Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 110 of 128 · 26 verses
Ravana’s Wives Lament
Hearing that Ravana has been killed by great-souled Raghava, the rakshasi women of the inner palace rush out, worn with grief; held back again and again, they roll in the dust, their hair loose, grieving like cows whose calves are killed. Going out by the northern gate with the rakshasas into the terrible battlefield, searching for their slain husband, crying “Noble lord! Ah, master!”, they wander over the earth marked with headless trunks and muddy with blood, eyes full of tears, overcome with grief for their husband, trumpeting like she-elephants whose herd leader is killed. They see huge, mighty, radiant Ravana slain on the ground like a heap of dark collyrium, and seeing their husband suddenly lying in the dust of battle, they fall on his limbs like creepers cut in a forest. One embraces him with great love and weeps; one clings to his feet, one to his neck; one, throwing up her arms, rolls on the ground; one faints at the sight of his dead face; one, taking his head in her lap, gazes at his face and weeps, bathing it with tears as frost bathes a lotus.
In their grief they wail and lament again: he who terrified Shakra and Yama, who took the Pushpaka from King Vaishravana, who struck fear in battle into the gandharvas, the sages and the great gods, lies here killed in battle. He who knew no fear from asuras, gods or serpents has met this fear from a man. He whom gods, danavas and rakshasas could not kill lies killed in battle by a man on foot. He whom gods, yakshas and asuras could not kill has been brought to death by a mortal like some weakling. Weeping, they lament again and again: you would not listen to friends who always spoke for your good; you brought Sita here for your own death, and the rakshasas have been struck down; and now we and you yourself have been struck down together. Even your beloved brother Vibhishana, who spoke good words to you, was abused by you in your delusion, wanting your own death. Had you returned Maithili Sita to Rama, this terrible, great disaster that tears out our roots would not have befallen us; your brother would have had his wish, Rama would have been a friend to our family, all of us would not be widows, and our enemies would not have had their wish. But you, cruel one, holding Sita by force, have struck down three together: the rakshasas, us and yourself. Yet it is not your own will, bull among rakshasas; fate moves everything, and what is struck by fate is struck. This destruction of the monkeys and the rakshasas, and of you in battle, mighty-armed one, has come by the working of fate. Neither wealth, nor desire, nor valour, nor command can turn back the course of fate once it has begun in the world. So the wretched wives of the rakshasa king lament, grieving like ospreys, their eyes clouded with tears.
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रावणं निहतं श्रुत्वा राघवेण महात्मना । अन्तःपुराद् विनिष्पेतू राक्षस्यः शोककर्शिताः ॥ १ ॥
Hearing that Ravana had been killed by great-souled Raghava, the rakshasis, worn with grief, rushed out of the inner palace.
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वार्यमाणाः सुबहुशो वेष्टन्त्यः क्षितिपांसुषु । विमुक्तकेश्यः शोकार्ता गावो वत्सहता इव ॥ २ ॥
Held back very many times, rolling in the dust of the earth, their hair loose, afflicted with grief, like cows whose calves have been killed,
उत्तरेण विनिष्क्रम्य द्वारेण सह राक्षसैः । प्रविश्यायोधनं घोरं विचिन्वन्त्यो हतं पतिम् ॥ ३ ॥
going out by the northern gate with the rakshasas, entering the terrible battlefield, searching for their slain husband,
आर्यपुत्रेति वादिन्यो हा नाथेति च सर्वशः । परिपेतुः कबन्धाङ्कां महीं शोणितकर्दमाम् ॥ ४ ॥
crying “Noble lord!” and “Ah, master!” on every side, they ran about the earth marked with headless trunks, muddy with blood.
ता बाष्पपरिपूर्णाक्ष्यो भर्तृशोकपराजिताः । करिण्य इव नर्दन्त्यः करेण्वो हतयूथपाः ॥ ५ ॥
Their eyes full of tears, overcome by grief for their husband, trumpeting like she-elephants whose herd leader has been killed,
ददृशुस्ता महाकायं महावीर्यं महाद्युतिम् । रावणं निहतं भूमौ नीलाञ्जनचयोपमम् ॥ ६ ॥
they saw the huge, very valiant, very radiant Ravana slain on the ground, like a heap of dark collyrium.
ताः पतिं सहसा दृष्ट्वा शयानं रणपांसुषु । निपेतुस्तस्य गात्रेषु च्छिन्ना वनलता इव ॥ ७ ॥
Suddenly seeing their husband lying in the dust of battle, they fell on his limbs like forest creepers cut down.
बहुमानात् परिष्वज्य काचिदेनं रुरोद ह । चरणौ काचिदालम्ब्य काचित् कण्ठेऽवलम्ब्य च ॥ ८ ॥
One, out of great love, embraced him and wept; one clung to his feet, and one hung on his neck.
उत्क्षिप्य च भुजौ काचिद् भूमौ सुपरिवर्तते । हतस्य वदनं दृष्ट्वा काचिन्मोहमुपागमत् ॥ ९ ॥
One, throwing up her arms, rolled on the ground; one, seeing the face of the slain one, fainted.
काचिदङ्के शिरः कृत्वा रुरोद मुखमीक्षती । स्नापयन्ती मुखं बाष्पैस्तुषारैरिव पङ्कजम् ॥ १० ॥
One, placing his head in her lap, wept gazing at his face, bathing his face with tears, as frost bathes a lotus.
एवमार्ताः पतिं दृष्ट्वा रावणं निहतं भुवि । चुक्रुशुर्बहुधा शोकाद् भूयस्ताः पर्यदेवयन् ॥ ११ ॥
So, afflicted, seeing their husband Ravana slain on the ground, they cried out in many ways from grief and lamented again:
येन वित्रासितः शक्रो येन वित्रासितो यमः । येन वैश्रवणो राजा पुष्पकेण वियोजितः ॥ १२ ॥
“He by whom Shakra was terrified, by whom Yama was terrified, by whom King Vaishravana was parted from the Pushpaka,
गन्धर्वाणामृषीणां च सुराणां च महात्मनाम् । भयं येन रणे दत्तं सोऽयं शेते रणे हतः ॥ १३ ॥
“by whom fear was given in battle to the gandharvas and the sages and the great-souled gods: here he lies killed in battle.
असुरेभ्यः सुरेभ्यो वा पन्नगेभ्योऽपि वा तथा । भयं यो न विजानाति तस्येदं मानुषाद् भयम् ॥ १४ ॥
“He who knew no fear from asuras, or from gods, or from serpents likewise: to him this fear has come from a man.
अवध्यो देवतानां यस्तथा दानवरक्षसाम् । हतः सोऽयं रणे शेते मानुषेण पदातिना ॥ १५ ॥
“He who could not be killed by the gods, nor likewise by danavas and rakshasas, here he lies killed in battle by a man on foot.
यो न शक्यः सुरैर्हन्तुं न यक्षैर्नासुरैस्तथा । सोऽयं कश्चिदिवासत्त्वो मृत्युं मर्त्येन लम्भितः ॥ १६ ॥
“He who could not be killed by gods, nor by yakshas, nor by asuras likewise, has been brought to death by a mortal, like some weakling.”
एवं वदन्त्यो रुरुदुस्तस्य ता दुःखिताः स्त्रियः । भूय एव च दुःखार्ता विलेपुश्च पुनः पुनः ॥ १७ ॥
Saying this, those grieving women of his wept, and, afflicted with grief, lamented again and again:
अशृण्वता तु सुहृदां सततं हितवादिनाम् । मरणायाहृता सीता राक्षसाश्च निपातिताः । एताः सममिदानीं ते वयमात्मा च पातितः ॥ १८ ॥
“Not listening to friends who always spoke for your good, you brought Sita for your death, and the rakshasas have been struck down; now these, we, and you yourself have been struck down together.
ब्रुवाणोऽपि हितं वाक्यमिष्टो भ्राता विभीषणः । दृष्टं परुषितो मोहात् त्वयाऽऽत्मवधकांक्षिणा ॥ १९ ॥
“Even your beloved brother Vibhishana, speaking good words, was plainly treated harshly by you out of delusion, you who wished your own death.
यदि निर्यातिता ते स्यात् सीता रामाय मैथिली । न नः स्याद् व्यसनं घोरमिदं मूलहरं महत् ॥ २० ॥
“If Maithili Sita had been given back by you to Rama, this terrible, great disaster tearing out our roots would not be ours.
वृत्तकामो भवेद् भ्राता रामो मित्रकुलं भवेत् । वयं चाविधवाः सर्वाः सकामा न च शत्रवः ॥ २१ ॥
“Your brother would have had his wish fulfilled, Rama would have been a friend to our family, and all of us would not be widows, and our enemies would not have had their wish.
त्वया पुनर्नृशंसेन सीतां संरुन्धता बलात् । राक्षसा वयमात्मा च त्रयं तुल्यं निपातितम् ॥ २२ ॥
“But by you, cruel one, holding Sita back by force, three have been struck down equally: the rakshasas, we and yourself.
न कामकारः कामं वा तव राक्षसपुंगव । दैवं चेष्टयते सर्वं हतं दैवेन हन्यते ॥ २३ ॥
“Yet it is not your free will or desire, bull among rakshasas; fate moves everything; what is struck by fate is struck.
वानराणां विनाशोऽयं राक्षसानां च ते रणे । तव चैव महाबाहो दैवयोगादुपागतः ॥ २४ ॥
“This destruction of the monkeys and of the rakshasas, and of you in battle, mighty-armed one, has come about by the working of fate.
नैवार्थेन च कामेन विक्रमेण न चाज्ञया । शक्या दैवगतिर्लोके निवर्तयितुमुद्यता ॥ २५ ॥
“Neither by wealth, nor by desire, nor by valour, nor by command can the course of fate, once set going in the world, be turned back.”
विलेपुरेवं दीनास्ता राक्षसाधिपयोषितः । कुरर्य इव दुःखार्ता बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणाः ॥ २६ ॥
So the wives of the rakshasa lord lamented wretchedly, afflicted with grief like ospreys, their eyes clouded with tears.