Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 7 of 128 · 25 verses
The Ministers Flatter Ravana
The rakshasas, palms joined, answer with flattery. Ignorant of the enemy and of policy, they ask why the king despairs when he has a vast army with iron bars, spears, swords and lances. He has conquered the serpents in Bhogavati, defeated Kubera on Kailasa with all his yakshas and taken his Pushpaka chariot, though Kubera boasted of Shiva’s friendship. The danava king Maya gave him his daughter in marriage out of fear; he subdued Madhu, the husband of his sister Kumbhinasi; he conquered the nagas Vasuki, Takshaka, Shankha and Jati in the underworld, fought the danavas for a year and learned their magic, defeated the sons of Varuna, and plunged into Yama’s realm, an ocean whose crocodile is the rod of death and whose waves are the noose of time, and stopped Death himself.
The earth was once full of heroic kshatriyas, equal to Indra, and Ravana killed them; Raghava is not their equal. Why should the king even trouble himself? Indrajit alone will destroy the monkeys: having performed a sacrifice to Maheshvara, he gained a rare boon; he plunged into the ocean of the gods’ army and captured Indra himself, who was freed only at Brahma’s request. Send Indrajit, and Rama and his monkeys will be wiped out. This danger comes from a mere commoner; do not take it to heart. “You will kill Raghava.”
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इत्युक्ता राक्षसेन्द्रेण राक्षसास्ते महाबलाः । ऊचुः प्राञ्जलयः सर्वे रावणं राक्षसेश्वरम् ॥ १ ॥
Spoken to so by the king of the rakshasas, those mighty rakshasas all said to Ravana, lord of the rakshasas, with joined palms,
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द्विषत्पक्षमविज्ञाय नीतिबाह्यास्त्वबुद्धयः । राजन् परिघशक्त्यृष्टिशूलपट्टिशकुन्तलम् ॥ २ ॥
not knowing the enemy’s side, outside policy, without understanding: “King, with iron bars, spears, swords, tridents, axes and lances,
सुमहन्नो बलं कस्माद् विषादं भजते भवान् । त्वया भोगवतीं गत्वा निर्जिताः पन्नगा युधि ॥ ३ ॥
“ours is a very great army; why do you give way to despair? You went to Bhogavati and conquered the serpents in battle.
कैलासशिखरावासी यक्षैर्बहुभिरावृतः । सुमहत्कदनं कृत्वा वश्यस्ते धनदः कृतः ॥ ४ ॥
“The lord of wealth, living on the peak of Kailasa, surrounded by many yakshas, was brought under your power after a great slaughter.
स महेश्वरसख्येन श्लाघमानस्त्वया विभो । निर्जितः समरे रोषाल्लोकपालो महाबलः ॥ ५ ॥
“The mighty guardian of the world, boasting of his friendship with Maheshvara, was conquered by you in battle in your anger, lord.
विनिपात्य च यक्षौघान् विक्षोभ्य विनिगृह्य च । त्वया कैलासशिखराद् विमानमिदमाहृतम् ॥ ६ ॥
“Having struck down, shaken and subdued the hosts of yakshas, you carried off this chariot from the peak of Kailasa.
मयेन दानवेन्द्रेण त्वद्भयात् सख्यमिच्छता । दुहिता तव भार्यार्थे दत्ता राक्षसपुङ्गव ॥ ७ ॥
“Maya, king of the danavas, wanting friendship from fear of you, gave you his daughter as wife, bull among rakshasas.
दानवेन्द्रो महाबाहो वीर्योत्सिक्तो दुरासदः । विगृह्य वशमानीतः कुम्भीनस्याः सुखावहः ॥ ८ ॥
“The king of the danavas, Madhu, proud of his valour, hard to approach, the one who brings happiness to Kumbhinasi, was fought and brought under your power, mighty-armed one.
निर्जितास्ते महाबाहो नागा गत्वा रसातलम् । वासुकिस्तक्षकः शङ्खो जटी च वशमाहृताः ॥ ९ ॥
“The nagas were conquered by you, mighty-armed one, when you went to the underworld: Vasuki, Takshaka, Shankha and Jati were brought into subjection.
अक्षया बलवन्तश्च शूरा लब्धवराः पुनः । त्वया संवत्सरं युद्ध्वा समरे दानवा विभो ॥ १० ॥
“The danavas, imperishable, mighty, heroic, who had gained boons, after fighting you in battle for a year, lord,
स्वबलं समुपाश्रित्य नीता वशमरिंदम । मायाश्चाधिगतास्तत्र बह्व्यो वै राक्षसाधिप ॥ ११ ॥
“were brought under your power by relying on your own strength, tamer of enemies; and many magic powers were learned there, lord of the rakshasas.
शूराश्च बलवन्तश्च वरुणस्य सुता रणे । निर्जितास्ते महाभाग चतुर्विधबलानुगाः ॥ १२ ॥
“The heroic and mighty sons of Varuna, followed by fourfold forces, were conquered by you in battle, fortunate one.
मृत्युदण्डमहाग्राहं शाल्मलीद्रुममण्डितम् । कालपाशमहावीचिं यमकिंकरपन्नगम् ॥ १३ ॥
“Yama’s world, a great ocean whose great crocodile is the rod of Death, adorned with the shalmali tree, whose great waves are the noose of Time, whose serpents are Yama’s servants,
महाज्वरेण दुर्धर्षं यमलोकमहार्णवम् । अवगाह्य त्वया राजन् यमस्य बलसागरम् ॥ १४ ॥
“unassailable with its great fever: plunging into that ocean of Yama’s forces, king,
जयश्च विपुलः प्राप्तो मृत्युश्च प्रतिषेधितः । सुयुद्धेन च ते सर्वे लोकस्तत्र सुतोषिताः ॥ १५ ॥
“you won a great victory, and Death was held back; and by your good fighting all the worlds there were well satisfied.
क्षत्रियैर्बहुभिर्वीरैः शक्रतुल्यपराक्रमैः । आसीद् वसुमती पूर्णा महद्भिरिव पादपैः ॥ १६ ॥
“The earth was full of many heroic kshatriyas, of valour equal to Shakra’s, like great trees.
तेषां वीर्यगुणोत्साहैर्न समो राघवो रणे । प्रसह्य ते त्वया राजन् हताः समरदुर्जयाः ॥ १७ ॥
“Raghava is not equal to them in valour, virtue or energy in battle; and they, hard to conquer in battle, were killed by you by force, king.
तिष्ठ वा किं महाराज श्रमेण तव वानरान् । अयमेको महाबाहुरिन्द्रजित् क्षपयिष्यति ॥ १८ ॥
“Or stay, great king; why trouble yourself over the monkeys? This mighty-armed Indrajit alone will destroy them.
अनेन च महाराज माहेश्वरमनुत्तमम् । इष्ट्वा यज्ञं वरो लब्धो लोके परमदुर्लभः ॥ १९ ॥
“For he, great king, having performed an unsurpassed sacrifice to Maheshvara, gained a boon most rare in the world.
शक्तितोमरमीनं च विनिकीर्णान्त्रशैवलम् । गजकच्छपसम्बाधमश्वमण्डूकसंकुलम् ॥ २० ॥
“The ocean of the gods’ forces, whose fish are spears and lances, whose moss is scattered entrails, crowded with elephant-tortoises, full of horse-frogs,
रुद्रादित्यमहाग्राहं मरुद्वसुमहोरगम् । रथाश्वगजतोयौघं पदातिपुलिनं महत् ॥ २१ ॥
“whose great crocodiles are the Rudras and Adityas, whose great serpents are the Maruts and Vasus, whose floods of water are chariots, horses and elephants, whose great sandbanks are the foot-soldiers:
अनेन हि समासाद्य देवानां बलसागरम् । गृहीतो दैवतपतिर्लङ्कां चापि प्रवेशितः ॥ २२ ॥
“coming upon that ocean of the gods’ forces, he seized the lord of the gods and brought him into Lanka.
पितामहनियोगाच्च मुक्तः शम्बरवृत्रहा । गतस्त्रिविष्टपं राजन् सर्वदेवनमस्कृतः ॥ २३ ॥
“And at the Grandsire’s bidding, the slayer of Shambara and Vritra was released and went to heaven, honoured by all the gods.
तमेव त्वं महाराज विसृजेन्द्रजितं सुतम् । यावद् वानरसेनां तां सरामां नयति क्षयम् ॥ २४ ॥
“Send that same son Indrajit, great king, to bring the monkey army with Rama to destruction.
राजन्नापदयुक्तेयमागता प्राकृताज्जनात् । हृदि नैव त्वया कार्या त्वं वधिष्यसि राघवम् ॥ २५ ॥
“King, this danger has come from an ordinary person; it is not to be taken to heart by you. You will kill Raghava.”