( From- Valmiki Ramayana.)
The course of destiny, when ready to bear fruit, can not be diverted either by money, wish, valour, or even command in this world—this beautiful version extracted from Yuddha Kanda, or Lanka Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana when Queen Mandodari lamented gazing at the dead body of her beloved husband—Ravana! ‘Rama kills Ravana’ was echoed everywhere.
Afflicted with grief and tearful eyes, the female demons (wives of Ravana) rushed to the battleground where their invincible husband- the terror of the Yakshas, the Gandharvas, and the gods, Ravana lying dead. Looking at his body covered with dust and blood, they fell upon his limbs like uprooted creepers. Weeping loudly, they went on to say praise to Ravana! Mandodari, the beloved queen of Dashanana stared at her husband with wonderstruck for a while disbelieving her own eyes! With a choked voice and tearful eyes she pronounced, ‘O Lord! O the mighty armed! Nobody could dare to stand before you when you are enraged not even Lord Indra! Out of fear, the celestial musicians, the Gandharvas and even the wise sages and bards fled in all directions.
O King! How is it possible you are killed by a mere mortal? You must be ashamed of being killed by a simple saint! O the lord of demons! You conquered the three worlds by your prowess. You were the master of illusory Vidya whose place was not accessible by anyone! You were able to assume any form as you wished. O Lord! I do not believe that a mere mortal Rama attacked you or your vast, well-equipped army which is beyond penetrable!
O King! The moment Khara was killed by Rama in Janasthana, I knew that he was not a mere mortal. Khara was surrounded by a multitude of demons yet he was killed. The day that the monkey entered Lanka penetrating the incredible passage, and the terrific monkeys built the bridge on a vast ocean, that day I knew that Rama was not an ordinary mortal. He was no one but Lord Vishnu himself! O lord! This Rama is certainly the eternal person who has no beginning, no middle and no end. Otherwise, the lord of gods- Lord Indra has no guts to behold you when you are engaged in the battle. Nobody can die without any cause and Sita became the cause of your death! O mighty-armed one! Out of lust, and strong desire, you abducted thousands of princess who were devoted to their husbands. Having performed great penance, you controlled your sense organs. Now, as if all of them bent upon to take revenge on you. You lost your mind and abducted Sita who is no other than the goddess of fortune and charm. She is Shri, Mahalaxmi, and Vedavati herself. She is more respectable than Arundhati and Rohini!
O, my beloved lord! One sin, one fault can bring the total annihilation of a person, a family, or a kingdom! O the foremost of demons! For the destruction of your power, your body, and your people, you strongly desired Sita to be your wife! There is no doubt that when the time comes, the good deeds give good results as well as the doer reaps the harsh fruit of his sinful deeds.
O Lord, how unlucky I am! Once, I enjoyed all the heavenly pleasure with your company in the aerial cars in Mount Meru, Mount Kailash, and Mount Mandara and visiting beautiful celestial gardens and other places. I have now been deprived of all enjoyment because of your death. Alas, O king! When Vibhishana and I tried to convince you of the prowess of Rama, you paid no heed to our words. You became prey to your desire! O Lord! Sita is no match for me either in birth, in beauty or friendly behaviour. Unlucky as I am you could not perceive this through passion for Sita!
O lord! Your ever-shining face with beautiful features has lost its lustre as your body is covered with the sharp arrows of Rama. O mighty demon! Once I was feeling proud of my lineage saying- my father was the king of demons, my husband a lord of demons and my son- invincible Indrajit, the conqueror of Lord Indra. Alas! My invincible husband, the terror of the three worlds, now lying down on the ground like a mountain has broken down into pieces by the strike of the thunderbolt. I am unable to embrace you as your body is looking like the spines of a porcupine by the arrows of Rama! The arrows have dug deep into the vital parts of your body.
O lord of demons! Is it a dream or a reality? The hero who lifted the mountain, Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva, is killed by a mere mortal. You were the leader, the protector of your people Lanka. You brought the virgin daughters of gods, demons, and human beings giving pain to others. Why are you now lying down on the bare ground shrouded in dust?
O mighty warrior! I have plunged in deep grief, came to you in bare feet and unveiled. Have you become heartless to console me when I am tormented with grief? There was a saying- the tears of virtuous wives do not go in vain! That curse of thousands of chaste ladies has fallen upon you! This misfortune has come to you due to lust, wrath, and addiction to the vice of attachment. O Ravana! You never listened to the words of your well-wishers. You didn't pay any heed to the advice offered by Kumbhakarna, Mareecha, Vibhishana and myself. At the end of my life, you allowed me to widow ship to suffer! O Ravana, you left this world leaving all of us in grief- thus uttering those heartbreaking words, Mandodari fell on the breast of Ravan.
Mandodari was extremely beautiful and devoted to her husband Ravana. She requested her husband repeatedly to give back Sita to Rama but her words fell on a deaf ear! Out of the most famous chaste ladies, Mandodari is one!