Chapter 33
Aranya Kanda - Book Of Forest
ततः शूर्पणखा दीना रावणम् लोक रावणम्
अमात्य मध्ये संक्रुद्धा परुषम् वाक्यम् अब्रवीत्
tataḥ śūrpaṇakhā dīnā rāvaṇam loka rāvaṇam
amātya madhye saṃkruddhā paruṣam vākyam abravīt
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Then that doleful Shuurpanakha spoke these scornful words to Ravana who makes the world to wail in the presence of his ministers. [3-33-1]
प्रमत्तः काम भोगेषु स्वैर वृत्तो निरंकुशः
समुत्पन्नम् भयम् घोरम् बोद्धव्यम् न अवबुध्यसे
pramattaḥ kāma bhogeṣu svaira vṛtto niraṃkuśaḥ
samutpannam bhayam ghoram boddhavyam na avabudhyase
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Highly infatuated with lustful gratifications you are incontinent and unchecked, thus you are unobservant of a calamitous jeopardy that has surfaced, though you ought to be observant of it as a king. [3-33-2]
सक्तम् ग्राम्येषु भोगेषु काम वृत्तम् महीपतिम्
लुब्धम् न बहु मन्यन्ते श्मशान अग्निम् इव प्रजाः
saktam grāmyeṣu bhogeṣu kāma vṛttam mahīpatim
lubdham na bahu manyante śmaśāna agnim iva prajāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"If a king deports himself in an overly self-assured manner, that too with self-serving motives, and clings only to dirty pleasures, he will be unhonoured by people as with a crematory fire. [3-33-3]
PURPORT
स्वयम् कार्याणि यः काले न अनुतिष्ठति पार्थिवः
स तु वै सह राज्येन तैः च कार्यैः विनश्यति
svayam kāryāṇi yaḥ kāle na anutiṣṭhati pārthivaḥ
sa tu vai saha rājyena taiḥ ca kāryaiḥ vinaśyati
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"The king who will not deal with the concerns of kingdom, in person and on time, he and his kingdom and even those concerns of his kingdom will get ruined. [3-33-4]
PURPORT
अयुक्त चारम् दुर्दर्शम् अस्वाधीनम् नराधिपम्
वर्जयन्ति नरा दूरात् नदी पंकम् इव द्विपाः
ayukta cāram durdarśam asvādhīnam narādhipam
varjayanti narā dūrāt nadī paṃkam iva dvipāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"If a king is inaccessible to spies for exchange of information, unavailable for subjects for an audience for a similar appraisal, more so if he is intemperately not able to impose self-discipline, people will eschew such a king from a distance as elephants will refrain themselves from the mud of river from a distance. [3-33-5]
PURPORT
ये न रक्षन्ति विषयम् अस्वाधीना नराधिपः
ते न वृद्ध्या प्रकाशन्ते गिरयः सागरे यथा
ye na rakṣanti viṣayam asvādhīnā narādhipaḥ
te na vṛddhyā prakāśante girayaḥ sāgare yathā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Which of those kings that will not safeguard their kingdoms by remaining in a self-restrained manner, they will not outshine advantageously, like mountains submerged under ocean. [3-33-6] "Without keeping the kingdom under your personal control, you have shuffled the administration onto the ministers and army personnel like Khara, Duushana et al. And these figureheads alone become the tiderips, for they quarrel among themselves about the kingship of Lanka after your ruin, and they alone are floating like oceanic tides up above your head and thus you are a submerged sovereign. In any way, your doom is destined either by Rama, who is an imminent danger, or by your military managers, who are the in-built dangers."
PURPORT
आत्मवद्भिः विगृह्य त्वम् देव गंधर्व दानवैः
अयुक्त चारः चपलः कथम् राजा भविष्यसि
ātmavadbhiḥ vigṛhya tvam deva gaṃdharva dānavaiḥ
ayukta cāraḥ capalaḥ katham rājā bhaviṣyasi
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Externally you are belligerent with sensible gods, gandharva-s and other demons, and internally you are needful of intelligence agents, and such as you are, you are an erratic even, then how can you thrive as a king! [3-33-7]
PURPORT
त्वम् तु बाल स्वभावत् च बुद्धि हीनः च राक्षस
ज्ञातव्यम् तु न जानीषि कथम् राजा भविष्यसि
tvam tu bāla svabhāvat ca buddhi hīnaḥ ca rākṣasa
jñātavyam tu na jānīṣi katham rājā bhaviṣyasi
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Your bent is boyish and you are mindless, oh, demon, you are not able to know the knowable danger because you are carefree, and how do you thrive as a king! [3-33-8]
येषाम् चारः च कोशः च नयः च जयताम् वर
अस्वाधीना नरेन्द्राणाम् प्राकृतैः ते जनैः समाः
yeṣām cāraḥ ca kośaḥ ca nayaḥ ca jayatām vara
asvādhīnā narendrāṇām prākṛtaiḥ te janaiḥ samāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, so-called best one among triumphant kings, those kings that do not retain spies, treasuries and strategies under their control, but vouchsafe them to others, they are of a piece with the peasantry. [3-33-9]
यस्मात् पश्यन्ति दूरस्थान् सर्वान् अर्थान् नराधिपाः
चारेण तस्मात् उच्यन्ते राजानो दीर्घ चक्षुषः
yasmāt paśyanti dūrasthān sarvān arthān narādhipāḥ
cāreṇa tasmāt ucyante rājāno dīrgha cakṣuṣaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Oh, titular overlord of humans, only some can be called prescient kings because they see all the situations happening distantly through their spies. [3-33-10]
PURPORT
अयुक्त चारम् मन्ये त्वाम् प्राकृतैः सचिवैः युतः
स्व जनम् च जनस्थानम् निहतम् न अवबुध्यसे
ayukta cāram manye tvām prākṛtaiḥ sacivaiḥ yutaḥ
sva janam ca janasthānam nihatam na avabudhyase
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"I believe that you have no spies worth their profession, yet you are associated with artless ministers worthy to worship you, hence you are incognisant of the ruination of all of your subjects in Janasthaana, including Janasthaana. [3-33-11]
चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसाम् भीम कर्मणाम्
हतानि एकेन रामेण खरः च सह दूषणः
caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasām bhīma karmaṇām
hatāni ekena rāmeṇa kharaḥ ca saha dūṣaṇaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"A single soul called Rama has eliminated fourteen thousand demons of dreadful deeds in Janasthaana, even Duushana is killed, even Khara is also killed. [3-33-12]
ऋषीणाम् अभयम् दत्तम् कृत क्षेमाः च दण्डकाः
धर्षितम् च जनस्थानम् रामेण अक्लिष्ट कारिणा
ṛṣīṇām abhayam dattam kṛta kṣemāḥ ca daṇḍakāḥ
dharṣitam ca janasthānam rāmeṇa akliṣṭa kāriṇā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"That indefatigable champion Rama gave security to the sages, rendered Dandaka forest safeguarded, and he put Janasthaana to rout. [3-33-13]
त्वम् तु लुब्धः प्रमत्तः च पराधीनः च रावण
विषये स्वे समुत्पन्नम् यो भयम् न अवबुध्यसे
tvam tu lubdhaḥ pramattaḥ ca parādhīnaḥ ca rāvaṇa
viṣaye sve samutpannam yo bhayam na avabudhyase
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"On your part you are but selfish, hotheaded, and others like the appeasers of your lust, or these artless ministers, or those underpaid unfaithful spies hold you down, and such as you are, you are unperceptive of the calamity rising up against you in your own kingdom. [3-33-14]
तीक्ष्णम् अल्प प्रदातारम् प्रमत्तम् गर्वितम् शठम्
व्यसने सर्व भूतानि न अभिधावन्ति पार्थिवम्
tīkṣṇam alpa pradātāram pramattam garvitam śaṭham
vyasane sarva bhūtāni na abhidhāvanti pārthivam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Should a king be overweening, an under-payer, an improvident, self-conceited, and dubious, all his subjects bid goodbye to such a king when he is in strife. [3-33-15]
अतिमानिनम् अग्राह्यम् आत्म संभावितम् नरम्
क्रोधिनम् व्यसने हन्ति स्व जनो अपि नराधिपम्
atimāninam agrāhyam ātma saṃbhāvitam naram
krodhinam vyasane hanti sva jano api narādhipam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Should a ruler be unduly self-conceited, self-centred, self-adulating and a spitfire too, his own kith and kin will ruin him when he is in distress. [3-33-16]
न अनुतिष्ठति कार्याणि भयेषु न बिभेति च
क्षिप्रम् राज्यात् च्युतो दीनः तृणैः तुल्यो भवेत् इह
na anutiṣṭhati kāryāṇi bhayeṣu na bibheti ca
kṣipram rājyāt cyuto dīnaḥ tṛṇaiḥ tulyo bhavet iha
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"That king who does not officiate his good offices, nor un-panicked into panicky situations, he will be quickly overthrown from his kingdom, and on becoming a debased individual he will be equated with a piece of straw in this world. [3-33-17]
शुष्क काष्ठैः भवेत् कार्यम् लोष्टैः अपि च पांसुभिः
न तु स्थानात् परिभ्रष्टैः कार्यम् स्यात् वसुधाधिपैः
śuṣka kāṣṭhaiḥ bhavet kāryam loṣṭaiḥ api ca pāṃsubhiḥ
na tu sthānāt paribhraṣṭaiḥ kāryam syāt vasudhādhipaiḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Dried sticks, globs or the particles of dust are of some avail, but kings fallen from their position are of no avail. [3-33-18]
उपभुक्तम् यथा वासः स्रजो वा मृदिता यथा
एवम् राज्यात् परिभ्रष्टः समर्थो अपि निरर्थकः
upabhuktam yathā vāsaḥ srajo vā mṛditā yathā
evam rājyāt paribhraṣṭaḥ samartho api nirarthakaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"As to how a used up raiment or a crumpled flower-tassel is meaningless, likewise a king derelict from his kingdom, though functional, is meaningless. [3-33-19]
अप्रमत्तः च यो राजा सर्वज्ञो विजितेन्द्रियः
कृतज्ञो धर्म शीलः च स राजा तिष्ठते चिरम्
apramattaḥ ca yo rājā sarvajño vijitendriyaḥ
kṛtajño dharma śīlaḥ ca sa rājā tiṣṭhate ciram
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Which king will be cautious, clever, conscientious, with his controlled senses, and thankful, that king survives for a long time. [3-33-20]
नयनाभ्याम् प्रसुप्तो वा जागर्ति नय चक्षुषा
व्यक्त क्रोध प्रसादः च स राजा पूज्यते जनैः
nayanābhyām prasupto vā jāgarti naya cakṣuṣā
vyakta krodha prasādaḥ ca sa rājā pūjyate janaiḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"He who keeps his mental eyes of wariness will be wakeful even though he slept well closing his physical eyes and he who will make his fury and favour evident to people without any concealment or cunningness, people will highly revere him as a king. "He who keeps his mental eyes of wariness wakeful even though he sleeps fast closing his physical eyes, thus discarded are his fury and frenzy as well, because he knows as to who is to be treated furiously and who is to be favoured, and thus people will revere him as a judicious king. [3-33-21]
त्वम् तु रावण दुर्बुद्धिः गुणैः एतैः विवर्जितः
यस्य ते अविदितः चारैः रक्षसाम् सुमहान् वधः
tvam tu rāvaṇa durbuddhiḥ guṇaiḥ etaiḥ vivarjitaḥ
yasya te aviditaḥ cāraiḥ rakṣasām sumahān vadhaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"But, oh, Ravana, because you are imprudent you are bereft of these merits, and such as you are, unknown is the very great massacre of demons to you, though not personally, but at least through your spies. [3-33-22]
पर अवमंता विषयेषु संगवान्
न देश काल प्रविभाग तत्त्व वित्
अयुक्त बुद्धिः गुण दोष निश्चये
विपन्न राज्यो न चिरात् विपत्स्यते
para avamaṃtā viṣayeṣu saṃgavān
na deśa kāla pravibhāga tattva vit
ayukta buddhiḥ guṇa doṣa niścaye
vipanna rājyo na cirāt vipatsyate
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"You are the humiliator of others, you hobnob only with your ravishes, and incognisant of the object for apportionment of time and place for your activities, as to when and where and how the things are to be dealt with. And, as you are not attending any kingly activity, or do not focus your mind in deciding rights and wrongs, thereby your kingdom will get ruined and you will be imperilled, not before long." Thus Shuurpanakha declaimed Ravana about his worthlessness as a king. [3-33-23]
PURPORT
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये अरण्य काण्डे त्रयः त्रिंशः सर्गः
iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye araṇya kāṇḍe trayaḥ triṃśaḥ sargaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
In this way when Shuurpanakha extolled only his negative traits, he that lord of night-walkers Ravana, who holds only his pride, power and prosperity dear to him, pored them over in his mind and contemplated over a time. [3-33-24]