Shloka 1
इन्द्रजितः ब्रह्मास्त्र-यागः तथा वानरसेनाविध्वंसः
Indrajit’s Brahmastra Rite and the Crushing of the Vanara Host
ततोहतान्राक्षसपुङ्गवांस्तान् देवान्तकादित्रिशिरोतिकायान् ।रक्षोगणास्तत्रहतावशिष्टास्तेरावणायत्वरिताश्शशंसुः ।।।।
tato hatān rākṣasa-puṅgavāṃs tān devāntakādi-triśiro-’tikāyān | rakṣo-gaṇās tatra hatāvaśiṣṭās te rāvaṇāya tvaritāḥ śaśaṃsuḥ ||
Daraufhin eilten die überlebenden Scharen der Rākṣasas—die nach dem Gemetzel noch am Leben waren—zu Rāvaṇa und meldeten ihm hastig, dass Devāntaka, Triśiras und Atikāya, die Vornehmsten unter ihnen, gefallen seien.
Then the Rakshasas who survived the killings, hurriedly reported to the Rakshasa king, Ravana about the killing of Devanthaka, Trisira and Atikaya.
FAQs
The verse highlights karmic consequence and moral causality in itihāsa: violent campaigns grounded in adharma culminate in irreversible loss, which must be faced in truth (satya) through reporting and acknowledgment.
After major Rākṣasa champions fall in battle, the surviving troops rush to inform Rāvaṇa, escalating the crisis and prompting further decisions.
Candor under pressure: even amid fear and defeat, the survivors deliver factual news, enabling leadership response (whether wise or reckless).