and joy in battle are doubled, and the power of his weapons, as he longs to kill his enemy; all the weapons appear to him who knows himself, and in his joy the radiant one grows swifter of hand. Recognising these auspicious signs within himself, Rama, destroyer of rakshasas, torments Ravana still more. Struck by showers of rocks from the monkeys and rains of arrows from Raghava, Ten-necked’s heart reels. When he cannot take up a weapon, cannot draw his bow and cannot answer Rama’s valour with his bewildered spirit, and the arrows and weapons he hurls serve only his own death, the hour of his death approaching, his charioteer, who drives his chariot, seeing him in that state, calmly and slowly takes the chariot away from the battle; turning the terrible chariot, which roars like a cloud, the charioteer, seeing the king fallen with his valour gone, leaves the battle in fear.
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स तु तेन तदा क्रोधात् काकुत्स्थेनार्दितो भृशम् । रावणः समरश्लाघी महाक्रोधमुपागमत् ॥ १ ॥
Badly harassed then in anger by that Kakutstha, Ravana, who gloried in battle, went into great anger.
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Rama Rebukes Ravana 1 min read.
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स दीप्तनयनोऽमर्षाच्चापमुद्यम्य वीर्यवान् । अभ्यर्दयत् सुसंक्रुद्धो राघवं परमाहवे ॥ २ ॥
His eyes blazing with indignation, raising his bow, the valiant one, greatly enraged, harassed Raghava in the great battle.
बाणधारासहस्रैस्तैः स तोयद इवाम्बरात् । राघवं रावणो बाणैस्तटाकमिव पूरयन् ॥ ३ ॥
With those thousands of streams of arrows, like a cloud from the sky, Ravana filled Raghava with arrows, as one fills a pond.
पूरितः शरजालेन धनुर्मुक्तेन संयुगे । महागिरिरिवाकम्प्यः काकुत्स्थो न प्रकम्पते ॥ ४ ॥
Filled with a net of arrows loosed from the bow in battle, Kakutstha, immovable like a great mountain, does not tremble.
स शरैः शरजालानि वारयन् समरे स्थितः । गभस्तीनिव सूर्यस्य प्रतिजग्राह वीर्यवान् ॥ ५ ॥
Standing in battle, warding off nets of arrows with arrows, the valiant one received them like the rays of the sun.
ततः शरसहस्राणि क्षिप्रहस्तो निशाचरः । निजघानोरसि क्रुद्धो राघवस्य महात्मनः ॥ ६ ॥
Then the swift-handed night-wanderer, enraged, struck thousands of arrows into the chest of great-souled Raghava.
स शोणितसमादिग्धः समरे लक्ष्मणाग्रजः । दृष्टः फुल्ल इवारण्ये सुमहान् किंशुकद्रुमः ॥ ७ ॥
Smeared with blood in battle, Lakshmana’s elder brother looked like a very great kimshuka tree in flower in the forest.
शराभिघातसंरब्धः सोऽभिजग्राह सायकान् । काकुत्स्थः सुमहातेजा युगान्तादित्यवर्चसः ॥ ८ ॥
Roused by the blows of the arrows, Kakutstha, very radiant, took up arrows with the splendour of the sun at the end of an age.
ततोऽन्योन्यं सुसंरब्धौ तावुभौ रामरावणौ । शरान्धकारे समरे नोपलक्षयतां तदा ॥ ९ ॥
Then the two, Rama and Ravana, very enraged with each other, could not see each other then in the darkness of arrows in battle.
ततः क्रोधसमाविष्टो रामो दशरथात्मजः । उवाच रावणं वीरः प्रहस्य परुषं वचः ॥ १० ॥
Then heroic Rama, son of Dasharatha, filled with anger, laughing, spoke harsh words to Ravana:
मम भार्या जनस्थानादज्ञानाद् राक्षसाधम । हृता ते विवशा यस्मात् तस्मात् त्वं नासि वीर्यवान् ॥ ११ ॥
“Because my wife was carried off by you from Janasthana, helpless, without my knowledge, lowest of rakshasas, therefore you are not valiant.
मया विरहितां दीनां वर्तमानां महावने । वैदेहीं प्रसभं हृत्वा शूरोऽहमिति मन्यसे ॥ १२ ॥
“Having carried off by force the Vaidehi, wretched, parted from me, staying in the great forest, you think, ‘I am a hero.’
स्त्रीषु शूर विनाथासु परदाराभिमर्शनम् । कृत्वा कापुरुषं कर्म शूरोऽहमिति मन्यसे ॥ १३ ॥
“Hero against women without protectors! Having done the coward’s deed of laying hands on another’s wife, you think, ‘I am a hero.’
भिन्नमर्याद निर्लज्ज चारित्रेष्वनवस्थित । दर्पान्मृत्युमुपादाय शूरोऽहमिति मन्यसे ॥ १४ ॥
“Breaker of bounds, shameless, unsteady in conduct, having taken up death out of pride, you think, ‘I am a hero.’
शूरेण धनदभ्रात्रा बलैः समुदितेन च । श्लाघनीयं महत्कर्म यशस्यं च कृतं त्वया ॥ १५ ॥
“By you, a hero, brother of the giver of wealth, rich in armies, a great deed was done, praiseworthy and glorious!
उत्सेकेनाभिपन्नस्य गर्हितस्याहितस्य च । कर्मणः प्राप्नुहीदानीं तस्याद्य सुमहत् फलम् ॥ १६ ॥
“Receive now, today, the very great fruit of that deed, undertaken in arrogance, blameworthy and harmful.
शूरोऽहमिति चात्मानमवगच्छसि दुर्मते । नैव लज्जास्ति ते सीतां चौरवद् व्यपकर्षतः ॥ १७ ॥
“You think yourself a hero, evil-minded one, and you have no shame in dragging Sita away like a thief.
यदि मत्संनिधौ सीता धर्षिता स्यात् त्वया बलात् । भ्रातरं तु खरं पश्येस्तदा मत्सायकैर्हतः ॥ १८ ॥
“If Sita had been assaulted by you by force in my presence, then you would see your brother Khara, killed by my arrows.
दिष्ट्यासि मम मन्दात्मंश्चक्षुर्विषयमागतः । अद्य त्वां सायकैस्तीक्ष्णैर्नयामि यमसादनम् ॥ १९ ॥
“By good fortune, fool, you have come within the range of my eyes; today with sharp arrows I lead you to Yama’s abode.
अद्य ते मच्छरैश्छिन्नं शिरो ज्वलितकुण्डलम् । क्रव्यादा व्यपकर्षन्तु विकीर्णं रणपांसुषु ॥ २० ॥
“Today let the flesh-eaters drag your head, cut off by my arrows, with its blazing earrings, scattered in the dust of battle.
निपत्योरसि गृध्रास्ते क्षितौ क्षिप्तस्य रावण । पिबन्तु रुधिरं तर्षाद् बाणशल्यान्तरोत्थितम् ॥ २१ ॥
“Let the vultures, falling on your chest as you lie thrown on the ground, Ravana, drink in thirst the blood rising between the barbs of the arrows.
अद्य मद्बाणभिन्नस्य गतासोः पतितस्य ते । कर्षन् त्वन्त्राणि पतगा गरुत्मन्त इवोरगान् ॥ २२ ॥
“Today, as you lie fallen, lifeless, split by my arrows, let the birds drag your entrails, as Garudas drag serpents.”
इत्येवं स वदन् वीरो रामः शत्रुनिबर्हणः । राक्षसेन्द्रं समीपस्थं शरवर्षैरवाकिरत् ॥ २३ ॥
Saying this, heroic Rama, destroyer of enemies, covered the rakshasa lord standing near with rains of arrows.
बभूव द्विगुणं वीर्यं बलं हर्षश्च संयुगे । रामस्यास्त्रबलं चैव शत्रोर्निधनकांक्षिणः ॥ २४ ॥
Rama’s valour, strength and joy in battle became double, and the power of his weapons too, as he longed for the death of his enemy.
प्रादुर्बभूवुरस्त्राणि सर्वाणि विदितात्मनः । प्रहर्षाच्च महातेजाः शीघ्रहस्ततरोऽभवत् ॥ २५ ॥
All the weapons appeared to him who knew himself; and from joy the very radiant one became swifter of hand.
शुभान्येतानि चिह्नानि विज्ञायात्मगतानि सः । भूय एवार्दयद् रामो रावणं राक्षसान्तकृत् ॥ २६ ॥
Recognising these auspicious signs within himself, Rama, destroyer of rakshasas, harassed Ravana still more.
हरीणां चाश्मनिकरैः शरवर्षैश्च राघवात् । हन्यमानो दशग्रीवो विघूर्णहृदयोऽभवत् ॥ २७ ॥
Being struck by masses of rocks from the monkeys and by rains of arrows from Raghava, Ten-necked became reeling at heart.
यदा च शस्त्रं नारेभे न चकर्ष शरासनम् । नास्य प्रत्यकरोद् वीर्यं विक्लवेनान्तरात्मना ॥ २८ ॥
When he did not take up a weapon, did not draw his bow, did not answer his valour with a bewildered inner self,
क्षिप्ताश्चाशु शरास्तेन शस्त्राणि विविधानि च । मरणार्थाय वर्तन्ते मृत्युकालोऽभ्यवर्तत ॥ २९ ॥
and the arrows and the many kinds of weapons hurled quickly by him served for his death, the time of his death approaching,
सूतस्तु रथनेतास्य तदवस्थं निरीक्ष्य तम् । शनैर्युद्धादसम्भ्रान्तो रथं तस्यापवाहयत् ॥ ३० ॥
his charioteer, the driver of his chariot, seeing him in that state, unflustered, slowly took his chariot away from the battle.
रथं च तस्याथ जवेन सारथि- र्निवार्य भीमं जलदस्वनं तदा । जगाम भीत्या समरान्महीपतिं निरस्तवीर्यं पतितं समीक्ष्य ॥ ३१ ॥
Then the charioteer, turning his terrible chariot, with the sound of a cloud, swiftly, went in fear from the battle, seeing the king fallen, his valour cast off.