||Sundarakanda ||
|| Sarga 21||(Summary in English)
||om tat sat||
तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा सीता रौद्रस्य रक्षसः।
अर्ता दीनस्वरा दीनं प्रत्युवाच शनैर्वचः॥1||
स॥ तस्य रौद्रस्य रक्षसः वचनं शृत्वा आर्ता दीनं दीनस्वरा शनैः प्रत्युवाच॥
Hearing those words of that fierce Rakshasa, distressed and pitiable Sita replied in a sorrowful tone.
Sundarakanda
Sarga 21
Hearing those words of that fierce Rakshasa, distressed and pitiable Sita replied in a sorrowful tone.
Sita, a chaste woman ever thinking of her husband only, crying, afflicted by grief yet with a gentle smile replied him, putting a blade of grass between them.
'Turn away your mind from me. You fix it in your own people. Like the sinner hoping for blessings, desiring me is not proper for you. Born in a great lineage, having gained a great lineage, devoted to single husband, the contemptible forbidden action proposed by you will not be done'.
Glorious Vaidehi having said this to that Ravana turned her back and spoke these words again.
' As a chaste married woman, I am not a wife to be obtained by other efforts. You may examine the righteous conduct. With honesty follow honest action. Oh Night-being! Like your wives are protected, similarly other's wives too are to be protected. Making yourself an example enjoy with your own wives. Oh Night-being ! Like your wives are protected, similarly other's wives too are to be protected. Making yourself an example enjoy with your own wives. Other's wives will insult the evil minded one, the one with unsteady mind with no control on his senses, and the one who is unsatisfied with his own wives.
'There are no pious one here. Or you do not follow the saints. That is why your evil mind is after forbidden actions. Indulging in unrighteous act, you are not following righteous advice leading to destruction of the Rakshasas. Having kings who are foolish and engaged in improper acts, prosperous countries and cities are destroyed. Similarly, having obtained you this Lanka which is filled with gems , will soon be destroyed because of your single crime. Oh Ravana ! Living beings will rejoice by the destruction of a short sighted one who is killed by his own deeds. Similarly, the insulted people will be delighted about your destruction. They will say 'luckily he met his doom etc'.
'I cannot be tempted by power or even wealth. Like the splendor of the Sun I am not separable from Rama. Having used his shoulder which protected the world and which performed great deeds, I am not going to use any other shoulder. Like the knowledge of an ascetic who is bathed in ceremonial duties, who is a realized soul, I am that Lord of the earth's wife, fit for him only'.
'Oh Ravana ! Uniting me in sorrows with Rama would be good, like uniting the female elephant separated from the king of elephants in the forest. If you are desirous of avoiding dreadful death, seek the friendship of Rama the bull among men. As one who knows Dharma, he is kind to those who seek protection. If you desire to live then seek his friendship. You propiate him, who is kind to those who seek protection. Controlling yourself it is proper for you to return me. Thus, having given me away, you will attain fortune. Ravana ! Otherwise you will face death'.
'The raised thunderbolt may spare you, the Yama may spare you. But the angry Lord of the world, Raghava will not spare you. You will hear the great sound of Rama's bow, like the thunderbolt released by Indra, the one who performed hundred Yagnyas',
'Well jointed arrows with flaming fangs like that of poisonous snakes marked with names of Rama and Lakshmana will soon be raining. The shafts with feathers of Kanka bird falling on this city will be killing Rakshasas everywhere. Like the Garuda swiftly carrying away the great serpents, the great Rama will kill the king of demons. Swiftly my husband, the subduer of enemies, will take me away from you, like Vishnu with three strides took away the prosperity of the Asuras'.
'When the Rakshasa army was killed in Janasthana, you being unable to do anything resorted to this evil deed. Oh Mean one, I have been abducted by you entering the unprotected hermitage, when the two lions among men were away. Like a dog in front of two tigers, you would not have been able to be stand in front of Rama and Lakshmana. You cannot stand both of them in a battle, like the one armed Vritrasura could not face the two armed Indra. My husband Rama with the son of Sumitra will destroy your life breath, like the Sun evaporates a small pond of water with his radiance'.
'Doomed by time, by going to Kubera's mountain resort, or entering Varuna's assembly, you cannot evade Rama's arrows, like a mighty tree cannot escape lightning'.
Thus ends Sarga twenty one of Sundarakanda in Ramayana the first poem in Sanskrit by the first poet sage Valmiki
||om tat sat||
गिरिं कुबेरस्य गतोsपधाय वा
सभां गतो वा वरुणस्य राज्ञः ।
असंशयं दाशरथेर्नमोक्ष्यसे
महाद्रुमः कालहतोsशनेरिव॥34||
स॥ कालहतः कुबेरस्य गिरिं वा आलयं गतः राज्ञः वरुणस्य सभाम् गतः महाद्रुमः अशनैरिव दाशरथेः न मोक्ष्यसे॥
Doomed by time going to Kubera's mountain or palace, or entering Varuna's assembly, you cannot evade Rama's arrows like a mighty tree cannot escape lightning.
||om tat sat||