Hari Om.
Let us begin the one hundred and tenth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The battle finally ended with rAma slaying rAvaNa. He used the divine astra that was conferred on him by sage agastya before they moved to the panchavaTI. The brahmAstra was precise, impactful and did its job in a jiffy. The fall of his elder brother, no matter how much they were at odds when the elder one lived, brought tears to vibhIshaNa. He lamented and wondered about how the irrepressible, invincible hero of many conquests finally fell to rAma. The victor rAma was quick to acknowledge the valour rAvaNa and tells vibhIshaNa that a warrior is never meant to be mourned upon. The large heart of rAma which gave space for the enemy who tried to hurt him in many ways establishes him as the embodiment of dharma who had complete clarity about conflict, combat and its consequences in this instance. Grasping the point that rAma made, vibhIshaNa sought permission to do the last rites of his brother which rAma readily agreed to and exhorted him to do so. Onwards…
The demonesses in the harem learnt that their lord was slain by the great rAma and surged out grieving. Despite lot of efforts to control them, they rolled on the dusty earth in great sorrow with their hair undone and dishevelled resembling cows that have lost their calves. They emerged out of the northern threshold into the battlefield which was a scene of ruins with severed heads, trunks and other gory scenes. They searched for their lord in those mounds of gore, on ground that was muddied with blood, they ran hither and thither calling out their lord, their vision clouded by the tears like she elephants bewailing the loss of their leader. They finally found his gigantic and glorious body which was lying dead on the ground like a huge black mound. As soon as they found rAvaNa’s body they ran to him at once and flung themselves on his body like wild creepers which were cutoff.
Someone embraced his body in great affection and wailed, while another held on to his feet and yet another held onto his neck. One of them lifted his hand that was lying on the battlefield while another lost her senses beholding the face of the slain demon king. One of them placed his head in her lap and sobbed looking at his face with her tears washing down his face like dew drops falling on a lotus. Seeing their lord struck down thus they rued, lamented and cried in grief –
“By whom the lord Sakra (indra) was tormented, by whom the lord yama was troubled, by whim the king vaiSravaNa (kubEra) was relieved of his pushpaka vimAna, the one who gave very difficult times and terrified the gandharvas and Rshis today lies slain on the battlefield! The one who knew no fear of asuras or the gods or pannagas succumbed to the fear of a human. The one who could not be slain by the gods or yakshas or demons lies slain like an ordinary one by a human who came by foot”!
Thus recalling rAvaNa’s exploits and recounting them the womenfolk grieved. They further said –
अशृण्वता च सुहृदाम् सततं हितवादिनाम् ।
मरणायाहृता सीता राक्षसाश्च निपातिताः ।
एताः सममिदानीं ते वयमात्मा च पातिताः ॥
“Not paying heed to the counsel of well-wishers you abducted sItA to bring about your death. But along with lot of rAkshas were slain and we are destroyed now as well. Discarding the good advice of your beloved brother vibhIshaNa, you censured him in utter delusion desiring your own death.
यदि निर्यातिता ते स्यात् सीता रामाय मैथिली ।
न नः स्याद् व्यसनं घोरम् इदं मूलहरं महत् ।
वृत्तकामो भवेद्भ्राता रामो मित्रकुलं भवेत् ।
वयं चाविधवाः सर्वाः सकामा न च शत्रवः ॥
If only you had heeded to your brother vibhIshaNa and returned maithilI to rAma, this devastating tragedy that has uprooted us would not have taken place. rAma would have belonged in the club of your friends, we would not have become widows and your enemies would not have had their desire fulfilled. Displaying sheer cruelty you kept sItA under captivity and now you, the demons and we – all three of us are destroyed, alas!
O best among the demons, or perhaps it was not your desire that brought about your death. It could be purely the play of destiny played by god which alone kills. The destruction of vAnaras and rAkshasas in this battle was perhaps destined. The course of destiny and the power of providence can never be negated in the world either by wealth (or means) or by desiring it or through valour or by ordering it away”.
नैवार्थेन न कामेन विक्रमेण न चाज्ञया ।
शक्या दैवगतिर्लोके निवर्तयितुमुद्यता ॥
Thus the hapless and harrowed demonesses of the lord of demons wailed inconsolably like a flock of ospreys.
Here we conclude the one hundred and tenth 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: 6.111. The end of enmity
Previous: 6.109. vibhIshaNa laments, rAma comforts
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
