Shloka 42
रावणस्य अन्त्येष्टिः
Ravana’s Funeral Rites and the Ethics of Post-War Conduct
स्निग्धेन्द्रनीलनीलंतुप्रांशुशैलोपमंमहत् ।।।।केयूराङ्गदवैडूर्यमुक्ताहारस्रगुज्ज्वलम् ।कान्तंविहारेष्वधिकंदीप्तांसङ्ग्रामभूमिषु ।।।।भात्याभरणभाभिर्यद्विद्युद्भिरिवतोयदः ।तदेवाद्यशरीरंतेतीक्ष्णैर्नैकशरैश्चितम् ।।।।पुनर्दुर्लभसम्पर्शंपरिष्वक्तुं न शक्यते ।श्वाविधःशलकैर्यद्वद्भाणैर्लग्नैर्निरन्तरम् ।।।।स्वर्पितैर्मर्मसुभृशंसञ्छिन्नस्नायुबन्धनम् ।क्षितौनिपतितंराजन् श्यामंवैरुधिरच्छवि ।।।।वज्रप्रहाराभिहतोविकीर्णइवपर्वतः ।
snigdhendra-nīla-nīlaṃ tu prāṃśu-śailopamaṃ mahat |
keyūrāṅgada-vaiḍūrya-muktāhāra-srag-ujjvalam |
kāntaṃ vihāreṣv adhikaṃ dīptaṃ saṅgrāma-bhūmiṣu |
bhāty ābharaṇa-bhābhir yad vidyudbhir iva toyadaḥ |
tad evādya śarīraṃ te tīkṣṇair naika-śaraiś citam |
punar durlabha-samparśaṃ pariṣvaktuṃ na śakyate |
śvāvidhaḥ śalakaiḥ yadvad bhāṇair lagnair nirantaram |
svarpitair marmasu bhṛśaṃ sañchinna-snāyu-bandhanam |
kṣitau nipatitaṃ rājan śyāmaṃ vai rudhira-chavi |
vajra-prahārābhihato vikīrṇa iva parvataḥ ||
Ô roi, ton corps—vaste comme une haute montagne, sombre et luisant tel le saphir indranīla—jadis éclatant de kéyūra et d’aṅgada, de gemmes vaidūrya, de colliers de perles et de guirlandes; charmant dans les jeux et flamboyant sur le champ de bataille, tel un nuage de pluie traversé d’éclairs. Ce même corps, aujourd’hui, est criblé d’innombrables flèches acérées; il est difficile même de le toucher, et nul ne peut plus l’étreindre. Tel un porc-épic hérissé de piquants, il est partout couvert de traits et de flèches enfoncés dans les points vitaux, les nerfs et les jointures violemment tranchés. Tombé à terre, sombre et rougi de sang, il gît brisé comme une montagne frappée par la foudre.
"O king! Your body which is gigantic like a mountain, dark like a sapphire adorned with Keyuras, Angadas, necklaces of cat's eye gems and pearls, which were charming when in the battlefield, and shone brightly on your body with the lustre of your jewels like a rainy cloud with flashes of lightning. It is fixed with numerous arrows cut into pieces by darts and difficult to touch. Since the darts are inserted deep into your vital parts, it is not possible to perform ablution. It is dark, soaked in blood, broken, and crushed like a mountain hit by thunderbolt. Alas, it is not possible to embrace."
FAQs
It teaches satya about the fragility of embodied power: beauty, wealth, and martial glory end in ruin; dharma urges restraint and right conduct before irreversible consequences.
Mandodarī describes Rāvaṇa’s fallen, arrow-pierced body on the battlefield, lamenting that she can no longer embrace him.
Clear-eyed realism amid grief: she confronts the physical truth of death, not hiding behind royal grandeur.