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

iv. 10ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [64
(māṅgalyā), and who are, like the divine Dawn, adorable to the
world. 10
Arundhatī—May, the Light Supreme shine within thee! And may He also
spread His holiness over thee (punātu), the Orb divine (deva) that blazes
from beyond darkness [and dispels it]!
Janaka—Worthy Gṛiṣhṭi, is it all well with this mother of that—that
Shepherd of the people?¹
Chamberlain, aside—Surely, he has reproved us quite bitterly. Aloud.
Royal sage! When, taking offence at this very thing, the Queen [Kausalyā]
has for so long a time declined the very sight of the moon-like face of her
dear [son] Rāma, it is unkind of you to add to the grief of her who is
already so much grieved. And as to our dear Rāma, it was a peculiar
stroke of his misfortune that his subjects should, as is well known (kila),
set agoing all around that foul calumny. And it was because those little
minds disbelieved the Fire-ordeal that he did that cruel deed.
Janaka—What! And who is this Fire that he should essay to purify our
daughter? Alas! Insulted as we already are by Rāmabhadra, here is
a fresh insult, when people begin to talk like that!
Arundhatī, heaving a sigh—Exactly so. To talk of fire—fire! in connexion
with Sītā is highly derogatory. Say merely ‘Sītā’ and all is said. Alas,
my dear girl,—
Thou art unto me a child, a pupil: be that as it may, the eminence
of thy virtue compels my devotion for thee. Let alone the fact
that thou art a child or a woman, thou art nevertheless adorable
to the worlds: for, it is virtue—amongst those that are virtuous—
that has a claim for respect, and not mere sex or age. 11
Kausalyā—Oh, I am bursting with my agonies! Faints.
Janaka—Alas! What is this?
Arundhatī—What else can it be, my Royal sage?
That King [Daśaratha]—that bliss—those dear children—those
[old] days—all this has flashed upon her memory at the sight of
thee, her friend. And so, in her present dreadful plight, don't
you see that this thy dear friend has really fainted? For, the
hearts of matrons are tender like a flower. 12
Janaka—Alas, alas! I have proved altogether too cruel here, in that I see
with rather unkindly eyes her whom I have met after such a long time,
this dear wife of my dear friend [Daśaratha].
A worthy connexion was he, a friend after my heart, my very
heart in fact; he was an embodiment of joy to me, he was the
¹ Said in bitter irony.

65] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 17ᶜ
whole purpose of my existence: my body, my soul, my whatever-
else-dearer-than-these-there-may-be—was there anything that
that great and illustrious King Daśaratha was not to me? 13
And is this, alas, that same Kausalyā?—
Between her and her Lord, in [the confidence of] privacy,
whatever occasion of displeasure there arose, it was to me that
the husband and the wife severally communicated their complaints;
and then, whether it was a case for forbearance or for anger, the
issue rested entirely with me. Away rather with these memories
that assail and consume my heart! 14
Arundhatī—Alas, alas! With this long suspension of breath her heart has
[almost] ceased to beat!
Janaka—Alas, my dear friend! Sprinkles [her] with water from his
_kamaṇḍalu._¹
Chamberlain—Having at first, like a delightful bosom-friend, mani-
fested unalloyed favours, Fate, terrible in the suddenness of its
reverses, is next intensifying [by contrast] the anguish of the
heart. 15
Kausalyā, regaining consciousness—Alas my child, Jānakī, where art thou?
I [still] remember thy face all suffused with the glory imparted to it by
thy [recent] marriage sacraments, [thy face] with that pure smile playing
upon it, and charming like a [full-blown] lotus. With limbs fair as the
light of the shining moon, once more, my darling, do thou grace my lap.
The great King [Daśaratha] would always say: "Of the mightier ancestors
of the race of Raghu she may be a daughter-in-law; to us, however—
such is our friendship for Janaka—she is just 'little daughter' [no more,
but no less]."
Chamberlain—It was, just as the Queen has said:
Although the King [Daśaratha] had five children, it was [Rāma]
the enemy of Subāhu² that was specially dear to him. So
likewise, among his four daughters-in-law, Sītā was as much
adored by him as was his own daughter, Śāntā. 16
Janaka—Oh, my dear friend, thou great King, Daśaratha! So indeed thou
art, in every way a delight to the heart: How canst thou be forgotten?
It is customary (kila) for the parents of the bride to pay court to
the kinsfolk of the son-in-law; but with our connexion [through
the marriage of Rāma and Sītā] all was reversed: it was me that
thou wast assiduous to please! Such as thou hast been, Time
¹ An ascetic's gourd. ² A demon who molested Viśvāmitra's sacri-
fice, and who was killed by Rāma.
9 [H.O.S. 21]

iv. 17ᶜ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [66
has snatched thee away, as also that cause of our connexion [Sītā].
Now in this world of life, in this dreary hell, accursed be the
continuance of me, the sinful! 17
Kausalyā—Dear Jānakī, what can I do? Fastened firm [to my body]
with a hard and adamantine cement, this wretched life will not leave me,
ill-fated that I am!
Arundhatī—Take heart, thou who art sprung from kings! It is at least
necessary to allow your tears rest from time to time. And don't you
further recall what, in Ṛiṣhyaśṛiṅga’s hermitage, your family-preceptor ¹
[Vasiṣhṭha] said?—‘That it was to be so, we had already divined; but it
will all have a prosperous issue.’
Kausalyā—How [can that be] when I have already outlived my wishes?
Arundhatī—Do you then, O daughter of kings, regard that as an untruthful
utterance? You must not, O noble Princess, think it false: it must come
about.
The utterances of those Brahmans to whom has been revealed the
Light [celestial]—let there be no doubt about them. For, upon
their speech awaits the beneficent Lakshmī; ² they never utter
words that do not come true. 18
A [confused] noise ³ behind the curtain: all listen.
Janaka—To-day being a holiday [in honour] of [distinguished] guests, it is
the boys at sport that are raising this noise.
Kausalyā—It is very easy indeed, in childhood, to find joys! Observing.
Aha! Who now is this [boy] in the midst of these [others]—he with his
form (aṅga) supple and handsome and well-proportioned, and endowed with
the grace of [our] dear Rāma: who is he that so delights even our sight?
Arundhatī, Aside, with joyful tears—This then must be the thing that
Bhāgīrathī related to me: the secret that was as a nectar to my ears. We
do not yet know, though, which of the two long-lived ones—Kuśa and
Lava—he may be.
Janaka—Like a blue lotus-leaf dark and mellow [in complexion],
marked with the round tufted locks [of a Kshatriya], and by his
guileless charms adorning, as with an innate-grace, the circle of
his school-mates—the sight of him all of a sudden gives an
ambrosial collyrium to my eyes, as if [he were] that Joy of the
[race of the] Raghus, my darling [Rāma] himself, become once
again a child! Who may he be? 19
¹ It is not usual for a wife to call her husband ² Goddess of wealth and prosperity.
by his name. Cp. p. 63, l. 6, above. ³ As if in confirmation of iv. 18.

67] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 21⁸
Chamberlain—I think the youth must certainly be a Kshatriya student.
Janaka—Assuredly: for, he carries
Upon his back, one on each side (abhitas), a pair of quivers, the
heron-feathered [arrows] of which kiss his crest; his chest, bearing
[yet] the ample marks of the holy ashes, is clad in the hide of
a ruru-deer; a girdle of the mūrvā-grass holds together his
madder-dyed lower garment; in his hand he has a rosary of
rudrākshas and a bow, as well as another staff made of
pippala. 20
Exalted Arundhatī, what do you surmise? Whence is he?
Arundhatī—It is only to-day that we have come.
Janaka—Worthy Gṛishṭi, I have an intense curiosity; do you therefore go
right to the exalted Vālmīki and inquire. Unto this child, likewise, say,
‘Here are some old people desirous of seeing thee.’
Chamberlain—As you command. Exit.
Kausalyā—What do you think? Thus addressed, will he come?
Arundhatī—Can proper conduct be lacking in one whose form is so
graceful?
Kausalyā—Lo! Having respectfully listened to Gṛishṭi’s speech hasn’t he
dismissed the ascetic youths and isn’t the dear lad in fact approaching
hither?
Janaka, observing him long and attentively—Ah, how extraordinary
all this!
This his perfect nobleness [of mien], charming in its modest and
youthful simplicity—[this perfection] which only the connoisseurs
can comprehend but which passes the wits of the vulgar—it forcibly
carries away my mind although [naturally] proof against such
transports (sammoha), as would a tiny piece of magnet a mass
of iron. 21
Lava, entering—Ignorant as I am of their names and order of precedence
and lineage, and so not knowing what propriety demands, how am I going
to salute these people, worthy of a salutation though they undoubtedly
are? Reflecting. This, however, the ancients have declared to be an
unobjectionable mode [of address]. Approaching them with modesty.
This is Lava, bowing his head unto you all in due succession.
Arundhatī and Janaka—Mayest thou live long, O blessed one!
Kausalyā—Long life, my darling!
Arundhatī—Come, dear! Taking Lava in her lap, aside. O bliss! Not
only my lap but my life’s desire also has been filled!
Kausalyā—Come to me also, a while, my darling! Taking him in her lap.

iv. 21⁸—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [68
How strange! Not only in the build of his body, which is dark and
resplendent like a half-opened blue lotus—nor again only in his voice, that
has the prolonged resonance of the sonorous notes of a swan whose throat
is mellowed (kasāa) by feeding on lotus filaments—does he take after our
dear Rāma; even the very touch of his body, smooth like the interior of
a full-grown lotus, has the same quality. Let me look at thy face a while,
my darling! Raises his chin and observes him closely; then with tears
and as-if-trying-to-divine-some-hidden-secret (sākūtam). And don't you
also mark it, Royal sage? Narrowly observed, does he not [also] show
resemblance to the moon-like face of [Sītā] my dear daughter-in-law?
Janaka—I mark it, friend, I mark it.
Kausalyā—Forsooth! My heart, as if in madness, dreams of things
impossible, and wanders far, far astray!
Janaka—In this boy here is plainly visible [the contour] of my daughter
as well as of [Rāma,] that eminent scion of Raghu: it is as if all
perfectly mirrored in him—that very same form, that grandeur,
that voice, that inborn modesty, and even that selfsame divine
lustre. Alas, alas, Fate! Wherefore is it that my mind should
now run waywardly into devious paths? 22
Kausalyā—Darling, Hast thou a mother? Dost thou remember thy
father?
Lava—No.
Kausalyā—Whose [son] art thou then?
Lava—The exalted Vālmīki's.
Kausalyā—Why, my darling! Say that [at least] which may be said.¹
Lava—This is all I know.
[Voice,] behind the curtain—Hey ho, soldiers! This is what Prince
Chandraketu commands: 'Let no one trespass on the ground sacred to
(abhyarṇa) the hermitage!'
Arundhatī and Janaka—Ah! Following—as its guard—the track of the
sacrificial horse, it is dear Chandraketu that we shall see to-day—What
a happy day this!
Kausalyā—'The son of our dear Lakshmaṇa commands'—these words that
I hear are [indeed] sweet like drops of nectar!
Lava—Noble Sir, who is he—this Chandraketu?
Janaka—Knowest thou Rāma and Lakshmaṇa, the sons of Daśaratha?
Lava—The same that are the heroes of the Rāmāyaṇa?
Janaka—The same.
Lava—Why, then of course I know them.
¹ Vālmīki, of course, never married.

69] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 22⁴³
Janaka—Of that Lakshmaṇa this Chandraketu is the son.
Lava—He is then the son of Ūrmilā, and a daughter’s-son of the royal
sage Janaka ?
Arundhatī, smiling—Thou hast indeed evidenced thy thorough acquaintance
with the story !
Janaka—If then thou dost claim to be so conversant with the story, let us
put thee some questions : Tell us, first, how many children do the sons of
Daśaratha have, how are they named, and of what [mothers] are they
born ?
Lava—This portion of the story, to this day, has never been heard either
by us or by any one else.
Janaka—Is it that it has not been composed by the poet ?
Lava—Has been composed, but not published. And a certain section from
the same has been turned into a distinct type of work, full of sentiment, and
adapted to dramatic representation. And that, written in his own hand,
the exalted sage [Vālmīki] has sent over to sage Bharata, the author of the
Aphorisms of Dramaturgy.¹
Janaka—To what end ?
Lava—That holy sage [Bharata], they say, is going to have it enacted by
the heavenly nymphs.
Janaka—All this is, to us, extremely tantalizing !
Lava—Great, however, has been the care that the exalted Vālmīki bestowed
upon it. For, to prevent [possible] mishap, he has sent our brother, bow in
hand, as an escort of those of his pupils by whose hands he sent [the work]
to the hermitage of Bharata.
Kausalyā—So, thou hast also a brother ?
Lava—Yes : the noble Kuśa.
Kausalyā—Implying [by thy manner of mention] an elder brother ?
Lava—Even so : the order of birth has—as is right (kila)—given him the
seniority.
Janaka—You—my long-lived ones—are you then twins ?
Lava—Exactly.
Janaka—Tell me, how does the [published] part of the story end ?
Lava—Harassed by false rumours current among his subjects, the King
[Rāma] banished Queen Sītā, born [though she was] from the [very]
¹ Literally, Author of the science of dancing
and vocal and instrumental music—all
the three being the elements of a drama.
The original Aphorisms have not sur-
vived. The extant ‘Nāṭya-śāstra’ is
probably a later digest, bearing to the
original Aphorisms the same relation
that the ‘Kāmandakīya Nīti-śāstra’ has
to the newly discovered ‘Kauṭilīya
Artha-śāstra’.

iv. 22⁴³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [70
sacrificial ground of the Gods. Her, nearing her travail, Lakshmaṇa
abandoned all alone in the forest and returned [to Ayodhyā].
Kausalyā—Alas, my child! Thou whose face was lovable like the moon!
In that forlorn plight, of what sudden and malignant sports of Fate has
the flower of thy body been the victim?
Janaka—Alas, my daughter!
Assuredly, when that indignity fell upon thee, and the terrors of
the wilderness, and the pains at the hour of childbirth; when on
all sides troops of flesh-eating [Monsters] thronged about thee;
then, stricken with terror, more than once must thy mind have
turned to me as thy [natural] protector! 23
Lava, to Arundhatī—Pray, Madam, who are these?
Arundhatī—This is Kausalyā, and this is Janaka.
Lava looks at them with sorrow, respect, and curiosity.
Janaka—Oh, the impudence of these citizens! Oh, the precipitancy of
King Rāma's actions!
When over this dreaded fall of a thunderbolt in the form of this
dire calamity I sit for ever brooding, is it not time [yet, I ask,]
for my wrath to kindle-and-blaze forth with arrow or with
curse? 24 a, b
Kausalyā, in fear—Help, exalted [Arundhatī], help: Appease this angry
royal sage.
Arundhatī—When high-souled persons are treated with indignity, this
[viz. being victims to their wrath] is the natural expiation [of
that offence]. [Janaka,] my King, Rāma is as a son to thee; and the
subjects, contemptible though they be, have to be protected. 25
Janaka—Peace then! Let neither [arrow nor curse] be used upon
[Rāma] that scion of Raghu; for he is the treasure of a son unto
me: And as to the subjects, they are for the most part a mere
assemblage of Brahmans, of infants and of dotards, of decrepits
and of females! 24 c, d
Enter some excited boys.
Boys—Prince, O Prince! A strange species of animal—a horse, a horse—
as the country-folks call it—why, we have just now seen one with our
own eyes!
Lava—[A horse?] A horse is mentioned in that catalogue of beasts and in
the treatises on warfare. Say, what is he like?
Boys—Listen:
Behind he carries a flowing tail, and this he's waving all the time.
He has a long neck, and hoofs he has—just four. Grass he eats,

71] Act IV, Kausalyā and Janaka — Translation [—iv. 27²
and he drops lumps of dung, big as a mango. But why so much
talk? He's on the move and will soon be far. Come, come, let us
follow. 26
They approach him and pull him by his hands and his garment.
Lava, with mingled feelings of curiosity, constraint, and respect—Behold,
noble ones! Here am I being dragged [off from your presence] by these
boys! Moves about hastily.
Arundhatī and Janaka—Thou mayest satisfy thy curiosity, child!
Kausalyā—Exalted [Arundhatī], I seem as if robbed [of something], now
that he is out of sight. Let us then move from here and see the long-lived
one, where he is going.
Arundhatī—That nimble child, with his very swift pace, has already shot
far ahead: how is it possible to see him now?
Chamberlain, entering—The exalted Vālmīki replies, ‘This matter, in good
time, you will come to know.’
Janaka—It must then be something very mysterious! Exalted Arundhatī,
friend Kausalyā, worthy Gṛishṭi, come, let us go in person and see the
exalted son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki].
Exeunt older people.
Boys—Let the Prince now look upon this wonder.
Lava—Yes, I see it—understand it too. He is evidently a sacrificial
horse.
Boys—How dost thou know?
Lava—Why, fools! Have you not also studied that section? Don't you
know, ‘There are cuirassiers, mace-bearers, and bow-men, numbering a
hundred of each sort, to form the escort’? And this force here appears to
answer the description. If you don't believe me—just ask.
Boys—Ho, Sirs! Tell us: Why [in the world] is this horse turned loose
and [yet] guarded?
Lava, enviously, to himself—A horse-sacrifice is, for the world-conquering
Kshatriyas, the great and glorious touchstone of their pre-eminence, cal-
culated to abash all [opposing] warriors.
[Voice,] behind the curtain—
This horse here—he is as the banner or as the proclamation of the
valour [of Rāma,] of that one supreme hero of the seven worlds,
the foe unto the race of that ten-necked [Rāvaṇa]. 27
Lava, as if in wounded [pride]—Oh, how they inflame my wrath—these
words!
Boys—There is no use talking—the Prince does know.

iv. 27³—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [72
Lava—Sirs! Is it because [you think] there is no Kshatriya in this world
that you are proclaiming in this fashion?
[Voice,] behind the curtain—Fellow! To compare with our great King
[Rāma] there are not any Kshatriyas.
Lava—Fie upon you, villains!
If they [your masters] are [great, as you say,] let them be. What
need, however, of this your scarecrow [of a proclamation]? But,
why waste words thus? Here am I now, seizing by force your
‘banner’ as you call it. 28
Here, Boys! Hem [this horse] in, throw clods at him and compel him
to turn back: Let the poor creature, for once, graze amongst the roebucks!
A Soldier, entering, angry and overbearing—Tush, rash boy! what didst
thou say? Don’t forget (hi) that these files of doughty and ruthless warriors
brook not even a mere child’s insolent words. And the Royal Prince
Chandraketu, who knows how to chastise an enemy, is [away now], being
attracted by a desire to see these mild and unfamiliar forests; but before
he returns, do ye, and quickly, slip away through this shady thicket.
Boys—Have done with this horse, Prince! For, these columns of warriors
with their flashing weapons seem to threaten thee! And our hermitage is
far from here. Come then: let us flee with the bounding speed of deer.
Lava, with a laugh—So the weapons, you say, are really flashing, are they?
Stringing his bow:
Then, [let this my bow] with its string lapping—like a tongue—
the tapering, tooth-like bow-tips—[this bow] the sound of the
twang of which is, like a belching, terrific and grim: [my bow,]
imitating the yawns of the jaws in the cavernous mouth of Death
as when He grins ready to swallow [the world]—let my bow
now open its gaping maw! 29
All walk about, as suits the occasion,¹ and go out.
¹ This would mean that Lava fights the soldier and drives him off the stage, himself in
pursuit.
END OF ACT IV
CALLED
KAUSALYĀ AND JANAKA.

ACT V
[Voice,] behind the curtain—Ho, ho! Soldiers! 'Tis come, 'tis come—
our succour!
For here he is in his chariot, Sumantra in haste urging forward
its fleet and galloping steeds—its flagstaff of kovidāra violently
shaken at each jolting—here is our Chandraketu coming hither
upon the news of our fighting. 1
Then enters in a chariot, with the charioteer Sumantra, Chandraketu,
bow in hand and full of wild joy and excitement.
Chandraketu—Look, worthy Sumantra, look!
His handsome face flushed with just a tinge of glowing anger—
the bow incessantly twanging at the tips—the five locks [on his
head] all floating [to the winds], there, as he takes his stand
in the van of the battle and rains a shower of arrows upon the
battalions,—he is indeed a marvel (kopi), this son of a hero! 2
How strange!
This lad from the hermitage, all alone, and scattering everywhere
upon [my] army thousands of blazing shafts, impelled with a
terrific twang and piercing the joints of the elephants' temples:
He engages my interest as though he were some new, unknown
scion of the race of Raghu. 3
Sumantra—Long-lived one,—
As I look upon this boy who in his prowess excels Gods and
Demons and who is so like [unto Rāma] in form, I am reminded
of that Joy of the Raghus [our Rāma], when, bow in hand, he
subdued the foes that disturbed the holy sacrifice of Kuśika's
son [Viśvāmitra]. 4
Chandraketu—That so many should exert themselves against him singly—
for this I feel ashamed in my heart:
On one side is this solitary stripling; and here are [on the other]
our forces clutching with their martial fingers these dense files
of weapons and brandishing them wildly in the brunt of the
battle—[some seated] in chariots ringing with the jingle of the
tinkling golden bells, and [others mounted] upon rutting tuskers,
10 [H.O.S. 21]

v. 5ᵈ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [74
pouring down, like clouds, actual torrents of ichor—all [arrayed
on the other side and trying to] overwhelm him! 5
Sumantra—Prince, all of these, united, cannot possibly hold against him:
much less, disunited!
Chandraketu—Make haste, worthy [Sumantra], make haste! For, this
fellow here has commenced a great havoc amongst those whom I must
shield—[our soldiery]. For,
As he sets his bow resounding, its twang, amplified by the
stunning din of the war-drums, causes a furious aching in the
ears of herds of elephants roaring even in the [distant] mountain
recesses; and as he sends down rolling [or] hacks to pieces these
countless heads, hideous to behold, the hero makes these grounds
seem as if strewn over with morsels [of food] ejected by the
terrific mouth of satiated Death! 6
Sumantra, to himself—How can I permit dear Chandraketu to engage in
single combat with such [a fighter as this boy]? Reflecting. Or rather
we have grown old in [the service of] Ikshvāku's family: What alternative
is there when [a fair fight] has presented itself?
Chandraketu, with feelings of amazement, shame, and confusion—Oh, fie!
My forces are being scattered on all sides!
Sumantra, speeding the chariot—Long-lived one, here now is this hero,
come within range of thy call.
Chandraketu, as if in forgetfulness—Worthy [Sumantra], what name was
given him by those who came to call [us]?
Sumantra—‘Lava’ they said.
Chandraketu—Ho, Lava of mighty arms! Why busiest thou thyself
with these [mere] soldiers? Here am I: Come hither unto me:
Let light be quenched in light. 7
Sumantra—Lo! Behold, Prince!
He has turned—this heroic youth—summoned by thee from his
[work of] carnage amongst the army; as, at the roar of thunder,
the valiant whelp of a lion [turns] from his [work of] slaughter
amongst troops of elephants. 8
Then enters Lava with hurried and defiant strides.
Lava—Well done, Royal youth, well done! Thou verily art a [true] scion
of Ikshvāku. Here then I am, just come to meet thee.
A great tumult behind the curtain.
Lava, quickly turning back—What! Once routed, do the leaders of the
army return and obstruct my path, wishing again to engage me in combat?
Fie on the wretches!
Unto the mighty flames of my wrath, flaring like those issuing

75] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 12¹
from Vaḍavā's¹ mouth, as when some falling mountain² dashes
upon it and disturbs it—let it serve as a morsel: this stunning
confused din arising on all sides from the army and resembling
a billow of ocean when it is lashed by the winds that portend the
dissolution of the universe! 9
Moves about excitedly.
Chandraketu—Ho, my young warrior,—
This thy extraordinary valour has endeared thee to me: thou art
my friend therefore, and what is mine is even thine. Wherefore
then dost thou deal destruction unto thy own dependants [this
army]? Am not I, rather, the one on whom thou shouldst try thy
mettle (nikasha), I, Chandraketu? 10
Lava, hastily turning, with joy—Oh, how gracious and yet stern is the
language of this hero of great prowess—this Prince of the Solar race!
Let alone these [soldiers] then; I'll rather pay him my [warrior's]
compliments.
Again a tumult behind the curtain.
Lava, with wrath and disgust—Ah! I am vexed-past-endurance (kadar-
thita) by these wretches that come in the way of a meeting between
warriors! Advances towards them.
Chandraketu—Behold, worthy [Sumantra], it is a sight to see :
His attention riveted upon me in pride not unmingled with
curiosity—the full-stretched bow in his hand, and my forces
keeping close upon his rear—he is emulating the grace of some
cloud decked with Indra's rainbow, and dragged by violent winds
in two opposite directions. 11
Sumantra—The Prince at least knows how to look upon him: we, however,
are simply lost in amazement!
Chandraketu—O ye kings [and warriors],—
That you in countless numbers, with him who is here alone—you
upon horses and elephants and chariots, with him who is on
foot—you sheathed in armour, with him whose upper garment
is just the holy deer-skin—you mature in age, with him tender
in years and a lovable person—that you should thus gird up
your loins to battle with such as he—fie, oh fie upon you, and
upon us! 12
Lava, resentfully—How? would he commiserate me? Reflecting. Well
¹ Submarine fire, which accounts for the
non-increase in the volume of the ocean,
in spite of the many rivers falling into it.
² When Indra began to clip with his thunder-
bolt the wings of the mountains, some
of them threw themselves into the ocean
for shelter. The legend is given in
Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā, i. 10¹³.

v. 12¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [76
then: to prevent loss of time I will, with my jṛimbhaka missile, throw
this army meanwhile into a stupor. Remains meditating.
Sumantra—Wherefore then, of a sudden, is all the hubbub in our army
hushed?
Lava—Now we shall have a meeting all to ourselves (sapragalbham).
Sumantra, excitedly—Meseems, dear Prince, this young warrior has em-
ployed the jṛimbhaka missile.
Chandraketu—There is no doubt about it:
Like some terrific blending as of darkness and of lightning, [the
missile] renders ineffectual even a steadfast eye, now obscuring
it and now giving it a free scope. And as if drawn in a picture
is this army standing here without even winking! Verily it
is the jṛimbhaka of unfailing potency that is at work here! 13
Wonderful! wonderful!
Black like the darkness massed in some recesses in the interior
of the Nether regions—blazing in the radiance of their flames
that are yellow like some hot and glowing brass—these jṛimbhaka
missiles fill the skies, as if they were the peaks of the Vindhya
mountains tossed up by those harsh and dreaded whirlwinds that
rise at the end of the kalpa,¹ [peaks] with their caverns flaring
with lightnings issuing from some clashing clouds! 14
Sumantra—But from whom, I ask (punaḥ), has he had these jṛimbhakas?
Chandraketu—From [Vālmīki,] the exalted son of Varuṇa, we ² think.
Sumantra—No, dear Prince, it is not thus in the case of missiles, and
especially the jṛimbhakas; for,
They are the creations of [sage] Kṛiśāśva, and from Kṛiśāśva
they went to [Viśvāmitra] the son of Kuśika; then the tradition
was imparted to our dear Rāma, with whom it rests. 15
Chandraketu—But there may be even others, the ‘Seers of Mantras’ [so
called], who, through the perfection of the light of their sattva, can ‘see’
things for themselves.
Sumantra—Be on thy guard, dear Prince: thy heroic opponent has returned.
The two Princes, the one to the other—Ha! how charming is this Prince to
behold! Observing each other in cordial affection:
Is it [merely] this chance encounter or is it the excellence of his
qualities—is it some ancient and intimate friendship of an earlier
birth—or is it some kinship between us that has remained

¹ Kalpa = 4,318,272,000 human years. At the    that, confident of his own valour,
  end of a kalpa comes a dissolution of    Chandraketu was not at all dismayed
  the universe.                by Lava's prowess.
² The ‘we’ is here to be noted. It shows

77] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 21¹
unknown by the power of Fate, and inexplicable?—[I know not
why, but] as I look upon him my heart becomes all attention.¹ 16
Sumantra—This, as a rule, is the way of all living beings, that some one
should feel a spontaneous love for some one else. This popularly is known
as ‘astral friendship’² or ‘love at sight’. And this love has been declared
to be incomprehensible, one for the motives of which it is vain to seek:
When there is an attachment with no [apparent] cause there is
no counteracting it; for, it is a thread of cordiality that knits
together the inmost vitals. 17
The two Princes, the one to the other¹—
Upon this form lovely like a polished jewel how can I let my
arrows descend?—a form which, as it draws near, my body
bristles all over with horripilations in my longing to embrace
it. 18
But when he has displayed such fiery spirit, what alternative can
there be but a weapon? And to what use can a weapon serve
if such as he is not to be its target? And what will he himself
say if I be averse to fight when the weapon is already taken
in hand? [Oh,] the warriors’ code of honour is indeed relentless
and thwarts the [natural] course of affection. 19
Sumantra, observing Lava attentively, with tears, to himself—Why dost
thou, my heart, thus wander astray?
What was the germ of our hopes, that by Fate has already
been robbed³: upon a creeper cut at its root how can flowers
appear? 20
Chandraketu—I would descend, worthy Sumantra, from my chariot.
Sumantra—Wherefore?
Chandraketu—Because, in the first place, this young hero will thereby
have received the deference [due]; and further, worthy Sir, it will be
in obedience to Kshatriya law. ‘Men in chariots do not engage in fight
men on foot’—such is the ruling of those that know the Shastras.
Sumantra, to himself—Ah! I am [now] really placed in a trying situation:
This course that is but just, how can a man like me object to it?
And how likewise can he permit this deed that is rashness pure
and simple? 21
Chandraketu—When, upon any dubious matter religious or secular, even
my sires seek your advice—you, worthy Sir, who were the dear friend
¹ For the joint speeches see the Notes. ³ In other words, Sītā, on whom rested the
² An affinity due to a certain astrological hopes of the continuance of the elder line
conjunction of the stars of their nativity. of the Raghus, is no more. Cp. p. 62, n. 4.

v. 21¹—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [78
of [Daśaratha] my sires’ sire, what is it then that makes your worship
hesitate?
Sumantra—Yes, my long-lived one, even so: thy sentiments are in strict
accord with the law:
For, this is the rule on the battle-field; this is the eternal law:
and this also is the heroic course of conduct pursued by the Lions
of the [race of] Raghu. 22
Chandraketu—Most apposite are your worship’s words:
History, chronicles, the mandates of law, and also the traditions
of the family of Raghu—these none but your honour knows
[thoroughly]. 23
Sumantra, embracing him in affection and with tears—
Not many, my dear child, [not many] have been the days since
your father, the dear [Lakshmaṇa], vanquished even that van-
quisher of Indra [Indrajit, son of Rāvaṇa]. And thou, the son
of such a father, art also following the path of heroes. Happy
it is indeed that Daśaratha’s family has attained stability! 24
Chandraketu, with sorrow—
When the head of the Raghu-family [Rāma] is yet without
stability [in the form of issue], wherein consists the stability
of our family? It is this grief that weighs upon our three other
sires.¹ 25
Sumantra—Alas! These words of Chandraketu, they pierce the vitals
of my heart!
Lava—Forsooth! diverse feelings struggle in me for precedence:
As in the rise of the full moon the lotus-creeper finds its joy,
even so does my sight [find its joy] in him: nevertheless it is
fighting that this [my arm] desires—my arm which has fixed
its love on this heavy bow, vocal with the string that resounds
with a cruel twang, [my arm] with its wrist (mukha) marked
by an open gaping scar.² 26
Chandraketu, alighting—Worthy [Sumantra, this is] Chandraketu of the
Solar race, saluting you.
Sumantra—May the holy, resplendent, and invulnerable lustre of a
Kakutstha ³ be thine: May the Eternal God [Vishṇu, incarnate
as] the Boar bless thee with happiness! 27
Furthermore,—
May the Divine Sun uphold thee in thy combat—he who is the
¹ Literally, ‘three other fathers’ = his father would, of course, be Rāma.
Lakshmaṇa and his two uncles, Bharata ² Due to contact with the bow-string.
and Śatrughna. The ‘fourth father’ ³ A famous ancestor of Rāma.

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-

v. 31ᶜ—] Bhavabhūti — Uttara-Rāma-Charita [80
(sūnṛita) is, say the wise, the parent of all blessings—a [veritable]
cow!¹ 31
Sumantra—This youth, this pupil of the son of Varuṇa [Vālmīki], is
indeed a pure soul: a glow of sacred learning suffuses all his utterances.
Lava—And then further, Chandraketu, you ask me, if the eminence of
even father [Rāma's] prowess is something I cannot put up with: I ask,
Are the qualities of a Kshatriya absolutely restricted in the matter of
possessors?²
Sumantra—Thou certainly dost not know the Royal descendant of
Ikshvāku [Rāma]. Desist now, desist and do not transgress the bounds:
Thou hast to be sure wrought havoc amongst the soldiery and
proved thy prowess; but thou must not speak so lightly of
[Rāma,] the vanquisher of the son of Jamadagni.³ 32
Lava, with a laugh—Worthy Sir, why all this tall talk about the King
[simply] because he vanquished the son of Jamadagni?
For, it needs no proving that it is the valiance in words that
belongs to the Brahmans; but as to the valiance in arm, that belongs
to the Kshatriyas. The son of Jamadagni was a Brahman who
[happened to] wield a weapon: for his having vanquished him
what praise can the King [Rāma] claim? 33
Chandraketu, slightly provoked—Have done, my worthy [Sumantra], no
more bandying of words!—
This fellow apparently is some extraordinary avatāra of manliness,
because not even [Paraśurāma,] the exalted descendant of Bhṛigu,
is a hero to him! And he seems not to know even the holy
exploits of father [Rāma]—exploits that have conferred upon the
seven worlds [the gift of] eternal immunity from danger! 34
Lava—Who indeed does not know the exploits—the greatness—of the
Lord of the Raghus? If indeed one were only to have his say—but
never mind!
They are old folks; their career must not be scrutinized; let
them be: why discuss them? For, they are the world's great
men, and their glory abates not even if they kill a woman—the
wife of Sunda!⁴ And those three steps—I do not say in
retreat!⁵—which were taken [by Rāma] in that mêlée with [the
¹ And the praise could go no higher.
² That is, may not others, besides Rāma, possess the Kshatriya qualities?
³ For Paraśurāma, the son of Jamadagni, see p. 20, note 6.
⁴ Tāṭakā, see note 4 on page 19 above.
⁵ Literally, 'with his face turned in a particular direction', which I need not specify. As Khara came rushing upon Rāma, the latter took a few steps backwards in order the more freely to use his bow.

81] Act V, Princes in Combat — Translation [—v. 36²
demon] Khara, or that skill¹ exhibited in the murder of [Vālin]
the son of Indra—the people are all conversant with that! 35
Chandraketu—Fellow! In traducing father [Rāma] thou art going beyond
all bounds: Wilt thou then be so defiant?
Lava—Aha! He is frowning upon me, is he?
Sumantra—All ablaze now is their wrath! For,—
The tremor produced by excitement has unloosened the knots
of hair tied upon their forehead; their eyes, partaking slightly of
the nature of a red lotus, redden spontaneously: and, by the
sudden movements of the knitted eyebrows, their faces wear
the beauty of the moon in which the spot is prominent, or of
a lotus with the bees hovering around it. 36
The two Princes—Let us then hence repair to a place suitable for combat.²
All go out.
END OF ACT V
CALLED
PRINCES IN COMBAT.
¹ Rāma struck Vālin, the King of the Monkeys,
while the latter was engaged in fight
with Sugrīva.
² The place, however, was already suitable
for combat in that it is on this very
place that Lava routed the soldiers a
while ago. See, however, note 2 on
page 11 above.
11 [H.O.S. 21]

ACT VI
Then enter in an aerial car a pair of air-sprites
gaudily attired.
Male Sprite—Oh, how marvellous really are the valorous deeds of these two
scions of the Solar race [Lava and Chandraketu] fiercely engaged in a
sudden combat—deeds that inflame [all the more] their [blazing] Kshatriya
lustre, so that even Gods and Demons seem to be quite lost in amazement!
For, look, look here, my love!—
As they bend their bow, the tiny bells [upon it] tinkle like
jingling bracelets, and it produces by its [vibrating] ends and by
the twang of its tough string a terrific clamour; and as they
discharge [a shower of] arrows, the crests on their head throb
ceaselessly: it is a combat waxingly wondrous and striking
the whole world down with terror! 1
And as a portent of victory for both of them, here goes the deep
boom of the celestial war-drum, rumbling like a roaring rain-
cloud. 2
Let us then start continually pouring upon these two heroes a thick
coursing shower of flowers, mingled with a charming succession of the
full-blown golden lotuses—[a shower] surcharged with comely dew-drops
[glistening] upon the bunches of fresh and rubied buds [culled] from the
garden of the Gods.
Female Sprite—Why then, all at once, does the sky appear yellow, as
if with the flashing streaks of some sudden and mightily throbbing
lightning?
Male Sprite—Can it then be that even to-day—
The Blue-red [God Śiva] is going to open the lid of the [third]
eye in his forehead, [that eye] which dazzles like the flaring orb
of the Sun when whirled¹ on Tvashṭṛi's whirling lathe? 3
Reflecting. Ah, I see. It is Prince Chandraketu who has employed this
Fiery missile, from which are shooting these streaks of fire. For, now—
¹ As happened when Tvashṭṛi, the divine too strong for Sañjnā, Tvashṭṛi's daughter,
architect, wanted to trim off a portion wedded to the Sun. For another ex-
of the Sun's brilliancy, which proved planation see Notes.

83] Act VI, Princes Recognized — Translation [—vi. 5¹¹
These countless aerial cars are flying [in all directions], their flags
and chowries all singed and besmirched; while, upon the fringes
of their [silken] pennons, these flames are producing, for a
moment, the appearance of a tint of saffron! 4
Wonderful! It is already gaining ground everywhere—this puissant
(bhagavān) fire from which are issuing sparks that fly crackling with the
noise of the splinters of some wrathful thunderbolt—[fire] which is terrific
in the [seething] mass of its tall and towering flames coursing rapidly!
And fierce is its heat on every side. I shall, therefore, screen my dear
[wife] with my body and withdraw to a [safe] distance. Does so.
Female Sprite—Oh, joy that this touch of my dear Lord's body, cool like
some stainless pearl, and smooth and soft and tender,—as I in ecstasy had
gently closed my rolling eyes—[this touch] has quite banished all my
anguish!
Male Sprite—Why, what have I done here? Or rather—
Though doing nothing, by the very joy [of being together] we
chase away all sorrow: Indeed it is a treasure indescribable when
some one has some one to love.¹ 5
Female Sprite—How now? Why is the expanse of the sky being strewn
over ² with these clouds, decked with the fitful and incessant flashings of
the sportive streaks of lightning, and sable like the throat of a youthful
peacock?
Male Sprite—Why, this must certainly be the prowess of the Vāruṇa-
missiles employed by Prince Lava. Lo! The showers of water descending
one after another in thousands of streams have quite quenched the Fiery
missile!
Female Sprite—I am glad, I am glad.
Male Sprite—But lo! Everything in excess is a fault; for now are all
beings whatsoever thrown into [a fit of] trembling, quite overwhelmed
by this impenetrable darkness which is rendered intense by the deep
rumbling clouds as they are tossed up by the series of winds ³ that portend
Dissolution—[beings] who seem as if weltering in the caverned jaws
(kaṇṭha) of the dreaded [God of] Death, [jaws] wide gaping to swallow the
universe in one morsel—or [they seem] as if lost in the belly of the Cosmic
Spirit (Nārāyaṇa) when, at the end of the Yugas, all gates of egress being
closed, He falls into His yogic sleep! Bravo, Prince Chandraketu, bravo!
Most appositely hast thou sent forth the Wind-missile. For now—
¹ This verse = ii. 19, where it is spoken by were above the clouds.
Rāma. In the mouth of an inferior ³ There are forty-nine of these winds that
character it loses its dignity. come into activity at a Dissolution of the
² 'Strewn over' and not 'overcast', for they universe.