Summary
Seetha denounces Ravana's misdeed and challenges him to brave her husband in a manly combat, rather than thieving her in a mousy way. She reasons with him about his propriety in abducting other's wives, in vainglory.
Chapter [Sarga] 53 in Detail
kham utpatantam tam dristvaa maithilii janaka aatmajaa |
duhkhitaa parama udvignaa bhaye mahati vartinii || 3-53-1
Maithili, the daughter of Janaka, on seeing the skyward flight of Ravana taking her along became highly frantic and remaining in highest dismay she is distraught. [3-53-1]
rosa rodana taamraaksii bhiimaaksam raaksasa adhipam |
rudatii karunam siitaa hriyamaanaa idam abraviit || 3-53-2
Seetha whose eyes turned coppery-red with tears and resentment, still outpouring tears while being abducted she piteously poured this scorn on that gory-eyed demon's chief, Ravana. [3-53-2]
na vyapatrapase niica karmanaa anena raavana |
jnaatvaa virahitaam yo maam corayitvaa palaayase || 3-53-3
"You knave Ravana, you are taking flight on thieving me after prowling about my loneliness, such as you are, are you not ashamed in the least for this subterfuge. [3-53-3]
tvayaa eva nuunam dustaatman bhiirunaa hartum icchataa |
mama apavaahito bhartaa mriga ruupena maayayaa || 3-53-4
"You black-hearted fiend [demon], for sure, you alone sidelined my husband in a tricky guise of Golden Deer wishful to abduct me as you are a coward. [3-53-4]
yo hi maam udyatah traatum so api ayam vinipaatitah |
gridhra raajah puraano asau shvashurasya sakhaa mama || 3-53-5
"Which king of eagles battled against you to bail me out, an old friend of my father-in-law, such as he is he is also felled, indeed. [3-53-5]
paramam khalu te viiryam drishyate raaksasaadhama |
vishraavya naamadheyam hi yuddhe na asmi jitaa tvayaa || 3-53-6
"Unable to conquer my husband in a combat, but able to earbash your name to a lonely woman and abducting her, will this tantamount to your apparently audacious audacity? Thus, I am not really triumphed over by a lowly demon like you... [3-53-6]
iidrisham garhitam karma katham kritvaa na lajjase |
striyaah ca haranam niica rahite ca parasya ca || 3-53-7
"A woman, that too a lonely one, that too the other man's wife, that too an abduction, but not winning or wooing her... you knave, on your undertaking such a kind of deplorable deed, how unashamed are you? [3-53-7]
kathayisyanti lokesu purusaah karma kutsitam |
sunrishamsam adharmistham tava shaundiirya maaninah || 3-53-8
"A self-glorifier as you are, this highly inhuman, iniquitous [vicious], imputable deed of yours will be recounted by all men in all worlds. [3-53-8]
dhik te shauryam ca sattvam ca yat tvayaa kathitam tadaa |
kula aakroshakaram loke dhik te caaritram iidrisham || 3-53-9
"Damn with what you have said then about your might and mettle... damn with this kind of your demeanor [behavior toward others] which is lamentable to whole of your clan in this world. [3-53-9]
kim shakyam kartum evam hi yat javena eva dhaavasi |
muhuurtam api tisthasva na jiivan pratiyaasyasi || 3-53-10
"What can be done possibly... why because you are fleeing very speedily in this way... wait for a moment to ascertain whether you can go back in aliveness... [3-53-10]
na hi caksuh patham praapya tayoh paarthiva putrayoh |
sa sainyo api samarthah tvam muhuurtam api jiivitum || 3-53-11
"On your coming into the line of sight of those two princes, even if you are with whole of your military, you will be incapacitated to live on, indeed even for a moment... [3-53-11]
na tvam tayoh shara sparsham sodhum shaktah katha.ncana |
vane prajvalitasya iva sparsham agneh viha.ngamah || 3-53-12
"Anywise it will be incapable of you to endure the touch of their arrows, as with a bird that cannot endure the overly flaring up wildfire in a forest. [3-53-12]
saadhu kritvaa aatmanah pathyam saadhu maam mu.nca raavana |
mat pradharsana rusto hi bhraatraa saha patih mama || 3-53-13
vidhaasyati vinaashaaya tvam maam yadi na mu.ncasi |
"Oh, Ravana, positively contemplate in your soul and politely release me... and if you do not release me, indeed by the rancor of insulting me, my husband along with his brother devises your doom... [3-53-13, 14a]
yena tvam vyavasaayena balaat maam hartum icchasi || 3-53-14
vyavasaayah tu te niica bhavisyati nirarthakah |
"You rogue! By which endeavor you are desirous of thieving me under duress, that endeavor [to work with set purpose] of yours behoves [to be necessary, fit, or proper] absurd [ridiculously unreasonable]. [3-53-14b, 15a]
na hi aham tam apashyantii bhartaaram vibudha upamam || 3-53-15
utsahe shatru vashagaa praanaan dhaarayitum ciram |
"Though I am in aliveness now, but on my going under the control of an enemy and on unseeing godlike husband of mine I am indeed unenthused to bear up my lives for a long. [3-53-15]
na nuunam ca aatmanah shreyah pathyam vaa samaveksase || 3-53-16
mrityu kaale yathaa martyo vipariitaani sevate |
"At the time of their death mortals wish to enjoy noxious [disagreeable] and non-recuperative foods, thus definitely and completely unanticipated in your heart are either nontoxic or beneficial nourishments for your well-being. [3-53-16b, 17a]
mumuursuunaam tu sarvesaam yat pathyam tat na rocate || 3-53-17
pashyaami iva hi kanthe tvaam kaala paasha avapaashitam |
"But which is recuperative that is unpalatable to all of the death-rattlers, and indeed, I behold you as one around whose throat the noose of Time is looped. [3-53-17b, 18a]
yathaa ca asmin bhaya sthaane na bibhesi dashaanana || 3-53-18
vyaktam hiranmayaan hi tvam sa.mpashyasi mahii ruhaan |
"As you are dauntless in this daunting situation as for yourself, oh, Decahedral demon, indeed it is clear that you are clearly fantasizing the ill-omened golden trees all around. [3-53-18b, 19a]
nadiim vaitaraniim ghoraam rudhira ogha vivaahiniim || 3-53-19
khadga patra vanam caiva bhiimam pashyasi raavana |
"Oh, Ravana, you will see the ghastly River Vaitarani which will be tumultuously streaming with blood streams, also thus you will see the grisly sword-leaved-forests in hell. [3-53-19b, 20a]
tapta kaa.ncana puspaam ca vaiduurya pravara cchadaam || 3-53-20
draksyase shaalmaliim tiiksnaam aayasaih kantakaih citaam |
"You will see silk-cotton trees flowered with molten gold, shrouded with lapis gemlike melting leaves, and enshrouded with sharp irony thorns in hell. [3-53-20b, 21a]
na hi tvam iidrisham kritvaa tasya aliikam mahaatmanah || 3-53-21
dhaaritum shaksyasi ciram visam piitvaa iva nirghrinah |
"Oh, unmerciful one, on doing this kind of misdeed to that noble-souled Rama you are incapable to bear up life for a long time like the one who quaffed venom. [3-53-21b, 22a]
baddhah tvam kaala paashena dur.hnivaarena raavana || 3-53-22
kva gato lapsyase sharma bhartuh mama mahaatmanah |
"You are bound by the unpreventable lasso of the Time, oh, Ravana, on going where you will get complacency from that uncompromising husband of mine? [3-53-22b, 23a]
nimesa antara maatrena vinaa bhraataram aahave || 3-53-23
raaksasaa nihataa yena sahasraani caturdasha |
katham sa raaghavo viirah sarva astra kushalo balii || 3-53-24
na tvaam hanyaat sharaih tiiksnaih ista bhaaryaa apahaarinam |
"By whom fourteen thousand demons are killed in war just within a minute, single-handedly without any help from his brother, how then that brave and mighty Raghava, an expert in all kinds of missiles, will not eliminate you, the stealer of his chosen wife, with his mordant arrows?" Thus Seetha poured forth her ire at Ravana. [3-53-23b, 24, 25a]
etat ca anyat ca parusam vaidehii raavana a.nka gaa |
bhaya shoka samaavistaa karunam vilalaapa ha || 3-53-25
On saying this much and other exacting words, Vaidehi who has gone onto the flank of Ravana, indeed lamented lamentably as her dismay is coalesced with her distress. [3-53-25b, c]
tathaa bhrisha aartaam bahu caiva bhaasiniim
vilalaapa puurvam karunam ca bhaaminiim |
jahaara paapah taruniim vivestatiim
nripaatmajaam aagata gaatra vepathum || 3-53-26
She who is highly agonized and weeping before talking, a ranter [scolder] who ranted [scolded] much, a resentful lady who has come of age, and a pitiable whirler [moved in a circle or similar curve especially with force or speed] in the hands of demon whose whirligig has transformed into spasmodic [an involuntary and abnormal muscular contraction] jerking of her body for deliverance from that sinner, and in that way that sinner stole that princess Seetha. [3-53-26]
iti vaalmiiki raamaayane aadi kaavye aranya kaande tri pa.ncaashah sargah
Thus, this is the 53rd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.
Sriman Moola Rama Vijayate