सो ऽपश्यत्स महाबाहुर्दशग्रीवस्ततस्ततः । प्राणिनः सुकृतं कर्म भुञ्जानांश्चैव दुष्कृतम् ।। ७.२१.
There, the mighty-armed ten-headed one saw beings enjoying the results of good deeds and also those of evil deeds.
अपश्यत्सैनिकांश्चास्य यमस्यानुचरैः सह । यमस्य पुरुषैरुग्रैर्घोररूपैर्भयानकैः ।। ७.२१.
He saw the soldiers of Yama together with his attendants—Yama’s fierce men, terrifying in form and dreadful in appearance.
ददर्श वध्यमानांश्च क्लिश्यमानांश्च देहिनः । क्रोशतश्च महानादं तीव्रनिष्टनतत्परान् ।। ७.२१.
He saw embodied beings being slain and tormented, crying out with loud wails, intensely groaning in agony.
कृमिभिर्भक्ष्यमाणांश्च सारमेयैश्च दारुणैः ।। ७.२१.
He saw them being devoured by worms and by savage dogs.
क्षोत्रायासकरा वाचो वदतश्च भयावहाः । सन्तार्यमाणान्वैतरणीं बहुशः शोणितोदकाम् ।। ७.२१.
He heard voices uttering fearful words, and saw many being forced across the Vaitarani river, whose waters were blood.
वालुकासु च तप्तासु तप्यमानान्मुहूर्मुहुः । असिपत्रवने चैव भिद्यमानानधार्मिकान् ।। ७.२१.
He saw those suffering again and again on burning sands, and the unrighteous being pierced in the forest of sword-leaves.
रौरवे क्षारनद्यां च क्षुरधारासु चैव हि । पानीयं याचमानांश्च तृषितान्क्षुधितानपि ।। ७.२१.
He saw them in the Raurava hell, in the river of brine, and on razor-sharp blades, begging for water, thirsty and hungry.
शवभूतान्कृशान्दीनान्विवर्णान्मुक्तमूर्धजान् । मलपङ्कधरान्दीनान्रूक्षांश्च परिधावतः ।। ७.२१.
He saw corpses—emaciated, miserable, discolored, with loose hair—covered in filth and mud, wretched, and running about in distress.
ददर्श रावणो मार्गे शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः । कांश्चिच्च गृहमुख्येषु गीतवादित्रनिःस्वनैः । प्रमोदमानानद्राक्षीद्रावणः सुकृतैः स्वकैः ।। ७.२१.
Ravana saw, along the way, hundreds and thousands; and some, in the chief houses, rejoicing with songs and music, enjoying themselves through their own good deeds.
गौरसं गोप्रदातारो ह्यन्नं चैवान्नदायिनः । गृहांश्च गृहदातारः स्वकर्मफलमश्नतः ।। ७.२१.
He saw those who gave cows and land, those who gave food, and those who gave houses, enjoying the fruits of their own actions.
सुवर्णमणिमुक्ताभिः प्रमदाभिरलङ्कृतान् ।। ७.२१.
He saw them adorned with gold, jewels, pearls, and surrounded by women.
धार्मिकानपरांस्तत्र दीप्यमानान्स्वतेजसा । ददर्श सुमहाबाहू रावणो राक्षसाधिपः ।। ७.२१.
There, Ravana, the mighty-armed lord of the rakshasas, saw the righteous shining with their own brilliance, surpassing all others.
ततस्तान्भिद्यमानांश्च कर्मभिर्दुष्कृतैः स्वकैः । रावणो मोचयामास विक्रमेण बलाद्बली ।। ७.२१.
Then Ravana, powerful and strong, rescued those being tormented by their own evil deeds, by force and valor.
प्राणिनो मोचितास्तेन दशग्रीवेण रक्षसा । सुखमापुर्मुहूर्तं ते ह्यतर्कितमचिन्तितम् ।। ७.२१.
Those beings, freed by the ten-headed rakshasa, experienced happiness for a moment—unexpected and unimagined.
प्रेतेषु मुच्यमानेषु राक्षसेन महीयसा । प्रेतगोपाः सुसङ्क्रुद्धा राक्षसेन्द्रमभिद्रवन् ।। ७.२१.
As the departed were being released by the great rakshasa, the guardians of the dead, enraged, rushed at the king of the rakshasas.
ततो हलहलाशब्दः सर्वदिग्भ्यः समुत्थितः । धर्मराजस्य योधानां शूराणां सम्प्रधावताम् ।। ७.२१.
Then a tumultuous sound arose from all directions, as the warriors of the lord of justice, the valiant ones, charged forward.
ते प्रासैः परिघैः शूलैर्मुसलैः शक्तितोमरैः । पुष्पकं समवर्षन्त शूराः शतसहस्रशः ।। ७.२१.
Those heroes, by the hundreds and thousands, showered the Pushpaka with spears, clubs, tridents, maces, darts, and javelins.
तस्यासनानि प्रासादान्वेदिकास्तोरणानि च । पुष्पकस्य बभञ्जुस्ते शीघ्रं मधुकरा इव ।। ७.२१.
They quickly shattered the seats, palaces, railings, and gateways of the Pushpaka, like bees breaking apart honeycombs.
देवनिष्ठानभूतं तद्विमानं पुष्पकं मृधे । भज्यमानं तथैवासीदक्षयं ब्रह्मतेजसा ।। ७.२१.
That celestial chariot, Pushpaka, which was established for the gods, was being broken in battle, yet remained undestroyed due to the power of Brahma.
असङ्ख्या सुमहत्यासीत्तस्य सेना महात्मनः । शूराणामग्रयातऽणां सहस्राणि शतानि च ।। ७.२१.
The army of that great-souled one was countless and vast; there were hundreds and thousands of foremost heroes at its head.
ततो वृक्षैश्च शैलैश्च प्रासादानां शतैस्तथा । ततस्ते सचिवास्तस्य यथाकामं यथाबलम् । अयुध्यन्त महावीराः स च राजा दशाननः ।। ७.२१.
Then, with trees and mountains, and with hundreds of palaces as well, his ministers and the mighty king of the ten heads fought as they wished and as they were able.
ते तु शोणितदिग्धाङ्गाः सर्वशस्त्रसमाहताः । अमात्या राक्षसेन्द्रस्य चक्रुरायोधनं महत् ।। ७.२१.
Those ministers of the lord of the rākṣasas, their bodies smeared with blood and struck by all kinds of weapons, engaged in a great battle.
अन्योन्यं ते महाभागा जघ्नुः प्रहरणैर्भृशम् । यमस्य च महाबाहो रावणस्य च मन्त्रिणः ।। ७.२१.
Those illustrious ones struck each other fiercely with weapons—the mighty warriors of Yama and the ministers of Rāvaṇa.
अमात्यांस्तांस्तु सन्त्यज्य यमयोधा महाबलाः । तमेव चाभ्यधावन्त शूलवर्षैर्दशाननम् ।। ७.२१.
Abandoning those ministers, the powerful warriors of Yama rushed at the ten-headed one himself, showering spears upon him.
ततः शोणितदिग्धाङ्गः प्रहारैर्जर्जरीकृतः । फुल्लाशोक इवाभाति पुष्पके राक्षसाधिपः ।। ७.२१.
Then the lord of the rākṣasas, his limbs smeared with blood and battered by blows, shone like a blossoming aśoka tree in the Puṣpaka chariot.
स तु शूलगदापासाञ्छक्तितोमरसायकान् । मुसलानि शिलावृक्षान्मुमोचास्त्रबलाद्बली ।। ७.२१.
He, strong in the power of weapons, hurled spears, maces, nooses, javelins, swords, arrows, clubs, rocks, and trees.
तरूणां च शिलानां च शस्त्राणां चातिदारुणम् । यमसैन्येषु तद्वर्षं पपात धरणीतले ।। ७.२१.
A most dreadful shower of trees, rocks, and weapons fell upon the army of Yama, striking the earth.
तांस्तु सर्वान्विनिर्भिद्य तदस्त्रमपहत्य च । जघ्नुस्ते राक्षसं घोरमेकं शतसहस्रशः ।। ७.२१.
Breaking through all of them and repelling that weapon, the warriors struck down the terrible rākṣasa by the hundreds of thousands.
परिवार्य च तं सर्वे शैलं मोघोत्करा इव । भिन्दिपालैश्च शूलैश्च निरुच्छ्वासमपोथयन् ।। ७.२१.
All of them surrounded him like a mountain beset by futile attacks, and with slings and spears they battered him until he was breathless.
विमुक्तकवचः क्रुद्धः सिक्तः शोणितविस्रवैः । ततः स पुष्पकं त्यक्त्वा पृथिव्यामवतिष्ठत ।। ७.२१.
Stripped of his armor, enraged, and drenched with streams of blood, he then abandoned the Puṣpaka and stood upon the earth.