Chapter 21 — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 21

Valmiki Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda

Verse 21.2

बाहुं भुजङ्गभोगाभमुपधायारिसूदनः। जारूपमयैश्चैव भूषणैर्भूषितं सदा॥ गणिकाचनकेयूरमुक्तप्रवरभूषणैः। भुजैः परमनारीणामभिमृष्टमनेकधा॥ चन्दनागुरुभिश्चैव पुरस्तादभिसेवितम्। बालसूर्यप्रकाशैश्च चन्दनैरुपशोभितम्॥ शयने चोत्तमाङ्गेन सीतायाः शोभितं पुरा। तक्षकस्येव संभोगं गङ्गाजलनिषेवितम्॥ संयुगे युगसंकाशं शत्रूणां शोकवर्धनम्। सुहृदां नन्दनं दीर्घ सागरान्तव्यपाश्रयम्॥ अस्यता च पुनः सव्यं ज्याघातविहतत्वचम्। दक्षिणो दक्षिणं बाहुं महापरिघसंनिभम्॥ गोसहस्रप्रदातारं ह्युपधाय भुजं महत्। अद्य मे तरणं वाथ मरणं सागरस्य वा॥ इति रामो धृतिं कृत्वा महाबाहुर्महोदधिम्। अधिशिश्य च विधिवत्प्रयतोऽत्रस्थितो मुनिः॥

bāhuṃ bhujaṅgabhogābhamupadhāyārisūdanaḥ| jārūpamayaiścaiva bhūṣaṇairbhūṣitaṃ sadā|| gaṇikācanakeyūramuktapravarabhūṣaṇaiḥ| bhujaiḥ paramanārīṇāmabhimṛṣṭamanekadhā|| candanāgurubhiścaiva purastādabhisevitam| bālasūryaprakāśaiśca candanairupaśobhitam|| śayane cottamāṅgena sītāyāḥ śobhitaṃ purā| takṣakasyeva saṃbhogaṃ gaṅgājalaniṣevitam|| saṃyuge yugasaṃkāśaṃ śatrūṇāṃ śokavardhanam| suhṛdāṃ nandanaṃ dīrgha sāgarāntavyapāśrayam|| asyatā ca punaḥ savyaṃ jyāghātavihatatvacam| dakṣiṇo dakṣiṇaṃ bāhuṃ mahāparighasaṃnibham|| gosahasrapradātāraṃ hyupadhāya bhujaṃ mahat| adya me taraṇaṃ vātha maraṇaṃ sāgarasya vā|| iti rāmo dhṛtiṃ kṛtvā mahābāhurmahodadhim| adhiśiśya ca vidhivatprayato'trasthito muniḥ||

English Meaning

That slayer of foes (lay down), making his pillow his arm resembling the shining form of a serpent; always dight with golden ornaments; full many a time pressed with the palms of beauteous damsels,* decked with jewelled golden Keyūras and superb ornaments studded with pearls; smeared from above with sandal and aguru; (his arm) which formerly had been graced in bed with the head of Sītā; like to the body of Takşaka under the waters of the Gangā; resembling a yoke; in battle increasing the sorrow of foes and enhancing for long the delight of friends; his arm having its skin destroyed by the strokes of the bow-string; which was the refuge of the entire earth; his right arm resembling a mighty bludgeon, the donor of thousands of kine, making this great arm his pillow (he laid him down). To-day either I shall die, or shall the Ocean. Having thus formed his resolution in respect of the great deep, Rama, restraining his speech, with a concentrated mind lay down there agreeably to rule. *The commentator appropriately remarks-As Rāma was wedded to a single wife, these damsels must mean nurses attending on him.

M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)