Upanishads · Rāma-tāpanī Pūrva 4.17
॥
Devanāgarī
स्तुवन्त्येवं हि ऋषयस्तदा रावण आसुरः । रामपत्नीं वनस्थां यः स्वनिवृत्त्यर्थमाददे
Transliteration (IAST)
stuvantyevaṃ hi ṛṣayastadā rāvaṇa āsuraḥ | rāmapatnīṃ vanasthāṃ yaḥ svanivṛttyarthamādade
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्तुवन्ति एवम् हि ऋषयःstuvanti evam hi ṛṣayaḥso the ṛṣis too give praise; the sages likewise laud
तदा रावणः आसुरःtadā rāvaṇaḥ āsuraḥthen the demon Rāvaṇa; at that time the asura Rāvaṇa
रामपत्नीम् वनस्थाम्rāmapatnīm vanasthāmRāma's wife, dwelling in the forest; the wife of Rāma, living in the wild
यः स्वनिवृत्त्यर्थम् आददेyaḥ svanivṛttyartham ādadewho took her for his own cessation; the one who carried her off for his own ending
Translation
So the ṛṣis too give praise; and then the demon Rāvaṇa carried off the wife of Rāma, who dwelt in the forest — carried her off for his own deliverance.
Version
09f7dcea3909 · published Jul 29, 2026, 5:15:19 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The tale of Rāma's deeds begins, and with its first word the book explains why it needed the tale.
The abduction of Sītā is called done sva-nivṛtty-artham — “for his own cessation”. That is, Rāvaṇa bore her away in order to end.
The turn is astonishing, and it is no slip. The second verse of the first Upaniṣad said already: demons perish “from their own exaltation”. Here the same thought is carried to its limit: the evildoer himself arranges his own destruction, and in that sense himself wills it.
The word nivṛtti means both “cessation” and “deliverance, turning away from the world”. The ambiguity is deliberate: death at Rāma's hand is for Rāvaṇa both an end and a release. The tradition says this outright — those fallen by His hand are not lost.
Note the opening: “so the ṛṣis too give praise”. The gods' praise has just ended; and it is said that the sages praise likewise — that is, the praising continues even now, while the tale is told. The narrative of the campaign proves to be part of the praise.
The next twelve verses will pass through the whole Rāmāyaṇa — from the meeting with Hanumān to the return to Ayodhyā.