Hari Om.
Let us begin the forty first sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The prelude to the war has been elaborate. It started with rAma and his army starting from the praSravaNa mountain near kishkindhA, reaching the northern shore of the ocean, then building a sEtu to cross to the southern shore and reach lanka. All the while they were being spied upon by the demons. Even rAma let it be. He even let the spies know about their strategies thus revealing his supreme confidence in own abilities. Their reports shocked rAvaNa. He had not expected that anyone could reach lanka, let alone with such an army that was comparable to an ocean. He was counselled by all well wishers against the misadventure and was advised to return sItA to rAma. His time was up. He would brook no such advice. On the other hand, rAma’s army was strategizing deftly and moving resolutely with inputs from vibhIshaNa. Having made all preparations for the attack, they wanted to get a better view of lanka and climbed the suvEla mountain. They could see the forests, groves and gardens of lanka and even the palace of the demon king. The demon king was visible as well. Sighting him, sugrIva was excited and at once leapt across to his palace. His mates and rAma had no hint that he would so! He backed himself, thrashed rAvaNa, engaged him in a thrilling wrestling combat. The demon king was taken aback initially and then fought back. Both of them sweated it out. The vAnara king was proving to be a tough opponent and realizing that he cannot be outdone through skill, rAvaNa began to resort to tricks and magic. Having drawn the first blood and sent a stern message, sugrIva didn’t want to continue further and left as swiftly as he had entered and reached rAma in a trice. The battle isn’t very far. Onwards…
The elder brother of lakshmaNa (rAma!) noticed the eagerness for battle in sugrIva, embraced him and said –
इदानीं मा कृथा वीर एवंविधमचिन्तितम् ।
त्वयि किञ्चित् समापन्ने किं कार्यं सीतया मम ।
भरतेन महाबाहो लक्ष्मणेन यवीयसा ।
शत्रुघ्नेन च शत्रुघ्न स्वशरीरेण वा पुनः ॥
“Without consulting me, you did this adventure. Kings do not resort to such adventures. You put me, your army and vibhIshaNa in spot, unable to decide what to do and toiled hard and bravely, O sugrIva. Now, don’t resort to such impulsive acts anymore. If something untoward happens to you, what will I do with sItA, lakshmaNa, Bharata, Satrughna or even my own life? Even though I am aware of your valour that equals indra’s and varuNa’s, in case you didn’t come back, I had made up my mind to vanquish rAvana along with his kin in the battle, crowning vibhIshaNa in lanka, handing ayOdhyA over to Bharata and to give up my body”.
Replying to rAma who was speaking thus, sugrIva, interrupted and said –
“O rAghava, having sighted the abductor of your wife, rAvaNa, how could I demur, especially knowing my own capability?”
rAma congratulated sugrIva. They partook fruits and roots and cool waters. Then he addressed the pleasant lakshmaNa and instructed to divide the army and arrange is as per their formation strategy. He said –
“I foresee a terrible war that will bring upon great ruin to the world, will see the end of many key demons and vAnaras. Terrible winds are blowing and the earth is shaking. Landslides are common as the peaks of the mountains are breaking. The clouds are thundering harshly and raining blood. The evening sky is blood red. The jackals and other such animals are howling looking at the sun and the sun is itself spitting fire. The moon and the stars are clouded and are dim. You can see the blue orb around the sun. The crows, eagles and hawks are screeching. It foretells that the earth will be wet with blood. Let us swiftly head towards the difficult-to-reach lanka right away accompanied by the vAnara army”.
With these words, the mighty rAma along with others climbed down from the mount suvEla. The great knower of the right time and opportunity, rAma, along with his vast army, raring for the battle, advanced towards lanka followed by vibhIshaNa, sugrIva, hanumAn, jAmbavAn, nala, jAmbavAn, nIla and lakshmaNa. The vast army that followed them covered up the entire earth carrying with them huge mountain peaks, boulders and large trees (their weapons) resembling large elephants. Soon they reached lanka that was protected by a high rise compound wall. rAma reached that city which couldn’t be invaded even by the gods, and the vAnaras stayed in their assigned places.
In the northern gate where rAvaNa would fight, rAma stationed himself. No one else was capable of guarding that side as a large number of fully armed demons were positioned there who wore armours and brandished their weapons. The mighty rAma resembled lord varuNa who protected the ocean from the demons.
The commander-in-chief nIla was stationed in the eatern gate along with mainda and dvivida. The southern gate was seiged by angada along with Rshabha, gaja, gavaya and gavAksha. Accompanied by a huge army, hanumAn laid siege on the western threshold. The vAnara king sugrIva along with very capable and great warriors and thirty six crore vAnaras aimed for the centre of lanka. As per the orders of rAma, lakshmaNa and sugrIva deployed crores and crores of vAnaras at each of the entrances.
All the vAnaras were raring to fight, their tails were menacing, they had sharp nails and teeth. They made scary faces. Some of them had the might of ten elephants, some had that of more than a hundred. Some of them excelled everyone else and had the might of a thousand elephants! The might of yet other vAnaras was hundreds and thousands of folds more than that. It simply could not be estimated. As the tree wielding vAnaras leapt into the sky and ran here and there in the excitement of the battle, both the earth and the sky were filled with them. The noise made by them sent shivers across lanka and the land quaked. Thus the crores and crores of the vAnara and the Rksha army laid siege to the city of lanka where even wind couldn’t infiltrate. The demons were astonished and nervous to behold the rampaging vAnara army. Under the protection of rAma and lakshmaNa, the vAnara army looked like an unstoppable force.
Camping there, rAghava took stock of the situation, deliberated with his ministers again and again and following the laid down principle of statecraft, with the permission of vibhIshaNa called upon angada and said –
“O gentle vAnara, leap into lanka without fear, go to the ten headed demon king and convey my message –
“O rAvaNa, your wealth is soon to be lost. You are prosperity is a thing of the past. You are seeking death. You are out of your senses. Whatever sins you have committed against Rshis, gandharvas, apsaras, gods, nAgas, yakshas and other kings out of your vanity, today you are going to pay for it. Certainly your pride about the boons you have received from lord brahma will be destroyed. I, whose wife you have abducted, am here on the threshold of the lanka, ready to mete out your punishment. Vanquished by me you will attain the higher worlds. You low-life, hoodwinking me you forcibly abducted sItA by trickery, come on show me that valour. I shall render this world bereft of demons with my unerring arrows. Or, you better take refuge in me and submit sItA to me.
धर्मात्मा रक्षसां श्रेष्ठः सम्प्राप्तोऽयं विभीषणः ।
लङ्कैश्वर्यं ध्रुवं श्रीमान् अयं प्राप्नोत्यकण्टकम् ॥
This dharmic vibhIshaNa, the best among the demons will be the unrivalled lord of lanka. You can no longer even for a moment enjoy your kingdom through unrighteous means. You shall be purified in the battle with my arrows. Now that I have sighted you, even if you flee to any of the three worlds in the form a bird at the speed of the mind, you will not be spared.
यद्वा विशसि लोकांस्त्रीन् पक्षिभूतो मनोजवः ।
मम चक्षुष्पथं प्राप्य न जीवन् प्रतियास्यसि ॥
ब्रवीमि त्वां हितं वाक्यम् क्रियतामौर्ध्वदैहिकम् ।
सुदृष्टा क्रियतां लङ्का जीवितं ते मयि स्थितम् ॥
Listen to me for your good, prepare for your last rites and have one good look at lanka since your life is in my hands”.
Instructed thus by rAma who could accomplish even the hardest of tasks in a trice, the son of tAra, angada rose up into the sky like flame and within a moment landed in the abode of rAvaNa where he was conferring with his ministers. Placing himself not too far from him right in front of where rAvaNa was sitting, angada shone like a flame of fire with his golden armlets. Introducing himself, he began to convey the message of rAma verbatim and said –
“I am the emissary of rAma who could accomplish the most impossible of tasks. I am known by the name angada, the son of vAli, if you have heard about me. The multiplier of kausalyA’s joy, rAma conveys the following words.
Come out you evil demon, be a man and fight. I am going to vanquish you along with your kin and ministers. With you dead, the three worlds will heave a sigh of relief.
निष्पत्य प्रतियुद्ध्यस्व नृशंस पुरुषो भव ।
हन्तास्मि त्वां सहामात्यम् सपुत्रज्ञातिबान्धवम् ।
निरुद्विग्नास्त्रयो लोका भविष्यन्ति हते त्वयि ॥
Today I shall save the gods, demons, yakshas, gandhrvas, uragas and Rshis from their enemy. Once you are dead, vibhIshaNa’s will be all this wealth. If you don’t want to go this way, at once submit sItA with your head bowed to me”.
As angada, the best of the vAnaras conveyed this message, the demon king became acutely annoyed and ordered his ministers to apprehend him at once and execute him. The bright as flame angada heard him and grabbed four demons with both his hands like a bird would hold its prey. Wanting to show his might he leapt with the four of them in his arms on to a high rise gOpuram in full view of the demons and rAvaNa. As he leapt the four of them fell down on the ground while the demons watched helplessly. Then the heroic angada stamped on that gOpuram and that mountainous gOpuram crashed down like the himAlayan peak in the yore. He roared ferociously, announced his name another time, tormented the demons, sent vAnaras to raptures and at once came back to rAma.
rAvaNa watched the destruction of his palace and his imminent end and breathed heavily. The vAnaras and rAma were ecstatic and sushENa following the orders of sugrIva surrounded lanka on all four sides like the stars crowded around the moon. With a hundred akhouhiNis of the army, lanka came under siege. The demons were both astonished and terrified beholding the ocean like army of vAnaras who were scaling their fort and ready to attack. The demons let out cries of despair seeing the rampaging vAnaras.
As utter chaos prevailed in the capital city of the demon king, the demons also wielded their weapons and advanced menacingly like the typhoon at the end of the time.
Here we conclude the forty first 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: 6.042. The battle begins
Previous: 6.040. sugrIva’s daring assault
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 