Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 14 of 128 · 22 verses
Vibhishana Answers Prahasta
Hearing Ravana and Kumbhakarna’s roaring, Vibhishana speaks again. Who has wrapped this great serpent around you, king: Sita, whose coils are her breasts, whose poison is anxiety, whose sharp fangs are her sweet smile, whose five heads are her five fingers? Give Maithili back to Dasharatha’s son before the monkeys, like mountain peaks, armed with teeth and claws, rush on Lanka; before Rama’s arrows, like thunderbolts, swift as the wind, take the heads of the rakshasa chiefs. Neither Kumbhakarna nor Indrajit, nor Mahaparshva, Mahodara, Nikumbha, Kumbha or Atikaya can stand before Raghava. You will not escape him alive, even guarded by the Sun or the Maruts, in Indra’s lap or Death’s, in the sky or the underworld.
Prahasta answers that they know no fear of gods, danavas, yakshas, gandharvas or serpents; how could they fear a mere prince? Vibhishana, whose mind is set on dharma, profit and pleasure, replies: what you, the king, Mahodara and Kumbhakarna say about Rama is as impossible as heaven for an unrighteous mind. How could you or I or any rakshasa kill Rama, wise in affairs, any more than one could cross the ocean without a boat? Before such a righteous warrior of the Ikshvaku line, even gods are confounded. You boast only because his heron-feathered arrows have not yet pierced your body. Not Ravana, not three-headed Atibala, not Nikumbha, not Indrajit, not you, nor Devantaka, Narantaka, Atikaya or Akampana can stand against him.
This king, overcome by his vice, is being served by friends who are like enemies, for the destruction of the rakshasas; he is fierce by nature and acts without thinking. He is caught in the coils of a thousand-headed serpent; you must pull him free, even by the hair, as one restrains a man possessed. He is falling into the ocean that is Raghava, the underworld mouth that is Kakutstha; you must rescue him together. “This is my honest view, for the good of this city, its rakshasas, the king and his friends: let him give Maithili to the prince. A true minister weighs the enemy’s strength and his own, their position, losses and gains, and says what is truly good for his master.”
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निशाचरेन्द्रस्य निशम्य वाक्यं स कुम्भकर्णस्य च गर्जितानि । विभीषणो राक्षसराजमुख्य- मुवाच वाक्यं हितमर्थयुक्तम् ॥ १ ॥
Hearing the words of the lord of the night-wanderers and the roaring of Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana spoke beneficial, purposeful words to the chief king of the rakshasas:
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Vibhishana Answers Prahasta 1 min read.
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वृतो हि बाह्वन्तरभोगराशि- श्चिन्ताविषः सुस्मिततीक्ष्णदंष्ट्रः । पञ्चाङ्गुलीपञ्चशिरोऽतिकायः सीतामहाहिस्तव केन राजन् ॥ २ ॥
“By whom, king, has this great serpent Sita been wrapped around you, the coils of her body her breasts, her poison anxiety, her sharp fangs her lovely smile, her five heads her five fingers, huge?
यावन्न लङ्कां समभिद्रवन्ति बलीमुखाः पर्वतकूटमात्राः । दंष्ट्रायुधाश्चैव नखायुधाश्च प्रदीयतां दाशरथाय मैथिली ॥ ३ ॥
“Before the monkeys, as large as mountain peaks, with teeth and claws for weapons, rush on Lanka, let Maithili be given to Dasharatha’s son.
यावन्न गृह्णन्ति शिरांसि बाणा रामेरिता राक्षसपुंगवानाम् । वज्रोपमा वायुसमानवेगाः प्रदीयतां दाशरथाय मैथिली ॥ ४ ॥
“Before the arrows sent by Rama, like thunderbolts, swift as the wind, take the heads of the bulls among rakshasas, let Maithili be given to Dasharatha’s son.
न कुम्भकर्णेन्द्रजितौ च राजं- स्तथा महापार्श्वमहोदरौ वा । निकुम्भकुम्भौ च तथातिकायः स्थातुं समर्था युधि राघवस्य ॥ ५ ॥
“Neither Kumbhakarna nor Indrajit, king, nor Mahaparshva and Mahodara, nor Nikumbha and Kumbha, nor Atikaya, are able to stand before Raghava in battle.
जीवंस्तु रामस्य न मोक्ष्यसे त्वं गुप्तः सवित्राप्यथवा मरुद्भिः । न वासवस्याङ्कगतो न मृत्यो- र्नभो न पातालमनुप्रविष्टः ॥ ६ ॥
“You will not escape Rama alive, even if guarded by the Sun or the Maruts, nor if you go into Vasava’s lap or Death’s, nor into the sky or the underworld.”
निशम्य वाक्यं तु विभीषणस्य ततः प्रहस्तो वचनं बभाषे । न नो भयं विद्म न दैवतेभ्यो न दानवेभ्योऽप्यथवा कदाचित् ॥ ७ ॥
Hearing Vibhishana’s words, Prahasta then said: “We know no fear, from the gods or from the danavas, ever;
न यक्षगन्धर्वमहोरगेभ्यो भयं न संख्ये पतगोरगेभ्यः । कथं नु रामाद् भविता भयं नो नरेन्द्रपुत्रात् समरे कदाचित् ॥ ८ ॥
“no fear from yakshas, gandharvas or great serpents, none in battle from birds or snakes. How could fear ever come to us in battle from Rama, a king’s son?”
प्रहस्तवाक्यं त्वहितं निशम्य विभीषणो राजहितानुकाङ्क्षी । ततो महार्थं वचनं बभाषे धर्मार्थकामेषु निविष्टबुद्धिः ॥ ९ ॥
Hearing Prahasta’s unwholesome words, Vibhishana, wishing the king well, his mind set on dharma, profit and pleasure, spoke words of great meaning:
प्रहस्त राजा च महोदरश्च त्वं कुम्भकर्णश्च यथार्थजातम् । ब्रवीत रामं प्रति तन्न शक्यं यथा गतिः स्वर्गमधर्मबुद्धेः ॥ १० ॥
“What you, the king, Mahodara and Kumbhakarna say about Rama, Prahasta, is as impossible as the way to heaven for one with an unrighteous mind.
वधस्तु रामस्य मया त्वया च प्रहस्त सर्वैरपि राक्षसैर्वा । कथं भवेदर्थविशारदस्य महार्णवं तर्तुमिवाप्लवस्य ॥ ११ ॥
“How could Rama, skilled in affairs, be killed by me, by you, Prahasta, or by all the rakshasas, any more than the great ocean crossed by one without a boat?
धर्मप्रधानस्य महारथस्य इक्ष्वाकुवंशप्रभवस्य राज्ञः । पुरोऽस्य देवाश्च तथाविधस्य कृत्येषु शक्तस्य भवन्ति मूढाः ॥ १२ ॥
“Before such a one, foremost in dharma, a great chariot-warrior, a king born of the Ikshvaku line, able in all he does, even the gods are confounded.
तीक्ष्णा न तावत् तव कङ्कपत्रा दुरासदा राघवविप्रमुक्ताः । भित्त्वा शरीरं प्रविशन्ति बाणाः प्रहस्त तेनैव विकत्थसे त्वम् ॥ १३ ॥
“The sharp, heron-feathered arrows loosed by Raghava, hard to withstand, have not yet split your body and entered it, Prahasta; that is why you boast.
भित्त्वा न तावत् प्रविशन्ति कायं प्राणान्तिकास्तेऽशनितुल्यवेगाः । शिताः शरा राघवविप्रमुक्ताः प्रहस्त तेनैव विकत्थसे त्वम् ॥ १४ ॥
“The sharp arrows loosed by Raghava, deadly, swift as thunderbolts, have not yet split your body and entered it, Prahasta; that is why you boast.
न रावणो नातिबलस्त्रिशीर्षो न कुम्भकर्णस्य सुतो निकुम्भः । न चेन्द्रजिद् दाशरथिं प्रवोढुं त्वं वा रणे शक्रसमं समर्थः ॥ १५ ॥
“Neither Ravana, nor mighty three-headed Atibala, nor Kumbhakarna’s son Nikumbha, nor Indrajit, nor you, are able to withstand in battle Dasharatha’s son, equal to Shakra.
देवान्तको वापि नरान्तको वा तथातिकायोऽतिरथो महात्मा । अकम्पनश्चाद्रिसमानसारः स्थातुं न शक्ता युधि राघवस्य ॥ १६ ॥
“Neither Devantaka nor Narantaka, nor great-souled Atikaya, the great chariot-warrior, nor Akampana, firm as a mountain, can stand before Raghava in battle.
अयं च राजा व्यसनाभिभूतो मित्रैरमित्रप्रतिमैर्भवद्भिः । अन्वास्यते राक्षसनाशनार्थे तीक्ष्णः प्रकृत्या ह्यसमीक्षकारी ॥ १७ ॥
“And this king, overcome by his vice, is attended by you, friends who are like enemies, for the destruction of the rakshasas; he is fierce by nature and acts without reflection.
अनन्तभोगेन सहस्रमूर्ध्ना नागेन भीमेन महाबलेन । बलात् परिक्षिप्तमिमं भवन्तो राजानमुत्क्षिप्य विमोचयन्तु ॥ १८ ॥
“This king has been seized by force by a terrible, mighty, thousand-headed serpent of endless coils: you must lift him out and free him.
यावद्धि केशग्रहणात् सुहृद्भिः समेत्य सर्वैः परिपूर्णकामैः । निगृह्य राजा परिरक्षितव्यो भूतैर्यथा भीमबलैर्गृहीतः ॥ १९ ॥
“As long as it takes, even by seizing him by the hair, the king must be restrained and protected by all his friends together, whose wishes are fulfilled, as one possessed by spirits of terrible strength is held.
सुवारिणा राघवसागरेण प्रच्छाद्यमानस्तरसा भवद्भिः । युक्तस्त्वयं तारयितुं समेत्य काकुत्स्थपातालमुखे पतन् सः ॥ २० ॥
“As he is being swiftly covered by the ocean that is Raghava, with its fine waters, falling into the underworld mouth that is Kakutstha, you should come together and rescue him.
इदं पुरस्यास्य सराक्षसस्य राज्ञश्च पथ्यं ससुहृज्जनस्य । सम्यग्घि वाक्यं स्वमतं ब्रवीमि नरेन्द्रपुत्राय ददातु मैथिलीम् ॥ २१ ॥
“For the good of this city with its rakshasas, and of the king with his friends, I speak my own honest view: let him give Maithili to the king’s son.
परस्य वीर्यं स्वबलं च बुद्ध्वा स्थानं क्षयं चैव तथैव वृद्धिम् । तथा स्वपक्षेऽप्यनुमृश्य बुद्ध्या वदेत् क्षमं स्वामिहितं स मन्त्री ॥ २२ ॥
“Understanding the enemy’s power and one’s own strength, position, loss and gain, and weighing his own side with intelligence: that is the minister who says what is fit and good for his master.”