Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty second sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The all powerful and supremely capable rAma, upon the advice of vibhIshaNa sat in contemplation of the lord of ocean seeking his help to cross the ocean. For such a sincere prayer from someone so special, the lord of the ocean ought to have manifested himself. But no, even after three nights of this austere effort, there was no sign of the ocean relenting and helping rAma in some way for his entire army to cross the ocean. Now rAma ran out of his patience. He stood up and told lakshmaNa that the silence and amicability of the good is often mistaken for their inability and asked for his bow to torment the ocean! Yes, he had enough of its temerity in denying him his help. So, he took his bow and started unleashing his unerring arrows on the ocean. The idea was to run it dry such that the vANara army can simply walk across to lanka. The ever pragmatic younger brother lakshmaNa held the bow and pleaded not to do so which would hurt all the aquatic beings and break the balance of the ecosystem. Even the gods, demi gods, Rshis and other celestials who were anxiously watching this prayed to rAma to stop hurting the ocean thus. Onwards…
The greatest of the raghus thus lambasted the ocean and said –
“O great ocean, I shall run you dry today by raining arrows on you. As I do so, the aquatic beings in you will die and sand will be exposed. The vAnaras will cross you over on foot. O abode of the demons, you chose to not know about my heroism or valour and that will earn you untold sorrow from me”.
Sounding out a warning thus, the mighty rAma took out an arrow dazzling like the brahmAstra, set it on his bow and drew the string ready to unleash it on the ocean. As he did so, the mountains shook and huge craters appeared on the earth. The entire world was covered with darkness, the four quarters turned dim, the rivers were tormented, the sun didn’t shine and the sky was instead lit by a hundred meteors as deafening noises of the thunder emanated from the skies. The winds that blew shattered the clouds which went and collided with mountain peaks resulting in lightning and breaking of those peaks. Trees were destroyed. All beings, both visible and invisible were affected and even the unseen beings let out loud cries. Some of them came out of their habitats and some others lay motionless out of fear. The tides rose high and fast. The aquatic beings like the serpents and others were thrown off very far in those tides. The sea, lord of the rivers, transgressed its banks by a yOjana submitted itself and witnessing that, rAghava didn’t attack it further. Then from the middle of the ocean emerged the lord of the ocean adorned with lovely glittering golden jewels studded with gems, dressed in red and eyes beautiful like the lotus. He wore a garland of excellent flowers, was adorned with variety of gems and stones that were produced by him (in the ocean) and with those he looked majestic like the mineral rich himAlayas. His chest dazzled with the kaustubha gem.
आघूर्णिततरङ्गौघः कालिकानिलसङ्कुलः ।
उद्वर्तितमहाग्राहः सम्भ्रान्तोरगराक्षसः ॥
गङगासिन्धुप्रधानाभिः अपगाभिःसमावृतः ।
देवतानां सरूपाभिः नानारूपाभिरीश्वरः ॥
सागरः समुपक्रम्य पूर्वमामन्त्र्य वीर्यवान् ।
अब्रवीत् प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यम् राघवं शरपाणिनम् ॥\
Surrounded by lashing tides, accompanied by strong winds, with crocodiles floating in the waters with bellies up, with serpents and demons dazed, flanked by various gods and especially the rivers like gangA and sindhu which took divine forms, the lord of the rivers approached rAghava who was standing with the arrow in his hand with folded palms and said –
“O gentle rAghava, the earth, air, skies, waters and light stay true to their nature following the eternal code. Likewise, I would like to submit to you that my nature is my depth and impassability. To violate those and make myself passable would be against my being. Therefore, I cannot stop these waters replete with crocodiles and fish due to either my desire or greed, O prince. However, O rAma, I shall do all I can to enable the vAnara army to cross over and see to it that the crocodiles do not attack them while they do so”.
विधास्ये येन गन्तासि विषहिष्ये ह्यहं तथा ।
ग्राहा न प्रहरिष्यन्ति यावत् सेना तरिष्यति ।
हरीणां तरणे राम करिष्यामि यथा स्थलम् ॥
Submitted thus by the ocean, rAma asked – “O lord of the rivers, where shall I send this splendid, upraised arrow”? The majestic ocean beholding rAma’s arrow replied –
“There is scope to the north of me to shoot this arrow where exists a very sacred region known as drumakulya which is as well known in the world as you are. There in that place are present many fierce dacoits led by AbhIra, sinners who drink my waters and whose sinful touch I can’t even bear. Kindly aim this splendid arrow at them, O rAma”.
As per the words of the ocean, rAma shot his arrow in that direction. The place where the arrow fell like a fiery thunderbolt has been known as a terrible and uncrossable desert in the world. Under the impact of that arrow, the earth there was hurt, a huge pit formed and waters emerged out of that pit right from the nether worlds. That well which was formed there came to be known as vraNa – wound. So much water emerged from there that it looked like an ocean. With the impact of the arrow, a terrible sound emerged and all the pits which the dacoits polluted dried up. Having done so, the wise rAghava, valorous like indra conferred boons on the desert that it should now be filled with animals, good health, fruits, roots, honey, milk, fragrance and a large variety of herbs for ever. Thanks to the boons conferred by the rAma, the desert turned auspicious.
विख्यातं त्रिषु लोकेषु मरुकान्तरामेव तत् ।
शोषयित्वा ततः कुक्षिम् रामो दशरथात्मजः ।
वरं तस्मै ददौ विद्वान् मरवेऽमरविक्रमः ॥
The lord of the rivers, the ocean witnessed the drying up of those sinful pits and then submitted to rAghava who was well versed in all the SAstras (scriptures/science) and said –
“O gentle one, here is nala who is the son of the divine architect viSwakarma. He has been blessed by his father to be verily like him. Let him build a bridge across me enthusiastically and I will hold it”. Saying so, the ocean disappeared and the mighty nala rose and said to rAma –
“I shall build the bridge on his wide ocean. The ocean was right in referring to my abilities similar to that of my father. I believe it is only the fear of punishment that makes people come around. The ungrateful deserve no charity or reconciliation. Out of the fear of rAma, this ocean became shallow enabling the building of the bridge.
I am reminded by the true words of the ocean about the boon that viSwakarma conferred on my mother, that she shall beget a son who is as capable as him. I didn’t want to trumpet my own abilities without being asked even though I can build a bridge across the ocean. Let the vAnara warriors begin to build the bridge right away. Permitted by rAma, the mighty vAnaras in hundreds and thousands went to the forests, broke branches and uprooted the trees of sAla, aSwakarNa, dhava, kuTaja, tAla, tilaka, timira, bilva, saptaparNa, karNikA,a chUta(mango), aSOkA, dADimi(pomegranate), nArikEla (coconut), bibhItika, bakula, kahdirA and nimba (neem) and carried them to the ocean and threw them in it. Some trees were uprooted, some were cut off at the base and the trees in bloom were carried like the flag staff of lord indra. Some mighty and gigantic vAnaras carried boulders that were elephantine in size. Some would break the mountain peaks and carry them in machines/vehicles. As they threw these boulders and trees in the ocean, the water splashed to great heights and fell back. They made merry, frolicked, jumped around and roared.
हस्तिमात्रान् महाकायाः पाषाणांश्च महाबलाः ।
पर्वतांश्च समुत्पाट्य यन्त्रैः परिवहन्ति च ॥
As some of the other gigantic vAnaras held ropes all through the hundred yOjanas, yet others tied logs together with ropes. Thus ordered by rAma, the vAnaras built the bridge by the help of the warrior nala. As the elephantine vAnaras threw boulders and mountain peaks in the ocean, the waters became turbulent and loud noise was generated.
On the first day, the enthusiastic, elephantine and eager vAnaras built fourteen yOjanas of the sEtu (bridge). The gigantic and mighty vAnaras added another twenty yOjanas on the second day rapidly. They hurried up and added twenty one yOjanas on the third day and twenty two yOjanas on the fourth. On the fifth day the vAnaras swiftly added twenty three yOjanas and scaled mount suvEla. (14+20+21+22+23 = 100).
Thus that vAnara nala, powerful as his father built the sEtu across the ocean which looked auspicious and looked like the path of the constellation swAtI in the skies. The gods, gandharvas, sidhhas, great sages converged to witness that brilliant sEtu which was ten yOjanas in width and hundred yOjanas long and was impossible to build. That unimaginable feat was indeed hair raising and wonderful and was witnessed by all the beings.
विशालः सुकृतः श्रीमान् सुभूमिः सुसमाहितः ।
अशोभत महासेतुः सीमन्त इव सागरे ॥
The sEtu was spacious, well-made, levelled, excellent and pleasing to the eyes and shone like the hairline on the head. vibhIshaNa was ready with his mace and associates to attack the enemy. Then sugrIva requested rAma to be seated on hanumAn and lakshmaNa on angada so that the swift duo can take them across the ocean. The army went led by the illustrious and righteous rAma along with lakshmaNa armed with their bows.
अग्रतस्तस्य सैन्यस्य श्रीमान् रामः सलक्ष्मणः ।
जगाम धन्वी धर्मात्मा सुग्रीवेण समन्वितः ॥
अन्ये मध्येन गच्छन्ति पार्श्वतोऽन्ये प्लवङ्गमाः ।
सलिले प्रपतन्त्यन्ये मार्गमन्ये न लेभिरे ।
केचिद्वैहायसगताः सुपर्णा इव पुप्लुवुः ॥
Some of the vAnaras walked in the middle of the bridge, some others on the sides. Few of them swam in the waters finding no place on the sEtu! Yet others took the skies and flew like garuDa! The roar of the ocean was lost in the roars that the redoubtable vAnara army raised. The vAnara army having crossed the ocean camped on the other side that had abundance of roots, fruits and water as per the command of the king.
The gods, sidhhas, chAraNas and mahaRshis witnessed that impossible feat pulled off by rAma, went to him and performed his ablutions with auspicious waters. They blessed him and said – “O king, conquer your enemy and rule over this vast world along with its oceans for ever”. Thus all of them felicitated rAma and lavished auspicious blessings on him.
Here we conclude the twenty second sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 6.023. The omens of a great battle ahead
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 