Hari Om.
Let us begin the twelfth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
As yes men surrounded the king and sang the songs of his glory, his younger brother vibhIshaNa stood up to the king and apprised him of the pulse of the citizens who thought the king had morally erred. However, rAvaNa who was too drunk in the past glory and his conquests relied more on his warriors and his protective boon on invincibility against gods, demons and who ever else mattered. He had condescending thoughts of humans and vAnaras and was pretty sure that he faced no danger from them. And here they were in tandem, waiting on the northern shore of the ocean, possibly brainstorming on the ways to cross ocean and siege lanka. His younger brother spoke twice, once in the court and another time at his residence trying to convince him to return maithilI to rAma. The ten headed heard and reminded his younger brother of his invincibility. Presently he resumed the assembly and summoned all the warriors there. Onwards…
The hero of many conquests presided over the assembly, had a close look at everyone present there and prodded the chief commander prahasta –
“O chief commander, you should instruct the four-fold army forces well versed in the art of war to remain on alert and protect the city”.
Readily acting on the instruction of the king, prahasta went and deployed the forces for the protection of the city of lanka and returned to the assembly and sat in front of the king and after apprising him of the deployed forces both outside and inside the palace, requested him for further instructions. Responding to the words of prahasta who wished welfare of the kingdom, rAvaNa said –
“You deserve to know whether it is good or bad, happy or sad, profitable or otherwise, like it or not all matters relating to dharma and the means of achieving it. I have always consulted all of you before starting anything and whatever I have done after such deliberations have never failed. Just like indra lords over the moon, planets, stars and the maruts, accompanied by you I will also attain lasting fame. I could discuss this matter with all of you but not with kumbhakarNa since he was asleep. This mighty kumbhakarNa sleeps for six months. This warrior who is capable of wielding all weapons is now awake and is here.
From the forests of the danDaka where the demons roam, the consort of rAma sItA has been brought by me. According to me there is no one like her in the three worlds. With her slender waist, plump hips, moon like face, she appears as if the sculptor maya has sculpted her with his illusory powers. Beholding her red feet and her pink nails, my lust is aroused. Smitten by her radiance, lovely gaze and beauty I have been enslaved by the desire of getting her. However, that lady of graceful walk refuses to get to the couch.
Smitten by passion for her, I grieve all the time and you can’t tell the difference between by joy and anger! She is hoping her husband will come to her rescue and requested me a time of one year (he is making this up!). I agreed to her reasonable request but on account of the passion in me am tired like a horse that has run a lot.
How will the forest dwellers or the duo rAma and lakshmaNa will be able to cross the uncrossable ocean that is full of many huge aquatic beings? On the other hand, just one vAnara waged a great war against us. So please speak up as to how you think things will turn out.
कथंसागरमक्षोभ्यंतरिष्यन्तिवनौकसः ।।6.12.20।।
बहुसत्त्वसमाकीर्णंतौवादशरथात्मजौ ।
अथवाकपिनैकेनकृतंनःकदनंमहत् ।।6.12.21।।
दुर् ज्ञेयाःकार्यगतयोब्रूतयस्ययथामति ।
I have nothing to fear from humans but still we should deliberate. In the war against the gods earlier I have been victorious because of your presence. You are aware that rAma and lakshmaNa have amassed a huge army along with sugrIva and have reached the northern shore of the ocean to rescue sItA. Please think over and suggest ways to vanquish rAma and lakshmaNa and not give sItA back! I don’t see anyone who is capable in this world of crossing the ocean, what to speak of the vAnaras, and hence victory is surely mine”!
kumbhakarNa was livid with anger listening to these self-serving words his brother who was sieged by passion. O king, if only you had called for the deliberations before you went and abducted sItA by force. If you had once collected your thoughts then and discussed, it would have been productive like the mountain streams filling the riven yamunA. It would have been very useful if you had discussed this then. O ten-headed one, a king who rules justly, engages in well thought out action and never goes to grief. However the actions performed without much thought going into it lead to bad results like the inauspicious sacrificial offerings. He who performs what is ought to be done earlier later and what is to be done later earlier is not a knower of what is good and bad.
यःपश्चात्पूर्वकार्याणिकर्माण्यभिचिकीर्षति ।
पूर्वंचापरकार्याणिनसवेदनयानयौ ।।6.12.32।।
If one hastily decides on the course of action simply counting on his might, others will look for loopholes just like the swans are able to find the pass throughs in the krauncha mountain and fly through (they can’t overcome the krauncha mountain due to its height but are able to identify ways to fly through, thus rAvaNa cannot simply count on his might is what kumbhakarNa is suggesting. The krauncha mountains are known to have such holes due to the impact of lord subramanya’s weapon Sakthi which the migratory birds exploit!)
You started this episode without much thought. You are lucky that rAma has not killed you (yet). So, O rAvaNa, leave this to me. This act which cannot be done by others will be addressed by me and I will set things right for you. O night ranger, I shall vanquish your enemies even if they happen to be indra, yama, agni or the maruts. Let them be kubEra or varuNa, I will deal with them all. Beholding this warrior of mountainous proportions wielding his iron bar and fierce with sharp nails and teeth, even indra will run away in fear. Before he attempts to release an arrow I will gulp his blood, be sure and be peaceful.
I will kill rAma and lakshmaNa and gobble up the vAnara warriors and thereby I shall endeavour to confer victory on you. You indulge, sport, drink wine and without worry do what you like. Once rAma is sent to the abode of yama by me, sItA will be yours forever”.
Here we conclude the twelfth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link for word by word meaning from IITK website
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Next: 6.013. rAvaNa reveals his dark secret
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
