Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 34 of 128 · 28 verses
Sarama Learns Ravana’s Resolve
Sarama’s words cool Sita’s burning grief like water on parched earth. Smiling, Sarama offers to go secretly with a message to Rama and come back unseen; neither the wind nor Garuda could follow her through the open sky. Sita answers sweetly: you could go to the sky or even the underworld, but do this for me instead: go and find out what Ravana is planning. That cruel magician deludes me like freshly drunk wine; he has me threatened and abused constantly by his terrible rakshasis; I am anxious and full of dread. If you can bring me his decision, that will be the greatest kindness.
Stroking Sita’s tear-wet face, Sarama goes, listens to Ravana’s council and returns to the Ashoka grove, where Sita is waiting like Shri who has lost her lotus. Sita embraces her and gives her a seat. Sarama reports: Ravana’s mother, and an old, very loving minister, have urged him at length to release you: “Give Maithili back with honour to the lord of men. What happened at Janasthana is proof enough; and the leap over the ocean, the sight of Hanuman, the slaughter of rakshasas in battle: what man could do these?” But, much as they urged him, he will not let you go, as a miser will not let go of wealth. He will not give you up in battle while he lives: that is the cruel king’s resolve, with his ministers, a firm decision born of the greed of death. Out of fear he cannot let you go until he is overthrown in battle. By the destruction of all the rakshasas and himself, killing Ravana with sharp arrows, Rama will take you back to Ayodhya. Just then the sound of the whole monkey army, with drums and conches, shakes the earth; and Ravana’s servants in Lanka, hearing it, lose heart and see no good ahead because of their king’s fault.
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अथ तां जातसंतापां तेन वाक्येन मोहिताम् । सरमा ह्लादयामास महीं दग्धामिवाम्भसा ॥ १ ॥
Then Sarama gladdened her, burning with grief and deluded by that speech, as water gladdens parched earth.
Commentary on the whole sarga
Sarama Learns Ravana’s Resolve 1 min read.
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ततस्तस्या हितं सख्याश्चिकीर्षन्ती सखी वचः । उवाच काले कालज्ञा स्मितपूर्वाभिभाषिणी ॥ २ ॥
Then, wishing to do her friend good, the friend, who knew the right moment, spoke at the right time, beginning with a smile:
उत्सहेयमहं गत्वा त्वद्वाक्यमसितेक्षणे । निवेद्य कुशलं रामे प्रतिच्छन्ना निवर्तितुम् ॥ ३ ॥
“I could go, dark-eyed one, and report your message and your welfare to Rama, and come back hidden.
नहि मे क्रममाणाया निरालम्बे विहायसि । समर्थो गतिमन्वेतुं पवनो गरुडोऽपि वा ॥ ४ ॥
“For as I move through the unsupported sky, neither the Wind nor Garuda could follow my course.”
एवं ब्रुवाणां तां सीता सरमामिदमब्रवीत् । मधुरं श्लक्ष्णया वाचा पूर्वशोकाभिपन्नया ॥ ५ ॥
To Sarama speaking so, Sita said this sweetly, in a gentle voice still touched by her earlier grief:
समर्था गगनं गन्तुमपि च त्वं रसातलम् । अवगच्छाद्य कर्तव्यं कर्तव्यं ते मदन्तरे ॥ ६ ॥
“You are able to go to the sky, and even to the underworld. Understand what is to be done today, what you should do for me.
मत्प्रियं यदि कर्तव्यं यदि बुद्धिः स्थिरा तव । ज्ञातुमिच्छामि तं गत्वा किं करोतीति रावणः ॥ ७ ॥
“If you would do what is dear to me, if your mind is steady, I want to know, by your going, what Ravana is doing.
स हि मायाबलः क्रूरो रावणः शत्रुरावणः । मां मोहयति दुष्टात्मा पीतमात्रेव वारुणी ॥ ८ ॥
“For that cruel Ravana, whose strength is magic, who makes his enemies cry out, the evil-souled one deludes me like wine just drunk.
तर्जापयति मां नित्यं भर्त्सापयति चासकृत् । राक्षसीभिः सुघोराभिर्यो मां रक्षति नित्यशः ॥ ९ ॥
“He has me threatened constantly and abused again and again by the very terrible rakshasis who guard me always.
उद्विग्ना शङ्किता चास्मि न स्वस्थं च मनो मम । तद्भयाच्चाहमुद्विग्ना अशोकवनिकां गता ॥ १० ॥
“I am anxious and fearful, and my mind is not at ease; and from fear of him I am anxious in the Ashoka grove.
यदि नाम कथा तस्य निश्चितं वापि यद्भवेत् । निवेदयेथाः सर्वं तद् वरो मे स्यादनुग्रहः ॥ ११ ॥
“If there is any talk of his, or anything decided, tell me all of it: that would be the best favour to me.”
साप्येवं ब्रुवतीं सीतां सरमा मृदुभाषिणी । उवाच वदनं तस्याः स्पृशन्ती बाष्पविक्लवम् ॥ १२ ॥
To Sita speaking so, Sarama, gentle of speech, said, touching her face, troubled with tears:
एष ते यद्यभिप्रायस्तस्माद् गच्छामि जानकि । गृह्य शत्रोरभिप्रायमुपावर्तामि मैथिलि ॥ १३ ॥
“If this is your wish, then I will go, Janaki; I will learn the enemy’s intention and come back, Maithili.”
एवमुक्त्वा ततो गत्वा समीपं तस्य रक्षसः । शुश्राव कथितं तस्य रावणस्य समन्त्रिणः ॥ १४ ॥
Having said this, she went near that rakshasa and heard what Ravana said with his ministers.
सा श्रुत्वा निश्चयं तस्य निश्चयज्ञा दुरात्मनः । पुनरेवागमत् क्षिप्रमशोकवनिकां शुभाम् ॥ १५ ॥
Having heard the evil-souled one’s decision, she who knew decisions came back quickly to the lovely Ashoka grove.
सा प्रविष्टा ततस्तत्र ददर्श जनकात्मजाम् । प्रतीक्षमाणां स्वामेव भ्रष्टपद्मामिव श्रियम् ॥ १६ ॥
Entering there, she saw Janaka’s daughter waiting for her, like Shri who has lost her lotus.
तां तु सीता पुनः प्राप्तां सरमां प्रियभाषिणीम् । परिष्वज्य च सुस्निग्धं ददौ च स्वयमासनम् ॥ १७ ॥
Sita embraced Sarama, so sweet of speech, come back again, very tenderly, and herself gave her a seat.
इहासीना सुखं सर्वमाख्याहि मम तत्त्वतः । क्रूरस्य निश्चयं तस्य रावणस्य दुरात्मनः ॥ १८ ॥
“Sitting here at ease, tell me all truly: the decision of that cruel, evil-souled Ravana.”
एवमुक्ता तु सरमा सीतया वेपमानया । कथितं सर्वमाचष्ट रावणस्य समन्त्रिणः ॥ १९ ॥
Spoken to so by trembling Sita, Sarama told everything that Ravana and his ministers had said:
जनन्या राक्षसेन्द्रो वै त्वन्मोक्षार्थं बृहद्वचः । अतिस्निग्धेन वैदेहि मन्त्रिवृद्धेन चोदितः ॥ २० ॥
“The king of the rakshasas was urged with great words to release you by his mother, Vaidehi, and by a very affectionate old minister:
दीयतामभिसत्कृत्य मनुजेन्द्राय मैथिली । निदर्शनं ते पर्याप्तं जनस्थाने यदद्भुतम् ॥ २१ ॥
“’Let Maithili be given back with honour to the lord of men. What happened in Janasthana, that marvel, is proof enough for you;
लङ्घनं च समुद्रस्य दर्शनं च हनूमतः । वधं च रक्षसां युद्धे कः कुर्यान्मानुषो युधि ॥ २२ ॥
“’and the leaping of the ocean, and the sight of Hanuman, and the killing of rakshasas in battle: what man could do these in war?’
एवं स मन्त्रवृद्धैश्च मात्रा च बहुबोधितः । न त्वामुत्सहते मोक्तुमर्थमर्थपरो यथा ॥ २३ ॥
“So, though much advised by the elder ministers and his mother, he does not dare to let you go, as one devoted to wealth does not let go of wealth.
नोत्सहत्यमृतो मोक्तुं युद्धे त्वामिति मैथिलि । सामात्यस्य नृशंसस्य निश्चयो ह्येष वर्तते ॥ २४ ॥
“He does not dare to let you go in battle while he is not dead, Maithili: this is the decision of that cruel one with his ministers.
तदेषा सुस्थिरा बुद्धिर्मृत्युलोभादुपस्थिता । भयान्न शक्तस्त्वां मोक्तुमनिरस्तः स संयुगे ॥ २५ ॥
“So this very firm resolve has arisen from the greed of death. Out of fear he is not able to let you go, unless he is overthrown in battle.
राक्षसानां च सर्वेषामात्मनश्च वधेन हि । निहत्य रावणं संख्ये सर्वथा निशितैः शरैः । प्रतिनेष्यति रामस्त्वामयोध्यामसितेक्षणे ॥ २६ ॥
“With the killing of all the rakshasas and of himself, having killed Ravana in battle with sharp arrows, Rama will take you back to Ayodhya, dark-eyed one.”
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे शब्दो भेरीशङ्खसमाकुलः । श्रुतो वै सर्वसैन्यानां कम्पयन् धरणीतलम् ॥ २७ ॥
At that moment a sound, full of drums and conches, was heard from the whole army, making the earth tremble.
श्रुत्वा तु तं वानरसैन्यनादं लङ्कागता राक्षसराजभृत्याः । हतौजसो दैन्यपरीतचेष्टाः श्रेयो न पश्यन्ति नृपस्य दोषात् ॥ २८ ॥
Hearing that roar of the monkey army, the servants of the king of the rakshasas in Lanka, their energy gone, their actions filled with dejection, saw no good ahead because of their king’s fault.