Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixtieth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Seeing four of his stalwarts succumb to the determination and heroism of the vAnaras and their warriors, rAvaNa surveyed the ravaged city of lanka. He noticed that the enemy had inched too close to the city and now wanted to take things into his own hands. As he set out determined to destroy the enemy, all his generals and key warriors joined him. But he asked them to stay back and guard the city against invasion and ransacking by the vAnaras. He went forth and unleashed terror in the vAnara army. They fought valiantly with their improvised weapons but were all decimated by rAvaNa’s offensive. Starting with sugrIva, all other key vAnara warriors were sent packing and then hanumAn entered the scene. After some sledging back and forth, hanumAn and rAvaNa slapped each other which shook both of them! The vAnara chief nIla also fought well before being overwhelmed by the demon king. At that point, the vAnaras ran to rAma to rescue them. When rAma picked his bow to go, brother lakhmaNa sought his permission to battle rAvaNa. rAma sent him with all precautions. rAvaNa initially took him lightly but then getting a taste of lakshmaNa’s valour, he used the weapon Sakthi which felled lakshmaNa. Seeing lakshmaNa unconscious, rAvaNa tried to abduct him but the demon king who had moved mountains literally earlier could not move him an inch! Here mahaRshi vAlmIki brings a divine touch and says lakshmaNa reminded himself of being a part of lord vishNu and became so heavy that rAvaNa couldn’t move him! But he yielded to hanumAn who was a well wisher. It is then that rAma came and overwhelmed rAvaNa, destroyed his chariot, dented his crown and left him completely stunned and shocked. Then playing a true hero, rAma acclaimed rAvaNa’s feats that day and recognizing that he was jaded from the efforts of the day, spared him with life and asked him to come back next day fully armed and in a new chariot to taste more of his prowess. Onwards…
स प्रविश्य पुरीं लङ्काम् रामबाणभयार्दितः ।
भग्नदर्पस्तदा राजा बभूव व्यथितेन्द्रियः ॥
Mortified and tormented by rAma’s arrows, hurt in all his senses, his pride ruined, the king rAvaNa entered lanka. He was comprehensively overwhelmed by the great rAghava like the elephant is done by the lion or the serpent by the garuDa. The very memory of the arrows of rAghava that shone like the shaft of lord brahma and glowed like lightning frightened him. Presently he got onto his golden throne and looking at the demons said –
ब्रह्मदण्डप्रकाशानाम् विद्युत्सदृशवर्चसाम् ।
स्मरन् राघवबाणानाम् विव्यथे राक्षसेश्वरः ॥
“Alas, all the great penance that I have done has gone in vain as I have been defeated by a man who is qequal to indra in prowess. I remember that word of lord brahma from whom I sought invincibility against gods, gandharvas, yakshas, rAkshas and pannagas but didn’t not seek against humans. He told me then to be wary of humans!
I now realize that rAma, the son of daSaratha about whom one of the earlier kings of the ikshvAkus, anaraNya had foretold. That king told me – ‘O low life, in my clan shall the born a man who shall vanquish the wicked you in the battle along with your kin, children, ministers, army and your everything.
शप्तोऽहं वेदवत्या च यदा सा धर्षिता पुरा ।
सेयं सीता महाभागा जाता जनकनन्दिनी ॥
In the yore, I have also been cursed by vEdavati when I tried to abduct her. That great lady is indeed born as the daughter of janaka, sItA. Even the curses inflicted upon me by umA, nandISwara, rambhA and the words of the Rshis will not be rendered false. Knowing this, we still have to put in our efforts. Let the demons take their positions on the high rises and the royal roads and keep vigil.
Now, since I have tasted defeat and prahasta is slain, go and wake up the mighty kumbhakarNa. He is peerless in his abilities and valour and is under the spell of curse of lord brahma. While you guard the thresholds and keep vigil from the ramparts, go and wake up kumbhakarNa. He sleeps comfortably without a worry like he has lost consciousness for a duration of six to nine months. Today is the ninth day after he went to sleep following our deliberations on the battle. Go and at once wake up the mighty kumbhakarNa. Among the demons, he holds the top spot in the battle. He will get rid of the vAnaras and the princes (rAma and lakshmaNa) quickly. He is the flagbearer among the demons and the best in the battle. He always sleeps and indulges in vulgar pleasures. My anxiety and sadness up on being trounced by rAma in the battle will be gone, if you wake up kumbhakarNa. Of what use is the indra-like prowess of kumbhakarNa to me if he doesn’t help me in such a crisis”.
The demons who heard the order of rAvaNa went to where kumbhakarNa was with much panic. On the orders of rAvaNa, they carried with them plenty of meat and blood, fragrant garlands and many types of food. They entered that yOjana wide cave where kumbhakarNa was asleep. As kumbhakarNa exhaled, they were thrown back by the air that was coming out from his nostrils. With great effort, they entered the cave that was gold studded inside and beheld the sleeping giant. Approaching the mountainous giant, whose breathing was akin to the hissing of a serpent, they were troubled by the exhaled winds of kumbhakarNa! They saw his huge nostril and the mouth that seemed like the bottomless nether. His limbs decorated with golden anklets were resting on the couch and his body was stinking of fat and blood. The vanquisher of foes wore a crown.
They made s huge heap of meat that resembled a mountain in front of him. The enemies of the gods also lined up pots full of blood and variety of wines. They applied fragrant sandal paste on his body and covered him with garlands. To please him they spread incense all over the place. They blew conches and when he didn’t respond made huge noises impatiently and shook him to wake him up from his slumber. The blares of the conches and trumpets and their yells spread in all quarters and while he didn’t get up, the birds flew away in panic on hearing those sounds.
When the giant didn’t respond to any of those sounds, they grabbed wooden clubs and maces and began to hit him with those and mountain peaks, trees, palms and fists. But he was fast asleep and when he exhaled even the most powerful of demons couldn’t stand their ground and were blown away. Ten thousand demons at once made noises with mRdanga, trupet, drums, DhOls, ghaTas and conches. As they tried hard through these noises to wake him up and he didn’t so much as move, they stepped up to higher degree tactics. Along with the noises of the trumpets, conches, mRdangas, they brought other animals like horses, camels, donkeys and elephants and made them bray and yell loudly by beating them with sticks torturing with hooks. With all their strength they beat him with clubs, maces and other weapons. Entire lanka was filled with those houses but kumbhakarNa couldn’t be woken up!
Under the speel of the curse (of lord brahma), as he didn’t even respond to the blaring of a thousand trumpets at one time, the demons got infuriated and further increased the degree of their efforts. While some yelled, some blared trumpets, some pulled his hair and others bit his ear. Yet others poured a hundred pots of water in his ears! But he didn’t so much as move lost in deep sleep.
Other mighty wielders of weapons like the hammer hit him on the chest and on the head. He didn’t wake up. Then they launched missiles on him, even that had no effect.
वारणानां सहस्रं तु शरीरेऽस्य प्रधावितम् ।
कुम्भकर्णस्ततो बुद्धः स्पर्शं परमबुध्यत ॥
And then they drove a thousand elephants on his body!! It is only then kumbhakarNa felt the touch and woke up! Then realizing the pain of the hits by those mountain peaks, trees and other unimaginable blows, tormented by lost sleep and pangs of hunger, he woke up at once opening his mouth widely in a yawn.
स पात्यमानैर्गिरिशृङ्गवृक्षैः अचिन्तयंस्तान् विपुलान् प्रहारान् ।
निद्राक्षयात् क्षुद्भयपीडितश्च विजृम्भमाणः सहसोत्पपात ॥
Throwing around his hands that resembled mountains, the giant demon opened his mouth widely and yawned (again). As he opened it wide, it seemed like the bottomless nether and the tongue inside looked like the sun risen on the mEru mountain. As he yawned again and again, the air that emanated from him felt like the strong winds blowing from the mountains. His form appeared like that of the dark clouds at the end of the summer. His eyes glowed brightly like the planets.
Having woken up, he was offered the meat of buffalo and boar and he gobbled that and washed it down with pots and pots of wine and blood. Sensing that he was somewhat satiated, the demons approached with head bowed down. They bowed to him in reverence and comforted him. With eyes still red from disturbed sleep, he cast his glances at all the demons and with some surprise at having been woken up thus, he asked –
“Why have I been woken up by you? I hope all is well with the king and there is no reason to fear. Or I suppose there is a certain crisis that has been stoked up by others because of which you have woken me up suddenly. I shall vanquish the fear of the demon king today. I shall fell indra or douse the fire god. My brother won’t wake me up for no reason. Therefore tell me as a matter of fact the reason for waking me up.
The minister yUpAksha bowed and with folded hands replied to the furious and mighty kumbhakarNa –
“There is no fear for us from the gods, now or ever. Presently the disaster has bfallen from human.
न नो दैवकृतं किञ्चित् भयमस्ति कदाचन ।
मानुषान्नो भयं राजन् तुमुलं सम्प्रबाधते ॥
The kind of fear that has struck us now has never been experienced even from the gods or demons. This lanka has been sieged by vAnaras or mountainous proportions. Our fear stems from rAma who has been infuriated by the abduction of sItA. Earlier a single vAnara gutted the entire city and killed prince aksha along with his army and elephants. The demon king, the very poulastya, the thorn in the flesh of the gods, was about to die in the battle and then spared by the brilliant-as-sun rAma. What could never be done to the king by either the gods or the demons was done by rAma and then he was spared with life”.
स्वयं रक्षोधिपश्चापि पौलस्त्यो देवकण्टकः ।
व्रजेति संयुगे मुक्तो रामेणादित्यतेजसा ॥
यन्न दैवैः कृतो राजा नापि दैत्यैर्न दानवैः ।
कृतः स इह रामेण विमुक्तः प्राणसंशयात् ॥
Listening to the defeat of his brother from yUpAksha, kumbhakarNa glared and said –
“I will right away vanquish the vAnara army, lakshmaNa and rAma, offer ablutions of their blood to the demons and satiate them and then only see rAvaNa after gulping the blood of the duo”.
Listening to the those words spoken in pride and anger, one of the key warriors mahOdara folded his hands and said –
“please listen what rAvaNa has to say and then weigh the merits and demerits. Then, O mighty one, go to conquer the enemy”.
Asking kumbhakarNa to wait, mahOdara and other demons hurried to rAvaNa and with folded hands submitted to rAvaNa that his brother kumbhakarNa, the best among the rAkshasas has been awakened and asked him for further instructions. Then rAvaNa asked them to take care of him and tell him that he was waiting to see him. Then the demons came back to kumbhkarNa and then narrated to him the order of rAvaNa –
“The king, lord of all demons wants to see you. Please make up your mind to go and see him and delight him”.
The unbeatable kumbhakarNa agreed and got up. He washed his face and took bath. He decorated himself with many jewels and conveyed to them his thirst. Then as per the order of rAvaNa, the demons arranged for pots of wine. He gulped down two thousand pots of wine and feeling a bit high, he was delighted and looked menacing like the god of death. As he got up and began to walk towards his brother’s abode, the earth shook. With his splendorous body he lit up the city streets like sun lights up the world. As the demons stood with folded hands around him and on the way it seemed as if lord brahma was visiting the home of indra. Those vAnaras who were outside saw the unimaginable form which resembled a mountain and panicked. Some of them fainted while others ran to rAma seeking his shelter. Some of them ran away while some them lied on the ground beholding the gigantic form with a crown that seemed to touch the sun.
Here we conclude the sixtieth 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: 6.061. The making of the sleeping giant
Previous: 6.059. rAvaNa destroyed and spared!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 