Srimad Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa | Araṇya Kāṇḍa ~ Sarga 3 of 75

1. atha = then afterwards; viraadhaH vanam puurayan = Viradha, forest, filling; punaH vaakyam uvaacha = in turn, sentence said; pR^icChataH mama bruu tam = while I question, to me, you reply; kau yuvaam = who, you two are; kva gamiSyathaH = whereto, wish to go; hi = really.

Then in his turn that demon Viradha said this sentence filling the forest with his gruesome voice, “I am asking you, really… tell me who you are and whereto you wish to go? ” [3-3-1] .

2. tataH sumahaa tejaa = highly, resplendent one – Rama; pR^icChantam = questioner [who is insisting]; jvalita aananam = one with a blazing face; tam raakshasam = to him, to demon; aatmanaH ikshvaaku ulam = of his, about Ikshvaku, dynasty; uvaacha = said;

Then that highly resplendent Rama said about his Ikshvaku dynasty to the blazing faced demon who is insistent. [3-3-2] .

3. nau us two; vR^itta sampannau = bearing, ennobled behaviour; kshatriyau = as Kshatriya-s; vanagocharau = as forest, trekkers; viddhi = you know; tvaam tu veditum icChaavaH = about you, but, to know, we wish to; dandakaan charasi tvam kaH = in Dandaka, you move about, you, who.

“Know us as Kshatriya-s with ennobled bearing, and we are trekking the forest…but we wish to know about you, who are you that move about in Dandaka forest? [3-3-3] .

4. tam uvaacha viraadhaH tu = to him, said, Viradha; raamam satya paraakramam = to Rama, truly valiant one; hanta = Ah!; vakshyaami te raajan = am telling, to you, king; ni bodha mama = well, know, me be informed of me; raaghava = Raaghava.

Viradha said to that truly valiant Rama, “Ah! I’ll tell you, oh king, be informed of me, oh Raghava… [3-3-4] .

5. aham javasya putra kila = I am, Java’s, son, really; shatahradaa= Shatahrada; maataa mama = is my, mother; pR^ithivyaam sarva raakshasaa = on earth, all, demons; viraadha iti maam aahuH = Viradha, thus, me, call.

“I am the son of Java indeed… my mother is Shatahradaa, and all the demons on earth call me Viradha…'[3-3-5] .

6. tapasaa = by ascesis; brahmaNaH hi prasaada ja = Brahma’s, only, from beneficence, derived of; abhi sampraaptaa = I have obtained [a boon]; loke shashtreNa a vadhyataa ca = in world, by weapon, not, to be killed, and even; a cChedya a bhedya ca eva = not, be cut, not, to be slit, also, thus.

“On my undertaking ascesis I derived a boon from the beneficence of Brahma, by which I will neither be cut, nor slit, nor killed with a weapon in this world…”[3-3-6] .

7. utsrijya enam pramadaam = leave off, this, lady; an apekshau = without, yearning for; yathaa aagatam = as came [hither]; tvaramaaNau = expeditiously; palaayethaam = flee away; na vaam jiivitam aadade = not, of you two, lives, taken off.

“Leave off this lady without any yearning for her, and you expeditiously flee-away as you have come, then your lives will not be snatched away… [3-3-7] .

8. raamaH prati uvaacha idam= Rama, in reply, said, this way; tam = to him; kopa sam rakta lochanaH = in anger, full, bloodshot, eyes; vikR^ita aakaaram = monstrous, bodied one; raakshasam = to the ogre; viraadham paapa chetasam = to Viradha, evil one, in intent.

Rama in reply said this to that ogre Viradha, whose eyes are fully bloodshot in anger, who is monstrous in his body, and evil in intent… [3-3-8] .

9. kshudra dhik tvaam = knave, fie on you; hiina artham mR^ityum anvyeSase dhruvam = for meanly, measures, death, you are in quest of, definitely; raNe sampraapyasi = in war, you will get it; tiSTha = stay; na me jiivan vimokshyase = not, by me, to live, you be let-off.

“You knave, fie upon you… you are in quest of you own death for your meanly measures, and definitely you will get it in this confrontation. Stay! I will not let you to live… [3-3-9] .

10. tataH sa jyam dhanuH kR^itvaa = then, with, string, the bow, made [bow stringed]; raamaH = Rama; su nishitaan sharaan = very, sharp, arrows; su shiighram = very, quickly; abhi sandhaana raakshasam nijaghaana ha = well, aiming, at demon, darted, indeed.

Then, stringing his bow Rama indeed darted very sharp arrows, very quickly and well aiming the demon… [3-3-10] .

11. dhanuSaa jyaa guNa vataa = of bow, string, ideal one, having [perfectly stringed bow]; sapta baaNaan mumocha ha = seven, arrows, let off, really; rukma punkhaan mahaa vegaan = golden, vanes, very, fast ones; suparna anila tulya gaan = Garuda, [the Divine Eagle, and] Air-god, equal, in flight.

Indeed seven arrows are let off with perfectly stringed bow, which have golden vanes, and very fast ones that equal the flights of Garuda, the Divine Eagle and the Air-god. [3-3-11] .

12. paavaka upamaaH = inferno, akin to; te = they the arrows; barhiNa vaasasaH = peacock’s feather, dressed [as their fins]; viraadhasya shariiram bhitvaa = Viradha’s, body, on piercing; shoNita digdhvaa = blood, smeared with; nipetuH dharanyaam = fell, on ground.

But, they the arrows that are akin to infernos and dressed with peacock feathers as their fins, on piercing the body of Viradha they fell onto the ground besmirched with blood. [3-3-12] .

13. viddhaH saH raakshasaH = struck, he, that demon; tadaa = then; nyasya vaidehiim = placed [down,] Vaidehi; shuulam udyamya = spear, hauling up; susamkruddhaH= very angrily; raamam sa lakshmanam = towards Rama, and Lakshmana; abhyadravat = rushed.

When that demon is thus struck, then he placed Vaidehi down from his arms, hauled up his spear, and very angrily rushed towards Rama and Lakshmana. [3-3-13] .

14. tadaa = then; saH vi nadya mahaa naadam = he, blaringly, yelled, ghastly, shriek; shuulam = spear; shkra dhvaja upamam = Indra’s, Flagstaff; similar to; pragR^ihya = on holding fast; ashobhata = shone forth; vyaatta aananaa iva antaka = [to eat] open mouthed one, like, Death.

And holding fast his spear that is similar to the Indra’s Flagstaff he blaringly yelled a ghastly shriek, and thus he shone forth like the wide-mouthed Death, ready-to-gulp. [3-3-14] .

15. atha tau bhraatarau = then, those, two brothers; kaala antaka ayam upame = lifetime, ending one, that one, similar to; tasmin raakshase = on that, demon; diiptam shara varsham vavarshatuH = flaming, arrows, rain, incessantly rained.

Then with an effulgent arrow-rain those two brothers incessantly rained on demon Viradha, who is similar to the terminator of lifetime. [3-3-15] .

16. mahaa raudaH saH raakshasaH = highly horrendous one, he, that demon; prahasya = laughed at it; sthitvaa ajR^imbhata = on staying [a while,] yawned; jR^imbhamaaNasya = while he is yawning; te ashugaaH baanaaH = those, speedy, arrows; kaayaat niSpetuH = from his body, spilled out.

He that highly horrendous demon laughed at that arrow-shower, and standing for a while he yawned, and on his yawning and stretching his limbs in fatigue those arrows that earlier have gone speedily, spilled out from his body that speedily. [3-3-16] .

17. raakshasaH viraadhaH = demon, Viradha vara daanena = by the boon, given; sparshaat tu = by the touch of [by the touch of luck owing to boon]; praaNaan samrodhya = lives, held back; shuulam udyamya = spear, raising up; raaghavau = upon two Raghava-s; abhya dhaavata = quickly, ran.

Demon Viradha held back his lives by the touch of boon, and raising up the spear he ran quickly at Rama and Lakshmana. [3-3-17] .

18. tat shuulam vajra samkaasham = that, spear, Thunderbolt, akin to; gagane jvalana upamam = in the sky, blaze, like; Rama; shastra bhR^itaam varaH = weaponry, wielder, the best dvaabhyaam sharaabhyam cchiCheda = by two, arrows, ripped apart.

The best wielder of weaponry Rama ripped that spear apart, which is akin to the Thunderbolt of Indra, and that which is like a blaze in the sky, with two arrows in the sky itself. [3-3-18] .

19. raama vishikhaiH Chinnam = by Rama’s, blazing shafts, shattered; tat shuulam = that, spear; bhuviH aapatat = on ground, fallen; ashaninaa Chinnam meroH shilaatalam iva papaata = by Thunderbolt, shattered, Mt. Meru, boulder-mass, as with.

Shattered by Rama’s blazing shafts that spear fallen on ground like the boulder mass of Mt. Meru when it is shattered by Indra’s Thunderbolt. [3-3-19] .

20. tau khadgau kshipram udyamya = they, swords, quickly, upraised; kR^iSNa sarpau iva udyatau = black, cobra, like, up swinging; tuurNam aapatataH tasya = rapidly, crashed, on him; tadaa prahaarataam balaat = then, battering, mightily.

They quickly upraised their swords and like a pair of up-swinging black-cobras they rapidly crashed on him, and then battered him mightily. [3-3-20] .

22. tasya abhipraayam aj~naaya = his, thinking, on knowing; raamaH lakshmanam abraviit = Rama, to Lakshmana, spoke; ayam raakshasaH = this, demon; anena patha = by his, way; alam vahatu taavat tu = easily, let him carry, up to there [anywhere.]

Knowing the thinking of the demon for sure, Rama spoke to Lakshmana, “Let him easily carry us anywhere on his way… [3-3-22] .

23. raakshasaH = demon; yathaa icChati tathaa vahatu = as, he wishes, that way, let him carry; nishaa charaH yena yaati = night-walker, by which [way,] he goes; ayam eva hi naH panthaa = that, only, is our, way.

“Let this demon carry us as he wishes, and Saumitri, by which way this night-walker goes, that alone will be our way… [3-3-23]

Rama does not want to travel comfortably on the shoulders of the demon, but wants to examine what the demon wanted to do next, after carrying afar. The prince in Rama will not let the demon go rampant. Besides, the divine fury allows any sinister to tread his own way towards his own grave. .

24. ati bala uddhitaH = muchly, by might, arrogant one; saH nishaa chara tu = he that, night walker, but; sva bala viiryena = by his, might, courage; samutkshipya = on lifting; baalaaH iva = babies, like; skanda gatau chakaara = on shoulders, having gone on, made as.

But he that night-walker arrogant as he is by his might has uplifted Rama and Lakshmana like babies by that might and courage alone, and placed them on his shoulders as one would place babies. [3-3-24] .

25. tataH = then; rajanii charaH = night, walker; Viradha; tau raaaghavau skandham aaropya = them, Raghava-s, on shoulders, having mounted; ghoram vinadan jagaama abhimukam vanam = very luridly, on yelling gone, towards, forest.

That nightwalker Viradha on placing those two Raghava-s on his shoulders gone towards deeper forest yelling very luridly. [3-3-25] .

26. mahaa megha nibham = great, dark cloud-like, in its sheen; mahadbhiH vividhaiH drumaiH upetam = with great massive, variety of, with trees, containing; naanaa vidhaiH pakshi kulaiH [aayutam] = with numerous, bird, flocks [overspread with]; shiva aayutam = with wild jackals, [shiva, not to be confounded with God Shiva,] infested with; vyaala mR^igaiH vikiirNam = with predaceous, animals, sprawling around; vichitram= baffling; vanam pravishtaH = forest, entered.

That demon entered into a baffling forest that is like a very dark cloud in its sheen, where a variety of massive trees are contained in, numerous flocks of vulturine birds are overspreading, and where wild jackals and other predaceous animals are sprawling around, along with Rama and Lakshmana. [3-3-26] .