एवं संचिन्त्य विप्रेन्द्रो जगाम लघुविक्रमः। आख्यातुं तद्यथावृत्तं यमस्य सदनं प्रति॥
Having reflected thus, that foremost of Vipras endowed with fleet vigour, bent his steps towards the abode of Yama, for the purpose of relating to him all that had taken place.
अपश्यत्स यमं तत्र देवमग्निपुरस्कृतम्। विधानमनुतिष्ठन्तं प्राणिनो यस्य यादृशम्॥
There he saw that god Yama sitting in front of fire and offering into it the good and evil fruits of their actions. * *Ordaining happiness and misery to the lives of people according to their acts.'
स तु दृष्ट्वा यमः प्राप्तं महर्षि तत्र नारदम्। अब्रवीत्सुखमासीनमय॑मावेद्य धर्मतः॥
Seeing the Maharși Nārada arrive there, Yama offering him arghya according to the ordinance, addressed him saying, when he was seated at his case:
कच्चित्क्षेमं नु देवर्षे कच्चिद्धर्मो न नश्यति। किमागनकृत्यं ते देवगन्धर्वसेवित ॥
'O Devarsi, is it well with you? And does virtue deteriorate.'* And, why, O you honoured of deities, and Gandharvas, do you come?' *The Original has: "Do not virtue wane." This in English would imply the very reverse what Nārada intends to say. He says: 'Do religion deteriorate?' i.e. 'I hope, religion does not deteriorate.' This is an idiom and natural usage accounts for it, although that usage must in the nature of things be based on a subtle ground of season.
अब्रवीत्तु तदा वाक्यं नारदो भगवानृषिः। श्रूयतामभिधास्यामि विधानं च विधीयताम्॥ एष नाम्नो दशग्रीवा पितृराज निशाचरः। उपयाति वशं नेतुं विक्रभैस्त्वां सुदुर्जयम्॥
Thereat the reverend sage, Narada, said; Hearken. I shall tell (you); and (after hearing me out) do you what is fit. o king of the Pitrs, here come the night-ranger named ten-necked, for bringing you under his sway you who are incapable of being conquered.
एतेन काणेनाहं त्वरितो ह्यागतः प्रभो। दण्डप्रहरणस्याद्य तव किं नु भविष्यति॥
O master, for this reason it is that I have come hither hastily, doubtful what shall befall you who have the rod for your weapon.
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे दूरादंशुमन्तमिवोदितम्। ददृशुर्दीप्तमायान्तं विमानं तस्य रक्षसः॥
In the meanwhile they saw the Rākṣasa's car approach from afar, flaming and like to the rayfurnished (one) risen.
तं देशं प्रभया तस्य पुष्पकस्य महाबलः। कृत्वा वितिमिरं सर्वं समीपमभ्यवर्तत॥
And dispelling the gloom of that region with the effulgence of Pușpaka; that exceedingly powerful (Raksasa) came forward.
सोऽपश्यत्स महाबाहुर्दशग्रीवस्ततस्ततः। प्राणिनः सुकृतं चैव भुञ्जानांश्चैव दुष्कृतम्॥
The mighty-armed ten-necked one all around saw creatures reaping the consequences of their fair and foul acts.
अपश्यत्सैनिकांश्चास्य यमस्यानुचरैः सह। यमस्य पुरुषैरुप्रै।ररूपैर्भयानकैः॥ ददर्श वध्यमानांश्च किलश्यमानांश्च देहिनः। क्रोशतश्च महानादं तीव्रनिष्टनतत्परान्॥ कृमिभिर्भक्ष्यमाणांश्च सारमेयैश्च दारुणैः। श्रोत्रायासकरा वाचो वदतश्च भयावहाः॥ संतार्यमाणान्वैतरणी बहुशः शोणितोदकाम्। वालुकासु च तप्तासु तप्यमानान्मुहुर्मुहुः॥ असिपत्रवने चैव भिद्यमानानधार्मिकान्। रौरवे क्षारनद्यां च क्षुरधारासु चैव हि ॥ पानीयं याचमानांश्च तृषितान्क्षुधितानपि। शवभूतान्कृशान्दीनान्विवर्णान्मुक्तमूर्धनान् ॥ मलपङ्कधरान्दीनान्रुक्षांश्च परिधावतः। ददर्श रावणो मार्गे शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः॥
There he saw Yama's soldiery along with Yama's followers, fierce-forms, grim-visaged and terrific. And he saw corporeal beings undergoing torments and pain, and emitting loud cries and sharp shrieks; preyed on by worms and fell dogs: and uttering words capable of striking pain and terror into the heart (of the hearer): and people swimming in the Vaitarani profusely running blood; and momentarily burning with hot sands; unrighteous wights pierced in a wood of asipatra, (plunged) in Raurava, in the river of borate of soda; and (cut) with razor-edges; asking for drinks; and afflicted with hunger and thirst; converted into corpses, lean, woe-begone, and pallid with hair flowing loosely; having dust and filth (on their bodies), and running about distressfully with dry forms; on the way saw Rāvana by hundreds and by thousands.
कांश्चिच्च गृहमुख्येषु गीतवादित्रनिःस्वनैः। प्रमोदमानानद्राक्षीद्रावणः सुकृतैः स्वकैः॥ गोरसं गोप्रदातारो अन्नं चैवानदायिनः। गृहांश्च गृहदातारः स्वकर्मफलमश्नतः॥ सुवर्णमणिमुक्ताभिः प्रमदाभिरलंकृताम्। धार्मिकानपरांस्तत्र दीप्यमानान्स्वतेजसा॥ ददर्श स महाबाहू रावणो राक्षसाधिपः। ततस्तान्भिद्यमानांश्च कर्मभिर्दुष्कृतैः स्वकैः॥ रावणो मोचयामास विक्रमेण बलाबली।
Rāvana also saw some in front of houses engaged in merry-making with songs and strains of instruments, as the fruit of their pious acts; and (saw) the giver of kine regaling themselves with milk; the dispenser of rice, feeding on the same, the bestower of abodes, enjoying mansions, as the fruit of their several acts; and persons living with damsels decked with gold and gems and jewels; and other pious folks, flaming in their native energy, all these saw Rāvana lord of Rākşasas. And by his might that mighty one delivered those that were being tormented by their wicked acts.
प्राणिनो मोक्षितास्तेन दशग्रीवेण रक्षसा॥ सुखमापुर्मुहूर्त ते ह्यतर्कितमचिन्तितम्। प्रेतेषु मुच्यमानेषु राक्षसेन महीयसा॥ प्रेतगोपाः सुसंक्रुद्धा राक्षसेन्द्रमभिद्रवन्।
On being liberated by that Rākṣasa the tennecked one, those creatures in a moment began to enjoy their release, that had come to them without thought or suspense. And on the dead being delivered by the magnanimous Rākşasa, the guards of the dead, getting enraged, rushed at the Rākşasa sovereign.
ततो हलहलाशब्दः सर्वदिग्भ्यः समुत्थितः। धर्मराजस्य योधानां शूराणां संप्रधावताम्॥
There arose a mighty clamour from all sides; from the heroic warriors of the king of righteousness rushing (all around.)
ते प्रासैः परिधैः शूलैर्मुसलैः शक्तितोमरैः। पुष्पकं समधर्षन्त शूराः शतसहस्रशः॥ तस्यासनानि प्रासादन्वेदिकास्तोरणानि च। पुष्पकस्य बभञ्जुस्ते शीघ्रं मधुकरा इव ॥
And those heroes by hundreds and by thousands assailed (Puspaka) with prāsas, and bludgeons, and darts and maces, and spears and tomaras. And swiftly swarming like bees, they began to break the seats, blocks, daises and gateways (of the car.)
देवनिष्ठानभूतं तद्विमानं पुष्पकं मृधे। भज्यमानं तथैवासीदक्षयं ब्रह्मतेजसा ॥
In that conflict Pușpaka presided over by divine energy, incapable of being destroyed by virtue of Brahma power, being broken, resumed its former shape.
असंख्या सुमहत्यासीत्तस्य सेना महात्मनः। शूराणामग्रयातॄणां सहस्राणि शतानि च ॥
Countless were the soldiers of that highsouled one consisting hundreds and thousands of heroic warriors, (ever) forward for fight.
ततो वृक्षैश्च शैलैश्च प्रासादानां शतैस्तथा। ततस्ते सचिवास्तस्य यथाकामं यथाबलम्॥ अयुध्यन्त महावीराः स च राजा दशाननः। ते तु शोणितदिग्धाङ्गाः सर्वशस्त्रसमाहताः॥
According to the measure of their might his (Rāvana's) councillors great heroes all, as well as the ten-faced one himself with might and main, fought with trees and crags and hundreds of blocks of buildings.
अमात्या राक्षसेन्द्रस्य चक्रुरायोधनं महत्। अन्योन्यं ते महाभागा जघ्नुः प्रहरणै शम्॥
And those councillors of the lord of Räkşasas, assailed with every kind of weapons, with their persons bathed in blood, fought fiercely.
यमस्य च महाबाहो रावणस्य च मन्त्रिणः। अमात्यांस्तांस्तु संत्यज्य यमयोधो महाबलाः॥
And O large-armed the exalted councillors of Yama and Răvaņa sore assailed each other with And leaving the councillors alone the highly powerful warriors of Yama rushed against and Daśānana* with a shower of spears. *Ravana.
तमेव चाभ्यधावन्त शूलवर्दशाननम्। ततः शोणितदिग्धाङ्गः प्रहारैर्जर्जरीकृतः। फुल्लाशोक इवाभाति पुष्पके राक्षसाधिपः॥
And then pierced through and through by those weapons, with his person covered with blood, the Rākṣasa king appeared like a flowering Kinśuka in Pușpaka. * *This simile is peculiarly appropriate and beautiful. Puspaka, the name of Ravana's car, means composed of flowers; and this signification shining one arms. a askance, as it were, over the direct sense of the sentence, heightens the delight the reader feels on imagining the principal figure. "Rāvana seated in Puspaka, covered with blood, looked likeblossoming Kinsuka.'
स तु शूलगदाप्रासाञ्छक्तितोमरसायकान्। मुमोच च शिलावृक्षान्मुमोचास्त्रबलाद्बली॥
Thereat that powerful one, by virtue of his mastery over weapons, began to hurl darts and maces, prāsas and spears and tomaras and crags and trees.
तरूणां च शिलानां च शस्त्राणां चातिदारुणम्। यमसैन्येषु तद्वर्ष पपात धरणीतले॥
That terrific shower of trees, rocks and arms, alighted on the army of Yama (fighting) on the earth.
तांस्तु सर्वान्विनिर्मिद्य तदत्रमपहत्य च। जघ्नुस्ते राक्षसं घोरमेकं शतसहस्रशः॥
And snapping those weapons and resisting (those volleys of) arms, they smote at the Räkșasa fighting alone by hundreds and thousands.
परिवार्य च तं सर्वे शैलं मेघोत्करा इव। भिन्दिपालैश्च शूलैश्च निरुच्छ्वासमपोथयन्॥ विमुक्तकवचः क्रुद्धः सिद्धः शोणितविस्रवैः। ततः स पुष्पकं त्यक्त्वा पृथिव्यामवतिष्ठत॥
And encompassing him even as clouds encompass mountain, they rendered (Ravana) inert by means of Bhindipālas and darts. And with his mail torn open, his anger raging fiercely, and covered with blood streaming over his person, he, forsaking, his car, stood upon the ground.
ततः स कार्मुकी वाणी समरे चाभिवर्धत। लब्धसंज्ञो मुहूर्तेन क्रुद्धस्तस्थौ यथान्तकः॥
Then furnished with his bow and holding his shafts, (Ravana) regaining his senses in a short time, increased in energy and stood in the field like the finisher.
ततः पाशुपतं दिव्यमस्त्रं संधाय कार्मुके। तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति तानुक्त्वा यच्चापं व्यपकर्षत॥
Now fixing the divine Pāśupata on his bow, and saying to them, 'stay! stay!' he drew that bow.
आकर्णात्स विकृष्याथ चापमिन्द्रारिराहवे। मुमोच तं शरं क्रुद्धस्त्रिपुरे शंकरो यथा॥
And enraged, (Ravana) resembling Rudra himself, in fight drawing his bow to his car, discharged that shaft even as Sankara had discharged at Tripura.
तस्य रूपं शरस्यासीत्सधूमज्वालमण्डलम्। वनं दहिष्यतो धर्मे दावाग्नेरिव मूर्च्छतः॥
And the appearance of the shaft was like an extinguishing fire in summer with smoke with flames, burning up a forest.
ज्वालामाली स तु शरः क्रव्यादानुगतो रणे। मुक्तो गुल्मान्दुमांश्चापि भस्म कृत्वा प्रधावति ॥
And garlanded with glory that shaft followed byghosts,* in that encounter; rushed on, burning to ashes the loose bushes and trees lying in its way. *The instrument being Siva's, it naturally was followed by ghosts as his attendants.
ते तस्य तेजसा दग्धाः सैन्या वैवस्वतस्य तु। बले तस्मिन्निपतिता माहेन्द्रा इव केतवः॥
And burnt up by its energy, the most of Vaivasvata fell down in the field like to banners of Mahendra.
ततस्तु सचिवैः सार्धं राक्षसो भीमविक्रमः। ननाद सुमहानादं कम्पयनिव मेदिनीम्॥
Thereat the Räksasa of terrific prowess along with his councillors began to set up tremendous shouts; as if making the earth tremble.