Chapter 2
Aranya Kanda - Book Of Forest
कृत आतिथ्यो।अथ रामस्तु सूर्यस्य उदयनम् प्रति
आमंत्र्य स मुनीम् तत् सर्वान् वनम् एव अन्वगाहत
kṛta ātithyo|atha rāmastu sūryasya udayanam prati
āmaṃtrya sa munīm tat sarvān vanam eva anvagāhata
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Then, on receiving the hospitality in that hermitage for that day, and on the next day before sunrise, Rama bade farewell to all of the sages, and thus entered the deep forests. [3-2-1]
नाना मृग गण आकीर्णम् ऋक्ष शार्दूल सेवितम्
ध्वस्त वृक्ष लता गुल्मम् दुर्दर्श सलिलाशयम्
nānā mṛga gaṇa ākīrṇam ṛkṣa śārdūla sevitam
dhvasta vṛkṣa latā gulmam durdarśa salilāśayam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Rama followed by Lakshmana has indeed seen that midst of the forest which is filled with very many animal herds, where the bears and tigers are frequenting, and whose trees, creepers, bushes are ruined, water ponds rendered unsightly, birds song-less, but where the swarms of crickets are whistling deafeningly. [3-3-2, 3]
सीताया सह काकुत्स्थः तस्मिन् घोर मृग आयुते
ददर्श गिरि शृङ्ग आभम् पुरुषादम् महास्वनम्
sītāyā saha kākutsthaḥ tasmin ghora mṛga āyute
dadarśa giri śṛṅga ābham puruṣādam mahāsvanam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Therein Rama has seen along with Seetha, a lurid voiced man-eater who is akin to a mountain-peak, among horrendous animals. [3-2-4]
गम्भीर अक्षम् महावक्त्रम् विकटम् विकटोदरम्
बीभत्सम् विषमम् दीर्घम् विकृतम् घोर दर्शनम्
gambhīra akṣam mahāvaktram vikaṭam vikaṭodaram
bībhatsam viṣamam dīrgham vikṛtam ghora darśanam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Deep eyed, huge mouthed, horrible with a monstrous belly, hideously misshapen, and a very soaring one that demon is, an ugly one with a horrendous look. [3-2-5]
वसानम् चर्म वैयाघ्रम् वस आर्द्रम् रुधिरोक्षितम्
त्रासनम् सर्व भूतानाम् व्यादितास्यम् इव अन्तकम्
vasānam carma vaiyāghram vasa ārdram rudhirokṣitam
trāsanam sarva bhūtānām vyāditāsyam iva antakam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Wearing tiger's skin that is wetted with fat and dampened with blood, he is frightening to all beings like the wide-open mouth of Death. [3-2-6]
त्रीन् सिंहान् चतुरो व्याघ्रान् द्वौ वृकौ पृषतान् दश
सविषाणम् वसादिग्धम् गजस्य च शिरो महत्
trīn siṃhān caturo vyāghrān dvau vṛkau pṛṣatān daśa
saviṣāṇam vasādigdham gajasya ca śiro mahat
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
He skewered three lions, four tigers, two wolves, ten spotted deer, and a big head of an elephant with tusks and fouled with fat on an iron spear, and he is yelling with his deafening voice. [3-2-7-8a]
स रामम् लक्ष्मणम् चैव सीताम् दृष्ट्वा च मैथिलीम्
sa rāmam lakṣmaṇam caiva sītām dṛṣṭvā ca maithilīm
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
He that demon on seeing Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha ran towards them very angrily, like the Time, the Eliminator of people. [3-2-8b-9a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
He shouted a tremulous blare, as though to tremor the earth, and seized Vaidehi with his arms and gone afar, and then said this way. [9b-10a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"You two wear jute cloths like hermits, but handle arrows, bows and swords like warriors, yet entered Dandaka forest with your wife... your lives are on the wane... [3-2-10b-11a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"How saintly are you while living with your wife? You sinful fellows dishonest are you ways... who are you... you insulters of sainthood? [3-2-11b-12a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"I am a demon named Viradha and I will be on the rove in this impassable forest with weapon, always eating the flesh of sages... [3-2-12b-13a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"This best waisted woman will be my wife, and I will drink your blood of you two sinful one in a fight with you... [3-2-13b-14a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On listening those arrogant words spoken in bad intent by that evil minded Viradha, Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, is much panicked. [3-2-14b-15a.]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Seetha in fear wiggled like a plantain tree in a whirlwind, and on seeing at the auspicious lady gone into the arms of Viradha, Raghava spoke this sentence to Lakshmana, with his face fully turning to pale. [3-2-15b-16]
पश्य सौंय नरेन्द्रस्य जनकस्य अत्म संभवाम्
मम भार्याम् शुभाचाराम् विराधाङ्के प्रवेशिताम्
paśya sauṃya narendrasya janakasya atma saṃbhavām
mama bhāryām śubhācārām virādhāṅke praveśitām
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"See! Gentle Lakshmana, see that illustrious princes Seetha, the daughter of emperor Janaka, one who is brought up comfortably in immense comfort, and my auspiciously traditional wife... now gone into the wretched hands of a demon... [3-2-17-18a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"That which is desired to befall on us, and that which is the choicest desire of Kaikeyi, and that which is concomitant to her boons, oh, Lakshmana, that has come to pass quickly, and today only Lakshmana... [3-2-18b-19a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"She who is a foresighted lady, she who is not happy with the kingdom for her son, she by whom I, a dear one to all beings, am sent to forests, and she is my middle mother, her desire is fulfilled today, nay now itself... [3-2-19b-20]
पर स्पर्शात् तु वैदेह्या न दुःखतरम् अस्ति मे
पितुर् विनाशात् सौमित्रे स्व राज्य हरणात् तथा
para sparśāt tu vaidehyā na duḥkhataram asti me
pitur vināśāt saumitre sva rājya haraṇāt tathā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"To me, oh, Soumitri, the grief of others touching Seetha is more, than father's demise or grabbing away my kingdom... [3-2-21]
PURPORT
इति ब्रुवति काकुत्स्थे बाष्प शोक परिप्लुतः
अब्रवीत् लक्ष्मणः क्रुद्धो रुद्धो नाग इव श्वसन्
iti bruvati kākutsthe bāṣpa śoka pariplutaḥ
abravīt lakṣmaṇaḥ kruddho ruddho nāga iva śvasan
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
When said thus by Rama, Lakshmana said this with flooding tears of lament, and in his anger hissing like a forestalled snake. [3-2-22]
PURPORT
अनाथ इव भूतानाम् नाथः त्वम् वासवोपमः
मया प्रेष्येण काकुत्स्थः किम् अर्थम् परितप्यसे
anātha iva bhūtānām nāthaḥ tvam vāsavopamaḥ
mayā preṣyeṇa kākutsthaḥ kim artham paritapyase
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, Rama, you being the Indra like lord of all beings, and while you are being attended by an adherent like me, what for you worry yourself like a derelict? [3-2-23]
शरेण निहतस्य अद्य मया क्रुद्धेन रक्षसः
विराधस्य गत असोः हि मही पास्यति शोणितम्
śareṇa nihatasya adya mayā kruddhena rakṣasaḥ
virādhasya gata asoḥ hi mahī pāsyati śoṇitam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"He will now be felled with my arrow as I am enraged at him, and gone are his lives now, and indeed the earth shall drink his blood... [3-2-24]
राज्य कामे मम क्रोधो भरते यो बभूव ह
तम् विराधे विमोक्ष्यामि वज्री वज्रम् इव अचले
rājya kāme mama krodho bharate yo babhūva ha
tam virādhe vimokṣyāmi vajrī vajram iva acale
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Indeed, that which anger was there to me on Bharata when he desired kingdom, that anger I will now release on Viradha, as Indra released his Thunderbolt on the mountain... [3-2-25]
इति वाल्मीकि रामयणे आदि काव्ये अरण्य काण्डे द्वितीयः सर्गः
iti vālmīki rāmayaṇe ādi kāvye araṇya kāṇḍe dvitīyaḥ sargaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Accelerated by my shoulder strength this ruinous arrow shall fall on his massive chest, thus life from his body shall decamp, and then he shall whirlingly fall onto the earth..." So said Lakshmana. [3-2-26] The forest Dandaka Forest wherein Rama is trekking is a dominion of their kingdom, but a deserted forest. One named Danda, the last son of Ikshvaku, was performing all demonic activities in their kingdom. His father Ikshvaku received many a complaint about Danda's deeds from his subjects, and angered at his erring son Danda and banishes him from the kingdom. Danda took refuge in Vindhya mountain range and built a kingdom and a beautiful capital for himself called Madhumanta. He rubbed shoulders with all the demons thereabout and thus became a disciple of Sage Shukraachaarya, the guru of demons. One day when Sage Shukraachaarya is not in hermitage, Danda reaches there, and sees Araja, the elder daughter of the sage Shukra, and molests her, in spite of her repeated protests. Later when Sage Shukraachaarya comes to know about it, gets enraged and curses Danda, to fall down along with his entire kingdom under a mud storm around that Madhumanta capital for a period of seven consecutive days. Then there is a mud storm for seven days and entire kingdom went under mud, later to become a forest called Dandaka. The place to where the curse fearing people fled from that Madhunata to further south is called Jansthaana. At later time, when Rama's peregrination started, these two places, Dandaka forest and Janasthaana, are under the domain of Ravana, and Ravana made one demon named Khara, as the protector of this dominion Jansthaana. This is the place where Rama built his hermitage Panchavati, at which Demoness Surpanakha arrives, and from where Ravana abducts Seetha. When Rama asks the forest dwelling sages for a quiet place to live on, the sages in Dandaka forest, will make Rama constantly move southward, till he reaches Janasthana, indirectly directing Rama to eradicate the demonic influence over these places, which once belonged to Rama's kingdom.