जरत बिलोकेउँ जबहिँ कपाला । विधि के लिखे अङ्क निज भाला ॥
नर कें कर आपन बध बाँची । हसेउँ जानि विधि गिरा असाँची ॥
jarata bilokeum̐ jabahim̐ kapālā | vidhi ke likhe aṅka nija bhālā ||
nara keṃ kara āpana badha bām̐cī | haseum̐ jāni vidhi girā asām̐cī ||
Lanka Kanda
Chapter 29: Brahma's writing and Angada's retort
6 verses · 29 of 121
What happens in this chapter
Brahma's writing and Angada's retort
Ravana goes on: as my skulls burned, I read Brahma's writing on my brow, that I would die by a man's hand. I laughed, knowing it false; old Brahma wrote it in his dotage. And you shamelessly praise another before me. Angada replies: none is as modest as you, Ravana; you never speak your own praise. That is why the tale of heads and mountain has come twenty times, while you kept quiet about the arms that conquered Sahasrabahu, Bali and my father. Does cutting off heads make a hero? A juggler cuts up his whole body and no one calls him brave. Moths burn in the flame and donkeys carry loads; that is not valour.
सोउ मन समुझि त्रास नहिँ मोरें । लिखा बिरञ्चि जरठ-मति-भोरें ॥
आन बीर बल सठ मम आगें । पुनि पुनि कहसि लाज पति त्यागे ॥
sou mana samujhi trāsa nahim̐ moreṃ | likhā birañci jaraṭha-mati-bhoreṃ ||
āna bīra bala saṭha mama āgeṃ | puni puni kahasi lāja pati tyāge ||
कह अङ्गद सलज्ज जग माहीं । रावन तोहि समान कोउ नाहीँ ॥
लाजवन्त तव सहज सुभाऊ । निज-मुख निज गुन कहसि न काऊ ॥
kaha aṅgada salajja jaga māhīṃ | rāvana tohi samāna kou nāhīm̐ ||
lājavanta tava sahaja subhāū | nija-mukha nija guna kahasi na kāū ||
सिर अरु सैल कथा चित रही । ता तें बार बीस तैं कही ॥
सो भुजबल राखेउ उर घाली । जीतेहु सहसबाहु-बलि-बाली ॥
sira aru saila kathā cita rahī | tā teṃ bāra bīsa taiṃ kahī ||
so bhujabala rākheu ura ghālī | jītehu sahasabāhu-bali-bālī ||
सुनु मति-मन्दु-देहि अब पूरा । काटें सीस कि होइअ सूरा ॥
इन्द्रजालि कह कहिअ न बीरा । काटइ निज कर सकल सरीरा ॥
sunu mati-mandu-dehi aba pūrā | kāṭeṃ sīsa ki hoia sūrā ||
indrajāli kaha kahia na bīrā | kāṭai nija kara sakala sarīrā ||
जरहिँ पतङ्ग मोह बस, भार बहहिं खर-बृन्द ।
ते नहिँ सूर कहावहिं, समुझि देखु मति-मन्द ॥
jarahim̐ pataṅga moha basa, bhāra bahahiṃ khara-bṛnda |
te nahim̐ sūra kahāvahiṃ, samujhi dekhu mati-manda ||
Text source: Wikisource · Public domain (Tulsidas, 16th c.; 1925 edition, Wikisource PD-1996 tag); transcription CC BY-SA 4.0