The foremost of the wives of the Rakshasa (king) bewailing piteously cast her looks poorly towards her husband. And beholding her Ten-necked husband slain by Rama of inconcievable actions Mandodari bewailed there piteously,--"O thou of huge arms! O younger brother of Baishravana! Even Purandara feared to stand before thee when enraged. The great Rishis--the far-famed Gandharbas and the _Charanas_, fled away to different quarters in thy fear. And then (how) hast thou been overpowered in battle by Rama who is a mere man? Why is it that thou art not ashamed of it, O king, O lord of the Rakshasas? Conquering the three worlds with thy prowess thou didst attain thy glory; and it is unbearable, that a man, ranging in the forest, hath slain thee. Thou, who art capable of assuming shapes at will, hast been slain in conflict by Rama, in the city of Lanka unapproachable by men. I do not believe that thy destruction,--who hadst always been crowned with success, before the forces, is work of Rama. (Methinks) Death (himself) came there in the shape of Rama and spread illusions unconsciously for thy destruction, O thou of great strength. Or thou hast been slain by Vasava--(no) what power has he got to face thee in the conflict gifted with great strength, prowess and energy and an enemy of the celestials as thou art? It is evident that the great ascetic Vishnu, having truth for his prowess--the soul of all beings, ever existing, without beginning, middle or end, greater than the great, the Preserver of the Nature, holding conch, discus and club, having _Sribatsa_[463] on his breast, always beautiful, incapable of being conquered, without destruction, devoid of end, and the lord of all men, assuming this shape of a man and encircled by the celestials, assuming monkey shapes, hath for the behoof of mankind, slain (thee) the dreadful enemy of the gods with all (thy) family and Rakshasas. Subduing all thy passions, thou didst conquer the three worlds--remembering their grudge they have now over-powered thee. Rama is not a man since he slew at Janasthana thy brother Khara encircled by many a Rakshasa. We were sore-distressed when Hanuman, by his own prowess, entered the city of Lanka, incapable of being approached even by the celestials. And I prevented thee from creating enmity with Raghava, but thou didst not pay heed to my words and this is the result (thereof). O foremost of Rakshasas--thou of a vicious understanding, for the destruction of thy wealth, thyself and thy relatives, thou didst suddenly cherish amour for Sita, greater than (even) Arundhuti and Rohini. Forsooth thou didst perpetrate an unbecoming deed by distressing the adorable Sita ever devoted unto her lord, an earth[464] even unto Earth herself and a Sree[465] even unto Sree herself. And having brought in a false guise from the solitary forest the sorrowful and chaste Sita, having a blameless person, thou didst bring on the destruction of thy family. Thou didst fail to encompass thy desire for the company of Sita. But now, forsooth, O my lord, thou hast been burnt down by her devotion who is devoted unto her husband.[466] Thou wert not burnt down when thou didst captivate that middle-statured (damsel) whom fear all the celestials headed by Indra and _Agni_.[467] O husband, (proper) time appearing the perpetrator gets the result of his vicious deeds: there is not the least doubt in this. The performer of the good receives good (result)--the perpetrator of the vicious (deeds) meets with bad (result). Bibhishana hath attained to happiness and thou hast met with this thy end. There are damsels in your seraglio far more beautiful than she but thou possessed by cupid couldst not perceive this. Maithilee is not my equal nor superior either in birth, beauty or accomplishments, but thou didst not perceive this by thy misgivings. Death doth not always visit all men without any cause--and Maithilee is the cause of thy death. And death, in consequence of Maithilee, hath taken thee far away. And she, shorn of all sorrow, shall enjoy in the company of Rama, and I, of limited piety, am now sunk in the the ocean of grief. Roaming at large with thee in a car unequalled in beauty on the hill Kailaça, Mandara, Maru, in the garden of Chaitraratha and ail other celestial gardens, beholding many a country, wearing variegated clothes and garlands, I have been deprived of all pleasures and enjoyments, O hero, by thy death. And I am a widow now. O fie on fickle fortune! O king, in lustre of countenance thou art like the Sun, in grace like the Moon, in beauty like the lotus; thou art graceful, O thou having excellent brows; thou hast got excellent skin, high nose and thy countenance is graced with a brilliant crown and _Kundalas_.