Ravana's Secret and His Boast of Power

Shloka 1 (yuddha.13.1)

रावणं क्रुद्धमाज्ञाय महापार्श्वो महाबलः । मुहूर्तमनुसंचिन्त्य प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ १३.१ ॥

rāvaṇaṃ kruddhamājñāya mahāpārśvo mahābalaḥ | muhūrtamanusaṃcintya prāñjalirvākyamabravīt ||

Perceiving Ravana enraged, the mighty Mahaparshva reflected for a moment and, with joined palms, spoke these words.

Shloka 2 (yuddha.13.2)

यः खल्वपि वनं प्राप्य मृगव्यालनिषेवितम् । न पिबेन्मधु सम्प्राप्य स नरो बालिशो भवेत् ॥ १३.२ ॥

yaḥ khalvapi vanaṃ prāpya mṛgavyālaniṣevitam | na pibenmadhu samprāpya sa naro bāliśo bhavet ||

"The man who, upon reaching a forest teeming with wild beasts and serpents, finds honey there yet does not drink it, is surely a fool."

Shloka 3 (yuddha.13.3)

ईश्वरस्येश्वरः कोऽस्ति तव शत्रुनिबर्हण । रमस्व सह वैदेह्या शत्रूनाक्रम्य मूर्धसु ॥ १३.३ ॥

īśvarasyeśvaraḥ ko'sti tava śatrunibarhaṇa | ramasva saha vaidehyā śatrūnākramya mūrdhasu ||

"O destroyer of foes, who is there a lord over you, who are the lord of all? Set your foot upon the heads of your enemies, and take your pleasure with Vaidehi."

Shloka 4 (yuddha.13.4)

बलात् कुक्कुटवृत्तेन प्रवर्तस्व महाबल । आक्रम्याक्रम्य सीतां वै तां भुङ्क्ष्व च रमस्व च ॥ १३.४ ॥

balāt kukkuṭavṛttena pravartasva mahābala | ākramyākramya sītāṃ vai tāṃ bhuṅkṣva ca ramasva ca ||

"O mighty one, act as a cock does—by force. Overpower Sita again and again, enjoy her, and take your delight with her."

Shloka 5 (yuddha.13.5)

लब्धकामस्य ते पश्चादागमिष्यति किं भयम् । प्राप्तमप्राप्तकालं वा सर्वं प्रति विधास्यसे ॥ १३.५ ॥

labdhakāmasya te paścādāgamiṣyati kiṃ bhayam | prāptamaprāptakālaṃ vā sarvaṃ prati vidhāsyase ||

"What fear could ever come upon you afterward, once your desire is fulfilled? Whatever befalls—timely or untimely—you will surely deal with it all."

Shloka 6 (yuddha.13.6)

कुम्भकर्णः सहास्माभिरिन्द्रजिच्च महाबलः । प्रतिषेधयितुं शक्तौ सवज्रमपि वज्रिणम् ॥ १३.६ ॥

kumbhakarṇaḥ sahāsmābhirindrajicca mahābalaḥ | pratiṣedhayituṃ śaktau savajramapi vajriṇam ||

"Kumbhakarna and the mighty Indrajit, together with the rest of us, are able to hold back even Indra, thunderbolt and all."

Shloka 7 (yuddha.13.7)

उपप्रदानं सान्त्वं वा भेदं वा कुशलैः कृतम् । समतिक्रम्य दण्डेन सिद्धिमर्थेषु रोचये ॥ १३.७ ॥

upapradānaṃ sāntvaṃ vā bhedaṃ vā kuśalaiḥ kṛtam | samatikramya daṇḍena siddhimartheṣu rocaye ||

"Bypassing the skilful methods of gift-giving, conciliation, or sowing dissension, I favour achieving our ends through force alone."

Shloka 8 (yuddha.13.8)

इह प्राप्तान् वयं सर्वाञ्छत्रूंस्तव महाबल । वशे शस्त्रप्रतापेन करिष्यामो न संशयः ॥ १३.८ ॥

iha prāptān vayaṃ sarvāñchatrūṃstava mahābala | vaśe śastrapratāpena kariṣyāmo na saṃśayaḥ ||

"O mighty one, all these enemies of yours who have come here we shall, without doubt, bring under our control by the might of our weapons."

Shloka 9 (yuddha.13.9)

एवमुक्तस्तदा राजा महापार्श्वेन रावणः । तस्य सम्पूजयन् वाक्यमिदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ १३.९ ॥

evamuktastadā rājā mahāpārśvena rāvaṇaḥ | tasya sampūjayan vākyamidaṃ vacanamabravīt ||

Thus addressed by Mahaparshva, king Ravana, commending his words, spoke as follows.

Shloka 10 (yuddha.13.10)

महापार्श्व निबोध त्वं रहस्यं किंचिदात्मनः । चिरवृत्तं तदाख्यास्ये यदवाप्तं पुरा मया ॥ १३.१० ॥

mahāpārśva nibodha tvaṃ rahasyaṃ kiṃcidātmanaḥ | ciravṛttaṃ tadākhyāsye yadavāptaṃ purā mayā ||

"O Mahaparshva, hear a little secret of mine. I shall tell you of an old event that befell me long ago."

Shloka 11 (yuddha.13.11)

पितामहस्य भवनं गच्छन्तीं पुञ्जिकस्थलाम् । चञ्चूर्यमाणामद्राक्षमाकाशेऽग्निशिखामिव ॥ १३.११ ॥

pitāmahasya bhavanaṃ gacchantīṃ puñjikasthalām | cañcūryamāṇāmadrākṣamākāśe'gniśikhāmiva ||

"Once I saw the celestial nymph Punjikasthala, blazing like a flame, moving restlessly through the sky as she went toward Brahma's abode."

Shloka 12 (yuddha.13.12)

सा प्रसह्य मया भुक्ता कृता विवसना ततः । स्वयम्भूभवनं प्राप्ता लोलिता नलिनी यथा ॥ १३.१२ ॥

sā prasahya mayā bhuktā kṛtā vivasanā tataḥ | svayambhūbhavanaṃ prāptā lolitā nalinī yathā ||

"I forcibly ravished her and stripped her of her garments; thereafter, like a crumpled lotus, she arrived at the abode of the Self-born Brahma."

Shloka 13 (yuddha.13.13)

तच्च तस्य तथा मन्ये ज्ञातमासीन्महात्मनः । अथ संकुपितो वेधा मामिदं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ १३.१३ ॥

tacca tasya tathā manye jñātamāsīnmahātmanaḥ | atha saṃkupito vedhā māmidaṃ vākyamabravīt ||

"I believe that this matter became known to that noble Brahma; then, growing wrathful, the Creator spoke these words to me:"

Shloka 14 (yuddha.13.14)

अद्यप्रभृति यामन्यां बलान्नारीं गमिष्यसि । तदा ते शतधा मूर्धा फलिष्यति न संशयः ॥ १३.१४ ॥

adyaprabhṛti yāmanyāṃ balānnārīṃ gamiṣyasi | tadā te śatadhā mūrdhā phaliṣyati na saṃśayaḥ ||

"'From this day forward, whichever other woman you approach by force, that very moment your head shall without doubt split into a hundred pieces.'"

Shloka 15 (yuddha.13.15)

इत्यहं तस्य शापस्य भीतः प्रसभमेव ताम् । नारोहये बलात् सीतां वैदेहीं शयने शुभे ॥ १३.१५ ॥

ityahaṃ tasya śāpasya bhītaḥ prasabhameva tām | nārohaye balāt sītāṃ vaidehīṃ śayane śubhe ||

"It is out of fear of that curse that I do not force this Sita, daughter of Videha, onto my beautiful bed."

Shloka 16 (yuddha.13.16)

सागरस्येव मे वेगो मारुतस्येव मे गतिः । नैतद् दाशरथिर्वेद ह्यासादयति तेन माम् ॥ १३.१६ ॥

sāgarasyeva me vego mārutasyeva me gatiḥ | naitad dāśarathirveda hyāsādayati tena mām ||

"My swiftness is like that of the ocean, my movement like that of the wind; Rama does not know this, and that is why he comes to face me."

Shloka 17 (yuddha.13.17)

को हि सिंहमिवासीनं सुप्तं गिरिगुहाशये । क्रुद्धं मृत्युमिवासीनं प्रबोधयितुमिच्छति ॥ १३.१७ ॥

ko hi siṃhamivāsīnaṃ suptaṃ giriguhāśaye | kruddhaṃ mṛtyumivāsīnaṃ prabodhayitumicchati ||

"Who indeed would wish to rouse one who sits like a lion asleep in a mountain cave, or like Death himself seated in wrath?"

Shloka 18 (yuddha.13.18)

न मत्तो निर्गतान् बाणान् द्विजिह्वान् पन्नगानिव । रामः पश्यति संग्रामे तेन मामभिगच्छति ॥ १३.१८ ॥

na matto nirgatān bāṇān dvijihvān pannagāniva | rāmaḥ paśyati saṃgrāme tena māmabhigacchati ||

"Rama has not yet seen, in battle, the arrows that fly from me like two-tongued serpents; that is why he advances against me."

Shloka 19 (yuddha.13.19)

क्षिप्रं वज्रसमैर्बाणैः शतधा कार्मुकच्युतैः । राममादीपयिष्यामि उल्काभिरिव कुञ्जरम् ॥ १३.१९ ॥

kṣipraṃ vajrasamairbāṇaiḥ śatadhā kārmukacyutaiḥ | rāmamādīpayiṣyāmi ulkābhiriva kuñjaram ||

"With hundreds of arrows resembling thunderbolts, loosed swiftly from my bow, I shall set Rama ablaze, as one scorches an elephant with firebrands."

Shloka 20 (yuddha.13.20)

तच्चास्य बलमादास्ये बलेन महता वृतः । उदितः सविता काले नक्षत्राणां प्रभामिव ॥ १३.२० ॥

taccāsya balamādāsye balena mahatā vṛtaḥ | uditaḥ savitā kāle nakṣatrāṇāṃ prabhāmiva ||

"Surrounded by my mighty host, I shall strip away his strength, just as the rising sun at dawn strips away the brilliance of the stars."

Shloka 21 (yuddha.13.21)

न वासवेनापि सहस्रचक्षुषा युधास्मि शक्यो वरुणेन वा पुनः । मया त्वियं बाहुबलेन निर्जिता पुरा पुरी वैश्रवणेन पालिता ॥ १३.२१ ॥

na vāsavenāpi sahasracakṣuṣā yudhāsmi śakyo varuṇena vā punaḥ | mayā tviyaṃ bāhubalena nirjitā purā purī vaiśravaṇena pālitā ||

"Not even thousand-eyed Indra, nor Varuna, is able to defeat me in battle. This very city, once ruled by Vaishravana (Kubera), I conquered by the strength of my own arms."