कथं हि पत्नीमस्माकं धर्मज्ञां धर्मचारिणीम्। संस्पृशेदीदृशो भावः शुचिं स्तैन्यमिवानृतम्
How could such a fate touch our wife, who knows and follows righteousness, as if purity were stained by theft or falsehood?
न हि पापं कृतंकिंचित्कर्म वा निन्दितं क्वचित्। द्रौपद्या ब्राह्मणेष्वेव धर्मः सुचरितो महान्
Draupadi has never committed any sin or blameworthy act; among Brahmins, her great virtue is well established.
तां जहार बलाद्राजा मूढबुद्धिर्जयद्रथः। तस्याः संहरणात्पापः शिरसः केशवापनम्
Yet the foolish king Jayadratha seized her by force; for that crime, his hair was shorn from his head.
पराजयं च संग्रामे ससहाः समाप्तवान्। प्रत्याहृता तथाऽस्माभिर्हत्वा तत्सैन्धवं बलम्
He suffered defeat in battle and endured it; we brought her back after destroying the Sindhu army.
तद्दारहरणं प्राप्तमस्माभिरवितर्कितम्। दुःखश्चायं वने वासो मृगयायां च जीविका
This abduction of our wife befell us unexpectedly, and we endure this hardship of forest life and living by hunting.
हिंसा च मृगजातीनां वनौकोभिर्वनौकसाम्। ज्ञातिभिर्विप्रवासश्च मिथ्याव्यवसितैरियम्
There is violence against forest creatures by the forest-dwellers, and exile from our kin, all due to mistaken resolve.
अस्ति नूनं मया कश्चिदल्पभाग्यतरो नरः। भवता दृष्टपूर्वो वा श्रुतपूर्वोऽपि वा क्वचित्
Surely there is no man more unfortunate than I, or have you ever seen or heard of anyone so?
प्राप्तमप्रतिमं दुःखं रामेण भरतर्षभ। रक्षसा जानकी तस्य हृता भार्या बलीयसा
O bull among the Bharatas, Rama too suffered incomparable sorrow when his wife Janaki was seized by a powerful Rakshasa.
आश्रमाद्राक्षसेन्द्रेण रावणेन दुरात्मना। मायामास्थाय तरसा हत्वा गृध्रं जटायुषम्
From the hermitage, the king of the Rākṣasas, Rāvaṇa, wicked in mind, employing illusion and force, slew the vulture Jaṭāyu.
प्रत्याजहार तां रामः सुग्रीवबलमाश्रितः। बद्ध्वा सेतुं समुद्रस्य दग्ध्वा लङ्कां शितैः शरैः
Rāma, relying on Sugrīva's army, brought her back, having built a bridge over the ocean and burned Laṅkā with sharp arrows.
कस्मिन्नामः कुले जातः किंवीर्यः किंपराक्रमः। रावणः कस्य पुत्रो वा किं वैरं तस् तेन ह
In what family was Rāvaṇa born, what is his valor, what is his prowess, whose son is he, and what enmity did he have?
एतन्मे भगवन्सर्वं सम्यगाख्यातुमर्हसि। `त्वया प्रत्यक्षोदृष्टं यथासर्वमशेषतः।' श्रोतुमिच्छामि चरितं रामस्याक्लिष्टकर्मणः
O venerable one, you ought to tell me all this properly, as you have seen everything directly and completely; I wish to hear the deeds of Rāma, whose actions are untainted.
अजोनामाभवद्राजा महानिक्ष्वाकुवंशजः। तस् पुत्रो दशरथःशश्वत्स्वाध्यायवाञ्छुचिः
There was a king named Aja, born in the great Ikṣvāku lineage; his son was Daśaratha, always devoted to study and pure in conduct.
अभवंस्तस्य चत्वारः पुत्रा धर्मार्थकोविदाः। रामलक्ष्मणशत्रुघ्ना भरतश्च महाबलः
He had four sons, skilled in righteousness and wealth: Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Śatrughna, and the mighty Bharata.
रामस्य माता कौसल्या कैकेयी भरतस्य तु। सुतौ लक्ष्मणशत्रुघ्नौ सुमित्रायाः परंतपौ
Kausalyā was Rāma's mother, Kaikeyī was Bharata's, and the two sons Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna, subduers of foes, were born of Sumitrā.
विदेहराजो जनकः सीता तस्यात्मजा विमो। यां चकार स्वयं त्वष्टा रामस्य महिषीं प्रियाम्
Janaka, king of Videha, had a daughter named Sītā, whom the divine Tvaṣṭṛ himself made the beloved queen of Rāma.
एतद्रामस्य ते जन्म सीतायाश्च प्रकीर्तितम्। रावणस्यापि ते जन्म व्याख्यास्यामि रजनेश्वर
Thus the birth of Rāma and Sītā has been recounted to you; now, O lord of the night, I shall explain to you the birth of Rāvaṇa.
पितामहो रावणस्य साक्षाद्देवः प्रजापतिः। स्वयंभूः सर्वलोकानां प्रभुः स्रष्टा महातपाः
Rāvaṇa's grandfather was directly the god Prajāpati, the self-born, lord, and creator of all worlds, possessed of great austerity.
पुलस्त्यो नाम तस्यासीन्मानसो दयितः सुतः। तस्य वैश्रवणो नाम गवि पुत्रोऽभवत्प्रभुः
He had a beloved mind-born son named Pulastya; to him was born a son named Vaiśravaṇa, a lord, through a cow.
पितरं स समुत्सृज्य पितामहमुपस्थितः। तस्य कोपात्पिता राजन्ससर्जात्मानमात्मना
Abandoning his father, he approached his grandfather; then, out of anger, the father, the king, created another self from himself.
स जज्ञे विश्रवा नाम तस्यात्मार्धेन वै द्विजः। प्रतीकाराय सक्रोधस्ततो वैश्रवणस्य वै
From half of his own being, the sage Viśravā was born, filled with wrath, for the sake of retaliation against Vaiśravaṇa.
पितामहस्तुप्रीतात्मा ददौ वैश्रवणस् ह। अमरत्वं धनेशत्वं लोकपालत्वमेव च
The grandfather, pleased in heart, granted Vaiśravaṇa immortality, lordship over wealth, and the office of guardian of the world.
ईशानन तथा सख्यं पुत्रं च नलकूवरम्। राजधानीनिवेसं च लङ्कांरक्षोगणान्विताम्
He also gave him friendship with Śiva, a son named Nalakūvara, and the capital city Laṅkā, filled with hosts of Rākṣasas.
विमानं पुष्पकं नाम कामगं च ददौ प्रभुः। यक्षाणामाधिपत्यंच राजराजत्वमेव च
The lord gave him the flying chariot called Puṣpaka, which could go anywhere at will, lordship over the Yakṣas, and the status of king of kings.
पुलस्त्यस् तु यः क्रोधादर्धदेहोऽभवन्मुनिः। विश्रवानाम सक्रोधं पितरं राक्षसेश्वरः
Pulastya, who out of anger became half-bodied, was the sage; Viśravā, filled with wrath, was the father of the lord of the Rākṣasas.
बुबुधे तं तु सक्रोधं पितरं राक्षसेश्वरः। कुबेरस्तत्प्रसादार्थं यतते स्म सदा नृप
Kubera, the lord of wealth, understood that his father, Viśravā, was angry, and always strove, O king, to win his favor.
स राजराजो लङ्कायां न्यवसन्नरवाहनः। राक्षसीः प्रददौ तिस्रः पितुर्वै परिचारिकाः
That king of kings, Ravana, who resided in Lanka, gave three Rakshasi attendants—his father's servants—to him.
ताः सदा तं महात्मानं संतोषयितुमुद्यताः। ऋषिं भरतशार्दूल नृत्यगीतविशारदाः
Those women, always intent on pleasing that great-souled sage, O tiger among the Bharatas, were skilled in dance and song.
पुष्पोत्कटा च राका च मालिनी च विशांपते। अन्योन्यस्पर्धयाराजञ्श्रेयस्कामाः सुमध्यमाः
Pushpotkata, Raka, and Malini, O lord of the people, each with lovely waists, competed with one another, each desiring superiority.
स तासां भगवांस्तुष्टो महात्मा प्रददौ वरान्। लोकपालोपमान्पुत्रानकैकस्या यथेप्सितान्
Pleased with them, the blessed, great-souled sage granted them boons—sons equal to the guardians of the worlds, as each desired.