3.64. rAma set to unleash his wrath!

Hari Om.

Let us begin the sixty fourth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.

Why are sItA and rAma such a divine pair? Why are they idolized and presented as the best among them! mahaRshi vAlmIkI amply justifies that in the sargas since the abduction of sItA. She tenaciously lambasts rAvaNa, has no fear of any calamity befalling her other than the lack of rAma by her side. Surrounded by the demons in captivity who used fright and cruel means to try and convince her to accept rAvaNa, she stoutly stood her ground and immersed herself in the contemplation of rAma and awaited his advent to rescue her. Fresh from the loss of sItA and not knowing yet whether she was alive or not, rAma displayed uncertainty and indecisiveness in equal measure as he didn’t quite know what to do! It is here that lakshmaNa’s companionship is felt in full measure. WHile his service to rAma through out the period of exile is glorious, especially the way he protects him during the most difficult time stands out. While rAma is at the end of his wits, having scanned through the usual regions for sItA and not finding her, lakshmaNa makes an appeal in spirit to gather his spirits and make an enthusiastic attempt to locate or find whereabouts of sItA. It was time to step out of panchavaTI. Onwards…

The miserable rAma asked lakshmaNa to go and see near the river gOdAvarI if sItA is to be found there, just in case she might have gone there to fetch lotuses. Ordered thus, the slayer of enemies lakshmaNa with swift steps went to the river gOdAvarI and looked for sItA all around there crying out her name loudly so that she can hear and respond. Not getting any response and not finding her, he came back dejected to rAma and reported that neither could he see her nor could he get response to his loud cries to find her. He expressed his helplessness in finding the place where she was at the moment and was dejected. His misery rubbed off on rAma who became all the more miserable and he himself went to the river gOdAvrI and cried out loud in the hope that she might hear his cries and respond, or in the hope that the river or the beings around there would tell him about her whereabouts! But he was met with an stunning silence. The river or the beings around there were mortally afraid of rAvaNa, who deserved nothing but death, to report to rAma about his misdeed. The silence agonized rAma even more as he poured out to lakshmaNa – “O saumitri, why does this river not speak up? With what face will I meet king janaka and my mother when I return without sItA by my side? Alas, when I lost the kingdom and subsisted on the forest produce, sItA wiped off all my sorrow and now where has she gone? Bereft of relations and devoid of her, I believe my nights are going to feel lot longer. I shall search for her on the banks of gOdAvarI, in the forests of janasthAna and on the hills of praSravaNa. O lakshmaNa, it appears the deer want to tell me something. They are staring at me for long”.

एते मृगा महावीर्य मामीक्षन्ते मुहुर्मुहुः।।3.64.15।।

वक्तुकामा इव हि मे इङ्गितान्युपलक्षये।

With teary eyes and blurred vision, rAma looked at those deer and asked “where is sItA”

तांस्तु दृष्ट्वा नरव्याघ्रो राघवः प्रत्युवाच ह।।3.64.16।।

क्व सीतेति निरीक्षन्वै बाष्पसंरुद्धया दृशा।

As rAma asked them thus, they got up, and all of them in one go pointed to the southern direction looking up in to the skies. They ran in the direction in which sItA was taken upon abduction. They ran in that direction a few steps and again and again looked at rAma!

एवमुक्ता नरेन्द्रेण ते मृगास्सहसोत्थिताः।।3.64.17।।

दक्षिणाभिमुखास्सर्वे दर्शयन्तो नभस्थलम्।

मैथिली ह्रियमाणा सा दिशं यामन्वपद्यत।।3.64.18।।

तेन मार्गेण धावन्तो निरीक्षन्ते नराधिपम्।

The direction and the path that the deer were directing to again and again was picked up by lakshmaNa. Observing the behavior of the flock of deer upon questioning by rAma, lakshmaNa deciphered what they were trying to communicate and said –

“O rAma, when you asked where is sItA, these flock of deer got up at once and pointing to the southern direction in the skies are moving in unison. I believe it is good for us to go in this south-western direction in search of her. We might get a clue or even find her”.

rAma agreed to the proposal and both the brothers set off in the naiRRti (south western) direction in search of sItA carefully looking all around on the ground for any possible clues. And as they went thus, they saw there streaks of flowers fallen on the ground! Beholding those flowers fallen on the ground, rAma immediately said –

“O saumitri, I remember these flowers. These were given by me to sItA in the forest and she wore it in her braid. Perhaps the Sun, wind and the magnanimous earth have preserved these for my sake”.

मन्ये सूर्यश्च वायुश्च मेदिनी च यशस्विनी।।3.64.27।।

अभिरक्षन्ति पुष्पाणि प्रकुर्वन्तो मम प्रियम्।

Having said thus to lakshmaNa, the righteous rAMa looked the mount praSravaNa if it has seen the enchanting lady of graceful limbs separated from him. Then he questioned the mountain condescendingly like a lion would treat an ordinary animal angrily to tell him the whereabouts of the golden complexioned sItA. As he demanded the mountain thus, his voice echoed and he could hear the words sItA as if being spoken by the mountain without showing rAma where she was! That made rAma even more furious and he warned the stony hill that he would reduce to ashes struck by his arrows. He told lakshmaNa of his intent to vanquish the hill of its grasslands, dry up its streams, destroy its flora and reduce it to a piece of rock that was good for nothing if he didn’t show him sItA!

As rAma subjected the mount praSravaNa to his ire thus, he saw the large foot marks of a demon on the ground. He also saw the foot marks of sItA that clearly showed she was running hither and thither in fright and the large footmarks of the demon followed her graceful ones. Examining those foot marks as they crossed them, they saw the broken chariot, bow and quiver lying there. rAma’s heart sank when he saw all those and in great anxiety he said –

“O lakshmaNa, look here, the golden dust and the pieces of gold fallen down from the jewelry of sItA here. There are drops of blood all over shining like dust of gold on the earth. I guess lakshmaNa, the demons have made a meal of sItA by cutting her into pieces. It seems like for the sake of sItA two demons fought bitterly and fatally here. And I wonder O lakshmaNa, whose bow this could be, may be that of the gods or the demons? This golden bow is studded with gems, shining like the rising sun and is lying on the ground broken into pieces. And here, look at the golden armour of someone lying here destroyed. And here is a well decorated hundred-spoked parasol lying here with a broken shaft. And whose monster faced, golden clad, frightening and large donkeys are these lying here dead? Look at this flaming golden chariot bearing the flag of the battle scattered here upside down with its broken golden axle, dead charioteer, strewn around quivers with pointless arrows! And even the two well dressed attendants are also lying dead! Who could have wreaked such havoc and comprehensively destroyed this chariot thus?

There is no doubt that the culprit whether a human or demon has taken this route. And now my enmity with him has enhanced a hundred fold and he will have to pay for it through his life.

पदवीपुरुषस्यैषा व्यक्तं कस्यापि रक्षसः।

वैरं शतगुणं पश्य ममेदं जीवितान्तकम्।।3.64.51।।

It is becoming clear to me that by the terrible and heartless demons who are capable of assuming any form, sItA must have been abducted or eaten up. Alas, if that were to be true, then how can even the gods make it right for me? Even the great creator will be disregarded by all if he lets such a thing happen. See lakshmaNa, the gods consider me to soft, engaged in the welfare of the world, restrained and compassionate but all the same think I am a weakling. The virtues when they touch me seem like flaws. Therefore, behold lakshmaNa, today my lustre shall overwhelm the virtues and whole world and bring the destruction of the demons and other beings and the creation will be overwhelmed just like light of the moon by the rising Sun. No yaksha, no kinnara, no gandharva, no demon, no goblin or no man will experience happiness today.

Behold O lakshmaNa, I shall with my vast repertoire of weapons fill the skies and make it impossible to move about for the gods, I will besiege the planets and the moon in their positions, will destroy the radiance of sun and the power of wind, crush the mountain peaks, dry up the oceans, annihilate forests and trees and bring about the ultimate destruction for the three worlds.

If the gods do not hand over sItA safely to me, they will witness my untold valor today and I will unleash my unerring barrage of arrows and fill the skies with them making it impossible for the beings to move about, the birds and beasts shall be hit without much discrimination and I will rid this earth of demons and goblins for the sake of maithili.

मम रोषप्रयुक्तानां सायकानां बलं सुराः।

द्रक्ष्यन्त्यद्य विमुक्तानामतिदूरातिगामिनाम्।।3.64.67।।

The gods will witness today as to how my arrows will hit distant targets when shot in great rage. Today neither the gods nor the demons nor the goblins can escape my anger and will all be destroyed. She might have been eaten up or abducted but if the gods do not hand over her to me intact, I will destroy the worlds along with all the beings in it”.

Sounding a stern warning to the powers, rAma tied his bark cloth and the matted hair. The angry rAma at that time verily resembled the lord rudra prior to vanquishing the tripura. Taking his bow from lakshmaNa, and setting the serpent-like poisonous arrows on the bow, the invincible and redoubtable rAma, angry like the all consuming fire at the end of the creation, spoke –

“O lakshmaNa, just like no being can escape ageing, death or fate, similarly I am unstoppable and they cannot escape from my wrath when I am angry. If the gods do not return my blemish-less and beautiful maithili today without any harm, I shall render the entire world void along with the gods, gandharvas, serpentsand humans…

यथा जरा यथा मृत्युर्यथा कालो यथा विधिः।

नित्यं न प्रतिहन्यन्ते सर्वभूतेषु लक्ष्मण।।3.64.74।।

तथाहं क्रोधसंयुक्तो न निवार्योऽस्मि सर्वथा।