महावीरचरितम् (महाकवि भवभूति - वीररस-प्रधान रामकथा नाटक सम्पूर्ण ७ अङ्क सटीक)

79] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 31ᶜ
father of thy race! Unto thee may the son of Mitra and Varuṇa
[Vasiṣhṭha]—he who has been the guru of thy gurus—speak
gladness! Of Indra and Vishṇu, of Fire-god and Wind-god, and
of the [heavenly] Eagle, may the vigour be thy own! And may
the twang of the bows of Rāma and Lakshmaṇa be [unto thee]
the magic-spell that yields victory! 28
Lava—Prince, thou dost certainly look extremely comely even as thou
art—in thy chariot: enough, enough of this excess of courtesy.
Chandraketu—In that case, let the valiant one also grace another chariot.
Lava—Worthy [charioteer], take the Royal prince again upon his chariot.
Sumantra—Then do thou also assent to dear Chandraketu's wishes.
Lava—Why hesitate when it is a question of one's own equipage? We
however are foresters, unused to going in chariots.
Sumantra—Thou knowest, noble youth, how [to speak] what pride and
politeness demand! If, for once, the noble scion of Ikshvāku, [I mean]
King Rāma, were to see thee as thou art, then would his heart melt for
very love! ¹
Lava—Yes, [worthy Sir]; we have heard that that Royal sage is kind-
hearted. Colouring slightly.
Neither are we—by any means—of a sort to be jealous even of
[holy] sacrifices; for, breathes there the man that would not, for
King [Rāma's] virtues, accord him pre-eminence? Still, that
speech of those guardians of the horse—it stirred me up by that
arrogant defiance which it conveyed unto all Kshatriyas what-
soever. 29
Chandraketu, smiling—Indeed! Is the eminence of even father [Rāma's]
prowess something you cannot put up with?
Lava—Perhaps I can—I may—put up with it, perhaps not; but this
I would ask. We have, to be sure, heard that the noble descendant of
Raghu [Rāma] has subdued his own self. It is said he is not himself
arrogant, nor is there arrogance in his subjects. Why then do his men utter
a speech worthy only of a Rākshasa [demon]?—
For, that, declare the sages, is a speech worthy of a Rākshasa
which flows from arrogance and intoxication: such [a speech]
is the source of all feuds: it is the world's curse (nirṛiti). 30
Thus they censure this kind of speech, the other they praise thus—
It yields desires and dispels misery; it begets fame and blunts
malice (dushkṛita): such a speech [at once] truthful-and-agreeable
¹ Sumantra artfully introduces this reference age be true. Lava's answer sorely dis-
to Rāma to ascertain if what he suspected appoints him.
(cf. v. 20, above) about the boy's parent-