Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 63

Meaning

Hearing the lament of Rāvaṇa (the king of ogres), Kumbhakarṇa heartily laughed and made the following reply: (1)

Meaning

“The same disaster which was actually envisaged by us before while taking the final decision after consultation with Vibhīṣaṇa and others has now been reaped by you, who were distrustful towards your well-wishers. (2)

Meaning

“Speedily enough has the fruit of your sinful deed in the shape of Sītā’s abduction come upon you, even as damnation would visit a person of sinful deeds. (3)

Meaning

“Initially, of course, was this course of action not weighed by you. Nor was the consequence taken into account in the sheer pride of your prowess, O great king ! (4)

Meaning

“Confident of his power, he who defers duties which ought to be performed earlier and accomplishes earlier, duties which can be deferred, does not know what is right and what is wrong. (5)

Meaning

“Actions which are performed without regard to time and place prove disastrous like those done at an adverse time and place, even as oblations poured into fires which have not been consecrated get foiled. (6)

Meaning

“Holding consultation with his ministers, he who takes into consideration the five aspects* of the threefold† duties with reference to hostile kings, moves along the right path. (7)

Meaning

“A king who seeks to determine his duty in accordance with the science of polity and perceives his friends too alongwith the ministers understands aright. (8)

Meaning

“Indeed a man should pursue virtue, worldly gain or sensuous pleasure or all the three combined, or, again, two of them at a time at the appointed time,‡ O lord of ogres ! (9)

Meaning

“Extensive learning on the part of a sovereign or a crown prince, who, having heard of that viz., virtue, which is the foremost of the above-named three, does not recognize it as such, is in vain. (10)

Meaning

“The self-controlled king who, having duly deliberated with his ministers, bestows gifts, takes to (expedients of) conciliation and, sowing dissension among the hostile ranks, exhibits prowess, O prince of ogres, or resorts to them (all) together and takes recourse both to right action and the reverse of it at the right time and pursues virtue, worldly gain and sensuous pleasure at the proper time never meets with disaster in the world. (11-12)

Meaning

“A king should take action only after considering what is salutary in consequence to him, in consultation with his ministers, who make their living by their intelligence and know the reality of things. (13)

Meaning

“People whose mental level is in no way higher than that of beasts and yet who have been allowed to take their seat among the counsellors, desire all the same to express their views through sheer impudence, without fully knowing the import of the scriptures. (14)

Meaning

“The advice tendered by such people, who having no knowledge of the scriptures, are equally ignorant of the science of wealth and seek immense wealth ought not to be followed. (15)

Meaning

“Men who tender unwholesome advice in a salutary garb through sheer impudence should be excluded from deliberation as they mar the very purpose of the deliberation. (16)

Meaning

“Getting united with shrewd enemies, evil-minded counsellors in this world prevail upon their master to undertake wrong actions in order to bring him to ruin. (17)

Meaning

“A ruler should make out the reality of those ministers who have been won over by the enemy to their side through bribe etc., and as such are enemies, though appearing as friends, through their actual behaviour when a final decision is being taken after deliberation. (18)

Meaning

“Aliens find out the weakness of a ruler who is (easily) led away by false appearances and rushes headlong into actions, even as birds discover the hole made by the lance of Skanda, the Commander-in-Chief of the gods, in the Krauñca mountain. (19)

Meaning

“A king who, disregarding the enemy, does not actually protect himself, undoubtedly meets with reverses and is dragged down from his position. (20)

Meaning

“The advice alone which was tendered to you on a previous occasion by your beloved consort, Mandodarī, as well as by my younger brother, Vibhīṣaṇa, is salutary to us. However, do as you will.” (21)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid speech of Kumbhakarṇa, Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) for his part frowned and filled with rage spoke to him as follows: (22)

Meaning

“Why do you instruct me like a father or a teacher worthy of respect? What avail is it to weary your tongue as you have done? Let that which is meet be done. (23)

Meaning

“It is futile at this hour to repeat that counsel which was not accepted by me at that time through misconception, obtuseness of understanding or through dependence on my strength and prowess. (24)

Meaning

“Let that alone which is advisable at this moment may now be thoroughly investigated. The wise do not at all grieve for the bygone. The bygone is after all irretrievably bygone, no doubt. (25)

Meaning

“Nullify with your prowess the evil sprung from my misconduct, if at all there exists love in you for me or if you recognize your own prowess or this purpose of mine is deemed by you in your heart of hearts as supremely worth accomplishing. A friend is he who obliges an afflicted soul, whose fortune is at stake. And a kinsman is he, who is able to render help to those who have deviated from the right course.” Concluding about Rāvaṇa, who was speaking in grave and harsh tones as above, that he was angry, Kumbhakarṇa gently submitted to him in soothing words as follows: Clearly perceiving his elder brother exceedingly agitated in mind in reality, Kumbhakarṇa slowly submitted to him as follows, restoring him to confidence in everyway: “Listen, O king, to my submission, O scourge of your enemies ! (26—30)

Meaning

“It is no use your giving way to agony, O suzerain lord of ogres! Nay, shaking off anger completely, you ought to be your normal self again. (31)

Meaning

“Such despondency should not be entertained in your mind so long as I live, O ruler of the earth! I shall exterminate him on whose account you feel agonized. (32)

Meaning

“Salutary advice, of course, needs must be tendered by me to you under all circumstances. And that which is good to you, has been spoken by me through kinship and brotherly affection, O ruler of the earth ! (33)

Meaning

“Nay, see that which is fit to be done out of affection at this juncture by a brother, viz., the wholesale destruction of the enemy in combat. (34)

Meaning

“See today, O mighty-armed brother, the army of monkeys fleeing, on Rāma being killed by me with his brother in the forefront of battle. (35)

Meaning

“Feel gratified today to see the well-known head of Rāma brought by me from the field of battle, O mighty-armed brother ! And let Sītā feel agonized in her turn. (36)

Meaning

“Let all those ogres in Laṅkā whose kinsfolk have been killed in combat witness today the death of Rāma, which will be something exceedingly welcome to them.(37)

Meaning

“Through the destruction of the enemy in battle, I shall dry today the tears of those who are bewailing the loss of their kinsfolk and are overcome with grief on that account. (38)

Meaning

“See today Sugrīva, the lord of monkeys, who closely resembles a mountain (in size), thrown about, bathed in blood, on the battlefield like a cloud illumined by the evening sun. (39)

Meaning

“Nay, why do you feel vexed all the time, O sinless one, though reassured by these ogres as well as by myself, who are eager to kill Rāma (son of Daśaratha)? (40)

Meaning

“Surely, Rāma, a scion of Raghu, will be able to kill you only after killing me. I, however, never give way to misgiving on that account, O suzerain lord of ogres ! (41)

Meaning

“Therefore, command me at will to wage war even at this moment, O scourge of your enemies! No one else should be sought for by you for this purpose, O incomparable hero ! (42)

Meaning

“I shall exterminate your enemies, though endowed with extraordinary might. Even if it is Indra, the ruler of gods, or, again, if it is Yama, the god of retribution, or even if they are the god of fire and the wind-god, I shall contend with them, nay, even with Kubera and Varuṇa. Even Indra, the destroyer of citadels, will dread me, endowed as I am with a body as big as a mountain and pointed teeth and wielding a sharpened pike for a weapon, even as I roar. Again, none will be able to withstand, if he wishes to survive, even if I begin to crush the enemies with impetuosity, abandoning the arms. I shall in no case fight with a javelin, nor with a mace, nor, again, with a sword, much less with whetted shafts. (43—46)

Meaning

“Getting enraged, I shall make short work of Rāma, even if he is accompanied by Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt, with my bare hands. If the said scion of Raghu will be able to withstand the force of my fists today, the volleys of my arrows will in that case drink the blood of Rāma. Why do you feel tormented with anxiety, O king, so long as I exist! (47-48)

Meaning

“I, for my part, am prepared to sally forth for the extermination of your enemies. Give up the violent fear proceeding from Rāma. I shall without doubt make short work on the battlefield of Rāma (a scion of Raghu) as well as of Lakṣmaṇa as also of Sugrīva, who is endowed with extraordinary might, and shall also dispose of Hanumān, the destroyer of ogres, by whom Laṅkā was set on fire. (49-50)

Meaning

“Nay, I shall devour the monkeys when a struggle is quite at hand. I wish to confer uncommon and great glory on you. (51)

Meaning

“Again, if fear of Indra (the ruler of gods) and even of Brahmā (the self-born creator) haunts you, I shall forthwith drive it away even as the sun disperses the darkness of the night. (52)

Meaning

“Even gods will fall flat on the earth’s surface on my getting enraged. Nay, I shall quell Yama, the god of retribution, and devour the god of fire. (53)

Meaning

“I shall hurl down on the earth the sun alongwith the constellations. Nay, I shall kill Indra (who is presupposed to have performed a hundred horse-sacrifices in his previous birth or births as a condition precedent for his attaining Indrahood) and drink up the ocean (the abode of Varuṇa, the god of water). (54)

Meaning

“I shall pulverize mountains and rend the earth. Let the created beings who are going to be devoured by me on all sides witness the prowess of Kumbhakarṇa (myself), who remained fast asleep for long, i.e., till now. If all the three worlds, viz., heaven, earth and the intermediate region, are offered to me as food, my stomach will not be filled thereby. (55-56)

Meaning

“Through the destruction of Rāma (son of Daśaratha), I proceed to bring to you happiness which may prove conducive to more and more happiness in future. After killing Rāma alongwith Lakṣmaṇa, I shall devour all the leaders of monkey troops.(57)

Meaning

“Revel, O king, and drink wine today. Nay, banishing agony, discharge your duties. When Rāma is dispatched by me to the abode of Yama, the god of retribution, today, Sītā will submit to your will for long.” (58)