Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 13 of 128 · 21 verses
Mahaparshva’s Advice and Ravana’s Curse
Seeing Ravana angry, the mighty Mahaparshva gives base advice: a man who finds honey in the forest and does not drink it is a fool. Who is lord over the lord? Let Ravana take Sita by force and enjoy her, trampling on his enemies’ heads; once he has what he wants, what is there to fear? Kumbhakarna, Indrajit and the rest can hold off even Indra. Gifts, conciliation and division are for the clever; Mahaparshva prefers the rod of force.
Ravana praises the suggestion but reveals a secret. Long ago he saw the apsaras Punjikasthala, bright as a flame, going through the sky to Brahma’s palace, and violated her; she reached Brahma’s dwelling dishevelled, like a crushed lotus. Brahma learned of it and cursed him in anger: “From today, if you take any other woman by force, your head will split into a hundred pieces.” Fearing that curse, he does not force Sita into his bed. Then he boasts: his speed is like the ocean’s and his course like the wind’s; Rama does not know this, which is why he is coming. Who would wake a lion sleeping in a mountain cave, or Death sitting in anger? Rama has not yet seen his arrows, like forked-tongued serpents; he will burn Rama with thunderbolt-like arrows as one burns an elephant with torches, and swallow his army as the rising sun swallows the stars’ light. Neither Indra nor Varuna can beat him in battle; he conquered this very city from Kubera.
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रावणं क्रुद्धमाज्ञाय महापार्श्वो महाबलः । मुहूर्तमनुसंचिन्त्य प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Knowing Ravana to be angry, mighty Mahaparshva thought for a moment and said with joined palms:
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Mahaparshva’s Advice and Ravana’s Curse 1 min read.
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यः खल्वपि वनं प्राप्य मृगव्यालनिषेवितम् । न पिबेन्मधु सम्प्राप्य स नरो बालिशो भवेत् ॥ २ ॥
“Whoever comes to a forest frequented by beasts and snakes, and finds honey, and does not drink it, that man is a fool.
ईश्वरस्येश्वरः कोऽस्ति तव शत्रुनिबर्हण । रमस्व सह वैदेह्या शत्रूनाक्रम्य मूर्धसु ॥ ३ ॥
“Who is lord over the lord, slayer of enemies? Enjoy yourself with Vaidehi, trampling on your enemies’ heads.
बलात् कुक्कुटवृत्तेन प्रवर्तस्व महाबल । आक्रम्याक्रम्य सीतां वै तां भुङ्क्ष्व च रमस्व च ॥ ४ ॥
“Act by force, mighty one, in the way of the cock: assail Sita again and again, enjoy her and take your pleasure.
लब्धकामस्य ते पश्चादागमिष्यति किं भयम् । प्राप्तमप्राप्तकालं वा सर्वं प्रतिविधास्यसे ॥ ५ ॥
“When you have got your desire, what fear will come to you afterward? Whatever comes, in time or out of time, you will counter it all.
कुम्भकर्णः सहास्माभिरिन्द्रजिच्च महाबलः । प्रतिषेधयितुं शक्तौ सवज्रमपि वज्रिणम् ॥ ६ ॥
“Kumbhakarna with us, and mighty Indrajit, are able to hold off even the wielder of the thunderbolt with his thunderbolt.
उपप्रदानं सान्त्वं वा भेदं वा कुशलैः कृतम् । समतिक्रम्य दण्डेन सिद्धिमर्थेषु रोचये ॥ ७ ॥
“Gifts, conciliation or division, used by the clever: passing over them, I prefer success in affairs by the rod.
इह प्राप्तान् वयं सर्वाञ्छत्रूंस्तव महाबल । वशे शस्त्रप्रतापेन करिष्यामो न संशयः ॥ ८ ॥
“All your enemies who have come here, mighty one, we will bring into your power by the might of our weapons, no doubt of it.”
एवमुक्तस्तदा राजा महापार्श्वेन रावणः । तस्य सम्पूजयन् वाक्यमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ ९ ॥
Spoken to so then by Mahaparshva, King Ravana, honouring his words, said this:
महापार्श्व निबोध त्वं रहस्यं किंचिदात्मनः । चिरवृत्तं तदाख्यास्ये यदवाप्तं पुरा मया ॥ १० ॥
“Mahaparshva, learn a certain secret of mine. I will tell you what happened long ago, what I met with in the past.
पितामहस्य भवनं गच्छन्तीं पुञ्जिकस्थलाम् । चञ्चूर्यमाणामद्राक्षमाकाशेऽग्निशिखामिव ॥ ११ ॥
“I saw Punjikasthala going to the Grandsire’s palace, flitting through the sky like a flame of fire.
सा प्रसह्य मया भुक्ता कृता विवसना ततः । स्वयम्भूभवनं प्राप्ता लोलिता नलिनी यथा ॥ १२ ॥
“I took her by force and stripped her; then she reached the Self-born’s palace, crushed like a lotus.
तच्च तस्य तथा मन्ये ज्ञातमासीन्महात्मनः । अथ संकुपितो वेधा मामिदं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ १३ ॥
“I think that it became known to that great soul just so. Then the creator, very angry, said these words to me:
अद्यप्रभृति यामन्यां बलान्नारीं गमिष्यसि । तदा ते शतधा मूर्धा फलिष्यति न संशयः ॥ १४ ॥
“’From this day, whatever other woman you take by force, your head will burst into a hundred pieces, no doubt of it.’
इत्यहं तस्य शापस्य भीतः प्रसभमेव ताम् । नारोहये बलात् सीतां वैदेहीं शयने शुभे ॥ १५ ॥
“So, afraid of that curse, I do not make Sita, Vaidehi, mount my lovely bed by force.
सागरस्येव मे वेगो मारुतस्येव मे गतिः । नैतद् दाशरथिर्वेद ह्यासादयति तेन माम् ॥ १६ ॥
“My speed is like the ocean’s, my course like the wind’s. Dasharatha’s son does not know this; that is why he comes against me.
को हि सिंहमिवासीनं सुप्तं गिरिगुहाशये । क्रुद्धं मृत्युमिवासीनं प्रबोधयितुमिच्छति ॥ १७ ॥
“For who would wish to wake a lion sleeping in a mountain cave, or Death sitting in anger?
न मत्तो निर्गतान् बाणान् द्विजिह्वान् पन्नगानिव । रामः पश्यति संग्रामे तेन मामभिगच्छति ॥ १८ ॥
“Rama does not see in battle the arrows that come from me like forked-tongued serpents; that is why he comes against me.
क्षिप्रं वज्रसमैर्बाणैः शतधा कार्मुकच्युतैः । राममादीपयिष्यामि उल्काभिरिव कुञ्जरम् ॥ १९ ॥
“Quickly, with arrows like thunderbolts, shot from my bow by the hundred, I will set Rama ablaze, as one sets an elephant ablaze with torches.
तच्चास्य बलमादास्ये बलेन महता वृतः । उदितः सविता काले नक्षत्राणां प्रभामिव ॥ २० ॥
“Surrounded by a great army, I will take his army as the sun, risen in its time, takes the light of the stars.
न वासवेनापि सहस्रचक्षुषा युधास्मि शक्यो वरुणेन वा पुनः । मया त्वियं बाहुबलेन निर्जिता पुरा पुरी वैश्रवणेन पालिता ॥ २१ ॥
“Not even by thousand-eyed Vasava, nor by Varuna, can I be beaten in battle. This city, once guarded by Vaishravana, was conquered by me by the strength of my arms.”