Shloka 4

रावणवधदर्शनम्

Lament of the Rākṣasa Women upon Seeing Rāvaṇa Slain

Devanagari script

उत्तरेणविनिष्क्रम्यद्वारेणसहराक्षसैः ।प्रविश्यायोधनंघोरंविचिन्वन्त्वोहतंपतिम् ।।6.113.3।।आर्यपुत्रेतिवादिन्योहानाथेति च सर्वशः ।परिपेतुःकबन्धाङ्कांमहींशोणितकर्दमाम् ।।6.113.4।।

Transliteration

uttareṇa viniṣkramya dvāreṇa saha rākṣasaiḥ | praviśyāyodhanaṃ ghoraṃ vicinvantyo hataṃ patim ||

āryaputreti vādinyo hānātheti ca sarvaśaḥ | paripetuḥ kabandhāṅkāṃ mahīṃ śoṇitakardamām ||

Translation

ഉത്തരദ്വാരത്തിലൂടെ രാക്ഷസന്മാരോടൊപ്പം പുറത്തുവന്ന്, അവർ ഭയങ്കര യുദ്ധഭൂമിയിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ചു, വധിക്കപ്പെട്ട ഭർത്താക്കളെ തേടി; “ആര്യപുത്രാ!” “ഹായ നാഥാ!” എന്നു കരഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ട്, തലവെട്ടപ്പെട്ട ധഡങ്ങൾ ചിതറിക്കിടക്കുന്ന, കട്ടിയുള്ള രക്ത-ചെളിയിൽ നിറഞ്ഞ ഭൂമിയിൽ എല്ലാടവും അലഞ്ഞു.

Word by Word

ताःthey (women)

बाष्पपरिपूर्णाक्ष्यःwith eyes full of tears

भर्तृशोकपराजिताःovercome by grief for their husbands

करेण्वःfemale elephants

इवlike

नर्दन्त्यःbellowing

विनेदुःcried out, roared

हतयूथपाःwhose leader was slain

Context

The Rakshasa women along with Rakshasas came out of the north gate and entered the battlefield screaming 'O son', 'O husband' and crying, seeing the trunks soaked in blood and mud on the ground and went about all over.

Characters & Entities

Northern gate (uttara-dvāra)

Rākṣasas

Rākṣasa women

Battlefield (āyodhana)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Dharma reflection arises from suffering: the epic shows how disorder in rulers’ ethics produces widespread lament among families.

What is the narrative situation?

A narrative description of the women of Laṅkā entering the battlefield to search for the dead amid horrific remains.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Textually, the emphasis is on the poet’s compassionate realism; philologically, it also signals the kind of repetition that can occur in recensional transmission.