Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 16 of 128 · 26 verses
Ravana Casts Out Vibhishana
Driven by fate, Ravana answers Vibhishana’s sound advice harshly. Better to live with an enemy or an angry cobra than with one who calls himself a friend but serves the enemy. He knows the nature of kinsmen everywhere: they rejoice in each other’s misfortunes, despise a kinsman who is leader, achiever, learned, righteous or brave, and secretly plot. He quotes the elephants’ song from a lotus forest, sung when they saw men with nooses: “Not fire, nor other weapons, nor nooses frighten us; what we fear are our own kin, driven by self-interest, for they will tell the hunters how to catch us.” There is wealth in cows, fickleness in women, austerity in brahmanas, and danger in kinsmen. That is why Vibhishana cannot bear his brother’s glory and power. Friendship does not stick to the ignoble, as water does not stick to a lotus leaf, as autumn clouds roar without wetting, as a bee does not stay once it has drunk. Anyone else who spoke so would be dead this instant; shame on you, disgrace of our family.
Vibhishana, who had spoken justly, rises into the sky with four rakshasa companions, mace in hand, and answers in anger from the air. You are deluded, king; say what you like to me. You are my elder, honoured like a father, but you have left the path of dharma, and I will not bear these harsh words. Men under the sway of Time do not accept good counsel. People who always speak pleasantly are easy to find; one who speaks, and one who hears, the unpleasant truth are rare. I could not stand by and watch you destroyed, bound by Death’s noose, like a burning house. I do not want to see you killed by Rama’s blazing arrows. Brave and skilled warriors, overtaken by Time, collapse like dams of sand. Forgive what I have said for your good, as your younger brother. Protect yourself and this city with its rakshasas. Farewell; be happy without me. “Men whose life is over, at the time of their end, do not accept the good advice of their friends.”
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सुनिविष्टं हितं वाक्यमुक्तवन्तं विभीषणम् । अब्रवीत् परुषं वाक्यं रावणः कालचोदितः ॥ १ ॥
To Vibhishana, who had spoken well-founded, beneficial words, Ravana, urged on by Time, spoke harsh words:
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Ravana Casts Out Vibhishana 1 min read.
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वसेत् सह सपत्नेन क्रुद्धेनाशीविषेण च । न तु मित्रप्रवादेन संवसेच्छत्रुसेविना ॥ २ ॥
“One may live with a rival, or with an angry, venomous snake, but not with one who, under the name of a friend, serves the enemy.
जानामि शीलं ज्ञातीनां सर्वलोकेषु राक्षस । हृष्यन्ति व्यसनेष्वेते ज्ञातीनां ज्ञातयः सदा ॥ ३ ॥
“I know the character of kinsmen in all the worlds, rakshasa: kinsmen always rejoice in the misfortunes of their kin.
प्रधानं साधकं वैद्यं धर्मशीलं च राक्षस । ज्ञातयोऽप्यवमन्यन्ते शूरं परिभवन्ति च ॥ ४ ॥
“A leader, an achiever, one learned, one righteous in conduct, rakshasa: kinsmen despise him, and humiliate a hero.
नित्यमन्योन्यसंहृष्टा व्यसनेष्वाततायिनः । प्रच्छन्नहृदया घोरा ज्ञातयस्तु भयावहाः ॥ ५ ॥
“Always delighting in one another’s misfortunes, treacherous, their hearts hidden, terrible: kinsmen are to be feared.
श्रूयन्ते हस्तिभिर्गीताः श्लोकाः पद्मवने पुरा । पाशहस्तान् नरान् दृष्ट्वा शृणुष्व गदतो मम ॥ ६ ॥
“Long ago, they say, verses were sung by elephants in a lotus forest when they saw men with nooses in their hands; hear me tell them:
नाग्निर्नान्यानि शस्त्राणि न नः पाशा भयावहाः । घोराः स्वार्थप्रयुक्तास्तु ज्ञातयो नो भयावहाः ॥ ७ ॥
“’Not fire, nor other weapons, nor nooses frighten us; terrible kinsmen, driven by their own interest, are what we fear.
उपायमेते वक्ष्यन्ति ग्रहणे नात्र संशयः । कृत्स्नाद् भयाज्ज्ञातिभयं कुकष्टं विहितं च नः ॥ ८ ॥
“’They will tell the way to catch us, no doubt of it; of all fears, the fear of kinsmen is the worst that has been ordained for us.’
विद्यते गोषु सम्पन्नं विद्यते ज्ञातितो भयम् । विद्यते स्त्रीषु चापल्यं विद्यते ब्राह्मणे तपः ॥ ९ ॥
“There is wealth in cows, there is danger from kinsmen, there is fickleness in women, there is austerity in a brahmana.
ततो नेष्टमिदं सौम्य यदहं लोकसत्कृतः । ऐश्वर्यमभिजातश्च रिपूणां मूर्ध्नि च स्थितः ॥ १० ॥
“So it does not please you, gentle one, that I am honoured by the world, have lordship, am nobly born, and stand on the heads of my enemies.
यथा पुष्करपत्रेषु पतितास्तोयबिन्दवः । न श्लेषमभिगच्छन्ति तथानार्येषु सौहृदम् ॥ ११ ॥
“As drops of water fallen on lotus leaves do not cling, so is friendship with the ignoble.
यथा शरदि मेघानां सिञ्चतामपि गर्जताम् । न भवत्यम्बुसंक्लेदस्तथानार्येषु सौहृदम् ॥ १२ ॥
“As with the clouds in autumn, though they rain and roar there is no wetting from the water, so is friendship with the ignoble.
यथा मधुकरस्तर्षाद् रसं विन्दन्न तिष्ठति । तथा त्वमपि तत्रैव तथानार्येषु सौहृदम् ॥ १३ ॥
“As a bee, from thirst, finding the juice, does not stay; so you too, likewise; so is friendship with the ignoble.
यथा मधुकरस्तर्षात् काशपुष्पं पिबन्नपि । रसमत्र न विन्देत तथानार्येषु सौहृदम् ॥ १४ ॥
“As a bee, from thirst, drinking even a kasha flower, would find no juice in it, so is friendship with the ignoble.
यथा पूर्वं गजः स्नात्वा गृह्य हस्तेन वै रजः । दूषयत्यात्मनो देहं तथानार्येषु सौहृदम् ॥ १५ ॥
“As an elephant, having bathed, takes dust in his trunk and soils his own body, so is friendship with the ignoble.
योऽन्यस्त्वेवंविधं ब्रूयाद् वाक्यमेतन्निशाचर । अस्मिन् मुहूर्ते न भवेत् त्वां तु धिक् कुलपांसन ॥ १६ ॥
“If anyone else spoke such words to me, night-wanderer, he would not live this moment. As for you, shame on you, disgrace of the family!”
इत्युक्तः परुषं वाक्यं न्यायवादी विभीषणः । उत्पपात गदापाणिश्चतुर्भिः सह राक्षसैः ॥ १७ ॥
Spoken to so harshly, Vibhishana, who spoke what was just, flew up with a mace in his hand, with four rakshasas.
अब्रवीच्च तदा वाक्यं जातक्रोधो विभीषणः । अन्तरिक्षगतः श्रीमान् भ्राता वै राक्षसाधिपम् ॥ १८ ॥
Then glorious Vibhishana, his anger roused, standing in the sky, the brother said to the lord of the rakshasas:
स त्वं भ्रान्तोऽसि मे राजन् ब्रूहि मां यद् यदिच्छसि । ज्येष्ठो मान्यः पितृसमो न च धर्मपथे स्थितः । इदं हि परुषं वाक्यं न क्षमाम्यग्रजस्य ते ॥ १९ ॥
“You are deluded, king; say to me whatever you wish. My elder brother is to be honoured as a father, but you do not stand on the path of dharma. These harsh words of my elder brother I will not bear.
सुनीतं हितकामेन वाक्यमुक्तं दशानन । न गृह्णन्त्यकृतात्मानः कालस्य वशमागताः ॥ २० ॥
“Words of good policy, spoken by one who wishes you well, ten-faced one, those who have not mastered themselves, fallen under Time’s power, do not accept.
सुलभाः पुरुषा राजन् सततं प्रियवादिनः । अप्रियस्य च पथ्यस्य वक्ता श्रोता च दुर्लभः ॥ २१ ॥
“Men who always speak pleasant words are easy to find, king; but one who speaks, and one who hears, what is unpleasant but wholesome are hard to find.
बद्धं कालस्य पाशेन सर्वभूतापहारिणः । न नश्यन्तमुपेक्षे त्वां प्रदीप्तं शरणं यथा ॥ २२ ॥
“Bound by the noose of Time, which takes away all beings, I cannot stand by while you perish, as one would not watch a house burning.
दीप्तपावकसंकाशैः शितैः काञ्चनभूषणैः । न त्वामिच्छाम्यहं द्रष्टुं रामेण निहतं शरैः ॥ २३ ॥
“I do not wish to see you killed by Rama with sharp, gold-adorned arrows like blazing fire.
शूराश्च बलवन्तश्च कृतास्त्राश्च नरा रणे । कालाभिपन्नाः सीदन्ति यथा वालुकसेतवः ॥ २४ ॥
“Brave, mighty men skilled in weapons, overtaken by Time, sink in battle like dams of sand.
तन्मर्षयतु यच्चोक्तं गुरुत्वाद्धितमिच्छता । आत्मानं सर्वथा रक्ष पुरीं चेमां सराक्षसाम् । स्वस्ति तेऽस्तु गमिष्यामि सुखी भव मया विना ॥ २५ ॥
“Forgive what was said by me out of respect for an elder, wishing your good. Protect yourself in every way, and this city with its rakshasas. Farewell; I will go; be happy without me.
निवार्यमाणस्य मया हितैषिणा न रोचते ते वचनं निशाचर । परान्तकाले हि गतायुषो नरा हितं न गृह्णन्ति सुहृद्भिरीरितम् ॥ २६ ॥
“My words, as I, wishing your good, tried to restrain you, do not please you, night-wanderer. For men whose life is ending, at the time of their end, do not accept the good advice spoken by their friends.”