Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 68 of 128 · 24 verses
Ravana Mourns Kumbhakarna
The rakshasas tell Ravana that Kumbhakarna, like Death in his deeds, having routed and devoured the monkeys and blazed for a while, has been quenched by Rama’s power; his body, ears and nose cut away, bleeding, lies like a mountain half in the terrible sea and half blocking Lanka’s gate, limbless, like a tree burnt in a forest fire. Hearing this, Ravana faints and falls. His sons Devantaka, Narantaka, Trishiras and Atikaya weep for their uncle; his brothers Mahodara and Mahaparshva are overcome with grief.
Recovering with difficulty, Ravana laments: hero, crusher of enemies’ pride, mighty Kumbhakarna, by the power of fate you have left me for Yama’s abode. Where are you going, leaving me, without pulling out the thorn that pierces your kin? Now I am truly nothing, my right arm has fallen, relying on which I feared neither gods nor asuras. How was such a hero, like the fire of Time, killed by Raghava in battle? You, whom the crash of the thunderbolt could not hurt, how do you lie asleep on the earth, pierced by Rama’s arrows? The gods and sages stand in the sky rejoicing to see you dead; surely the monkeys, delighted, will climb Lanka’s walls and gates today. I have no use for the kingdom; what will I do with Sita? Without Kumbhakarna I have no wish to live. If I do not kill Raghava, my brother’s killer, in battle, death is better for me than this useless life. Today I will go where my younger brother is; I cannot live a moment having abandoned my brothers. The gods will laugh at me, who wronged them before; how will I conquer Indra, with you dead? Now the good advice of Vibhishana, which I in ignorance did not take, has come home to me; this terrible destruction of Kumbhakarna and Prahasta shames me. This is the bitter fruit of my deed, that I drove away the righteous, glorious Vibhishana. Lamenting so, piteously and in many ways, Ravana falls again, overwhelmed, knowing his brother, the enemy of Indra, dead.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
कुम्भकर्णं हतं दृष्ट्वा राघवेण महात्मना । राक्षसा राक्षसेन्द्राय रावणाय न्यवेदयन् ॥ १ ॥
Seeing Kumbhakarna killed by great-souled Raghava, the rakshasas told Ravana, king of the rakshasas:
Commentary on the whole sarga
Ravana Mourns Kumbhakarna 1 min read.
Read the commentary
राजन् स कालसंकाशः संयुक्तः कालकर्मणा । विद्राव्य वानरीं सेनां भक्षयित्वा च वानरान् ॥ २ ॥
“King, he who was like Time, joined with the deeds of Time, having routed the monkey army and devoured the monkeys,
प्रतपित्वा मुहूर्तं तु प्रशान्तो रामतेजसा । कायेनार्धप्रविष्टेन समुद्रं भीमदर्शनम् ॥ ३ ॥
“having blazed for a moment, has been quenched by Rama’s splendour; with half his body entered into the terrible-looking ocean,
निकृत्तनासाकर्णेन विक्षरद्रुधिरेण च । रुद्ध्वा द्वारं शरीरेण लङ्कायाः पर्वतोपमः ॥ ४ ॥
“his nose and ears cut off, streaming blood, blocking Lanka’s gate with his body, like a mountain,
कुम्भकर्णस्तव भ्राता काकुत्स्थशरपीडितः । अगण्डभूतो विवृतो दावदग्ध इव द्रुमः ॥ ५ ॥
“your brother Kumbhakarna, tormented by Kakutstha’s arrows, lies without limbs, laid open, like a tree burned by a forest fire.”
श्रुत्वा विनिहतं संख्ये कुम्भकर्णं महाबलम् । रावणः शोकसंतप्तो मुमोह च पपात च ॥ ६ ॥
Hearing that mighty Kumbhakarna had been killed in battle, Ravana, burning with grief, fainted and fell.
पितृव्यं निहतं श्रुत्वा देवान्तकनरान्तकौ । त्रिशिराश्चातिकायश्च रुरुदुः शोकपीडिताः ॥ ७ ॥
Hearing that their uncle had been killed, Devantaka and Narantaka, Trishiras and Atikaya, wept, stricken with grief.
भ्रातरं निहतं श्रुत्वा रामेणाक्लिष्टकर्मणा । महोदरमहापार्श्वौ शोकाक्रान्तौ बभूवतुः ॥ ८ ॥
Hearing that their brother had been killed by Rama of untiring deeds, Mahodara and Mahaparshva were overcome with grief.
ततः कृच्छ्रात् समासाद्य संज्ञां राक्षसपुङ्गवः । कुम्भकर्णवधाद् दीनो विललापाकुलेन्द्रियः ॥ ९ ॥
Then, regaining consciousness with difficulty, the bull among rakshasas, wretched at Kumbhakarna’s killing, lamented, his senses in turmoil:
हा वीर रिपुदर्पघ्न कुम्भकर्ण महाबल । त्वं मां विहाय वै दैवाद् यातोऽसि यमसादनम् ॥ १० ॥
“Ah hero, crusher of enemies’ pride, mighty Kumbhakarna, leaving me by the power of fate, you have gone to Yama’s abode.
मम शल्यमनुद्धृत्य बान्धवानां महाबल । शत्रुसैन्यं प्रताप्यैकः क्व मां संत्यज्य गच्छसि ॥ ११ ॥
“Without drawing out the dart of mine and of our kin, mighty one, having alone scorched the enemy army, where do you go, abandoning me?
इदानीं खल्वहं नास्मि यस्य मे पतितो भुजः । दक्षिणोऽयं समाश्रित्य न बिभेमि सुरासुरात् ॥ १२ ॥
“Now I am surely nothing, I whose right arm has fallen; relying on it, I did not fear gods or asuras.
कथमेवंविधो वीरो देवदानवदर्पहा । कालाग्निप्रतिमो ह्यद्य राघवेण रणे हतः ॥ १३ ॥
“How has such a hero, crusher of the pride of gods and danavas, like the fire of Time, been killed today by Raghava in battle?
यस्य ते वज्रनिष्पेषो न कुर्याद् व्यसनं सदा । स कथं रामबाणार्तः प्रसुप्तोऽसि महीतले ॥ १४ ॥
“You, on whom the crash of the thunderbolt never wrought harm, how do you lie asleep on the ground, pained by Rama’s arrows?
एते देवगणाः सार्धमृषिभिर्गगने स्थिताः । निहतं त्वां रणे दृष्ट्वा निनदन्ति प्रहर्षिताः ॥ १५ ॥
“These hosts of gods, standing in the sky with the sages, seeing you killed in battle, cry out with delight.
ध्रुवमद्यैव संहृष्टा लब्धलक्षाः प्लवंगमाः । आरोक्ष्यन्तीह दुर्गाणि लङ्काद्वाराणि सर्वशः ॥ १६ ॥
“Surely today the leapers, delighted, having found their mark, will climb the fortifications and the gates of Lanka everywhere.
राज्येन नास्ति मे कार्यं किं करिष्यामि सीतया । कुम्भकर्णविहीनस्य जीविते नास्ति मे मतिः ॥ १७ ॥
“I have no use for the kingdom; what will I do with Sita? Without Kumbhakarna I have no mind to live.
यद्यहं भ्रातृहन्तारं न हन्मि युधि राघवम् । ननु मे मरणं श्रेयो न चेदं व्यर्थजीवितम् ॥ १८ ॥
“If I do not kill Raghava, my brother’s killer, in battle, surely death is better for me, and not this useless life.
अद्यैव तं गमिष्यामि देशं यत्रानुजो मम । नहि भ्रातॄन् समुत्सृज्य क्षणं जीवितुमुत्सहे ॥ १९ ॥
“Today I will go to that place where my younger brother is; I cannot bear to live a moment having abandoned my brothers.
देवा हि मां हसिष्यन्ति दृष्ट्वा पूर्वापकारिणम् । कथमिन्द्रं जयिष्यामि कुम्भकर्ण हते त्वयि ॥ २० ॥
“For the gods will laugh at me, seeing me, who wronged them before. How will I conquer Indra, Kumbhakarna, now that you are killed?
तदिदं मामनुप्राप्तं विभीषणवचः शुभम् । यदज्ञानान्मया तस्य न गृहीतं महात्मनः ॥ २१ ॥
“That good counsel of Vibhishana has come home to me now, which I in ignorance did not accept from that great soul.
विभीषणवचस्तावत् कुम्भकर्णप्रहस्तयोः । विनाशोऽयं समुत्पन्नो मां व्रीडयति दारुणः ॥ २२ ॥
“Vibhishana’s words: this terrible destruction of Kumbhakarna and Prahasta that has come about shames me.
तस्यायं कर्मणः प्राप्तो विपाको मम शोकदः । यन्मया धार्मिकः श्रीमान् स निरस्तो विभीषणः ॥ २३ ॥
“This is the ripening of that deed of mine, bringing me grief, that I drove out the righteous, glorious Vibhishana.”
इति बहुविधमाकुलान्तरात्मा कृपणमतीव विलप्य कुम्भकर्णम् । न्यपतदपि दशाननो भृशार्त- स्तमनुजमिन्द्ररिपुं हतं विदित्वा ॥ २४ ॥
So, his inner self in turmoil, having lamented for Kumbhakarna very piteously and in many ways, the ten-faced one, deeply pained, fell again, knowing his younger brother, the enemy of Indra, killed.