बिहँसा नारि बचन सुनि काना । अहो मोह-महिमा बलवाना ॥
नारि सुभाव सत्य कवि कहहीं । अवगुन आठ सदा उर रहहीं ॥
biham̐sā nāri bacana suni kānā | aho moha-mahimā balavānā ||
nāri subhāva satya kavi kahahīṃ | avaguna āṭha sadā ura rahahīṃ ||
Lanka Kanda
Chapter 16: Ravana mocks Mandodari, pride blinds him
6 verses · 16 of 121
What happens in this chapter
Ravana mocks Mandodari, pride blinds him
Ravana laughs at his wife's words: how strong is delusion! Poets say rightly that a woman's nature holds eight faults: rashness, falsehood, fickleness, guile, fear, want of judgement, impurity and want of pity. The vast form you praise is all under my sway. I know your cleverness: under this pretext you are telling of my own greatness. Mandodari concludes that Time has seized her husband's mind. At dawn the ten-headed king, fearless by nature and blind with pride, goes to his court. The soratha closes: the cane neither flowers nor fruits though clouds rain nectar; a fool's heart wakes not even if Brahma and Shiva teach him.
साहस अनृत चपलता माया । भय अबिबेक असौच अदाया ॥
रिपु कर रूप सकल तैं गावा । अति बिसाल जय मोहि सुनावा ॥
sāhasa anṛta capalatā māyā | bhaya abibeka asauca adāyā ||
ripu kara rūpa sakala taiṃ gāvā | ati bisāla jaya mohi sunāvā ||
सो सब प्रिया सहज बस मोरें । समुझि परा प्रसाद अब तोरें ॥
जानिउँ प्रिया तोरि चतुराई । एहि मिस कहहु मोरि प्रभुताई ॥
so saba priyā sahaja basa moreṃ | samujhi parā prasāda aba toreṃ ||
jānium̐ priyā tori caturāī | ehi misa kahahu mori prabhutāī ||
तव बतकही गूढ़ मृगलोचनि । समुझत-सुखद सुनत-भय मोचनि ॥
मन्दोदरि मन महुँ अस ठयऊ । पियहि काल-बस मति-मम भयऊ ॥
tava batakahī gūr̤ha mṛgalocani | samujhata-sukhada sunata-bhaya mocani ||
mandodari mana mahum̐ asa ṭhayaū | piyahi kāla-basa mati-mama bhayaū ||
एहि बिधि करत बिनोद बहु, प्रात प्रगट दसकन्ध ।
सहज असङ्क लंकपति, सभाँ गयउ मद-अन्ध ॥
ehi bidhi karata binoda bahu, prāta pragaṭa dasakandha |
sahaja asaṅka laṃkapati, sabhām̐ gayau mada-andha ||
फूलह फरइ न बेत, जदपि सुधा बरषहिँ, जलद ।
मूरुख हृदयँ न चेत, जो गुरु मिलहिं बिरञ्चि-सिब ॥
phūlaha pharai na beta, jadapi sudhā baraṣahim̐, jalada |
mūrukha hṛdayam̐ na ceta, jo guru milahiṃ birañci-siba ||
Text source: Wikisource · Public domain (Tulsidas, 16th c.; 1925 edition, Wikisource PD-1996 tag); transcription CC BY-SA 4.0