Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty fourth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
To good people good Samaritans happen! Then what to speak of sItA who was in the most adverse of conditions, constantly facing humiliation and life threat and yet persevering in the contemplation of rAma with the hope that he will come and rescue her. For ten months, she just clung on and then hanumAn came and gave her hope. She turned down his offer of being taken with him to rAma as that would amount to rAma’s insult. She wanted him to come royally, vanquish rAvaNa, avenge the slight and take her back with him. Nothing less was acceptable. Accordingly he came with the vAnara army and also crossed the ocean. Beholding the infinite army, even rAvaNa was aghast. He grew anxious. Somewhere inside he started to shake and his façade of invincibility began to fall. So he engineered a head and a bow that looked like rAma’s and lied through his teeth that he had defeated the rAma’s army and even finished him off while he was in deep slumber! Normally one would not believe that lakshmaNa ran away seeing the plight of rAma and the army, but the fact that sItA believed it and wailed uncontrollably shows her state of mind. As the enemy inched closer and was ready for a shot at lanka, his commander and ministers urgently wanted to see him and so rAvaNa who was bent on forcing sItA to agree to him abruptly went off. And as he did, the illusory severed head and the bow of rAma also vanished! And out came the good Samaritan, saramA, who consoled sItA and called the bluff of the demon king. She categorically told sItA that no one was capable of defeating rAma and advised her to worship the sun God for the welfare of her husband. Onwards…
saramA delighted sItA who was hurt by rAvaNa’s words and was grieving like the rains falling from the skies delight the earth. Then speaking further to her dearest friend and desiring only her welfare she said words befitting the moment with a smile –
“I am very excited to go to rAma invisibly, convey your news of welfare to him and return. As I levitate and fly through the skies, even the wind or the great garuDa can match my speed”.
As saraMa spoke thus, sItA replied to her sweetly –
“I am well aware that for my sake you can do things which can’t be done otherwise and are capable of going to the skies or to the nether worlds. If you are decisive about doing what is beneficial to me, please go and find out what the crooked trickster rAvaNa is upto. That tormentor who makes enemies scream, gets drunk and coming here speaks rubbish and tortures me. Not only me, he tortures even these ogresses who keep my vigil. I am upset and anxious. My mind is not alright. I constantly live in his fear. If you can go and find out what he is scheming, please let me know and that will be a great favour you can do to me”.
The sweet speaking saramA touched sItA gently, wiped her tears and said –
“O jAnaki, I shall go at once to fulfil what you have asked. I will find out the plans of the enemy and you shall see me soon again”.
Saying so, saraMa went to rAvaNa and heard what he was conferring with his ministers, understood his plans and decisions and returned to aSOkavana and beheld jAnakI who had wilted like a lotus and waiting anxiously. sItA embraced her warmly, offered her a seat and said –
“Please take your seat here, be comfortable and tell me factually what the crooked and evil rAvaNa is planning to do”.
Thus asked by sItA who was trembling with fear, saramA related everything that rAvaNa discussed with his ministers –
“O maithili, the mother of rAvaNa and the senior minister avidhha spoke loudly about returning you to the king rAma and cited the trouncing of the demons at janasthAna. They also reminded him about the crossing of the ocean and the daring exploits of hanumAn who killed many a demon in lanka. Even if spoken to so eloquently citing such examples, rAvaNa refused to return you to rAma just like the possessor of wealth doesn’t want to part with it. He has decided along with his council of ministers not to return you and this decision is surely inspired by his imminent downfall. He cannot be frightened to give you up. It will only happen as he and all the demons court death in the battlefield. O lotus-eyed one, rAma will surely vanquish all these demons in the battle with unerring arrows and take you with him to ayOdhyA”.
In the meantime the tumultuous sounds of the trumpets and war drums being made by the vAnara army was heard which shook the earth. The citizens of lanka, servitors of the demon king heard the war signs and became pale and nervous and didn’t see any rationale and welfare in the madness of their king.
Here we conclude the thirty fourth 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: 6.035. mAlyavAn speaks truth to the power
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 