Rāmāyana | Āraṇya Kaṇḍa | Chapter 37

37. Mārīcha tries to Dissuade Rāvaṇa

[Mārīcha who knows about Rāma, tells Rāvaṇa, that going against Rāma is like an invitation to death oh himself, his people and his country.]

That expert in conversation heard the words of Rāvaṇa, who was the king of Rākṣasas, and that very intelligent Mārīcha replied to the king of Rākṣasas. 37.1

"Oh king, it is easy to get people who talk nicely to you and the person who talks words that are not to your liking and which is for your good are rare." 37.2

"You are not able to understand the great valour of Rāma or his great character who is like the great Indra and Varuṇa, due to your ill-informed spies." 37.3

"Oh lad, do you think that there will be safety to any Rākṣasa in the world now, because the very angry Rāma would make the world bereft of Rākṣasas." 37.4

"Did this Sītā came in to this world to mark your end and I am sure that due to Sītā a very great tragedy is going to happen." 37.5

"By getting you who is bent upon your own destruction, the city of Lanka would get destroyed along with you and its people." 37.6

"A king like you who is passionate by nature, with bad characters and having sinners as advisors would destroy, himself, his country and his people." 37.7

"Rāma who is the enhancer of the happiness of his mother Kausalya, was forsaken by his father and there is no disrespect in him nor is there bad character, avarice, miserliness, lack of Dharma, nor evil doing to other beings and he is a great Kshatriya and does good only to all beings." 37.8-37.9

"Seeing his father being deceived that follower of Dharma said, "I would prove that I am a votary of truth" and came to the forest." 37.10

"For obeying the wishes of Kaikeyi as well as his father, he gave up the country as well as pleasures and entered the Daṇḍaka forest." 37.11

"Oh lad, Rāma is ruthless, not an ignorant one and has won over his sense organs and it is not proper for you talk about rumours heard about him." 37.12

"Rāma is the personification of Dharma and is pious, truthful and valorous and he in the king of all worlds, like Indra is the king of devas." 37.13

"It is Rāma's lustre that is protecting Vaidehī. Then how do you propose to rob her as it would be like trying to rob the lustre from the sun." 37.14

"Rāma is an arrow with flame with bow and sword as its fuel and so cannot be meddled with and Rāma will shine like fire in the war and you dare not enter it." 37.15

"His bow is an open pit of fire and his flaming arrows are the burning fire and when the Rāma is angry and wears his bow and sharp arrows steal life of the enemy's army and oh lad do not give up your kingdom and pleasures and abandon your life to that Rāma who is a god of death in person." 37.16- 37.17

"Matchless is his power to whom the daughter of Janaka belongs, and you are not competent to steal her when she is protected by Rāma's bow." 37.18

"That pretty lady, who belongs to the lion among men with the chest of lion, is his wife; dearer to him than his life and always loyal to him." 37.19

"You would not be in a position to reach Maithili, the darling of that effulgent one as she is the flame of that burning fire who is called as Sītā." 37.20

"Oh king of Rākṣasa, why are attempting this useless action, please understand that if Rāma looks at you in war, that would be your last moment." 37.21

"The life, happiness and even the kingdom are difficult to obtain and if you want to enjoy them for a long time, do not do anything which Rāma does not like." 37.22

"You take this decision after consulting all your ministers keeping in front Vibhīṣaṇa who is the follower of Dharma. Please judge the merits and demerits, examine the strength and weaknesses, understand your own strength as well as that of Rāma, decided on good and bad results to you and take an appropriate decision. 37.23-37.24

Oh king of Rākṣasas, I do not like the idea of your meeting Rāma, the prince of Kosala kingdom in a war. Please listen to my appropriate and beneficial advice again." 37.25

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