SECTION XX.
"Having reflected thus, that foremost of Vipras endowed with fleet vigor, bent his steps towards the abode of Yama, for the purpose of relating to him all that had taken place. And there (he) saw that god—Yama—sitting in front of fire and offering into it the good and evil fruits of their actions.[54]
"And seeing the Maharshi Nārada arrive there, Yama offering him arghya according to the ordinance, addressed him saying, when he was seated at his ease: 'O Devarshi, is it well with thee? And doth virtue deteriorate.'[55] And, why, O thou honored of deities, and Gandharvas, dost thou come?' Thereat the reverend sage, Nārada, said; Hearken. I shall tell (thee); and (after hearing me out) do thou what is fit. O king of the Pitris, here cometh the night-ranger named ten-necked, for bringing thee under his sway—thee who art incapable of being conquered. And, O master, for this reason it is that I have come hither hastily,—doubtful what shall befall thee who hast the rod for thy weapon. In the meanwhile they saw the Raksha's car approach from afar, flaming and like unto the ray-furnished (one) risen. And dispelling the gloom of that region with the effulgence of Pushpaka, that exceedingly powerful (Rākshasa) came forward. And the mighty-armed ten-necked one all around saw creatures reaping the consequences of their fair and foul acts. And there he saw Yama's soldiery along with Yama's followers, fierce-forms, grim-visaged and terrific. And he saw corporeal beings undergoing torments and pain, and emitting loud cries and sharp shrieks; preyed on by worms and fell dogs: and uttering words capable of striking pain and terror into the heart (of the hearer): and people swimming in the Vaitaraini profusely running blood; and momentarily burning with hot sands; unrighteous wights pierced in a wood of asipatra, (plunged) in Raurava, in the river of borate of soda; and (cut) with razor-edges; asking for drinks; and afflicted with hunger and thirst; converted into corpses, lean, woe-begone, and pallid with hair flowing loosely; having dust and filth (on their bodies), and running about distressfully with dry forms;—on the way saw Rāvana by hundreds and by thousands. And Rāvana also saw some in front of houses engaged in merry-making with songs and strains of instruments,—as the fruit of their pious acts; and (saw) the giver of kine regailing themselves with milk; the dispenser of rice, feeding on the same, the bestower of abodes, enjoying mansions, as the fruit of their several acts; and persons living with damsels decked with gold and gems and jewels; and other pious folks, flaming in their native energy, all these saw Rāvana lord of Rākshasas. And by his might that mighty one delivered those that were being tormented by their wicked acts. And on being liberated by that Raksha—the ten-necked one, those creatures in a moment began to enjoy their release, that had come to them without thought or suspense. And on the dead being delivered by the magnanimous Rākshasa, the guards of the dead, getting enraged, rushed at the Rākshasa sovereign. And there arose a mighty tumult from all sides; from the heroic warriors of the king of righteousness rushing (all around.) And those heroes by hundreds and by thousands assailed (Pushpaka) with prāças, and bludgeons, and darts and maces, and spears and tomaras. And swiftly swarming like bees, they began to break the seats, blocks, daises and gateways (of the car.) And in that conflict Pushpaka presided over by divine energy, incapable of being destroyed by virtue of Brahmā power, being broken, resumed its former shape. Countless were the soldiers of that high-souled one consisting hundreds and thousands of heroic warriors, (ever) forward for fight. And according to the measure of their might his (Rāvana's) councillors—great heroes all, as well as the ten-faced one himself with might and main, fought with trees and crags and hundreds of blocks of buildings. And those councillors of the lord of Rākshasas, assailed with every kind of weapons, with their persons bathed in blood, fought fiercely. And O large-armed one the exalted councillors of Yama and Rāvana sore assailed each other with arms. And leaving the councillors alone the highly powerful warriors of Yama rushed against Daçānana[56] with a shower of spears. And then pierced through and through by those weapons, with his person covered with blood, the Rākshasa king appeared like a flowering Kinçuka in Pushpaka.[57] And thereat that powerful one, by virtue of his mastery over weapons, began to hurl darts and maces, prāças and spears and tomaras and crags and trees. And that terrific shower of trees, rocks and arms, alighted on the army of Yama (fighting) on the earth. And snapping those weapons and resisting (those vollies of) arms, they smote at the Rākshasa fighting alone by hundreds and thousands. And encompassing him even as clouds encompass a mountain, they rendered (Rāvana) inert by means of Bhindipālas and darts. And with his mail torn open, his anger raging fiercely, and covered with blood streaming over his person, he, forsaking his car, stood upon the ground. And then furnished with his bow and holding his shafts, (Rāvana) regaining his senses in a short time, increased in energy and stood in the field like the finisher. And now fixing the divine Pāçupata on his bow, and saying unto them, 'Slay! Slay!' he drew that bow. And enraged, (Rāvana) resembling Rudra himself, in fight drawing his bow to his car, discharged that shaft even as Sankara had discharged at Tripura. And the appearance of the shaft was like an extinguishing fire in summer with smoke with flames, burning up a forest. And garlanded with glory that shaft followed by ghosts,[58] in that encounter; rushed on, burning to ashes the loose bushes and trees lying in its way. And burnt up by its energy, the most of Vaivaswata fell down in the field like unto banners of Mahendra. And thereat the Rākshasa of terrific prowess along with his councillors began to set up tremendous shouts; as if making the earth tremble."
| [54] | Ordaining happiness and misery to the lives of people according to their acts.—T.
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| [55] | The original has: "Doth not virtue wane." This in English would imply the very reverse what Nārada intends to say. He says: "Doth religion deteriorate?"—i.e. "I hope, religion doth not deteriorate." This is an idiom and natural usage accounts for it, although that usage must in the nature of things be based on a subtle ground of reason.—T.
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| [57] | This simile is peculiarly appropriate and beautiful. Pushpaka, the name of Rāvana's car, means composed of flowers; and this signification shining askance, as it were, over the direct sense of the sentence, heightens the delight the reader feels on imagining the principal figure. 'Rāvana seated in Pushpaka, covered with blood, looked like a blossoming Kinsuka.'—T.
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| [58] | The instrument being Siva's, it naturally was followed by ghosts, as his attendants.—T.
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