The verse and its meaning · Sundarkand · Sundarkand — Vibhishana Comes to Rama

Pleasing Words, Quiet Ruin

Sundarkand 37

उहाँ निसाचर रहहिं ससङ्का । जब तें जारि गयउ कपि लङ्का । निज निजगृह सब करहि विचारा। नहिं निसिचर कुल केर उबारा॥१ । जासु दूत बल बरनि न जाई । तेहि आये पुर कवन भलाई । दूतिन्ह सन सुनि पुरजन बानी । मन्दोदरी अधिक अकुलानी ॥२ । रहसि जोरि कर पति पद लागी । बोली बचन नीति-रस पागी । कन्त करष हरि सन परिहरहू । मोर कहा अति हित हिय धरहू ॥३ । समुझत जासु दूत कइ करनी। स्रवहिं गर्भ रजनीचर-घरनी । तासु नारि निज सचिव बोलाई । पठवहु कन्त जौँ चहहु भलाई । तब कुल कमल-विपिन दुखदाई । सीता सीत-निसा सम आई । सुनहु नाथ सीता बिनु दीन्हे । हित न तुम्हार सम्भु अज कीन्हे॥५॥ राम बान अहिगन सरिस, निकर निसाचर भेक । जबलगि ग्रसत न तबलगि, जतन करहु तजि टेक ॥३६॥ स्रवन सुनी सठ ताकरिवानी। विहँसा जगतबिदित अभिमानी । समय सुभाव नारि कर साँचा मङ्गलमहँ भय मन अति काँचा ॥१ । जौँ आवइ मरकट कटकाई। जियहिँ विचारे निसिचर खाई । कम्पहिँ लोकप जाकी त्रासा। तासु नारि सभीत बड़ि हाँसा ॥२ । असकहि बिहँसि ताहि उर लाई। चलेउ सभा ममता अधिकाई । मन्दोदरी हृदय कर चिन्ता ।भयउ कन्त पर बिधि बिपरीता ॥३ । बैठेउ सभा खबरि असि पाई। सिन्धु पार सेना सब आई । बूझेसि सचिव उचित मत कहहू। ते सब हँसे मष्ट करि रहहू ॥४ । जितेहु सुरासुर तब श्रम नाहीँ । नर बानर केहि लेख माहीं ॥३ । सचिव वैद गुरु तीनि जौँ, प्रिय बोलहिँ भय आस । राज धर्म तन तीनि कर, होइ बेगिही नास ॥३७

Meaning · English

Lanka's demons fear since the monkey burned it. Mandodari fears for her husband; Ravana laughs, goes to court, asks his ministers, and they laugh: you beat gods and demons, what are men and monkeys? Minister, physician, teacher: if they speak pleasing words from fear or hope, kingdom, body and dharma soon perish.

Three words carry the verse. Mamata is my-ness, the clinging that makes Ravana hold his own view as unquestionable. Abhimani is the proud one, who takes his own greatness for fact. Saciva, vaida and guru are the minister, the physician and the teacher. The story first. Since Hanuman burned Lanka, the demons live in dread and quietly admit their line has no rescue. Mandodari, moved by this, fears that fate has turned against her husband. Ravana laughs, pushes the fear down, and walks to his assembly. There he asks what to do about the army that has reached the sea. His counsellors laugh and stay silent. Then comes their flattery: he has beaten gods and demons without effort, so what are a man and a monkey? Tulsidas then states the lesson in the doha. A minister guards the kingdom, a physician the body, a teacher dharma. If each speaks only what pleases, out of fear of the master or hope of reward, the thing each guards is lost fast. The question it answers is why Ravana, warned by his wife and his own people, hears nothing true. The answer is that no one near him dares to say it. It asks the listener to notice who around them speaks only sweetness.

A road sign repainted to read what the traveller wants to hear: smooth road ahead. He walks on gladly, never looking down, and the ditch is no less deep for the cheerful paint. The pleasing counsellor is that sign.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Camp by the Water · Sundarkand 36
• Next: Vibhishana's Counsel to Ravana · Sundarkand 38
• All of Sundarkand · Ask Krishna about it

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