Shloka 113
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
रावणंप्रयतेदेशेस्थाप्यतेभृशदुःखिताः ।।6.114.112।।चितांचन्दनकाष्ठैश्चपद्मकोशीसंवृताम् ।ब्राह्म्यासम्वर्तयामासूराङ्कवास्तरणावृताम् ।।6.114.113।।वर्ततेवेदविहितोराज्ञोवैपश्चिमःक्रतुः ।
rāvaṇaṃ prayate deśe sthāpya te bhṛśaduḥkhitāḥ | citāṃ candanakāṣṭhaiś ca padmakauśīsaṃvṛtām || brāhmyā saṃvartayāmāsūr āṅkavāstaraṇāvṛtām | vartate vedavihito rājño vai paścimaḥ kratuḥ ||
An dem geweihten Ort betteten sie Rāvaṇa nieder; obgleich von tiefem Schmerz überwältigt, errichteten sie den Scheiterhaufen aus Sandelholz und Padmaka, bedeckten ihn mit rituellen Gräsern und Tüchern und vollendeten so das vom Veda vorgeschriebene letzte Königsritual.
As they advanced forth with Ravana's body, they placed it in a consecrated place. All were highly afflicted with grief. Logs of sandal wood, blocks of Padmaka wood and finally fragrant root of Usira plant, and Brahmya grass were placed on the body. It was covered with the skin of antelope. The last rites of the king were carried out with vedic rites.
FAQs
Right action is not suspended by sorrow; dharma is fulfilled through disciplined completion of obligatory rites.
The same last-rites description appears again in the transmission: the pyre is prepared and the Vedic final rite is performed.
Steadfastness in tradition (ācāra-niṣṭhā) and respect for the dead.