Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 6 of 128 · 18 verses
Ravana Calls a Council
Shaken by what Hanuman has done, and a little ashamed, Ravana addresses the assembled rakshasas. Lanka, which no one could assail, has been entered and violated by a mere monkey; Sita has been seen; the temple-palace has been smashed, leading rakshasas killed, and the whole city thrown into turmoil. What should he do? Let them say what is fitting and what will work.
The wise say victory is rooted in counsel. There are three kinds of men: the best takes counsel with able advisers, friends who share his aims, or kinsmen, then acts, trusting in fate too; the middling thinks alone and acts alone; the worst acts without weighing good and bad, abandoning even reliance on fate. So too with counsel: the best is when ministers, looking with the eye of the treatises, reach one mind; the middling when, after many views, they come to agreement; the worst when they argue from their own views and agreement brings no good. Rama is coming to besiege Lanka with thousands of monkeys; he will surely cross the ocean easily, with his brother and army, or dry it up by his power. Let them advise what is good for the city and the army.
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लङ्कायां तु कृतं कर्म घोरं दृष्ट्वा भयावहम् । राक्षसेन्द्रो हनुमता शक्रेणेव महात्मना । अब्रवीद् राक्षसान् सर्वान् ह्रिया किंचिदवाङ्मुखः ॥ १ ॥
Seeing the terrible, frightening deed done in Lanka by Hanuman, like great-souled Shakra, the king of the rakshasas, his face cast down a little with shame, spoke to all the rakshasas:
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धर्षिता च प्रविष्टा च लङ्का दुष्प्रसहा पुरी । तेन वानरमात्रेण दृष्टा सीता च जानकी ॥ २ ॥
“The city of Lanka, so hard to withstand, has been violated and entered, and Sita, Janaki, has been seen, by that mere monkey.
प्रासादो धर्षितश्चैत्यः प्रवरा राक्षसा हताः । आविला च पुरी लङ्का सर्वा हनुमता कृता ॥ ३ ॥
“The caitya-palace has been assaulted, leading rakshasas killed, and the whole city of Lanka thrown into turmoil by Hanuman.
किं करिष्यामि भद्रं वः किं वो युक्तमनन्तरम् । उच्यतां नः समर्थं यत् कृतं च सुकृतं भवेत् ॥ ४ ॥
“What shall I do? Bless you, what is fitting for you to do next? Let us be told what is effective and what, done, would be well done.
मन्त्रमूलं च विजयं प्रवदन्ति मनस्विनः । तस्माद् वै रोचये मन्त्रं रामं प्रति महाबलाः ॥ ५ ॥
“The wise say that victory has its root in counsel; therefore, mighty ones, I wish for counsel concerning Rama.
त्रिविधाः पुरुषा लोके उत्तमाधममध्यमाः । तेषां तु समवेतानां गुणदोषौ वदाम्यहम् ॥ ६ ॥
“There are three kinds of men in the world: the best, the worst and the middling. I will tell you the merits and faults of each.
मन्त्रस्त्रिभिर्हि संयुक्तः समर्थैर्मन्त्रनिर्णये । मित्रैर्वापि समानार्थैर्बान्धवैरपि वाधिकैः ॥ ७ ॥
“Counsel joined with three: with able advisers in deciding policy, or with friends who share one’s aims, or with kinsmen, or with those even greater;
सहितो मन्त्रयित्वा यः कर्मारम्भान् प्रवर्तयेत् । दैवे च कुरुते यत्नं तमाहुः पुरुषोत्तमम् ॥ ८ ॥
“he who takes counsel together with them and then sets his undertakings going, and makes an effort with regard to fate too: him they call the best of men.
एकोऽर्थं विमृशेदेको धर्मे प्रकुरुते मनः । एकः कार्याणि कुरुते तमाहुर्मध्यमं नरम् ॥ ९ ॥
“He who weighs a matter alone, sets his mind on dharma alone, and does his tasks alone: him they call a middling man.
गुणदोषौ न निश्चित्य त्यक्त्वा दैवव्यपाश्रयम् । करिष्यामीति यः कार्यमुपेक्षेत् स नराधमः ॥ १० ॥
“He who, without deciding merits and faults, abandoning reliance on fate, says ‘I will do it’ and then neglects the task: he is the lowest of men.
यथेमे पुरुषा नित्यमुत्तमाधममध्यमाः । एवं मन्त्रोऽपि विज्ञेय उत्तमाधममध्यमः ॥ ११ ॥
“Just as these men are always best, worst and middling, so counsel too is to be known as best, worst and middling.
ऐकमत्यमुपागम्य शास्त्रदृष्टेन चक्षुषा । मन्त्रिणो यत्र निरतास्तमाहुर्मन्त्रमुत्तमम् ॥ १२ ॥
“Where the ministers, reaching one mind, looking with the eye of the treatises, are agreed: that they call the best counsel.
बह्वीरपि मतीर्गत्वा मन्त्रिणामर्थनिर्णयः । पुनर्यत्रैकतां प्राप्तः स मन्त्रो मध्यमः स्मृतः ॥ १३ ॥
“Where the ministers’ decision, after going through many views, again reaches unity, that counsel is considered middling.
अन्योन्यमतिमास्थाय यत्र सम्प्रतिभाष्यते । न चैकमत्ये श्रेयोऽस्ति मन्त्रः सोऽधम उच्यते ॥ १४ ॥
“Where each holds to his own view and they argue back and forth, and even in agreement there is no good: that counsel is called the worst.
तस्मात् सुमन्त्रितं साधु भवन्तो मतिसत्तमाः । कार्यं सम्प्रतिपद्यन्तमेतत् कृत्यं मतं मम ॥ १५ ॥
“So, best of the wise, let you well take counsel and arrive at the task to be done: that is what I think must be done.
वानराणां हि धीराणां सहस्रैः परिवारितः । रामोऽभ्येति पुरीं लङ्कामस्माकमुपरोधकः ॥ १६ ॥
“Surrounded by thousands of steadfast monkeys, Rama is coming against the city of Lanka to besiege us.
तरिष्यति च सुव्यक्तं राघवः सागरं सुखम् । तरसा युक्तरूपेण सानुजः सबलानुगः ॥ १७ ॥
“Clearly Raghava will cross the ocean with ease, by fitting force, with his younger brother, his army and followers.
समुद्रमुच्छोषयति वीर्येणान्यत्करोति वा । तस्मिन्नेवंविधे कार्ये विरुद्धे वानरैः सह । हितं पुरे च सैन्ये च सर्वं सम्मन्त्र्यतां मम ॥ १८ ॥
“He will dry up the ocean by his power, or do something else. In such a matter, opposed by the monkeys, let everything good for the city and the army be discussed by me with you.”