YUDDHA
KANDA
Rama’s happiness quickly
vanished and he was very much in despair and said how the whole Vanara army
could cross the sea. Sugreeva saw Rama in despair and told him that he should
not worry like an ordinary person. If one could build a bridge the army
would cross and annihilate Ravana and his army. He told Rama to think of a
contrivance to cross the sea and their victory was assured. He also added that
he could see very good omens. Rama realised the situation and regained his
tranquillity. Rama said, “I can sure cross the sea by a bridge or by my powers
or even drying up the sea”. Then he asked Hanuman to tell him what he saw
in Lanka and how the city was protected. Hanuman described in detail how
Lanka was well-guarded. It is amazing to see the kind of contrivances that were
used by Ravana to protect the city which speaks for their engineering skill.
Hanuman said, “The rakshasas are very loyal to Ravana. The army is very strong.
There are four gates to the city and they all are well protected. There are
huge machines at the gates, which could throw huge stones and shower deadly
arrows on those who approach. There are also very big iron maces each of which
could kill hundreds of soldiers. The city is surrounded by moats that are full
of crocodiles. There are mighty drawbridges at the gates guarded by strong men.
There are huge armies stationed in Lanka which is also on the top of Trikoota
Mountain and hence well protected”. Hanuman said that he all alone had destroyed
several of them so he said with Angada, Dwividha, Jambavan, Neela and others
who could fly across the sea could take care of all the armies of Ravana and
there was no need for the whole Vanara army to cross the sea.
Then Rama said that Ravana’s
end had come. He said that they should leave immediately because he saw that
the moment was auspicious. Again Valmiki gives us an indication of how astrology and astronomy
were well-developed at that time. Rama said, “The Uttara Phalguni is in
conjunction with the star Hasta tomorrow. Therefore let us start today. By
seeing this omen I deduce that I will bring back Sita after killing Ravana”.
This description of Valmiki
in my opinion has allusions to astrology. However, it is amazing that Rama
though was wandering in the forest kept count of the Panchanga (Almanac)
details such as the star on a particular day and the phase of the moon etc.
Rama gave elaborate orders on how to proceed and what all precautions should be taken. For instance, Rama
asked Nila to lead the front along with an army of a hundred thousand. Rama and
Lakshmana would be in the centre. Rama wanted some Vanaras to fly above and
watch. Rama asked them to be cautious in drinking water and eating fruits which
could have been poisoned by the rakshasa. It was decided that Rama would ride
on the shoulders of the mighty Hanuman and Lakshmana on Angada. Rama instructed
Jambavan and Susena to come in the rear. Thus crores (Valmiki mentions several
crores) of them advanced towards Lanka in a very great jubilant mood.
Valmiki describes Rama and Lakshmana who were being carried by Hanuman and Angada respectively as follows. He says they looked like the Sun and the Moon has come in contact with the two large planets (Mahadbhyam Grehaabhyam). He does not specify any name of the planet though. However, it is believed that Valmiki should have meant the planets, Venus and Jupiter. Of course, Venus is a small planet compared to Jupiter but it is probable that the poet went by the luminosity of these two planets. These two bright planets are readily spotted in the sky too. This probably has an astrological significance too. From an Astronomy point of view, it could mean when these planets come close to the Moon. Normally at a time one of them does so and one can see it.
At best the other should be
a little far away. Of course, one can hardly see the planets when they come
close to the Sun.
Then Lakshmana cheered up
Rama and said “Rama I see good omens both on the ground and in the skies. The
bright planet Shukra (Venus) born (discovered) from the Great Rishi Bhrigu is
hanging at your back. (This would tell us that it was in the evening). The
Sapta Rishis (The Great Bear) are shining and are going around the Dhruva
(Pole)star. The Royal sage and one of our forefathers Trishanku (discovered, and created by Vishwamitra) is shining brightly along with the family priest of
Ikshvaku kings (Vashishtha) in the constellation of the Sapta Rishis, The Big
Bear. The Vishakha star, our ruling star is shining brightly, free from any ill
effects from the planets. The Rakshasa’s star Moola is affected by the tail of a
comet, which spells disaster for them. So be a cheerful brother”.
We can again see Valmiki’s
deep knowledge of astronomy. All the details are indeed very precious to check
the veracity of the events. It is of interest to note that one of the stars in
the constellation of Big Bear or Sapta Rishi is called Vashishtha! Vashishtha
was of course living at that time so one way to under- stand this would be that
it was probably Vashishtha Rishi who had identified that star as belonging to
the constellation of The Big Bear (the way they all moved together, for
instance) and so it was perhaps named after him. From the Vedic and the Agamic
texts, we learn that the planets and the star constellations have been named
after prominent Rishis. Bruhaspati Angirasa was a great seer and the planet
Guru (Jupiter) was named after him. Similarly, the planet Shukra (Venus) has
been named after Bhrugu rishi also known as Shukra. The name of Dhruva is
eternalised by the pole star. The star Canopus has been named after Agastya and
so on. Finally, we find the mention of Trishanku as one of the stars close to
the Sapta Rishi constellation. This star had been discovered by Vishwamitra. It
is interesting that Lakshmana tells us that it was shining next to Vashishtha.
Indeed there is a star that shines next to the one identified as Vashishtha. It
is traditionally identified as Arundhati Vashishtha’s wife. In our Hindu
marriage, there is a custom, the priest takes the newlywed and the husband is
supposed to ask his wife whether she saw Arundhati, a chaste and obedient wife.
This would ensure that her eyesight was perfect as this is rather a dim star!
In return, she asks her husband whether he saw Dhruva (pole star) who was a
great son and one with determination. What a lovely custom and tradition!
Incidentally naming the
planet after the astronomer who discovers it is still being practised. It is
interesting to note also that the names of the Rishis attributed to the seven
stars in the Big Bear constellation have been changing in the course of time
(Manvantaras) in Hindu astronomy.
The gigantic army moved on
towards the south, day and night and reached the Sahya and Malya mountains. The
red mineral from Malya Mountain was blown by the strong winds and covered
everything making them red. This mineral could be the iron oxide that is
abundant in nature. The prehistoric men had used this to paint on the rocks. Of
course, the metal iron of which mention is found in Ramayana also comes from
this.
They crossed beautiful
forests with fruit trees and lakes full of lotus flowers. When the army marched
they covered the earth and when they crossed the rivers the water overflowed.
Then they reached the Mahendra Mountains and Rama went up the hill and looked
at the vast sea full of fishes and tortoises.
Let us recall that Hanuman
had climbed this same mountain to leap across the sea to Lanka.
Rama then ordered them to
rest there and to reflect on the ways of crossing the ocean. He also ordered
the Vanaras not to wander astray and asked Sugreeva to keep a good watch over
their army and protect them from any attacks of rakshasas who might be watching them.
The army of Vanaras looked like another ocean beside the sea. Rama was sad
again and started to weep at the separation from his dear wife. Even though he
was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu he lived just as a human in his incarnation
as Rama.
Rama told Lakshmana that he
did not know how long it was going to take before he could deliver Sita. He
said he saw the Moon but could not see the moon like the face of his dear Sita. He
said he could not bear that his wife and King Dasharatha’s daughter-in-law were
kept a prisoner amongst rakshasis. Meanwhile, the sun started setting and he did
his evening prayers still immersed in the thoughts of Sita.
Meanwhile Shardoola a
Rakshasa chief saw the movement of a large army of monkeys on the northern
coast. He rushed to Ravana and reported that a large number of monkeys and
bears were assembled on the other side of the sea and were ready to invade
Lanka. Ravana remembered Hanuman’s words and wanted to somehow dissuade
Sugreeva from invading Lanka. So he sent an intelligent spy called Sukha and
asked him to go and speak to Sugreeva on his behalf. Sukha took the form of a
bird and flew across and addressed Sugreeva thus. “King Sugreeva here is a
message from my Lord Ravana. He says to you that you are born in a Royal family
and the son of Rikhshrajas who is the son of Lord Brahma. Ravana is from the
same lineage so you are his brother. Besides Ravana taking away Sita does not
affect you in any way. Rama is a weakling. Lanka is invincible. So you go back
home and do not help Rama”. Hearing these words of Sukha, some monkeys got
angry and caught him and beat him and broke his wings. Sukha appealed to Rama
for protection and Rama asked the monkeys to stop hurting him. Then Sugreeva
told Sukha to go and tell Ravana that he need not be proud because he killed
Jatayu who was old and that he was going to be killed by Rama.
The spy Sukha from Ravana
was asked to be released by Rama and he flew back to Ravana and told him about
the mighty army of the Vanaras. He said, “Great Ravana, Rama who vanquished
Viradha, Kabandha, and Khara is here along with Sugreeva. They are assembled on
the seashore with plans to invade Lanka. This is the time you could return Sita
to Rama and prevent the destruction of all of us”. Ravana as usual was very furious
and said “I would never give up Sita under any circumstances. I will soon kill
Rama with my arrows. Like the rising Sun dispels the moonlight I will destroy
Rama and his army. Rama does not know my powers. Even great Indra, Varuna, Yama
and Kubera could not face me so what to talk of Rama”.
Ravana however was already
very much perturbed by seeing the havoc done by Hanuman. He started to worry
about what would happen when so many Vanaras would invade Lanka. He called his
ministers and asked them to suggest ways of defending Lanka because there was
imminent danger from Rama who was sure to invade Lanka. He said that the
unanimous decision of all the ministers was the best because he said that the
worst thing was a divergence of opinion among the ministers making no decision
possible. So he asked the ministers to decide on the best strategy to adopt. He
said that Rama, Lakshmana along with Sugreeva were capable of crossing the sea
and invading Lanka.
The ministers started by
praising Ravana as the most powerful king in the three worlds. They reminded
him about his victories over Kubera, Vasuki the Lord of the Patala
(netherworld), the mighty Danavas and many others. They said that he defeated
even Yama the Lord of death. They said that Rama was insignificant as
compared to those kings. They reminded him he had his valorous son Indrajit who
had imprisoned even Indra and released him upon Lord Brahma’s orders. They said
that there was no need to worry about what Hanuman did in Lanka.
Prahasta who was the
commander-in-chief of Lanka rose and with folded hands spoke to Ravana. He said, “You Great King, you have conquered the celestial Gandharvas, snakes and
spirits so what to talk of monkeys. Only order me I will destroy all the
monkeys in the world”. Other chiefs Durmukha, Vajradamshtra and Nikumbha who
were sons of the great Kumbhakarna brandished their deadly weapons and shouted
that just one of them was enough to wipe off Rama and his army. Vajradamshtra
spoke of a superb plan (the rather stupid one) where he would go along with
tens of rakshasas taking the form of men and propose to Rama to fight along
with him. Rama would be deceived and then they would destroy all the men of
Rama by shooting arrows at them from the sky. Rama would also die because of
the tremendous loss of his men.
Vibheeshana who was the only
illustrious among Ravana’s brothers addressed Ravana and said “Violent
confrontation with the enemy was not the best solution and it is preferable to
try peaceful means. Rama is powerful and is never unnecessarily angry and is
also invincible. He killed Khara because he was guilty. Hanuman crossed the
vast ocean and performed great things. The strength and power of our enemy
should not be underestimated. Rama’s enmity should not be earned. Give Sita
back to Rama before he destroys Lanka and all of us. I pray, listen to my
advice and this way all of us would live happily and long”. Ravana after this
asked all his chiefs to go and come the next day.
The next day morning Vibheeshana
after his prayers went to the palace to meet
Ravana. Ravana’s palace was like that of Gandharvas. Music flowed out
smoothly. One could hear the chanting of The Vedas. Ravana was seated on his
magnificent throne surrounded by his ministers. Vibheeshana offered his
respects to Ravana and spoke by carefully choosing his words. He told Ravana
“Ever since Sita was brought to Lanka a series of ill omens have been seen. The
sacrificial fires were not burning well. Serpents were seen in Yaga salas. The
cows did not yield milk”. He said that as a brother it was his duty and he had
to tell him all those things. He pleaded with Ravana to think over well and act
and give back Sita to Rama. Ravana became furious and told Vibheeshana that he
was not afraid of anyone and that it was impossible for Rama to come and take
back Sita even if he were to be helped by Indra himself.
The wicked Ravana could not
appreciate the sound advice of his brother. He was also upset because none of his
war chiefs came to support Ravana. He therefore called for a general assembly. The next day he sat in all pomp in his throne studded with diamonds. Many mighty
rakshasas also arrived on their elephants, horses and chariots. Vibheeshana,
Suka and Prahasta were also present. Ravana in this court shone like Indra
among the Vasus (semidivine beings).
Ravana ordered Prahasta to
keep the army more vigilant and guard the city. Then he addressed the court and said, “You who are here are
mighty warriors and full of wisdom. I have always listened to your advice and
acted and have been successful. I wish to continue like that. I could not call
this assembly because Kumbhakarna was sleeping. He woke up and now he too is
here. I brought Sita from Dandakaranya and kept her for ten months. Sita is the
most beautiful woman in all the three worlds and I want to have her as my wife.
She does not accept me and I have given her one year time. I am more and more
becoming a slave of her beauty. How can Rama cross the sea and come to Lanka? I
am not afraid of human beings. I want you to think well and suggest to me a plan
by which they could be vanquished”.
Hearing this Kumbhakarna got
angry and said that Ravana should have taken their advice before he acted and
now it was too late. He accused Ravana for having done things without proper
thought. Kumbhakarna said that he who was capable of battling with Indra, Sun,
and Kubera, alone could kill Rama and save Ravana. He said that before Rama
could send his arrow he would rush and kill him and drink his blood. Then he
said that Sita would belong to Ravana.
Vibheeshana heard both
Ravana and Kumbhakarna and said that Sita was like a dangerous snake and would
cause destruction. So he said it would be wise to return Sita to Rama before those
mighty Vanaras came and destroyed Lanka and its people. He warned that all of
them however much they were powerful could not face Rama in the battle.
Prahasta said that Rama after all was mortal and they had fought the celestials
and won them. Vibheeshana said that Rama’s valour was unique and he had killed
single-handed Vali, Kabandha and Virada. Vibheeshana added that it was their
duty to prevent Ravana from doing things that were not righteous and the only
course opened to them was to return Sita to Rama with due honours.
Ravana’s son Indrajit then
addressed Vibheeshana and said ‘Dear uncle you are not speaking as the one who
is born in the Paulastya family. You are a coward and are so scared of Rama and
also try to frighten us. Rama and Lakshmana are two young princes whom even
petty rakshasa can kill. I have beaten Indra in battle and I can subdue Rama’.
Vibheeshana called Indrajit immature and haughty and said that he could not
advise on such serious matters. He warned him that no one could face the Brahmadanda
Astra of Rama, which was superior to even Brahmastra. He again requested Ravana
to make peace with Rama.
This irritated Ravana who
spoke angrily to his brother Vibheeshana. He said, “One could live with a
poisonous snake but not with someone who pretended to be a friend. I am
reminded of the saying by the elephants that men were able to capture wild
elephants only by the cooperation of other elephants. You are jealous of my
fame and prosperity and so you are turning against me. If it were any other
person I would have put him to death at once but you are my brother. So go
away”. Vibheeshana told Ravana that he was his elder brother and hence like his
father. He said that he spoke only the truth, which appeared as bitter to
Ravana. He said those words were for the welfare of Ravana and his family. He
said that he was leaving him forever and asked him to protect himself well.
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