Rāmāyana | Āraṇya Kaṇḍa | Chapter 48

48. Rāvaṇa Introduces Himself

[Rāvaṇa then tells Sītā in detail about himself and his exploits. He promises her a very happy life with him in Lanka. He also tells her that he is a brother of Kubera and owns the Pushpaka Vimāna.]

When Sītā spoke like this, Rāvaṇa arching his eyebrows to his forehead, using agitated and harsh words replied her. 48.1

"Oh lady whose beauty cannot be described, Vaiśravaṇa, the lord of riches is my step mother's son and my name is Rāvaṇa, safety to you, and I am famous as the ten headed one." 48.2

"People including Devas, Gandharvas, ghosts, Pātakas and serpents get scared on seeing me who is like death and run away." 48.3

"Due to some other reason a great war took place between me and Vaiśravaṇa my brother from my step mother and in the individual war between us I won over him due to my great anger and power." 48.4

"That Kubera who rides on men, due to great fear towards me, left his own prosperous home and is living on Kailāśa, the great mountain." 48.5

"Oh auspicious lady, due to my valour, I gained from him the aero plane called Pushpaka, which goes to any place one desires, in which I wander in the skies." 48.6

"Oh Maithili, devas who see my face when is angry start shivering and start running away scared, with Indra in the forefront." 48.7

"If the wind God sees me, with great hesitation he blows mildly and so is the sun and moon and out of fear the scorching sun becomes cool." 48.8

"Wherever I stay or move about, the trees with full of leaves become still and the river remains with still water." 48.9

"If I cross the sea, there exists my auspicious city of Lanka and it is full of horrifying Rākṣasas and is equal to Indra's Amravati." 48.10

"That white city enclosed by a wall shines and the city has golden gates with doors encrusted with Vaidūrya." 48.11

"It is crowded with horses, elephants and chariots and is filled with music from wind pipe instruments. It has trees yielding all around the year and looks splendid as it is filled with pleasure gardens." 48.12

"Oh Sītā who rules my mind, there you would live with me and would never remember the human ladies." 48.13

"Oh blessed lady, enjoying the divine pleasures of mortals with me, you will not remember the human being called Rāma with a short span of life." 48.14

"King Dasaratha crowned his most loved son there sending away his elder son of inferior intellect to the forest." 48.15

"Oh broad eyed one, Rāma who has been banished to the forest has lost his capacity to think and what will you do with that sage who does penance." 48.16

"You do not deserve to reject me who is the lord of all the Rākṣasas, who has come here due to passion for you, who has succumbed to the arrows of God of love." 48.17

"After rejecting me, you would feel greatly sorry like Urvaśī who rejected Pururavā and kicked him by her feet." 48.18

"Oh auspicious beauty, that Rāma in war is not even equal to my fingers and so you be happy in getting me by your luck." 48.19

When Vaidehī hear these words she was enraged and her eyes turned red and in that lonely place she spoke harsh words to that king of Rākṣasas. 48.20

"Why did you do inauspicious deeds instead of showing regard to your brother who is the God Vaiśravaṇa who is being saluted by all beings?" 48.21

"Oh Rāvaṇa, you would get all the Rākṣasas destroyed, because they have a cruel and evil minded king who does not have control over his senses." 48.22

"It may be possible to lead a life after abducting Sachi, the wife of Indra but after carrying away the wife of Rāma there would not be any life." 48.23

"Oh Rākṣasa, you may hope to live long after snatching the pretty Sachi from the hands of Indra who Carries the Vajra but after assaulting me, even if you drink nectar of immortality t you would not be alive." 48.24

This is the end of Forty Eighth Sarga of Āraṇya Kanda which occurs in Holy Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki as the First Epic.