Полный четырёхтомник Манматхи Натха Датта, английский, Калькутта, 1891–1894. Все четыре тома конкретного перевода М. Н. Датта: Балаканда, Айодхьяканда, Араньяканда, Кишкиндхаканда, Сундараканда, Юддхаканда и Уттараканда. Полный текст выбранного четырёхтомного издания; это не собрание всех версий Рамаяны.
Все четыре тома конкретного перевода М. Н. Датта: Балаканда, Айодхьяканда, Араньяканда, Кишкиндхаканда, Сундараканда, Юддхаканда и Уттараканда. Полный текст выбранного четырёхтомного издания; это не собрание всех версий Рамаяны.
Project Gutenberg identifies each of the four ebooks as public domain in the USA. Translator Manmatha Nath Dutt lived 1855–1912; historical editions 1891, 1891, 1893, 1894. CRLF normalized to LF, outside whitespace trimmed, complete body split at paragraph boundaries for the reader. No text within the selected body dropped. Полные сведения об издании и лицензия
"O Rāma, hearing my words pregnant with sound reasoning, that heavenly
being, with folded hands, said ’Hear, O Brahman, from what unavoidable
cause hath proceeded this happy and again painful incident. There
flourished in the days of yore a highly illustrious and powerful
Vidarbha king under the name of Sudeva known over three worlds. He was
my father. His two queens gave birth to two sons. My name is Sweta and
the name of my youngest brother was Suratha. After the decease of my
sire the subjects installed me on the throne and I governed them piously
and carefully for a thousand years. By some reason I was informed of the
extent of my life. And when I perceived that the lease of my life had
well-nigh expired I entered into the life of Banaprasta. And having
placed my brother Suratha on the throne I entered into a dense forest
devoid of men and animals at no distance from this pond to perform
devout penances. And I performed austerities for a long time near this
pond. Having performed hard penances in this forest, for three thousand
years I at last attained to the region of Brahmā. And albeit I had
reached the Brahmā region I was still being assailed by hunger and
thirst. And gradually I grew tired therewith. Thereupon approaching the
patriarch Brahmā, the lord of three worlds, I said:—"O Brahmā, here
there is no hunger or thirst; still why have I been brought to their
control? Of what iniquity of mine is this fruit? O deity, tell me upon
what I shall live?" Whereto the patriarch replied;—"O son of Sudeva, do
thou live upon sweet savoured meat everyday? O Sweta, thou didst only
look to the growth of thy person when thou didst perform rigid penances.
O thou of a great mind, nothing grows, when nothing is sown. Thou didst
only perform ascetic penances, but thou didst not make any gift of
charity. It is for that reason, O my son, that thou art, even in heaven,
being assailed by hunger and thirst. Thereupon do thou now live upon
thine own dead body fostered by various food. By this thou shalt keep up
thy being. O Sweta, thou shalt be relieved from this affliction when the
irrepressible, great Saint Agastya shall reach that forest. O gentle
one, even unto the immortals he can give salvation; what wonder it is
that he shall relieve thee from the miseries of hunger and thirst." O
foremost of twice-born ones, from the time of hearing those words of the
great Brahmā, the god of gods, I have been engaged in this cursed work
of feeding upon my own dead body. O Brahman, for many long years I have
been living upon this corpse still I have not done with it. O Saint, I,
too, derive satisfaction from it; I now understand that thou art the
illustrious Agastya born of a Kumbha; for none else is capable of coming
here; do thou therefore save me from this pain, who am afflicted with
great miseries. O foremost of twice-born ones, O gentle one, do thou
take this ornament; may good betide thee. Do thou be propitiated with
me. O Brahman, I do confer upon thee, gold, riches various clothes,
eatables, excellent ornaments and diverse other objects of desire and
enjoyment. O foremost of Munis, do thou with compassion save me.’
Hearing those words of the heavenly being, exciting pity, I accepted
this ornament for saving him. And as soon as I took this ornament that
human body of the royal saint disappeared. And the body being dissolved,
the royal saint Sweta, greatly delighted, happily went to the land of
immortals. It is for this reason, O Kākutstha, that royal saint,
resembling Indra, conferred upon me this wondrous, celestial ornament."
SECTION CXII.
Hearing the wondrous words of the great saint Kumbhayoni, Rāma, out of
great curiosity and importance of the subject, again asked him,
saying:—"O Brahman, why was that dense forest, in which the king Sweta
used to perform hard penances, divested of birds and animals? And how
did he proceed to that forest devoid of men and animals for undergoing
penances? I wish to hear the truth." Hearing the words of Rāma stricken
with curiosity, the highly effulgent saint Agastya said:—"O Rāma,
formerly in the golden age, Manu was the king. His son was Ikshwāku.
Having installed the irrepressible Ikshwāku, Manu said: ’Be thou the
lord over creatures.’ Saying ’So be it’ Ikshwāku accepted the command.
Thereupon greatly delighted Manu said to his son:—’I have been highly
pleased with thee. For sooth thou shalt become a very liberal prince.
Thou shalt govern the subjects meting out proper punishment unto them,
but do not punish them without any fault. If the punishment, which a
king inflicts upon the guilty, be just it becomes the instrumental in
taking the giver to heaven. Therefore, O my son having large arms, be
particularly studious as regards punishment for thereby thou shalt
acquire great piety.’ Having in this wise advised Ikshwāku Manu
delightedly repaired to the region of Brahmā. After Manu’s departure,
the effulgent Ikshwāku thought of the means for creating progeny.
Thereupon performing many pious rites Manu’s son engendered a hundred
sons. O descendant of Raghu, the youngest of all those sons became
stupid and ignorant and did not respect his elder brothers. And thinking
that he should therefore be punished he named this son ’Danda.’
Thereupon finding no other province worthy of Danda he allotted the
region between Vindhya and Saivala to him. Danda became king of that
picturesque valley. And having reared a fine city there he named it as
Madhumanta and appointed Sukracharja of firm vows as his priest. Having
thus established his kingdom, Danda, with his priest, began to lord over
it filled with healthy and delighted people like unto the lord of
celestials in their region. O Rāma, like unto Mahendra governing his
kingdom of heaven under the guidance of Vrihaspati, the preceptor of
celestials, Danda, the grand-son of Manu, governed his own kingdom with
the help of Usanās."
SECTION XCIII.
Having related this story unto Rāma the great saint Agastya again
said:—"O Kākutstha, having subdued his passions, the king Danda, reigned
undisturbed in this wise for many long years. Thereupon during spring,
in the month of Chaitra the king arrived at the picturesque hermitage of
the preceptor Sukra. At that time, Sukra’s daughter, matchless in beauty
and grace, was walking in the forest. The king saw that jewel of a girl,
and being stricken with lust and growing restless he approached her and
said:—’O thou having a beautiful waist, O fair lady, whose daughter art
thou? O thou having a moonlike countenance, I have been assailed by the
arrows of Cupid and hence I do accost thee thus.’ Hearing the words of
the vicious-souled Danda, maddened with lust, Sukra’s daughter humbly
said:—’O king of kings I am the daughter of the preceptor Sukra of
unwearied actions and my name is Arajās. I am living in this
hermitage—king, do not touch me forcibly for I am a maid and hence under
the guardianship of my father. Besides my father is my preceptor, and
thou art also his disciple. Being enraged he shall imprecate thee with a
curse. O foremost of men, if thou dost cherish any desire for me, do
thou honestly and piously pray for it unto my sire. Or else thou shalt
suffer dreadful consequences in the long run. When worked up with ire,
my father can reduce even the three worlds to ashes. O thou of a
blameless person, if thou dost pray, my father may make me over unto thy
hands.’ Arajās having said this, the king Danda, maddened with lust,
placing folded palms on his head, said:—’Be thou propitiated with me, O
thou having a graceful person; do not tarry even for a moment. My heart
bursts out for thee, O thou having a moon-like countenance. For
acquiring thee I can even take upon myself my own destruction or
dreadful iniquity. Do thou seek me, O fair lady—I am beside myself for
thee.’ Having said this the king forcibly ravished her. Having
perpetrated such a mighty iniquity he speedily returned to his own city
Madhumanta. Arajās cried aloud in forest at no distance from the
hermitage and waited for her sire who had been away on visiting the
celestials."
SECTION XCIV.
"Thereupon having heard everything about Arajās from a disciple, he,
surrounded by his pupils, arrived at his own hermitage and beheld her
there poorly, soiled with dust and like unto the morning rays of the
moon possessed by a planet. He was stricken with hunger and was greatly
incensed on beholding his daughter in that wretched plight, as if
burning the three worlds with rage. Addressing his pupils he said:—’Do
ye witness today the dreadful calamity, arising out of my flaming ire,
of the vicious Danda treading the path of immorality. This vicious wight
hath placed his hands in the burning flame so he shall, along with
followers, meet with destruction. Since that vile being hath perpetrated
such a dreadful crime he shall forsooth suffer the consequence thereof.
Within seven nights, the wicked and vicious Danda, with his son,
soldiers and retinue, shall meet with death. Showering dust Indra shall
destroy, to the extent of a hundred Yojana, the territory of this
vicious king. And all creatures mobile and immobile, wherever they might
be, shall be destroyed with this downpour of dust. All animals as far as
this Dandas’ territory extends, shall be destroyed within seven nights.’
Having said this, with eyes reddened with ire, Usanās, Vrigu’s son, said
to the inmates of his hermitage:—’Do ye all go and wait outside this
kingdom.’ Hearing the words of the preceptor Sukra, the inmates left the
hermitage and lived at a place beyond the limit of Danda’s territories.
Having thus addressed the inmates of the hermitage the great saint, said
to Arajas. ’O unfortunate girl, with a devoted mind do thou wait at this
hermitage. Without any anxiety, O Arajās, do thou wait for the time at
the picturesque banks of this pond extending over a Yojana. Within seven
nights whoever shall approach thee, shall be destroyed with this
downpour of dust.’ Hearing the words of the Brāhmana saint and preceptor
Sukra, Arajās sorrowfully said to her father ’It shall be done.’
Thereupon Sukracharjya went away and lived elsewhere. According to the
words of the saint, the entire kingdom of Danda, with servants, army,
and conveyances, was destroyed within seven nights. Rāma, in the golden
age, the province between the mountains Vindhya and Saivala comprising
Danda’s territories, imprecated by the Brahman saint, in consequence of
the iniquity of the vicious souled, was reduced into a desert. From that
time it passes by the name of Dandaka forest. And it is otherwise called
Janasthāna because the ascetics used to perform austerities there. O
Rāghava, I have thus related unto thee, all thou didst ask of me. O
hero, the time for performing evening rites hath come. Behold foremost
of men, having performed ablution, the great saints, on all sides, with
jars full of water, are worshipping the sun. Having accepted adoration
in the shape of Vedic hymns chanted by Brahmans, well-versed in Vedas,
the illustrious Aditya is about to be set. Therefore, O Rāma, do thou
perform the ceremony."
SECTION XCV.
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