Passage 1
ब्रह्मोवाच— सा लूनवक्रावयवा नितान्तं विलज्जमाना मरणाधिकार्तिः। कृच्छ्रे प्रदोषावसरे विवेश शोचत्यदः शूर्पणखा पुरीं स्वाम्॥१॥
Brahmā said: With the features of her face severed, utterly ashamed and suffering more bitterly than death, Śūrpaṇakhā entered her own city with difficulty at dusk, grieving over what had happened.
Passage 2
अहो हि धिङ्मामथ जीवमानामीदृग्विवर्तावपि धिङ्ममायुः। सहोदरो मे प्रथितः स तादृगहं पुनः प्राप्तपराभवेदृशी॥२॥
“Alas, shame upon me for remaining alive after such a calamity; shame upon my life! My brother is renowned and powerful, yet I have suffered humiliation like this.
Passage 3
धिङ् मे स्मराग्निविगतत्रपायास्तस्मिंश्च किं जीवमहं जुहाव। न जीवनं सम्प्रति मे प्रशस्तं जीवामि हात्यन्तविगर्हणीया॥३॥
“Shame on me: stripped of modesty by the fire of desire, I offered myself to that man. Life is no longer fitting for me; alas, I live though deserving the severest reproach.
Passage 4
हा हन्त सिद्धो भगवान् मुनीन्द्रस्तस्यान्वये जन्मवती किलाहम्। किमेतदङ्गक्षतिलाञ्छनार्थमजीविषं भग्नयशाः पृथिव्याम्॥४॥
“Alas! The accomplished and venerable lord of sages stands in my lineage, yet I was born in it only to bear this mark of bodily mutilation. Why should I continue living on earth with my honor destroyed?
Passage 5
तौ मानुषौ कामसमानरूपौ सरोजगर्भाधिकसौकुमार्यौ। निरीक्ष्य जाताहमनङ्गतप्ता नाज्ञासिषं दास्यत ईदृशीं दशाम्॥५॥
“Seeing those two humans, beautiful as Kāma and more delicate than the lotus-born Brahmā, I became tormented by desire and did not know that they would bring me to this condition.
Passage 6
कथं न्वहं दर्शयितास्मि वक्त्रं तस्य त्रयाणां जगतामधीशितुः। कुत्राप्यदृष्टात्मपराभवस्य भ्रातुर्जयाढ्यस्य दशाननस्य॥६॥
“How shall I show my face to my victorious brother, ten-headed lord of the three worlds, who has never seen his own defeat anywhere?
Passage 7
किं मां वदिष्यन्ति च बन्धुमित्रसुहृज्जनास्ते दुरवस्थविग्रहाम्। हा रक्षसां कोटि सुनिहतासु कथं न दैवेन हृता सुदुर्भगा॥७॥
“What will my relatives, friends, and well-wishers say when they see my ruined form? Alas, when millions of rākṣasas were slaughtered, why did fate not also take wretched me?
Passage 8
हता मदर्थं मम बान्धवास्ते चिरं नियुध्य त्रिशिरःखराद्याः। ममाद्य पूर्णो विधिवञ्चितायाः सम्यक्किलायं मदनाभिलाषः॥८॥
“My kinsmen—Triśiras, Khara, and the others—fought long and died for my sake. So this, indeed, is the perfect fulfillment of the desire that deluded me today!
Passage 9
क्व यामि किं वा च करोमि मन्दा मिषेण केनाथ निगूहनीयम्। अङ्कस्थितं लाञ्छनमेतदुत्कटं विशेयमब्धिं दहनं महीं वा॥९॥
“Where shall I go, and what shall miserable I do? By what pretext can I conceal this glaring mark upon my face? Shall I enter the ocean, fire, or earth?
Passage 10
भ्रातुर्ममातीव विशङ्कमानाः सुविभ्यतो भूदहनोऽम्बुधिर्वा। न मां गृहीतुं प्रभवन्ति केचित् क्व यामि वाहं गरलं पिबेयम्॥१०॥
“Fearing my brother greatly, neither earth, fire, nor ocean would dare receive me. Where can I go? Or should I drink poison?
Passage 11
मन्दोदरी यत्र सुलोचना च भूयस्तथान्या मम बन्धुजायाः। कुम्भीनसी मे जननी पिता च स विश्रवा नाम च बान्धवोऽन्ये॥११॥
“There are Mandodarī, Sulochanā, and my other sisters-in-law, as well as Kumbhīnasī, my mother and father Viśravas, and my other relatives.
Passage 12
तत्राहमेतां निजवक्त्रबिम्बवैरूप्यसम्पत्तिमलं वहन्ती। कथं नु वत्स्यामि विगर्ह्यजीविता कुर्वीय किं वा विधिनिर्हताहम्॥१२॥
“How can I live among them carrying this complete disfigurement upon the image of my face, my life condemned? Struck down by fate, what am I to do?”
Passage 13
इति स्वगतमेवैषा ब्रुवाणा शोकपीडिता। अगाच्छूर्पणखा कृच्छ्रं भवनं भ्रातुरात्मनः॥१३॥
Speaking thus to herself and oppressed by grief, Śūrpaṇakhā reached her brother's palace with difficulty. She Confronts Rāvaṇa
Passage 14
सा रावणमधिक्षिप्य वीरं भ्रातरमात्मनः। इदमूचे वचः क्रुद्धा विरूपा राक्षसी खला॥१४॥
The mutilated and wicked rākṣasī angrily reproached her heroic brother Rāvaṇa and spoke these words.
Passage 15
भ्रातः कस्ते प्रतापोऽद्य कृत्स्नं जितवतो जगत्। मानुषेणापि पीड्यन्ते प्रत्यक्षं यस्य बान्धवाः॥१५॥
“Brother, what is the worth today of your power and your conquest of the whole world, when your own relatives are visibly tormented even by a human?
Passage 16
यथेच्छं क्रीडमानाहं त्वत्प्रतापेन निर्भया। गोदातीरे वने रम्ये पञ्चवट्यां तवानुजा॥१६॥
“Trusting in your might, I—your younger sister—was fearlessly wandering as I pleased through lovely Pañcavaṭī forest on the bank of the Godāvarī.
Passage 17
नीता केनापि मर्त्येन सुदुर्दशां दशामिमाम्। अथो अन्यदपि भ्रातर्वृत्तं श्रोष्यसि मन्मुखात्॥१७॥
“Some mere mortal brought me to this utterly miserable condition. Brother, now hear from my mouth what else occurred.
Passage 18
ये ते जनस्थानगता भ्रातरो बान्धवश्च ते। खरदूषणदुर्धर्षत्रिशिरस्तिग्मकादयः॥१८॥
“Your brothers and kinsmen stationed at Janasthāna—Khara, Dūṣaṇa, invincible Triśiras, Tigmaka, and the others—
Passage 19
तस्यैव दृष्टमर्त्यस्य बाणवह्नेः पतङ्गताम्। गता नियुध्य सुचिरं राक्षसाः सुमहोद्धताः॥१९॥
“those exceedingly arrogant rākṣasas fought that same apparent mortal for a long time and became moths in the fire of his arrows.
Passage 20
इदं खलु तवात्यन्तमनिष्टमजनि स्फुटम्। यस्य ते तादृशा वीरा अल्पेन निधनं गताः॥२०॥
“This has plainly produced the greatest disaster for you: heroes of yours such as these were destroyed with little effort.
Passage 21
कालो विपर्ययं वक्ति प्रायशो जयिनस्तव। क्व स्वःपतेः परिभवस्तैरेव सुदुरासदैः॥२१॥
“Time now seems to announce the reversal of your victories. How distant is their former defeat of heaven's lord by those unassailable warriors!
Passage 22
क्व चात्यन्तमनर्हेण मर्त्येन निधनं रणे। शमयेत्तृणमप्यग्निं क्वचित्कालविपर्ययात्॥२२॥
“And how different is their death in battle at the hand of an utterly unworthy mortal! When time turns contrary, even a blade of grass may extinguish fire.
Passage 23
अमर्षणस्य ते भ्रातर्दुष्प्रवृत्तिरियं श्रुता। जनयिष्यति किं नातः क्रोधज्वलनमुत्कटम्॥२३॥
“Brother, when your intolerant nature hears of this outrage, will it not kindle an immense blaze of anger?
Passage 24
निग्रहो मर्त्यजातेन दिशां जेत्रस्य ते भ्रसुः। तादृशानां निजाप्तानां वधश्च धनदानुज॥२४॥
“Brother of Kubera, a mortal-born man has disgraced the sister of the conqueror of the directions and slain intimate companions of such power.
Passage 25
दशानामपि ते मूर्ध्नामिदमाक्रणं खलु। मन्ये मर्त्यशरीरेण कालस्यैव विपर्ययात्॥२५॥
“This news is an assault upon all ten of your heads. I think Time itself has assumed a mortal body and turned against you. Śūrpaṇakhā Demands Sītā's Abduction
Passage 26
कृतोऽसौ येन दुष्टेन रक्षःपरिभवो महान्। तस्य भार्या च रूपेण तव योग्येव विद्यते॥२६॥
“The wicked man who inflicted this great humiliation upon the rākṣasas has a wife whose beauty is surely worthy of you.
Passage 27
तया हं हसिता चास्मि बहुगर्वायमानया। इति मद्धृदये भ्रातः संतापो वर्तते महान्॥२७॥
“That greatly proud woman laughed at me. Brother, because of this a great torment burns within my heart.
Passage 28
तामानय बलाद् दुष्टां वञ्चयित्वा तु तौ खलौ। अथवा मारयित्वापि भगिन्यास्तेऽपराधिनौ॥२८॥
“Bring that wicked woman here by force after deceiving those two villains—or even after killing the offenders against your sister.
Passage 29
विलोक्य तस्याः सौन्दर्यं हृदि दर्पैककारणम्। अमानवीयमिति ते विश्रमोऽत्यन्तभविष्यति॥२९॥
“When you behold her beauty—the sole cause of her pride—you will be utterly convinced that it is beyond human.
Passage 30
आनेष्यति भवान् हृत्वा तां दुष्टां रूपगर्विणीम्। तदैव मम तापोऽयं हृदि प्रशममेष्यति॥३०॥
“When you abduct and bring that wicked woman, proud of her beauty, only then will this anguish in my heart subside.”
Passage 31
इति स्वसुर्वाक्यमसौ निशम्य दशाननः क्रूरमनास्तदैव। जज्वाल रोषेण दहन्निवान्तरनिजाप्तवर्गक्षयजातशोकः॥३१॥
Hearing his sister's words, the cruel-minded ten-headed Rāvaṇa immediately blazed with anger, as though burning inwardly from the grief caused by the destruction of his intimate companions. Thus ends Chapter 145, “Śūrpaṇakhā's Complaint,” in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍi in the Dakṣiṇa-khaṇḍa of the glorious Ādi Rāmāyaṇa.