Sri Valmiki Ramayanam - Aran Kanda (Book 3) Prose - Sarga 21 to 45

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Sree MadValmiki Ramayanam

( Translation and Commentary by Scholar, 

 Sreeman Brahmasree Desiraju Hanumantharao ji

and  Sreeman Brahmasree K M K Murthy ji )

Sree MadValmiki Ramayanam

                                          

 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 21

 

Shuurpanakha comes again to her brother Khara to report that all the fourteen demons sent by him are slain by Rama. She persuades him to wage a war against Rama and Lakshmana and annihilate them for they intruded into Dandaka and there is every possibility of onslaught by them on demons.

 

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On seeing Shuurpanakha who came back only to wreck havoc on demonic race and again fell before him as before, Khara spoke this sentence to her in clear terms in all his fury. 

"What for your are howling again when I have just now commanded those fearless flesh eating demons in order to fulfill your wish? Those demons are my admirers, adherers and they always remained my well-wishers, hence there is no question of their non-accomplishment of my orders. Owing to what you are highly bawling by saying, 'haa, lord' and wriggle on the ground like a snake? I would like to know the reason for all this, what is it? 

"I am here to take care of you, then why should you really cry out like an uncared-for being, get up...get up, and ward off this sort of perplexity." Thus Khara said to Shuurpanakha. 

She that Shuurpanakha who is otherwise an unassuageable one is wholly pacified when Khara spoke to her thus that way, and she on dabbing her tearful eyes then spoke to her brother Khara. 

"I came to you just a while back with my ears and nose chopped off and wet with gushes of blood, and you too have comforted me, isn't it. Oh, valiant brother, for my delight you too have sent fourteen demons to eliminate that atrocious Rama along with Lakshmana, isn't it? But, they all who handled their spears and bolts along with an envious anger are killed in a fight with Rama by his arrows that cleave the crucial parts of his opponents. 

"On seeing those highly impetuous demons falling to earth in a trice, and even on seeing the unusual deed of Rama in felling them, I am highly alarmed. Oh me! I am alarmed, fully frenzied, and even despaired, oh, nightwalker Khara, and beholding dread everywhere again I have come seeking your refuge. 

"Why do not you rescue me when I am drowned in a vast ocean called grief, wherein each pervasive crocodile is despair and each swelling wave is fright. 

"Besides, those flesh-eating demons that have followed me are also felled by Rama with his sharp arrows, for whom I have a contrite heart. If you have mercy on me, and even on those dead demons, and if ability and animation are still left in you to cope with Rama, oh, nightwalker, kill that Rama who is a thorn in the side of demons dwelling in Dandaka forest. 

"If you are not going to kill that enemy destroyer Rama now itself, I will give up my life unhesitatingly, that too in your fore, that too now itself.

Or

If you are not going to kill that enemy destroyer Rama now itself, now itself I will give up my life than living a shameless life with these lopped ears and nose. I can perceive instinctually that you are incapable of affronting Rama in a given crucial battle, even if your are with all your forces on the battlefield, and you assert yourself a valiant, but you are just vainglorious. 

"Kill those two, Rama and Lakshmana, as they are just humans, or else, if you are incapable of doing so, really what for is your stay here in Janasthaana with your trivial stamina and trifling sinews like a stupid blemishing his clan, then get out of this Janasthaana at once along with your hench-demons. 

The order of the verses from 16 to the last varies with versions and verbatim meanings differ. This is a kind of intimidation Shuurpanakha hurling at Khara. Besides being her brothers, Khara, Trishira and Duushana are the provincial governors of Janasthaana, nominated by Ravana. If they do not come to the rescue of Shuurpanakha, or to that matter of fact should they not eliminate intruders into Janasthaana, there is every possibility of their ouster from their posts by Ravana, because Shuurpanakha has more access to Ravana.

"You will completely and quickly evanish, indeed, subjugated by resplendence of Rama, for that Dasharatha's son Rama possess that kind of resplendence, in effect. 

"And, by whom I am misshapen that brother of Rama too is a highly vigorous one..." in this way on saying Shuurpanakha bawled variously in the presence of her brother, Khara, and then anguished by her own affliction that demoness with a cave like belly started hitting her paunch with both of her hands, and what is more, she swooned. 

The name Khara also stands for a he-ass

Thus, this is the 21st chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 22

 

Khara, the brother of Shuurpanakha starts out to wage war with Rama with fourteen thousand demons and with their unusual arsenal. This is the first major move of demons towards Rama that leads to the ultimate battle at the end of epic.

 

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Thus when Shuurpanakha disparaged that valiant Khara amidst demons he is infuriated and spoke these highly hurtful words. 

"This fury of mine originating from the disgrace brought on you is like the highly bitter salt water that is impossible to contain when ingested. I do not care the valour of that Rama for he is a human with dwindled lifetime, now going to give up his life slain by his own misdoings. Control your tears and cast off your despair too, for I will send Rama to the abode of the Terminator along with his brother. 

"Now, you demoness, you will swill that Rama's red hot blood when that short-lived one is hewed down to earth with an axe." So Khara assured Shuurpanakha. 

On hearing the words plunged from the mouth of Khara she is very much gladdened and in all her stupidity she further praised her brother highly saying, "you are the best among all the demons..." Though she denounced him earlier she alone praised him now for which Khara is overjoyed, and then he ordered his army commander, namely Duushana. 

"Those who are the followers of my will, whose hustle will be frightful and who will be unretreating in combats, such of those demons are there in fourteen thousand numbers, aren't they. And oh, gentle Duushana, those domineering demons are with dark-clouds like complexions, and they are the pamperers of genocide, as such, cause them for a belligerency, all at once. 

The very sight of these black cloud like demons will be murderous to humans, as Rama exclaimed about Tataka. If the on looking humans are not dead at first sight of these demons, then these demons can pamper in killing humans

"For me, oh, gentle one, promptly position my chariot before me along with bows and arrows, amazing swords and diverse sharp power bolts. Oh, war pert Duushana, I wish to start ahead of all the demons of ours, who are the clans-demons of the great souled Paulastya, for the purpose of elimination of that evil-minded Rama." So said Khara to Duushana. 

For this Maheshvara Tiirtha says: r˜masya agre paulasty˜n˜m r˜kÿas˜n˜m vadh˜rtham niry˜tum icch˜mi which gives meaning: "Before Rama I wish to present all the demonic clansmen of Sage Paulastya, for the purpose of elimination, for which I am starting ahead as a starter of this elimination process..."

While Khara is saying thus Duushana heralded saying, "Here comes the great chariot with sun's dazzle, yoked with very good horses of variegated colours." 

That chariot which has a roomy cabin with its rooftop like that of the ridge of Mt. Meru, body embellished in gold, wheels golden, gem-studded yoke-to-carriage shaft, all around encompassed with golden artefacts like fishes, flowers, trees, mountains, sun, moon, and auspicious birds flocks and stars, and even decorated with jingle-bells, endowed with flags, swords, and best horses, and such as it is, Khara embarked on it with all his rancour. 

On overseeing that great army with chariots, skins shields, weaponry and flags, and even at Duushana too, Khara charged all those demons saying "proceed." Then that demonic force with their ghoulish skin shields, weaponry and flags, issued forth from Janasthaana, blaring blatantly and foraying dashingly. 

Wielding maces, dart-bolts, and spears, and also razor-sharp axes, swords and discs, and dreadful power-darts and power-bolts that are flashing, iron maces, unusual bows, clubs, scimitars and pounding-shafts, and even thunderbolt like weapons that are calamitous in look, that army which comprises fourteen thousand fiendish demons that are the followers of Khara's whim, has started from Janasthaana. 

Earlier batch which was sent against Rama consisted fourteen demons and now it is an army of fourteen thousand demons.

On seeing the outrush of those demons of diabolic appearance, then Khara's chariot also proceeded a little later at their behind. Then the charioteer set spurs on those colourful horses that are adorned in polished gold according to the notions of Khara. When the chariot of enemy destroyer Khara is driven that impetuously, it has started to swell earth's four cardinal quarters and inter-quarters with turbulence. 

He whose voice is thunderous and whose rancour escalated speedily, and who is hastening forward like the Terminator intending to destroy his enemy, that Khara repeatedly hurried the charioteer shouting at him loudly like a overwhelming cloud that is going to storm stones. 

Thus, this is the 22nd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 23

 

On the starting out of Khara's demonic forces to wage a war with Rama, many bad omens are foreboded by vultures, animals, and even by nature. Though in the know of the portent evil, Khara proceeds with his army vaingloriously messaging his army that he can overcome these auguries or even Indra, and Rama is nothing before him.

 

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A massy and tumultuous ass-coloured cloud rained ill-omened bloody water while that fiendish force is advancing. The highly speedy horses paired to Khara's chariot have tottered in a trice, even though that place on the highway is with even surface and spread with flowers. 

Capturing the sun a blackish corona with blood-red outer circle has formed and nested around it like the fiery ring formed by circling a fireball.

This sort of corona can be seen during the total eclipse of sun where a black corona with red tinged glow forms around the eclipsed sun. This circling of fireball handheld on a sling is there even today, and it is performed before marriage processions or such other events as a daring sport.

Then, nearing the golden shaft of the flag of the chariot with a very lofty flagstaff, an awful eagle with massive body occupied and perched atop of that golden shaft. Cacophonous and carnivorous predators and vultures took over the nearby places of Janasthaana and they made raucous sounds of many kinds. Turning towards the stretch scorched by the sun, fearsome and loud noised jackals have howled emitting awful sounds, that which is inauspicious to the demons. Then frightening clouds similar to bursting mountains carrying bloodlike water have rendered the firmament less of leeway. There chanced an abominable, cataclysmic, hair-raising darkness whereby the milieus or inter-milieus are not very clearly brightened. 

An untimely eventide glistened with a colour similar to the one drenched in blood, and then horrendous brutes and birds have clamoured facing Khara directly, and the vultures, jackals and eagles too have screamed portending danger. Jackals, that too female jackals, are always the agents of inauspiciousness in wars with demonstrable calamities brought forth by their portending howling, and such jackals have now howled in front of Khara's army with their snouts spewing blazes. 

A spherical object like that of a human trunk is revealed near at the sun, while the sun is rendered shineless as though Rahu, the great eclipsing-planet, has eclipsed him inopportunely, and the wind too whirled frantically. Stars sprang up with the brilliance of fireflies though it is not night, and at that moment fishes and waterfowls stood still in lakes, lotuses have dried up, flowers and fruits have dropped from trees as though it is night. Without any puffing of wind dust in brownish-red colour is heaved up, and there the songbirds like Maina started to twitter as 'cii cii kuu cii'. 

The expression cii cii kuu cii is an onomatopoetic expression for the twittering of birds.

Meteors horrible in their look have fallen down thunderously, and even the earth together with its mountains, woods and forests quaked shakily. He who is raving while sitting in his chariot that clever Khara's left shoulder thrilled excessively, and his voice too quavered. While he is seeing everywhere his eyes spawned tears for no good reason, his forehead ached, but he did not retrace his steps owing to his own vanity. On observing those worst auguries stemming up at that moment with hair-raising nature, Khara laughed them off and said this to all of the demons. 

"These awful auguries with their horrible nature have arisen, but owing to my own valour I am unbothered about all of them as with a mighty one unworried of the mightless. With the excruciating arrows of mine I can hurtle stars from the face of sky, and if highly infuriated, I can even enjoin mortality to Death himself. I am reluctant to return without killing that Rama, a haughty one by his might, together with his brother Lakshmana, with my incisive arrows. 

"In whose respect both Rama and Lakshmana behaved perversely, let that sister of mine be contented in drinking the blood of those two. No defeat has chanced on me in combats at anytime and anywhere, that to you all is obvious and I tell no untruth. If I am infuriated I can eliminate even the king of gods, wielder of Thunderbolt and a trekker on ruttish elephant Iravata, namely Indra in a war, then why talk about these two humans." Thus Khara addressed his troops. 

On hearing that thundering speech of Khara that sizeable army of demons which is tied down by the noose of death obtained an incomparable rejoice. Then desiring to see the war of Khara with Rama, great-souls like sages, gods, gandharva-s along with carana-s and siddha-s have come together in firmament. On gathering at a place those great souls met one another and said, "let good betide cows, Brahmans and those that are held respectful by the people at large. Let Raghava triumph over these mighty night walkers from the lineage of Pulastya, as with Vishnu who once conquered all the mighty demons in war." So said celestials to one another. 

While the great sages are speaking about this and many other topics, they and the gods abiding in their aircrafts have inquisitively seen the flow of army of demons, whose longevity is now beyond hope. 

Khara speedily bolted in his chariot to the van of his legions, and on seeing that demon Khara going in front other important demons too rushed to fore. They are Shyenagaami, Prithugviira, Yajnashatru, Vihamgama and also Durjaya, Karaviiraaksha, Parusha, Kaalakaarmuka, Hemamaali, Mahaamaali, Sarpaasya, Rudhiraaksha. These twelve highly valorous demons cruised in a semicircle around Khara. 

Likewsie Mahakapaala, Stuulaaksha, Pramaathii, Trishira are the four commanders of demonic forces and they followed Duushana marching at his behind. 

That army of valiant demons which is highly execrable, infernally speedy, and readily inspirited for a battle quickly rushed towards those two princes, Rama and Lakshmana, as though a festoon of planets would rush towards the Moon and Sun so as to put them to rout. 

Thus, this is the 23rd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 24

 

Rama perceives good omens of victory, but to safeguard Seetha he sends her away with Lakshmana to take shelter in a mountain's cave till the war is over. Then he adopts a furious nature to annihilate demons. Gods and divinities watch from heavens as to how a war can occur between one against fourteen thousand demons.

 

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While fiercely valorous Khara proceeded towards Rama's hermitage, Rama along with his brother Lakshmana has indeed seen the very same auguries which have earlier appeared to Khara. On looking at those very gruesomely bad omens, and perceiving them to be unpropitious to people, Rama spoke this sentence to Lakshmana. 

"Oh, dextrous Lakshmana, for the complete elimination of all the demons these great indications have arisen, as though betokening the annihilation of all beings. See them. On their part these clouds are hovering on the sky with stark reddish-grey tint, thunderously braying and copiously showering streams of blood. All my arrows too are incensed to fuming in an ecstasy towards a war, and dorsally gold-plated bows of mine are incessantly spurring to hook up those arrows, telling apart the impeding conflict. 

"Judging by the kind of wild birds that are shrieking here, danger is up ahead and coming upon us, along with uncertainty of our lives. This right hand of mine is indicating by its repeated throbbing that a critical and riotous conflict is going to occur, no doubt, but oh brave one, our victory and defeat to the enemies are also in vicinity, and for sure, your face is also appearing brightish and aglow, which itself is a good omen. 

"If the faces of those that are poised for a conflict loose lustre, deem that the death is looming large on their longevity too. 

"This nasty noise which we hear pertains to the uproar of demons, and even to the drumming of war drums by the demons of fiendish activities, and this is ear-splitting. 

"Preventive measures are to be effectuated for any imminent situation by any well-wishing person, or by a person with misgivings about a danger, or by a person of talent. 

The meaning can otherwise be rendered as: 'If any misgivings are caused by an imminent danger a well-wisher and intellectual person shall effectuate preventive measures...' but this becomes more self-centred and cannot become a maxim or axiom.

"Hence, wield your bow, keep arrows ready at hand, and taking Vaidehi with you seek shelter in a impassable cave of a mountain overgrown with trees. I wish you to gainsay me for this word of mine, my boy, have honour on my feet and be gone not before long. 

"You are a stalwart, a forceful one, and for sure you can eliminate them all, it is doubtless, but I long to eliminate all of the nightwalkers, personally" Rama said thus to Lakshmana. When Rama said to him that way, Lakshmana picked up his bow and arrows, and together with Seetha he took shelter in an unreachable cave. 

This episode of sending away Seetha and Lakshmana has got three reasons in the complex of She-He-Me. 1] One is that this Seetha is to be sent away from that prospective battlefield, because Seetha is untrained for warfare like Rama's third mother Kaikeyi. Secondly, whenever Seetha is present we see no killings or slayings in Ramayana, because she, as Goddess Lakshmi, condones any sinner and accords salvation. As such, there may be a probability of not only hindering war, but there may be her blessing to every demon with a free passage to heaven, of which Rama becomes a helpless onlooker. 2] Second reason is that this Lakshmana is intolerant of any assault on his brother or sister-in-law and colloids head-on with the aggressors, which may lead Lakshmana up to Lanka to confront even Ravana. That being the snakily aggressive nature of Lakshmana, Rama bids him to go away before any happening, or any further dialogue is given to Lakshmana. 3] Third is that Rama is the first one to promise the sages and saints to eradicate demons for himself, for which Seetha nags him not to wage a causeless war. Therefore, if Rama is going to hide in any cave camouflaged by trees along with Seetha, and Lakshmana goes on warring, the very character of Rama is at stake. Thus, as promised to sages and saints Rama alone wanted to trigger off the elimination process of demons. That is why Rama breathes fresh air saying "good riddance" in next verse.

On Lakshmana's entering into cave along with Seetha, Rama said to himself, "thank goodness, it is a good-idea!" and thus saying he donned his shield. 

Well bedecked in a shield that has fire-like brilliance that Rama shone forth like a fumeless conflagration up-shot in utter darkness. On raising his imposing bow and drawing arrows, that valorous Rama firmed up and stood there, filling all the directions with the tinny sounds of bowstring. 

Gods with gandharva-s and great-souled siddha-s along with carana-s have then met one another and came there aspiring to see the war. The great-souled sages and those that are known in worlds as eminent Brahma-sages, on their coming together those beings of pious exploits spoke to one another, among themselves. "Let good betide cows, Brahmans and those people that are abiding in all the worlds. Raghava shall be victorious in the war over the clansmen of Sage Paulastya, the nightwalkers." Thus they talked among themselves. 

Thus speaking they also well-said again, looking at each other "the demons of fiendish deeds are fourteen thousand in number and this virtue-souled Rama is solitary... what would be the result of this war!" Thus the sages discussed among themselves. Thus the assemblages of kingly-sages, siddha-s and the eminent Brahmans, along with gods that are staying in their aircrafts, tarried there in the firmament peering inquisitively at Rama. 

Immured in an aura of invincibility Rama is standing up to the war in its vanguard, and then on seeing at him all beings went into the throes of dread. That nonesuch aspect of Rama whose deeds are unharmful to any, has become the aspect of wrathful supreme-souled Rudra. 

The wrathful aspect of Rudra at the time of era ending has chanced on Rama to start the elimination of demonic clan and this is as observed by caaraNaa-s in firmament. caaraNaa-s are those divine beings that journey in heavens in their auspicious paths. Hanuma while jumping the ocean to Lanka treads the path of caaraNaa-s because their footpath is so auspicious. For this skaanda puraaNa has something to tell: rudra tejo vilasitam d®ÿ÷v˜ r˜ma kalebaram | saðkham cakra þ¨lam ca pin˜kam khe÷am eva ca | kha÷v˜m ca ghan÷˜m ýamaru b˜õa p˜þa ankuþam tath˜ | c˜pam vajram khaýgam ca paraþum tr˜sa k˜raõam | jaya þriyam ca gang˜m ca dad®þu× siddha c˜raõ˜× | sk˜ndda pur˜õa According to Maheshvara Tiirtha.

While gods, gandharva-s, carana-s are conversing thus, then they have seen there the legions of the demons arriving from all over with boisterous noises, spouting cries of bravo, handling their grisly skins, shields, weaponry and war-flags, and onrushing at each other in disarray. With brassy twanging of bows, with the drumming of war drums, and even by their jumping, leaping and bouncing that area is filled with very loud and clamorous noise.

When highly brutish cacophony of demons started to fill the forest, that jangling even panicked the brutes ranging in that forest, and those beasts dashed off to other places where silence prevailed, without looking back. 

And that foolhardy army of demons which in simile is like an unnavigable ocean steered towards Rama handling many assault weapons.

 Casting his sight all-over even that war-expert Rama has seen that army of Khara lunging at a conflict. Rama stretched his awesome bow to examine the taut of bowstring, and even whipped arrows out of quiver, and then adopted a mask of extreme wrath to eliminate all the demons. 

Rama has no built-in feature of ire or wrath. He has to whip it up at times to show divine fury as a mask. From the start Vishnu is changing get-ups and when Milky Ocean was churned, He became Mohini, and from then on his role-play is continuous in al the incarnations. As said in Bala Kanda 1-1-18: kaalaagni sadR^ishaH krodhe 'resembles like fierce fire in anger...' thus it is a resemblance, not an actuality, even that is unbearable for a glance. atha yuddha samudyata y˜tudh˜n˜nidh˜n˜ya satvaram udagra kopam ˜viÿ÷asya pracaõýa anila dodh¨yam˜na jv˜l˜kal˜pa yug˜nta anala kalpasya sakala jana duÿprekÿyasya - - dharm˜k¨tam Even now, on seeing Rama's unsightly aspect, should these demons fall prostrate before him, there would no loss to their lives. But Khara, as his name itself indicates that he has an asinine mentality, will not yield.

And when he is enraged and blazing he became frightful-looking like the blazing Fire at the end of era, and on seeing such a Rama when he is pervaded with conflagration like anger, the pastoral deities are very much annoyed. 

The all-pacific aspect of that Rama then in his exasperation appeared to be like that of the all-ruinous Rudra, the wielder of bow called Pinaki, namely peaceful Shiva when enraged, at the time of Rudra's embarking on to ruin the Vedic ritual of Daksha Prajaapati. 

That army of raw-flesh eaters with their bows, embellishments, and chariots, and also with their armours, all glittering with the dazzle of flaming fire, varied into a sky-blue coloured cluster of clouds on which the dazzling sunrays will be glittering at the dawning of the sun. 

The metaphor of cloud-clusters with the demons is to explain that the clouds will evaporate on the advent of fire-like sun at his dawn or rising of Rama to war. The night-walking demons have their powers increased in evening times and dwindled in morning. Thus their fire-like armours will cease to exist when the real Sun's fire [or fire of Rama's arrows] starts to flame, their bows cease to exits if the rainbow-giver comes in, and their flagging ensigns will cease with the ensigncy of raising sun in sky, and ill becomes of them, the evil-doers, after a short while.

Thus, this is the 24th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 25

 

The ambidextrous archery of Rama is established here for the first time. So far, he has been using his archery sporadically, and here it is said to have a different dimension. The speed with which he draws arrows from quiver, the quickness with which he strings them, and the precision with which he shoots, is suggested here, though not explained. Though no apparent divinity is attached to this excercise, it suggests a divine expertise of a human. There are fourteen thousand demons against one Rama, and the Divine beings watch this from heavens as a sport, without according any miraculous powers to Rama, suggesting that a human has to face any number of problems, here fourteen thousand demons, for himself and no divine grace suddenly comes to his help. Rama gives the demons enough time and warning, but as the atrocity is escalating, he uses one gandharva missile and many other arrows, which will devastate the entire army of Dushana's brute force.

 

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Khara on arriving at the hermitage along with forerunning soldiers saw the enemy-eliminator and wrathful Rama holding fast to his bow. On seeing Rama that bawling Khara raised his string-taut bow that makes an ass-like braying twang, drove his charioteer crazy saying, "drive to the fore of that Rama..." On the orders of Khara the charioteer drove the horses to there where the mighty armed Rama is standing single-handedly while swaying his bow. 

On seeing Khara descending on Rama then all those nightwalkers who are the deputies of Khara encircled Khara venting out loud battle cries. Khara staying on his chariot in the thick of those demons appeared to be like coppery-red planet Mars up-shot in the thick of stars. 

In his proneness to war then Khara assaulted that uniquely forceful Rama with a thousand arrows and blared a roaring battle cry. All of those infuriated nightwalkers then incessantly rained diverse weapons on that invincibleRama who is handling a horrific bow. Those demons that are already caught up with rancour bombarded Rama with bludgeons, lances, tridents, darts and hatchets. 

Those massive bodied and exceptionally mighty demons came jostling like immense clouds in their eagerness to kill Rama in that war, while some mounted on chariots and horsebacks, and some more riding mountain-ridges like elephants rushed in on Rama. And those bands of demons have outpoured arrows on Rama, as with enormous black-clouds disemboguing torrents on a lofty mountain. 

When hemmed in with those grisly-looking demons Rama appeared like Rudra surrounded by his divine retinue called prathama gaNa-s, on certain days, whereupon he starts his all-destructive cosmic-dance. That Raghava has pre-empted those arrows discharged by the demons with his excruciatingly pointed arrows as an ocean would do with the river's onrush. 

Even if his body is gashed with those gruesome assault weapons Rama is not enfeebled, as with the enormous Mt. Meru that can withstand even if battered by very many highly blazing thunderbolts of Indra. Bruised and bedaubed with blood on all his limbs that Rama of Raghu's dynasty took shape of the sun enshrouded by cloudscapes at eventide. 

Rama is not fading away like the evening sun but becoming more like blood red sun. The 'covering of blood' on his limbs suggests the covering of reddish flaring fire on all his limbs, as we say that evening sun is stained with blood and fire.

On seeing lone Rama beset by many demons, then the gods, celestials, saints and sublime-sages are dispirited. 

But Rama on becoming highly infuriated curved his bow to a full circularity on stretching the bowstring up to his ear, and then jetted out trenchant arrows in hundreds. Why hundreds? He surged them in thousands. In that war Rama sportily discharged eagle-feathered arrows adorned in gold which are unstoppable and intolerable, and which in simile are the leads of Time-god. Those arrows that are playfully discharged on the army of enemy have grabbed the lives of demons like the tethers flung by the Time-god. 

On impaling the bodies demons, the arrows swamped in blood have gone into welkin, where they are aglow with flares equalling inflamed flames. 

The similitude between redness of blood and the redness of flaring fire is again suggested, as said at 3-25-14b, 15a above.

Innumerable and highly frightening arrows fusilladed from the nimbus of the bow of Rama that resulted as the filchers of the lives of demons. 

In that war, shooting now with hundreds, and now with thousands of such arrows, Rama shredded those many bows, pinnacles of war-flags, armours and the like. And even shred are the heads of demons, along with their ornamented arms and thighs similar to the trunks of elephants. With the arrows flung from the bow-bowstring-nimbus of Rama, he indeed shredded and scraped the horses hitched with golden harnesses, and the chariots to which they are yoked, and even their charioteers. Likewise, he even ripped off the elephants along with their riders, and the horses along with their cavaliers. And on eliminating infantrymen in that war Rama led them to the abode of Yama, the Time-god. 

While ripped to pieces with tubular arrows, with arrows made of iron, and with sharp-edged and crescent-tipped arrows those demons have let out disgusting cries of anguish. When those arrows that gore the critical parts are thus harrowing, that army is discomposed like a forest burnt to a cinder by wild-fire. 

Some of the grotesquely sinewy and braving nightwalkers are highly enraged and dashed their darts, tridents, and hatchets towards Rama. On fending off those weapons with his arrows that mighty armed and valorous Rama filched away their lives by shearing off their necks in that war. 

Those demons crashed down to earth with their heads severed and shields and bows wrecked, like the trees strewn around on earth owing to the gust raised by Garuda, the Divine Eagle, when he takes a sudden flight in heavens. 

Those nightwalkers that are battered by those arrows and remaining there, they desperately rushed towards Khara alone seeking shelter. 

Comforting all of them and taking his bow, very highly infuriated Duushana rushed towards that infuriated Rama like the furious Eliminator Yama.

Or

That highly infuriated Duushana rushed towards Rama as highly infuriated Yama rushes towards Rudra, where Rudra being the ultimate eliminator himself, angry rush of Yama towards Rudra is therefore futile. 

The second meaning can be expressed by substituting the word 'kruddha' with 'rudra' as in other mms that that of Gorakhpur version.

Coming under the shelter of Duushana all of those demons are but emboldened and returned, and they once again rushed towards Rama with saala trees, palm trees and boulders as their weapons. Handling tridents, maces, and leashes those great-mighty demons have created torrents of arrows, missiles, trees, and boulders, and inundated Rama in that war. 

Again there chanced a highly gruesome war between Rama and those demons that is tumultuous, stunning, and a hair-raising. Those demons have resurfaced from all around pressurising Raghava in high dudgeon. On seeing the reappearance of demons from everywhere, with whom all the directions and inter-directions are fully filled, and who are storming torrents of arrows, then that exceptionally forceful Rama made a thunderous sound and launched an extremely blazing missile among the gather of demons, called gandharva missile. 

Then from the nimbus of his bow, arrows in thousand have scurried out, and with them thus arrived all the ten sides are cramped up. Either the drawing of those supreme arrows from the quiver, or the traction of bowstring on placing them, or unloosing them from the bow is unperceived by those demons that are harrowing under those arrows. 

Darkness caused by the thick of the arrows overspread the sky including its sun, while Rama happened to persevere spewing forth his arrows. 

Dark grew the air with arrowy hail / Which hid the sun as with a veil. - Griffith.

Far and wide the earth is scattered with herds that are falling instantaneously, hosts that have fallen instantly, and huddles that are already felled with an instantaneity. 

Fiends wounded, falling, fallen, slain, / All in a moment, spread the plain, - Griffith.

Thousands of demons are noticeable hither and yon, killed, fallen and enfeebled, and slashed, gashed and ripped. 

And thousands scarce alive were left / Mangled, and gashed, and torn, and cleft. - Griffith.

Some severed heads still have their headgears and some bare, some arms are with armlets and some bare, while some with their arms cut off, some with their thighs cut off, some with their divers patterns of ornaments on their bodies have fallen on ground. Numerous horses and elephants are felled. Chariots, royal-fans, royal-parasols, war-flags of very many kinds are ravaged in many ways. Hit down by Rama's arrows spears and tridents are variously splintered, swords broken to pieces, darts and hatchets shattered and strewn around. Also the boulders are pulverised, various amazing arrows have gone to rack and ruin in many ways. Spread with such wreckage the earth has become horrifying for a glance. 

On seeing the killed demons all the surviving demons have become enervated and they are rendered incapable to make a move towards Rama, the conqueror of enemy's capitals. 

Thus, this is the 25th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 26

 

Rama eliminates fourteen thousand demons led by Duushana. Firstly, the forerunning demons are killed, next Duushana is routed, and then twelve other captains who on knowing Duushana's downfall dashed towards Rama. Left behind are only two, Khara and Trishira, the chiefs of that demonic force in Janasthaana.

 

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On seeing the shattering of his own forces, Duushana bid five thousand mighty-armed nightwalkers of monstrous impetus, and who knew no retreat in war, to attack Rama. And they with spears, scimitars, swords, and with the rains of boulders, trees and arrows rained incessantly and inordinately upon Rama from all over. Raghava, the virtue-souled, in his turn has neutralised that ghastly and life-taking storm of boulders and trees with his fierce arrows. 

Like a bull receiving rain with closed eyes Rama assimilated that storming and then evoked an inordinate infuriation for eliminating all of the demons. Exasperation prevailing on him who appeared to be highly blazing with the blaze of his own virtue, he then diffused Duushana and his army with arrows from all over. And on becoming enraged Duushana, the railer of his rivals and the commander of that army, then virtually forestalled Raghava's onslaught with his arrows that are simulative of thunderbolts. That valiant one in warring Rama is then infuriated and with his crescent-barbed arrow shivered the sturdy bow of Duushana, shredding four of his horses with four more arrows. 

On destructing the horses with excruciating arrows, he even fragmented the head of the charioteer with a crescent-barbed arrow, and even impaled the chest of demon Duushana with some more arrows. 

One crescent dart he aimed which shred / Clean from his neck the driver's head; / Three more with deadly skill addressed / Stood quivering in the giant's breast. - Griffith.

With his bow fractured and chariot shredded, and with horses and charioteer killed, he that Duushana grabbed a mace which outranks a peak of mountain and a hair-thriller at its sight, and which girt with golden girths once gritted the armies of gods, the head of which is studded with incisive iron spikes and saturated with the fat of foes, a coequal of a diamond and a thunderbolt in its hardiness and flashiness, and a ransacker of the archways of fortresses of his adversaries. On firmly gripping that mace which in war is akin to an infernal serpent, and the touch of which tantamount to snakebite, rushed that nightwalker Duushana with infernal exerts rushed towards Rama. 

While Duushana came falling on, he that Raghava sheared off his shoulders that have wrist-ornaments on his arms with two arrows. When Duushana's arms are thus sheared in the van of war, his gigantic mace slipped and spun in his own front, like the flagstaff with flag raised in honour of Indra, and collapsed . With both of his arms strewn around Duushana fell down onto earth like a haughty and gigantic elephant when both of its tusks are broken down. 

On seeing Duushana eliminated and fallen to ground, all the beings have applauded Rama saying, 'good, good...' 

In the meantime infuriated are the three leading commanders of that army, namely Mahakapaala, Sthulaaksha and great mighty Pramaathii, and they collectively ran towards Rama, bound by the rein of death. Mahakapaala raising a broad trident, Sthulaaksha handling a scimitar, Pramaathi handling an axe rushed towards Rama. As one would receive guests meeting his basic needs, Raghava too took on these untimely guests of war, rather the insurgents, meeting their basic needs which now are no more than highly sharpened acute edged arrows, when he saw them coming and falling upon him, inopportunely. 

Rama, the legatee of Raghu, chopped off the head of Mahakapaala, with incalculable spates of arrows he eliminated Pramaathi, and filled the bulging eyes of Sthulaaksha with arrows by which Sthulaaksha is killed and fell down onto ground like a burly tree with its broad branches. Then still infuriated Rama forthwith eliminated the five thousand hench-demons of Duushana with five thousand arrows, and thus he led them to the residence of Time-god, namely the hell. 

The words viTapi 'a tree with branches and twigs...' and druma 'a tree' in general. Though they are similar to give the general meaning of a tree, they are juxtaposed taking the viTapi as the adjective of the word druma. This is not exactly synonymic usage, but a shade of difference is available in both words. Readers may please refer to the excellent book of Dr. Satya Vrat, The Ramayana - A Linguistic Study.

On hearing about the killing of Duushana and also thus of the followers of Duushana, Khara irately ordered his army captains, under whose captaincy mighty forces are there. 

"Duushana is killed in war along with his followers, hence all you demons, take formidable army, take weapons of diverse designs, combat and kill that evil-human Rama..." Thus Khara ordered the remaining demons. 

Saying so Khara himself rushed towards Rama in rage, and Shyenagaami, Prithugriiva, Yajnashatru, Vihangama Durjaya, Karaviiraaksha, Parusha, Kaalakaarmuka, Hemamaali, Mahaamaali, Sarpaasya, and Rudhiraaksha are the twelve fiendishly atrocious troop leaders of demonic forces, and they too rushed towards Rama launching their atrocious arrows. 

He who is resplendent that Rama then annihilated the remaining demons of that army with his arrows that are embellished with gold and diamonds, and that are blazing like ritual-fires. With those arrows that have golden tailpieces and sharp barbs, and that are dazzling like fuming ritual fires Rama felled the demons, as Thunderbolts of Indra will be felling gigantic trees. With a hundred rudder like arrows Rama hit down a hundred demons, and with a thousand more, thousand more demons are hit in the forefront of that war. 

Ripped are their shields and armorial-ornaments, ruined and rickety are their bows, and they the nightwalkers fell flat on ground, bodies wholly smudged with blood. With those demons that have fallen down in war, whose hair is tousled and who are drenched in blood, entire earth looked like a vast altar of fire overspread with holy grass. That forest which became sludgy with the flesh and blood of killed demons and very disgusting, in a moment it became identical with hell. 

Thus that Rama, a lone one, that too a foot-soldier, has eliminated fourteen thousand demons of frightening exploits. Of his entire army great-charioteer Khara and Trishira are the remaining nightwalkers, and Rama, the enemy destroyer, naturally on the other side. 

The last compound in the second foot indicates that Rama is also remaining as one among the army of Khara, which is found irksome to some scholars. They said that the older mms contain the expression hata shSau nishaaacaraa instead of raamaH ca ripu suudanaH taking the finishing line from the opening words of next verse. Otherwise, it can be said 'on the side of Khara only two demons, namely Khara and Trishira are remaining, and on the other side Rama is remaining...' as given here. But it is said to be inappropriate, because Rama cannot be grouped with the killable side. Further, there are some more petty demons besides Khara and Trishira, to carry a word to Ravana, as said in the coming chapters.

Lakshmana's elder brother Rama eliminated all of the remaining demons in the forefront of war who are highly valorous, ghastly and unbearable. 

Then on surveying that great demonic force which is eliminated by Rama in that staggering war, Khara then marched on to reach Rama in a huge chariot, as with Indra who will march upraising his Thunderbolt. 

Thus, this is the 26th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 27

 

Trishira, the demon, supersedes Khara to fight Rama at his turn. He hits Rama with arrows for which Rama says that it is no more than the patting with flowers. Then a combat ensues and Rama becoming infuriated eliminates Trishira in the battle.

 

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But when Khara is about to lunge to the forefront of Rama, nearing him the commander of demonic forces named Trishira spoke this to him. 

"Desisting from your personal adventure you enjoin me for I am an invader, and then you are certain to see me felling that mighty-armed Rama in combat. 

The spirit of soldiery is explained in this verse. When junior rankers are available, they are not supposed to allow higher ups to lunge forward in the first instance. Dharmaakuutam puts it thus, in Maha Bharata war, when Duryodhana himself wanted to deal with Arjuna, Ashvatthaama holds him back saying: mayi jiivati gaandhaare na yuddham kartum arhasi ... aham aavaara iSyaami paartham tiSTa suyodhana... 'when I am alive you are not supposed to combat, I will take over Arjuna, you stay back, oh, Suyodhana...' But the same Suyodhana does not show this much war-nicety when killing the lone Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna.

"Taking oath on my weapon I promise to you that I truly wish to kill this Rama, as he deserves ill of all the demons by killing. Hold back your combative-adventurism and become an examiner to decide whether I am going to become his god of death in this combat, or he becomes mine. 

The word praashinkaH is said to a rare expression meaning 'one who asks questions, an examiner, a judge...' in its fine sense. Secondarily, it is 'a witness' 'a spectator.' [After Prof. Satya Vrat.]

"If I were to kill Rama you may gladly proceed to Janasthaana, else if Rama kills me then you can adventurously proceed against him for a combat." Thus Trishira spoke to Khara. 

These verses have commentary in depth. sarva raakshasaam vadhaa artham 'he who is meant to kill all the demons...' raamam 'about that Rama...' yathaa - yathaa vat 'as it is, in his true form; aham prati jaanaami ' I am in the full know of him...' 'I know fully well that this Rama has come to eliminate all the demons...' These are the same words told by Sage Vishvamitra to Dasharatha when he came to take Rama and Lakshmana. tam vadhiSyaami ' him, I shall kill...' for that only sarvam aayudham aalabhe... 'all weaponry I am handling...' 'However, knowing him well I am handling these weapons for sake of show, only entice him to accord salvation to me firstly...' because aham vaa raNe mR^ityuH? 'can I be his death in war? No I cannot... eSa vaa samre mama mR^ityuH 'he is my death in combat...' muhur praasniko bhava for a while you become an examiner, and examine and know it yourself; raame a + hate sati, mayi ca nihate sati 'if Rama is not killed by me, or if I am killed by Rama, then you can adventurously proceed to him, and have your turn to get salvation at Rama's arrows...'

By that death-greedy demon Trishira, Khara is manoeuvred and Khara to him said 'begone... combat...' and thus permitted, Trishira proceeded to the forefront of Rama. 

Trishira with a lustrous chariot that is yoked with equally lustrous horses hurried towards Rama in that war, like a tri-peaked mountain, for they say, he is a tri-headed demon. Discharging hosts of arrow-torrents like a hefty-arrow-cloud, he readily discharged a noise similar to the thudding drumbeat when a water-wet war-drum is beaten, rather than a blast from a heated drum. 

On seeing the oncoming of that demon Trishira, Raghava welcomed him by speedily winnowing smarting arrows from his bow. That grave and tumultuous encounter chanced between Rama and Trishira is like the extremely forceful encounter between a loin and an elephant. 

Later when Trishira smote on the forehead of highly enraged Rama with three arrows, Rama's ire is intensified and he franticly said this to that demon. 

"Oho! What an energy of a triumphing adventurer is this! A demon with this sort of energy is adventuring me, whose arrows rap my forehead peripherally, like flowers! Now you accept arrows plunging from the string of my bow..." saying thus, that infuriated Rama with his alacritous swiftness hit the chest of Trishira with fourteen arrows similar to venomous snakes. 

With four of his straight shooting arrows that have hook-like barbs, that resplendent Rama hewed down four of the speedy horses of Trishira's chariot. With eight arrows Rama felled the charioteer from his settle on the chariot, and with one arrow ripped off the high flying flag on that chariot. 

When that nightwalker is vaulting from that smashed chariot Rama with his arrows tore his chest to shreds and he that Trishira became inert. And with three sharp and rapid arrows, and even with his own exasperation, Rama of inestimable aptitude rolled the three heads that demon. That nightwalker who is highly tortured with Rama's arrows has collapsed spewing blood with fumes, whereat he is standing in war, at where his three heads rolled just now. 

As with the fleeing of deer alarmed by a tiger, the demons remaining after liquidation, whom Khara has protected so far and whose confidence is now shattered, are running away, and they gave Khara the run-around. 

On seeing at those deserters Khara is piqued and quickly brought them back to his control, and then as with the scampering of eclipsing planet Rahu towards moon during lunar-eclipse, he scurried towards Rama alone.

Thus, this is the 27th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose
Sarga 28

 

Khara the demon brother of Shurpanakha confronts Rama when all of his valiant warriors are eliminated. He wages a fearful war showing all his expertise in warfare. Khara even brings down the amour of Rama with his arrows. The combat of Rama and Khara takes a longer time as Khara is not easy-to-deal demon.

 

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On seeing slain Dushana along with Trishira, even Khara became alarmed bearing the intrepidity of Rama in his mind. Khara on seeing the unbearable and brutish demonic forces killed by lone Rama, even Dushana and Trishira, he is alarmed. Seeing the destruction of almost all the forces that demon Khara became less of vainglory, and he got at Rama, like demon Namuchi getting at Indra.

Forcefully drawing out the bowstring with iron-arrows, which ingest only blood, Khara spilled those furious and snaky-venomous arrows towards Rama. Fidgeting his bowstring in many ways, exhibiting missiles by his training in warfare, Khara moved about the battleground and spilled his arrows in many ways while going on his chariot. He that great-charioteer Khara, in all the stretches and inter-stretches, has started to fill his arrows, and on seeing at that Khara, even Rama also started to fill his very great bow with arrows. Rama with those verily unendurable arrows that are glinting fires, made the sky less of leeway, as the raining clouds would fill the sky. The sky became stockpiled with those sharp arrows unloosened by Khara and Rama as well, and there is no space that is unfilled in the vault of sky, for everywhere stockpiled are the arrows.

Enshrouded by the webbing of the arrows then the sun is not shining there, and in excitement to slay one another they both warred well, mutually. Then with acutely edged tubular, iron, and crescent-edged arrows Khara swatted Rama in that combat, as a great elephant will be swatted with a goad.

Khara is charioted and handling his bow and that demon's coming to the fore of Rama appeared to all beings as the Terminator with his springe in hand, had come to the fore of Rama. Rama, the eliminator of all the demonic forces is staying in the fore self-reliantly, but Khara then presumed about that great indefatigable Rama, 'to be wholly fatigued...'

On seeing Khara prancing like a lion with a gait of a lion, Rama is not agitated as a lion that sees a least beast. Then in a chariot that equals the sun in its radiance Khara presently reached Rama, as a moth would reach out the fire.

Then, Khara shattered the bow of that great-souled Rama with its arrow, at its fist-place, showing skill of his hand. Khara again on taking seven other arrows hit at the armour [crucial parts] of Rama, infuriately in that war and those arrows equal the radiance of Indra's thunderbolts. Then hitting with a thousand arrows at Rama of unequalled vitality, Khara blared a loud blare in that combat.

Then well shot by those well-bumping arrows released by Khara, the armour of Rama fallen on the field, whose resplendence is sun-like. He with all his body-parts given up to the arrows Raghava is infuriated and in that war Rama flared up like a fumeless flaring fire. Then with another thunderously blasting bow, Rama the enemy-blaster, has proceeded for ending of his enemy, a great bow that is already stringed. That which is a very admirable bow of Vishnu and well awarded by great-sage Agastya, upraising that choicest bow, Rama verily rushed at Khara.

Then with arrows that are with golden fins and curved barbs Rama very angrily fragmented Khara's flag and flagstaff in that war. Severally shattered is that eye-pleasing golden flagstaff and fell onto ground, like the falling of sun onto earth by the damnation of gods.

By that Khara is enraged and dashed four arrows onto Rama's body, also on chest, for Khara is aware of striking crucial parts/war tactics, as an elephant will be dashed with lancets. He that Rama, with various arrows that are unloosened from the bow of Khara, is impacted and drenched are his limbs in blood, then Rama became indignant, indeed.

Rama the ablest one among archers then in that war on taking the great bow released six arrows targeting pointedly. Only one arrow on head, two on hands are set on and then with three demi-lune arrows Rama hit Khara's chest, verily. Then afterwards that great-resplendent Rama with iron arrows that are sun-similar, infuriately shot at that demon, thirteen arrows in all, all are stone-grind. With one arrow the yoke of the chariot, with four, four of the dappled horses, and with eight the head of the charioteer of Khara are dismembered. With three arrows the three-pronged shaft from yoke to the base of chariot,]with two arrows the axel and with twelve arrows Khara's bow with its arrow are devastated.

On devastating the chariot, with the thirteenth arrow that is similar to a thunderbolt, Raghava as though laughing at the warfare of Khara, that Indra similar Rama impaled Khara in that war. Verily shattered are his bow and chariot and chariot-less he is, killed are the horses and killed is his charioteer, and handling a mace Khara hopped down onto to the ground from the shattered chariot, and then stayed at it.

At that deed of the great-charioteer Rama, the gods and great-sages assembling in heavens, gladly worshipped Rama with their adjoined palms, those assemblies that are aboard their aircrafts.

Thus, this is the 28th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 29

 

Khara provokes Rama to fight, but Rama gives enough advise to Khara to yield up. Khara presumes that Rama is overtired to fight him back and thus enters into verbal fight. Ultimately Khara hurls a mammoth mace at Rama, which burns down all the neighbouring plants and bushes, and Rama splinters it down while it is still sky rocketing.

 

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Rama, the great-resplendent, spoke these words forbiddingly albeit softly to Khara who lost his chariot but staying his course wielding a mace. 

Rama is said to have tested whether Khara is ready to surrender or not, at least at this stage of loosing all paraphernalia of war. Hence he is said to have talked softly but harshly to that demon.

"Although you hold sway over a gigantic force abounding with elephants horses and chariots, you have perpetrated heinous deeds in Dandaka forests that are loathsome to all the worlds, that is unseemliest to this soldiery. One who causes suffering to living beings, besides being a transgressor and completely ruthless, he does not stand up for himself even if he were to be the lord of all the three worlds. 

"All people will eliminate him, oh, nightwalker, who is imperious and an infringer of worldly routine, as they would eradicate a vicious serpent, in the event of its running across them. He who goes on performing evils selfishly, obsessively, heedlessly, more so delightedly, he will see the results of his own doings, like red-tailed-lizard on its eating self-destructive hailstones, obsessively and delightedly. 

Hailstones are life-taking poisonous pellets to this particular red- tailed lizard, called brahmaNi . It is still called as 'bamaani' in Bhojpuri vernacular of Hindi.

Parting with some parts of one's own accrual is lobha, and craving for that which is absolutely unavailable is moha. People tend to commit sin while protecting their own accruals as well as trying to acquire unavailable things. But any person, if goes on undertaking these evils, even after realizing that both are mistakes, it is an unpardonable crime. The metaphor of a red-tail-lizard is said to be unavailable in older scripts. There is another variation to this foot wherein the simile is with a Brahman bereft of his self-respect, and that foot reads as: bhrSTaH pashyati duHkham sa braahmaNa paravaan iva .

Next, implying the prospective question of Khara, viz., 'What sin I have committed?' Rama answers it in the next verse.

"The residents of Dandaka forest are the highly-propitious sages that tread the path of virtue, and oh, demon, what benefit you gain in killing them, really? 

Again Khara may ask, 'There are many more sinners, what will become of them, why holding me alone responsible?' For this Rama is saying that the sinners in general will get their punishment after their mortality in karmic cycle is over. But those that are not only sinners but cruel, and even abhorred by world, will ruin here only, because their merit accumulated in earlier births has come to a standstill on this earth itself. Those sinners will become like petrified trees trunks, they neither fall nor their boughs flower.

"Even if a fortune is made for a lavish living with an iota of merit, the evildoers, that too reprobates, further more those that are abominated by world will not last long, no more that petrified tree trunks. One who undertakes evildoings will definitely and seasonably reap their fruits, which in his case will be ghoulish, as with the flowering of trees according to season. 

dhvani/allusion: That fruit of sin will not be immediate alike the a crop that yields long after sowing. Moreover the fruit of sin will be venomous, for the greedy harvester of that sin alone will devour it.

"In the world one acquires the fruit of profane acts not before long, oh, nightwalker, and it will be like venomous food devoured. 

dhvani/allusion: 'As one quickly acquires the results of the venomous food devoured, oh, nightwalker, the perpetrator of profane acts will acquire their fruits that quickly, in the world.' Eating food, or committing a sin is simply subjective. If one commits sin unknowingly, that will be as good as the intake of venomous food, unsuspectingly. Both the poisonous food, and committing sins will act internally and rapidly than any other ruinous inflictor. Then the sinner, or the consumer of poisonous food will acquire an inconsolable wretched state.

"I am the king who arrived to exterminate the lives of those that perpetrate hideous sins, and even of those that wish to do evils to the disapprobation of world.

Or

"I am the one who arrived at the behest of the king Dasharatha, or Bharata to exterminate the lives of those that perpetrate hideous sins, and even of those that wish to do evils to the disapprobation of world. 

The word 'raaj~na' is 'sent by some king' for it is in fifth case. Whereas the word 'raajaa' is 'as a king I have come...' This is as appearing in some mms. Dharmaakuutam uses 'raaj~naa' and says: : anena loka upadrava kara× r˜jñ˜ avaþyam þikÿaõŸyam iti s¨citam | and he goes on quoting vidura niiti Vidura's morals in Maha Bharata: gurur˜tmavat˜m þ˜st˜ þ˜st˜ dur˜tman˜m | anta× pracchanna p˜p˜n˜m þ˜st˜ vaivasvato yama× ||

"Now, my arrows that are decorated in gold will be released on you like snakes rebounding from a snake-pit, and they will tear you asunder, and on riving you they will bounce back into my quivers. 

dhvani/allusion: My arrows can pierce through your body, not only your body but to the core of earth, and they bounce back to re-enter my quivers like the snakes that emerge from snake pits and return to their pits when their task is over. Or, when these arrows enter your body that is akin to a snake pit, they will kill all the sins lying like snakes inside that body of yours, and return to my quivers.

"Now eliminated in war, you along with your army will tread behind those sages that were treading the path of virtue, on whom you have so far feasted in Dandaka forest. 

dhvani/allusion: A kind of assurance is sounded here by Rama's words in saying that Khara will be absolved of his sins. Those that are eliminated by Rama are sure to get salvation. Here not only Khara but also entire army is going to get that salvation, if Khara surrenders at least at this stage. In Skanda Purana it is said: r˜ma vidýh˜ niþ˜car˜ b˜õai× su t˜ýit˜× | r˜mam ˜s˜dya samare s˜yujya padavŸm gat˜× || skaanda puraaNa But this saayujua, salvation or getting to heavens is of a variety. In war those that sacrifice themselves in the fire of arrows will get indra loka. Those that conduct warfare unhappily thinking that death is the only result of war they get gandharva loka. Those that retreat or go begging for their lives and yet killed, they get guhya loka, and those that are fully aware of Kshatriya dharma and conduct righteous warfare they go to brahma loka. So says Maha Bharata. The same is said Bhagavad Gita yam yam v˜ api smaran bh˜vam tyajatyante kalebaram | tam tam evaiti kaunteya sad˜ tad bh˜va bh˜vita× || Gita 8-6.

"Let the supreme sages who were earlier slain by you may now see abiding on their aircrafts, your abidance in hellish death pangs when assaulted with my arrows. 

The word nirayastham is literally 'in hell of Yama' but here it is the hell-like situation caused by Rama's arrows. If the literal meaning of 'in hell' is taken the above assurance of salvation etc., will be futile, hence, it is 'hellish pangs' by the hit of arrows.

"Attack me as you wish... make an effort... you the knave of your clan... now I am going to toss your head down like a palm-fruit..." Thus Rama addressed Khara. 

It is questioned whether Rama is self-eulogizing when talking this way to Khara. It is contradicted saying that yuddha k˜le vŸra v˜dasya sva par˜krama anus˜reõa uts˜ha abhiv®dhyartham para tirask˜ra artham ca - ˜tma stuti - karaõe doÿa abh˜v˜t | dk 'there is nothing wrong in foretelling how brave a warrior is and it will not come under self-praise, in war...' and the commentator goes on quoting many references, for e.g., Karna in Maha Bharata says: þ¨r˜× garjanbti satatam pr˜v®ÿi iva bal˜hak˜× | 'brave ones will be regularly thundering like thundering clouds...'

But when Rama said thus, Khara is infuriated and convulsed in anger, and he replied Rama with bloodshot eyes, laughing boisterously. 

dhvani/allusion: Khara 'laughed at' Rama's words of self-praise means that even the Supreme Being untiringly does some self-praise like telling 'I am here to save you... seek refuge in me for I alone can save...' in order to make Himself known to the adamants. The whole concept of Bhagavad Gita in telling that 'I am here... Know me thus...' etc., is for the same purpose. Thus, this is a laughable situation to those who are already in the know of Being. Presently it is Khara who was great Vedic Brahman once, but became an ogre by curse. Contrariwise, it is a 'laughable talk' of the Supreme Being, to non-knowers or for the non-adherers.

"On killing average demons in war, oh, son of Dasharatha, how you praise yourself when you yourself are un-praiseworthy?" Thus Khara started to speak to Rama. 

dhvani/allusion: For this self-praise it is said that Khara estimated Rama as an unworthy being in the parlance of mortals. khara× tu kop˜t asamartho r˜ma iti bhr˜nt˜ uktav˜n iti no ko api doÿa× | dk But as a cursed Vedic Brahman who is in the know of Rama as Vishnu is retorting Rama saying 'you also need to self-eulogise, when I am fully aware of you and come hither to gain my salvation at your hand? You are not supposed to self-extol before small beings like us...'

"Those best of men that are victorious and mighty will not boast anything, for they will be really proud of their own valour. 

dhvani/allusion: This is said otherwise: ye nararSabhaaH 'those best ones among men like you...' te 'by them...' [adhyaahaarya] evam 'elliptic: this way...' na kathayanti 'do not praise themselves...' tejasaa svena garvitaaH kathayanti some of 'those that are proud of their own valorous resplendence, they speak up their glory, vaingloriously...' 'So it is unapt of you to speak up for yourself, for we are in the know of it, and we are waiting for our release from our curse at your hand...' Tiirtha.

"Oh, Rama, as to how undignified Kshatriya-s that are frivolous and irresolute in self-confidence will boast in the world, likewise you too are boasting in a meaningless manner. 

dhvani/allusion: Khara's intent is: kSatriya paamsanaaH 'the Kshatriya, worthless... worthless Kshatriya-s...' yathaa nir arthakam vikatthase 'as to how they meaninglessly speak up for themselves...' raama tvam vikatthante 'oh, Rama, you are speaking like that...' 'It is unapt of you to talk vainly like any other average Kshatriya, as you are an incarnate in a best Kshatriya clan, and you do your duty righteously without much talk...' Tiirtha.

"Who will be that valiant that speaks about his lineage at wartime, that too, when the death-time is looming large! And, there will there be someone who broaches his self-extols in such an inopportune situation, is it! 

dhvani/allusion: Khara's saying is: samare 'in war...' [adhyaahaara]: shatru pakshe 'elliptic: on the enemy's side...' mR^ityu kaale sampraapte sati 'death time, while chancing, that being so...' stavam ko vaa abhidaasyati 'self-praise, who, either, speaks out...' Thus, Khara's saying is: 'where is the necessity for any warrior to self-eulogise when the death-time is hovering upon his enemy? And you, as Rama, are on the winning spree in this war, and there is no necessity to extol yourself...' Tiirtha.

"Howsoever your ignominy is well shown by your self-praise, like the manifestation of gold on the tip of grass-blade burnt by fire, where the fire on grass-blade is no fire, and the bulb of fire appearing at the tip of grass-blade as a bulb of gold, is no gold. 

dhvani/allusion: A blade of grass when burnt, immediately glows and manifests a globe of golden flame, but it is too quick to evanish thus it can not burn the gold to refine it. katthanena 'by broaching...' te laghutvam 'your ignominy...' sarvathaiva vidarshitam ' in every way, well-shown...' and that ignominy is looking like taptena 'burnt...' kusha agninaa 'fire abiding the grass-blade...' suvarNa pratiruupeNa 'golden in hue...' laghutvam vidarshyate yathaa tathaa 'lowliness of fire proper will be shown by that fire on grass-blade, likewise... tava laghutvam eva vidarshitam bhavat 'so also your own lowliness is made evident...' 'A small fire on a small grass-blade quickly burns though with a golden hue, but it cannot sustain its flame to burn other things. It burns the grass-blade on which it sits. So, self-ruinous is your self-eulogy...' Govindaraja.

kusha agninaa 'by grass-blade's fire...' that is used to purify golden material in rituals; suvarNa prati ruupeNa 'gold, equalling in aspect...' namely brass items; taptena 'if burnt to purify...'; laghutvam 'stain of blakishness...'; If brass items are put to the same small fire of grass-blade they immediately become smoky, however small the fire may be; Thus te 'by you...' katthanena 'by self-praising...' laghutvam vidarshitam 'your futility is well-shown...' Maheshvara Tiirtha.

suvarNa prati ruupeNa tapyatena ashmanaa agninaa is another text. In this ashmanaa is 'stone...' If anyone touches a stone that is similar to fire outwardly, he does not feel the heat of the fire by the cold touch of stone. Thus, his 'foolishly mistaken identity' makes a fool of himself. Thus Khara is saying 'I was thinking that Rama is a very great valiant person, but by way of listening your self-eulogies, at an inopportune time, you appear to be a cold stone but not a firebrand... One who goes on self-eulogising without taking any action in a war is a coward but not a victor...' Thus Khara is quickening Rama to proceed with fighting so that the ensuing salvation can also be quickened.

"But you are seeing me wielding a mace and standing before you like an unshakable and jagged mountain laden with ores, isn't it! As to how the Terminator wielding noose is enough to take away all the lives in all the three worlds, handling my mace I am enough for detracting your life from you. 

dhvani/allusion: 'I am not competent enough to combat with you...' is the sense that is drawn out. gadaa dharam maam pashyasi nanu 'mace-wielder, me, you see, though...' 'Though you see me wielding this mace...' paasha hasta antaka iva 'noose-wielder Yama, Terminator, like...' 'Though I appear to be noose-wielding Terminator...' trayaNaam api lokaanaam praaNaan hantum paryaaptaH yadyapi tathaa api 'Though I can strike down the lives of all in all the three worlds with this single mace as Yama does so with only one noose...' raNe tava na paryaaptaH 'in war, with you, not, competent... 'I am not competent enough to fight with you in war, for I am an inferior being in comparison to you, oh, Supreme Being...'

"Even though much is to be said in your respect I will not continue to say, for the sun is getting at the dusk thereby disruption to war occurs. 

dhvani/allusion: This is the devil's advocacy about dharma yuddha 'righteous warfare...' which righteous war is generally waged from morning till evening. Khara says that 'because the sun is dusking you humans cannot war with us, the nightwalkers who are adept in night-wars. Thus by killing you in nighttime does not prove my victory, for your warfare is from sunrise to sunset. Hence, this war is to be stalled. If you quicken now without self-extolling, I will kill you before sunset, proving my chivalry and then I can dab the eyes of the wives of the demons so far killed by you...'

"You have killed fourteen thousand demons and on killing you I will wipe the tears of the wives of those dead demons today itself." Khara said so to Rama. 

dhvani/allusion: Khara cannot return to his place after sacrificing these many demons. Either he should win or be won over. So 'when these many demons are eliminated by you... tvad vinaashaat = tvattaH naashaat 'by you if I am eliminated...' eSaam ashru pramaarjanam karomi 'their tears I will wipe... 'For I sacrificed fourteen thousand kinsmen of mine, and if I am also killed by you, their wives do not find fault with me and my death will wipe their tears out... that is why, though you tried to pacify and avert me from warring with soft talk mR^idu puurva bhaaSaNena, as at 3-29-1. I can not but war, and you need not think that I am heedless of your words...' Tiirtha.

Saying thus that highly infuriated Khara hurled his mace towards Rama, around which there are superb golden cinctures, and which is extremely glaring like a thunderbolt. Forcefully discharged from Khara's hands that highly fiery and stupendous mace rendering trees and shrubs down to ashes darted towards Rama. 

When that monstrous mace similar to the halter of the Terminator is swooping down, Rama smashed it to smithereens with his arrows while it is still sky rocketing. That mace splintered with arrows of Rama fell crumbling onto the surface of earth as a springing female snake would fall down by the strength of spells and nostrums. 

dhvani/allusion: The mention about Khara's mace may be noticed. In the text, its reference has come more often and at the end it is said to have burnt down the vegetation along its course of travel, which indicates that it has some radiation power. Without making it to touch the ground, Rama has splintered it in sky itself, and its destruction is metaphoric with a venomous serpent, and hymns and herbs can bring down that serpent. That is to say even if venomous missiles are used their antidotes are ready at hand. For this Dharmaakuutam says, without expanding: anena mantra auÿadhi balai× viÿa ˜di n˜þa ukto bhavati | dk 'any poison can be neutralised by antidotes, say spells and nostrums...'

Thus, this is the 29th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 30

 

Rama and Khara exchange a haughty wordy duel and when the demon Khara charges at Rama, Rama eliminates him with his all-powerful arrow and gods and sages shower flowery rain. Seetha and Lakshmana return from their hiding cave and Seetha becomes very happy on seeing her victorious and indefatigable husband.

 

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On smashing the mace with arrows Raghava spoke this sentence to Khara smiling him out of temper, without assaulting weaponless and flustering Khara, because Rama is the patron of virtue following the protocol of righteous war. 

This seems to be a roundabout meaning. But to explain why the epithet dharma vatsala to Rama is given, this beating round the bush is necessary. So also, many epithets used in this epic have relevance to the circumstances, characters, or their actions. These cannot be explained without the support of commentaries, and unfortunately commentaries skip these minor details assuming that the readers are capable enough to grasp them in the course of narration, which resulted otherwise at a later time. We therefore request pundits to consolidate the relevancy of each the inordinate epithet used to the situations narrated somewhere like web, if it is going to cost a fortune on printing and stationary. Explaining them occasionally is unnoticed, and they appear to be redundant metre fillers in these days where Sanskrit itself has become an alienated language.

"So, this is all the strength of yours and your army that is displayed and nothing more to display, is it! You wretched demon, it is paltriest compared to my strength, yet you vaunt aloud futilely! This mace of yours in which you repose your bombastic aplomb, now completely battered with my arrows has gone onto the surface of earth, so also is your vanity. "What that is said by you, 'I will dab the tears of the demons whose kinfolk are dead here...' even this word of yours is a fake.

"In boasting you are knavish, in character roguish, and in behaviour ghoulish, such a demon as you are, I will take your life away as the Divine Eagle Garuda took away Ambrosia. Now, my arrows will rip and chop off your throat, and then the earth will guzzle the blood gushed therefrom garnished with froth and foam. You will go to eternal sleep embracing the earth as you embrace an un-gainable lady, when both of your arms are knocked down to slide on earth, and limbs smeared with dirt. While you are in profound sleep, oh, notorious demon, this Dandaka forest becomes a shelter to the shelter-worthy sages and saints. 

"When the strongholds of demons in your Janasthaana are ruined with my arrows, the sages in this forest will move about everywhere, fearlessly. The demonesses who terrorized others so far will be pitiably terrorised now, and they flee away very quickly with tear-wet faces as their kinsmen are killed. "To which demonesses your kind of grievous demon is the husband, they must have taken birth in a befittingly grievous family like that of yours, and must be well-matched to you in grievous atrocities, and though they might not have tasted a grievous situation so far, since their lives have become meaningless, now they will become the enjoyers of the empathy of grief. 

"You are atrocious in conduct because you countervail against Veda-s, debased by conscience because you counteract to Vedic rituals, and you are countermanding Vedic procedures because you have always been bothersome to Brahmans, and those Brahmans becoming sceptical of your deeds of hindrance, they are hesitatingly consigning oblations into Ritual-Fire, which are to be swiftly dropped into fire to the chants of hymns and even on time, hence you are countervailing against Veda-s and counteracting to their rituals, and countermanding their procedures." Thus Rama spoke to Khara irefully. 

While Raghava is speaking that way with such an impetuosity in that forest, Khara started to intimidate him rancorously in a voice stridulous than braying. 

"Priding yourself resolutely you are unfearing even in a fearful situation, thereby you have indeed gone into the control of death, and for sure you are unmindful of what is speakable and what is not." Thus, Khara started his tongue-lashing. Such of those men on whom the Lead of the Time verily closes in, they will not know what is to be done and what not, for all of their six senses will be rendered insensible." Thus Khara intimidated Rama. 

dhvani/allusion: For the above three verses it said: evam bruvaaNam raamam 'to Rama who saying that way...' mR^ityu vashya kharaH 'Khara going under the control of Death...' is saying 'oh, Rama...' tvam vaacya a+vaacya na budhyase iti 'you know not what to speak and what not to speak - to a dying creature like me, because that creature's six-senses are stand-still...' Then why is this nirbhartsayana, roSa? 'threatening me, and anger at me?' 'Because the faculties of that dying creatures, presently mine, will be in a flux, they will attack anyone verbally or physically, let alone the Almighty... thus you are not able to distinguish between what is to be done or not to be done with such a senseless creature... So, what you have to do now is to finish me, and what is not to be done is this sermonising. Why not finish me off from this curse and accord salvation?' Maheshvara Tiirtha. anena maraõa samaye jan˜n˜m buddhi bhraÕþo bhavati it s¨citam - dk 'at the time of death people's mind deranges...'

Saying so to Rama that nightwalker Khara then knitting his brows tightly saw everywhere for an assault weapon for use in that combat, and then he indeed found one not far away from him, namely a huge saala tree. He curled his lips in frown and started to extricate that Saala tree, and that great-mighty Khara on forcefully uprooting that tree with both of hands hurled it aiming at Rama, braying loudly and shouting at him 'you are dead...' 

But that adventurous Rama on shredding that tree which is swooping down with a torrent of arrows, and deciding to eliminate that Khara in that war evoked an unusual rancour, which rancour is equally an unusual facet of Rama. 

The inveterate bitterness of Rama is to see the unyielding Khara at a time when all of his war paraphernalia is lost, but still trying to be aggressive, rancorously.

Rama whose body is perspiring and whose eyes are acrimoniously bloodshot at ends, he utterly shredded Khara with a thousand arrows in that war.Copious frothy blood gushed out from the gashes of arrows on the mountainous body of Khara, like the rapids on Mt. Prasavana, and it overflowed on earth too. 

Mt. Prasavana is depicted in Kishkindha canto where Rama admires and eulogises the rainy season when waiting for Sugreeva's help.

When Khara is tormented with the arrows of Rama in that conflict he is bedevilled and with his blood stinking body he quickly bolted towards that Rama alone. When Khara is descending on boisterously with his body bathed in blood, that adept one in the Science of Archery, dhanur veda , the scripture on archery, and that valorous Rama, in swiftness lurched a little...say, two or three steps... 

On this back stepping, backtracking, or the scrape Rama took in war, [ scrape - intr. draw back a foot in making a clumsy bow; and here without clumsiness of bow]; much discussion is available discussing whether Rama can retrace his step or not. It is said that stepping back in war is prohibited for a valorous warrior or to the epical hero. saðgr˜me saÕsth˜nam aniv®tti× ca - gautama and many more scriptures say this. And a relaxation to such a stance is said: kvacit ati sanka÷a viÿaye subha÷˜n˜m abhito ayam apasarpa× - ved˜nta deþika But here Rama is taking a runner's back-leg and it is not to be construed as an act of cowardice. Dharmaakuutam clarifies this as: vasca þatru vadhe k˜mayam˜na r˜msya dhanuÿi b˜õa sandh˜na ˜di saukary˜rtham apasarpaõam r˜meõa k®tam bh¨ÿaõam eva na tu d¨ÿaõam | ata eva m¨le apasarpaõe k®ta astram eva hetumatvena maharÿiõ˜ upanyastham | anantara þlokena khara vad˜ya þara sandh˜na mokÿaõa ˜di pratip˜danam upapannam bhavati | bhity˜ apasarpaõe puna× þara mokÿa anupapatto riti | dk 'Wishing to eliminate the demon Rama has taken a back step. It is only to have a leeway between his target, arrow, and arrow-flinging place... In the verse itself the great-sage Valmiki incorporated words like kR^ita astra that Rama is an exponent in archery [keeping some doubting Thomas' in view.] Further, in the next few verses Rama eliminates Khara, thus it is not an act of cowardice...'

More so, some scholars hold that this verse has got grammatical glitches, some ancient mms reads this verse as, even though this verse too has the word apasarpaNa scrape: tam ˜patantam vegena Ÿpt˜syam rudhira plutam | apas®tya tata× sth˜n˜t d®ÿ÷v˜ tvarita vikrama× ||

Then, Rama snatched an arrow which is similar to the Ritual-fire, and secondary only to the ultimate missile, namely the Brahma-missile, for the elimination of Khara in war. That particular arrow is made available to Rama through Sage Agastya by the king of gods, namely Indra, because Indra is a sensible one about the future course of events, and he is also prosperous in securing impossible weaponry, and now Rama fitted such an arrow on his bow and released it towards Khara. 

That formidable arrow is promptly released on Rama's stretching the bowstring up to his ear, bending bow almost to a circularity, and which arrow is thunderous while in egress like the thunder of a thunderbolt, and that has come and plunged in the chest of Khara. 

Khara fell down on to earth and on being burnt by the radiation of that arrow he is like demon Andhaka, who once was very completely burnt by Rudra in Shveta-araNya, the White-forest. 

Andhaka is the son of Danu, the wife of Kashyapa Prajaapati, and her progeny is termed as daanava-s, demons. Shiva burns this Andhaka with his Third-eye in Shveta-forest, which is said to be at the confluence point of River Kauvery in ocean.

As with fall of demon Vritta or fall of demon Bala who are eliminated by Indra with his Thunderbolt, or as with the collapse of demon Namuchi who is eliminated by the same Indra just with forth or foam, Khara too is brought down. 

The demon Namuchi secures a boon from the gods that he may not die by wetness or dryness, so Indra uses foam and forth, which are neither wet nor dry, to eliminated him.

In this meantime gods gathering along with carana-s drummed celestial drums from all over and showered flowers on Rama from all over. And those gods and other celestials in their amazement said among themselves that 'in one and half hours, say seventy two minutes of this extreme crack-down Rama with his sharp arrows has eradicated fourteen thousand guise changing demons, including their chieftains Khara and Duushana. [

"Aha! Surprising is this great deed of Rama, the shrewd-soul, what a valour, what a fortitude, really, his valour and fortitude are like those of Vishnu..." Thus saying that way all of those gods have gone away as the have come. 

All the kingly-sages and elite-sages along with Sage Agastya, who as incidentally came here to witness the victory of Rama, then on foregathering near at Rama delightedly said this on adoring him. "He that great-resplendent one, the controller of demon Paka, and the destroyer of enemy's cities, namely Indra, once came to the meritorious hermitage of Sage Sharabhanga only for the purpose such an elimination of demons. For the purpose of eradicating these demons who are the evildoers by nature and the natural enemies to saintly people you are led to this countryside by the great sages with an ideation. That which is the task of ours it is accomplished by you, oh, son of Dasharatha, now that Dandaka is unimpeded these great-sages will be practising their respective sacred devoirs in it." Thus, the sages expressed their thanksgiving. 

In the meanwhile the brave Lakshmana exiting from the mountain cave came along with Seetha to their hermitage, and he is charmed at the victory of his brother Rama. And then that brave and victories Rama too came towards hermitage while great-sages reverenced him, and he entered the hermitage while Lakshmana came forward to greet him. 

And Seetha on seeing her husband, the eliminator of enemies and accorder of happiness to sages, embraced her husband Rama, rejoicingly. Janaka's daughter Seetha on seeing the hordes of demons eliminated, and even on observing her husband is also scatheless, she is all-smiles for him smiling sniggeringly. 

Any wife on seeing her husband returning from a risky journey will embrace her husband delightfully, and nothing special about it. But the commentators attach a great significance to this situation.

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Firstly Seetha is hR^iSTaa 'exultant...' more than happiness. Rama's victory is the cause for that. sati dharmiNi dharmaaH 'nature will have its own peculiar property...' Rama's victory is the peculiar property dharmi, and the exultancy caused is its nature dharma. hR^iSTaa 'exulted' 'thrilling, hair-raising, electrifying' 'as though the inner joy is going to outburst trough the skin pores...' Such is the joy of Seetha.

The cause for the extreme exultancy is said next. Vaidehi, is the daughter of Videha King, Janaka and when she is said so, it is remembered that mithila adhipatiH viiraH 'Mithila's king is the bravest of the brave...' Thus, she is aware what bravery and victory are, and knowing that she hailed her victorious husband, for she is a worthy princess. bhartaaram pariSvaje 'husband, embraced...' Is Rama a husband of Seetha or to total Universe? loka bhartaaram suSuveya. He is the husband of the total Universe. When she is the mother of all beings in the universe, and when her husband protects her progeny from the evildoers, will she not embrace that husband of hers, as well as of the Universe? The word bharta 'one who bears...' and this Rama has no other burden to bear, except the Universe.

This embracing is pariSvaje, pari sa svaje 'wholly embraced.' She embraced him from all over and fomented his war-wounds with her warm breasts. Then, why for this much happy hugging? It is replied: maharSiiNaam sukha aavaham pariSvaje 'one who brought comfort to great-sages, him she embraced...' The great-sages are her children, supplicating her to recommend to the Supreme Being to bestow His grace for their salvation. Since Rama brought some relief by his paternal affection to these children-like sages, she is happy and hugging.

Seetha came out of a mountain cave and embraced Rama. This suggests that the innate soul sheSi on the advise of a teacher, after leaving the cave-like living being, is released from bondages and embraces the master sheShin. This is the same predicament for her in Sundara Kanda, where the teacher Hanuma advises her to come with him, but she refuses, because her lord alone has to come conquering, as he has done now as far as her confinement is concerned. Here she is put in cave and guarded by Lakshmana, unlike demonesses guarding her in open-air gardens in Lanka. She came out of the cave and is joining her husband. Govindaraja.

Next, Maheshvara Tiirtha records: tam dR^iSTvaa shatru hantaaram 'at him Rama, on seeing, enemy, eliminator...'in that compound: tam 'at him...' that Rama, which one-Rama assumed himself as fourteen thousand Rama-s, appearing as each to each demon at the time of war, with his divinely gracious aspect divya mangala vigraha and eliminated all demons, that Rama she saw. te tu yaavanta evaa~Nau taavaan tu dadR^ishe sataiH As many demons are there, so many Rama-s are there on the battlefield.

tam 'at him...' 'who eliminated fourteen thousand demons, single-handedly, , that too in seventy two minutes. These demons are so far undeafted even by Indra with all his forces. Rama defeated such demons without any damage to his person, a + vyayam 'unscathed, undamaged... and very easily also...' at such a Rama Seetha saw.

tam 'him' who looks girlish. Seetha once said that Rama is girly not only in his looks but also in bravery, perhaps. r˜ma j˜m˜taram pr˜pya striyam puruÿa vigraham Ayodhya Part I, 30-3. When Rama dissuades Seetha from coming to forests, Seetha said to Rama, 'my father is the King of Mithila and he may think that you have left me behind at Ayodhya unable to protect me in forests... thus my father may also think that he got a 'girl' as his son-in-law in you...' Through this is a tongue-in-cheek expression Seetha reminded Rama at that situation of his Mohini ruupa 'getup of Mohini...' which he assumed at the time of churning Milky Ocean, it is her woomanhood that spoke like that. Though not then, even now Rama looks girlishly pleasant, if he is not summoning wrath upon him, as per his attributes, puNDarika vishaala aksha, somavat priya darshanaH 'lotus-petal-eyed, moon-like-delightful-aspect...' And he becomes unsightly, only if angered. Such a girlish Rama has won war, and at him Seetha saw in admiration about his mannishness. Now her father Janaka will definitely appreciate his son-in-law Rama. King Janaka is a result-oriented king, as said in Gita, 3-20: karmaNi evahi samsiddham aasthitaH janakaadayaH 'Janaka and others are involved in self-less- result-oriented deeds...' and facing him without results is impossible. Thus Seetha's opinion is 'my father Janaka who is result-oriented and self-less in his pursuits, he will now appreciate Rama, since Rama has also accomplished a self-less pursuit in saving the sages...'

tam shatru hantaaram 'at him... who has annihilated the enemies in war...' as he has annihilated troops and troops of unwieldy demons as said at: tai× dhan¨Õÿi dhvaja agr˜õi carm˜õi ca þir˜Õsi ca || 3-25-21 and at bah¨n sa hasta ˜bharaõ˜n ¨r¨n kari kara upam˜n | 3-25-22 [A] and also who later said that he will emerge, as and when needed to eradicate vice, as at paritraNaaya saadhuunaam vinaashaaya ca duSkR^itaam - Gita: 4-8 And Seetha saw at such an omnipotent Being who is an eliminator of evil.

maharSiNaam sukha aavaham 'for great-sages, accorder of comfort...' dR^iSTvaa vaidehii babhuuva 'on seeing Vaidehi became...' she became one with herself bhuu sattaayaam. When it is said aatmaa vai puruSasya daaraa 'wife indeed is the soul of manl...' that soul of Rama, namely Seetha is so far in a dilemma, because Rama is a lone-warrior against fourteen-thousand demons and his safe return is ambiguous. Now that he remained unhurt, that soul called Seetha, has regained her abode in Rama. Then hR^iSTaa pariSvaje 'delightfully embraced...' Maheshvara Tiirtha.

Dharmaakuutam also derives the same meanings, but with reference to dharma:

sŸt˜ -- anapar˜dhi r˜kÿasa jana vadho na ucita iti vaidehŸ k®ta pratiÿedham api - apyaham jŸvitam jahy˜m tv˜m v˜ site - iti prak˜reõa an˜d®tya - caturdaþa sahasr˜õi r˜kÿasa -- ekasca r˜mo -- iti ®ÿi jan˜n˜m api samþayite uddhe kr¨ratar˜n r˜kÿas˜n hatv˜ - avyatho yo r˜ma× t˜d®þa× par˜m®þyate -- sŸt˜ -- tath˜ ca - þatru hant˜ram maharÿiõ˜m sukha ˜vaham -- iti - avyadham iti ca viþeÿaõ˜ni upapann˜ni bhavanti -- ata eva ete arth˜ uttara slok˜bhy˜m upasamh®t˜×

She whose face is beaming with delight that Seetha, the daughter Janaka, on seeing Rama who has eliminated demonic troops, and whom great-sages are worshipping, again embraced him and became rapturous. 

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Khara's elimination

Anytime an evil-force is eliminated by any divinity the fruits of its reading/listening is said at conclusion. For the annihilation of Khara there is such an epilogue phala shruti quoted by Maheshvara Tiirtha.

þrutv˜ þrŸ r˜ma vijayam p˜pa badh˜t pramucyate |
tathaiva s®nkhal˜ bandh˜t ®õa bandh˜t vimucyate |
þrutv˜ puÿpavatŸ n˜rŸ tanayam vamþa vardhanam |
labhate r˜ghavendrasya pras˜d˜t kŸrti vardhanam || skaanda puraaNa

On hearing Rama's victory one will be freed from shackles of sins, also from the chains of punishment, also from the entanglement of debt... should a bride hear this she begets son, who enhances dynasty... and by the grace of Raghava, enriched is the renown... skaanda puraaNa.

Thus, this is the 30th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 31

 

A spy of Ravana named Akampana rushes to him to break the news of annihilation of Janasthaana by Rama. He suggests Ravana to abduct Seetha. Because parting with Seetha causes grief to Rama and thereby he dies. On thinking for while, Ravana goes to Mareecha seeking his help in abducting Seetha. Mareecha while explaining Rama's capabilities, reminds us of the incarnations of Vishnu, and advises Ravana to be content with what he has. This chapter is removed from the critical edition and retained by traditional versions There are discussions on this chapter whether it is the original work or an interpolated one. Some more details are given in the endnote. Akampana's character inevitably has continuity in the war scene at the end.

 

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Then on going hurriedly from Janasthaana and on speedily entering Lanka Akampana spoke these words to Ravana. 

"Oh, king, many demons positioned in Janasthaana are killed, Khara is also killed in war, and somehow I have come here. 

dhvani/allusion: Janasthaana is the castle-gateway to Lanka. Lanka is a city built within its castle-walls and it has no countrysides or villages at least, annexing it. If Janasthaana is ruined, Lanka is also going ruin soon, because none can crossover the bulwark-like-Janasthaana. raajan 'oh, king of demons...' 'when demons in Janasthaana are ruined, your kingship gets ruined...' bahavaH 'many...' 'not one or two, many demons that are guarding Lanka from Janasthaana are hataaH 'dead...' Then Ravana may ask 'what is it Khara doing then?' kharaH ca 'Khara, also' is dead. By this ca 'also' Trishira, Duushana etc., are also reported as dead.

Thus said, then that ten-faced Ravana is infuriated with bloodshot eyes, and as though to burn down whole world with his radiance he spoke this to Akampana. 

"Who is that dead-and-gone that has destroyed my indomitable Janasthaana? Who is it that has indeed opted for no recourse in all of the worlds? Evoking indignation in me it is really impossible for Indra to be happy; even for Kubera - no; for Yama - no; why them, even Vishnu cannot be happy. I am the End-Time for the Time-god himself, I will burn down the Fire-god, and I am capable of conjoining Death with the virtue of deathliness. If I am enraged I will incinerate Sun-god or Fire-god just with my radiance, I will halt even the impetuosity of Wind-god with that of mine." Thus Ravana said about himself. 

Akampana with his palms adjoined and voice hesitant with fear sought for the clemency of that decahedral demon Ravana who is enraged in that way. 

The words decahedron, decahedral - a solid figure with ten faces - are the fancied usage for Ten-Throated or Ten-Faced demon. Ravana has also got the name of dashagriiva, and he is a 'solid' demon.

When the supremo of demons Dasha-griiva pardoned him then that Akampana spoke these words, unfalteringly and trustfully. 

"He is a youth whose shoulders are mighty, arms round and lengthy, built like that a lion, who is the son of Dasharatha and known as Rama. He is blue-black in complexion, a highly renowned one with matchless might and valour, a magnificent one such as he is he slew Duushana along with Khara in Janasthaana."

 On hearing the words of Akampana, the chief of demons Ravana, spoke these words hissing like a kingly serpent. 

"The question is whether that Rama arrived at Janasthaana associated with Indra and along with all of the immortal gods? Oh, Akampana, speak about it. 

Akampana again detailed about the might and valour of that great souled Rama on hearing that sentence of Ravana. 

"Rama means someone who is highly resplendent, an ablest archer among all archers, one who is endowed with divine missiles and divine attributes, and he is the one who conducts warfare with a supreme conduct. And a mighty one with redly eyes and drumbeat like voice, and whose face is shiny like the full-moon is Rama's selfsame younger brother known as Lakshmana. Alike the wind associating with fire this Lakshmana is associated with that glorious and nonpareil prince Rama, and that firestorm, namely Rama, destroyed Janasthaana. 

"They are not any great souled gods or any heavenly beings as such, hence there is no need to doubt about it. Rama unloosened his gold-finned and feather-winged arrows, which on becoming five-faced serpents started consuming the demons. 

"To whichever nook those demons smitten by fear of those serpent-like are fleeing, they have seeing Rama alone standing afore them in that corner, and oh, merited king Ravana, in this way your Janasthaana is totally ruined by that Rama. 

Rama appeared to have assumed fourteen-thousand forms of one Rama svecChaa gR^ihiita dehaiH, and appeared confronting on the path of each and every demon who is trying to take shelter in a corner. Rama further appeared in each of the objects the demons wanted to pick up and fight back, say trees, boulders etc. raamam eva agrataH sthitam pashyanti - Tiirtha. Because the demons are smitten by fear, that fear reflected one Rama as fourteen thousand Rama-s, and it is not any divine trick or magic done by Rama. - Govindaraja. It is same with Kamsa in Bhaagavata when he sees one Krishna as many Krishna-s in his fear.

On hearing the words of Akampana Ravana said these words, "I will to go to Janasthaana to kill Rama along with Lakshmana." 

When Ravana said so then Akampana said these words in reply, " listen, oh, king, what all has happened, and of what in actuality is Rama's spirit and grit. 

Akampana is saying that what all has happened to the dead demons is in accordance with their deeds done when they are alive yathaa vR^ittam 'as they have done inhuman deeds thus they got punishment.' These dead demons are the actual troublemakers to the sages at the behest of Ravana. yad˜ na khalu yajñasya vighna kart˜ mah˜bala× || 1-20-18 As said by Sage Vishvamitra, Ravana does not cause any hindrances to ritual, but these hench-demons do. So, they reaped the fruits of their actions. Or, raamasya vR^ittam: itihaasa puraaNa prakiirtita vR^ittam 'that which is enshrined in legends and mythology, I will tell those aspects of Rama.' yathaa vat balam pauruSam 'as it is his might and grit...' 'I will let you know about them...' So said Akampana to Ravana. - Tiirtha.

"Rama, the highly renolwned, is invincible just by braving against him, for that Rama in fury can stall the onrush of a plethoric river with his arrows. 

Rama does not tolerate the upheaval of the system thus he becomes infuriated kupitaH as and when anything unwarranted occurs. And this fury is a getup to Rama, but it is not his innate nature because ramayate it raamaH 'he who delights is Rama...' Thus he cannot always become furious. He is invincible just by brute-force vikrameNa a+saadhyaH . Thus he is approachable only in accordance with the set systems of attaining him. Further the word asaadhya is not coupled with any other sub-words upapada so he is invincible even to Brahma, Rudra, Indra et al. By this Vishnu's trivikrama incarnation is indicated. He can stop, or bifurcate the plethoric river stream just by his intention, leave alone arrows. bhay˜naka ˜varta þat˜kul˜ nadŸ m˜rgam dadau sindhu× iha þriya× pate× -- bhaagavata In Bhaagavata the tumultuous river gave way to carry Krishna to the other side. Thus the incarnation of Krishna, in earlier times, or in the forthcoming eras, is suggested. - Tiirtha. As a river gives way to fishes to swim, his matsya 'Fish...' incarnation is also suggested.

"That magnificent Rama can collapse even the firmament along with its starlets, stars and planets, and he even can elevate the earth if it were to collapse. 

By the attributes of stars and planets to the firmament, the Golden-Egg hiraNya garbha is suggested. So, he is the Originator. In the incarnation as vikrama 'Dwarf-boy...' he set one of his feet on the yonder blue, hence the firmament has no value for him. siidantii mahiim uddharet Raising the sinking earth is suggestive of varaaha 'Wild Boar...' incarnation, where he uplifted drowning earth on the snoot of a wild boar. And again siidantii mahiim uddharet where mahi is taken as people, and it is said 'when people on earth are sinking/collapsing under tyranny, he uplifts them...' as he is the ultimate absolver and terminator of the creation. Govindaraja and Tiirtha.

"On breaching the shoreline of the ocean with his arrows that lord Rama can deluge worlds, and he can stem the tide of turbulent ocean, or can even stall the agent of that turbulence, namely the wind. 

The deluging worlds suggest samkarSaNa aspect. Govindaraja. Because he deluges all the worlds, he is yuga antakaH 'the epoch-ender...' The said 'Air' suggests other elements also, like Fire, Water etc., as said in pR^idvii apsu liiyate, aapaH tejasa liiyate 'earth merges in waters, waters merges in fire...' thus he can stem the tide of all the elements, taking samhR^itya from the next verse. Tiirtha.

"That great valorous and the ablest among humans is capable to destroy all the worlds with his valour, and even capable of creating the people again.

Or

Or, again dissolving all the worlds into himself, that great contemplator who transcends all is even capable of creating the creation again from out of him. 

The word shR^STi does not mean crafting anything anew. It is from sR^ij 'releasing out...' The innate souls jiiva are not created anew, they are ever there. But they emerge out of Brahman and resolve in Him according to their karmic cycle. This is Gita's concept. He 'creates worlds again...' indicates that in earlier eras also he is the Creator. vikrameNa is not always 'by valorousness' but 'just by contemplation...' He can create, rather evolve from his within, because he is mahaa yashaH 'glorious...' since Veda-s say eko ha vai naaraayaNa, paraa asya shakti, etasya vaa a ksharasya How can a man do all these thing? For this it is said saH shreSThaH puruSaH 'he is more than, better than, transcendent, to humans...' but not 'best among men' as routinely said above. The word punaH 'again' is used twice, one belongs to the earlier dissolutions and creations and another to the forthcoming ones. Tiirtha.

"Oh, Dashagriiva, it is impossible to conquer that Rama in war for your, either singly or along with the hosts of the demon-supporters of yours, as one heaven cannot be won by many sinners. 

Ravana may question this spy as, 'When I am a ten-headed-demon, and he is single headed-human, why cannot I conquer him? The reply is 'you cannot, because you have only ten heads whereas each of the two brothers has sahasra SiirSaa puruSa, sahasra aksha... 'thousands of heads and thousands of eyes...' They are invincible whether you attack him singly or along with hosts of other sinister demons of your like, namely Namuchi, Hiranayakashyapa, Shambara et al. No one can conquer him. The analogy is like this. Though there are many sinners in many worlds, all put together are not able to conquer one single heaven. Tiirtha. anena p˜piÿ÷hai× svarga× pr˜ptum na þakyata iti uktam - - anena suk®tin˜m svarga× p˜piÿ÷h˜n˜m naraka iti s¨citam - dk .

"I do not think that he is killable even for all god and demons, and this is the idea to kill him, and to this you may listen attentively. 

The 'gods and demons...' is said in plural, deva asuraiH even then sarva 'all' is also incorporated. This is to say that even in the forthcoming eras also he is invincible. Then the spy says an unasked for opinion, aham manye 'I admit... that he is unkillable... though I belong to the clan of demons, on seeing Rama's valour in person, some wisdom dawned on me by the merit of my earlier births, but you are not able to open your eyes as yet, because you are still a stupid...' aasuriim yonim aapanaa muuDhaa janmani janmani... Gita 16-20. Tirtha.

Sage Valmiki is speaking through the tongue of this Akampana, the spy, about the invincibility of Rama. Govindaraja.

"An excellent woman in the world is there, a youthful one with symmetrical limbs, a jewel-like lady adorned with jewellery, that slender-waisted one who is known as Seetha is his wife. No goddess can be likened to that mature lady; a gandharva female - no; a apsara female - no; a pannaga female -no, then how can there be a woman of her like? You forcefully abduct his wife when she is in solitude, and indeed Rama will not exist reft of Seetha." Akampana advised Ravana in this way. 

Govindaraja says that this Akampana is talking like an enlightened sage, and Maheshvara Tiirtha says that a divine wisdom has dawned on this spy just now. Then the question that arises is: How a sagacious spy prompted Ravana to abduct Seetha? There are two answers for this.

1. Any employee is a half-slave to his master, artha daasaa janaaH sarve as the money paid makes one a slave of the payer. This spy prompted Ravana in that way because he knows that Ravana is womaniser. Like-king-like-subjects yathaa raajaa tathaa prajaaH thus great-demons think alike. Further Ravana did not ask for the triggering point for the elimination of these many demons. If Ravana questions about it, Akampana had to say that Ravana's own sister Shuurpanakha wanted to debauch. Then Ravana's rage multiplies and he may even kill Akampana.

2. All the sages, including Agastya, have declared to Rama that they have planned to bring Rama to Janasthaana only to eliminate the demons at Janasthaana and going further from Janasthaana to Lanka and eliminating Ravana is Rama's headache. Which happens owing to Seetha. ˜nŸta× tvam imam deþam up˜yena maharÿibhi× || 3-30-35 Thus this sagacious Akampana is plotting to bring Seetha firstly, for whom Rama comes conquering Ravana, and then the demons on earth will be eradicated. Without Janasthaana Lanka is nothing but an open-door castle. So, the sages paved way for Rama through Janasthaana to Lanka.

The chief of demons Ravana favouring that idea thought of it and that mighty armed Ravana then spoke to Akampana. 

"Agreed! I wish to go alone early in the morning with a charioteer and I delightfully wish to lead Vaidehi into the elegant city Lanka." Ravana declared that way. 

Saying so Ravana journeyed in a chariot that is yoked with mule-like horses, and that has the dazzling of the sun, whereby all the directions are made to glitter. That opalescent chariot of the lord of demons while speedily progressing through starry way shone forth as if it is the moon in clouds. 

On going to the hermitage of Maareecha which is at a distant place Maareecha the son of Tataka received Ravana and venerated that king of demons with sweetmeats and savouries that are unavailable to humans. 

The food items bhakshya are the supplementary items like laddu-s, jilebi, etc., and the like, whereas the bhojya items are boiled-rice, wheat-bread etc., the staple food items. The word a+maanuSaiH may also mean 'inhuman' but nowhere we find Ravana taking such a lowly food.

Offering proper seat and water for washing feet and hands Maareecha personally attended Ravana and spoke to him this sentence that is worded meaningfully. 

"Oh, king and supremo of demons, I am anxious to know whether everything safe and secure to the inhabitants of your kingdom, for I am not in the know of the reason by which now you have come here rushingly. 

When Maareecha said so to him that greatly radiant one who is a sententious speaker that Ravana thereafter spoke this sentence. 

"Oh, sire, Rama who is indefatigable in warring has ruined my security stationed at Janasthaana, and in war he even brought down all of Janasthaana which is undefeatable so far, such as I am, to me you have to render friendly help in kidnapping Rama's wife." 

On hearing the words of that chief of demons, Maareecha spoke these words, "who broached the subject of Seetha with you, an enemy in the fakery of a friend? Oh, tigerly demon, who is that censurable one that is unhappy with you, since he is giving such a self-ruinous advise? 

" 'Seetha may be brought to Lanka...' who said it, say him to me, who is that one desiring to cut off the prominence of all the demons in all worlds in saying so?

Or

"Who is desirous of getting a zenithal demon ruling all the three worlds to be cut-off when he said that Seetha shall be brought to Lanka?

Or

"Who is saying that Seetha is to be brought to Lanka with a desire to get your apogeal ten-heads that are prominent among all the clansmen of demons to be cut-off? 

"Also, he who has motivated you in this way is an undoubted enemy of yours, for he wanted to extricate the fangs of a snake from its mouth, of course, through you. By whom and by which purpose of his you are made to blunder upon this awry path, oh, king, it is as good as his hitting hard on your head while you are fast asleep. 

"Oh, Ravana, it will be unbefitting to raise an eye to see Rama in war, who will be then like a majestic elephant that has an impeccable dynasty and bloodline as its mammoth trunk, personal radiance as its indomitable might, very firm pair of arms as its pernicious tusks, more so, who will be with the redolence of the irrepressible lineage of Raghava-s. 

"To be in the midst of war itself is the fury of that lion called Rama, by which that lion raises its tail touching the back of its trunk, that lion is all-inclusive with forelegs, paws, and claws that are included in arrows, while its fangs are swords, and it is the killer of the deer called the expert killer-demons, and mind you, do not dare to rouse that sleeping man-lion. 

The nara-simha, man-lion incarnation is suggested here.

"His bow is crocodilian, his shoulder-speed is quagmire, his arrows are tidal, and the great immensity of his war itself is a tideland, and oh, king of demons, it is inapt of you to slide down into the much-ghoulish mouth of that abyssal ocean, called Rama. 

The crocodile catches at the very moment of falling of its prey, the arrows make one to sink into a quagmire without any hope of coming up, and when the arrows once discharged tidally, the battlefield becomes a tideland inundated with his arrows. Thus, it is impossible to crossover that oceanic netherworld, called Rama. Tiirtha.

"Oh, lord of Lanka, be appeased towards Rama, be quietened and gently proceed to Lanka. You take delight in your wives, and let Rama be delighting with wife in forests." Thus Mareecha spoke to Ravana. 

Suffix: 'forgive what has happened, remit a disastrous war on Lanka, be pleased with what you have and be content with it, holdback your greediness...'

When thus said by Maareecha that ten faced Ravana returned to his city Lanka and entered his best house and home. 

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Endnote

This chapter is a scarecrow to the aesthetics of Ramayana and a milestone to commentators of Ramayana. We usually find in Ramayana spectacular entrances for cities, characters, and situations. Before such a fantastic entrance of Ravana, for which a full sarga/chapter is allotted, this chapter is said to be a glaring hurdle. In here, this Akampana is glorified as a sagacious person, yet he gives advise to Ravana to abduct Seetha. This advice is said to contain the setting of the ultimate war-field in Lanka. But, the weight of the very same advise by Shuurpanakha is lost to this of a spy. Shuurpanakha's intent is very clear, but the meaning, purpose and the achievement of this spy is very unclear, except to that which is said by commentators.

Ravana on going to Maareecha, and hearing all indirect puraNa-s 'mythologies...' returns to Lanka as a gentleman. If he were to be this gentle, Ramayana would not be there. But Maheshvara Tiirtha, the commentator say: ata eva r˜vaõasya sŸt˜ r˜ma bh®tyatvena t˜ uddisya tena vakÿyam˜õ˜ni b˜hya d®ÿ÷y˜ durbh˜ÿaõa vat pratŸyam˜n˜ni api v˜ky˜ni - - vastuta× stuti par˜õi eva Maheshvara Tiirtha 'Though the utterances of Ravana apparently mean as vile, but their subtext is that of a devotee of Vishnu.'

If Ravana is a true devotee, basing on many mythologies and sub-mythologies, the way in which he treated Seetha in Lanka is evident and it pictures him as a clear-cut villain. Thus another commentator, Rama Tilaka, whose aim is to elicit literary values of Ramayana, dismisses all this. Whether this chapter is interpolated or original, this is included in traditional versions, and hence it is to be sincerely incorporated because commentators have said a lot about it. So goes the tradition.

Thus, this is the 31st chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose
Sarga 32

 

The pomp and pageantry of Ravana is portrayed along with his idiosyncrasy and individualty, his triumphs and victories, his jalousies and covetousness. Shurpanakha approaches him to inform of her fate at the hand of Lakshmana.

 

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Then Shurpanakha on seeing the fourteen thousands demons of heinous crimes perished by one lone Rama. And also on seeing Dushana, and Khara, also thus Trishira... the perished ones...] she blared a blaring blare similar to a cloud's thunder. She, on seeing the action taken by Rama, which for others is verily impossible, is highly agitated and hastened to Lanka, which is by ruled Ravana.

She saw dazzling Ravana with his dazzle, in the midst of the divine aircraft Pushpaka, and with his ministers seated nearly and nearby, like Indra amidst wind-gods.

Comment: The place where Ravana is sitting can be said as 'at the top floor of a multi-storeyed building...' as the word vimaana means 'atop...' of a house, temple-towers etc. But it can also be said Pushpaka aircraft as said in Dharmaakuutam: tatra ca vicitra vim˜na madhyage k˜ncana maya ˜sane - - The words used in verse upa upa viSTa 'the ministers are sitting near him, and are in attendance upon him...' by the use of extra preposition upa, but in the course of time the idea of 'nearness or proximity' are lost and it came be used as just 'sitting...' Thus, the tautological tendencies were influencing Sanskrit... [After Dr. Satya Vrat.]

Seated similar to the Sun in firmament, on a supreme golden seat, which resembles a golden Fire-altar and he himself resembling the blazing Ritual-fire, when much ghee is poured into that Golden-Fire-Altar.

Comment: Ravana is seated, similar to the Sun in firmament, on a supreme golden throne, which resembles a golden Fire-altar, laid with golden bricks, where mud-bricks will be used in Vedic-rituals in ordinary fashion, and when much ghee is poured into that Golden-Fire-Altar continually, he himself resembling the blazing Ritual-fire and his glow is heightening for every pour of ghee-oblation.

On conquering all the worlds Ravana assumed indratva 'Indra-hood...' So all the oblations in rituals shall belong to Ravana. Any ritual other than this variety will be hindered and spoiled by this group. This is the real problem to all celestials, as they are not getting their due from Vedic-rituals. Ravana's throne itself is the Golden-Ritual-Altar of his kind, and every praise or extolment of Ravana is hymn and any offering into that Ravana-Fire-Altar is making Ravana to aglow to the bedazzlement of all the worlds. And how he got that Indrahood is said next.

Not by gods, gandharva-s, or any beings, nor by any sages or supreme-embodiments, he is repressible in any dreadful war, for he is like the Terminator with a gaping mouth. In many combats of gods and demons, bruised is he by the Indra's weapon, namely the Thunderbolt, and blotched is his chest with the goring of tusk-prongs of Iravata, the Elephant of Indra.

 His arms are twenty and faces are ten, and he is with conspicuous regalia, and at that broad-chested brave one, attributed with all the kingly attributes, at him Shurpanakha saw...

Comment: Ravana is also said to have four legs in naaradiiya jaimini Ramayana: dasha aasyam vi.mshati bhujam bhinna anjana cayamopamam | paadaiH catur ati ugram taamroSTam... 11 chapter, 75 verse. In Raghuvamsha in 18th chapter bhujamuurthoru baahulyaa dekopidhana daanuja... etc., but not vividly portrayed elsewhere.

With the gleaming of the Lapis gems studded in his ornaments his glisten is that gemlike, his ear-knobs are of refined gold, his arms strongish, teeth whitish, mouth widish and he is mountainous... at him Shurpanakha saw... By Vishnu-disc he is assaulted hundreds of times in war with gods, and with the assault of other missiles, he is assaulted hundreds of times in other great wars.

Comment: The disc of Vishnu here does not mean the sudarshana cakra of Vishnu. This is yet another missile which is one among many given to Rama, the human, by Vishvamitra. This sudarshana cakra is a 'thought of Lord Vishnu to eliminate the vice...' sankalpa a conceptually symbolic missile in one of His hands, but in the core of its essence it is no disc with any sprockets and central thumb-hole etc. pr˜õo may˜ kriy˜ þakti× | bh˜va unmeÿa udyama× | sudarþanam ca saðkalpa× | þabd˜ pary˜ya v˜cak˜× -- ahirbujña v˜kya 'sudarshana is my causative thinking, words are just alternatives...' ahirbudhnya aphorisms. This narration is to portray that Ravana has war-wounds on all over his limbs. Though hit by Thunderbolts or missiles for umpteen times, he is just wounded but not dead and he is on such a winning spree, ineradicably.

Thrashed are all his limbs by all the gods with all their thrashing missilery, and he perturbs the un-perturbable oceans, swiftly at his will and wish, and a swift perpetrator of anything at his will and wish...

A volleyer of mountain peaks, even a represser of gods, also an extirpator of ethical values, and a molester of others' wives. A marksman of every divine missile, and an ever interdictor of Vedic-rituals... and on going to the city named Bhogavati, the Capital of Naga-s, and on defeating Vaasuki, the King of Serpents... he who abducted the dear wife of Taksha on defeating Taksha, and he who on going to Mt. Kailash and on defeating Kubera, the Lord of Wealth-Management... at him Shurpanakha saw...

He who snatched away Kubera's aircraft, namely Pushpaka, which transits at the wish of its helmsman... and he who on seeing Caitraratha, the divine garden of Kubera with its divine Lake of Lotuses, and Nandana garden of Indra... with his enviousness devastated those Caitraratha and Nandana gardens and the other paradisiacal gardens even...

And when the richly propitious Sun and Moon, the enemy-stiflers, are arising... he who forestalls them, the Sun and Moon, with his two arms, for he is a mountainous pinnacle...

OPn accomplishing his asceticism for ten thousand years in a great-forest... he who, as  a courageous one has earlier dedicated his ten heads to Brahma, the Self-Created, by which he is unimperilled by gods, demons, gandharva-s, devils, birds, and reptiles...

Unimperilled is he of death in war, [by all others except humans, for he in his beseech of boon, overconfidently] omitted humans... and the Soma-juice of Vedic-rituals, that which is blest and sanctified by Vedic-hymns of Brahmins, and he who is an extreme-ultraist that expropriates that soma-juice-oblation form the vessels of oblation, which actually is intended and shall belong to Indra and other divinities, and is a plunderer of the Vedic-rituals at the time of their culmination, namely, the time of giving bounties and charities to all the cadres in society, thus he is a trespasser, and a hinderer of Vedic-rituals, the slayer of those Brahmins that conduct Vedic-rituals contrary to his wishes, and an evildoer... and at him Shurpanakha saw...

Comment: The problem with Ravana is that nobody shall surpass him or his boons, by conducting various Vedic-rituals, appeasing the gods to get better boons, or say 'a boon to kill Ravana...' itself. That being his preconceived fear he lets none to conduct any Vedic sacrifice. Secondly, he became one with Indra by the boon of Brahma, so any ritual should be centred on Ravana, not Indra. He is not a routine Brahmin slayer for he himself is of Brahminic origin and his teachers are Brahmins, but goes against those Brahmins who dare to conduct rituals for Indra and other divinities. The 'trespasser' is a Biblical trespasser.

He who is heartless, un-goaded thus rampant, and a delighter in the iniquity to the people... by him all beings are bewailed and all words are alarmed...

Comment: Ravana is the nickname of Dashagriiva, or Dashakantha, or Dashaanana, or Dashakandhara. When Ravana tried to lift up Mt. Kailash with his twenty hands, on which Shiva, Parvati, Nandi, and a host of pramatha gaNa-s are there, Shiva pressed down the Mt. Kailash with His big toe. Then Ravana's twenty hands went under Mt. Kailash and he started to yell in pain for a thousand years, terrifying all the worlds. Then, as advised by his ministers Ravana extols Shiva in a stotram, danDakam a rhythmical eulogy, that heavily worded eulogy is still available in the name of raavaNa kR^ita daNDaka. Then, Shiva releases his hands from under Mt. Kailash and blesses him to be renowned as 'Ravana' then onward. This will be in the uttara ramayaNa seventh book. Thus, Ravana is the etymological derivation of the word from the root ru... 'to make noise or weap...' The mantra shastra says raama patniim vanasthaam ninaaya iti raavaNaH 'one who abducted Rama's wife from woodlands...' In another way it is raavaNasya apatyam pumaan raavaNaH 'Ravana's son is Raavana...'

She that demoness Shurpanakha saw such a brother, who is a reprobate and a great-mighty one, and who is excellently attired and bejewelled and shining forth with excellent garlands. He is well seated on his seat, like the up-surging Ultimate-Time to the Eventual-Time...

At that king of demons and a greatly fortunate one and the felicity of the dynasty of Sage Pulasta... that demoness Shurpanakha, trembling in fear neared him and spoke these words to such Ravana, who is an enemy-destroyer, and now surrounded by his ministers.

Shurpanakha, a fearless one in her movements, who is defaced by the great-souled Lakshmana, and she is now perplexed by the fear of Lakshmana, but with an avarice for Rama, on showing herself to that Ravana, whose eyes are broad and aglow, she spoke to him this very caustic sentence...

Thus, this is the 32nd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose
Sarga 33

 

Shurpanakha taunts Ravana for his un-kingly activities, by which his kingdom is going to face a calamitous situation soon. She while gibing at him narrates how a king, really fit for kingship, shall conduct the affairs of kingdom. She speaks many paradigms on which many commentaries are declined basing on kings and their vices. This chapter vies with the 33rd chapter of Kishkindha Kanda in the attitudes of a king and his kingship. These two chapters, as detailed by ancient commentators, equally deal with raaja niiti shastra 'political science' and the only rescue to Sugreeva in Kishkindha is Tara, who saves the face of Sugreeva before Lakshmana, whereas in here Ravana has none to come to his aid, when chided by Shurpanakha. Though Shurpanakha is a demoness, the Sage Valmiki put some rational words on her tongue in forewarning Ravana. In Kishkindha, Tara takes up the responsibility of saving the grace of Sugreeva.

 

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Then that doleful Shurpanakha for she is defaced, spoke to Ravana, who makes the world to wail and who is amid his ministers, these scornful words.

"Verily infatuated with lustful gratifications you are independent and incontinent... though a calamitous jeopardy is nearly befalling, and though it is observable by you, you are unobservant of it... Clinging to earthy pleasures, should a king be a self-driven and self-serving, he is unhonoured by people, like a crematory fire...

Comment: For those who are self-centred there will be no fear, no shame... artha ˜tur˜õ˜m na gurur na bandhu× | k˜ma ˜tur˜õ˜m na bhayam na lajja | kÿudha ˜tur˜õ˜m na rucir na pakvam | vidya ˜tur˜ õ˜m na sukham na nidr˜ -- nŸti þ˜stra 'for money-mongers no venerable ones, no relative... for lust-mongers no fear, no shame... for food-monger no taste, no baking... for education-mongers, no comfort, no sleep...' morals.

"The king who does not deal with the concerns of kingdom in person and on time, verily he and his kingdom and even those concerns of his kingdom get ruined...

Comment: This can also be expressed as: saH taiH kaaryaiH saha raajyena ca vinashyati... '...by those very issues of kingdom, the king along with his kingdom gets ruined...' because the major issue on hand is Rama and Lakshmana and they can ruin Ravana and his kingdom. Inordinate ravelling in comforts and lust makes a king weak in body, mind, and time. The timely actions he is supposed to take do not come to mind because it is weakened and benumbed. The he is liable to believe his aids that may precisely land him into further troubles. Hence a king / ruler has to take actions and decisions personally, on time, duly remaining firm by his body and mind.

"When spies are unarranged, and the king is imperceivable and he is not even self-disciplined ... people eschew such a king as an elephant does the mud of river from a distance...

Comment: Shurpanakha knows that Ravana has spies all around, but she also in the know that they are worthless fellows because they narrate mythologies after every thing is ruined, as was done by Akampana in the previous episode. There is none to caution him beforehand excepting her. So she is haranguing Ravana to take immediate action, otherwise, there may be a mutiny or cold war in his kingdom, and his subjects may desert him, like Vibheeshana during wartime.

"He who does not safeguard his kingdom by remaining self-restrainedly he does not outshine advantageously, like mountains submerged in oceans...

Comment: Ravana is no doubt is mountainous with his wealth and prosperity but he is engulfed in the ocean called promiscuity, and as long as those waters of unrestraint tiderip over his head he cannot surface himself.

Or, 'Without keeping the kingdom under your personal control, the administration is shuffled onto the ministers and army personnel like Khara, Dushana, and these figureheads alone become the tiderips, for they quarrel among themselves about the kingship of Lanka after your ruin, and they alone are floating like oceanic tides up above your head and thus you are a submerged sovereign... In any way, either by Rama, the imminent danger or by your military managers, the internal danger, your doom is destined...'

"You are belligerent with sensible gods, gandharva-s and other demons, and devoid of intelligence agents... and how a vacillant like you can thrive as a king...

Comment: 'Your enmity with the sensible gods will make them sensitive to be vigilant for your lack of intelligence agents, lack of your own kingly intelligence and lacking insistence in kingship... and will not they take opportunity to hit you back for every thing is lacking in you except lusting?'

"Your bent is boyish and you are also mindless, oh, demon, but you are unknowing the knowable danger, for you are carefree... and how do you thrive as a king... Those who have their spies, treasuries and strategies not in their own control but bequeathed them to others, they are like the peasantry among kings... Whereby some can see all the distantly situated situations through their spies, oh, king of kings, thereby those are called 'prescient kings...'

Comment: Though the spies bring in various pieces of information they are to be collated and analysed by the king. anena c˜reõa vyavahit˜ api arth˜ avaþyam vic˜raõŸy˜ iti s¨citam - dk 'so you neither have those intelligent spies nor the least intelligence required of a 'prescient king' thus you doom is certain...'

"I believe that you have no spies worth their profession, and you are associated with artless ministers worthy to worship you, and you are unperceptive of the ruination of all of your subjects in Janasthaana... Fourteen thousand demons of dreadful deeds are killed by only one Rama... with Khara and Dushana, too...

"Given is the security to sages and Dandaka forest is safeguarded as well... also assaulted is Janasthaana by that Rama, an indefatigable champion... You are but a greedy and insensate, oh, Ravana, besides being under the control of others, may they be the appeasers of your lusts, or these artless ministers, or those underpaid unfaithful spies, and at that calamity which well-upraised in your own kingdom, you are unperceptive of...

"Should a king be overbearing, under-payer, insensate, self-conceited, and dubious... all beings do not make haste towards such a king in strife...

"Should a rule of people be unduly self-conceited, self-centred, self-adulating and a spitfire too, even his own people will destroy him, in his distress...

"He who does not officiate his offices, nor un-panicked in panicky situations will quickly be overthrown from his kingdom and on becoming debased, he in this world is equated with a piece of straw... The dried wood-sticks, or even the dried-up globs and dust also are of some avail, but the rulers of earth that collapsed from their position are of no avail... As to how a used up raiment and crumple down flower-tassel are rendered useless, that way a derelict from his kingdom, though functional, is of no avail...

"A king who is cautious, clever and a conscientious one with controlled senses, he stays as king sustainably... He who keeps his mental eyes of wariness wakeful while he slept well closing his physical eyes and he whose gall and grace are made evident to people without any concealment or cunningness, he will be revered as a king by he people...

"But, oh, Ravana, imprudent as you are you have discarded these merits, to suchlike you unknown is the very great massacre of demons through your spies...

"Humiliating others you are hobnobbing with your ravishes, and incognisant of the object for apportionment of time and place for your activities, as to when and where and how the things are to be dealt with, since you are not attending any kingly activity... and you are mindless in deciding rights and wrongs even... thereby ruined is your kingdom and imperilled are you before long..." Thus Shurpanakha declaimed Ravana about his worthlessness as a king.

Comment: However self-sufficient and self-assured a king might be, he cannot underestimate rivalling kings as trivial, unilaterally. anena susam®ddha r˜jyastho api r˜j˜ etai× doÿai× acir˜t r˜jya bhrÿ÷o bhavati iti - r˜jñ˜ baliÿ÷ena api þatru durbala iti avamati× na kartavyam ca s¨citam - dk He should be on his guard lest he will be overthrown for he is associated with many un-kingly attitudes.

Thus when his own defects are well-eulogised by her, he that Ravana, the god of nightwalkers pored over by his mentation, holding dear of his prosperity, pride and power... and he verily contemplated, over a time...

Thus, this is the 33rd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose
Sarga 34

 

Ravana enquires about Rama's valour and weaponry for which Shurpanakha narrates about Rama, Seetha, and Lakshmana and what has happened in Janasthaana and prompts Ravana to achieve Seetha as his wife, for none surpasses Seetha in her beauty.

 

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Then on seeing Shurpanakha speaking bitter words against him in the presence of ministers, Ravana is verily infuriated and questioned her.

"Who is this Rama? How is his bravery? And of what mien and what might he is? And for what reason he entered the highly inscrutable Dandaka forest?

Comment: 'Why this Rama has to come this far to Dandaka instead of loitering somewhere near Himalayas? Has he come purposefully with any revenge against us, the demons or is it a pleasure trip?' is the real worry of Ravana. kena ca k˜raõena kula parampara ˜gatam pr˜jyam r˜jyam parityajya nikhila niþ˜cara v˜so asmin deþe sam˜gata× - dk 'why should he leave his ancestral kingdom and enter Dandaka, a stronghold of demons?' Ravana might be unaware that Dandaka also belongs to Ikshvaku-s as Kishkindha belonged to them, as said by Rama at the time of eliminating of Vali.

"What is the weapon of that Rama by whom these many demons are killed in war, also the unkillable Khara is killed and Dushana and Trishira likewise?

Comment: This can be simple question 'What is his weapon?' without telling round about as above. But Ravana is weighing arsenal balance since he is self-content a giant-robot namely Kumbhakarna, and one brave and all-trickster son Indrajit with his own ICBMs, ASMs and ASMs, plus his own invincibility. Thereby he said to be puzzled and asking: k˜ni k˜ni ca ˜yudh˜ni khara mukha niþ˜cra pr˜õa h˜ni kar˜õi - dk 'you said that Rama caused this havoc single-handedly, then he should have used various and numerous weapons by which missiles are flung... because common sense does not permit any belief that one bow can dart numerous arrows or missile, that too when wielded by a single human...'

"That you tell, oh, bewitching bodied one, by whom you are disfigured?" Thus Ravana asked her.

When thus spoken by that king of demons namely Ravana, then that demoness in her fit of fury informed Ravana. Then as per her rationale she commenced to describe Rama,

" His arms are lengthy, eyes broad, and he has jute-cloths and skin of black-deer for his dress... In semblance he that son of Dasharatha is similar to Love-god, his bow with its golden fillets is similar to Indra's Rainbow in sheen, and yanking it out he showered flaring iron arrows that are like the deadly poisonous snakes... that great-mighty one's drawing arrows from out of quiver, his shooting them from bowstring, and darting them...

"Even Rama's stretching his bow I could not see, but I saw the army that is being annihilate on the battleground... and I saw the cloudburst of arrows... Like a rich reap is thrashed out by the hailstorms of Indra... the fourteen thousand demons of fiendish might are killed... Killed are they by those excruciating arrows of that lone foot-soldier in one and half hour, along with Khara and Dushana...

Comment: The above is consolidated and said as: sa× ayam adhun˜ muni jana samucita veÿopi dhik k®ta þakra par˜krame vikrameõa þakra k˜rmuka sad®kÿam c˜pam ˜k®ÿya mah˜ viÿ˜n ˜þŸ viÿ˜n iva rukma punkh˜n anukÿaõam prakÿipan rakÿo vikÿobhakaram ati bhayankaram r¨pam ˜vahati - - dk

"Accorded is the protection to the sages and Dandaka is restored to safety for their ascetic practises through Rama...

Comment: In Dandaka witch-hunting is over and it is calm and collected now. In fact, Ravana intruded into Janasthaana of Dandaka and stationed some army to protect intrusion into Lanka, as his mainstay is castled city Lanka only. Now that the doors to Lanka are wide open Lanka is exposed to an imminent danger. niþ˜car˜n asankhyai× rukma punkhai× viþikhai× vimadhya þatamakha mukhamakha bhuje akhila tapasvina× ca nirbhayam vidh˜ya danýak˜raõyam api sakala muni jana þaraõyam atanuta - - dk

"Somehow I am the one who is let off by that great-souled one on humiliating me by cutting my nose and ears... may be, Rama is hesitant of woman-slaughter for he is a well-versed soul...

Also his brother, a great-resplendent one who by his trait matches his brother in bravery, and an adherent an a devotee of his brother, and by name that stout-hearted one is Lakshmana... He that Lakshmana is an irritable, invincible victor, and a clever, coercive conqueror, and he always is the right-hand man and the peripherally moving life of Rama...

"But, one with her broad eyes, face similar to a full-moon, is the dear and solemn wife of Rama, and she always delights in the good and benefit of her husband... With her refined hairdo, fine nose, also with fine-looks she is glorious, and she is like a sylvan nymph, and in those woods she is beaming forth like a temporal Goddess Lakshmi...

"Her complexion is in the shade of refined gold, and that auspicious one's nails are rosy and jutting... she with her curvaceous hips and slim waist is Seetha by her name, the daughter of King of Videha... She is not any goddess, nor any female of gandharva-s, or yaksha-s, or kinnaraa-s... such a pretty woman is unseen by me on the surface of earth, previously...

"To whom Seetha becomes wife and with whom she gladly hugs, he lives grandly in all the worlds, even more than Indra... She by her conduct is good, by her physique laudable, by her aspect unequalled... and she will be an appropriate wife of yours, you also will be her best husband...

"She that Seetha is broad-hipped, fatty, bulgy breasted and best faced, and intending to fetch her as your wife I stared up... But, disfigured I am by that cruel Lakshmana, oh, my brother with mighty shoulders... if you see her now, at that Vaidehi with her face lit like a full-moon... To the arrows of Love-god you will become an underling, and if an opinion is set on in you to make her as your wife, quickly upraise your right foot aspiring victory and set it on towards Dandaka...

"Oh, the king of demons, if all of these words of mine are pleasing to you, oh, Ravana, those words of mine be actualized undoubtably... Now on realizing your self-confidence, oh, great-mighty, the deed of abduction of Seetha, the one with an ineffable body, as your wife be accomplished...

"On recognising that Rama with his straight shooting arrows destroyed the night-walkers positioned at Janasthaana and also on distinguishing that Khara and Dushana are also dead, it is apt of you to awake to action..." Thus Shurpanakha earbashed Ravana.

Thus, this is the 34th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose
Sarga 35

 

Ravana proceeds to Mareecha seeking his help in the abduction of Seetha. He travels by his aircrat-like chariot and on way he perceives many locations along the seacoast that are affluent and divine. On seeing a banyan tree Ravana recollects the episode of Garuda, the Divine Eagle. He arrives at the hermitage of Marecha.

 

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Then on hearing the hair-raising sentence of Shurpanakha, resolving on his task, he bade adieu to ministers and indeed, he proceeded to his personal palace chambers. He followed up with the task's potentiality and secured a befitting thought... then, he on deliberating upon the abilities and inabilities and on the credits and discredits also.

Then, 'this task is to be done in this method only...' and thus only making a decision in his mind and firming up his mind, he then proceeded to his excellent vehicle garage, verily.

Then on having gone to the vehicle garage secretly, that king of demons directed the charioteer, 'let the chariot be harnessed...' thus...

Comment: This 'secretly going to his own garage...' is one among the many oddities of Ravana that is suggested here. Kings never go to stables or garages but horses or chariots come to their fore, if ordered. Ravana's ministers have heard Shurpanakha's report about the destruction of all the demons in Janasthaana. Because they have heard, it will not remain a secret or suppressible fact. Then some action has become necessary for Ravana now to save his face praaNam eva parityajya maanam eva abhirakshatu... 'Let life go but not the self-respect...' So, his first thinking is to wage a war with Rama, but it may become a worthless expedition because Rama's capabilities are partially known. Next, he thought to abduct Seetha, for she is said not only to be beautiful but a dearly cherished one by Rama, If Seetha is distracted from Rama, Rama may die anguishing for Seetha, thus this imminent danger, called Rama, gets ruined once for all.

The human nature is bhaaryaa duHkham punar bhaaryaa just 'to lament for a parted wife for some time till a second wife is secured...' Thus, that wife-addict Rama will lament for Seetha for some time and seeks another woman as his wife. Instead, if he starts for searching Seetha alone, it is impossible for those two young humans to come searching this far, or to cross the ocean, or to enter Lanka and even on entering Lanka, it is impossible to survive further at the hands of demons. These are some of the many of his deliberations on the 'abilities and inabilities and on the credits and discredits...' of the issue.

Then he enters his beautiful vehicle garage secretly. Why a king shall behave this quirkily? Because 'walls have ears...' and what all Shurpanakha barked in the court must be audible throughout the palace by now, or may be all over Lanka, and if someone sees Ravana's exit at this point of time, everyone despises him, on the charge that he is trying to bring yet another woman. Though it is not said vividly here, that he is going to abduct Seetha thievishly, keeping his valour and bravery aside, this will be made known in the words of Kumbhakarna in Yuddha Kaanda. This is shameful for his own self, as he did not do this way on previous occasions. For such a cowardly act, even Ravana's cherished wife Mandodari may despise Ravana. So, he came to stables with a quirk of secrecy, which will not remain a secret, soon.

Thus said to that brisk-paced charioteer, he instantly started to harness the favourite and choicest chariot of Ravana. Sitting in that golden chariot that is rideable by the wish of the rider and which is studded with gems and has monster-faced mules with their golden jewellery. By that chariot which is pealing thunderously, he that brother of Kubera and the privileged king of demons, Ravana, travelled towards the garner of rivers and rivulets, namely the ocean. He that Ravana is with his regal insignia like white long-furred fans, white parasol... and his body is shining forth like the smoothened Lapis-gem and his ornaments are of refined gold. With his ten heads and twenty arms and exquisite regalia, that adversary of gods and cutthroat of eminent-sages, similar to a kingly mountain with ten pinnacles.

Seated in that wish-rideable chariot that chief of demons shone forth in sky like a cloud with lightning flashes in its ambience and with a flight of cranes.

Comment: Here the cloud metaphors with Ravana, the lightning flashes with the silvery flashes of his regalia, and the decorated chariot with the flight of cranes.

That dauntless one viewing the area at costal-delta which is interspersed with mountains and with thousands of variously flowered and fruited trees... he forged ahead. With cool and clean waters are the lotus-lakes everywhere, and everywhere thresholds of hermitages are extensive with their bedecked Fire-altars. It is gleaming with banana orchards and glistening with coconut trees, and well blossomed are the saala, palm, and tamaala, as well. It is brightened up with eminent sages who have overly controlled their food-habits, and with thousands of the celestial being that frequent the earth, like naaga-s, suparna-s, gandharva-s, and kinnaraa-s, as well. It is also brightish with the self-denying Siddha-s, Carana-s, and with the brainchildren of Brahma, namely, Vaikhanasa-s, Maasha-s, Vaalakhilya-s, Mariicipa-s.

Comment: The details about these sages are given in the 6th chapter of this Aranya Kanda when these categories of sages meet Rama requesting protection from demons.

It is inclosed with thousands of apsara-s, the celestial-maidens, with their divine ornaments, divine garlands, whose aspects are divine and who are the experts in the methodical sex-games. Those lands are adored by the wives of gods and patronised by propitious ones and frequented by the groups of gods and demons who thrive upon [or, who strive for] ambrosia.

Comment: The demons did not get their share of amR^ita 'divine elixir' therefore they cannot be called amR^itaashibhiH 'ambrosia consumers...' As such some other mms contain this expression amR^ita arthibhiH 'desirers of ambrosia...' the demons.

It is spread out with swans, ruddy-gees and frogs, and it is very much noisy with the waterfowls, and the stones like lapis-gems are overlain, and by the ambience of ocean the whole coastline-delta is appearing smooth and sludgy. Everywhere there are whitish and widish aircrafts with divine flowery tassels, which are inspirited by the singing and playing musical instruments by their inmates, namely gandharva-s and apsara-s.

Ravana, the brother of Kubera while going quickly on his way has seen the aircrafts of deified souls, who acquired higher worlds by their asceticism, and he saw the gandharva-s and apsara-s. He observed thousands of Sandalwood trees in the forests with fluid oozing at their bases that are soothing and satisfying the sense of smell.

He observed the noteworthy Aloe Vera plants and Takkola trees that are in those forests and woodlands, and at the aromatic nutmeg trees that are with fruits. The flowery Tamaala trees and the shrubberies of pepper and at clusters of pearl-oysters that are desiccating at shore. Also thus, the best mountains with coral reefs, with their crests golden and like that even silver crested ones. It is with delighting rivulets, which are serene and marvellous, endowed with monies and grains, and hemmed in are the gemlike womenfolk.

While viewing at the cities, that are replete with elephants, horses, and chariots Ravana proceeded further, looking at the areas nearby seashore that are levelly and smoothly while the light airs touch them softly. Ravana saw the deltas near the shores of that kingly ocean, which are heavenlier. There, Ravana also saw a banyan tree, on which sages are encompassing.

Comment: The word sindhu raja also means a sage by that name. Some ancient mms have this line as sa pashyannatha sa.mpraapta aashramam puNya karmaNaH | sindhuraajasya tu mune jaTaa maNDala dhaariNaH || 'On reaching there he saw the pious hermitage of an ancient sage named Sindhuraja, who had tufts of hair locks...' Then it means 'On seeing that hermitage of Sindhuraja, Ravana recollects the legend of Garuda that happened eras ago...'

That tree's branches are stretched out all over each in a hundred yojana in length, to where clawing an elephant and a tortoise, both of mammoth bodies, Garuda flew down on.

Comment: One yojana is 900 miles, where one yojana is nine English miles. The legendary version is that the elephant and tortoise are engaged in a fierce fight though none of them is a prey to the other, and seeing them and to teach a lesson to such causeless quarrellers, Garuda flies in and claws both and searches for a place to feast on them. Finding the tree branch worthwhile as a peaceful perch, he dashes on to one branch.

When that great-mighty Garuda arrived onto the tree-branch to dine at, due to that best flyer's dash and weight, the branch is broken.

That excellently winged Garuda then broke that tree's branch that is excelling with leaves with his highly massy body, [apart from the weight of giant elephant and mammoth tortoise, and in those thickish leaves] there are sages like, Vaikhanasa-s, Maasha-s, Vaalakhilya-s, and Mariicipa-s.

Also Aja-s and Dhuumraa-s [that thrive on fumes and smokes,] are also there and those great sages are collectively [practising their asceticism upside down clasping branches with legs,] and Garuda for the sake of their grace, grasping that tree-branch of a hundred yojana length, took flight. On quickly taking up that broken branch along with those two, namely elephant and tortoise, that virtue-souled Garuda consumed their meat with a single foot.

Comment: Garuda held tortoise and elephant in two claws in the first instance and when to settle down on tree branch he transferred one pray from one claw to the other and held both of them by one claw and with the other claw he caught hold of the tree branch. But it broke under his weight, and then suddenly without making it to fall on ground he grasped with his empty claw and took to flight. While flying in sky, he held tree branch in one claw and both the preys in the other and started to eat his preys in sky with one claw, still upholding the branch from falling. Seeing this feat of Garuda, the sages clinging to that tree branch bless him to be successful in his next mission and left from that branch. When that tree branch is free from sages, Garuda throws it on a province of tribal community, by weight of which the whole of that tribal community is destroyed.

And destroyed is the province of tribesmen with that tree branch, and that best bird Garuda gained an incomparable happiness in rescuing those great-sages. But with that happiness his valour is doubling up, that heedful one resolved his mind for bringing ambrosia from heaven. Smashing the iron-grid guard completely and smashing the diamond chamber in which the ambrosia is privileged, then from the palace of Mahendra, Garuda carried off that ambrosia.

Ravana saw at that banyan tree, Subhadra by its name, which is sought-after by groups of sages and which betokens the deeds of that best-winged Garuda. He on going to the other side of the ocean, on the other shore of the ocean, the lord of rivers, he saw a hermitage in the solitary, sacred, and scenic interior of forest.

At that place, Ravana saw the demon named Mareecha, wearing black deerskin and a wearer of tufts of hairs and jute-clothes, and one with modest meals. On Ravana's reaching Mareecha, that demon Mareecha customarily adored the king Ravana with all the superhumanly bounties, those that are unavailable to humans. Venerating Ravana in person and offering meals and drinking water, Mareecha spoke the sentence, which sentence is connotative of significance.

"Howsoever, oh, king, are you safe and Lanka as well... oh, the king of demons, by what reason you have came here again, in a trice, verily?

Comment: This statement contains 'why you have come again?' and taking hold of this word, 'again...' some, who hold that the episode of Akampana is justifiable, say that the episode of Akampana is not interpolated but the original work of Valmiki. For this, the ex-party says that when a whole of chapter is included, inclusion of one word 'again...' is not a bothersome affair to the mythologists or interpolators. When it is questioned that the spectacular entry of Ravana is defeated by Akampana's episode, the defendants say that the antagonists need not be given such priorities. So also, Vali's Kishkindha is not portrayed in a spectacular way when Sugreeva attacked Vali for the first time, but it is detailed in the second round up to some extent and fully when Lakshmana enters it.

In this episode, a jump of event to Garuda's exploits may be jerky, but it is questioned when can Ravana recollect about Garuda's might, why does he ignore still mightier Vishnu. Ravana's continuous fear for Vishnu made him to think of Garuda, on seeing Subhadra, the banyan tree.

The path through which Ravana coursed is towards Himalayas, where an idolatry place called deva bhuumi is said to be earmarked for higher souls. When Rama hit Mareecha, he fell far off from Vishvamitra's ritual place. That place is said to be on northern side of Himalayas. Some ancient mms contain this verse which also tell about that place as deva bhuumi and it on the northern side of kuru i.e., kurukhsetra where Great War of maha Bharata occured: uttar˜nþca kur¨n paþyan paþyan caiva nagottam˜n | deva d˜nava sanghai× ca sevitam hi am®ta arthibhi× ||

When spoken by Mareecha thus, Ravana, the wordsmith, then afterwards spoke this sentence to Mareecha.

Thus, this is the 35th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India.

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 36

 

Ravana seeks Maareecha's help to abduct Seetha. He asks Maareecha to assume the shape of a golden-deer and lure Seetha, and then Seetha asks Rama and Lakshmana to fetch that golden-deer. If Rama and Lakshmana are distracted from the hermitage, Ravana can safely abduct Seetha. Listening to this Maareecha is struck dead, because he is already struck with the arrow of Rama when he was in Tataka forest. As such, Maareecha tries to explain Ravana about Rama's quintessence.

 

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"Give attention to my words as I speak, oh, sire, Maareecha, I am an anguished one, and when I am in such an anguish you are the ultimate course to me, isn't so." Thus Ravana started addressing Maareecha.

"You are aware as to how my brother Khara, and the mighty armed Duushana, also my sister Shuurpanakha, and even the highly fiery demon and devourer of raw-flesh Trishira, and even numerous other night-walking demons who are cocksure of hitting their targets have made Janasthaana as their residency, and while residing there they put the sages of that great forest that tread a righteous path to torture, of course, all this as assigned by me. 

"You are equally aware of the stationing fourteen thousand braving demons in Janasthaana, who are the followers of the wish of Khara, who are with fiendish exploits, and who are the troublemakers to the sages of Dandaka forest or to the intruders therein, aren't you. But recently those great mighty demons that are the residents of Janasthaana, namely Khara and others, preparing themselves inordinately and wielding diverse weapons and assaulters, for their part had an encounter with Rama in a combat. 

This episode is narrated in chapter 33, i.e., the episode of Akampana, but there is a difference in the way of Ravana's narration at this place than the previous one. This is another point to discuss whether Akampana's episode is an original work or an interpolation.

"With rancour tiding in him, and without making any scathing remark in the least, that Rama brought his bow into play with arrows in the van of the combat. But that foot-soldier, that too, a human, has completely wiped out those fourteen-thousand demons with flaring fieriness with his fierce arrows. Khara is hewed down, Duushana is mowed down, and even Trishira is hacked down, thereof that Dandaka forest is rendered free from the fear of demons. He who is put to flight by his infuriated father, and who came to Dandaka forest along with his wife, that ignoble Kshatriya is the slaughterer of that demonic army of mine, as his lifespan is diminished. 

"He is out of character, brutal, firestorm, senseless, selfish, one with his senses unconquered and righteousness discarded, and he is an unrighteous soul just delighting in the disservice of all beings. 

For those who hold Ravana as the devotee of Rama / Vishnu, as one of the two doorkeepers, namely Jaya and Vijaya, the above lines of Ravana will become irksome. For that Maheshvara Tiirtha has stepped in and gave a commentary that conceives Ravana as a true devotee of Rama.

kruddhaa pitraa nirastaH kim? 'is he necked out by his angry father?' No. To please Kaikeyi and the boon given to her by his father, Rama is unhoused. sa bhaarya= sabhaa aaryaH 'in assemblages, venerable one.' Rama is one with high esteem. kshiiNa jiivitaH kim? 'is his lifespan diminishing? No. He is eternal. kshatriya paamsana= kshatriyaan paati iti kshatriyaH paH 'because he protects Kshatriya-s he is a noble Kshatriya, and sa ca asau a.msanaH ca, amsana aaghaate 'enemy destroyer,' destroyer of enemies of Kshatriya-s. karkashaH 'brutal' to enemies, not to adherents, therefore he is: amuurkhaH, alubdhaH: he s not senseless, not selfish. adharma aatmaa kim? No, he is not an unrighteous person. And bhuutaanaam a hite a rataH, 'for beings, in disservice, not, delights': he does not delight in the disservice of all created beings.' Thus, he is Supreme Person.

But Rama Tilaka, on the other hand refutes this derivation stating that Ravana is not an out and out devotee of Rama, and these many adhyaadhaara-s 'ellipses' need not be brought in to justify mythological import to Ramayana. There is a section of pundits that argue Ramayana precedes 18 puraaNaa-s the 18 mythological treatises, and they refuse to believe that Ravana is NOT a devotee of Rama.

In anyway, the innuendo incorporated in certain verses has given rise to diverse commentaries, but the unity of Ramayana is kept up, either by Shaivaites or Vaishnavaite or other sects of Hindu thinking.

"By whom my sister is disfigured stripping off her nose and ears, that too, without any enmity but just depending upon his own brawn, I would like to inveigle such a man's nymphean wife Seetha holding sway on her in Janasthaana, and in that matter I want you to be my aide in Dandaka forest. Oh, highly powerful Maareecha, with you and with my brothers standing by my side as my associates, I indeed care a damn for all of the gods if they are going to wage a war against me, therefore, oh, demon Maareecha, as you are capable of rendering aid you should indeed become my aide in this venture. In valour, war and verve there is none similar to you, you are a topmost stalwart in trickery, and a matchless expert in illusive-tricks. I have come nigh of you only for that reason, oh, nightwalker, and listen to that deed which you have to do in the course of helping me as I detail you. 

"On becoming an astounding golden deer with silver dots, you move in front of Seetha in the hermitage of that Rama. On seeing you in the shape of a deer, Seetha undoubtedly bids her husband forthwith, and even Lakshmana, saying, 'lay hold of it.' Then on the diversion of those two, Rama and Lakshmana, I will comfortably and unimpededly abduct Seetha in that lonely place, as planet Rahu abducts the shine of moon. Thereafter Rama will be enervated by the abduction of his wife, and then surely and conveniently I wish to retaliate him if he is going to come up against me, for my inner-soul will be firstly gratified with its volition, namely possessing Seetha." Thus Ravana requested Maareecha. 

Maheshvara Tiirtha expresses this in terms of Ravana's devotion to Rama. raame bhaaryaa haraNa karSite: raama ibha 'Rama, the elephant...' aaryaa 'a venerable one, Seetha...' haraNa karSite 'by abduction, harmed by...' adhyadhaara: mat shariiram elliptical: 'my body...' tataH 'thereby, by virtue of my act of abducting...' kR^ita arthena antaraatmanaa upalakshitaH san 'on my soul-cherished desire becoming fulfilled to get salvation...' paschaat 'thereafter...' visrabdham 'impeccably...' sukham = moksha, salvation, highest bliss...' prahariSyaami: prakarSeNa hariSyaami 'evidently I snatch off that bliss...'

"When I abduct that venerable Seetha, the wife of Elephant like Rama, my body gets harmed like an eclipsed moon, but my soul gets fulfilled as I desire eternal salvation, and I can get it evidently and impeccably at the hand of Rama, owing to the ill-virtue of my abduction of Seetha.

The eclipsing planet Rahu may hide moon temporarily by which the world looses moonshine for a while. If Ravana temporarily hides Seetha, as Rahu hides the moon, Rama, who metaphors with the three worlds, may be in gloom temporarily. But neither Rahu nor Ravana are illuminated or enlightened with the presence of the moonbeams of Seetha, alias Goddess Lakshmi, for they tried to seize that all-illuminating Moon/Seetha by force.

On listening the very word of Rama that honest-souled Maareecha's mouth is completely dried up, and he is fully frightened. Wetting dried up lips with his tongue he has become goggle-eyed almost like an about-to-die animal, and he agonisingly looked up at Ravana with winkless eyes. 

At the very word 'Rama' Maareecha is shuddered. daþ˜nana samudŸrita vacanam ˜karõya r˜ma þabda þravaõa m˜treõa santrasta h®dayo m˜rŸca× k®t˜njali× evam uv˜ca - dk From the time when he was firstly struck by Rama's arrow he retired to hermitage and no demonic activity is undertaken by Maareecha. But now Ravana is instigating, which leads Maareecha to his own end, of which he is perfectly aware.

Maareecha's heart sank with scare as he is aware of Rama's valour when he was in the great forest of Tataka, thus suppliantly making palm-fold he started telling about factuality of Rama to Ravana, which is beneficial both to Ravana and to himself, as well, if only Ravana is heedful of it. 

Thus, this is the 36th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 37

 

Maareecha advises Ravana to stay away from Rama with his own unpleasant experience with Rama’s arrow when he was in Tataka forest, and portrays a gruesome picture of Rama to Ravana, asking him to not to meddle with Rama's affairs.

 

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On hearing that idea of the chief of demons Ravana in abducting Seetha, Maareecha, a well-informed one and an articulator spoke to the lord of demons in reply. 

"It will always be easy to get people who talk pleasantly, oh, king, but it is impossible to get them who talk judgementally and give suggestions that may be apparently insipid, but that are recuperative, more so, it is impossible to get listeners of such advises. 

There are many who render advises without weighing pros and cons, but just to get along and please their master. There will be none to suggest expeditiously, though that suggestion presently will be unpleasant and unsavoury like a recuperative insipid diet, but in reality, it is result-oriented. Even if such an advisor suggests in earnest, he will have no listener who listens earnestly and effectuates it. So, listen to my words that may now be unsavoury, but will prove beneficial to you in long run, if you can foresee your future properly. Dharmaakuutam says: anena sva prayojana virodha sankay˜ r˜ja buddhi anus˜reõa vakt˜ro mantriõa× sulabh˜× - kintu anartha paryavas˜yino r˜jabuddhim tiraskritya þubhodarka vakt˜ro mantriõo durlabh˜ iti s¨citam - dk then the commentator goes on to quote vidura niiti from Maha Bharata, wherein it is said yo hi dharma sam˜þritya hatv˜ bhatru× priy˜rthe | apriy˜õi ˜ha pathy˜ni tena r˜j˜ sah˜yav˜n || sulabh˜× puruÿ˜ r˜jan satatam priya v˜dina× | apriyasya ca pathyasya vakt˜ þrot˜ ca durlabha× || The last two foots may be observed because they are similar to the above verse of Ramayana, by such similarities some hold the opinion that Maha Bharata is an explanation to Ramayana.

"Definitely you do not apperceive Rama who is decidedly dynamic and exaltedly adept, for you are impetuous and desultory in dealing with your spies, but that Rama is identical to the thunderous Mahendra and tempestuous Varuna, the Rain-god. 

"Oh, boy, will there be safety to all demons on earth? Or, that highly enraged Rama will render this world de-demonised! 

'...but for you...' 'Will you let the demons on earth live, or, would like to eradicate them through Rama, through your obsessions.' The second thought has come true when Rama eliminated all demons.

"Has this Seetha, the daughter of Janaka, taken birth to end your life, or what! And because of this Seetha will there be a great disaster, so to speak! Egocentric and rampant, such as you are, on acquiring you as her lord, will the City of Lanka be doomed along with her demons, and you put together, or what! 

"Any king of your like who is with a self-will, ill-will, ensorcelled by evil, and malicious in intent, that king alone ruins his own city-state, his own people, even himself, as a matter of actual fact. 

For this the commentator says: anena dur mantrita× k˜mavritto naya dveÿŸ r˜j˜ sakala mantri vargeõa aiþvaryen˜ saha naþyati iti uktam - - dk - - tath˜ ca k˜mandake - an˜tmav˜n naya dveÿŸ vardhaya ari sampada× | pr˜py˜ api mahad aiþvaryam saha tena vinaþyati || Dharmaakuutam being an encyclopedic commentary on Ramayana quotes Kamandaka etc., in such matters of dharma. The availability of the books quoted by the commentator of Dharmaakuutam in reprint is doubtful, where Dharmaakuutam itself is unavailable in full, in these days.

"Rama the enhancer of his mother Kausalya's happiness is completely forsaken by his father - no, he is not; there is unseemliness in him - no, not in the least; he is out of character - no; he is selfish - no; he is an ignoble Kshatriya - no, not at all; and he is neither a debased one insofar as the merits of righteousness are concerned, nor he is atrocious towards living beings, for he takes delight in the welfare of all beings. On seeing his father who is a proponent of truth, and whom Kaikeyi has outwitted, that virtue-souled Rama neatly decamped from Ayodhya saying that 'I will prove my father to be a real proponent of truth.' Discarding the kingdom and even royal-comforts Rama entered Dandaka forest only to fulfil the cherish of Kaikeyi, viz., kingdom for her son Bharata, and even that of Dasharatha, viz., to remain loyal to his promise to Kaikeyi. 

"Rama is ruthless - no; an unscholarly one - no; unconquered are his senses - no; and oh, boy, it is unapt of you to speak of impalpable and unheard-of topics in this way. Rama is the embodiment of righteousness, he is an equable person with truthfulness as his valour, and as with Indra to all gods he is the king of entire world. 

Rama's principles alone make him victorious, as he does not deviate from the path of righteousness. And by not deviating from the path of righteousness, he is truly valorous and the question of his defeat does not arise, because he will abide by his conscience.

"Rama's proper resplendence is protecting Vaidehi. How then you really wish to forcibly rob her off from Rama, as though wishing to rob the Sun of his resplendence. 

Incidentally, Prabha is the name of sun's brilliance and she is the wife of Sun, and if she is to be separated from sun, only an eternal gloom overcasts the world. Ravana has no doubt controlled natural forces like sun, moon, rivers etc., but not altogether eradicated or upturned their functions. Then, is it possible to Ravana and hosts of his demonic-adherents to thrive in an unnatural gloom? This is the doubt of Maareecha.

"Arrows as it jets of fire, bow and sword as it firewood that fire called Rama will be blazing in war, and it will be inapt of you to enter into such an uninfringeable fire, recklessly. 

"With the bow stretched to his ear becoming a gaping mouth spouting flames, arrows becoming tongues of fire spewed forth from that flaming mouth, he that Rama the reified Terminator will become fierce and insufferable when he wields bow and arrows, and oh, dear boy Ravana, it will be inapt of you to at once draw pretty nigh of such an annihilator of the armies of enemies, on discarding your kingdom, comforts and even the dear life of yours. 

"Which Rama's wife is Janaka's daughter that Rama is indeed an inestimable resplendence, and it will be incapable of you to steal Seetha while such a Rama's bow safeguards her in the forest, besides the firewall called his resplendence. 

This can be said 'Rama's resplendence is inestimable and Seetha is his wife.' But keeping the import of Seetha's words as at 3-9-15 'if fuel is available in adjacency of burning fire, the luminosity of the fire also enhances immensely,' and when the factor of resplendence is taken, it is not Rama's resplendence alone that is described, but Seetha's also. Again, it is not that some part of Rama's resplendence is taken out and put in Seetha. It is an indivisible radiance of that couple like that of Sun and his wife Prabha, as said earlier by Maareecha. Seetha is not directly said by her name but her father Janaka's name is brought in, because Janaka is both a raajarSi and brahmarSi Kingly-saint and Brahman-sage, as well. And Janaka is capable of saying idam brahmam idam kshaatram shaapat api sharaat api 'here is Brahma-hood and here is Kshatriya-hood, either by malediction or by arrow, whichever meetly of you, you can confront me.' This apart, it is said that 'a pertinent devotion to a god makes the devotee like that god alone.' shraddhayaa devo devatvam ashnute and Seetha is the devotee of Rama and she became one with Rama. Thereby, there is twofold resplendence, namely, that of Rama and that of Seetha, so it is inapt of you to make any useless effort when everything is firewalled.

"That lady Seetha is his wife, dearest than the lives of that lion-chested lion-man Rama, and in truth, she is avowed to follow him alone, in perpetuity. As the spire of blazing ritual fire cannot be abused, so also, she that curvaceous Maithili, the cherished wife of that dynamic Rama, is an impossibility for any abuse. Oh, king of demons, What is the result in making such a futile effort? If that Rama glances at you in a given war that alone ends your life. 

The very start for any negative activity itself is self-ruinous to the starter. anena sarva anarthaka k˜raõa bh¨to balavat virodho na k˜rya iti s¨citam - and an ancient quote is said: tath˜ ca pr˜cŸn˜× - anucita karma ˜rambha× sva jana virodho balŸyas˜ spardh˜ | pramad˜ jane viþv˜so mrityu dv˜r˜õi catv˜ri || dk 'undesirable activity, starting that activity, too much of enmity with one's own people, too much belief in one's own womenfolk... are the four doors to death...' Hence, Maareecha is advising Ravana not to embark on a wrong foot, and even if Seetha is forcibly abducted, she cannot be possessed because she surrounded by a firewall, namely the resplendence of that couple.

"If you cherish to take pleasure for a long time in your life, in your comforts and also thus in your kingdom, which kingdom is highly impossible to achieve, do not do anything unpleasant to Rama. 

"Such as you are, you should firstly deliberate with all of your ministers that have a righteous bearing, duly keeping your brother Vibheeshana at the helm of affairs, and then you take a decision on your own considering rights and wrongs of the case, and bearing in mind about your own strengths and weakness, and even on making sure of Raghava's capability in its reality, and then it will be apt of you to take up befitting action that will be conducive to your interests. 

"Oh, king of nightwalkers Ravana, I for myself deem that your confrontation with Rama, the prince of Kosala, in a war is improper, and a better, befitting, and a reasonable one is this advise of mine, to which you may listen further. 

Thus, this is the 37th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 38

 

Maareecha continues his good word to Ravana and he dissuades him from abducting Seetha. His advice is that the dalliance with other's wives is the greatest sin, more so, with Rama's wife as Rama's valour is irrefutable. Maareecha narrates how Rama hurt him while safeguarding Vishwamitra's Vedic-ritual, when Rama was still a young boy.

 

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"At one time even I was on the rove around this earth, taking pride in my valour, bearing the strength of a thousand elephants, mountainous in my size and black-cloudlike in my sheen, wearing ear-knobs and a crown made out of refined gold, with a bludgeon as my weapon, and such as I was, I rambled Dandaka forest causing terror to the world, and eating the fleshes of sages." Thus Maareecha started to narrate his experience with Rama. 

"The virtue-souled great-saint Vishvamitra who was highly scared of me, then on going to Dasharatha in person that great-saint spoke this to that lord of people. 

" 'An awesome dismay has befallen owing to this Maareecha, oh, lord of people Dasharatha, let Rama safeguard me becoming alert at the opportune time of the Vedic-ritual. 

"When he is spoken in that way, then that virtue-souled king Dasharatha replied that great-fortunate and great-saint Vishvamitra in this way. 

" 'This boy Rama is less than twelve years in his age, unproficient in the use of weapons, and if need be, whatever army of mine is there it will march on along with me instead of Rama. 

In Bala Kanda the age of Rama as said by Dasharatha to Vishvamitra is uuna SoDasa varSaH 'less than sixteen years.' Here Maareecha is saying that Rama is less than twelve. Maheshvara Tiirtha says that Maareecha lessened the age of Rama only to intimidate Ravana.

" 'And having come in person with fourfold forces, oh eminent sage, I myself will eradicate that nightwalker whomever you indicate as an enemy of yours." So said Dasharatga to Vishvamitra. 

In the fourfold army the four categories of army units are chariots, elephants, cavalry, and foot-soldiers.

"When the sage Vishvamitra is spoken thus, then he said to the king, 'No other force in the world than Rama can counterbalance that demon. No doubt, you are a defender of gods in wars, and oh, king, the exploits you have undertaken on behalf of gods are well-known in the triad of worlds. Maybe your army is a remarkable one, oh, enemy-inflamer, let it sit tight here alone, and even if this great resplendent one is still a boy he alone is competent to forestall that Maareecha, hence oh, enemy-subjugator, let good betide you, I wish to take him alone along with me.' 

"Thus that way on saying he that sage Vishvamitra returned to his own hermitage highly gladdening to take the prince Rama along with him. Then in Dandaka forest Rama twingeing his amazing bow stayed nearby the sage Vishvamitra who entered the vow of Vedic-ritual. 

There is a difference in mentioning the forest as Dandaka. Bala Kanda says that Vishvamitra performed ritual in north and Maareecha is now saying that as Dandaka forest.

"At that time, yet unborn are the identities of adulthood like moustache on his face, and that providential one was magnificent in looks with a peacock-blue complexion, wearing a single cloth, locks of hair, and golden locket, and wielding a bow, and he was irradiating the Dandaka forest with a radiating radiance of his own, and then he appeared like the just risen baby-moon. 

The identities of adulthood are the discardable things like moustaches, beard, etc. These are natural to humans or to birthed beings. But the mythological entities do not have them. As a young scholar, the boys are supposed to wear simply, hence 'one-piece-clothing' is said to be the dress of Rama. This suggests that he is not wearing any shield or armour to keep him safe. In Bala Kanda, at the outset of the journey of Rama and Lakshmana with Vishvamitra, it is said that they are wearing finger-covers made of certain lizard skin, which means to say that their fingers are very tender in using arrows. His mothers delicately arranged the locks of hair, because he is still 'boyish' to her. More so, he is with a 'boyish' ornament, say a single pendant, not verily embellished with princely jewellery. He appeared like some providential 'boy' hitherto unseen, with the height of a peacock, with the complexion of peacock-neck-blue, and moving about like a noble peacock. This boyish-Rama peacock is not screaming, yet his bow is twanging; leave alone the screeching and screaming.

The 'new-moon' metaphor to Rama suggests that he has only waxing and no waning in him, uttarottara abhivR^iddhi and also that he is by birth an antagonist of tamas 'the darkness,' or darkish activities, like the moon whose activity is only to illumine the night. Further, he has a likeable persona to any, even to the present demon Maareecha, and even to Ravana. When Ravana sees Rama for the first time in war, Ravana praisefully acknowledges Rama's personality. Besides, Rama's gleam is like that of a baby-moon, against the backdrop of a thickish, darkish, blackish sky, called the forest.

"And I who was like a massive black-cloud, wearing golden ear-knobs, already a forceful one further reinforced with the boon of Brahma, I pridefully entered into the interior of Vishwamitra's hermitage. 

The golden ear-knobs on the lobes of ears are either indicative of the knowledge one possess or the wealth factor. Maareecha refers to these ear ornaments more than once suggesting that 'wealth or wisdom is nothing to Rama, but righteousness alone will work out.' Because Ravana did not give an ear for the suggestions of Maareecha, his Lanka, built with refined gold, will be burnt to ashes in Sundara Kanda.

"Rama quickly noticed me on my very entry with an uplifted weapon, and on seeing me he unexcitedly strung bowstring to his bow. Unmindfully trivialising him as, 'this Raghava is just a boy,' I made haste and ran towards that Fire-altar of Vishvamitra. He then released an acute arrow that eliminates the enemy, and hit by it I am plunged into the ocean which was a hundred yojana-s off. That Rama did not wish to kill me then, and I am thus saved by that valiant one, oh, dear boy Ravana, but the thrust of Rama's arrow bewildered my animation and I was on my last legs. That way I who had been flung into the abyssal water of the ocean by him gained consciousness after a long time and proceeded towards the city of Lanka. 

"At that time, that one with elementary knowledge in the use of weaponry, but who can undertake deeds in an effortless manner, such a boy, such a Rama spared me, albeit killing them that were my helpmates in that escapade. Thereby, if you wish to make for any confrontation with Rama, despite of my proscribing you, you will ruin yourself on getting a disastrous calamity. 

"The demons are methodical in sporting and flirting, thus by their own conduct they are also socialising and frolicking, and to them you derive distress and disaster. Dense with skyscrapers and palaces, and decorated with many a gemstone is that city Lanka, but you will see it completely shattered down, for the sake of that Maithili. Even if with uncommitted sins, the sinless will get ruined owing to their interdependence with other sinners, like the fish in a lake with snakes. 

"Bedaubed with divine sandal-paste, beautified with divine ornaments are the limbs of the demons now, perchance you will be seeing them trampled out on ground for the blunder of yours. Maybe, you will have to see the fleeing of the nightwalkers surviving after the carnage in all ten directions, some abandoning their wives and some along with their wives, only for lack of a protector. 

"Without a doubt you will be seeing Lanka encircled with an enmesh of arrows, enfolded in the tongues of torches, while her buildings are utterly gutting down. Oh, king, there is no other sin that is outrageous and gravest than the dalliance with another's wife and, besides, you already have a thousand wives, isn't so! Abide by your own wife and be delighted with her, oh, demon, safeguard your own ethnos, thus safeguard dignity, affluence, and kingdom of demons, thereby safeguard even your own dear life. If you desire to take pleasure with your beautiful wives and with your friend's circles for a long time, do not do anything undesirable to Rama. 

"If you wish to intimidate Seetha aggressively despite of my considerable preventing in all my good-heartedness towards you, then your army will fade away, and you with your kinsfolk will emigrate to the world of Yama, the Terminator, for your life will be taken away by the arrow of Rama." Thus, Maareecha spoke to Ravana. 

Thus, this is the 38th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 39

 

Maareecha further advises Ravana to avoid confrontation with Rama for it would be ruinous to the entire demonic race. He narrates another episode of his misadventure with Rama and how he escaped from the all-pursuant arrow of Rama.

 

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"Thus I was somehow released by him in a confrontation then in his teens. Now you may also listen to what has happened later in his adulthood." Thus Maareecha continued his advise to Ravana. Though Rama hit me previously in such a way, I unabashedly entered Dandaka forest together with two more demons who were in the guise of animals. 

"On becoming a gigantic carnivorous animal with a torching tongue, incisive teeth and excruciating horns, and with an extraordinary energy, I was on the rove in Dandaka forest while getting at Rama. I moved about Dandaka forest, oh, Ravana, in an extremely horrible aspect of animal, utterly brutalising the sages at ritual-altars, holy bathing places and under the trees of religious sanctuaries while reaching Rama. 

"I have proceeded to Rama killing saints in Dandaka forest who are the treaders in saintliness, and drinking off their blood and feasting on their flesh. On becoming such a brutal animal I have been eating the flesh of sages, frightening the forest dwellers, and in that way I rambled in Dandaka forest besotted with blood-drinking while reaching Rama. 

"While I was wandering in Dandaka forest as an abuser of virtue, then I reached Rama who by then has assumed the rectitude befitting to a saint, and I even reached the great-fortunate Vaidehi and top-speeded-chariot-rider Lakshmana. 

"I was in the shape of an animal with incisive horns. Such as I was I recollected my earlier grudge against that great mighty Rama who takes delight in the welfare of all being, who by then was santlike on a regulated diet and abiding in the forest, whereby I presumed him to be mere hermit. In that way, I was very extremely infuriated to recollect his earlier assault on me, and I indiscriminately dashed towards him, only to kill him, completely disregarding his other faculties. 

"Stringing out his highly magnificent bow Rama then released three excruciating and enemy eliminating arrows which in their egress match the Air-god and the Divine-Eagle Garuda. All those three thunderbolt like arrows that have only blood for their board, acutely bent at barbs, and that are highly horrendous have come at us in a coordinated manner. 

"As I have earlier seen the fear caused by his arrow I am in the know of Rama's valour, hence I retreated from there trickily and gingerly, but the other two demons were killed. 

Here the action of Rama's arrow is indicated. Rama's arrow will not shoot at the back of the opponent or it backstabs either. Even when killing Vali, though Rama is not affronting Vali, Rama's arrow pierced Vali's chest. Here because Maareecha is retreating, that third arrow of Rama did not kill Maareecha but followed him in a chasing manner. But the other two demons unknowing about Rama's arrow, they confronted him and the other two arrows eliminated them. There is discussion on the word shaThaH 'one capable to trick' used in the verse as some mms employ the word sharaH, 'an arrow.' In this section vividly explainable verses are there in some ancient versions of mms. This particular verse reads like this in them: par˜kramajño r˜masya tath˜ d®ÿ÷a bhaya× pur˜ | ˜patantam þaram d®ÿ÷v˜ megha gambhŸra nissvanam || tato aham vegav˜n tatra v˜taÕh˜ nimeþata× | apa kr˜nta param p˜ram niv®tta× s˜gar˜t þara× || 'I am in the know of Rama's valour, and I am also in the know of what fear he caused in an earlier instance, and on seeing the arrows coming upon like thunderous clouds, in a wink I escaped to the other side of ocean, and Rama's arrow having come chasing me up to ocean-shore returned.' In here, the efficacy of Rama's arrow is clearly narrated and it is not clear why pundits did not consider these verses of ancient mms instead of the above verse.

"When I was somehow exempted by the arrow of Rama I regained lifespan, and when that arrow made me to renounce everything like a monk and fled me to this place, the other side of ocean to where you came by your aircraft, here I am living here in a yogic way, self-collectedly like an ascetic. From then on wards, I am indeed descrying Rama at this tree and at that tree, dressed in jute-cloths and black deerskin, and handling his bow like the Terminator handling a tether. 

"Given to fright I even visualise thousands Rama-s, and whole this forest is reflecting to me as one entity of Rama. Even at a place void of people I am envisaging Rama alone, and oh, king of demons, even if he enters my dream, in fact, I am jolting up and swooning. Oh, Ravana, appalled of Rama the names starting with the alphabet 'ra' like ratna-s, ratha-s, viz., gemstones, chariots are appalling to me, including your name, that starts with a 'ra.' 

'If I hear the first letter 'ra' of any given name, I am scared at the ensuing second syllable presuming it to be 'ma' and if that second syllable of that word I am going to hear happens to be other than 'ma' then my fear ceases.'

"I am well-acquainted with his efficacy, and a war with him will be an unfair thing for you, for that Raghu's descendant can in fact kill either Emperor Bali or Namuchi, the demon. 

Emperor Bali is more powerful and mighty than Ravana. aananda raamaayana says in a chapter on the 'defeats of Ravana' raavaNa paraajaya, that Ravana once entered netherworld to conquer it, where Bali is held captive by Trivikrama, i.e., Vishnu. At that time Bali and his queen are playing dice game. When Ravana entered, the dice in the hand of Bali has slipped to the floor, and Bali asks Ravana to pick and give it before conquering netherworld. Ravana who lifted Mt. Kailash could not lift that two-inch dice, which is so far handled playfully by Bali. Such is the might of Emperor Bali

"You may either wage a war with Rama if you wish to avenge the killings of Khara and others, or forgive and forget that Rama agreeing to my suggestions, but do not broach the topic of Rama with me if you wish to see me alive. In the world many of the sagacious and reasonable people that are the practisers of righteousness are utterly ruined along with their kith and kin, just by the misdeeds of others. Such a saintly one as I am, I am bound to ruin by other's misdeeds, hence you do whatever that is fair to you, but I am not the one to simply take after you. 

"Definitely Rama is the one with exceptional resplendence, exemplary courage and extraordinary power, and for sure, he becomes an eradicator of the world of demons. 

"If Khara positioned in Janasthaana has firstly overstepped his bounds and attacked Rama, that too owing to Shuurpanakha, and if Rama of uncomplicated actions has eliminated Khara in self-defence, what really is the transgression of Rama in that matter, you tell of that in the final analysis. 

"I am saying this word of advise as I am ambitious of the wellbeing of my kinsmen through you, and if this is disagreeable to you, you will have to deliver up your life in a confrontation with Rama along with the lives of your kinsmen, perishing at the linearly accelerating arrows of Rama. 

Thus, this is the 39th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 40

 

Ravana rebuts Maareecha for giving an unasked advice and details his plan to abduct Seetha. Ravana intimidates Maareecha that he himself will kill Maareecha immediately if his orders are disobeyed, and Maareecha may perhaps have no opportunity to die at the hands of Rama.

 

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When Maareecha spoke those acceptable and equitable words, Ravana rejected them like a person with a death wish rejects medicament. Ushered by the Terminator the king of demons Ravana, uncouthly spoke these unbefitting words to Maareecha who had been speaking conducive and beneficial words of advise. 

"All these meaningless words that are being said to me are decidedly worthless, in effect, like the seeds seeded in wastelands. But it is impossible to scare me away from a war with that iniquitous and imprudent Rama, that too, from a human being, with these words of yours. 

There is a grammarian's irk in bhettum ' to cut off, to destroy' bhetum 'to scare me' and if bhettum is taken, then 'it is impossible for that human to destroy me in war' will be the meaning, as per Eastern recension.

"He who bolted off to forest in a single-foot on hearing the artless words of a woman, forfeiting his kingdom, friends and relatives, and even his mother, likewise his father too, you cannot scare me away from such a Rama. But his wife Seetha who is dearer to him more than his lives is certainly seizable by me in association with you, as that Rama had purposelessly killed Khara in a war. In this way my thinking is decided and it is lingering on in my heart, and it is impossible to roll back my mind or heart even for Indra coming along with gods and demons. 

"If you are asked about the credits or discredits, or either of the danger or ideation of the deed for determining its modus operandi, it will be apt of you to talk like this, but I did not seek any viewpoints of yours. Even if someone is asked, and if he desires his own welfare, then he has to submit his opinion to the king suppliantly upraising his palm-fold, may he be an intellectual, or an astute adviser. 

A king cannot be addressed unless he asks. Then Maareecha, who is fully aware of monarchical protocol, how he informed his analysis of Rama to Ravana, will be the question. Even if a king is resolute in undertaking a mad act, he is to be cautioned. In some cases, a king is to be held by hair and taught, as a teacher holds the taught by his tuft of hair to earbash. Likewise an upright minister shall counsel the king properly, as Krishna advises Vidura in Maha Bharata at Udyoga Parva 93 nanu evam sati nŸtijño m˜rŸco r˜vaõena ap®ÿ÷a× katham uktav˜n it cet - tanna - unmatto r˜jñ˜ praþna akareõa api k˜ry˜tyaprasaktau nig®hya api vaktavyatv˜t - tath˜ ca p®ÿ÷en naiva vaktavyam iti katham vaktum þakyata iti cenna - p®ÿ÷enaiva vaktavyam iti etasya svastha avastha r˜ja viÿayatv˜t - ˜padi uttham pratipanne c r˜jani keþa grahaõa p¨rvakam p®ÿ÷e n˜ api vaktavyam eva - dk .

"The king being lord of the land is to be addressed preceded with gentility, with auspicious and beneficial words that do not contradict the interests of that lord, more so, they shall be inclusive of etiquette. 

The imperial protocol is an exaggerated affair, as known to everybody. Here Ravana is demanding one more aspect in demanding, 'the words that do not go against the whims and fancies of the king.' And this is more than an autocrat's mentality. Dharmaakuutam says referring to Kaamandaka, a scripture on political science: 'even if a king asks, one shall not 'readily' reply though every aspect of that question is known to the replier, and the subject speaking in the audience of a king shall forget his own know-all-ness or his own entity in the knowledge of the subject at issue. vij˜nan na api br¨y˜t bhartru× kÿipta× uttaram vaca× | pravŸõo api hi medh˜vŸ varjayet abhim˜nit˜m ||.

"Or else, oh, Maareecha, even if a beneficial word is said, but if it is said with reprehension it will not gladden that king who insists upon honour, for that said word is dishonourable, let alone reprehension. The kings with infinite vigour embody five constituents forces of Fire, Moon, Rain, Terminator, and that of Indra, the Administrator of Natural Forces. Oh, nightwalker, thus the kings being great-souls personify the sultriness of Fire, sternness of Indra, softness of Moon, suppleness of Rain, and harshness of Terminator, and therefore in all situations they are respectable and reverential. 

Ravana has already conquered Indra and the said gods are responsible for the routine administration of universe. Hence, he is informing Maareecha about ordinary kings, presuming that Maareecha does not recognize the rectitude in dealing with ordinary kings, more so, with the king of kings, namely Ravana himself, which he says in next verse. A king acquires these traits of the presiding deities of the compass, by virtue of his kingship, and the sages said the very same to Rama when he entered Dandaka forest. anena agni ˜di dik p˜laka r¨patv˜t r˜j˜ p¨jyo m˜nya× ca iti s¨citam - dk .

"But you are ill-advisedly babbling with me in this way, incognizant of rectitude and holding on to your obsession, and wishing ill of me, as I am on your doorstep. Oh, demon, I did not ask the rights and wrongs concerning me, nor that which is expedient for me, but oh, demon of untold bravery, I have said this much to you. 

" 'It will be apt of you to proffer a helping hand in this deed.' This much I said to you. And such as you are you may now listen to that task which you have to undertake during the course of your assistance as I detail it to you. On becoming an amazing silver-potted golden deer you move in front of Seetha in the hermitage of Rama, and on verily alluring Vaidehi you can go away as you like. On seeing you as a wholly illusory golden deer curiosity arises in Vaidehi, and indeed she tells Rama, 'bring that one quickly.' 

"Further, on Rama's coming out of his hermitage you go distantly and blurt out in this way, 'ha Seetha' and even as, 'ha, Lakshmana,' mimicking Rama's voice. On hearing that, and further hastened by Seetha, even Soumitri apprehensively follows the path of Rama in all his fondness for Rama. When Rama is diverted from hermitage, Lakshmana as well, I will carry off Vaidehi effortlessly like the Thousand-eyed Indra who once carried off Sachi Devi. Oh, demon, on carrying out this stint in this manner you may go as you like, and to you oh, Maareecha with solemn vows, I will grant half of my kingdom. 

"Hence, oh, gentle one, get going on a trouble-free path for the easy achievement of the task, and I for myself will follow you to Dandaka forest along with the chariot. My goal will be achieved just by misleading Raghava, and by gaining Seetha without a conflict, then I will proceed to Lanka along with you.

"If you are not going to do so, oh, Maareecha, for sure I will kill you now itself. I will get my work done through you even under duress, and indeed, any subject setting against his king will never succeed safely. 

"Your life may be indefinite on reaching Rama, but your death is surely definite now as you are conflicting with me. Hence, keeping all this in view you come to a conclusion that would be conducive to your interests, and whatever desirable to you let it be done in that way." Thus Ravana spoke to Maareecha. 

Thus, this is the 40th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 42

 

On travelling by the aircraft like chariot Ravana and Maareecha enter Dandaka forest and arrive at the threshold of Rama's hermitage. Then at the insistence of Ravana Maareecha assumes the form of an amazing golden Deer, and Seetha catches a sight of that deer.

 

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Maareecha though curtly said in that way, then afraid of the king of night-walkers he became self-pitying, and said to Ravana, "let us go. If he who wields a bow, arrows and a sword, and who brandishes a weapon to only kill me happens to see me again, deem my life is verily lost, without his shooting any arrow. None can really make so bold at Rama to reappear with life, isn't it. What is appearing before you is the reflected image of mine, as I am already slain by the wand of Yama, the Terminator, the moment I conceded to your demand. When you are spiteful, oh, boy, indeed what can I possibly do otherwise, oh, night-walker, thither I go, may good betide you." So said Maareecha to Ravana. 

By that word of Maareecha demon Ravana is very much gladdened and he spoke this sentence tightly hugging him. 

"This word of yours shows your obduracy for you are abiding under the control of my dictate, and though you were a different night-walker earlier, henceforth you are really the good old Maareecha. 

Some mms use the word shauNDiirya for cChauTirya , where shauNDiirya is the word for courageousness, shauNDiirya tyaagii viirayoH : nighanTu The other way to tell this is: "Though your words show the fear of my dictate, but on listening those obdurate words, it appears that you have spoken them for yourself, regaining the grit of your demon-hood and estimating Rama as your own enemy," by which Ravana is shirking his responsibility to Maareecha himself in the event of the death of Maareecha.

"Then you promptly emplane this sky-flying chariot which is yoked with ghost-faced mules and adorned with gems along with me. 

It may be noted that this sort of air-chariots, though richly decorated with valuable gold and gems, but drawn by asses or mules, that too ghost-faced ones, are a kind of the then sci-fi version of aircrafts. Ravana's son Indrajit also uses such spaceships in Yuddha Kanda and his weaponry is altogether different, i.e., somewhat like the present day laser oriented hardware. These propellers may not be construed as real donkeys or mules but some powered vehicle-drawing instruments designed to look like ordinary harmless creatures.

"On deluding Vaidehi it is apt of you to go as you please, and I will bring that Seetha of Mithila, however defiant it might be." Thus Ravana said to Maareecha. 

Ravana is saying repeatedly that Maareecha can go away after beguiling Seetha and misleading Rama and Lakshmana away from hermitage. Maareecha knows that there is no place to go away from Rama's arrow, which once chased him up to seashore. But Ravana presumes that if Maareecha is capable enough, he will escape Rama, or if this old demon Maareecha is incapable of it, he may perhaps die by the arrow of Rama, for which Ravana is unconcerned.

Tataka's son Maareecha said "All right" to Ravana, and then both Ravana and Maareecha mounted the chariot as they would emplane an aircraft and swiftly journeyed from the surroundings of Maareecha's hermitage. While looking at the seaports and forests, also at all the mountains and rivers, even at the cities and provinces en route they proceeded. On reaching Dandaka forest along with Maareecha the king of demons Ravana has then seen the hermitage of Raghava. 

Please refer to the endnote for the Ancient Indian way of classification of villages, towns, and cities as per Indian architecture called vaastu shaastra.

Alighting the chariot that is decorated with golden ornaments Ravana then spoke this sentence to Maareecha taking his hand into his. 

"This one which we are seeing and which is surrounded with banana plants is the threshold of Rama's hermitage, and -`----oh, friend, the purpose for which we came here let it be effectuated promptly." Thus Ravana hastened Maareecha. And on hearing Ravana's words demon Maareecha then became a deer and indeed ambled freely in the frontage of Rama's hermitage. 

Adopting the form of a gorgeous deer which is superbly amazing just by its appearance, whose tips of antlers are in the hue of best sapphires, and whose face is whitish at some places and not so whitish at other in its look, he became a Golden Deer and moved thereabout. One of its cheeks in the shade of a reddish-lotus while the other in the hue of a bluish-lotus, one of its ears is in the hue of bloomed blue-lotus while the other is in the shade of a sapphire, while the shine of its stomach is like that of a best blue-diamond, Indra-niila-maNi, and with a little upraised neck that deer has moved about there. 

One flank is shining whitish like Madhuka flowers and the other is similar to the roseate fibrils of lotuses, while its hooves are similar to the gemstone lapis, calves thin, and thus with very well cohered limbs that deer moved about there. With an upraised tail that shone forth in a tinge equal to the weapon of Indra, namely Rainbow, and with a complexion that is lustrous and dappled with many diverse gemlike dapples, that deer moved thereabout with a heart-stealing aura. 

Thus that demon Maareecha emerged like a highly splendorous and fascinating deer in a wink highly irradiating those woodlands, and the threshold of Rama's hermitage in particular. 

Adopting such an exquisite and heart-stealing form which is amazingly dappled with the colours of diverse ores, that demon ambled all over there freely with the bearing of a real deer in order that Vaidehi might be deluded, and he moved forward onto the pastures. And with hundreds of silvery stipples of body he became an astonishing deer with pleasant looks and indeed moved chewing new grass-blades of trees. 

That Golden Deer has gone into the boscages of banana plants, and moved here and there around Karnikara trees, and then resorted to a place which is within the eyeshot of Seetha. With an odd lotus like hind-side that astounding deer is verily scintillating, and it milled around the surroundings in the threshold of Rama's hermitage according to its own delight. 

That excellent deer beats a retreat and again returns, and meanders thus time and again, and turns its tail for sometime only to return once again very playfully. Again gambolling everywhere it sits somewhere on the ground, then, on coming to the threshold of hermitage it goes towards herds of deer. That demon who has gone into the deer-hood has gone after some herd of deer. But he returned again though that herd followed him wanting to fraternise, in order that he shall remain perceptible to Seetha, and he whirligiged in amusing circles while leaping and bounding to and from that herd of deer. All the other animals moving in that forest on seeing this demon-deer with their necks up have come close to it, and on smelling it well they are running away to all the ten directions noticing it as a demon turned into a deer. 

Here the animals are portrayed as better beings than humans in identifying demons or ghosts. Though they may not know or wish to know about god, the apparent ghost scares them. Humans apperceive neither god nor ghost because they are half of each.

Even that demon in the deer's semblance Maareecha, though indulged in killing those forest animals, and though the other animals are touching him, he is not killing and eating them indulgently, only for the reason of camouflaging his present nature of demon-hood. 

What is more, Vaidehi with her felicitous eyes came towards trees yearning for plucking the flowers in the same instant. And she with her inebriating glances and delightful visage moved there about while plucking flowers of Karnikaara, Ashoka, and of Mango trees. That select lady who is unmeet for forest life beheld that deer which is completely gemlike and whose limbs are surprising as though studded with pearls and gems. 

And she that Seetha goggled the Golden Deer with a wide-eyed astonishment, which deer has pretty lips and teeth, hair resembling silver and copper ores, and she indeed gazed at it with an affinity for wildlife. On seeing Rama's wife Seetha that highly phantasmal deer too then moved there about as though to scintillate that woodland. 

To see such a deer which is hitherto unseen, and which is as though studded with numerous gems, the daughter of Janaka, Seetha, went in to an intense wonderment. 

The stress continuously laid on the eyes of Seetha is observable, only to conclude that 'trust not what thy eyes show you...'

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Classification of Villages, Town, and Cities in Ancient India.

gr˜ma× ca nagaram caiva pattanam kharvatam puram |
khe÷akam kusumam caiva þibiram r˜ja v˜sikam |
sen˜ mukam iti eva daþadh˜ kŸrtitam budhai× ||

The vaastu shaastra or the Ancient Indian Architecture lays down certain parameters for town, cities etc. Of them the township is said to be aneka n˜rŸ sambaddham nan˜ þilpi janai× v®tam | kraya vikrayai× kŸrõam sarva devai× samanvitam nagaram tu iti vikhy˜tam adored with many ladies, many sculptors or architects, and with many deities, and where the buying and selling goes on it is nagaram the township.

The Seaports are said as: pattanam þ®õu s˜mpratam | dvŸp˜ntara gata dravya kraya vikrayikai× yutam | pattanam tu abdhi tŸre sy˜t | one which has all the above aspects but which is at seaside, it is pattanam seaport. The township between a nagara and puram is kharvaTam.

And the City is: kraya vikrayai× yutam n˜n˜ j˜ti samanvitam | tantuv˜ya sam˜yuktam tat puram tu vikathyateThe one with all the above aspects plus very many civilisations and weavers and the like craftsmen, is purii, the city. Apart from these, the royal places, army stations etc., do comprise the ten varieties of urban places as said in the above verse, where the village is the first unit.

Thus, this is the 42nd chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 44

 

Rama eliminates Maareecha when he is escaping beyond reach in the form of Golden Deer. He sports with that deer for a long time and when it is leading him away and afar from the hermitage, he is vexed with the trickery of the deer and kills it. At the time of his death Maareecha shouts out for Seetha and Lakshmana, as demanded by Ravana. Rama is perplexed at this oddity of Maareecha and presumes that some danger is immanent and then returns to hermitage.

 

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Rama, the great-resplendent scion of Raghu, on instructing his brother Lakshmana in that way securely fastened his sword with golden handle to his waist. Rama whose valour is escalating then took his own insignia, the three-way arched bow called kodanDa, and fastened two quivers and proceeded. 

On peering at the peerless one among kings, namely Rama, who is indeed coming down on him, that Golden Deer disappeared as if with fear and even to beguile him, and again it came into clear visibility. And Rama speedily spurted to that place from where the Golden Deer has firstly disappeared with securely grit sword and firmly handled bow. 

Rama the wielder of bow kept on beholding that Golden Deer which is observing him over and over and running away into deep of the forest. In the next moment he has seen it right in front of him as though effulgent with its marvellous form. At times he has seen it running away as though to circumvent the fall of arrow, and at times stopping only to tantalise him. Sometimes it appeared to be springing as though to skies in very highly perplexity of wariness. It is disappearing somewhere in the thickets of forest, and it is putting in an appearance elsewhere in those thickets, like the autumnal orb of the moon under the fly front of splintered clouds. 

In a wink Rama could proximately see that Maareecha who transformed himself into the Golden Deer, and again in a flash he appeared distantly. Thus that deer/demon has drawn off Raghava very far from his hermitage in this hide and seek game. Rama of Kakutstha is incensed as its form is spellbinding but its capture slippery, and then verily tired as he is he stayed on a pasture taking shelter of a tree shade. Nightwalker Maareecha has further maddened Rama in the guise of Golden Deer by reappearing in his close-by, surrounded with other animals of the forest. 

Again on seeing Rama who is stalking his catch that deer ran towards him as though to impress with its guilelessness, and just at that moment it vanished again as if with extreme fear. Then that deer has again emerged out of the thick of trees, and on spotting it the great-resplendent Rama has firmed up his decision to fell it. 

At that instant Raghava became highly infuriated and unholstered a holocaustic, enemy-subjugating arrow that is similar to the flare of the sun, tautening it on his very sturdy bow that forceful Rama forcefully outstretched the bowstring with arrow targeting the Golden Deer alone, and released that fierily blazing arrow-missile which is carefully created by Brahma and which is hissing like a snake. 

On very profoundly impaling the body of deer's form that superb arrow which is similar to a thunderbolt has severed the heart of Maareecha in the core of deer's body. Then Maareecha is highly frenzied as his lifespan is minimised, blared a blaring shriek, vaulted up to a height of palm-tree, and fell down onto the ground. Maareecha on his part abandoned the body of Golden Deer when he is dying. But remembering the words of Ravana that demon gave a thought, 'how best will Seetha hasten Lakshmana to this place, and how best Ravana can abduct Seetha in a place void of people.' 

Maareecha would have died without yelling for Lakshmana or Seetha as tutored by Ravana because Maareecha is no real alley of Ravana. But it is said that he 'recollected Ravana's words and thought about it.' What he really thought is the causation of death to that one who caused his own death, namely Ravana. Ravana can do nothing to Maareecha now as Maareecha is breathing his last. Whatever is to be done now it has t become a self-ruinous act to Ravana. Hence, it is better to do as said by Ravana for the elimination of Ravana. So thought Maareecha.

Perceptive of the time that chanced bearing his death, and wishful of the death of Ravana too, then made a voice that is a soundalike to Raghava's voice and yelled 'ha, Seetha...' also thus 'ha Lakshmana...' When Rama's incomparable arrow has indeed shattered his crucial organ, namely the heart, in a downright manner, then Maareecha assumed a very massive physique of a demon, abandoning the form of Golden Deer. 

Though Maareecha assumed the form of a deer he has to retain his heart and brain of a demon. This is the yogic way of para kaaya praveshanam 'entering other bodies.' These assumed artificial bodies do not hold ground in nidraa, surata, maraNa dasheSu 'in sleep, copulation and death states,' where the mind, if distracted to these states, cannot concentrate or hold the body that is assumed by mental powers of yoga. Here no supernal god or deity is involved to grant such a capacity but one's own practise achieves it. Whereas in other case like Ravana, gods have bestowed boons, so he need not practise such yoga etc., as he is blessed to be above these mortal's practises and thus can change his form and can rejoice in any state with that body or form. This is how he abducts Seetha changing his semblances instantaneously.

On seeing that demon with a fiendish look, who has fallen to earth with limbs steeped in blood, and who is weltering on the surface of earth, Rama emotionally took flight to Seetha reminiscing Lakshmana's words. "This is the trickery of Maareecha which Lakshmana vouchsafed earlier, that has indeed happened in that way alone, and the one whom I have killed now is none other than Maareecha. This demon died while crying out with a blatant voice 'ha, Seetha... ha, Lakshmana...' And on hearing this how Seetha will be? And what will be the plight of dextrous Lakshmana?" Thus on thinking over them that righteous-souled Rama remained in a hair-raising predicament. 

On killing that demon in the form of Golden Deer, and also on hearing his yelling, Rama is ensorcelled with a frantic fear caused by his own gloom. 

Raghava then on killing another spotted deer and on taking its flesh, he hurried himself towards Janasthaana.

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Fruits of listening Maareecha's legend

As with any other demon's death Maareecha's death also is eulogised as a merited one and reading or listening this is said to bring merit. Though these results are not said in Ramayana proper, its collateral scripts like skaanda purana, aadhyaatma raamaayaNa etc., say them. For the elimination of Maareecha aadhyaatma raamaayaNa says:

tat deh˜t uddhitam teja× sarva lokasya paþyata× |
r˜mam eva ˜viþat dev˜× vismayam paramam jagu× ||
kim karma k®tv˜ kim pr˜pta× p˜takŸ muni himsaka× |
athav˜ r˜ghavasya ayam mahim˜ na atra saÕþaya× ||
dvijo v˜ r˜kÿaso v˜ api p˜pŸ v˜ dh˜rmiko v˜ |
tyajan kalebaram r˜mam sm®tv˜ y˜ti paramam padam ||

From that body of Maareecha a divine aureole risen while all the world is seeing... that merged into Rama alone, causing very great astonishment... this is the marvel of Rama, nothing else..' So the divine beings thought seeing from heavens, and said 'a Brahman or a demon, or a sinner or meritorious one who cites the name of Rama at the time of leaving his body, he attains the Ultimate Threshold...' Blessing so, the divine beings returned to their abodes on seeing the salvation of Maareecha's soul in Rama.' aadhyaatma raamaayaNa, aranya , seventh sarga/chapter.

Thus, this is the 44th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Valmiki Ramayana - Aranya Kanda in Prose Sarga 45

 

Seetha rebukes Lakshmana for he is still here, loitering away even after listening Rama's cry for help. She goes to the extent of slandering him as having intents to woo her, at the cost of Rama's life. Lakshmana tries to pacify her but in vain, as she persists in her rash talk. Lakshmana leaves her alone and starts to reach Rama, broken-heartedly. This is a much debated chapter in Ramayana because human complexities are involved in its narration. The sublimity of Seetha's characterisation is disputed by her speeches in here. The question is whether Seetha becomes an ideal woman in view of her tongue-lashing, or not. This is as good as asking the nature as to 'why it thunders before a storm, scaring children, birds and calves... cannot it just shower some rains and go...' If anything is not done in accordance with her wish and whim, or which goes against her peculiar way of thinking, it is usual for a shrewd woman to tongue-lash. Here, Seetha is called a woman who is bhart® prema antha - bhart® kÿema arthi 'blinded by the devotement to her husband...' 'a desirer of her husband's welfare...' even at her own risk. This Ramayana is not the story of Rama. It is raama ayana and becomes raamaayaNa when compounded. Again raama is not the epical hero Rama alone. Seetha is also raamaa as said by Sumantra in Ayodhya, Ch. 60, 10th verse: b˜l˜ iva ramate sŸt˜ a b˜la candra nibha ˜nan˜ | r˜m˜ r˜me hi adŸn˜tm˜ vijane api vane sati 'like an young girl Seetha, with not so young moon's face, [i.e., like the full moon,] is delighting herself even in uninhabited forests with Rama...' Thus this epic is called r˜m˜ r˜mayo× ayanam r˜m˜yaõam 'the peregrination of Seetha and Rama...' where the first word raamaa with elongated end syllable belongs to Seetha and the second raama with shortened end syllable belongs to Rama, and thus this is the peregrination of both Raamaa and Raama. If the course of the legend has to move forward, the characters have to move, and if they were to move, some situations should become turning points, and this is one such situation occasioned through the shrewdness of Seetha. In a legendary perspective, if evil is to be eliminated, good has to peregrinate troublesomely, and that troublesome peregrination of Seetha, as well as that of Rama, is triggered off at this situation, again due to the shrewdness of Seetha. Thus, there is no oddity in the shrewd talk of Seetha. Some more discussion is incorporated in the endnote.

 

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On identifying the grievous voice that is identifiable with her husband's voice, Seetha spoke to Lakshmana, "you go at once, and check up on Raghava. I have heard the loud yelling voice of highly fretful Rama whereby my heart, or my very entity, is not abiding in its place, and it will be apt of you to protect such a brother of yours who is screaming in the forest.

"He might have come under the subjugation of demons as with a bull coming under the seize of lions, hence, you hurry up so as to near such a brother of yours who is seeking protection." So said Seetha toi Lakshmana. 

Although she spoke a lot to him in this way, Lakshmana on his part has not moved out remembering his brother's order to stay guard to Seetha, and hence that Janaki, the daughter of Janaka, who is already agitated for Rama further spoke to him in the paradox of his not going out of hermitage. 

"You are like a foe of your brother in friend's mien, Soumitri, as you are not making a move towards a brother even if he is in an emergency. Because of me you wish Rama to be completely destroyed, and only because of your cupidity for me you are not following up on Raghava. It is definite. 

The 'real' woman in Seetha is coming out. From now on, she goes on talking unhesitatingly, unilaterally and even abusively because her mind is fuddled with the thought 'some damage is being done to her husband.'

" 'Raghava in direst strait' is the most liked thing to you, thus I deem, as you have no heart for that brother, and as you complacently stay behind even when that great-resplendent Rama is unseen. After which helmsman you have come here that Rama is undergoing an uncertainty of life-and-death, as such I indeed wonder what business you have here now in staying with me at this hermitage?" Seetha spoke so to Lakshmana. 

Lakshmana spoke to Seetha, the princess from Videha kingdom, who is talking deluged under tears and anguish in that way, as she is fretful like a she-deer. 

"Oh, Vaidehi, your husband is an impossible one for vincibility by serpents, asura-s, gandharva-s, gods, fiends, demons, no doubt about it. Oh, auspicious one, unmarked is some combatant who can counterattack Rama from among gods, humans, gandharva-s, birds, ogres, kinnaraa-s, beasts, or oh, lady, even from horrendous demons, as Rama vies with Indra in any given war. It is inapt of you to talk that way as Rama is inextirpable in a given war, and as for me, I do not venture to abandon you in this forest in the absence of Raghava. 

"Let the most forceful Crowns with all their military forces, or, all of the gods together with their heads, why they, let all the three worlds put together come mutinously, whether jointly or severally, Rama's prowess is irrestrainable. Hence, let your heart be diverted and anxiety divested, as your husband will be returning soon on killing that extraordinary deer. 

"Evidently it is not the voice of Rama, nor that of any other god, but someone mimicked that voice for chicanery, and that must be the illusory voice of that demon Maareecha, similar in effect to the magical city of gandharva-s usually created by magicians in general. 

Lakshmana has repeated the word gandharva nagara which he said to Rama. This magic is said as: gandharva nagaram proktam indraj˜lam manŸÿibhi× 'magic show of showing celestial cities by magicians.'

"And you are an entrustment, oh, best lady Vaidehi, as the great-souled Rama has entrusted you in my security, as such I do not dare to leave you off now. Oh, gracious lady, we have become the adversaries of these night-walkers insofar as the elimination of Khara and others, and concerning the eradication of Janasthaana. The demons are the swaggerers in violence in great forests and they will be employing various voices. Therefore Vaidehi, just do not bother about it." Thus Lakshmana advised Seetha. 

As for Seetha, she became furious on hearing Lakshmana's words of advice, and while her eyes are becoming bloodshot she spoke these rude sentences to that veracious Lakshmana. You are a debased one devoid of mercy, thus a dreadful one, and a degrader of your dynasty, and I deem that you derive pleasure from fatal hardship to Rama.

The wording anaaryaH akararuNaarambha= dayaa prasakti rahitaH is as per the text of Govindaraja, while other mms have it as akaarya karaNa aarambha; a kaarya kaaraNa aarambha 'starter for doing an untoward deed.' From Seetha's viewpoint it is 'in wooing brother's wife you are the starter of an untoward deed.'

"You are haranguing all these sermons only on noticing hardship to Rama. It is unsurprising that the pitiless ones and rivals of your kind, who always behave in a cloak-and dagger way, will tend to commit deadly sins, Lakshmana, and it is not uncommon. You are verily maleficent for you have singly and covertly followed Rama, who started to forests all alone, or instigated by Bharata, only because of me. 

The covert operation of Lakshmana as instantly surmised by Seetha is that, 'when one half-brother Bharata can snatch the kingdom from Rama, you, the other half-brother, can snatch away his wife, hence you have come with covert intentions, on your own, leaving all your kinsfolk. Or, Bharata wanted me too along with the kingdom, so he might have instigated you to fetch me for him, after Rama's death, thus he covertly sent 'you' alone.'

"Whether this is an intrigue of yours or that of Bharata it is unachievable, Saumitri. How can I long for another commoner when I have put my faith only in the lotus-blue-complexioned and lotus-bright-eyed husband of mine, Rama? 

For how shall I, the chosen bride / Of dark-hued Rama, lotus-eyed, / The queen who once called Rama mine, To love of other men decline? - Griffith.

"If that comes to that, I will just discard my life in your presence, Soumitri do not mistake it. I do not eke out an existence on this earth even for a moment without Rama." Thus Seetha threatened Lakshmana. When that self-mortified Lakshmana is addressed in this way with hair-raising and acerbic words by Seetha, he spoke to her suppliantly adjoining his palm-fold. 

"I do not venture to reply you Maithili, as you are like a deity to me. Women using words that are in a class by themselves is not at all surprising. This sort of bringing stilted words into play is the nature of women and it is obvious in the world. Women by their nature are unbound by the etiquette of decency, whimsical, cantankerous and they tend to become the artificers of vicissitudes, and oh, Vaidehi, the daughter of Janaka, indeed unbearable are this kind of words that are much the same as burnt iron arrows thrust in between my two ears. 

The role of women in bringing alterations in joint families, peaceful histories or even in transcending legends is evident in every culture. mah˜nto api hi bhidyante strŸbhi× adbhi× iva acal˜× | k˜mandaka - lavaõa jal˜nt˜ nadya× strŸ bhed˜nt˜ni bandhu h®day˜ni | pr˜cŸna sm®ti - dk - 'They, the women, may be great beings but they tear asunder hearts, like oceans tearing great mountains.' Lakshmana is not eye-to-eye with Seetha and he is going on listening all her accusations with his two ears. And in between his two ears his conscience is there which is not permitting him to tolerate these words, yet he is tolerating.

"Let all of the forest-itinerants indeed listen as to how you are addressing me with bitter words, though I am reasoning with you conscientiously, and let them become my corroborators for the sake of justice. Fie upon you, you are acrimoniously tempered owing to your faminality, and by which impulsive reason you mistrust me who am presently abiding in my brother's order, may God damn you for that crotchety. I am going there where Rama is, oh, lady with best visage, you be blest, and oh, broad-eyed one, let all of the forest deities protect you. 

"Gauging by those dangerous forebodings that are now bidding fair, can I to see you again along with Rama on my return, or not? That I do not know." Thus Lakshmana spoke to Seetha. 

Lakshmana is repeatedly addressing Seetha as 'a broad-eyed-lady,' suggesting that 'though you have broad-eyes, but your mental perception is not that broad' 'as your eyes are belying your faculties.' 'And as 'the daughter of Janaka,' that is the 'daughter of a judicious person, yet unable to discriminate.' And as Vaidehi that is, one 'coming from Videha province.' Videha also means 'without body.' You are some supernatural, yet that demon beguiled you,' so on.

Lakshmana said Seetha 'be lost in desolation...' in the first instance and further said that she 'be blest...' and seeks the help of pastoral divinities to protect Seetha in his absence. This appears self-contradictory on the part of Lakshmana. But it is held correct, for he uttered derogatory words in the first instance as a vexed person and then, on knowing what that is suddenly uttered by him, he is correcting himself in saying that 'she be blest...' He wished her to prosper as she belongs to Rama. Whatever belongs to Rama that cannot be ridiculed, especially his mother-like elder sister-in-law.

When Lakshmana spoke to that wailful daughter of Janaka, she on her part spoke this curt sentence to him, while tears whelmed her to a fault. Without Rama I plunge myself in River Godavari, or else I string up myself, or discard this body of mine from heights..." Thus Seetha started to vent out her feelings. I drink deadly poison, or I enter a flaring fire, but I will never touch another man other than Raghava. 

With regard to touching another man, some texts say the word kadaapi 'never' and some padaa api 'by foot, even.' 'I do not touch any other man even with my foot.' This signifies 'marriage.' In marriages there is a custom for the newly weds, like handshake and pressing toes of one another, in order to acclimatise one with the other's body touch. Here, if this paadaa api is taken as that custom in marriages. Thus she says that 'in the process of marriages such foot-pressing of bride and bridegroom occurs, hence I do not wish to undergo such situations.' As such, this is not mere touching someone with her foot.

These intimidations of Seetha that she will commit suicide by consuming poison, hanging, plunging in river, self-immolation etc., are not new to Seetha or to any woman, under these irksome situations. She is giving many alternatives for suicide and the last one is self-immolation. If she is not going to die by hanging herself, or by consuming poison, or by drowning in river, then the question of self-immolation comes up. But she lists all of them in her anguish for Rama. With the same impetuosity she jumps into fire in the episode of agni praveshanam after war, when Rama belittles her. There also, she orders the very same Lakshmana to arrange pyre for her, disregarding her own accusations made at Lakshmana, at this situation.

Seetha on declaring to Lakshmana in this way, she who is anguished and weeping bitterly, then started to smite her belly with both of her palms in a heightened agony. Observing the agonised aspect of Seetha that cheerless Saumitri started to cheer her up by repeatedly informing that her husband Rama will come soon. Even then Seetha has not spoken in the least to the brother of her husband, and maintained a silence of antipathy. 

But then, holding Seetha in usual reverence that self-respectful Lakshmana briefly came to her fore making a reverential palm-fold that briefly, and then he proceeded to the proximity of Rama, while repeatedly looking back at that lonely lady in the thick of forest. 

Till now Lakshmana is at her behind or at her sideways, as he usually stands a foot behind Rama or Seetha, and now came to her fore to revere her vis-à-vis and made a semi-salute, i.e., briefly and briskly adjoined and disjoined his palms, without bringing the joined palms up to his heart or his face. Bringing the folded palms up to one's own heart is suggestive of 'pouring forth one's own heart' at the other, which is known in prayers as iungo manus ante pectus and if it is lifted up to forehead, it is suggestive of 'concentrating with whole of the mind,' and if hands are totally lifted into air it is for the god unknown. But here this iungere manus is neither ante pectus, infra pectus, nor supra abdomen but a quick gesture. He is performing an iSTa namaskaara 'un, interested, greeting...' 'a half-hearted gesture' like a 'cold-handshake' rather than a 'warm' one because he is now sent by her compulsively and compulsorily.

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Seetha's tongue-lashing

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Indian woman is no sacred cow. For that matter, no woman is of that kind, unless compulsorily conditioned to be like that. A woman can be said as cow-faced-tigress, as: go mukha vy˜ghra, [not in dissent.] She prowls, growls and howls at others if her interests are contradicted. Thus, Seetha’s is not only a sacred cow but also a shrewd lioness-princess, and her rash talking is not new or instantaneous at this place alone. She said something against Kaikeyi with Sumantra, which, Sumantra does not report to Kausalya in Ayodhya Kanda, chapter 60, and verse 14. One full chapter, Aranya Kanda of 9th is catered to Seetha’s haranguing Rama, when Rama wanted to wage an unprovoked war. She does not spare even her own husband, if the contemplated deed is contrary to her thinking, and because she is countering her own husband she includes a saving clause, ‘I have spoken in all my womanliness... it is up to you to decide....’ otherwise it will be a straight tongue-lashing. Thus talking riff-raff with Lakshmana is no great surprise.

Further, she is angering through perplexity caused by the hearing a help cry similar in tone with her husband's voice: bhart® ˜rta svara sad®þam ˜krandanam ˜kraõya vidŸrõa h®day˜ h®daya dayitu premõ˜ kartavyam aj˜nan˜ j˜nakŸ - - - sam utpanna kopay˜ sŸtay˜ - bh˜ÿitam - dk Seetha said mama heto× praticchanna× 'for me you are covertly behaving...' and Lakshmana, who is famous for his rashness also said to Seetha tŸkÿõ˜ bhedakar˜× striya× 'women are the severe wreckers...' of households, kingdoms etc., remembering Sage Agastya's saying in Aranya, Ch. 13 verse 6: 'With the dangling of hundreds of streaks of thunderbolt and also a weapon's incisiveness, and also with the speediness of an eagle and wind's gust, the women are conformable...'

Besides, Seetha vowed to offer many oblations to Ganga, when crossing that river to enter the deep of forests in Ayodhya II, Ch. 52, verses 87-90: sur˜ gha÷a sahasreõa m˜msa bh¨ta odanena ca yakÿy˜mi aham 'I will offer thousand pots of liquor, meaty food, if, my husband and I return safely...' Even though Shiromani Vyaakhya says that these are not liquor pots or it is not the meat food, yet they are some offerings to be made by Seetha to Ganga, if they return. She uses many 'if' clauses while praying thus, for the safety of her husband. What will become of them, if Rama's life itself is at stake?

Here, both Seetha and Lakshmana, are accusing each other. It is not reiterated elsewhere in Ramayana, and hence some say that this episode is an interpolation. 'Can these two go on narrating this scandalous dialogue to somebody, detailing how each accused the other...' is the ensuing question. This episode has happened in between these two and it does not merit a discussion with somebody else, because such a discussion will attract many cha, cha-s, and chi, chi-s s for Seetha, hence this is neither an interpolation nor a repeatable episode.

Then the commentator concludes in saying that each of them is right in his/her way and in emotion, situation and portent. sŸt˜ vacanasya bharti ˜rta þabda þravaõa samj˜ta kheda vaþena ˜padi r˜mo avaþyam samrakÿaõŸya iti etat abhipr˜yakatv˜t | lakÿmaõa vacanam api ayukta tara sŸt˜ vacana þravaõa janita kopa vaþena prav®ttam | agastya vacanam tu svata× saral˜ sŸt˜ iti abhipr˜yakam iti na virodha× - - dk

Later, Seetha repents for her rash talk with Lakshmana in yuddha kaaNDa, Ch. 113, verses 40, 45-46, saying:

bh˜gya vaiÿamya doÿeõa purast˜t duÿk®tena ca |
may˜ etat pr˜pyate sarvam sva k®tam hi upbhujyate ||
p˜p˜n˜m v˜ þubh˜n˜m v˜ vadh˜rh˜õ˜m api v˜ |
k˜ryam k˜ruõyam ˜ryeõa na kaþcit na apar˜dhyate ||

'When my fate is against me, and when my earlier sins [of finding fault with Lakshmana,] have acquired this [incarceration in Lanka...] one has to reap the results of one's own faults... a sinner, or a do-gooder, or one undergoing a capital punishment shall be treated kindly... who is he/she that does not offend...'

These are the very same words of Sugreeva in Kishkindha, Ch. 36, verse 11: "Either in faith or in friendliness if I have overstepped, in the least, that may be pardoned for I am an attendant of yours... for, none is unoffending...' All this culminates into the saying 'to err is human...'

On the other hand, in the perspective of mythology, the time has come for Seetha to go to Lanka, in order to effectuate her curse to Ravana as Vedavati, where Vedavati cursed Ravana, 'I will be the root cause for your total elimination... as Seetha...' For such a transit, Rama shall go away from her, for that she wanted that golden deer and as a good husband Rama ran after it. But this security guard is an obstinate obstacle than Rama and he will not go away from here, because he has to keep custody of his brother's entrustment. Unless such unbearable words are spoken to a self-respectful person like Lakshmana, he doe not stir out. To stop his leeching onto her, she had to talk in an abnormal way, which made him to go away, though reluctantly, and which paved the way for Ravana's entry. If the Golden Deer is not there, Rama will not go, if Rama's voice is not heard Lakshmana cannot be sent, and if Lakshmana does not go, Ravana will not come... then a blemish called anavasth˜ doÿa -- ad infintum... occurs to Ramayana. If we do not mind to end Ramayana in that way, Ravana will be ruling high, even today...

Thus, this is the 45th chapter in Aranya Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana, the First Epic poem of India. 

Sree Valmiki Ramayana

courtesy from

Sree Brahmasri Desiraju Hanumanta Rao ji

and  Sreeman Brahmasri K M K Murthy ji

 I Humbly bow to the  lotus feet of both of them

for the collection