6.065. The giant sets off

Hari Om.

Let us begin the sixty fifth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.

As rAvaNa confided his fears in kumbhakarNa and sought his help, albeit in an authoritative manner, the giant took the opportunity to remind rAvaNa about his wrong ways. The king always decided hastily and used his and others’ might to achieve his desires. Inevitably it worked and thus made rAvaNa believe that he was invincible and can have his way anywhere. This was called out big time by his younger brother. The youngest vibhIshaNa had also called it out and after rAvaNa refused to pay heed, took a stand and sought refuge in rAma. The giant kumbhakarNa was different. When rAvaNa insisted on him going to the battle and curtly asked him not to lecture and instead focus on the problem at hand, the giant immediately changed his tone and sought to calm the frayed nerves of rAvaNa by assuring him about victory. Hearing all this, a yes-man of rAvaNa, mahOdara suggested other devious and deceitful ways to make sItA fall in line and agree to rAvaNa’s proposal. It was an elaborate scheme that was based on the understanding that they would not be able to win against rAma. Onwards…

As mahOdara schemed thus and spoke to rAvaNa, kumbhakarNa disagreed and told his brother and the demon king, rAvaNa –

“I shall remove your fear by vanquishing that mean rAma and so you be happy without an enemy. The valiant ones do not simply boasts and roar, just like the water-less cloud. They don’t brag about themselves. They will simply accomplish on the battlefield and so behold today the impossible task that I am going to do”. He then turned to mahOdara and said –

“O mahOdara, the kings who are anxious, think very highly of themselves but are bereft of judgment would lap up the kind of words that you spoke. Sweet talkers such as you are utter cowards when it comes to the battle.

युद्धे कापुरुषैर्नित्यम् भवद्भिः प्रियवादिभिः ।

राजानमनुगच्छद्भिः सर्वं कृत्यं विनाशितम् ॥

Look what you sycophants have accomplished. The lanka is just left with the king, its coffers have become empty, the army has been decimated. You fellows who masquerade as the friends of the king are indeed his enemies. Here I shall go to the battle with the aim of vanquishing the enemy. I will set right today every bad strategy that you all have implemented in this battle”.

rAvaNa smiled at the words of kumbhakarNa and as he spoke, he intervened and answered –

“O dear, expert warrior, there is no doubt whatsoever that this mahOdara is terrified of rAma and doesn’t want a fight. O kumbhakarNa, however there is absolutely no one who is equal to you in might, valour or affection for me. Go forth to conquer the enemy and the battle. I have woken you up for this very reason. O repressor of the foes, this is the time to act for the well wishers of the rAkshasas. Go to the battle wielding your Sula (spear) seeming like the god of death yama with his noose. Go and gobble up the splendorous duo and the vAnaras. As soon as they see you, the vAnaras will flee and the hearts of rAma and lakshmaNa will break”.

Having instructed the powerful kumbhakarNa thus, knowing his might and valour, the demon king felt relieved and thought he had got a fresh lease of life and shone like the spotless moon. As per the words of rAvaNa, kumbhakarNa readied himself and fetched his Sula (spear) that was a decimator of the foes, made fully with iron, plated with gold, well decorated, destructive like the indra’s thunderbolt and respected like the hard diamond. It had humbled many a foes in the past like the gods, gandharvas, yakshas and kinnaras and had been propitiated by their blood. It was garlanded and resembled a flame. Grabbing that spear, kumbhakarNa said to the king –

“Let this army stay here, I shall go alone and swallow all the vAnaras who will be terrified”.

rAvaNa responded to kumbhakarNa and said –

“Go accompanied by army that is equipped with spears, maces and hammers. The vAnaras are also great warriors and very enterprising. Even if one has a lapse of a moment without alertness, they are capable of biting very hard. Therefore, go surrounded by a huge and undefeatable army and annihilate the enemy”.

kumbhakarNa got up from his throne and rAvaNa put a garland that had a gem hanging from it around him. He also put armlets and finger guards on him. He put pendants on the ears and applied fragrant sandal paste on his body. Adorned with all those golden jewels kumbhakarNa shone like a large flame. With a huge band around his waist he resembled the mandara mountain to which the giant serpent vAsuki was tied while the gods and the demons churned the ocean for the amRta (nectar of immortality). He put on his armour and windcheater made of pure gold and shone like the king of the mountains during the dawn and dusk.

स काञ्चनं भारसहं निवातं विद्युत्प्रभं दीप्तमिवात्मभासा ।

आभध्यमानः कवचं रराज सन्ध्याभ्रसंवीत इवाद्रिराजः ॥

Thus fully adorned, wielding his spear resembled the giant form of lord vishNu, vAmana that was set to overwhelm the three worlds. He embraced his elder brother and circumambulated him, bowed down to him and set off to the battlefield. rAvaNa sent him his benedictions. As he walked, army followed on elephants, horses, chariots, sepernts, camels, lions, birds blasting their conches, blowing their trumpets and beating their war drums creating quite a noise. A parasol was held for him and floral showers were made as the enemy of the gods walked forth. A large contingent of foot soldiers who were large bodied and red-eyed also followed him armed with spears, swords, axes, darts, beams, maces, clubs and canons. The giant measured six hundred bow lengths in height and a hundred bow lengths in circumference!

अथान्यद्वपुरादाय दारुणं घोरदर्शनम् ।

निष्पपात महातेजाः कुम्भकर्णो महाबलः ।

धनुश्शतपरीणाहः स षट्छतसमुच्छ्रितः ।

रौद्रः शकटचक्राक्षो महापर्वतसन्निभः ॥

With his large mouth open, he laughed and told the demons that accompanied him that he shall swallow the vAnaras that day like fire swallowed fire-flies. However, he opined that the vANaras were not at fault and indeed are ornaments for the groves and gardens. He said, rAma and lakshmaNa were at the root of this whole conflict and with them slain, it is as good as everyone else is slain. The rAkshasa lustily cheered these words of the giant with loud roars that brought turmoil to the ocean.

As kumbhakarNa set out, terrible omens surfaced. Meteors were spotted, clouds thundered and turned grey like the donkeys’ complexion. The ocean, forests and the earth shook. The jackals howled horribly. Birds circled in counter clockwise direction. A huge eagle descended and sat on his spear. His left shoulder shook and his left eye flickered. The sun lost his lustre and the wind didn’t blow gently. Not paying attention to these horripilation causing omens, kumbhakarNa moved on, driven by his destiny.

स लङ्घयित्वा प्राकारम् पद्भ्यां पर्वतसन्निभः ।

ददर्शाभ्रघनप्रख्यम् वानरानीकमद्भुतम् ॥

The mountainous giant walked over the compound walls and beheld the large vAnara army that resembled dense clouds. Those vAnaras, having seen the hugest among the demons ran away in all directions like the clouds scattered by the winds eliciting delightful roars of laughter from kumbhakarNa. Just hearing his roar, many vAnaras collapsed like the sAl tree axed at its roots. Wielding a huge parigha, the marching kumbhakarNa, set out to vanquish the enemy, created a huge fear in the hearts of the vAnaras as he appeared like the god of death staring at them at the end of time.