Divyastradharine Namaha!

CANTO IV

The Mighty Battle

Sharanagatha goptharam!
Pranipathaprasadikam!
Kalameghanibhakaram!
Karthaswarasamaprabham!

(Rama) is the savior of those who surrender,
(Sita) blesses all those who fall at her feet.
He has the color of rain clouds,
And she the color of gold.

The vanara army with bloodcurdling cries charged the eastern gate of Lanka. They clambered up the walls and broke the ramparts. Very soon they made inroads into the other three walls. The whole place was alive with a mass of leaping and screaming vanaras bent on destruction. The rakshasa army ably defended their bastion, and the first day’s fight continued into the night, which was the time when the rakshasas, who were night wanderers, became more powerful.

Indrajit, Ravana’s son, was one of their ablest warriors. The name given to him at birth was Meghanatha, but he came to be called Indrajit after defeating Indra, king of the gods. He was a master magician and the prince of illusions—Ravana’s golden boy, who could take on any form at will. It is said that only his mother, Mandodari, knew his real form. After having almost defeated Angada, he leaped into the air and disappeared into the clouds. From this hidden vantage point, he sent the deadly nagapasa, or noose of the serpent, with which he bound the two brothers, whom he had already badly wounded. Rama fell to the ground in a faint, and Lakshmana followed suit. Enmeshed by the magic cords, lacerated all over their bodies by Indrajit’s deadly arrows, they lay on their bed of arrows, drenched in blood, with hardly any sign of life beyond an occasional feeble twitching. There was panic in the vanara army and they stared at the sky in the hope of being able to see Indrajit, but none could see him except Vibhishana, who was also helpless against the snake noose. Indrajit was jubilant, for he was sure that he had killed the brothers. Having created havoc in the rest of the army, he returned to his father to give him the happy news.

Sugriva was desperate when he saw Rama and Lakshmana in this state, but Vibhishana comforted him and said, “Believe me, they are not dead. It is only a temporary faint. Let us chant some mantras and they will awaken. Now it is up to you to keep up the morale of the army until the brothers recover consciousness. You should not allow your affection to weaken you. Both of them will have to be guarded carefully until they regain consciousness.”

In the meantime Indrajit entered the city covered with glory and gave the happy news to his father that he had killed his two enemies. Ravana was overjoyed and blessed his valiant son. That night the whole of Lanka slept peacefully. In the morning, Ravana sent for the rakshasis guarding Sita and told them to tell her that her husband lay dead on the battlefield. Since she would not be convinced by mere talk, he told them to take her in his aerial vehicle, the Pushpaka, to survey the battlefield from the air and see the body of her husband. “Tell Sita to forget her husband and come to me, since now she has no other recourse but to accept my love and become my wife.”

The rakshasis forced Sita to get into the vehicle and took her over the battlefield, where she saw for herself the devastation in the vanara army. In the midst of the sea of corpses of dead and dying monkeys, she suddenly spied her beloved husband and his brother lying on a bed of arrows, their bodies bleeding and inert. She could no longer see clearly due to the tears flowing in torrents from her eyes. For some time she was shocked into silence, but then she started to moan and bewail her fate.

“How is it that my Rama, who single-handedly killed all the rakshasas at Janasthana, could not counteract the effects of these deadly arrows of the evil-minded son of Ravana? Our guru Vasishta prophesied that my Rama would perform many ashvamedha yajnas and win great fame as a king, and that I would never be a widow and would be the mother of heroic sons. How is it that all these words have proven false? There is no one that we can trust. Fate is all powerful. Of what use are the lotus marks on my feet that proclaim I will be a queen? I have all the twelve auspicious signs. My body is symmetrical, my teeth even, my navel set deep in my stomach. My breasts are full and skin and hair soft. My eyes are like a doe’s, my nose delicate like a seasame flower, my ears small and rounded, my neck shaped like a conch. My complexion is pearly and my soles touch the ground when I walk, yet this calamity has overtaken me.”

One of the rakshasis, who was kinder than the rest and had earlier befriended Sita, now comforted her with these words, “My lady, please do not weep. Your lord is not dead. Neither of them is dead. See how the vanaras are guarding their bodies? They appear to be waiting for them to recover. Take this opportunity and have a good look at the face of your beloved husband, from whom you have been parted for such a long time. There is a glow about their faces that would not be there if they were dead. So forget this sorrow and take heart.”

Sita was thrilled to hear this. She observed the two carefully and confirmed what was said by the kindly rakshasi. She raised her palms in prostration to Rama and then returned.

Slowly, after a passage of time, the nagapasa ceased to have effect and Rama came to consciousness. When he saw his brother lying apparently dead, he started lamenting and swooned again.

At this moment, when all of them were sitting and crying round the fallen princes, Sugriva’s court physician came and said, “Once long ago when the gods and demons were fighting, the gods were struck down in a similar fashion, but their guru revived them with special herbs from the milky ocean. These herbs are known as sanjeevakarani, which is capable of reviving those who are fatally stricken; and vishalyakarani, which heals all wounds inflicted by weapons. Let Hanuman be sent to get them.

Hardly had he finished speaking when a tempestuous wind rose from the ocean, making the waves leap into the sky. The force of the wind appeared to bend even the mountains. Trees were snapped like sticks and flung to the ground, and animals ran hither and thither. Suddenly Garuda, the king of birds, vehicle of Vishnu, cleaved his way through the storm-tossed sky. The storm had been caused by the wind stirred by his enormous wings. He was the bitter enemy of all snakes, and as soon as he appeared, the serpent noose that had bound the two brothers started loosening its deathly hold over them. As he came nearer they were released completely and Lakshmana stirred, as if from sleep. The wide-winged Garuda now came close to them and stroked their faces lovingly with his wings; instantly their wounds vanished and luster returned to their faces. Their splendor, majesty, intelligence, and courage increased tenfold. Garuda embraced them warmly, and Rama said, “When you caressed me with your wings, I felt as if my father were touching me. Because of you we have been saved from this deadly snake noose. How wonderful you look! Pray tell me who you are.” The bird said, “I am Garuda, son of Vinata, and am your constant companion. I am your vehicle and will always be hovering around you, even though you are not aware of it. I am the only one who could have saved you from this noose made of snakes that have taken on the form of arrows, which Indrajit invoked by a special mantra. I am their ancient enemy, and that is why they vanished as soon as they saw me. Rama, fear not, you and your brother are destined to destroy your enemies and have a glorious future. Your strength lies in your adherence to dharma and you will be victorious, even though your enemies are treacherous. Now give me leave to go. Whenever you need me, just think of me and I’ll be there.”

Witnessing this miraculous recovery of the brothers, the monkeys chattered and clattered with delight. They beat their tails and thumped their kettledrums and jumped up and down with joy.

Ravana heard these sounds and was puzzled. How can they be so joyous when Rama lies dead, he thought? He ordered his spies to go and find out the truth and was amazed when they returned with the news of Rama’s miraculous escape.

Now Ravana sent another horde, led by the terrible warrior Dhumraksha, the fiery-eyed one, but he was killed by Hanuman. Next to be sent was Vajradamstra, another invincible warrior with fangs like sharpened diamonds, but he was killed by Vali’s son Angada. Then came Akampana, who was vanquished by Hanuman. Ravana was quite depressed at the death of three of his best warriors.

He called his commander-in-chief Prahastha and told him to go. “How is it that an army that can hardly be called an army at all is able to defeat three of my best warriors? They are only a bunch of wild, fickle monkeys, untrained in the art of warfare. They will never be able to face a well-disciplined army that marches ruthlessly under the guidance of a master general such as you.”

Prahastha was happy to see the confidence his master placed in him and he advanced to the front. He created havoc in the vanara forces until Neela confronted him and crushed his chariot, forcing him to get down. They fought face to face until at last Neela took a big boulder and crushed Prahastha’s head. His frightened battalion abandoned their leader and flew back to Lanka.

Ravana could not believe that his favorite commander had been killed. He decided that it was time he himself entered the arena. Rama saw the huge army advancing and asked Vibhishana who were the leaders of the troop.

Vibhishana said, “The chariot with the lion banner belongs to Indrajit, and the one with the white umbrella holds Ravana, lord of the rakshasas.”

Rama gazed at Ravana for a long moment and said, “Indeed, he is a glorious figure. Such radiance, like the sun at noon! He seems to be endowed with all the qualities of a great hero. When I think that he is the one who stole my Sita, I cannot help but pity him, for he is coming closer to his death.”

Ravana arranged his army carefully and then plunged into battle. Sugriva had been eager to get his hands on the demon king and hurled rocks at him, which Ravana splintered with ease. At last Sugriva fell in a faint from one of Ravana’s arrows and the monkey hoard fled in fear and ran to Rama. Rama stood up ready to enter the fray, but Lakshmana stopped him, saying that it would be his pleasure to make an end of this wicked man.

Hanuman, in the meantime, rushed at Ravana and said, “You have been granted many boons but none that will protect you from monkeys. Now allow my right hand to teach you a well-deserved lesson.”

Ravana was furious when he heard this and said, “I will give you the opportunity to win everlasting fame by hitting me just once, and then I’ll kill you.”

Hanuman punched him on his chest and Ravana reeled under the pressure. He admired Hanuman’s strength but did not wait for more. He turned his chariot toward Neela and did his best to wound him, but since Neela was the son of the fire god, he could not be killed. Ravana now directed his fury against the approaching Lakshmana. There ensued a memorable fight between the two, which was watched by all the others. At last Ravana was compelled to use the shakti weapon given to him by Brahma. He hurled it at Lakshmana, who fell in a swoon. With a smile Ravana came close and tried to lift him up but was unable to do so. He was amazed that he, who had once lifted the mountain of Kailasa, was now unable to lift Rama’s brother. Hanuman came and struck Ravana down from his chariot, and before he could recover from the blow, he carried Lakshmana back to Rama. As soon as he reached Rama, the shakti weapon left his side and returned to Ravana, and Lakshmana was his old self.

Ravana was bent on causing havoc to the vanara army, and Rama decided that it was time for him to enter the fray. Hanuman begged him to use his shoulder as a vehicle, since Ravana was once again fighting from his chariot and Rama from the ground. Rama agreed and went to battle on Hanuman’s shoulder.

At last the two protagonists came face to face. Neither could help admiring the other but Rama said, “You think you are a hero, yet you have behaved as no hero would behave. You deserve nothing but death, and I will see that you get it.”

Without answering Ravana took up his bow and aimed an arrow at Hanuman. It fell off the mighty hero, like a mango leaf from its tree. Rama was furious when he saw the attack on Hanuman and he broke Ravana’s chariot and wounded his horses and charioteer. Another arrow to Ravana’s chest made him reel and still another cut off his golden crown, which rolled in the dust. The king of rakshasas was now without his crown, his bow, and his chariot. Denuded of his accoutrements, he appeared to have lost half his splendor.

Rama took pity on him and said, “You have acted in an unforgivable manner, yet I see that you are very tired, so I will refrain from killing you now. Go home and rest and return with another bow and chariot; then I’ll show you what I am capable of doing.”

Ravana returned to Lanka, crestfallen and ashamed, his pride totally humbled.

Vasishta says:

“This Consciousness wants to experience its infinite potencies.
It knows itself when it is aware of itself,
It is ignorant of itself when it is unaware of itself,
Therefore even knowledge and ignorance are Pure Consciousness.
In truth there is no such division.

Hari Aum Tat Sat