August 11 - Sargas 30 and 31 of Valmiki Ramayana.
Sri Rama kills Khara with the divine weapon he received from the sage Agastya. Sita and Lakshmana reunite with Sri Rama with much relief and joy. The celestials and sages are wonderstruck by Sri Rama's prowess and celebrate his victory.
A rakshasa by the name of Akampana somehow escapes from the battlefield and rushes to the chief of all rakshasas, Ravana, in Lanka. He narrates what has transpired. Ravana says nobody in the three worlds dares challenge him and he will go at once and kill Rama. Akampana musters enough courage to tell Ravana that Rama is the supreme warrior and Ravana cannot ever face Rama in battle. However, Akampana suggests, Rama will die of grief if Ravana abducts Sita, his wife of incomparable beauty.
Ravana goes to Mareecha and asks for help in abducting Sita. Mareecha is shocked to hear of this plan and advises Ravana not to test Rama's might. He should abandon the plan and go back to his female company and comfort in Lanka. Ravana returns to Lanka.
***
Sri Rama calls out to Khara, wounded and stranded without his chariot or any weapons, that his earlier boast that he will avenge the death of his rakshasa army was an empty one. He should now realize his end is near.
Khara is, however, not done yet. He looks around and selects a huge tree and uproots it. He takes it and throws it at Sri Rama who deftly avoids it and shatters it with his arrows. Then he is sufficiently enraged to end the battle decisively. He showers arrows on Khara that wound him in so many places that the rakshasa looks now like a mountain with rivulets of blood running down.
Khara rushes forward as the last resort to bring down Sri Rama. Sri Rama steps back and avoids the charge. Sri Rama then picks up the divine weapon he got from Indra (through Agastya). It is like Brahmadanda. As he shoots that astra at Khara, it rushes like a big storm and hits him.
स पपात खरो भूमौ दह्यमानः शराग्निना ।
रुद्रेणेव विनिर्दग्धः श्वेतारण्ये यथान्तकः ॥
"Khara fell to the ground consumed by the fire of that arrow, much like Yama who had been burnt down by Lord Shiva in Shvetaranya."
***
The celestials and divine sages all showered their gratitude and appreciation upon Sri Rama for accomplishing this wonderful deed of ridding Dandakaranya of the menace of rakshasas. They said that Lord Indra had come to Sharabhanga muni's ashrama only to set things in motion for Sri Rama's mighty act. We remember reading how Indra did not show himself to Sri Rama at that time, saying that there was some unfinished work on Rama's part. That was when the sages came and surrounded Sri Rama with their tales of the rakshasa atrocities and extracted Rama's vow that he would free them from the menace.
Lakshmana and Sita come down from the mountain cave. Sita warmly embraces her dear husband. They all feel very happy that the Dandaka forest will no longer face trouble from rakshasas or rakshasis.
***
One rakshasa by the name of Akampana is still alive. He manages to flee to Lanka and meets Ravana, the overlord of all rakshasas, feared in the three worlds.
Ravana hears from Akampana of the extermination of all the rakshasas under Khara and Dushana in Janasthana. He cannot believe it. He thunders that no god ever dare challenge Ravana or his people, be it Indra, Vayu, Agni, Yama, or even Vishnu. He shall at once go and finish off this miscreant who has killed Khara.
Akampana is afraid to watch Ravana's fury. He musters the courage to inform him that this Rama, son of King Dasharatha, is no ordinary warrior. He is handsome, well-built, strong, and perhaps the best archer in the three worlds. He has a younger brother Lakshmana who is equally strong.
Ravana mocks that he will just now proceed to Dandaka and kill these two brothers. Then Akampana makes bold to tell Ravana that it is an impossible task.
नहि रामो दशग्रीव शक्यो जेतुं रणे त्वया ।
रक्षसां वापि लोकेन स्वर्गः पापजनैरिव ॥
तस्यापहर भार्यां त्वं तं प्रमथ्य महावने ।
सीतया रहितो रामो न चैव हि भविष्यति ॥
"Oh the great ten-headed Ravana, let me tell you that it is impossible for Rama to be defeated by you. In fact, even if all the rakshasas in all the worlds get together, he cannot be defeated. It is as impossible a task as for sinners to attain to heaven.
"But here is something else. Let me tell you, Ravana, that Rama has a wife by the name of Sita. She is young and infinitely beautiful. She has such a shapely body and lissom limbs that no celestial, demon, or any other species has a female that can come anywhere near her in beauty.
"I suggest that you find a way to go and hoodwink Rama in the forest and somehow abduct that Sita. Without Vaidehi Sita, who is dearer to him than his life, Rama will die of grief and your goal will be accomplished. "
Ravana loves this plan! He at once proceeds alone in his celestial chariot drawn by donkeys to Mareecha, the rakshasa son of Tataka ( we read of them in Balakanda!)
Mareecha is in his hermitage. He offers respectful hospitality. He enquires if all is well and what is the occasion for Ravana's sudden visit. Ravana informs him that there is one Rama who has eliminated his entire army of Khara and others in Dandaka. Ravana wants to teach Rama a lesson and therefore wants Mareecha's help in abducting Rama's wife, Sita.
Mareecha is shocked at the very idea. He says only a man who has some deep-seated wish to destroy Ravana and all rakshasas would have given him this idea. It seems that someone has hit Ravana on the head when he was sound asleep. After all, Mareecha says, Rama is simply incomparable in his might and valour. He looks like a whole array of divine weapons in a human form. He is like fire. He is like the whirlwind. He is like a tusker. He is like a lion who trifles with deer. He is invincible.
चापापहारे भुजवेगपङ्के
शरोर्मिमाले सुमहाहवौघे ।
न रामपातालमुखेऽतिघोरे
प्रस्कन्दितुं राक्षसराज युक्तम् ॥
"Oh, supreme lord of Rakshasas, to steal Rama's bow will be impossible because his arms are like the whirlwind. His arrows are endless like ocean waves and will not stop their onslaught in a big battle. It is indeed totally unwise to enter into the most terrible mouth of hell called a confrontation with Rama."
Mareecha convinces Ravana to abandon the misadventure and to return to Lanka and his queens.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
