While thus returning the vicious-souled Ravana, with delight, carried away stealthily, on his way, the daughters of the royal saints, celestials and Danavas. And whatever beautiful damsel he saw, married or unmarried, that demon held them captive in his car, having slain all their friends and relatives. In this wise he got on his chariot many female of the Nagas, Rakshas, Asuras, Yakshas, Danavas and of men. And they, all afflicted, shed tears, hot as firey flames, caused by fear and fire of grief. As the ocean is filled with the currents of the rivers so that car was flooded with their tears originating from fear and sorrow. And wept there in the chariot, hundreds of the females of Nagas, Gandharvas, of great ascetics, Daityas and of Danavas. They had long airs, graceful persons, countenances resembling the full-moon, rising breast, slender waist like that of black-bee and were graceful with back like the pole of car. They were like the females of the celestials and the burning gold and were all afflicted by grief, sorrow and terror and were young. And the car was ablaze on all sides with the sighings of those damsels and Pushpaka looked like the chamber where fire is kept perpetually. The countenance and eyes, of those beautiful damsels, brought under the subjection of the ten-necked demon, and afflicted with sorrow, looked poorly like a hind attacked by a lion. Some thought— ‘Will he eat me up?’ and another, stricken with sorrow, thought— ‘Will he destroy me?’ Thus remembering their mothers, fathers, husbands and brothers, all those females, overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, bewailed, some exclaiming— ‘What shall befall my son in my absence? Alas! into what ocean of grief my mother or brother is sunk? Alas! what shall my husband do in my absence? Therefore, O death, I propitiate thee, do thou take me, who am subject to miseries. Alas! what an iniquity did I perpetrate in my former birth in another body? Therefore, we all, overwhelmed with grief, are sunk in the ocean of sorrow—and I do not behold the end of my miseries. Oh! fie upon humanity; there is none more vile than a man for they are weak. As the stars disappear with the rising of the sun in time, so our husbands have been destroyed by the powerful Rāvana. Oh! highly powerful is this Raksha and he is mad after devising the means of destruction. Alas! being engaged in such vile actions, he does not consider himself cursed; he is as powerful as he is vicious. And though the ravishment of another’s wife is a greats sin, still that vile Rākshasa is enjoying us who belong to others. Therefore, this vicious-minded one shall meet with death, by his own actions.’ As soon as these words were uttered by those chaste damsels, bugles were sounded in heaven and flowery showers fell on earth. Being thus imprecated by those chaste females, devoted to their husbands, he became shorn of energy and effulgence and appeared like one divested of mind. Hearing their lamentations thus and being honored by the night-rangers that foremost of Rākshasas entered his city Lankā. In the interval, Rāvana’s sister, a dreadful and grim-visaged she-demon, suddenly fell down on the ground. And having raised up his sister and consoled her Rāvana said— ‘Tell me speedily, O good sister, what you wish to say.’ Thereat that she-demon, having blood-red eyes, closed with tears, said: — ‘O king, by thee, powerful as thou art, I have forcibly been made a widow. Fourteen thousand demons, under the name of Kalakeyas, have been destroyed by thee, O king, in the battle and amongst them was my highly powerful husband—dearer than my life. He has been slain by thee, O dear one, an enemy—a brother only in name. I have been killed by thee, O king, who art my brother. For thee, king, I shall enjoy the word ‘widow’!* My husband+ should have been saved by thee in the battle. But he was slain by thy ownself in the battle; art thou not ashamed of this?’ Being thus addressed by his bewailing sister, the Ten-necked demon, consoling her in sweet words, said: — ‘Of no avail is thy lamentation, dear sister; thou needst not be afraid of any of thy relatives. I shall please thee studiously by gifts, honors and favours. Being mad after war-fare and desirous of acquiring victory, I was continually making a downpour of shafts, so I could not distinguish in the conflict between my own men and enemies, —and thus unwittingly I did hurt thy husband. And thus, sister, thy husband was slain by me in the conflict; I shall now do whatever shall conduce to thy well-being. Do thou ever reside by the side of thy rich brother Khara and he shall be the lord of fourteen thousand Rākshasas. That highly powerful one shall give food and clothes to all those Rākshasas. He is thy cousin and that night-ranger shall always carry out thy orders. Let that hero now speedily go to protect the Dandaka forest and the highly powerful Dushana shall be the commander of his forces. And the heroic Khara shall always obey thy words and be the lord of Rākshasas assuming shapes at will.’ Having said this the Ten-necked demon issued orders to his army—fourteen thousand highly powerful Rākshasas. Being encircled by those grim-visaged Rākshasas, Khara, undaunted, speedily came to the Dandaka forest. There he governed without thorns and Surpanakha too also resided in the forest of Dandaka.”
* This is the literal translation of the passage—i.e. for thee, I shall for ever be known as widow.
+ The word in the text is Jāmata, which literally means son-in-law—but here perhaps it must mean husband for she was his sister.