Yudha Kandam (Contd)
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander
17. Vibheeshana seeks protection
(Vibheeshana along
with his four ministers seeks protection from Rama. The monkeys suspect hi,.
Rama asks the opinion of monkey chiefs. Only Hanuman feels that he should be accepted.)
After the younger brother of Ravana spoke these harsh
words to Ravana , immediately he arrived
at the place of Rama and Lakshmana.
17.1
The monkey lords standing on the ground saw
on the sky him who was like Meru mountain and who was shining like lightning.
17.2
They also saw his four assistants who were huge and valorous ,They were also carrying
weapons and were wearing ornaments.
17.3
He was looking like a mountain of clouds and having shine like Vajrayudha and valorous
one was having divine weapons and
wearing divine ornaments.
17.4
Sugreeva the king of monkeys seeing Vibheeshana among those
five people , being intelligent became worried along with other monkeys.
17.5
After thinking for a moment , he spoke to the monkeys along with monkey
lords including Hanuman .
17.6
“See these well armed Rakshasa along with four
others and there is no doubt that
they are coming to kill us.”
17.7
When the best of the monkeys heard the words of Sugreeva ,
he lifted Sala trees as well as
mountains and spoke as follows.
17.8
“Oh king, quickly
order us , so that we can kill those wicked ones so that those fools will fall
on the ground dead.”
17.9
When they were talking to each other like this
Vibheeshana reached the northern shore
and comfortably stopped there. 17.10
That very intelligent one , staying comfortably in the sky itself ,spoke in a
loud voice to them after seeing Sugreeva
and other monkeys . 17.11
“There is Rakshasa
with bad conduct who is the king of the Rakshasas and I am the younger brother of that bad one and known
as Vibheeshana. 17.12
“He is the one who abducted Sita from Janasthana after
killing Jatayu and that pathetic
lady who is being held captive is being held against her will and is guarded by Rakshasis.” 17.13
“I persuaded Ravana again and again by various type of words and arguments to
return Sita safely to Rama.”
17.14
“Being encouraged by
God of death , he did not accept my advice just like a perverted person
does not accept medicine.”
17.15
“He told harsh
words to me , treated me as his servant and also insulted me and I forsaking my son and wife , have
come to surrender to Rama.” 17.16
“Please inform quickly that great soul Rama , who protects all the world that Vibheeshana has come .”
17.17
Hearing these words Sugreeva who does things swiftly hurriedly told these words to Rama in front of Lakshmana.
17.18
“Unexpectedly he who is an enemy belonging to the enemy
army has come here to kill all of us like
owls destroying the crow.”
17.19
"O, destroyer of enemies! You should be aware of the design, distribution, leading
of the army and the secret service of the monkeys and also of your foes. May
good come to you!" 17.20
“The Rakshasas who can take any
form they like can vanish too and they are heroic as well as deceitful and so we cannot trust them.
17.21
“He may be a spy sent by Ravana
the King of Rakshasas and there is no doubt that he can become one of us and create
differences between us.”
17.22
“Otherwise that intelligent one
can find out our weaknesses or having
gained our confidence , he may even attack us.”
17.23
“We can accept the army provided by friends of the
forest or accept the help of hereditary paid warriors but we should avoid taking help from the
enemy.”
17.24
“He is by nature a Rakshasa who is
the brother of our enemy who has directly come over from him and so how can we trust him?”
17.25
“The younger brother of Ravana
whose name is Vibheeshana along
with his four assistant Rakshasas has
approached you for protection.”
17.26
“Oh Rama who can judge what is
right , I feel that this Vibheeshana has been sent by Ravana and we have to first arrest him .”
17.27
“Oh faultless one, he has come
here sent by a crooked Rakshasa and when you start trusting him, he would attack you using his
powers of illusion.”
17.28
“This Vibheeshana is definitely
the brother of the cruel Ravana and so
let us kill him and give severe punishment to his assistants.”
17.29
“After the chief of the army who was an expert in talk expressed his views
hurriedly , Rama the master of
words thereafter preferred to be
silent.”
17.30
The very strong Rama after
hearing these words of Sugreeva
told the monkeys
sitting in front of chief Hanuman who was near him.”
17.31
“The very reasonable opinion
about the brother of king Ravana spoken by Sugreeva was also heard by
you.”
17.32
“An efficient and intelligent person
desirous of the everlasting welfare of
his friend , should advise him, when he faces difficulties.”
17.33
When Rama asked them like this , those monkeys who wanted to
do good to Rama , without any hesitation freely told their respective
opinion.
17.34
“Oh Raghava , in these three
worlds , there is nothing that you do not know but with a view of honouring us
, you are asking our opinion.”
17.35
“You are wedded to Dharma, you
consider truth as your penance ,
you have unfailing valour , you have unfailing memory , you are committed to the welfare of your
friends and you take action only after
proper investigation.”
17.36
“And so one by one your intelligent
and very efficient ministers
would tell about their opinion about this matter.”
17.37
Then the very intelligent
monkey Angadha told first Rama that Vibheeshana should be tested first before taking any decision.
17.38
“Vibheeshana who has directly
come from our enemy should always be
suspected and so soon , he cannot be
considered as a trustworthy person.”
17.39
“The people who cheat move about hiding their real nature and attack us at our weak places and lead to
great misfortune.”
17.40
“One should take decision only
after examining the possible merits and
demerits and accept a particular action
if it is likely to lead to good and reject it if it is likely to lead to
bad.” 17.41
“If we find lot of faults in
him let us reject him but if we find
only good in him let us accept him.”
17.42
Then Sarabha told the following
meaningful words. “Oh tiger among men, let us send a spy to follow him and report to us.”
17.43
“Suppose we send a spy who is
extremely intelligent who would examine his activities , then we can take a
decision according to justice.”
17.44
Jambhavan who could see this
matter with the sayings of
scriptures advised in a faultless way after examining the good and bad of it.
17.45
“This Vibheeshana has come
from the king of Rakshasas who is our
greatest enemy and is a great sinner and
has arrived at an improper place and time
and so by all means he should be suspected.” 17.46
Then Mainda who is an expert in
discriminating bad from good and who has
great command over his words spoke these
reasonable words.
17.47
“Oh king of kings This
Vibheeshana is indeed the younger brother
of Ravana and so let us find
about him by questioning him using sweet words.”
17.48
“Oh bull among men, then after
knowing his mind and concluding whether he is a
bad or good one , we have take decision as per our intelligence.”
17.49
Then the best among ministers
who was highly civilized Hanuman
told smooth, meaningful , sweet and
brief words. 17.50
“Even Bruhaspathi cannot excel
you in your capacity to talk as you
posses exalted intelligence . You are also powerful, best among men ,
intelligent and efficient.”
17.51
“I am not talking to cause a fight and not to excel over others and Oh Rama , I am talking about this due to
the importance of the matter .”
17.52
“I am seeing error in the
judgment of ministers regarding the advantages and disadvantages of the matter
and I feel that a judicial investigation is not possible.”
17.53
“Without entrusting a work, it
is not possible to judge the
ability of any one and I feel that it is too early to entrust any job to this
stranger.”
17.54
“ The idea of some ministers to
send a spy on him is impracticable as
that particular method is greatly impractical. “ 17.55
“It has been said that
Vibheeshana came at the wrong time and place. I desire to tell my opinion on
this and so kindly listen.” 17.56
“He has taken this decision
after comparing merits and demerits between you and Ravana and has decided you are superior to him now only and hence
the time and place seems to be alright .”17.57
“After seeing the wickedness in
Ravana and the great valour in you , it is worthy of his judgment to decide to come to you.”
17.58
“Some ministers told that since he is a stranger , it is only proper to question him before accepting him. But please hear my views.” 17.59
“When he who is wise man is being questioned , he would start doubting
you and one who comes as a friend becomes faithless , if he is questioned.” 17.60
“Oh king without great skills
in judging between different voices and
tones , it is not possible to judge speedily about his intention.”
17.61
“I do not see any bad intention
in him or in his talk. And his clear and composed face makes me not
to have any doubt in him.”
17.62
“A person intent on cheating
does not approach fearlessly and with
confidence and he does not look
like a bad one and so I do not have any doubt in him.” 17.63
“It is not possible to hide the
emotions in one’s face and even if it is hidden , his deeper intentions get
revealed through the face.”
17.64
“Oh expert in action, an action has to be done at the proper time and place
and leads to fruitful results only if it is done speedily.”
17.65
“Seeing your perseverance ,
noticing the improper behaviour of Ravana , hearing about death of Vali .
hearing about crowning of Sugreeva , very intelligently desiring for this
kingdom , he has come here . Taking into
consideration , this aspect alone, it is proper to accept him.” 17.66-17.67
“I have told you this to the
best of my ability after noting the sincerity
of this Rakshasa and after
hearing the words of mine, you have to
judge on this matter.”
17.68
Thus ends the
seventeenth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book.
18.Rama accepts Vibheeshana
(Sugreeva is against giving protection to Vibheeshana. Rama makes him
agree quoting Sastras as well by telling
several incidents. Sugreeva agrees and they decide to accept the surrender of
Vibheeshana.)
The unconquerable Rama who was pleased after hearing what was told by the son of
wind God replied with a firm mind , his opinion.
18.1
“I also desire to tell you my opinion about
Vibheeshana and I want you all who are
interested in my welfare to hear
it.”
18.2
“I do not forsake anyone who comes to me with friendship
in spite of his having any defect because learned people say that acceptance of such a person is irreproachable.” 18.3
Sugreeva examined
and analyzed the words spoken by Rama
and that monkey chief gave this
auspicious reply . 18.4
“It seems that
this night traveler who forsook
his elder brother when he was in deep trouble is very dangerous for he may betray any one at any time.”
18.5
When that son of Kakustha clan , who is really valorous heard the words of the king of
monkeys , he looked round everyone , smiled a little and spoke to Lakshmana who has an auspicious look .18.6-18.7
“Without reading the Sasthras and without serving old
people , it is not possible to speak such words as spoken by the king of monkeys.”
18.8
“If we examine it with concentration, it appears to me
that there is something peculiar in
these circumstances and it occurs among kings and ordinary people.”
18.9
“It is told that persons of the same family and kings of
adjoining kingdom become enemies due to some adversities and that one has come here because of it.”
18.10
“But people of the family who are not sinners do respect the interests of their own family members who are their well wishers but in case of kings even a
virtuous person also is under
suspicion.” 18.11
“Regarding the defect that you told about his being coming from the side of the enemy , I will
quote what shastras say about it and please hear.”
18.12
“We do not belong to the same family and one who desires
to be a king is also a Rakshasa and he appears to be greatly learned and that
is why he is acceptable.”
18.13
“People who are of the same family do not live together
happily and without fear of each other
and due to this a split occurs between them
and a great sense of fear prevails among them. That is why Vibheeshana
should be accepted.”
18.14
“Not all brothers are similar to Bharatha , not all
people are sons and fathers like me and
not all people are friends like
you.”
18.15
When Rama told like this Sugreeva along with Lakshmana
the wise stood up and saluted him and Sugreeva told him like this.” 18.16
“Oh best among those who have patience , please realize
that this night traveler might have been sent by Ravana and it is better to imprison him.”
18.17
"Oh mighty armed Rama, The faultless on, This Rakshasa has been sent to kill you who are unsuspecting, or to
kill Lakshmana or me in trust. He came here with a crooked mind. He with his
counselors is fit to be imprisoned. Is not Vibheeshana the brother of cruel
Ravana?" 18.18-18.19
After saying like this to the best of Raghu Dynasty ,
Sugreeva , the chief of the army , who was expert in speech
kept silent.
18.20
Rama heard these words of Sugreeva and after analyzing
it , told these auspicious words to the
chief of the monkeys.
18.21
“What does matter if this night walker is a good one or a bad one as he is incapable of causing even a little harm to me.” 18.22
“Oh king of the monkeys , if I desire , I can kill these ghosts, Dhanavas and Yakshas who are living in this world by using the tip of my finger.” 18.23
“It is heard that a dove received his enemy who came
seeking its protection as per rules oh hospitality and offered him , his own
self as food.”
18.24
“Oh Lord of the monkeys , if that dove can receive the
hunter who has killed his wife with
hospitality , how much more a man like me should do?”
18.25
Please hear the verses composed by sage Kandu who was son
of sage Kanva who was wedded to Dharma and a
votary of truth.
18.26
“Oh tormentor of enemies, if a person begs making a cup out of his hand , if a person is miserable and
if a man comes seeking refuge, even if
he is your enemy , he should not be killed , with the aim of not being
classified as cruel.” 18.27
“Even if an enemy is arrogant or is oppressed , if he comes seeking your
protection , with a greatly disciplined mind he should be protected even by
forsaking our own life.”
18.28
“If he does not protect him due to fear , passion and
desire , using his own strength , he would be reproached by the world as a
sinner .”
18.29
“If a man who sought protection is not protected and dies before the eyes of
a person who could have protected him ,
that person who dies takes away all the reward for good action from the man who did not protect him and
dies.”
18.30
“There is a great defect in not protecting those who
surrender to you for he will lose heaven as
fame and his strength and valour
would be destroyed.”
18.31
“I will do according to the great words of Kandu for I will become a votary of dharma,
famous and would go to heaven.”
18.32
“If any one surrenders to me once and begs me saying , “I am yours”, I would
protect him from all beings and this is
my pledge.”
18.33
“I have given him protection whether he is Vibheeshana or
Ravana himself. And so monkey chief , bring him here .”
18.34
When the Lord of monkeys heard the words of Rama , due to
his close friendship with Rama , he told
like this.
18.35
"Oh Rama, who knows Dharma , the crest jewel among
lords of the world, What surprise is
there in thinking that you, duly endowed with true essence of life and
established in a right path, speak these venerable words?"
18.36
“My inner self also tells me
that Vibheeshana is a pure soul , after I examine him from all angles, his appearance and from my inference .”
18.37
“Oh Rama let speedily that greatly wise Vibheeshana also become equal to us and let him be blessed with our
friendship.”
18.38
After hearing the words of the king of monkeys Sugreeva , the king of
the men acknowledged it and held a meeting with Vibheeshana which was like the meeting between Indra and
Garuda. 18.39
Thus ends the
eighteenth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
19.Vibheeshana is crowned as king of Rakshasas,
(Vibheeshana ’s surrender is
accepted by Rama after he tells about
the strengths of Rakshasa army. As per orders
of Rama, Lakshmana consecrates Vibheeshana as the king of Rakshasas.
Vibheeshana suggests Rama to request help
from Varuna to build a bridge.
Rama commences his penance.)
When Rama promised him protection , the very intelligent
Vibheeshana who was the brother of Ravana bent down and glanced towards the earth.
19.1
That soul of Dharma, Vibheeshana
descended on the earth happily from the sky along with his faithful
companions and reached near Rama.
19.2
Then Vibheeshana along with his four Rakshasas saluted
the feet of Rama and told the following
words to Rama which was suitable as per Dharma , right and joyful.
19.3
“I am the younger brother of Ravana and I was insulted by
him and I have come to surrender before
you, who is the protector of all beings.”
19.4
“I have forsaken my Lanka, friends as well as wealth and my country, myself and my pleasures
are from now on under your control.”
19.5
When he heard these words
, Rama told him, with a soothing
look in his eyes , and in a soothing tone, “Please tell me in
detail about the strength and weakness of the Rakshasas.” 19.6-19.7
When who does all actions with stability asked that
Rakshasa like this , he started telling about the strength of Ravana’s army in
detail.
19.8
“Ravana the son of
the king is protected by a boon given by
Lord Brahma that he cannot be killed by
all beings including Gandharwas, Yakshas , serpents and birds.”
19.9
After the next elder brother of mine is greatly
valorous and is the lustrous Kumbhakarna
who has enough strength to fight Lord
Indra.”
19.10
“Oh Rama , you must have heard about the
commander-in-chief of Ravana called
Prahastha who defeated Manibhadra in a
battle on mount Kailas.”
19.11
“If furnished
with gloves made of the skin of
Iguana , Indrajit wearing an armour
which no arrow can pierce , becomes invisible when fighting a battle.”
19.12
“Oh Rama , that glorious Indrajit , had pleased the God
of fire and so can strike the enemy in
the battle field with huge formations ,
while remaining invisible .”
19.13
“The Rakshasas called Mahaparswa, Mahodhara and Akampana
, who are equivalent in valour to the guardians of the world are
the commanders of Ravana ‘s army .” 19.14
“Hundred crores of Rakshasas who can assume any form they
want and who eat flesh and blood
reside in Lanka.”
19.15
“The king along with these Rakshasas waged a war with
the guardians of the world and they as well as the devas were defeated by the wicked Ravana.”
19.16
The best of the Raghu clan after hearing these words of
Vibheeshana , examined all these with great attention and spoke these words.
19.17
“Oh Vibheeshana I know about these facts about Ravana and I know that all those which you told were true.”
19.18
“After killing Ravana , his son as well as Prahastha , I
will make you the king here. Please hear this truth from me.”
19.19
“Even if Ravana hides himself deep in Rasatala or
Patala or even if he seeks the presence of Brahma , I shall definitely kill him.”
19.20
"I will not enter Ayodhya
without killing Ravana together with his sons, companions and relatives in
battle. I take oath on my three brothers."
19.21
Hearing the words of Rama , who
is stable in his action, the soul of Dharma Vibheeshana saluted him by bowing
his head and spoke.
19.22
“I will help you in killing
the Rakshasas when we attack the Lanka and as per my strength I will also enter in to the army.”
19.23
When Vibheeshana told like this
Rama hugged him told Lakshmana “Dear one
go and bring the sea water.”
19.24
“Oh Lakshmana with great self
respect, quickly consecrate with this
water , Vibheeshana as king of
Rakshasas , so that I am pleased.”
19.25
Hearing the words of Rama ,
Lakshmana consecrated Vibheeshana as king , as per the order of Rama in
between the monkey lords.
19.26
Noticing the grace of Rama ,
all those monkeys , produced a great sound
and said “Great, Great.”
19.27
Then Hanuman and Sugreeva asked
Vibheeshana, “How can we cross this tumultuous ocean which is the home of
Varuna along with this great army of
monkeys which has great splendour?” 19.28
“Please tell us the manner in
which we would be able to cross this
Lord of streams and rivers swiftly along
with our army?” 19.29
When those followers of Dharma
asked like this to Vibheeshana , he replied, “ The king Rama should surrender and take refuge
with the God of ocean.”
19.30
“This immeasurable great ocean
was dug by Sagaras and so this great ocean would be inclined to
obey Rama who belongs to the clan of Sagaras.” 19.31
When the learned Rakshasa told
like this , Sugreeva went to the place where Rama and Lakshmana
were there.
19.32
Then after informing them about
the auspicious words Of Vibheeshana, the long necked Sugreeva advised Rama to approach and make a request
to the ocean.
19.33
Since Rama by nature was pious , he liked the
idea and along with Lakshmana and the
monkey chief Sugreeva , wanting to follow the great advice of Vibheeshana told
them with a smile . 19.34-19.35
“Oh Lakshmana ,I like the advice of Vibheeshana and since Sugreeva is very learned and you
are an expert in giving counsel, both of you take a decision in this matter and
inform me.” 19.36
When they were told like those two valorous people
Sugreeva and Lakshmana with proper
courtesy told like this.
19.37
“Oh tiger among men Rama, there is no reason for us not
to like the advice of Vibheeshana which
is soothing at this difficult time and it is agreeable to both of us.”
19.38
“Without building a bridge across the horrifying ocean
which is the home of Varuna , it is not possible to reach Lanka even for Indra
and devas.”
19.39
“Let us do according to the meaningful advice of
Vibheeshana and since we have already
wasted time in this endeavor , let the ocean be commanded to yield passage to the army to reach Lanka
ruled by Ravana.”
19.40-19.41
Having been told like this , Rama sat on the shore of the
ocean covered by Kusha grass and
appeared like fire trying to reach the
altar.
19.42
Thus ends the
nineteenth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
20. Ravana tries to influence Sugreeva through spies
(One spy informs Ravana about the might of the monkey
army. He sends a spy called Shuka to influence Sugreeva to go back. Shuka is
caught by the monkeys.)
After that a valorous Rakshasa called Sardula came and saw
the army under the command of Sugreeva
which was ready for the battle.
20.1
He was the spy of Ravana , the evil natured king of Rakshasas and after seeing the army of monkeys from all
the sides , he returned back speedily to
Lanka and told the king. 20.2
“A very huge army of monkeys and bears , which is boundless and immeasurable, which
is like a second ocean is approaching Lanka. “
20.3
“The brothers Rama and Lakshmana who are the sons of
Dasaratha who are excellent men endowed
with beauty have come in search of Sita
and they are keeping on the
shores of this great ocean.
20.4-20.5
“Oh king , that army is spread out for a distance of ten
Yojanas(Twenty miles) and you can swiftly verify this truth. “ 20.6
“Oh great king , you need to send your messengers quickly
to verify the truth. Under these circumstances
conciliation, surrendering and
sowing dissensions are the only
options.” 20.7
When Ravana the king of Rakshasa heard these words of
Sardula , he was disturbed and swiftly decided
about the course of action and
spoke to the Rakshasa called Sukha who is best among those who know their
duty.
20.8
“You go to Sugreeva quickly on my behalf and under my
command and in a gentle voice tell him these words of mine .”
20.9
“Oh king , you are
very strong and born in a great family , being the son of Riksharaja , From
this battle you are not going to gain anything , Oh lord of monkeys , you are
like a brother to me.” 20.10
“Suppose I have abducted the wife of that great prince , it should
not matter to you at all and so you go
back to Kishkinda.” 20.11
“This Lanka cannot be reached by monkeys at all. Even
Devas and Gandharwas are not able to reach it and so how can men and monkeys reach here?”
20.12
Thus ordered by
the king of Rakshasas, that Rakshasa Shuka assumed a form of the bird and started flying
in the sky.
20.13
Proceeding in the sky continuously over the ocean , he
stood on the sky and told Sugreeva the
following words. 20.14
Shuka repeated the words of that wicked Ravana , as it was told to him and at that time the monkeys were trying
speedily to reach for him in the sky to
tear of his wings and to strike him. 20.15
Those monkeys forcibly caught that Rakshasa on the sky and brought him down forcibly to the earth.
20.16
When the monkeys were
troubling that Shuka , he told Rama, “Oh Rama of Kakustha clan,
messengers are not killed and so please restrain your monkeys.”
20.17
“A messenger would tell only the opinion of his lord and
never talks about his opinion. But there are other messengers who speak about
their own opinion and they deserve to be killed.” 20.18
Hearing words of Sukha
and the nature of his complaint
Rama told the monkeys who were
trying to kill him, “Do not kill.” 20.19
Seeing that there was no fear from the monkeys , Sukha
who had become light feathered , stood in the space and started taking again. 20.20
“Oh Sugreeva who is in rich in courage and who is very strong and valorous, “What
shall I tell Ravana , who makes the world cry?” 20.21
Hearing these worlds , that chief of monkeys who is the bull among all monkeys and who was very strong., told these words to the
Rakshasa called Sukha who was the spy of Ravana and who was blameless.
20.22
“Oh Ravana neither are you my friend , nor do you deserve
my sympathy . You are not dear to me and you have never helped me .Since you
are the enemy of Rama you along with associates deserve to be killed like Vali was killed.”
20.23
“Oh king of Rakshasas, I would kill you along with your
sons , relatives and clansmen
, I would come to Lanka along with my great army and
turn the entire city in to ashes.” 20.24
"O, foolish Ravana! You along with your younger brother
will not be left alive by Rama, even if
you are protected by all including Indra or even if you have disappeared or obtained, the solar orbit or entered the
nethermost subterranean region or even if approached the lotus feet of Shiva " 20.25-20.26
“I do not see any one including
the ghosts , Rakshasas, Gandharwas and Asuras in all the three worlds coming to
protect you.”
20.27
“You killed the extremely old
Jatayu in war but why is it that you did not try to abduct Sita who is with broad eyes in the presence of
Rama and Lakshmana.”
20.28
“The noble of the Raghu
clan who is great , very strong and who
cannot be even defeated by devas whom you do not know properly would kill
you.” 20.29
The very good monkey Angadha who was the son of
Vali told, “ Oh very intelligent
Sugreeva , He does not appear to be a messenger
but a spy.” 20.30
“Standing there in the sky he
has estimated the strength of our
entire army .Let us arrest him and let him not go back to Lanka and this finds favour with me.” 20.31
Commanded by the king , the
monkeys jumped up in the air and caught hold of him and tied him securely and becoming helpless ,
he started wailing loudly .
20.32
When Sukha was harassed by those monkeys who were fierce , he cried loudly to attract the attention of
the highly principled Rama , who is the son of Dasaratha.
20.33
"My wings are being pulled
out forcibly. My eyes are being pierced. If I die, all the sins incurred by me
between my birth and my death would fall to your share."
20.34-20.35
Rama who heard his wailings ,
did not allow him to be killed by the monkeys as he had come only as a messenger.
20.36
Thus ends the
twentieth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
21.Rama gets angry at the ocean
(When the ocean does not respond to his penance , Rama gets angry and is about it to dry it
by his arrow, Lakshmana stops him.)
Then Raghava spread Dharbha grass on the ocean bank , and saluting
eastward he laid himself on that Durbha
bed with his hand as his pillow and appeared like he was sleeping on a snake. 21.1
His arm , in which he wore golden
gem studded armlets and most excellent ornaments of pearls had been touched by many great ladies
earlier.
21.2-21.3
His hands were applied with sandal and agaru paste earlier were shining like the early morning
Sun.
21.4
Earlier Sita used to make those hands shine by keeping
her head on it and it resembled the Thakshaka snake supported by the water of Ganga .
21.5
That arm which resembled a yoke increased the sorrow of his enemies and was
delightful to his friends and it
was now placed on the shore of the sea.
21.6
That arm whose skin had been
hardened by the strokes of the bow string, the left arm resembling a great mace
and that mighty right arm that bestowed thousands of cows in charity was used
as a pillow. Rama, the competent man and the mighty armed said: " Either
crossing of the ocean or a death should occur to me today". Making that
resolve he laid down by the ocean, restraining his speech and with a pious
disposition according to tradition.
21.7-21.9
According to traditional rule
Rama who was lying down on the Durbha
bed on earth spent three nights
there.
21.10
That man of justice who was diplomatic , waited for the ocean which was the lord of the rivers for three nights there.
21.11
Though honored according to his
greatness by the self subdued Rama, the careless ocean did not appear in his
personal form to Rama.
21.12
Due to getting angry on the
ocean Rama ‘s eyes turned blood red in
colour and he spoke these words to Lakshmana who was near
by and
who was having auspicious look. 21.13
“Due to its great arrogance the
ocean has not made its appearance . Indeed qualities calmness, tolerance kind speech and
straight –forwardness which are the
qualities of noble men give weak results, when directed towards those having no
virtues." 21.14
“That bad man who flatters himself and runs all over the world shamelessly like a horse set out at liberty
is only appreciated by the world.
21.15
“In this world it is not
possible to obtain fame and glory at the
end of a battle by peaceful means.”
21.16
“Oh Lakshmana see how this
ocean which is the home of crocodiles
is going to be broken by my arrows and get suffocated on all its sides.” 21.17
" Oh, Lakshmana, watch
these coils of water snakes, the huge bodies of
alligators and the trunks of sea elephants which are going to be shattered by me."
21.18
“I am going to dry up this
ocean with its conches , shells, fishes and crocodiles in this great battle.”
21.19
“I think this home of crocodiles is going to consider me as soft man incapable of doing anything and I feel it is a mistake to show our soft
side to certain people.”
21.20
“The ocean is not appearing
before me in its true form. Oh Son of Sumithra , bring my bow and my
arrows which are like poison .I would then
dry up this ocean and we can go to Lanka by foot.”
21.21-21.22
" Being very angry
now, I will shake this ocean, even if it is
unshakable. I will force the ocean, which is demarcated by banks and agitated
with thousands of waves, bereft of a boundary, by my arrows. I will agitate the
great ocean, thronged with great Rakshasas." 21.23-21.24
After telling this that holder
of the bow with eyes widened by anger
became fearsome to look at like the blazing fire at the deluge .”
21.25
He pressed the horrifying
bow , twanged it and made
the world shake , he released a
fierce winged arrow which was like the Vajrayudha of Indra.”
21.26
Those lustrous and very great arrows travelling with great
speed entered the ocean striking the
water snakes with great terror.
21.27
When the water fishes and alligators were suddenly disturbed
became much more disturbed due to the wind.
21.28
And that great ocean was shaken by the multitude of waves which was full of large number of
conches and smoke came out of it.
21.29
Sea snakes with lustrous faces
and with glittering eyes and very
powerful Rakshasas who were living in Patala
were greatly disturbed.
21.30
Waves in thousands resembling the Vindhya and Mandhara
mountains jumped from the sea along
with several crocodiles.
21.31
That ocean with its large
number of fluctuating waves, and with
its scared serpents and Rakshasas and
with huge crocodiles coming out, became full of noise.
21.32
Then the son of Sumithra rushed towards Rama who was stretching his bow with very
great speed , taking a deep breath and shouting “No further, No further” and
took hold of Rama ‘s bow . 21.33
“Even without destroying the
ocean by you, you being a great hero. Your purpose would be served . Men like you should get
into this type of anger. Oh gentle Rama you should think of some other
alternative .”
21.34
The Brahma rishis and deva sages, who were standing on the
sky made great sound saying “Alas” and
further said “No further.”
21.35
Thus ends the
twenty first chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
22. The Bridge over the ocean is built
( When Rama is about to shoot the arrow of Brahma, the god of ocean appears before him and requests Rama to use the expertise of the
monkey Nala who was the son Of Visvakarma to build a bridge across the
sea, the arrow of Brahma is used to make
the Maru desert fertile. The monkey build a bridge to Lanka in five days and
stat crossing over,)
Then that noble one of the Raghu clan spoke these harsh
words to the ocean, “Oh great ocean I
will dry you up till the Patala.
22.1
“Oh ocean , when your water is consumed by my arrow , you would get
dried up and a huge mountain of sand will appear in you and all the creatures within you
would be destroyed.” 22.2
“Oh ocean , by the
rain of arrows that would leave my bow , the monkeys could walk down to the
other shore and reach Lanka.”
22.3
“Oh ocean which is the home of the Rakshasas , By your intelligence you are not able to recognize my power or prowess and you will repent at my hands.”
22.4
Fixing the Brahmastra
which is similar to the rod of Brahma
on his bow that very strong one
stretched the arrow.
22.5
When Rama was stretching his bow keeping that arrow , the
earth suddenly seem to split and
the mountains seem to shake.
22.6
Darkness spread all over the world and all directions
became not visible and rivers and lakes seem to get agitated.
22.7
The moon sun and the stars did not move directly and though the sun's
rays lighted the sky, the sky was covered
by darkness and it shined with a
blaze of hundreds of meteors while thunders
echoed with an unparalleled sound in the sky.
22.8-22.9
Series of divine storms
blew in their very gross forms sweeping away clouds and breaking huge trees.
22.10
The wind broke the mountain peaks, broke off the points of
the rocks. Winds of great speed struck together in the sky and emitted flashes
of radiance proceeding from lightning with a great sound and then there were
great thunders.
22.11
All the beings that were
visible to the eye wailed along with the
sound of thunders and even beings which
were not visible made great sound and
all the creatures were overpowered
, agitated and were scared and did not move due to great fear . 22.12-22.13
After that in the
great ocean , water tides along with marine creatures and Rakshasas
developed great speed and due to that
speed , the swelling waters crossed in to the shore and travelled one Yojana inside the land.
22.14-22.15
Seeing the ocean which was overflowing Rama the destroyer of his enemies did not retreat before the ocean swelled and
crossed its limits.
22.16
The God of the ocean then arose
from the middle of the ocean , similar to the sun rising at dawn from Mount
Meru. 22.17
The God of the ocean along with
the snakes with flaming jaws appeared with the colour of emerald decorated by Gold.
22.18
The valorous god of ocean, the lord of rivers, wearing a
garland of pearls, with his eyes
looking like lotus leaves, using a pretty garland made of all kinds of flowers as ornament on his head, with ornaments of
purified gold, adorned with excellent jewels made of pearls from his domain,
decorated with different kinds of gems and metals, resembling Himalaya mountain, wearing on his broad chest a locket
shedding a white luster, resembling a Kousthubha gem and hanging in the middle of a single string
of pearls, with a multitude of waves whirled around him, encircled by the
clouds and winds, escorted by rivers mainly the Ganga and Sindhu, endowed with
diverse forms resembling various deities, approached Rama with joined palms,
who stood with arrows in hand, addressing him first as OH Rama!' and spoke the
following words:
22.19-22.24
“Oh Rama with tender heart, the earth , wind , sky ,
water and fire remain stable in their nature and go towards the eternal path.”
22.25
“And due to this I am extremely deep and impossible to
swim across and it is unnatural for me to be shallow. I am going to tell you
a method to cross me .”
22.26
“Oh son of the
king , I cannot solidify my
waters with alligators either
because of desire or ambition or fear
or love.”
22.27
“Oh Rama , I will make it possible so that all of you including the monkeys can
cross me by a path and bear the army
while they cross me. The alligators
would not be aggressive on them while they cross over.,”
22.28
Then Rama told the ocean, ”Please hear , oh home of
Varuna, this arrow should not go in vain and should descend on some
place.”
22.29
After hearing the words of Rama and after seeing
that great arrow , the great and
lustrous ocean told Raghava.
22.30
“On my northern parts there is a holy place called Drumatalaya
and similar to you, it is well known in this world.”
22.31
“Numerous dacoits who do very many cruel deeds known as the sinful Abheeras drink my waters there.”
22.32
“I am not able to
bear the sinful touch of these great sinners and so I request this arrow
which is great to be released on them , thus making it not go in vain.” 22.33
Hearing these words of the great ocean , Rama released
that shining arrow to the place indicated by the ocean.
22.34
The place where that
arrow which had the luster of Vajrayudha descended
was the famous desert called Maru (Malwar).
22.35
Then with great
sound that arrow pierced the earth there
was the place where water from Rasatala gushed to that place from
a cleft in the earth . 22.36
And that well that was created became well known as
Vruna and the water gushing out from
there resembled the ocean.
22.37
With a horrifying sound
the arrow of Rama fell there and
dried up the water in those cavities
.22.38
That place became famous
in all the three worlds as the desert of Maru. The learned and valorous Rama the son of
Dasaratha who resembled the devas dried up that
cleft and gave a boon to that
place .
22.39-22.40
Due to granting of a boon by
Rama, that desert of Maru became the most suitable place for cattle rearing, a place with
very little of disease, producing tasty fruits and
roots, with a lot of ghee , a lot of
milk and various kinds of sweet- smelling herbs. Thus it became an auspicious
and suitable move, bestowing these merits.
22.41-22.42
When the cavity in that desert
was burning, the ocean which is the lord of the rivers told Rama who had great knowledge of science as well as great books.
22.43
“Oh gentle one, that person
with the name Nala is the son of
Viswakarma , He has been given a boon by his father and he is equal to
Viswakarma (architect of devas).”
22.44
“Let him build the bridge with great enthusiasm and I would hold it for he is just like his father.”
22.45
After saying this the God of
ocean disappeared and Nala, the great monkey chief stood up and told the
following words to the very strong
Rama.
22.46
“As told by the great ocean I
have the ability of my father and I would construct a bridge across this wide ocean.”
22.47
“This ocean which is a
formidable body of water has given
passage to Rama due to its fear of
punishment as Rama wanted a bridge to
be constructed across it.”
22.48
“On the Mandhara mountain Viswakarma gave the
following boon to my mother , “Oh Lady , the son who will be born to you would
be exactly like me.”
22.49
“I am the real son of
Viswakarma born out of his loins and I
am similar to Viswakarma and this has been
reminded to me by the God of ocean and I
did not speak about it because I thought it is not proper to
talk about myself without being asked.”
22.50
“I am capable of building a
bridge across the ocean, the home of Varuna and so let all the great monkeys help me to build the
bridge.”
22.51
Then sent by Rama all the monkey army jumped in joy on all sides and rushed towards the great forest in hundreds of thousands.
22.52
Those monkeys who resembled
mountains broke mountain like rocks and
trees and dragged them towards the sea.
22.53
Those monkeys filled the ocean
with all types of trees like Sala and Asvakarna, Dhava and bamboo, Kutaja,
Arjuna, palmyra,Tilaka, Tinisa, Bilva, Saptaparna, Karnika, in blossom as also
mango and Asoka.
22.54-22.55
Those best of monkeys who live
in the forest carried and brought some
trees with roots and some without roots which looked like the flag post of
Indra .
22.56
From here and there those
monkeys brought Palmyra trees, pomegranate shrubs, coconut and Vibhitaka,
Karira, Bakula and neem trees. 22.57
Those huge bodied monkeys who were very strong uprooted elephant sized
rocks and mountains and brought them with machines.
22.58
The water which went up due to
throwing of the mountains , rose up to the sky and came back again
and gushed back to the ocean.
22.59
The rocks which were falling
from all sides caused turbulence in the ocean. Others threw strings of hundred yojanas long to keep the
rocks straight .
22.60
Nala started building the
bridge in the middle of the ocean which was the lord of all rivers and the
bridge was built at that time by those great monkeys who can do terrible acts. 22.61
Some monkeys held the pole for
measuring the bridge , others collected different type of materials and by the
command of Rama hundreds of thousands monkeys
brought reeds and logs which were like the clouds and mountains and
fastened parts of the bridge . 22.62-22.63
Some monkeys made
the bridge with trees having blossomed ends and some monkeys who looked like Rakshasas
caught hold of rocks resembling mountains
and peaks and appeared to run here
and
there.
22.64
When the stones where
thrown in the sea , mountains also fell
at those spots , very great sound emanated
from there.
22.65
On the first day itself
fourteen Yojana of bridge was
constructed speedily by those monkeys who were joyful and were resembling elephants.
22.66
Similarly on the second
day twenty yojanas of bridge was
speedily constructed by those
mighty strong monkeys with huge bodies.
22.67
Similarly on the third day
twenty one yojanas of bridge was constructed in the ocean , speedily by the
monkeys who had huge bodies.
22.68
On the fourth day twenty two yojanas of bridge was
constructed by further hastening those monkeys with great speed.
22.69
The speedily working monkeys constructed twenty
three Yojanas of the bridge on the fifth day and reached up to the other end of the
sea.
22.70
Thus the very strong gentle monkey chief Nala who was the son of
Viswakarma built a bridge on the ocean
as his father would have done it.
22.71
The bridge constructed on the ocean which was the home of alligators by Nala
was good to look at and auspicious
and resembled the milky way in the sky.
22.72
With a wish to see the
wonderful construction Devas, ,
Gandharwas , Sidhas a well as great sages
came and stood up on the sky .
22.73
Devas and Gandharwas saw that
hundred Yojanas bridge which was ten Yojanas
wide and which was constructed by Nala
and understood that it was difficult to build .
22.74
The monkeys took long leaps and short and leaps shouted in joy. All other beings saw
that construction of the bridge across the ocean as unimaginable, impossible
and wonderful, causing their hair to stand on end in amazement.
22.75-22.76
It was a great spectacle to see
those thousand crore of great monkeys cross to the other shore , immediately
after building the bridge.
22.77
That great
bridge, which was broad, well-constructed, glorious, well postured and
held together firmly, looked beautiful like a separating straight line in the
ocean.
22.78
And on the other shore of the
sea Vibheeshana holding a mace along
with his ministers stood up for invading
the enemy.
22.79
Thereafter, Sugreeva on his
part spoke to Rama, the truly brave man as follows: "O, valiant man, This ocean, the abode of alligators, is indeed
vast and so you climb up on the shoulder of Hanuman and let Lakshmana
climb up on the shoulder of Angadha.
These monkeys can carry both of you while flying in the sky."
22.80-22.81
On front of the army the lustrous
Rama who followed Dharma and Lakshmana marched along with
Sugreeva .
22.82
Some monkeys went along the
middle of the bridge. Some others went along the sides. Some others were
seen jumping into water. Some others
marched forward on the path. Some monkeys entered the sky and flew like Garuda the eagle.
22.83
The sound of marching monkeys
masked the sound of the ocean which was
huge and terrific . 22.84
After the monkeys crossed over
to the other shore by the bridge constructed by Nala, Sugreeva made them camp on the shore where plenty of
fruits and roots were available.
22.85
Seeing that the wonderful and extremely difficult act was completed , the devas, the Sidhas and Charanas
along with great sages ,
immediately anointed him with sacred waters. 22.86
The Devas , Sidhas and
others blessed Rama, who was duly
respected by kings with their auspicious -words as follows: " O, king,
Defeat the enemies. Rule the earth and ocean which are eternally for years."
22.87
Thus ends the
twenty second chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
23. Rama judges the omens
(Omens indicating death and suffering to the monkey army is noticed by
Rama . He becomes sad because of it.)
The elder brother of Lakshmana who was an expert in omens
seeing the omens , hugged the son of Sumithra and told the following words.
23.1
“After taking over this land blessed with cool water and
fruits , let us divide the army into battalions and set them up there.”
23.2
“I foresee great fear
which will destroy this world and
torture of eminent heroes among monkeys, bears and Rakshasas.”
23.3
“Dusty winds are blowing , the earth is shaking, the tops
of the mountains are quivering and trees
are falling down.”
23.4
“ Revolting clouds with the shape of wild beasts with horrifying sound are raining horrifying rain , with mixture of blood
drops.”
23.5
“The dusk of the colour of red sandalwood is very much dreadful and balls of fire fall from the blazing sun.”
23.6
“All cruel birds and
animals look pitiable and roaring out pitiably facing the sun and
give rise to great fear.” 23.7
“The moon rises as it would do at the time of final
deluge and has a black and red halo and makes the mind depressed.”
23.8
"O, Lakshmana, A dark
stain appears on the cloudless solar disc, which is diminished, dreary,
inauspicious and of copper colour."
23.9
“Great darkness is enveloping
all the stars and seems to herald the
final dissolution of the world.”
23.10
“Crows, eagles, and vultures
are flying nearer to the ground and Jackals are
howling and give rise to inauspicious sound.”
23.11
“By the tridents,
mountains and swords thrown by monkeys
and Rakshasas , the earth will be covered with heaps of
flesh and blood.”
23.12
“We shall attack with great
speed surrounded by monkeys , this
evil town ruled by Ravana.” 23.13
After saying this the charming Rama
who is the conqueror of enemies in battle along with his bow walked to the front of the
army facing the city. 23.14
All those monkey chiefs who
were marching ahead with Vibheeshana and Sugreeva were desiring for the destruction of their
audacious enemies. 23.15
By the acts and gestures of all
those strong monkeys with the idea to please him, Rama became happy.
23.16
Thus ends the
twenty third chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
24. Rama with his army reaches Lanka
( Rama and the monkey army reaches Lanka. Rama divided
the army in to battalions and assigns
job of its protection to various monkey leaders. Shukha the spy is released. He
tells Ravana about the great danger. Ravana is
not bothered,)
That Assembly of valorous monkeys along with
their king shined like the full moon of the autumn and the bright stars.
24.1
The earth which was pressed by a large number of monkeys
who had energy like the sea trembled
with a fear about their rapid
movement.
24.2
Then those monkeys heard
a great tumult from the city of
Lanka which was accompanied by playing of various type of drums
which made their hair to stand erect.
24.3
Hearing that sound the monkey leaders became happy but since they were not able to tolerate it ,
they shouted more loudly and it surpassed that sound.
24.4
The Rakshasas also heard the sound of the roar of the wildly delighted
monkeys which sounded like a thunder
from the sky.
24.5
The Son of Dasaratha saw the city of Lanka decorated
with various types of flags and
decorations and his heart which was full
of grief thought about Sita.
24.6
“There Sita with deer like eyes has been imprisoned by Ravana
just like the Rohini star is over shadowed by planet Mars.”
24.7
After breathing a
warm deep breath , seeing Lakshmana he told these heroic words which were beneficial to him at that time .
24.8
“Oh Lakshmana , see this city of Lanka, which appears to
have been constructed on a hill top by
Viswakarma , so that it appears to be touching the sky.”
24.9
“ When constructed earlier , the city of Lanka was filled
with many towers
and is covered by thick white clouds
and looks like the city of Vishnu.”
24.10
“The lustrous city of Lanka has many flowering gardens which have many fruit bearing trees and filled with singing birds and is comparable to Chaithratha, the garden of Khubera.” 24.11
“See the happy birds , swarming bees and tree branches with lot of cuckoo
birds which sway in the breeze.” 24.12
Thus Rama the son
of Dasaratha spoke with Lakshmana and
then the army was divided in to battalions
according to method
mentioned in great books.
24.13
Then Rama ordered as follows ”Let the valorous and
invincible Angadha along with
Nila occupy the middle position of this
formation .”
24.14
“Let the monkey named Rishabha along with several other monkey chiefs place themselves on the right side of the army.”
24.15
“Let the strong
and unconquerable Gandamadhana who is like an elephant in rut
stand on the left side of the monkey army .”
24.16
“I would stand in
the front tip of the army along with Lakshmana .Let the great Jambavan, Sushena and Veghadarsi who are the monkey and bear chiefs protect the
belly of the army .” 24.17
“Let the rear of the army be protected by the king of monkeys , like very lustrous
God Varuna protects the western side.” 24.18
The several
battalions of the monkey army ,
which was protected by great monkeys shined like the skies with the mass of clouds . 24.19
With the
intention to crush the Rakshasas
in battle , the monkey armed reached
there after seizing peaks of
mountains and trees . 24.20
All the monkeys resolved in their mind , “ Whether with
the peak of mountains or even with bare fists , we will shatter this city of
Lanka in to pieces.” 24.21
Then the very lustrous Rama told Sugreeva , “Now the army
has been divided properly let us release Shuka.”
24.22
The very strong king of monkeys after hearing the words
of Rama , as per the order of Rama released the emissary called Sukha . 24.23
After being troubled by the monkeys and now released by
the words of Rama , Shuka trembling with fear reached the king of Rakshasas. 24.24
Ravana laughingly asked Sukha , “Why were your wings tied
up? It appears that your wings
have been plucked. Have you fallen as the victim of fickle minds.” 24.25-24.26
Asked like that by the king Ravana, Shuka who was agitated with great fear, gave him the following excellent reply:
"On the northern shore of the ocean, I conveyed your message in a smooth
tone, conciliatory and without any
ambiguity exactly as per your instructions." 24.27-24.28
“The monkeys as soon as they
saw me , jumped on me with great anger
and caught me . They started plucking my feathers and beating me with their
fists.”
24.29
“It is not possible to talk to
those monkeys nor is it possible to question them. As they are by their nature short tempered and
ferocious.”
24.30
“Then Rama the killer of Kabandha, Viradha and Khara
has come along with Sugreeva to
the place where Sita is there .”
24.31
“After constructing a bridge
over the sea and having crossed the salty sea
and after driving away the Rakshasas , Rama is standing here .”
24.32
“Several thousand groups of monkeys and bears , who resemble the
mountain and clouds are covering the
earth.”
24.33
“There is no possibility of a
treaty between the army of the king of Rakshasas and that of the army of the
monkeys.”
24.34
“They would come to our
ramparts son and before that you need either to return Sita or soon offer to do battle with them.”
24.35
As soon as Ravana heard the words of Shuka , he with blood red
eyes due to anger and eyes which looked
like he will eat Sukha told.
24.36
“Even if I am frightened by the
entire world or even if Devas, Gandharwas
and Dhanavas come to a battle with me , I will not return back
Sita.
24.37
“When would my arrows fall on
Rama like the bees falling on a fully blossomed tree in the spring.”
24.38
“When will I eat his body
with his body covered with flowing blood due to the lustrous arrows
released from my bow similar to burning torches destroying an
elephant.” 24.39
“Surrounded by a huge army , I
shall eclipse the above mentioned army
of Rama , like the rising sun, eclipses the
bright stars.”
24.40
“My speed is that of the ocean
and my strength is like that of a wind
and this is not known to the son of Dasaratha and that is why he wants
to fight with me.”
24.41
“Rama has not seen the serpent
like arrows which are in my quiver and
that is why he wants to fight with
me.”
24.42
“Rama is not aware of my prowess in battle. I shall
using my arrow heads play on the string of my bow which resembles the Veena p0roducing
sounds of victory and the terrible cries
of the wounded would be the accompaniment
with my arrows producing several musical notes , as soon as I enter the
vast arena of battle with my enemy ranks.”
24.43-24.44
“Neither Indra with thousand eyes , nor Varuna the God of
the sea nor Yama with his fire like arrows
nor Khubera with all his riches would be able to attack me in a
battle.”
24.45
Thus ends the
twenty fourth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
25.Spies Shukha and Sarana
visit the monkey army
(Ravana sends
Shukha and Sarana , his ministers the judge the strength of the monkey army.
They were caught by Vibheeshana. Rama allows them to see the monkey army and releases
them. They go and advise Ravana
to seek peace with Rama.)
When Rama the son of Dasaratha crossed the sea . Ravana
told his ministers Sukha and
Sarana as follows.
25.1
The monkey army has entirely crossed the impassable sea
and the construction of bridge over the sea by Rama is incomparable . 25.2
“I am not able to believe that a bridge could be
constructed across the ocean and I definitely need to analyze the strength of the monkey army.” 25.3
"Become not recognizable to others, enter the army of monkeys and count
the real numbers of their army,
their strength , as to which monkeys are important among them, which ministers
of Rama and Sugreeva have come together, which monkeys are leading in front, which monkeys are valorous , how
that bridge was constructed across the ocean full of water, how the encamping
is done for those great monkeys; the
determination, strength and the striking senses of Rama and of the heroic
Lakshmana."
25.4- 25.7
“Please also find out who is
the commander –in-chief of those
powerful monkeys and after knowing that
you should come back speedily.”
25.8
After the Rakshasas Sukha and Sarana were ordered
this way, they assumed the form of monkeys
and entered the army of monkeys .
25.9
After that Sukha and Sarana
were not able to count the numbers of the army of monkeys and their hair stood erect due to
wonder.
25.10
That army was stationed on the
tops of mountains, round about the waterfalls, in the caves, on the sea-shores,
in the woodlands and in the gardens. It was either in the process of crossing
the ocean, or was intending to cross it in its entirety. It had either encamped
or was still encamping, making a terrible noise. The two Rakshasas saw that very strong and imperturbable sea of
army. 25.11-25.12
The greatly lustrous
Vibheeshana could find out them through
their disguise and he caught hold of
Sukha and Sarana and told Rama.
25.13
“Oh Rama who wins over other enemy cities, These are Sukha and
Sarana who are ministers of the king of Rakshasas and they have come here from
Lanka as spies.”
25.14
They both saw Rama and were trembling and having lost
the hope of being alive , greatly scared , with folded hands in salutation told
Rama.
25.15
“Oh gentle son of Raghu clan,
we both came here because we were sent
by Ravana to know everything about your
entire army.” 25.16
Rama the son of Dasaratha , who
is interested in welfare of all beings , after hearing their words , told them
with a smile .
25.17
‘If you have seen the entire
army and seen all of us well and accomplished the task with which you were
entrusted, you are free to go, when you want.”
25.18
“If you have not seen any
particular aspect , you can see them now and Vibheeshana will again show it to you in its entirety.”
25.19
“Having been caught by us,
there is no need for you to fear for the
messengers who are caught without
weapons should not be killed.”
25.20
“Oh Vibheeshana, always be
ready to shoot an arrow on our enemies , but let these Rakshasa spies who have
come in disguise be set free.”
25.21
“Oh Rakshasas, when you back to
your city tell my words as I told
you to Ravana, the brother of
Khubera and the king of Rakshasas.”
25.22
“I desire that you show us the strength which you exhibited while abducting Sita now
along with your army and friends to
us as well as our army.”
25.23
“Tomorrow morning you will see
my arrows destroying , the city of Lanka, along with forts and arches as well
as the army of Rakshasas.”
25.24
“Oh Ravana , tomorrow at day
break , I will release my dreadful anger on you , Just like Indra , the king of
devas throws the Vajrayudha.”
25.25
When Rama ordered like this to
the Rakshasas called Sukha and Sarana , They said, “Victory to
you” and admired Rama who loved Dharma ,
and then went back to Lanka and spoke to the king of Rakshasas.
25.26-25.27
“Ok king of Rakshasa, Vibheeshana
caught us with the intention of killing us
and the very lustrous Rama seeing it
who is the soul of Dharma set us
free.
25.28
"Where the four eminent
persons who are equal to the protector of the worlds, the valiant ones skilled
in the use of weapons and of proven prowess namely Rama the son of Dasaratha,
the famous Lakshmana, the great and resplendent
Vibheeshana and Sugreeva whose valour is equal to Indra the Lord of devas , are
stationed at the same place, they can uproot the city of Lanka with its ramparts and arches
and transplant it elsewhere, even if all the monkeys do not do anything ." 25.29-25.31
“Such is the personality of
Rama that with his weapons , he
alone destroy the city of Lanka , even
if the other three people do not do
anything.”
25.32
“That army protected by Rama,
Lakshmana and Sugreeva is unconquerable , even if devas and asuras join
together .”
25.33
“The army of the forest living
monkeys are cheerful are interested in fighting the war . This is
sufficient. Make peace with them and
offer the daughter of king of Mithila back to the son of
Dasaratha. 25.34
Thus ends the
twenty fifth chapter of the book of
war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
26. Ravana surveys
the monkey army
(Ravana climbs on a tall tower to see the monkey
army. Shukha introduces various monkey chiefs and tells him about
the strength of their respective armies,)
Hearing those truthful and fearless words
of Sarana , the king Ravana spoke
to him in reply as follows.
26.1
“Even if I am attacked by devas, Gandharwas and Rakshasas together
or even if there if fear to me from all the three worlds, I am not going
to give back Sita.”
26.2
“Oh gentle one , since you have been harassed by the
monkeys too much , being with a fearful mind, you want to me to speedily give
back Sita.”
26.3
“Which enemy can defeat me in the battle?” was the harsh word said by Ravana the king of
Rakshasas. Then Ravana climbed the roof of his white tower like house which was the height of several Palmyra
trees with a desire to see Rama’s
army.
26.4-26.5
Ravana who was benumbed with anger along with those spies saw , the ocean , mountain and forests which were completely filled with monkeys.
26.6
Seeing that shore less and innumerable great army of monkeys , the king Ravana again
asked Sarana.
26.7
“Who are the
important monkeys among them? Who are very strong and valorous among
them? Which of them would be in the front of their army with great enthusiasm?”
26.8
“Who can influence Sugreeva? Who are the chief of
battalions? What can influence these monkeys? Oh Sarana , tell all these things
in detail to me .”
26.9
After hearing the
words of the king of Rakshasas, Sarana , as per what he has seen told about the important chiefs of monkeys.
26.10
“He who is facing
Lanka and is surrounded by hundreds of
thousands of soldier monkeys by whose
great shout , Lanka with all its ramparts,
all its decorations along with all the mountains and forests are resounding , is the great soul
Sugreeva who is the king of all animals
that sit on branches and in the front
of the army the monkey named Nala who is the commander is standing.” 26.11-26.13
"That valiant monkey , who
holds his arms high, who tramples the earth under his feet as he marches, whose
face is turned towards Lanka, who in fury is knitting his brows very much, who
is resembling a mountain- peak in stature, who is like filaments of a lotus in
hue, who is in excess of anger
continuously and lashes out his tail
with a swish of which can be heard in
ten regions, is the prince named
Angadha, anointed by Sugreeva the king of monkeys and is challenging you to the
battle." 26.14-26.17
“He is son of Vali who is like
him and is very dear to Sugreeva and he has come to the front in the interests
of Rama , Like Varuna comes for the sake of Indra.”
26.18
“It is due to his intelligence
that daughter of Janaka was found by the very speedy Hanuman as he desires for the welfare of Rama.” 26.19
“That Valorous one has
brought with very many units of monkey
army commanded by various chiefs and he is approaching to crush you with his
own army.”
26.20
“Next to Angadha ,
surrounded by large army stands the valorous Nala who is the one who built
the bridge , ready for battle with you.” 26.21
"These excellent monkeys,
numbering a thousand crores and eight lakhs, who have been lodged in sandalwood
groves, yelling like a lion’s roar and after having stiffened their limbs, are
knitting their eye-brows raised in anger. These valiant monkeys, who are
terrific and fierce having a ferocious
zeal are going to follow Nala. Nala
himself with his aforesaid army aspires to smash Lanka forthwith."
26.22-26.24
"A monkey called Shweta of
silver colour who is quick-witted and
clever, of terrific prowess and a warrior renowned in the three worlds, has
come to Sugreeva swiftly, dividing the army of monkeys and bringing great
delight to the troops, he goes back to the back of the army " 26.25-26.26
"There is a mountain called Ramya, on the banks of River
Gomati. That mountain is filled with
various kinds of trees is also called Samrochana. An army-chief, named Kumuda
used to roam around that mountainous region. He also rules that kingdom. He is the leader for lakhs of
monkeys. He has a very long hair-coppery, yellow, pale and white and hideous to
look up to. Thrown about on his tail is the intrepid and fierce monkey called
Kanda. He yearns to fight and boast that he will destroy Lanka with his forces."
26.27-26.30
"Oh, king, He who resembles a tawny lion with a long mane
and who is looking at Lanka attentively as though he wishes to consume it with
his glasses, who dwells mostly on the mountains of Krishna and Sahya of Vindhya
range of pleasing aspect, is the General named Rambha. Three thousand crores of
excellent monkeys, who are formidable of impetuous valour and vigour, surround
him who is marching ahead and follow in his foot-sets to destroy
Lanka." 26.31-26.33
"Oh, king, Look, The one who is yawning continuously and shaking
his ears, he is the one who does not have any fear of death, one who never retreats from a battle, but
violently moves with rage, who again sees obliquely, he who lashes out his tail
and roars like a lion with great vigour, he who constantly dwells on the lovely
Salveya mountain, he is Sarabha by name, the commander of monkeys with immense
energy and devoid of fear." 26.34-26.36
“Oh king , all his battalion
consisting of one lakh forty thousand
monkeys who are called Viharas
are very strong .”
26.37
"The one who is like a great
cloud, enveloping the space and who stays in the middle of monkey-warriors like
Indra the king of devas , one who wishes for a battle whose great voice is heard like the roll of drums, is the
General named Panasa, who is always invincible in battle. He dwells in
Pariyatra, a mountain that is exceeded by none in height." 26.38-26.40
“He is served by fifty lakhs
commanders who obediently carry out his
orders as he is an excellent commander.”
26.41
"He who is encamped with
sixty lakhs monkeys which is his army on the sea-shore which is like a second ocean is the commander called
Vinata who resembles Dardura mountain (in size) and is positioned there lending
charm to the formidable army marching ahead and moves about, drinking the water
of River Vena, the foremost of all rivers."
26.42-26.44
“A monkey chief called Kradhana is calling you for battle after keeping his valorous and very strong monkeys in proper battalions.”
26.45
‘There is one monkey called Gavya with the colour of Red Chalk
who nourishes his body , who is forever proud of his strength who is with great luster standing facing you with anger and hatred towards you.” 26.46
“He is served by seventy lakh
monkeys and he wishes to crush Lanka
using only his army .” 26.47
“These very valorous commanders
and commander-in-chiefs who can take any
form they like have put their army in
different distinct units and so it is difficult to count them.”
26.48
Thus ends the twenty sixth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
27.
The monkey army is further described.
(The spies give a detailed account of all the monkey
leaders and the army that theu
command.)
“As you are keenly examining the monkey chiefs , I shall
tell you about those who would like to show their valour
even by facing death for the sake of Rama.”
27.1
"There is a monkey called
Hara, who has terrific acts to his credit. The hair on his tail, measuring many
fathoms, soft, red in colour, yellow, white and super-white, wavy and shining
like the rays of the sun standing erect thrown about are dragging along the
ground."
27.2-27.3
“Hundreds and thousands of
monkey army leaders have resolved to be
servants of Sugreeva and they are all
following him carrying trees with the intention of attacking Lanka soon.” 27.4
"Oh king, Those
who appear black like black-clouds and similar to black collyrium are extremely ferocious
bears, truly mighty in combat, who are
in exceedingly in large number, indefinable like the other shore
of an ocean, and those whom you are observing reside in mountains, plains and on
river-banks. They are all coming towards you." 27.5-27.7
"Oh king, He who is standing in the middle, with
terrific eyes and of fearful appearance, encircled by all like Parjanya (the
rain-god) being encircled by clouds is
the army-chief called Dhumra, the Lord of all bears, who drinks the waters of
River Narmada and resides on an excellent mountain named
Rikshavanta." 27.8-27.9
“See beside him Jambhavan the younger brother of his who is like a mountain, has a form like his
brother and great in valour .He is the
commander of other great commanders who is calm , behaves well with elders and impatient in battle.” 27.10-27.11
“Once he had rendered very great help to Lord Indra in the battle between Devas and Asuras and he got very many boons.”
27.12
"Jambhavan 's troops who have a huge body , resembling the
Rakshasas , having thick hair and endowed with unlimited energy, wander about,
climbing mountain-heights and hurl massive rocks as big as huge clouds and they
do not have a fear in facing death." 27.13-27.14
"Oh king, This Lord of monkeys who is the commander of
commanders called Dhambha who whether he is in a hurried fury or leaping or
standing still is stared at by all other
monkeys . He along with his bulky troops
dwells on Sahasraksha mountain."
27.15-27.16
"He who, walking on all
fours touches with his flanks, a mountain situated at a distance of one Yojana
and reaches for an object one Yojana
high and obtains it with his body, whose
huge form no other four-legged animal has , by which that intelligent monkey fought with Indra ,
the king of devas but he was not
defeated , is a commander of commanders and the grand-father of monkeys, famous
as Samnadana by name." 27.17-27.19
“This valorous one is equal in Valour to Indra , the king
of devas and he was born to a young Gandharwa maiden called Krishna
Varthamana and he was born to help devas
in the battle between Devas and Asuras.”
27.20
"O king of Rakshasas, This commander named Krathana, the son of the king Visravasa, the illustrious one, sits
beneath the Jambu tree, on that mountain, the king of peaks, which is
frequented by Kinnaras, and which mountain affords delight constantly to your
brother. It is near there, Krathana, that fortunate one, that powerful lord of
the monkeys, whose prowess in not confined to words in battles, stays happily ."
27.21-27.23
“He is surrounded by thousand crore monkeys and hopes to crush the city of Lanka by his own
army .”
27.24
“He normally roams round the shores of Ganges terrorizing
the leaders of the herds of elephants
remembering the old enmity between monkeys and elephants. He is the commander and leader of monkeys
called Pramathim who dwells in mountain-caves, and subdues wild elephants and thundering and uprooting trees.”
27.25-27.26
“That excellent army chief of
monkeys , takes shelter , on the foremost of mountains Mandara and the mountain called Usarbija on the
shores of Ganges where he passes life happily just like Indra.” 27.27
“Hundred thousand thousands
monkeys who are proud of their strength and valour and who have radiant forearms and keep on roaring follow him.”
27.28
“He is the leader of these great monkeys and Oh king , he is their commander and is
called Pramathi and it is difficult to
conquer him.”
27.29
"He whom you are watching as a
cloud raised by wind is Pramathi. At that place, a great quantity of red
illumined dust is tossed about and raised by wind in various ways in different
directions. Energetic and excited army of monkeys is also stationed there along
with Pramathi." 27.30-27.31
"Oh king, One hundred lakhs of monkeys with their black
faces and with scary looks
and with great strength, after
crossing of the bridge, surrounds their
troop-leader who is a monkey
called Gavaksha and are making a roaring noise and ready to crush Lanka by their bodily
strength." 27.32-27.33
"Oh king. This
army-chief called Kesari, the chief of the commanders of monkeys, wanders in
Kanchana mountain wherein there are trees which yield fruits in all seasons,
inhabited by large black-bees, to which the sun circumambulates clock-wise, the
mountain shining with its own colour and splendour, by whose brightness, the
animals and birds always shine with the same colour , whose plateau on the top
of the mountain the great sages do not leave, wherein trees, all mango-trees
are laden with fruits on all sides because of
that there are honey-bees of excellent variety." 27.34-27.37
"Oh faultless king, There
are sixty thousand mountains in that beautiful golden mountain ranges. There is
an excellent mountain in the middle of
that mountain range as you are in the middle of that Rakshasas. In that
mountain range there, in the last mountain where these monkeys reside. Some of the
monkeys are tawny coloured, some are white-coloured and with nails as their
weapons, having four tusks, with nails
as their weapons having four tusks like lions, difficult to be approached like
tigers, resembling fire and serpents
vomiting poison with their very long coiling tails, resembling elephants in
rut, equal to mighty mountains and making great thunderous sound like that of
clouds. All of them stand looking on your Lanka as if they are about to crush
it." 27.38-27.42
"Oh king, He who stands in the middle is the powerful
leader of the monkeys who ever faces the sun, who is a wise man, eager to
conquer you and is famous in the world by the name, Shatabali. He swears to
destroy Lanka with his troops."
27.43-27.44
“The monkey called Shatabali is
strong , brave and valorous and well known for his manly vigour and does not bother about his life which he
is willing to sacrifice to Rama.”
27.45
“Each of the monkeys Gaja, Gavaksha , Gavaya, Nala , Neela are surrounded by battalions of one crore
monkeys each. “ 27.46
“There are many other great monkeys who are living on the Vindhya mountain and each of them are
fast paced and it is impossible to
count them.”
27.47
"Oh king, All of them are highly prominent, their
stature equals to the high
hills and all of them are capable in a moment to level the earth by uprooting
and razing all its mountains to the ground."27.48
Thus ends the twenty seventh chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
28.The Spies show him Rama and Lakshmana
(They continue identifying many more monkey chiefs
including Sugreeva, Then they describe
Rama and Lakshmana. They also tell
Ravana about the total size of the army.)
After the king of
Rakshasas heard the account given by Sarana , Sukha pointed out the army of
monkeys to him and spoke.
28.1
“Oh king those monkeys whom you who are like huge elephants and huge banyan trees which
stand on banks of river Ganges and Sala
trees which stand on the Himalaya
mountain would be able assume any
form that they wish and are equal to
Devas and Rakshasas and have the power of devas in a battle.”
28.2-28.3
“They are twenty one thousand crores and thousand Shuankus and Hundred Vrundas in
number(These are explained later in this chapter.)
28.4
“All those ministers of Sugreeva who always live in Kishkinda though monkeys are born to devas and
Gandharwas and can assume any form that they want.”
28.5
“The lads standing there with the looks of devas are
Mainda and Dvividha are twins and no one is equal to them in war.” 28.6
“These twins who have consumed nectar of immortality with the consent of
Brahma are hoping that with their power
they would be able to destroy Lanka.”
28.7
“There you see a monkey who stands like an intoxicated
elephant , who by his strength and fury can even churn the oceans .Oh Lord , he
had come in search of the daughter of Videha to Lanka and that monkey whom you have seen earlier has come gain.”
28.8-28.9
“That monkey who crossed the ocean is the eldest son of
Kesari and is also the son of wind God and is well known as Hanuman.”
28.10
“Oh Lord, that monkey
can take any form he likes , is strong and pretty and he can move like his Lord , the wind God.”
28.11
“When he was child and hungry , they say that without any effort he jumped three thousand
Yojanas saying that he will eat the Sun
God for otherwise my hunger will not be
appeased, as he was greatly intoxicated with his own strength.”
28.12-28.13
“Without being able to reach that God who is beyond the reach of ,devas, Deva Rishis and Rakshasas , he fell
on the top of the mountain where sun rises.”
28.14
“When he fell on the mountain one of his jaws (Hanu) was broken by a stone and because he has a strong jaw afterwards ,
he was called Hanuman.”
28.15
“I know about that monkey through one of my close friends .It is not possible to describe his ,
strength , form and his great
power.”
28.16
“He using his own power wants to destroy Lanka .How can you forget this
monkey who like a comet lighted Lanka ? Some of those fires are still burning.”
28.17
"Nearby is a dark coloured
warrior with eyes like lotuses he is
a chief warrior among Ikshuvaku clan, his heroism is well-known in the
world, his sense of duty never wavers, nor does he ever go against Dharma , he
knows how to use Brahma's weapon and is conversant with Veda, he
is the most learned of the Vedic scholars, he shatters the firmament with his
arrows, and rends even the earth, his anger is akin to that of Death, his
valour is equal to that of Indra the god of devas , his
consort is Sit a who was taken away by you from a place called Janasthana .He is
Rama who has come to wage war on you, Oh king"
28.18-28.21
"That man, having the luster of pure gold, with a broad chest, having red
eyes, with black and curled hair, standing at the right side of Rama, is called Lakshmana, who is only
interested in the care and welfare of his brother. He is skilled in
leadership of war and excellent among the wielders of all weapons."
28.22-28.23
“He is short tempered,
difficult to be defeated , valorous , wise , strong and is standing near the right arm of
Rama and is the soul of Rama outside
his body.”
28.24
“He does not bother for his life , if it is for the sake of
Rama and he desires to kill all the
Rakshasas himself alone.”
28.25
“He who is standing on the
right side near to Rama who is surrounded by Rakshasas is the king Vibheeshana.”
28.26
“He who has been consecrated as the king of Lanka by the
king of kings is enraged with you and
would fight the battle with you. “
28.27
"The other monkey whom
you see as an unshakable mountain and standing in the centre of monkeys is
the Lord of all chiefs of monkeys and he
is with a boundless energy and who, like
a Himalayan hill, very much radiating the other monkeys by his splendour,
glory, wisdom, strength and his noble descent, who occupies along with the
chiefs of Army Generals, a secret place called Kishkindha, with its forests and
trees and which place inaccessible
because of its impassable mountains, in which is established a good fortune of
devas and human beings, whose charming and golden coloured garland with hundred
lotuses is beautifying and that person
is Sugreeva. This garland along with a lady called Tara as well as the
permanent kingdom of monkeys were presented to him by Rama after having killed
Vali ."
28.28-28.32
“Wise men call one hundred
lakhs as crore and hundred thousand
crores is a Shankha.” 28.33
"A hundred thousand
Shankas are said to be one Maha Shanka. A hundred thousand Maha Shankas are
called one Vrindam here. A hundred thousand Vrindas are said to be one Maha
vrindam. A hundred thousand Mahavrindas are called one Padmam here. A hundred
thousand padmas are said to be one Mahapadmam. A hundred thousand Mahapadmas
are called one Kharvam here. A hundred thousand kharvas are said to be one
Mahakharvam. A hundred thousand Mahakharvas are called one Samundram. A hundred
thousand Samudras are said to be one ogha here. A hundred thousand oghas are
acclaimed a one Mahaugha." 28.34-28.38
"This Sugreeva, the king
of monkeys, having great strength and valour is always surrounded by a colossal army and is
approaching you to make war, accompanied by the valiant Vibheeshana and the
ministers, as also a hundred thousand crores of Shankas, a thousand Mahashankas,
a hundred Vrindas, a thousand mahavrindas, a hundred padmas, a thousand
Mahapadmas, a hundred kharvas, samudras and Mahaughas of the same number, and a
crore of Mahanghas whole army as such is identical of an ocean." 28.39-28.43
“Oh great king after observing
this great army who are having the
blazing luster of planets and who have already arrived, you may have to put in
very great effort to win and to avoid
defeat.” 28.44
Thus ends the twenty eighth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
29.Ravana sends another group of spies
(Greatly angry with Shukha and Sarana for praising the
enemy Ravana dismisses them. He sends another spy to study about the habit of
Rama and Lakshmana and ither commanders. They are also caught and released back
by Rama.)
Seeing those greatest of the monkey
leaders pointed out by Shuka-viz. the most valorous Lakshmana
who is Rama's right arm, his own
brother Vibheeshana standing close to Rama, the terribly powerful Sugreeva the
king of all monkeys, the strong Angadha grandson of Indra the wielder of
Vajrayudha, the powerful Hanuman, the invincible Jambhavan, Sushena, Kumuda,
Nila, Nala the excellent of monkeys, Gaja, Gavaksha, Sharabha, Mainda and
Dvivida- that heart of that became agitated
a little and he was enraged and then
abused those two ministers Shuka and
Sarana who had told him in detail about
them. 29.1-29.5
To that Sukha and Sarana who
saluted him with face looking down Ravana spoke
very harsh, merciless , angry
and excited words. 29.6
“It is not befitting for
ministers who eke their life out of me
to utter such unpleasant words , since
the king has the power to give them any type of punishment or reward.” 29.7
“On those enemies who have come
to war with us and who are adverse us , you both have
showered your praise. Is it
proper?”
29.8
“You have served your teachers,
elders and old people in a non effective
manner and it is clear that you have not
grasped the essence of principles of political science.”
29.9
“But suppose you have understood them, , it is clear that
you have forgotten them. And you are carrying a great burden of ignorance . In
spite of such foolish ministers like you , If I am still the king , it is a
great miracle.”
29.10
“Why is it that you are not
fearing death after telling such harsh words to me, who judges about good and
evil by my toungue?”
29.11
“In spite of outbreak of fire
in the forest , trees may survive but those
who commit treachery against
the king
cannot survive.”
29.12
“Had not my anger been mellowed down by the
earlier service done by you , I would have killed both of you for praising my
enemy ?”
29.13
“Keep away being near to me. Go
away from here. I do not desire to kill you because of good service done by you
earlier. I consider both of you as dead
because you were ungrateful and unfaithful to me.”
29.14
After Ravana told like this to
them ,both Sukha and Sarana felt ashamed to see Ravana and went away after saluting and greeting him saying, “Be victorious.” 29.15
Then Ravana told Mahodhara who was standing near him, “Go and
immediately bring me spies who are expert in justice.”
29.16
Mahodhara immediately ordered
that spies should be brought and as per the orders of the king the spies came there and they saluted him and wished him victory. 29.17-2918
Then Ravana , the king of
Rakshasas told the following words to those
spies who were valorous, devoted him,
and free from fear.
29.19
“Go from here and
investigate the activities of Rama and also find out his advisors and intimate
friends and also those people who joined
with him because of liking him.” 29.20
“Find out when he sleeps and
when he wakes up and also about what he intends to do now. And you have to come
back after intelligently understanding
everything about him.”
29.21
“Even a learned enemy who is the ruler of earth , if studied well by using a spy can easily be defeated without much effort.”
29.22
The spies agreed with the
sentiment expressed , saluted the king of Rakshasas and after going round him , with Shardula as
their leader left that place.
29.23
Those great Rakshasa spies
after going round the great
Rakshasa king started to the place where Rama and Lakshmana is there.
29.24
They went
after disguising themselves went and saw Rama and Lakshmana along with
Sugreeva and Vibheeshana near the
Suvela mountain.
29.25
When they saw the great army ,
they were fear stricken and they were
seen by the great Rakshasa who was the
chief of Rakshasas(Vibheeshana)
29.26
Accidentally they were
seen by Vibheeshana who said about Shardula, “This person is a wicked person”, and he alone was seized. 29.27
When the monkeys were about to
kill Shardula, Rama saved him and that
very kind Rama got released the other Rakshasas also. 29.28
Harassed by those courageous
and fast paced monkeys , though they lost their consciousness, they somehow
returned back to Lanka.
29.29
Those Rakshasa spies who normally moved outside , told the
very strong Ravana that Rama was camping near the Suvela mountain.
29.30
Thus ends the twenty ninth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
30. Spy Shardula describes Rama’s army
(On questioning by
Ravana , the spy tells him about troubles he underwent and how Saved him. On
questioning by Ravana he tells about the
great monkey chieftains and their genealogy. He also tells about Rama
and Lakshmana.)
Then the spies informed the king of Lanka about the camping imperturbable army of Rama near the Suvela mountains .
30.1
After hearing the news of the reaching Rama and his great
army from the spies, Ravana was little worried and he asked Shardula.
30.2
“Oh Rakshasa, your complexion is not
what it should be and you look miserable. I hope you have not fallen as
a victim in to the hands of those angry
monkeys.”
30.3
Thus questioned by Ravana, that Rakshasa Shardula started answering him slowly to Ravana who was a tiger among Rakshasas.
30.4
“Oh king it is not possible to spy upon on that very
strong and Valorous monkeys who are protected by Rama.”
30.5
“It is not possible to talk or interrogate them for finding out anything for the entire path is protected by monkeys
who look like mountains.”
30.6
“As soon as I entered in to their army , I was forcibly caught and examined and questioned
in very many ways.”
30.7
“I was beaten from all sides with knees , fists , teeth and hands and I was paraded in the midst of the monkey
army by those angry ones.”
30.8
“After being taken round everywhere I was taken before
Rama’s court and blood was flowing from
all my limbs and I was shivering.”
30.9
“When the monkeys were about to kill me , when I
asked for protection from Rama , he
said, “Stay, stay.”
30.10
“The great sea has been filled up with stones and
boulders and having reached the gates of
Lanka, Rama is standing there well armed.”
30.11
“That greatly lustrous one , after getting me
released arranged the marching army in
the form of an eagle and surrounded by
monkeys he is marching towards
Lanka.”
30.12
“Before he reaches
our ramparts please do one thing-either return Sita or get prepared for a great war.”
30.13
That chief of monkeys Ravana though worried in the mind , after
hearing these words , replied Shardula using
these great words.,”
30.14
“Even if the devas, Gandharwas and Dhanavas come to a battle with me or even If I am afraid of the entire world, I
will not give back Sita.”
30.15
After telling these words Ravana again told, “Were you
able to spy on the army ?” Who are the important valorous monkeys among
them?”
30.16
“How do the unconquerable monkeys look like ?What is their power? Whose sons
and grandsons are they? Oh Rakshasas , please tell me this information .”
30.17
“I will take a decision only after knowing their strength
and weaknesses. Is it not necessary for us to count those among them who wish
to fight in the battle.”
30.18
After hearing these words of Ravana, that excellent spy
Shardula started telling these words in
front of Ravana.
30.19
“Sugreeva the son of Riksharajas is indeed unconquerable . Here is the famous Jambhavan who is the son of Gadgada
.”
30.20
“There is one more son of Gadgada and the other is the son of Bruhaspathi the
Guru of Indra , whose son Hanuman is the
one who destroyed the Rakshasas.”
30.21
“The other is Sushena
a follower of Dharma and valorous
who is the son of Yama and then there is
a monkey called Dadhimukha who is cool
minded and son of moon god.” 30.22
“Durmukha, Sumukha
and Vega Darsi are perhaps specially created by Lord Brahma in the form of monkeys as the personification of death.”
30.23
“There is the commander-in-chief Nila the son of the fire God and there is Hanuman
who is the son of god of wind.” 30.24
"There is young Angadha, Indra' s grandson who is the strong and invincible one, the mighty Mainda and Dvinda born of the
twin gods called
Aswini Kumaras , Gaja, Gavaksha,
Gavaya, Sharabha and Gandhamadhana the five sons of Yama the God of Death all
of them resembling Yama at the time of dissolution of the world, besides the valiant ten crores of monkeys who are
yearning for battle who are all here. I
will not be able tell about the
remaining glorious sons of god." 30.25-30.27
“That young man is Rama , the son of Dasaratha , who has a
body like lion and he was the one who
killed Dhooshana, Khara and
Trisiras.”
30.28
“In this world there is no one
who has got prowess equal to Rama
and he was the one who killed the god of death Kabandha and Viradha.”
30.29
No one in this earth would be
capable of describing Rama’s good qualities and he was the one who killed all
the Rakshasas living in Janasthana.”
30.30
“There is Lakshmana who is the soul of Dharma who is strong as
elephant and a tiger , in the path of whose arrows of even Indra , the king
of devas
cannot stand.”
30.31
"Sweta and Jyotirmukha are
the sons of the sun-god, a monkey called
Hemakuta, another son of Varuna, Nila the son of Viswakarma the strong and the
best of monkeys, as well as that mighty and swift Durdhara the son of Vasus are
all here."
30.32-30.33
“There is the best of the
Rakshasas Vibheeshana who is your brother
and having got the city of Lanka
, he likes to be in the best interest of Rama.”
30.34
“Thus I have described in detail about the entire army stationed in
Mount Suvela and it is for you to take
decision as to what needs to be done.”
30.35
Thus ends the thirtieth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book by 31, Ravana by magic tries to
convince Sita that Rama is dead.
(Ravana with the help of a conjurer makes a head of Rama
dripping with blood. He tells Sita that Rama and his army was killed by
Prahastha. Then he asks Vidyujihwa to
bring Rama’s head and Rama’s bow. He
orders Sita to be submissive to him since Rama is no more.)
Ravana the king of
Rakshasas was informed
that Rama along with his undefeatable
army has camped on the mount
Suvela.
31.1
When Ravana heard from the spies that
the very strong Rama has arrived, he was little agitated and spoke like this to his ministers.
31.2
“The time for consultation has arrived and let all the
ministers come here quickly with keen and attentive minds.”
31.3
As soon as these
order was heard all the ministers came with great speed and Ravana held consultations with those
Rakshasas who were his ministers.
31.4
The dreadful one discussed with them what needs to be
done and after coming out of that
meeting of the ministers, he went back
to his palace .
31.5
Then he who is a
great conjurer send word for the very strong Vidhyujihwa who was an expert in magical illusions and
together they went to the place of Sita.
31.6
Then the king of Rakshasas spoke to that conjurer Vidhyujihwa, “We will have to create an
illusion to deceive Sita , the daughter of Janaka.”
31.7
“Oh Rakshasa , conjure a head of Rama and along with bow
and arrows and then present
it to me.”
31.8
When told like that Vidhyujihwa sais “So be it”, and by his great magical efforts made one and
showed it to Ravana and the king became
very happy and gave him an ornament. 31.9
That exceedingly strong Rakshasa duly entered the forest of Asoka trees with
great eagerness to see Sita. 31.10
Then that younger brother of Khubera saw that pitiable Sita , who did not deserve that
fate , sitting looking down
at the earth , drowned in great
sorrow due to the thoughts about her husband.
31.11-31.12
Approaching Sita who was surrounded by horrifying Rakshasis at a distance who were chanting his name in delight ,
Ravana spoke these bold words to Sita.
31.13
“Oh Lady, he whom
you depended on and repelled me when I try to console you , your husbanded that
murderer of Khara has been killed in the
battle.”
31.14
“For all times your root has been cut off be me and so also
your pride has been destroyed and because of your very great sorrow, now you
will become my wife.”
31.15
“Oh fool, give up this resolution of yours , for what can
you do with a dead person and oh lady
become my wife and become the chief of all my consorts.”
31.16
“With less of good deeds and a lost purpose you think ,
you are very learned. Now hear about the killing of your husband similar to
killing of Vruthrasura .”
31.17
“Rama is supposed to have come with a great army led
by the monkey king Sugreeva on the sea shore to kill me.” 31.18
“When the sun was about to set , Rama with his huge army
settled on the northern sea shore here .”
31.19
“His army which
was stationed here , being greatly
tired was comfortably sleeping at mid night
and they were approached by our spies.”
31.20
“My very great
army which was lead by Prahastha killed the army of Rama at night at that place and they also killed Rama and
Lakshmana.”
31.21
“Those wielding harpoons, maces, discus, daggers,
sticks, great arrows spears, shining maces with spikes, picks lances, darts, massed
weapons, clubs and wheels , made use of
them again and again in order to strike down all the monkeys."
31.22-31.23
“Prahastha with bubbling
enthusiasm cut off the head of Rama
who was sleeping using his mighty sword
without facing any resistance.”
31.24
“Fortunately Vibheeshana who tried to flee with speed was caught and held captive and Lakshmana and other
monkeys ran in all directions.”
31.25
“Sugreeva with his neck broken
and Hanuman whose jaw was removed were laid down and killed by the
Rakshasas.”
31.26
“Jambhavan who was trying to stand on his knees was killed in the war and very many monkeys were cut off like a tree using very sharp edged
weapons.”
31.27
"Mainda and Dvivida -
those two great killers of their enemies who were long bodied and the foremost of the monkeys
became groaning and breathless and their limbs bathed in blood-were cut to
pieces at the waist-level, by
swords."
31.28-31.29
"Panasa, crying for help was stretched on the earth under a
tree of the same name(Jack fruit tree)
and was pierced by putting him in
a pit. The exceedingly valiant Kumuda on his part, shrieking, was killed by a
hail of arrows." 31.30-31.31
"Angadha, who was adorned
with many bracelets lies fallen down,
emitting blood on all sides, as he was pierced by the demons with many arrows,
after approaching near him." 31.32
“All those monkeys were crushed
by elephants and very many fast moving chariots
were lying there like water rich clouds broken by a gale.” 31.33
“All those outsiders fled in terror when they were pursued by the Rakshasas who were striking on their back, like
elephants running when pursued by
elephants.”
31.34
"Some of the
monkeys fell in the sea and some sought shelter in the sky. And some other bears with the monkeys climbed
the trees."
31.35
“In the banks of the
ocean, , in mountains and in forests ,
large number of monkeys by Rakshasas who
were having misshapen eyes.”
31.36
“Thus your husband along with
his army was killed by my army and this
head drenched in blood and coated with
dust has been seen .”
31.37
Then that king of Rakshasas
Ravana who is extremely difficult to fight with , spoke these words to the
Rakshasis so that Sita will
overhear them.
31.38
“Oh Rakshasis , go and bring
that Vidhyujihwa who is capable of doing cruel acts , who is the one who
brought the head of Rama from the
battlefield.”
31.39
Then Vidhyujihwa came
there holding the head of Rama
along with the bow and arrows and he stood there after saluting Ravana.
31.40
When that Rakshasa who was standing there that
king Ravana spoke to that
Vidhyujihwa who had a large toungue and was inching nearer to him.
31.41
“Speedily place the head of
Rama in front of Sita and let that miserable one see the final
state of her husband.”
31.42
As soon as he heard this that
Rakshasa kept her darling’s head near to Sita and disappeared
speedily from that place.
31.43
Then Ravana threw in front of Sita a with great bow
saying, “Here is the bow of Rama
which is famous in all the three
worlds “
31.44
“This is the bow with its cord
stretched, belonging to Rama, that was brought back by Prahastha , after
killing that hero in the night."
31.45
Then that Ravana threw the head
bought by Vidhyujihwa as well as the
bow in front of Sita and said to
the daughter of Janaka, “Now you
become submissive to me.”
31.46
Thus ends the thirty first chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
32.Sita wails for her slain husband
(Sita blames Kaikeyi for her bad fate. She
wails over her fate
and blames herself. A messenger comes and summons Ravana for an
important meeting. As soon as he left the so called head and bow of Rama also
disappears.)
Sita saw the head and bow which
were illusion . She heard Ravana narrating about Rama's friendly relationship
with Sugreeva, as earlier told to her by Hanuman. Recognizing that head as that of
Rama, with a proof resembling her husband's eyes, facial complexion, hair,
expanse of his forehead and the beautiful jewel worn on the top of his head,
she was very much afflicted with sorrow and cried like an osprey and abused Kaikeyi who
was the originator of the present calamity . 32.1-32.3
“Oh Kaikeyi , become happy with
your achievement because the son who used to make the clan happy has been
killed.. The entire clan has been destroyed by
your quarrelsome nature.” 32.4
“What undesirable act has
been
done by Rama to you so that you
sent my husband to the forest in
exile , wearing cloths of bark.”
32.5
After saying that . the miserable
one was trembling and the young one fell on the ground , like a
Banana tree which was cut off.
32.6
Almost within a second she consoled herself ,.
Regained consciousness and started
crying after seeing that illusory head of Rama.
32.7
“Oh great one who followed
valour as a great penance , you have
now been killed and I have become a
witness to your last state and a widow.”
32.8
“It is said that the death of a husband earlier to her is due
to the fault of the lady and you who
have a soft saintly nature has gone ahead
of me. “
32.9
“You who have been trying to
protect me has fallen down to this sad
state leaving me immersed in the ocean of grief. “
32.10
“My mother in law Kausalya who brought you up tenderly as a son , Oh Rama, has become similar to a cow who has lost its
calf.”
32.11
“Oh Rama , astrologers had mentioned that you would have a long life and their words have become a lie and you
have become short lived.”
32.12
“Or else you might have slipped in to a state of stupor even though you were conscious
and possibly the God of death who
brings all beings to end chose that
time.”
32.13
“How is it that you did not foresee your death as you are
an expert in science of good
management and how is it that you who
are an expert in warding of calamities
were not able foresee this
difficulty?”
32.14
“Terrible dark night
which is cruel and horrifying
has encircled me, Oh lotus eyed one , by snatching away you from me.” 32.15
“Oh mighty bull among men, you left me who is
leading the life of a saint and
by lying on earth, you have embraced
the auspicious lady earth as your
darling.”
32.16
“Oh valorous one ,
here is that bow decorated by gold , which is liked by me and which was sincerely worshipped by you
with sandal paste and flowers.”
32.17
“Oh spotless one of mine , surely in heaven you might
have met your father who is my father in law along with other manes from your clan. “ 32.18
“Though you have taken leave of the pious clan of Royal sages, you have done
a great act by which you shine like a
star in heaven.”
32.19
“Oh king why are
you not looking at me and why are you not answering me? You got me as a girl when you were a boy and made me your wife who is a
co-traveler.” 32.20
“ Oh son of Kakustha clan, Remember
that at the time of marriage you had promised that we will travel together and since I am sorrowing , take me also along with you.” 32.21
“Oh best one, why have you left me and gone away leaving
me like this? Why have you left me who is
sorrowing in this world and gone to the other world?”
32.22
“That auspicious
and pretty body of yours which used to get cuddled by me is now being dragged by the wild animals.”
32.23
“Though from the beginning you were worshipping fire and the lord after giving ample gifts , why is it that you are not
getting cremated by the sacrificial fire that
you were maintaining .”
32.24
“Kausalya would be able
to receive only Lakshmana when he goes back though she did send three people to the exile.”
32.25
“When she enquires about
all of us , that Lakshmana will
tell her about your slaughter at night
in an alley by those Rakshasas.”
32.26
“Hearing that you were killed while sleeping and
that I have been kept in the house of a Rakshasa, her heart will break and
she will be no more.”
32.27
“That valorous and
faultless one who had crossed the
ocean for the cause of this unworthy women was killed while crossing a
small puddle.”
32.28
“Due to great
illusion Rama married me who is a
stain on my race , without realizing that this wife would be the cause of his
death.”
32.29
“Even though as a wife
who showed hospitality to all his guests , I am weeping now,
possibly because in my previous birth , I had refused an excellent gift to someone.”
32.30
“Oh Ravana
immediately arrange to kill me just
after you killed Ravana and unite this
wife with her husband and you would do
an auspicious act .”
32.31
“Oh Ravana, join my head with his head and my body with
his body and then I shall attain the same
salvation as that of my husband.”
32.32
The wide eyed Sita
after sorrowing like this and wailed like this after her husband as well as the bow of her husband.
32.33
When Ravana was watching Sita who was wailing like this ,
One Rakshasa who was royal guard approached
and saluted him and told.
32.34
After saluting him , he said, “May victory be yours my
lord”, and after thus making him pleased
informed him that Prahastha the commander of the army has come.
32.35
“Prahastha has come with all other ministers and Oh Lord he
has sent me , so that he can meet you.”
32.36
“Oh king , who has great patience , there is some urgent
work regarding royal duties and so please give them audience now.”
32.37
“Hearing this communication by the Rakshasa , Ravana left
the Asoka Forest and went to see his ministers.” 32.38
After having discussed
with his ministers about the
things that need to be done and after
understanding the prowess of Rama , he
arranged for getting actions done as per the need.
32.39
As soon as Ravana departed from there , the head as well
as the greatly distinguished bow vanished from there.
32.40
And at that time Ravana after holding consultations with
his valorous ministers , he decided upon the measures that he would adopt against Rama,
32.41
Ravana , the king of Rakshasas who was resembling the God
of death , talked to all his generals who were interested in his welfare and
who were standing nearby.
32.42
“By the audible sound of the drum , raised by beating it with stick , summon all our
army without telling them the
reason.”
32.43
Then, the messengers
said "So be it" as they were
obedient to his words and
instantly gathered a huge army together and informed their lord longing for
fight, that they had already assembled the army. 32.44
Thus ends the thirty second chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
33.A
Rakshasi friend of Sita called
Sarama consoles Sita.
(Sarama a friend
of sita, tells her she had
investigated in various ways and found that
Rama’s head was only an illusion. At that time the sound of marching of
the army of Rama and Ravana
are heard.)
Seeing the very bewildered Sita , an affectionate Rakshasi
called Sarama approached Sita who was
her beloved friend.
33.1
Sarama the soft spoken woman , consoled Sita who was disillusioned by the king
of Rakshasas and who was greatly
sorrowing.
33.2
Sarama who
was assigned by Ravana to protect
Sita was a kind hearted woman who was
firm in her austerities and was a good friend to Sita and protected her.
33.3
She saw her friend Sita had lost her consciousness and had just got up after rolling in the
earth like a female horse.
33.4
That friend with
good austerities consoled Sita and told her, “Let your mind not be
perturbed.” 33.5
“Oh coward , Oh
broad eyed one , by hiding under the sky , I heard all that Ravana told you as
well as all that reply that you gave him, without fear because of my friendship with you .” 33.6-33.7
“Oh Maithili,
all the reasons for Ravana going
out agitated from here is known to me as I had gone out from here to
find out about that.” 33.8
“It is not possible to attack Rama while he is sleeping because
that tiger among men is always
aware of himself and so killing him at that time is impossible.”
33.9
“It is also not possible to kill all the monkeys who live
on the tree because they are being protected by Rama , just like Indra protects
other devas.”
33.10
"O, Sita! Rama, who is
endowed with long and well rounded arms and an illustrious man, who has a large
chest , who is a man of great energy, an
archer well known in the world, a man endowed with muscularity, a righteous
minded man, a person of celebrity on earth, a man of eternal strength and a protector for himself and for others has not been killed when he
is with his brother Lakshmana, a
man of high descent, a knower of doctrines of conduct and behavior, the killer
of a stream of enemy forces, a man of inconceivable strength and valor, a
venerable man and an annihilator of adversaries."
33.11-33.13
“That Ravana , who is the enemy
of all the world and one with a perverse mind ,due to the anger against you has
played a magical trick of illusion against you.”
33.14
“Get rid of all your sorrow as great auspiciousness
awaits you. The Goddess Lakshmi would bless you with all that is good due to
her love for you, please listen.”
33.15
“Rama has crossed the ocean along with the monkey army
and has arrived and encamped on the southern shore of the sea.”
33.16
“I see full implication in Rama along with Lakshmana settling down in the shore of the
sea being well protected by the
monkeys.”
33.17
“Some swift moving Rakshasas sent by Ravana had brought a
news to him that Rama has crossed the
sea and has encamped on this
shore.”
33.18
“Oh broad eyed one , hearing about that Ravana the king of Rakshasas is holding consultations with all his
ministers.”
33.19
When that Rakshasi Sarama was talking like this to
Sita a fearful sound was heard from
the army which was prepared for the
war.”
33.20
Hearing that terrific sound created by the stick on the huge drums which
sounded like a great thunder , Sarama
who talked sweetly told Sita as follows
.
33.21
“Oh scared one , the fearsome sound of this kettle drum is indicative , the
preparation for a war and also hear the
majestic sound of the drum which resembles
the sound of thunder.” 33.22
"Elephants in rut are
being caparisoned for war. Chariot horses are being prepared for the battle. Thousands of horsemen carrying darts
in their hands are also seen."
33.23
“Here and there soldiers ready for the battle are marching in
thousands. The royal avenue is seen full of
wonderful soldiers making one
feel that they are like the swiftly moving
ocean with the flood waters
making great sound.”
33.24
"See hurriedly, the sheen
of polished weapons, shields and coats of mail sending forth luster of many
hues like the splendor of fire consuming the
forest in summer. The flurry of chariots, horses and elephants following
the lead of Ravana as well as of energetic Rakshasas thrilled with joy. Is also seen"
33.25-33.27
"Please hear the sound of
bells of elephants, the ratting of
chariots, and the cry of neighing horses, resembling the flourish of trumpets.
Here are the bustle of Rakshasas ,
carrying uplifted weapons in their hands; following under the leadership of Ravana. This bustling
activity is causing hair to stand erect through great fear ."
33.28-33.29
“Good luck which would destroy
all your sorrows is arriving to you and
a sense of fear has come to the Rakshasas. Like the Lord Indra, the lotus eyed
Rama who has unimaginable valour would kill Ravana in war and your husband will take you back.” 33.30-33.31
Your husband along with
Lakshmana would exhibit their valour and
like Lord Vishnu who is the killer of
enemies along with Lord Indra exhibits his power against his enemies.” 33.32
“As soon as Rama comes,
I will see you who are his virtuous wife
would be sitting on his lap thus fulfilling your desire
after killing all your enemies.” 33.33
“Oh pretty one , you would shed
tears of joy and make the chest of Rama wet
and when you are joined with him , I will see him holding you tightly to
his breast.” 33.34
“Before long oh divine Sita,
the very strong Rama will loosen your
one braid which has reached has grown past your hips and which you were wearing all these months.” 33.35
“Oh honoured lady after seeing
his face which is like the just risen full moon , you would get rid of all your
sorrow, like a female snake casts off its skin.”
33.36
“Oh Maithili after killing
Ravana in great speed , Rama who deserves pleasure would find happiness in the company of his
darling.”
33.37
“After you join back with Rama
with a great soul , you would like the earth
with healthy crops after a rain.”
33.38
“Oh lady, seek refuge in Rama
who is your lord like the Sun God approaching mount Meru and like the horse going round and definitely Sun is the source of all beings .” 33.9
Thus ends the thirty third chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
34.Sarama helps Sita by finding out Ravana ’s decision
(Sita becomes consoled. When Sarama offered to carry a
message to Rama , Sita requests her to find out the decisions of Ravana. She
comes back and tells her that in spite of elders in his family, Ravana would
not release her till he dies.)
Sita who became greatly sad by hearing words of
Ravana was comforted and made happy by Sarama, just like a parched earth
which received rain.
34.1
And thereafter she
who knew the proper time to do
any activity wishing to do more service to Sita
With a smile
told her.
34.2
“Oh black eyed lady, I am capable of carrying
a message of good will from you
as also your words secretly to Rama and return.”
34.3
“When I am travelling in the sky , supported only by
myself neither wind or Garuda would be
capable of following me.”
34.4
When Sarama spoke like this Sita without any sorrow which affected her earlier
spoke these sweet words.”
34.5
“I know that you
are capable of travelling in the sky as well as
go to Rasathala but please know from me the service that you can do for me today.” 34.6
“If your intention now is to help me and you are firm in this resolve , then I
wish you go and find out what Ravana is doing now.”
34.7
"That cruel and evil
minded Ravana, who has capabilities in the shape of conjuring trick to make his enemies cry ,makes me bemused like
the liquor bemuses one, as soon as it is
consumed." 34.8
“He gets me threatened all the time through words of the frightful Rakshasis who always sit round me ,and insult me
repeatedly.”
34.9
“I am depressed and
distrustful and have lost my stability
and staying in this Asoka forest , I get distressed due to great fear.”
34.10
“If you can inform me all the
decisions that he takes after discussion
with his ministers in the matter of
keeping me captive or releasing me, it would be a great blessing to me.” 34.11
Having been spoken like that ,
Sarama wiped away the tears from her
face which had got moistened and
replied her like this.
34.12
“Oh daughter of Janaka, if your
opinion is like that , I would go and after knowing about the opinion of the
enemies, I will return.” 34.13
After telling this , she went
near the Rakshasas and heard what Ravana was talking to his
ministers.
34.14
She who is an expert on
decision making after hearing the words
of the bad soul Ravana took a
decision and speedily returned to the Asoka forest.”
34.15
When she returned back she saw
Sita who looked like goddess Lakshmi bereft of lotus waiting for
her.
34.16
After Sarama who spoke returned
back Sita hugged her affectionately and offered
personally a seat for her. 34.17
“After sitting here comfortably
please tell about the plan of that that
bad soul Ravana who is cruel and wicked.” 34.18
When the trembling Sita asked Sarama like this she told her
completely what Ravana told his
ministers.
34.19
“The mother of Ravana
spoke great words excellently pleading for your
release and also Avidha the age old
minister Of Ravana pleaded for your release.”
34.20
“Let the daughter of Mithila be
given honourably to the king of men . Is not the wonderful incident that
happened in Janasthana sufficient for us?”
34.21
“Which man in the world can
cross the ocean , discover Sita, kill
several Rakshasas in war ?”
34.22
“Though the old minister of his
and his mother argued with him in
various ways , he was not interested in releasing you , like a miser giving up
his riches.”
34.23
“Oh Maithili, he is not
interested in releasing you till he
attains his death and this is what that
cruel Ravana decided along with his ministers.”
34.24
"
After that due to infatuation caused by
his impending death, his determination
to do what he said is very firm .He is not
in a position to release you, not because of
sheer fear but will hold you till he is actually defeated in battle through the
carnage of all the Rakshasas and of himself."
34.25
“Oh dark
eyed one , after killing Ravana in war by his
sharp arrows, Rama will definitely take you back to Ayodhya.”
34.26
At this time along with the sound of beating
of drums and blowing of conches , they
heard the sound caused by monkey army which made the earth shake. 34.27
Hearing
the great sound raised by the monkey army , the king servants who had gone to
Lanka lost their enthusiasm , looked pitiable and looked depressed as they could not foresee any thing good
coming due to the fault of their king.
34.28
Thus ends the thirty fourth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
35.Malyavan the grand father tries to Dissuade Ravana
(When Ravana hears the marching of Monkey army , he again
calls for a meeting. Mayavan who is his
grand father advises him to return
back Sita. )
Then
the great hero Raghava who was
the conqueror of cities , marched forth along with
mixed sound of drums and conches.
35.1
When Ravana the king of all Rakshasas heard that
sound for a while he became thoughtful and looked towards his ministers.
35.2
The very strong Ravana who was the tormentor of the
world and is the cruel king of all
Rakshasas , then addressed the assembly of Rakshasas and without accusing any one spoke. 35.3
“I have heard that
you have been talking about the crossing of ocean by Rama and about his prowess , valour and heroism.”
35.4
“I know that all of you are truly valorous in war and in spite of that , on knowing about the valour of Rama , all
of you look at each other in silence.”
35.5
Hearing the words of Ravana, his maternal grandfather
Malyavan who was very intelligent and
wise told as follows.
35.6
“Oh king , that king
who is an
expert in all sciences and who follows
the path of prudence , enjoys the
kingship for a long time and compels his
enemies for subjugation.” 35.7
“He who concludes treaty of peace with his enemies
or wages war at the proper time strengthens himself and attains great power.”
35.8
“ A treaty should be reached with the king who is weaker or equal to us , without ever underrating the
enemy but he should wage war against enemy who is stronger.” 35.9
“Oh Ravana because of that I like entering in to a treaty with Rama. Let Sita for whose sake this war is being
fought be returned to him.” 35.10
“All devas, sages and Gandharwas are wishing for the victory of Rama and so do not make him your enemy and please accept a treaty with him.”
35.11
“The grandfather (Lord Brahma) created only two groups of
people namely devas and Rakshasas and while Devas depend on Dharma , Rakshasas do not follow it.”
35.12
‘Oh Rakshasa , Dharma is always on the side of the great
devas and Non righteousness is on the part of asuras and Rakshasas.”
35.13
“When Dharma swallows Adharma , it is Kritha age
and when Adharma starts swallowing
Dharma , it is the Kali age.”
35.14
“So when you were wandering in this world , the great
Dharma was destroyed and Adharma
favoured you and because of this your enemies are stronger than you.”
35.15
“Due to your mistake , the well nourished Adharma is
swallowing us and you being favourable
to Rakshasas , the clan of Rakshasas is
growing.” 35.16
“You who are interested in sensual pleasures and because of this , you did whatever you
liked and this has created great fear
among the sages who are like fire.” 35.17
"The power of those sages
is very great like an burning fire. Having purified their minds through
penance, they are intent on promotion of Dharma , in as much as these Brahmins
worship the gods through different principal sacrifices but they
also pour oblations into the sacred fires with due ceremony and read the
Vedas (Sacred texts) in a loud voice. Having subdued the Rakshasas, they
continued to chant the sacred text, on hearing which all the Rakshasas
have scattered in all directions, like
the thundering clouds in a hot
season."
35.18-35.20
“When the sages who themselves
are like fire , worship fire , the smoke from that fire spreads all over and
destroys the luster of all the Rakshasas.”
35.21
“In different places when these people who are stable in their
penance , practice severe austerity , this creates trouble to all
Rakshasas.”
35.22
“You have obtained a boon
protecting yourself from Devas, Dhanavas
and Yakshas but very powerful men
, bears and monkeys have arrived here
and they with stable valour are
roaring like lions.”
35.23-35.24
“I have been seeing very many omens which are horrifying and I foresee destruction of all the Rakshasas including myself.”
35.25
“Terrific and monstrous clouds producing
horrifying thunderous sound are causing rain of hot blood all over
Lanka.”
35.26
“Drops of tears fall from the
weeping animals of transport , which
have become discoloured, coated by dust
and have lost their previous shine.”
35.27
“Flesh eating animals like Jackals and eagles
are howling loudly and fearsomely and entering Lanka and they also
form groups in the forest.”
35.28
“Black women with white teeth ,
talking adversely in their dreams are standing in front of the homes
and laughing uproariously after
robbing the houses.” 35.29
“The Dogs come and eat the
offerings made to God in the homes and
donkeys are born to cows, rats and the mongoose.”
35.30
“Cats mate with tigers , pigs
mate with dogs and Kinnaras mate with Rakshasas as well as with men.”
35.31
“Red footed white pigeons which are messengers of
death move in different directions
foretelling the death of all Rakshasas.”
35.32
“The singing pet birds called
Sarika are defeated by fighter birds
and drop down on earth in pairs.”
35.33
"Birds and wild animals, face towards the sun, cry out. Death, in the form
of a frightful, monstrous and cruel blackish form with a shaven head casts his eyes on all our
dwellings, both morning and evening. These
and such other sinister omens appear."
35.34-35.35
"I deem Rama of stable vision as
Lord Vishnu dwelling in human form. This Rama is not a mere human being,
because he is one who built
that most wonderful bridge which was
built across the sea. O, Ravana! Conclude peace with Rama, who is the king of
men. Having come to know of his acts, let that which is good for the future be
done after a mature understanding."
35.36-35.37
Having spoken like this , the mighty Malyavan,
who was foremost in valour among the bravest
of warriors, being aware of what
was passing in Ravana's mind, eyeing him, became silent. 35.38
Thus ends the thirty fifth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
36.Ravana chides
Malyavan and makes arrangement for the war.
(Ravana tells that Malyavan was telling these words out
of partiality and fear. Malyavan takes leave
and goes away. Then Ravana assigns responsibility to different city gates
to different heroes.)
The evil minded ten faced one , since he was already
under the control of God of death , did not find the words of Malyavan suitable to his welfare .
36.1
Since he has already
come under the grips of great anger ,
with eyes rolling in fury replied
Malyavan .
36.2
“Though you are interested in my welfare you have spoken unsuitable and harsh
words and have taken the side of the
enemy and so your words have not
entered my ears.” 36.3
“How do you rate
a feeble man like Rama who has come alone with only monkeys to help and banished by his father to the forest
as efficient?”
36.4
“How do you rate me who is the god of the Rakshasas who is greatly fearsome to the devas and who has all qualities of valour as
weak?”
36.5
“I think that you spoke those harsh words to me because
you do not like my valour or due to partiality to the enemy or due to my encouragement.”
36.6
“Which learned man who knows all Sasthras would speak thus harshly to a mighty person in power without intention
to instigate him?.”
36.7
“After having brought Sita who is like Goddess Lakshmi
without a lotus , for what purpose should I return her to Rama , is it out of fear to him?”
36.8
“Within a few days you will see that , Rama along with crores of monkeys, Sugreeva and Lakshmana is
killed by me.”
36.9
“Why should this
Ravana before whom even Devas
cannot stand in a duel in war ,
entertain any fear in this war?”
36.10
“I would prefer to be cut in to two pieces rather
than salute anybody and this is my innate quality from birth
which cannot be removed.”
36.11
“By accident
if Rama has constructed a bridge across the sea ,
there is nothing to be surprised and no reason to fear him.”
36.12
“I am promising on oath , that Rama who along with his monkeys has crossed the ocean will not go back alive .”
36.13
Knowing Ravana was speaking excitedly with great anger,
Malyavan was hesitant and did not speak
anything in reply .
36.14
Since it was proper Malyavan wished victory to the king and as permitted by the king went back to
his home.
36.15
Then Ravana held consultations with his ministers on things that need to be examined and started planning for matchless defense of
Lanka.
36.16
Then he assigned the defense of eastern gate to the
Rakshasa called Prahastha , the southern gate to the greatly valorous
Mahaparswa and Mahodhara , the western gate to his son Indrajit who was an expert in great illusion
along with large number of Rakshasas.
36.17-36.18
He then deputed Sukha and Sarana to guard the northern
gate of the city and told that ministers that he himself would
also come there.
36.19
He then placed an extremely valorous Rakshasa called
Virupaksha along with several other Rakshasas in the centre of the city.
36.20
The great Rakshasa after creating this arrangement in
Lanka assumed that his purpose has been
accomplished for that particular time.
36,21
Having ordered for adequate
arrangements for the defense of the city, Ravana then allowed his ministers depart. Having been honoured
with blessings of victory by those body of councilors, he entered his mighty
and sumptuous inner apartments.
36.22
Thus ends the thirty sixth chapter of the book of war of Valmiki Ramayana which is the first book
No comments:
Post a Comment