Uttara Kanda, Sarga 26

Meaning

The sun having set, that powerful ten-headed monster for his part chose to encamp there with his army. (1)

Meaning

When the cloudless moon, equal in splendour to the mountain on which it appeared, had risen, the huge army, equipped with various arms, lay fast asleep. (2)

Meaning

Resting on the top of the hill, the exceptionally powerful and notorious Rāvaṇa for his part surveyed the charms of the mountain brought into relief by the moon and the trees. (3)

Meaning

On that mountain—whose forest recesses were adorned with brilliant Karṇikāra groves as also Kadamba and Vakula trees, lotus ponds full of the waters of the Mandākinī and spotted with full blown flowers, Campaka, Aśoka, Punnāga and Mandāra trees and with mango, Pāṭala, and Lodhra as well as with Priyaṅgu, Arjuna and Ketaka, Tagara, coconut, Priyāla, Panasa (bread-fruit) and other trees—love-stricken and sweet-throated Kinnaras beautifully sang with emotion in concert melodies which intensified the delight of one’s mind. (4—7)

Meaning

Intoxicated with drink, the corners of their eyes reddened by drunkenness, Vidyādharas (celestial artistes) mingled with their consorts actually sported and made merry. (8)

Meaning

Like the ringing of bells, the sweet melody of troupes of celestial nymphs singing in the mansion of Kubera (the bestower of riches) was heard. (9)

Meaning

Raining showers of flowers when shaken by the winds, trees, bearing the fragrance of all vernal flowers, were perfuming the said mountain, as it were. (10)

Meaning

Wafting the copious fragrance mixed with the pollen as well as the honey of flowers, a delightful breeze gently blew inflaming the concupiscence of Rāvaṇa. (11)

Meaning

By reason of the music, the wealth of blossom, the coolness of the wind, the charm of the hill and the rising of the moon, now that the night had commenced, the aforesaid Rāvaṇa, who was exceptionally powerful, fell a prey to concupiscence. Sighing again and again, he gazed at the moon. (12-13)

Meaning

In the meantime appeared there Rambhā, the foremost of all celestial nymphs, decked with celestial jewels, whose face resembled the full moon, whose limbs were smeared with ethereal sandal-paste, whose tresses were adorned with heavenly Mandāra flowers, who had just commenced her journey to revel in a heavenly joy and was adorned with heavenly flowers, who was distinguished by soul-captivating eyes and fleshy hips decked with a girdle, which she carried as an excellent gift of love as it were, and who, what with wet ornaments made of flowers of all the six seasons, and what with her splendour, elegance, brilliance and fame, shone like another Śrī (the goddess of fortune); whose face shone like the moon, whose beautiful eyebrows resembled two bows, whose thighs were shaped like the trunk of an elephant and whose hands were soft like tender leaves, and who, wearing as she did, a blue sari resembling a rainy cloud, was perceived by Rāvaṇa while passing through his army. (14—19)

Meaning

Springing on his feet, and holding her by the hand as she was wending her way blushing, Rāvaṇa, who had fallen a prey to the darts of love, then smilingly spoke to her (as follows): (20)

Meaning

“Where are you going, O lady of lovely limbs? Whose cherished object are you seeking to accomplish by yourself? Whose is the hour of good fortune approaching, who is going to enjoy you? (21)

Meaning

“Who will be sated today by quaffing the nectar of nectars in the shape of the sweetness of your lips bearing the fragrance of the lotus and the lily? (22)

Meaning

“To whose bosom are these fully developed, beautiful and closely set breasts of yours, resembling a pair of gold pitchers, going to give their blessed touch, O timid one? (23)

Meaning

“Who is going to bestride today your broad hips resembling a disc of gold, encircled by a girdle of gold and which is heaven incarnate? (24)

Meaning

“What male is superior to me today—be he Indra (the ruler of gods), Lord Viṣṇu (the Protector of the universe) or the Aświns (the twin-born gods who are the physicians of gods)? Nay, it is surely not good that you are passing by me, O timid one! (25)

Meaning

“Rest awhile on this lovely rock, O lady of shapely hips! Nay, he who lords it over the three worlds is certainly no other than myself. (26)

Meaning

With joined palms Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, who is the master of the lords of the three worlds as well as their sustainer, submissively supplicates you in this way. Pray, therefore accept me.” (27)

Meaning

Shaking, when spoken to in these words, Rambhā replied with joined palms, “Be gracious to me; you ought not to speak in this strain, since you are my elder. (28)

Meaning

“I stand in the relation of a daughter-in-law to you from the legal point of view: I tell you this truth. Hence I deserve to be protected by you even from others if I suffer violence at their hands.” (29)

Meaning

Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, then said to Rambhā, who stood with her face downcast, her eyes focussed on her feet, and experienced horripilation at his mere sight: (30)

Meaning

“If you are my son’s wife, then only you can be my daughter-in-law.” “Indeed!” said the celebrated Rambhā in reply to Rāvaṇa. (31)

Meaning

“I am lawfully the wife of your son, O bull among the ogres! He is a son of your brother, Kubera (son of Viśravā), dearer to him than his own life. (32)

Meaning

“He is widely known in all the three worlds as Nalakūbara. I have actually made an appointment to meet that son of a guardian of the world, who is a Brāhmaṇa from the legal point of view (sprung as he is from the loins of a Brāhmaṇa) but who is a Kṣatriya in respect of valour, nay, who is a fire in wrath but a compeer of Mother Earth in forbearance. (33-34)

Meaning

“All this decoration has been made by me for his sake alone. Precisely as his heart is set on me as on none else, my heart too is set on him alone. (35)

Meaning

“Since that pious-minded soul stands eagerly waiting for me, O scourge of your foes, you should let me go, O king, on the basis of this truth. (36)

Meaning

“Certainly you ought not to thwart this purpose of his; therefore leave me. Walk in the path trodden by the virtuous, O bull among the ogres. (37)

Meaning

“Inasmuch as you deserve to be honoured by me, I likewise deserve to be protected by you.” Spoken to in these words by her, Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, replied like a humble man as follows: (38)

Meaning

“The plea which you have given in the words, ‘I am your daughter-in-law’ holds good in the case of those who have only one husband. Celestial nymphs have no husband nor are gods committed to a single wife; such is the eternal law obtaining in the realm of gods.” Saying so and laying her on the rock, the ogre, who was excessively fond of gratifying his lust, started copulating with her. Her ornaments of flowers having fallen off in the course of the embrace, Rambhā felt disturbed in mind like a river ruffled by the sport of a lordly elephant, and was then let go by Rāvaṇa. With the ends of her tresses dishevelled and tossed about, and her hands, resembling tender leaves, shaken, she looked like a creeper laden with flowers and shaken by the wind. Approaching Nalakūbara with joined palms, she fell at his feet, trembling with fear and feeling abashed. Nay, seeing her reduced to that condition, the magnanimous Nalakūbara said, “Blessed one, how is it that you have fallen at my feet?” Trembling and breathing hard, she for her part actually proceeded with joined palms to relate to him everything according to facts as follows: “Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) has arrived on his way to heaven, my lord! The night has been spent by him in the company of his army here. While coming to your presence, O scourge of your foes, I was caught sight of by him. (39—47)

Meaning

“Seizing hold of me, that ogre inquired of me, ‘To whom do you belong?’ For my part, all that was true was related by me to him. (48)

Meaning

“His mind being overpowered by infatuation born of lust, he, however, would not listen to that plea of mine. Disregarding all that, O adorable one, even though he was being appealed to by me in the words: ‘I am your daughter-in-law’, I was violated by him perforce, my lord! You ought to condone my fault committed in such circumstances, O god of commendable vows! (49-50)

Meaning

“A woman’s strength and that of a man are in no way equal. I beg you to forgive this offence of mine.” Nalakūbara (son of Kubera) for his part was enraged to hear this. Hearing of that great outrage, he then went into a trance: so the tradition goes (in order to verify the truth of the allegation). Having come to know of his aforesaid act after a short while, Nalakūbara (son of Kubera), his eyes inflamed with anger, then took water in his left hand. Holding the water in his hand and sprinkling with it all his sense-organs with due ceremony, he pronounced on that occasion the following terrible curse on Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres: “Since, O blessed lady, you stand violated by him perforce, unwilling as you were, he shall no longer be able to approach for sexual intercourse any other young woman who is unwilling to accept him. When, however, stricken with love, he will violate a woman who is unwilling to approach him, his head will actually be split into seven pieces that very moment.” When the aforesaid imprecation, which resembled a lighted fire, was uttered, the kettle-drums of gods sounded and an abundance of flowers were showered from the heavens. Nay, all the gods headed by Brahmā (the grandfather of the entire creation) were transported with joy. (51—57)

Meaning

On coming to know in its entirety the fate of the world as well as of the ogre’s death, Rṣis (the seers of Vedic Mantras) as well as the manes experienced unsurpassed joy. (58)

Meaning

Hearing of the aforesaid execration, which caused his hair to stand on end, Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) shunned any inclination to copulate with women who were unwilling to approach him. (59)

Meaning

All the ladies who were devoted to their husband and had been borne away by him experienced joy on hearing of the curse pronounced by Nalakūbara, which was pleasing to their mind. (60)