Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 84 of 128 · 23 verses
Vibhishana Reveals the Illusion
While loving Lakshmana is comforting Rama, Vibhishana, having posted his troops in their places, arrives with his four heroic ministers, armed with many weapons, like troop-leading elephants dark as heaps of collyrium. He sees great Raghava overwhelmed by grief, lying unconscious in Lakshmana’s lap, and the monkeys with eyes full of tears. Pained at heart, he asks what has happened. Lakshmana, weeping, looking at Vibhishana, Sugriva and the monkeys, says faintly: hearing from Hanuman that Sita has been killed by Indrajit, Raghava fainted.
Stopping Lakshmana, Vibhishana speaks to the unconscious Rama words full of meaning: lord of men, what Hanuman told you in his distress I think is as impossible as drying up the ocean. I know the intention of wicked Ravana regarding Sita: he will never have her killed. Wishing his good, I begged him many times to let the Vaidehi go, and he would not. Not by conciliation, gifts, division, and still less by war, nor by any other means, can she even be seen. That rakshasa has gone back after deceiving the monkeys: know that the daughter of Janaka was made of illusion. Today he will reach the Nikumbhila shrine and make his offering; once he has offered and comes out, Ravana’s son becomes unassailable in battle even by the gods with Indra. He used this illusion to bewilder us, wanting to stop the monkeys from interfering there. Let us go there with the army before he can finish. Give up this grief, tiger among men, that has come to you falsely; the whole army sinks to see you worn by sorrow. Stay here, calm at heart, full of courage, and send Lakshmana with us and the army. This tiger among men will make Ravana’s son abandon that rite with sharp arrows; then he can be killed. His sharp, feathered arrows, swift as birds of prey, will drink Indrajit’s blood. So send Lakshmana of auspicious marks to destroy the rakshasa, as the wielder of the thunderbolt hurls his thunderbolt. There is no time to lose: loose your thunderbolt to kill the enemy, as great Indra did to crush the enemy of the gods. For once he completes his rite, that bull among rakshasas becomes invisible in battle to gods and asuras; if he fights after finishing his rite, even the gods will be in great danger.
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राममाश्वासमाने तु लक्ष्मणे भ्रातृवत्सले । निक्षिप्य गुल्मान् स्वस्थाने तत्रागच्छद् विभीषणः ॥ १ ॥
While Lakshmana, loving to his brother, was comforting Rama, Vibhishana, having posted the troops in their places, came there,
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Vibhishana Reveals the Illusion 1 min read.
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नानाप्रहरणैर्वीरैश्चतुर्भिरभिसंवृतः । नीलाञ्जनचयाकारैर्मातंगैरिव यूथपैः ॥ २ ॥
surrounded by four heroes with many kinds of weapons, shaped like heaps of dark collyrium, like troop-leading elephants.
सोऽभिगम्य महात्मानं राघवं शोकलालसम् । वानरांश्चापि ददृशे बाष्पपर्याकुलेक्षणान् ॥ ३ ॥
Coming up to great-souled Raghava, overwhelmed by grief, he saw the monkeys too, their eyes clouded with tears.
राघवं च महात्मानमिक्ष्वाकुकुलनन्दनम् । ददर्श मोहमापन्नं लक्ष्मणस्याङ्कमाश्रितम् ॥ ४ ॥
And he saw great-souled Raghava, delight of the Ikshvaku family, fallen into a faint, lying in Lakshmana’s lap.
व्रीडितं शोकसंतप्तं दृष्ट्वा रामं विभीषणः । अन्तर्दुःखेन दीनात्मा किमेतदिति सोऽब्रवीत् ॥ ५ ॥
Seeing Rama ashamed and burning with grief, Vibhishana, wretched in spirit with inner pain, said, “What is this?”
विभीषणमुखं दृष्ट्वा सुग्रीवं तांश्च वानरान् । लक्ष्मणोवाच मन्दार्थमिदं बाष्पपरिप्लुतः ॥ ६ ॥
Looking at Vibhishana’s face, at Sugriva and those monkeys, Lakshmana, flooded with tears, said this faintly:
हता इन्द्रजिता सीता इति श्रुत्वैव राघवः । हनूमद्वचनात् सौम्य ततो मोहमुपाश्रितः ॥ ७ ॥
“As soon as he heard, from Hanuman’s words, that Sita had been killed by Indrajit, gentle one, Raghava fell into a faint.”
कथयन्तं तु सौमित्रिं संनिवार्य विभीषणः । पुष्कलार्थमिदं वाक्यं विसंज्ञं राममब्रवीत् ॥ ८ ॥
Stopping Saumitri as he spoke, Vibhishana said these words, full of meaning, to the unconscious Rama:
मनुजेन्द्रार्तरूपेण यदुक्तस्त्वं हनूमता । तदयुक्तमहं मन्ये सागरस्येव शोषणम् ॥ ९ ॥
“Lord of men, what Hanuman told you, in his distress, I think is impossible, like the drying up of the ocean.
अभिप्रायं तु जानामि रावणस्य दुरात्मनः । सीतां प्रति महाबाहो न च घातं करिष्यति ॥ १० ॥
“For I know the intention of wicked Ravana toward Sita, mighty-armed one: he will not have her killed.
याच्यमानः सुबहुशो मया हितचिकीर्षुणा । वैदेहीमुत्सृजस्वेति न च तत् कृतवान् वचः ॥ ११ ॥
“Begged by me many, many times, wishing his good, ‘Let the Vaidehi go’, he did not do as I said.
नैव साम्ना न दानेन न भेदेन कुतो युधा । सा द्रष्टुमपि शक्येत नैव चान्येन केनचित् ॥ १२ ॥
“Not by conciliation, nor by gifts, nor by division, still less by war, nor by any other means at all, could she even be seen.
वानरान् मोहयित्वा तु प्रतियातः स राक्षसः । मायामयीं महाबाहो तां विद्धि जनकात्मजाम् ॥ १३ ॥
“That rakshasa has gone back after deluding the monkeys: know, mighty-armed one, that daughter of Janaka was made of illusion.
चैत्यं निकुम्भिलामद्य प्राप्य होमं करिष्यति । हुतवानुपयातो हि देवैरपि सवासवैः ॥ १४ ॥
“Today, having reached the Nikumbhila shrine, he will make an offering; for when he comes back having offered, even by the gods with Vasava
दुराधर्षो भवत्येष संग्रामे रावणात्मजः । तेन मोहयता नूनमेषा माया प्रयोजिता ॥ १५ ॥
“this son of Ravana becomes unassailable in battle. Surely this illusion was used by him to bewilder,
विघ्नमन्विच्छता तत्र वानराणां पराक्रमे । ससैन्यास्तत्र गच्छामो यावत्तन्न समाप्यते ॥ १६ ॥
“seeking to block the valour of the monkeys there. Let us go there with the army before that is finished.
त्यजैनं नरशार्दूल मिथ्या संतापमागतम् । सीदते हि बलं सर्वं दृष्ट्वा त्वां शोककर्शितम् ॥ १७ ॥
“Give up this grief, tiger among men, that has come to you falsely; for the whole army sinks seeing you worn by grief.
इह त्वं स्वस्थहृदयस्तिष्ठ सत्त्वसमुच्छ्रितः । लक्ष्मणं प्रेषयास्माभिः सह सैन्यानुकर्षिभिः ॥ १८ ॥
“Stay here, calm in heart, risen in courage; send Lakshmana with us and with those who lead the army.
एष तं नरशार्दूलो रावणिं निशितैः शरैः । त्याजयिष्यति तत्कर्म ततो वध्यो भविष्यति ॥ १९ ॥
“This tiger among men, with sharp arrows, will make Ravana’s son give up that rite; then he can be killed.
तस्यैते निशितास्तीक्ष्णाः पत्रिपत्राङ्गवाजिनः । पतत्त्रिण इवासौम्याः शराः पास्यन्ति शोणितम् ॥ २० ॥
“These sharp, keen arrows of his, with feathers and fins, like ill-omened birds, will drink his blood.
तत् संदिश महाबाहो लक्ष्मणं शुभलक्षणम् । राक्षसस्य विनाशाय वज्रं वज्रधरो यथा ॥ २१ ॥
“So command Lakshmana of auspicious marks, mighty-armed one, for the destruction of the rakshasa, as the thunderbolt-bearer sends his thunderbolt.
मनुजवर न कालविप्रकर्षो रिपुनिधनं प्रति यत्क्षमोऽद्य कर्तुम् । त्वमतिसृज रिपोर्वधाय वज्रं दिविजरिपोर्मथने यथा महेन्द्रः ॥ २२ ॥
“Best of men, there is no time for delay that can be allowed today in killing the enemy. Loose your thunderbolt for the killing of the enemy, as great Indra did in crushing the enemy of the gods.
समाप्तकर्मा हि स राक्षसर्षभो भवत्यदृश्यः समरे सुरासुरैः । युयुत्सता तेन समाप्तकर्मणा भवेत् सुराणामपि संशयो महान् ॥ २३ ॥
“For when that bull among rakshasas has finished his rite, he becomes invisible in battle to gods and asuras; if he wishes to fight with his rite finished, there would be great danger even for the gods.”