||Sundarakanda ||
|| Sarga 26||(Summary in English)
||om tat sat||
प्रसक्ताश्रुमुखी त्येवं ब्रुवंती जनकात्मजा।
अधोमुखमुखी बाला विलप्तुमुपचक्रमे॥1||
स॥ प्रसक्ताश्रुमुखी बाला जनकात्मजा एवं ब्रुवंतीअधोगतमुखी विलप्तुं उपचक्रमे॥
With a face filled with tears and down cast , the young lady who is Janaka's daughter began to cry.
Sundarakanda
Sarga 26
As ordered by Ravana the Rakshasa women guarding Sita use all means including threats to make Sita accept Ravana.
With a face filled with tears and down cast , the young lady who is Janaka's daughter began to cry. Like a bewildered person, intoxicated one, like person with distracted mind and worrying she was wallowing like a female horse on the ground. Then she spoke to herself and the Rakshasa women around her
'When Raghava was away, I was brought forcibly here crying by Ravana the Rakshasa, who can take any form. Being under the control of the Rakshasis, dreadfully threatened, worrying and overcome with grief, I have no interest to live. Living in the middle of Rakshasa women, there is no meaning for this life without the great charioteer Rama. Neither wealth nor the ornaments matter. Or this my heart is surely made of stone, or it has no age or death since it is not riven with grief. That without him I am protecting this life even for a moment is improper. I am an infidel, a woman of sinful life. Fie on me. Why interest in pleasure or happiness in my life, without the sweet tongued Lord of the earth stretching up to shores of the oceans'.
'I will leave this body. Cut me to pieces, or eat me up. Without my dear husband, I cannot bear this sorrow for too long. I cannot touch this vile night roamer Ravana even with my left foot. Where is the question of loving him. This man of cruel nature, who wants to plead with me, is not aware of his own loss of fame. Nor the loss of his family's fame. Whether cut or broken into pieces, or burnt by fire I will not accept Ravana. What is the use of your raving so long'.
'Raghava is renowned as wise, grateful, and well behaved. I doubt that kind hearted one became pitiless due to my misfortune. The one who killed fourteen thousand Rakshasas in Janasthana, why is he not protecting me? I am held captive by this Rakshasa of inferior valor. My husband is surely capable of killing Ravana in a battle. The one who killed Viradha, the bull among Rakshasa's in a fight in the Dandaka forest, why is he not protecting me?'
'This Lanka, in the middle of the sea, is impregnable. But nothing can resist Rama's arrows. What is that reason because of which the highly powerful Rama is not able to reach his dear wife abducted by the Rakshasa. The elder brother of Lakshmana does not know that I am here. I doubt whether that the glorious one is tolerating even after knowing that outrageous act. That king of vultures who knows that I am abducted and hence can tell Rama. But that one has been killed by Ravana in the fight. That Jatayu, who though old stood by me in the duel with Ravana, did a great help'.
'If that Rama knows that I am here, then being angry he would have made this world free of Rakshasas. He will blow away the city of Lanka. He will drain the oceans. He will destroy the name and fame of that evil Ravana'.
'Then I will see Rakshasa women who lost their husbands crying in every house like me. I have no doubt. If only Rama along with Lakshmana search this Lanka, the enemies cannot stand in their sight even for a moment. This Lanka will soon be like a cremation ground with its streets covered with smoke, with vultures flying around. Very soon my desire will be fulfilled. All the bad behavior of you people indicates a reversal of fate'.
'In this Lanka such inauspicious signs are seen. Very soon Lanka will lose its splendor. When the mean sinner the Rakshasa Ravana is killed, this impregnable Lanka will wither away like a widow. Along with Rakshasa women, the city of Lanka which had many auspicious celebrations, having lost the king will remain like a woman with the death of her husband. Very soon I will surely hear the sounds of distressful cries of Rakshasa women from every house. The city of Lanka will be totally burnt filled with darkness losing its splendor and all the Rakshasa warriors will be killed by the arrows of Rama, if only the heroic Rama with blood shot eyes knows that I am in the Ravana's palace'.
'The time limit which has been set by this lowly person Ravana has now arrived. The death fixed for me by this vile person will impinge on him. These sinners do not know the forbidden acts. Due to improper acts great calamities will happen. These flesh eating Rakshasas do not know righteous conduct. These Rakshasas will definitely make a morning meal of me. What can I do without the Rama who is pleasing to the eyes. Unable to see the one with reddish tinge in his eyes I am distressed very much'.
' If there is a person who can give poison is here, I am ready to see the Lord of death without my lord. That Rama, the elder brother of Lakshmana, does not know that I am living. If they knew they would not have left searching all over. The heroic elder brother of Lakshmana left his body on the earth in distress, and surely went to the abode of gods. Seeing my husband who has eyes like that of lotus petals, the gods along with the Gandharvas, Siddhas and the great sages will be blessed. Or else the wise one ever seeking dharma, the royal sage, the supreme self has lost interest in me, his wife. When one keeps seeing love will happen. If you do not see friendship does not last. For the ungrateful one's love perishes. Rama's love will not perish. A charming lady that I am, and that I am able to live without Rama, does it mean that some qualities are not in me? Is my fortune diminished? It is better for me to die instead of living separated from the great soul Rama who is of blemish less character, who is heroic, who can destroy his enemies ,
Or else those two brother best among men, laid down their arms and are roaming the forest as ascetics living on fruits and roots. Or else the two heroic brothers would have been killed by that cruel deceptive Ravana. In these times by all means I wish to die. In this sorrow even the death seems to be not possible.
Great men who have given up all sins, the exalted ones who have won over the self, the sages are blessed. For them the pleasure or displeasure does not exist. Sorrow from pleasing act, or fear from unpleasant act does not happen to them. Those who have distanced themselves from these dualities are great souls. Salutations to them.
'Separated from Rama who is a realized self, being under the control of the sinner Ravana, I will give up this life.
Thus ends the twenty sixth Sarga of Sundarakanda in Ramayana the first ever poem composed by the first poet sage Valmiki.
||om tat sat||
साsहं त्यक्ता प्रियार्हेण रामेण विदितात्मना ।
प्राणां स्त्यक्ष्यामि पापस्य रावणस्य गता वशम्॥51||
स॥ प्रियेणैव विदितात्मना रामेन त्यक्ता पापस्य रावणस्य वशम् गता सा अहं प्राणां तक्ष्यामि ॥
Separated from Rama who is a realized self, being under the control of the sinner Ravana, I will give up this life.
||om tat sat||
||om tat sat||