Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty third sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
With great effort, the giant kumbhakarNa was woken up by thousands of demons who used force, food and plenty of noise to manage to get him up from his deep slumber. He was treated with thousands of pots of wine and fragrant food to avoid incurring his wrath for disturbing his sleep. He was annoyed for the disturbance caused but understood that for his brother to have woken him up, the situation must have been extraordinarily grave. After eating and drinking, he ambled on to rAvaNa’s abode troubled by both disturbed sleep and intoxication of wine. He beheld the ten-headed king in his mansion. The elder brother who was haunted by rAma’s arrows and his uncountable losses swung towards hope again. He counted on the sheer size and valour of kumbhakarNa to steamroll the enemy and hand him victory. The giant inquired the reason for his waking up and rAvaNa confided his fear of rAma to him and the reasons behind it. He expected kumbhakarNa to go to the battle and secure victory for him like he has done many a time in the past. Onwards…
Listening to the lamentations of rAvaNa, kumbhakarNa burst out in to laughter and said –
“You have done exactly what your well wishers have asked you not to do in the past when these discussions happened. Just like those who do bad deeds slip to hell, this sinful deed is also getting to you. First of all, O great king, you have done this without giving it any thought. You were conceited and didn’t give think about the consequences at all.
दृष्टोदोषोहियोऽस्माभिःपुरामन्त्रन्वििर्णये ।
हितेष्वनभियुक्तेनसोऽयमासादितस्त्वया ।।6.63.2।।
Being conceited due to one’s prosperity, if someone does earlier what ought to be done later and does later what ought to be done early, has no strategic thinking.
यःपश्चातूर्वकार्याणिकुर्यादैश्वर्यमास्थितः ।
पूर्वंचोत्तरकार्याणि न स वेदनयानया ।।6.63.5।।
Acts performed without the context of time and place in a rash manner are bound to fail like the oblations not offered in the fire. One who guards the three concerns (secure what one doesn’t have, retain what one has and multiply it) through the five fold diligence (strategy, resource gathering, right time and place, mitigate risks and earn the reward) and ample discussions with the ministers moves in the right direction. Only that king succeeds who makes decisions as laid out by the time tested scriptures and listens to his ministers and well-wishers.
O king of the demons, men seek the three fold gains of dharma, artha (means) and kAma (fulfilling one’s need/desire) all the time or at least two of them at a time. When one ignores the advice of what among the three is best sought at a given time, his learning is just a waste. Discussing with his ministers, whoever follows the tri-fold gains as appropriate at the given time through the four fold ways of conciliation, charity, dissension or heroism never goes down in life.
A king should reflect on the dos and don’ts and on what is good. He should then discuss with ministers who are knowledgeable and understand the essence. Only such a king survives. Those beasty men who have no clue about the scriptures but blabber for personal gains when included in the discussions, no lasting prosperity can be expected by discussions with such people. Ministers who project harm as good and speak presumptuously spoil everything and will ruin their lord along with their enemies. They make the king do things that he shouldn’t be doing. A king ought to identify the good and bad counsellors in his dealings with them and through experience. One who acts in haste without putting much thought is exploited by others like birds exploit the gaps in the krauncha mountain. The one who doesn’t save himself despite knowing the enemy earns ruin and loses his position. You should do what was told to you earlier by our younger brother (vibhIshaNa). That is in the best interest of us. Now do as you please”.
The ten-headed heard the sermon of kumbhakarNa, frowned at him and said –
“Why are you lecturing me like an honourable preceptor? Why are you tiring yourself with words when you should be doing what is appropriate at the time? Whether the current situation has arisen due to wrong judgment, infatuation, mindlessness or due to force is a discussion that is pretty useless. What is most appropriate at this time, that should be done. No one should think about the past because past is past!
अस्मिन् काले तु यद्युक्तम् तदिदानीं विधीयताम् ।
गतं तु नानुशोचन्ति गतं तु गतमेव हि ॥
Please set right by your might the fallout of my misjudgement if you have any affection for me or are aware of your power. Or if your heart tells you that this is the right thing to do”.
He is a well wisher who helps a helpless one in crisis, he is a friend who comes to the rescue when one has slipped”.
स सुहृद्यो विपन्नार्थम् दीनमभ्युपपद्यते ।
स बन्धुर्योऽपनीतेषु साहाय्यायोपकल्पते ॥
Responding to rAvaNa’s words which were morose, kumbhakarNa gathered that he was upset. Then he spoke slowly and clearly to pacify him after noticing that his brother was much agitated –
“O king of the demons, enough of your gloom, throw it out. Give up sulking and feel good. You don’t need to take these things to heart as long as I am alive. I shall destroy him on whose account you are feeling tormented. Of course, good counsel should always be offered to you by me due to my brotherly affection for you.
Just like a good friend acts in a time like this, watch me unleash my fury in the crest of the battlefield where I will vanquish rAma along with his brother and destroy the vAnara army. Beholding the head of rAma which I will fetch from the battlefield, feel good and let sItA become sad. All those demons who have lost their kin in the battle will rejoice today by their favourite sight of rAma being slain. I shall by that act wipe out the tears of those who grieve for their lost friends. Today the mountainous sugrIva will be destroyed by me like the sun scatters the clouds. Why do you fear rAma, when you are protected by me and the other demons from rAma? Of course he has to slay me to come to you and I have nothing to fear from him.
Order me as per your wish now, O king of the demons. There is no need to send anyone else to this battle. O mighty one, I shall uproot your enemy – even if he be indra or yama or agni or vAyU or kubEra or varuNa. When indra sees my gigantic self, wielding the white spear and my sharp canines, he will be terrified and cry out in agony. Or for that matter even if I am without a weapon, no one who boasts of his might and loves his life will dare to be in front of me. I don’t need the weapon Sakti or a mace or sword or the arrows, just with my bare hands I can vanquish the vajri (indra). If at all rAghava survives the blow of my fist, he will face the wrath of my arrows. O king, why do you fret with worry with me being there and am ready to go and annihilate your enemy?
Now get rid of this fear of rAma as I shall destroy him along with lakshmaNa, mighty sugrIva, hanumAn who tormented the demons and set lanka on fire. I shall today finish off the vAnaras and confer on you unrivalled fame.
Let all the beings behold the might of kumbhakarNa who has been in slumber for long. Even there is fear from indra or brahma, don’t worry, the gods will go to the sleep of death as I unleash my fury on the earth. I will kill indra, will drink off the ocean (varuNa), will destroy the mountains and the earth, will repress yama, gobble agni, will bring down sun to the earth along with the stars.
I will today go to the battle field, slay rAma and lakshmaNa and swallow the entire vAnara army. You freak out as you wish, drink wine and act without fear. As I send rAma to the abode of yama, sItA will be yours forever”.
Here we conclude the sixty third 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: 6.064. A yes-man schemes
Previous: 6.062. rAvaNa confides his fear to his brother
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
