Sources · மூலங்கள்

The forced errand

Valmiki · Aranya Kanda
3.35–3.42.14 (CrEd 3.33–3.40.12)

தமிழ் · விரைவில் வருகிறது · The Tamil is coming

Ravana comes to Maricha's hermitage and asks him to become a golden deer, so that Rama and Lakshmana are drawn away and Sita can be taken. Maricha, who has felt Rama's arrows twice, warns him that Rama is dharma in a body and begs him to turn back. Threatened with death, he gives in: death at Rama's hands, he says, is better than death at Ravana's.

Sanskrit · English·Translation: Raam Leela

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Part 1 · பகுதி 1

The request

Valmiki 3.35–3.37 (CrEd 3.33–3.35)

॥ 3.35.36–38 ॥

CrEd 3.33.36–37

silent moment

॥ 3.35.39–40 ॥

silent moment

॥ 3.36.1 ॥

CrEd 3.34.1

Ravana

Sanskrit

मारीच श्रूयतां तात वचनं मम भाषतः ।
आर्तोऽस्मि मम चार्तस्य भवान् हि परमा गतिः ॥

mārīca śrūyatāṃ tāta vacanaṃ mama bhāṣataḥ
ārto 'smi mama cārtasya bhavān hi paramā gatiḥ

English

Maricha, my friend, listen
to the words that I speak.
I am in distress, and to me in distress
you are the highest refuge.

॥ 3.36.8b–10a ॥

CrEd 3.34.8–9

Ravana

Sanskrit

चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम् ।
निहतानि शरैस् तीक्ष्णैर् मानुषेण पदातिना ।
खरश् च निहतः संख्ये दूषणश् च निपातितः ।
हत्वा त्रिशिरसं चापि निर्भया दण्डकाः कृताः ॥

caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām
nihatāni śarais tīkṣṇair mānuṣeṇa padātinā
kharaś ca nihataḥ saṃkhye dūṣaṇaś ca nipātitaḥ
hatvā triśirasaṃ cāpi nirbhayā daṇḍakāḥ kṛtāḥ

English

Fourteen thousand rakshasas
of fearsome deeds
have been slain with sharp arrows
by a man, and he on foot.
Khara was slain in battle,
and Dushana struck down;
and with Trishiras slain as well,
the Dandaka is made free of fear.

॥ 3.36.10b–12a ॥

CrEd 3.34.10–11

Ravana

Sanskrit

पित्रा निरस्तः क्रुद्धेन सभार्यः क्षीणजीवितः ।
स हन्ता तस्य सैन्यस्य रामः क्षत्रियपांसनः ।
अशीलः कर्कशस् तीक्ष्णो मूर्खो लुब्धोऽजितेन्द्रियः ।
त्यक्तधर्मस् त्व् अधर्मात्मा भूतानाम् अहिते रतः ॥

pitrā nirastaḥ kruddhena sabhāryaḥ kṣīṇajīvitaḥ
sa hantā tasya sainyasya rāmaḥ kṣatriyapāṃsanaḥ
aśīlaḥ karkaśas tīkṣṇo mūrkho lubdho 'jitendriyaḥ
tyaktadharmas tv adharmātmā bhūtānām ahite rataḥ

English

Cast out by his angry father,
with his wife, his life worn thin,
he is the slayer of that army,
Rama, disgrace of the kshatriyas:
without virtue, harsh and violent,
foolish, greedy, his senses unmastered;
he has abandoned dharma, unrighteous of soul,
delighting in the harm of creatures.

॥ 3.36.12b–14a ॥

CrEd 3.34.12–13

Ravana

Sanskrit

येन वैरं विनारण्ये सत्त्वम् आश्रित्य केवलम् ।
कर्णनासापहारेण भगिनी मे विरूपिता ।
तस्य भार्यां जनस्थानात् सीतां सुरसुतोपमाम् ।
आनयिष्यामि विक्रम्य सहायस् तत्र मे भव ॥

yena vairaṃ vināraṇye sattvam āśritya kevalam
karṇanāsāpahāreṇa bhaginī me virūpitā
tasya bhāryāṃ janasthānāt sītāṃ surasutopamām
ānayiṣyāmi vikramya sahāyas tatra me bhava

English

He who, with no feud, in the forest,
trusting in his strength alone,
by cutting off her ears and nose
disfigured my sister:
his wife, out of Janasthana,
Sita, like a daughter of the gods,
I will bring away by force.
Be my helper in this.

॥ 3.36.18 ॥

CrEd 3.34.17

Ravana

Sanskrit

सौवर्णस् त्वं मृगो भूत्वा चित्रो रजतबिन्दुभिः ।
आश्रमे तस्य रामस्य सीतायाः प्रमुखे चर ॥

sauvarṇas tvaṃ mṛgo bhūtvā citro rajatabindubhiḥ
āśrame tasya rāmasya sītāyāḥ pramukhe cara

English

Become a golden deer,
dappled with spots of silver,
and roam in that Rama’s hermitage,
right before Sita’s eyes.

॥ 3.36.19–20 ॥

CrEd 3.34.18–19

Ravana

Sanskrit

त्वां तु निःसंशयं सीता दृष्ट्वा तु मृगरूपिणम् ।
गृह्यताम् इति भर्तारं लक्ष्मणं चाभिधास्यति ।
ततस् तयोर् अपाये तु शून्ये सीतां यथासुखम् ।
निराबाधो हरिष्यामि राहुश् चन्द्रप्रभाम् इव ॥

tvāṃ tu niḥsaṃśayaṃ sītā dṛṣṭvā tu mṛgarūpiṇam
gṛhyatām iti bhartāraṃ lakṣmaṇaṃ cābhidhāsyati
tatas tayor apāye tu śūnye sītāṃ yathāsukham
nirābādho hariṣyāmi rāhuś candraprabhām iva

English

Seeing you in the form of a deer,
Sita, without a doubt,
will say to her husband and Lakshmana,
“Let it be caught.”
Then, with the two of them gone,
from the empty place, at my ease,
unhindered I will carry off Sita,
as Rahu takes the light of the moon.

॥ 3.36.22–24 ॥

CrEd 3.34.22

silent moment

॥ 3.37.1 ॥

CrEd 3.35.1

silent moment

॥ 3.37.2 ॥

CrEd 3.35.2

Maricha

Sanskrit

सुलभाः पुरुषा राजन् सततं प्रियवादिनः ।
अप्रियस्य च पथ्यस्य वक्ता श्रोता च दुर्लभः ॥

sulabhāḥ puruṣā rājan satataṃ priyavādinaḥ
apriyasya ca pathyasya vaktā śrotā ca durlabhaḥ

English

Easy to find, king, are men
who always speak pleasing words;
but one who speaks the unwelcome and wholesome,
and one who hears it, are hard to find.

॥ 3.37.5–6 ॥

CrEd 3.35.5–6

Maricha

Sanskrit

अपि ते जीवितान्ताय नोत्पन्ना जनकात्मजा ।
अपि सीता निमित्तं च न भवेद् व्यसनं महत् ।
अपि त्वाम् ईश्वरं प्राप्य कामवृत्तं निरङ्कुशम् ।
न विनश्येत् पुरी लङ्का त्वया सह सराक्षसा ॥

api te jīvitāntāya notpannā janakātmajā
api sītā nimittaṃ ca na bhaved vyasanaṃ mahat
api tvām īśvaraṃ prāpya kāmavṛttaṃ niraṅkuśam
na vinaśyet purī laṅkā tvayā saha sarākṣasā

English

Was Janaka’s daughter not born
to bring your life to its end?
Will not some great calamity
arise, with Sita as its cause?
Having found in you a lord
self-willed and without a curb,
will not the city of Lanka perish,
with you and with its rakshasas?

॥ 3.37.8–9 ॥

CrEd 3.35.8–9

Maricha

Sanskrit

न च पित्रा परित्यक्तो नामर्यादः कथं चन ।
न लुब्धो न च दुःशीलो न च क्षत्रियपांसनः ।
न च धर्मगुणैर् हीनैः कौसल्यानन्दवर्धनः ।
न च तीक्ष्णो हि भूतानां सर्वेषां च हिते रतः ॥

na ca pitrā parityakto nāmaryādaḥ kathaṃ cana
na lubdho na ca duḥśīlo na ca kṣatriyapāṃsanaḥ
na ca dharmaguṇair hīnaiḥ kausalyānandavardhanaḥ
na ca tīkṣṇo hi bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ ca hite rataḥ

English

He was not cast off by his father,
nor does he ever break the bounds;
he is not greedy, nor of bad character,
nor a disgrace to the kshatriyas.
Nor is Kausalya’s joy
lacking in dharma or in virtue;
nor is he harsh to living beings:
he delights in the good of all.

॥ 3.37.13 ॥

CrEd 3.35.13

Maricha

Sanskrit

रामो विग्रहवान् धर्मः साधुः सत्यपराक्रमः ।
राजा सर्वस्य लोकस्य देवानाम् इव वासवः ॥

rāmo vigrahavān dharmaḥ sādhuḥ satyaparākramaḥ
rājā sarvasya lokasya devānām iva vāsavaḥ

English

Rama is dharma in bodily form,
good, and true in his valour,
king of the whole world,
as Indra is of the gods.

॥ 3.37.15 ॥

CrEd 3.35.15

Maricha

Sanskrit

शरार्चिषम् अनाधृष्यं चापखड्गेन्धनं रणे ।
रामाग्निं सहसा दीप्तं न प्रवेष्टुं त्वम् अर्हसि ॥

śarārciṣam anādhṛṣyaṃ cāpakhaḍgendhanaṃ raṇe
rāmāgniṃ sahasā dīptaṃ na praveṣṭuṃ tvam arhasi

English

Its flames are arrows, none may assail it,
its fuel is bow and sword in battle:
into the blazing fire of Rama
you must not rashly enter.

॥ 3.40.1 ॥

CrEd 3.38.1

silent moment

Part 2 · பகுதி 2

Death either way

Valmiki 3.38–3.42.14 (CrEd 3.36–3.40.12)

॥ 3.38.14, 18 ॥

CrEd 3.36.11, 15

condensed from 3.38.14, 18

Maricha

Sanskrit

अजातव्यञ्जनः श्रीमान् बालः श्यामः शुभेक्षणः ।
एकवस्त्रधरो धन्वी शिखी कनकमालया ।
अवजानन्न् अहं मोहाद् बालोऽयम् इति राघवम् ।
विश्वामित्रस्य तां वेदिम् अध्यधावं कृतत्वरः ॥

ajātavyañjanaḥ śrīmān bālaḥ śyāmaḥ śubhekṣaṇaḥ
ekavastradharo dhanvī śikhī kanakamālayā
avajānann ahaṃ mohād bālo 'yam iti rāghavam
viśvāmitrasya tāṃ vedim adhyadhāvaṃ kṛtatvaraḥ

English

A boy, his beard not yet grown, handsome,
dark, with lovely eyes,
in a single garment, bearing a bow,
with a side-lock and a chain of gold.
Scorning Raghava in my folly,
thinking, “This is a mere boy,”
I rushed in all haste upon
that altar of Vishvamitra.

॥ 3.38.19–20a ॥

CrEd 3.36.16

3.38.20a: popular text only · not in the CrEd

Maricha

Sanskrit

तेन मुक्तस् ततो बाणः शितः शत्रुनिबर्हणः ।
तेनाहं ताडितः क्षिप्तः समुद्रे शतयोजने ।
नेच्छता तात मां हन्तुं तदा वीरेण रक्षितः ॥

tena muktas tato bāṇaḥ śitaḥ śatrunibarhaṇaḥ
tenāhaṃ tāḍitaḥ kṣiptaḥ samudre śatayojane
necchatā tāta māṃ hantuṃ tadā vīreṇa rakṣitaḥ

English

Then he let fly an arrow,
sharp, destroyer of foes;
struck by it, I was hurled
a hundred yojanas into the sea.
Not wishing to kill me then, my friend,
the hero spared me.

॥ 3.39.15 ॥

CrEd 3.37.15

silent moment

॥ 3.39.15–16 ॥

CrEd 3.37.15–16

Maricha

Sanskrit

वृक्षे वृक्षे हि पश्यामि चीरकृष्णाजिनाम्बरम् ।
गृहीतधनुषं रामं पाशहस्तम् इवान्तकम् ।
अपि रामसहस्राणि भीतः पश्यामि रावण ।
रामभूतम् इदं सर्वम् अरण्यं प्रतिभाति मे ॥

vṛkṣe vṛkṣe hi paśyāmi cīrakṛṣṇājināmbaram
gṛhītadhanuṣaṃ rāmaṃ pāśahastam ivāntakam
api rāmasahasrāṇi bhītaḥ paśyāmi rāvaṇa
rāmabhūtam idaṃ sarvam araṇyaṃ pratibhāti me

English

In tree after tree I see him,
clad in bark and black deerskin,
Rama, with his bow in hand,
like Death with noose in hand.
I see thousands of Ramas,
Ravana, in my fear;
this whole forest seems to me
to have become Rama.

॥ 3.39.18 ॥

CrEd 3.37.18

Maricha

Sanskrit

रकारादीनि नामानि रामत्रस्तस्य रावण ।
रत्नानि च रथाश् चैव त्रासं संजनयन्ति मे ॥

rakārādīni nāmāni rāmatrastasya rāvaṇa
ratnāni ca rathāś caiva trāsaṃ saṃjanayanti me

English

Names beginning with “ra”,
Ravana, to me who dread Rama,
ratnas, jewels, and rathas, chariots,
fill me with terror.

॥ 3.39.19–20 ॥

CrEd 3.37.19

Maricha

Sanskrit

अहं तस्य प्रभावज्ञो न युद्धं तेन ते क्षमम् ।
रणे रामेण युध्यस्व क्षमां वा कुरु राक्षस ।
न ते रामकथा कार्या यदि मां द्रष्टुम् इच्छसि ॥

ahaṃ tasya prabhāvajño na yuddhaṃ tena te kṣamam
raṇe rāmeṇa yudhyasva kṣamāṃ vā kuru rākṣasa
na te rāmakathā kāryā yadi māṃ draṣṭum icchasi

English

I know his power;
war with him is not fit for you.
Fight Rama in battle, rakshasa,
or else forgive him.
Do not speak to me of Rama,
if you wish to see me.

॥ 3.40.3–4 ॥

CrEd 3.38.3–4

Ravana

Sanskrit

यत् किलैतद् अयुक्तार्थं मारीच मयि कथ्यते ।
वाक्यं निष्फलम् अत्यर्थं बीजम् उप्तम् इवोषरे ।
त्वद्वाक्यैर् न तु मां शक्यं भेत्तुं रामस्य संयुगे ।
पापशीलस्य मूर्खस्य मानुषस्य विशेषतः ॥

yat kilaitad ayuktārthaṃ mārīca mayi kathyate
vākyaṃ niṣphalam atyarthaṃ bījam uptam ivoṣare
tvadvākyair na tu māṃ śakyaṃ bhettuṃ rāmasya saṃyuge
pāpaśīlasya mūrkhasya mānuṣasya viśeṣataḥ

English

These words of unfit meaning, Maricha,
that you speak to me
are utterly fruitless,
like seed sown on salt ground.
Your words cannot break me
from battle with Rama,
a man of sinful ways, a fool,
and a mere man at that.

॥ 3.40.6–7 ॥

CrEd 3.38.6–7

Ravana

Sanskrit

अवश्यं तु मया तस्य संयुगे खरघातिनः ।
प्राणैः प्रियतरा सीता हर्तव्या तव संनिधौ ।
एवं मे निश्चिता बुद्धिर् हृदि मारीच वर्तते ।
न व्यावर्तयितुं शक्या सेन्द्रैर् अपि सुरासुरैः ॥

avaśyaṃ tu mayā tasya saṃyuge kharaghātinaḥ
prāṇaiḥ priyatarā sītā hartavyā tava saṃnidhau
evaṃ me niścitā buddhir hṛdi mārīca vartate
na vyāvartayituṃ śakyā sendrair api surāsuraiḥ

English

I must carry off Sita,
dearer than life to him
who killed Khara in battle,
with you beside me.
So my mind is resolved, Maricha;
so it stands in my heart,
not to be turned back even by gods
and asuras, with Indra.

॥ 3.40.20 ॥

popular text only · not in the CrEd

Ravana

Sanskrit

अपक्रान्ते च काकुत्स्थे दूरं च यात्वाप्य् उदाहर ।
हा सीते लक्ष्मणेत्य् एवं रामवाक्यानुरूपकम् ॥

apakrānte ca kākutsthe dūraṃ ca yātvāpy udāhara
hā sīte lakṣmaṇety evaṃ rāmavākyānurūpakam

English

When Kakutstha has gone off,
go far yourself and call out,
“Ha Sita! Ha Lakshmana!”
in the likeness of Rama’s voice.

॥ 3.40.23 ॥

CrEd 3.38.18

Ravana

Sanskrit

एवं कृत्वा त्व् इदं कार्यं यथेष्टं गच्छ राक्षस ।
राज्यस्यार्धं प्रदास्यामि मारीच तव सुव्रत ॥

evaṃ kṛtvā tv idaṃ kāryaṃ yatheṣṭaṃ gaccha rākṣasa
rājyasyārdhaṃ pradāsyāmi mārīca tava suvrata

English

Once you have done this task,
go wherever you please, rakshasa;
I will give you half my kingdom,
Maricha, keeper of vows.

॥ 3.40.27 ॥

CrEd 3.38.21

Ravana

Sanskrit

आसाद्य तं जीवितसंशयस् ते मृत्युर् ध्रुवो ह्य् अद्य मया विरुध्य ॥

āsādya taṃ jīvitasaṃśayas te mṛtyur dhruvo hy adya mayā virudhya

English

If you go to him, your life is in doubt;
set against me today, your death is certain.

॥ 3.41.1 ॥

CrEd 3.39.1

silent moment

॥ 3.41.17 ॥

CrEd 3.39.17

Maricha

Sanskrit

मां निहत्य तु रामोऽसौ नचिरात् त्वां वधिष्यति ।
अनेन कृतकृत्योऽस्मि म्रिये यद् अरिणा हतः ॥

māṃ nihatya tu rāmo 'sau nacirāt tvāṃ vadhiṣyati
anena kṛtakṛtyo 'smi mriye yad ariṇā hataḥ

English

Once he has slain me, that Rama
will before long slay you.
In this I have done my part:
I die slain by an enemy.

॥ 3.41.19 ॥

CrEd 3.39.19

Maricha

Sanskrit

आनयिष्यसि चेत् सीताम् आश्रमात् सहितो मया ।
नैव त्वम् असि नैवाहं नैव लङ्का न राक्षसाः ॥

ānayiṣyasi cet sītām āśramāt sahito mayā
naiva tvam asi naivāhaṃ naiva laṅkā na rākṣasāḥ

English

If you carry Sita off
from the hermitage, with me beside you,
then neither you will be, nor I,
nor Lanka, nor the rakshasas.

॥ 3.42.1 ॥

CrEd 3.40.1

silent moment

॥ 3.42.1–4 ॥

CrEd 3.40.1–3

3.42.3: popular text only · not in the CrEd

Maricha

Sanskrit

एवम् उक्त्वा तु परुषं मारीचो रावणं ततः ।
गच्छावेत्य् अब्रवीद् दीनो भयाद् रात्रिंचरप्रभोः ।
दृष्टश् चाहं पुनस् तेन शरचापासिधारिणा ।
मद्विधोद्यतशस्त्रेण विनष्टं जीवितं च मे ।
किं तु कर्तुं मया शक्यम् एवं त्वयि दुरात्मनि ।
एष गच्छाम्य् अहं तात स्वस्ति तेऽस्तु निशाचर ॥

evam uktvā tu paruṣaṃ mārīco rāvaṇaṃ tataḥ
gacchāvety abravīd dīno bhayād rātriṃcaraprabhoḥ
dṛṣṭaś cāhaṃ punas tena śaracāpāsidhāriṇā
madvidhodyataśastreṇa vinaṣṭaṃ jīvitaṃ ca me
kiṃ tu kartuṃ mayā śakyam evaṃ tvayi durātmani
eṣa gacchāmy ahaṃ tāta svasti te 'stu niśācara

English

Having said these harsh words,
Maricha then, to Ravana,
said wretchedly, “Let us go,”
in fear of the lord of night-rangers.
“If I am seen again by him
who bears arrows, bow and sword,
who raises his weapon against such as me,
my life is lost.
But what can I do
against one as wicked as you?
Here I go, my friend.
May it be well with you, night-ranger.”

॥ 3.42.6 ॥

CrEd 3.40.5

Ravana

Sanskrit

एतच् छौण्डीर्ययुक्तं ते मच्छन्दवशवर्तिनः ।
इदानीम् असि मारीचः पूर्वम् अन्यो निशाचरः ॥

etac chauṇḍīryayuktaṃ te macchandavaśavartinaḥ
idānīm asi mārīcaḥ pūrvam anyo niśācaraḥ

English

These words are full of courage,
now you bend to my will;
now you are Maricha;
before, you were some other night-ranger.

॥ 3.42.9–10 ॥

CrEd 3.40.7

silent moment