Rama and Khara Exchange Insults
Summary
Khara provokes Rama to fight, but Rama gives enough advice to Khara to yield up. Khara presumes that Rama is overtired to fight him back and thus enters into verbal fight. Ultimately Khara hurls a mammoth mace at Rama, which burns down all the neighboring plants and bushes, and Rama splinters it down while it is still sky rocketing.
Chapter [Sarga] 29 in Detail
kharam tu viratham raamo gadaa paanim avasthitam |
mridu puurvam mahaatejaah parusam vaakyam abraviit || 3-29-1
Rama, the great-resplendent, spoke these words forbiddingly albeit softly to Khara who lost his chariot but staying his course wielding a mace. [3-29-1]
gaja ashva ratha sa.mbaadhe bale mahati tisthataa |
kritam sudaarunam karma sarva loka jugup.hsitam || 3-29-2
"Although you hold sway over a gigantic force abounding with elephants horses and chariots, you have perpetrated heinous [hatefully or shockingly evil] deeds in Dandaka forests that are loathsome [disgusting] to all the worlds, that is unseemliness to this soldiery. [3-29-2]
udvejaniiyo bhuutaanaam nrisha.msah paapa karmakrit |
trayaanaam api lokaanaam iishvaro api na tisthati || 3-29-3
"One who causes suffering to living beings, besides being a transgressor and completely ruthless, he does not stand up for himself even if he were to be the lord of all the three worlds. [3-29-3]
karma loka viruddham tu kurvaanam ksanadaa cara |
tiiksnam sarva jano hanti sarpam dustam iva aagatam || 3-29-4
"All people will eliminate him, oh, nightwalker, who is imperious and an infringer of worldly routine, as they would eradicate a vicious serpent, in the event of its running across them. [3-29-4]
lobhaat paapaani kurvaanah kaamaat vaa yo na budhyate |
hristah pashyati tasya antam braahmanii karakaat iva || 3-29-5
"He who goes on performing evils selfishly, obsessively, heedlessly, more so delightedly, he will see the results of his own doings, like red-tailed-lizard on its eating self-destructive hailstones, obsessively and delightedly. [3-29-5]
vasato dandakaaranye taapasaan dharma caarinah |
kim nu hatvaa mahaabhaagaan phalam praapsyasi raaksasa || 3-29-6
"The residents of Dandaka forest are the highly-propitious sages that tread the path of virtue, and oh, demon, what benefit you gain in killing them, really? [3-29-6]
na ciram paapa karmaanah kruuraa loka jugupsitaah |
aishvaryam praapya tisthanti shiirna muulaa iva drumaah || 3-29-7
"Even if a fortune is made for a lavish living with an iota of merit, the evildoers, that too reprobates, further more those that are abominated by world will not last long, no more that petrified tree trunks. [3-29-7]
avashyam labhate kartaa phalam paapasya karmanah |
ghoram paryaagate kaale drumah puspam iva aartavam || 3-29-8
"One who undertakes evildoings will definitely and seasonably reap their fruits, which in his case will be ghoulish, as with the flowering of trees according to season. [3-29-8]
na ciraat praapyate loke paapaanaam karmanaam phalam |
sa visaanaam iva annaanaam bhuktaanaam ksanadaacara || 3-29-9
"In the world one acquires the fruit of profane acts not before long, oh, nightwalker, and it will be like venomous food devoured. [3-29-9]
paapam aacarataam ghoram lokasya apriyam icchataam |
aham aasaadito raajnaa praanaan hantum nishaacara || 3-29-10
"I am the one who arrived at the behest of the king Dasharatha, or Bharata to exterminate the lives of those that perpetrate hideous sins, and even of those that wish to do evils to the disapprobation of world. [3-29-10]
adya bhitvaa mayaa muktaah sharaah kaa.ncana bhuusanaah |
vidaarya atipatisyanti valmiikam iva pannagaah || 3-29-11
"Now, my arrows that are decorated in gold will be released on you like snakes rebounding from a snake-pit, and they will tear you asunder, and on riving you they will bounce back into my quivers. [3-29-11]
ye tvayaa dandakaaranye bhaksitaa dharma caarinah |
taan adya nihatah sa.nkhye sa sainyo anugamisyasi || 3-29-12
"Now eliminated in war, you along with your army will tread behind those sages that were treading the path of virtue, on whom you have so far feasted in Dandaka forest. [3-29-12]
adya tvaam nihatam baanaih pashyantu paramarsayah |
nirayastham vimaanasthaa ye tvayaa nihataa puraa || 3-29-13
"Let the supreme sages who were earlier slain by you may now see abiding on their aircrafts, your abidance in hellish death pangs when assaulted with my arrows. [3-29-13]
praharasva yathaa kaamam kuru yatnam kulaadhama |
adya te paatayisyaami shirah taala phalam yathaa || 3-29-14
"Attack me as you wish... make an effort... you the knave of your clan... now I am going to toss your head down like a palm-fruit..." Thus Rama addressed Khara. [3-29-14]
evam uktah tu raamena kruddhah sa.mrakta locanah |
prati uvaaca tato raamam prahasan krodha muurchitah || 3-29-15
But when Rama said thus, Khara is infuriated and convulsed in anger, and he replied Rama with bloodshot eyes, laughing boisterously. [3-29-15]
praakritaan raaksasaan hatvaa yuddhe dasharatha aatmaja |
aatmanaa katham aatmaanam aprashasyam prashamsasi || 3-29-16
"On killing average demons in war, oh, son of Dasharatha, how you praise yourself when you yourself are un-praiseworthy?" Thus Khara started to speak to Rama. [3-29-16]
vikraantaa balavanto vaa ye bhavanti nararsabhaah |
kathayanti na te ki.mcit tejasaa svena garvitaah || 3-29-17
"Those best of men that are victorious and mighty will not boast anything, for they will be really proud of their own valor. [3-29-17]
praakritaah tu akrita aatmaano loke ksatriya paa.msanaah |
nirarthakam vikatthante yathaa raama vikatthase || 3-29-18
"Oh, Rama, as to how undignified Kshatriya-s that are frivolous and irresolute in self-confidence will boast in the world, likewise you too are boasting in a meaningless manner. [3-29-18]
kulam vyapadishan viirah samare ko abhidhaasyati |
mrityu kaale hi sa.mpraapte svayam aprastave stavam || 3-29-19
"Who will be that valiant that speaks about his lineage at wartime that too, when the death-time is looming large! And, there will there be someone who broaches his self-extols in such an inopportune situation, is it! [3-29-19]
sarvathaa tu laghutvam te katthanena vidarshitam |
suvarna pratiruupena taptena iva kusha agninaa || 3-29-20
"Howsoever your ignominy is well shown by your self-praise, like the manifestation of gold on the tip of grass-blade burnt by fire, where the fire on grass-blade is no fire, and the bulb of fire appearing at the tip of grass-blade as a bulb of gold, is no gold. [3-29-20]
na tu maam iha tistha.ntam pashyasi tvam gadaa dharam |
dharaadharam iva aka.mpyam parvatam dhaatubhih citam || 3-29-21
"But you are seeing me wielding a mace and standing before you like an unshakable and jagged mountain laden with ores, isn't it! [3-29-21]
paryaapto aham gadaa paanir hantum praanaan rane tava |
trayaanaam api lokaanaam paasha hasta iva a.ntakah || 3-29-22
"As to how the Terminator wielding noose is enough to take away all the lives in all the three worlds, handling my mace I am enough for detracting your life from you. [3-29-22]
kaamam bahu api vaktavyam tvayi vaksyaami na tu aham |
astam praapnoti savitaa yuddha vighnah tato bhavet || 3-29-23
"Even though much is to be said in your respect I will not continue to say, for the sun is getting at the dusk thereby disruption to war occurs. [3-29-23]
caturdasha sahasraani raaksasaanaam hataani te |
tvat vinaashaat karomi adya tesaam ashru pramaarjanam || 3-29-24
"You have killed fourteen thousand demons and on killing you I will wipe the tears of the wives of those dead demons today itself." Khara said so to Rama. [3-29-24]
iti uktvaa parama kruddhah taam gadaam parama angadaam |
kharah ciksepa raamaaya pradiiptaam ashanim yathaa || 3-29-25
Saying thus that highly infuriated Khara hurled his mace towards Rama, around which there are superb golden cinctures, and which is extremely glaring like a thunderbolt. [3-29-25]
khara baahu pramuktaa saa pradiiptaa mahatii gadaa |
bhasma vriksaam ca gulmaam ca kritvaa agaat tat samiipatah || 3-29-26
Forcefully discharged from Khara's hands that highly fiery and stupendous mace rendering trees and shrubs down to ashes darted towards Rama. [3-29-26]
taam aapatantiim mahatiim mrityu paasha upamaam gadaam |
a.ntariksa gataam raamah ciccheda bahudhaa sharaih || 3-29-27
When that monstrous mace similar to the halter of the Terminator is swooping down, Rama smashed it to smithereens with his arrows while it is still sky rocketing. [3-29-27]
saa vishiirnaa sharaih bhinnaa papaata dharanii tale |
gadaa ma.ntra ausadhi balair vyaalii iva vinipaatitaa || 3-29-28
That mace splintered with arrows of Rama fell crumbling onto the surface of earth as a springing female snake would fall down by the strength of spells and nostrums. [3-29-28]
iti vaalmiiki raamaayane aadi kaavye aranya kaande ekona tri.msha sargah
Thus, this is the 29th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
Sriman Moola Rama Vijayate