Shloka 34
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
हाराजन् सुकुमारंतेसुभ्रुसुत्वक्समुन्नसम् ।।।।कान्तिश्रीद्युतिभिस्तुल्यमिन्दुपद्मदिवाकरैः ।किरीटकूटोज्ज्वलितंताम्रास्यंदीप्तकुण्डलम् ।।।।मदव्याकुललोलाक्षंभूत्वायत्पानभूमिषु ।विविधस्रग्धरंचारुवल्गुस्मितकथंशुभम् ।।।।तदेवाद्यतवैवंहिवक्त्रं न भ्राजतेप्रभो ।रामसायकनिर्भिन्नंरक्तंरुधिरविस्रवैः ।।।।वीशीर्णमेदोमस्तिष्कंरूक्षस्यन्दनरेणुभिः ।
hā rājan sukumāraṃ te subhru sutvak samunnasam |
kāntiśrīdyutibhis tulyam indupadmadivākaraiḥ ||
kirīṭakūṭojjvalitaṃ tāmrāsyaṃ dīptakuṇḍalam |
madavyākulalolākṣaṃ bhūtvā yat pānabhūmiṣu ||
vividhasragdharaṃ cāru valgu-smita-kathaṃ śubham |
tad evādya tavaivaṃ hi vaktraṃ na bhrājate prabho ||
rāmasāyakanirbhinnaṃ raktaṃ rudhiravisravaiḥ |
vīśīrṇa-medomastiṣkaṃ rūkṣa-syandana-reṇubhiḥ ||
Hélas, ô roi, mon seigneur ! Ton visage jadis si délicat, aux beaux sourcils, à la peau éclatante et au nez proéminent, rayonnant comme la lune, le lotus et le soleil ; couronné de brillance, aux lèvres cuivrées et aux boucles d'oreilles étincelantes ; aux yeux vacillants par le vin dans les salles de banquet ; charmant, orné de nombreuses guirlandes, auspicieux et plein de sourires et de paroles gracieux — aujourd'hui, ce visage même ne brille plus. Il est percé par les flèches de Rama, souillé par le sang qui coule ; la moelle et la cervelle sont dispersées, et il est terni et sali par la poussière des chars.
"O Hero! Whose stock of merit was less, that you have tumbled down into an ocean of grief. I, having sported with you, clad in picturesque robes and the like, by the aerial car Chaitra ratha on mount Kailasa, Mount Meru and Mandara as well as in divine gardens all over, and various lands with matchless splendour, have been deprived of sensual pleasures because of your falling down. What a pity I am surrounded by ordinary women changed into another woman with fleeting fortunes!"
FAQs
External beauty and royal magnificence are transient; Dharma emphasizes inner virtue and right action over intoxication, indulgence, and pride. The verse speaks satya plainly: the body’s glory ends, and adharma leads to ruin.
Mandodarī stands over Rāvaṇa’s slain body, contrasting his former splendor and courtly pleasures with the brutal reality of his death by Rāma’s arrows.
Truthful lament and moral clarity: Mandodarī does not romanticize the end; she recognizes the impermanence of sensual life and the decisive force of righteous retribution.