Canto 18The Rakshasas
Book 4. Part Four - Calcutta and Chandernagore 1907 – 1910
(The Rakshasa, the violent kinetic Ego, establishes his claim
to mastery of the world replacing the animal Soul, — to be
followed by controlled and intellectualised but unregenerated
Ego, the Asura. Each such type and level of consciousness sees
5the Divine in its own image and its level in Nature is sustained
by a differing form of the World-Mother.)
“Glory and greatness and the joy of life,
Strength, pride, victorious force, whatever man
Desires, whatever the wild beast enjoys,
10Bodies of women and the lives of men,
I claim to be my kingdom. I have force
My title to substantiate, and I seek
No crown unearned, no lordship undeserved.
Ask what austerity Thou wilt, Maker of man,
15Expense of blood or labour or long years
Spent in tremendous meditations, lives
Upon Thy altar spent of brutes or men,
Or if with gold Thy favour purchasable
I may command, rich offerings to glut
20Thy temples and Thy priests. I have a heart,
A hand for any mighty sacrifice,
A fiery patience in my vehement mood;
I will submit. But ask not this of me,
Meek silence and a pale imprisoned soul
25Made colourless of its humanity;
Ask not the heart that quakes, the hand that spares.
What strength can give, not weakness, that demand.
O Rudra, O eternal Mah´adev,
Thou too art fierce and mighty, wrathful, bold,
30Snuffing Thy winds for blood of sacrifice,
And angrily Thou rul’st a prostrate world.
O R´akshasa Almighty, look on me,
Calcutta and Chandernagore, 1907–1910
R´avan, the lord of all Thy R´akshasas,
35Give me Thy high command to smite Thy foes;
But most I would afflict, chase and destroy
Thy devotees who traduce Thee, making Thee
A God of love, a God too sweet to rule.
I have the knowledge; what Thou art, I know,
40And know myself, for Thou and I are one.”
So prayed the Lord of Lunca, and in Heaven
Sri Krishna smiled, the Friend of all mankind,
A smile of sweetness and divine delight,
And asked, “O Masters of the knowledge, Seers
45Who help me by your thoughts to help mankind,
Hearken what R´avan cries against the stars,
Demanding earth for heritage. Advise,
Shall he then have it?” And a cry arose,
“He would root out the Brahmin from the earth,
50Impose his dreadful Yoga on mankind,
And make the violent heart, the iron hand
Sovereign of all.” Sri Krishna made reply,
“From out Myself he went to do My will.
He has not lied, he has the knowledge. He
55And I are one. How then shall I refuse?
Does it not say, the Veda that you know,
‘When one knows That, then whatso he desires,
It shall be his’?” And Atri sage replied,
“Let him then rule a season and be slain.”
60And He who reigns, “Something you know, O Seers,
Not all My purpose. It is long decreed,
The R´akshasa shall rule the peopled earth.
He takes the brute into himself for man,
Yielding it offerings, while with grandiose thoughts
65And violent aspirations he controls;
He purifies the demon in the race,
Slaying in wrath, not cruelty. Awhile
He puts the V´anara out of the world,
Accustoming to grandeur all mankind;
70The Rakshasas
The Ifrit1 he rejects. Were he denied
His period, man could not progress. But since
He sees himself as Me, not Me in him,
And takes the life and body for the whole,
75He cannot last. Therefore is Atri’s word
Accepted.” And before the R´akshasa,
Out of the terror of the sacrifice,
Naked and dark, with a blood-dripping sword
And dreadful eyes that seemed to burn the world,
80K´al´ı the R´akshas´ı in flames arose.
“Demand a boon!” she cried, and all the gods
Trembled. “Give me the earth for my delight,
Her gods to be my slaves,” the Giant cried,
“Of strength and passion let me have my fill,
85Of violence and pride.” “So let it be,”
She answered. “Shall it be eternal then?”
R´avan demanded and she thundered, “No!
For neither thou nor I are best nor last.
The Asur´ı shall rise to fill my place,
90The Asura thy children shall dethrone.
An aeon thou hast taken to evolve,
An aeon thou shalt rule. But since thy wish
I have denied, ask yet another boon.”
“Let this be mine, that when at last I sink,
95Nor brute nor demon, man nor Titan’s hand,
Nor any lesser creature shall o’erthrow,
But only God Himself compel my fall.”
And K´al´ı answered, smiling terribly,
“It is decreed,” and laughing loud she passed.
100Then R´avan from his sacrifice arose.
1 The Ifrit, the Djinn, is the demoniac element in Nature.