August 12 - Sargas 32 and 33 of Aranya Kanda.
We get to see in today's reading the mastercraft of sage Valmiki. The dramatic narrative is enlivened by poetic twists that are beyond ordinary writing.
Just as Manthara played earlier a decisive hand in twisting the Ramayana story out of shape, Shurpanakha enters Ravana's court to give another major twist.
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Shurpanakha, used to a carefree life of wreaking mayhem anywhere she pleased, is totally devastated by the way Khara, Dushana, and their fourteen thousand-strong rakshasa army, are finished off by Sri Rama single-handedly. Frightened out of her wits, she rushes to Ravana.
Valmiki takes us through two sargas of extreme contrast. First comes a description of Ravaneshwara, the lord of all rakshasas. This is the first time we are treated to such a description of the chief antagonist of Ramayana.
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सा ददर्श विमानाग्रे रावणं दीप्ततेजसम् ।
उपोपविष्टं सचिवैर्मरुद्भिरिव वासवम् ॥
आसीनं सूर्यसंकाशे काञ्चने परमासने ।
रुक्मवेदिगतं प्राज्यं ज्वलन्तमिव पावकम् ॥
देवगन्धर्वभूतानामृषीणां च महात्मनाम् ।
अजेयं समरे शूरं व्यात्ताननमिवान्तकम् ॥
"Shurpanakha rushed to Lanka and saw there, seated in an elevated aerial vehicle, Ravana, glowing brilliantly, like Indra, surrounded by his ministers who were like the gods of the eight directions.
"He sat on a supreme throne of gold that shone like the sun. He himself glowed like a splendid sacrificial fire.
"Here was Ravana, unconquerable by gods, celestials, creatures on earth, sages, and great seers too. Extremely adept in war, he was looking like the god of death Yama with open jaws."
Valmiki goes on to say how Ravana had done a penance of ten thousand years and obtained the boon from Brahma that no being other than a mere human can cause his death. He had marauded several places from Amaravati to Kailasa and desecrated them. He had looted the Pushpaka Vimana from his brother Kubera. He had stolen Takshaka's wife. He had engaged in many battles and bore scars on his body as proof of his coming out alive. Indra's thundebolt had nicked him. Airavata, Indra's divine elephant, had goaded his chest slightly. Even Vishnu's discus had made many scars. All this only added to his glorious appearance of mountainous proportions, with ten heads, twenty hands, and an overall effect of someone who ruled the worlds without any opposition.
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Now hear Shurpanakha. She has entered with a big roar like thunder. She speaks with an astuteness that is impressive.
प्रमत्तः कामभोगेषु स्वैरवृत्तो निरङ्कुशः ।
समुत्पन्नं भयं घोरं बोद्धव्यं नावबुद्ध्यसे ॥
सक्तं ग्राम्येषु भोगेषु कामवृत्तं महीपतिम् ।
लुब्धं न बहुमन्यन्ते श्मशानाग्निमिव प्रजाः ॥
"Intoxicated and immersed in lustful pleasures, acting at will like an ungoaded elephant, you do not understand the extreme and imminent danger that confronts you.
"The citizens do not value at all such a greedy king who is always engaged in vulgar pleasures and capricious activities just as nobody cares for the fires burning in a crematorium as valuable."
Shurpanakha wastes no words. She lists a number of acts of commission and omission that a despicable king who is powerful but useless will be engaged in. He brings no good to his country. He has no knowledge of how people live and what likely dangers from enemies beset the land. He has useless sycophants as ministers and puerile intelligence agencies. Such a king's end will surely be not distant.
"Do you know, Ravana, that one man, Rama, has killed all your army in Janastahana including Khara and Dushana? He has restored peace at last there and has freed the ascetics and sages from their worries. All this, while you are immersed in trivia!"
Shurpanakha even says words of wisdom about how a king should be organized, dedicated, self-controlled, and so on.
इति स्वदोषान् परिकीर्तितांस्तया समीक्ष्य बुद्ध्या क्षणदाचरेश्वरः ।
धनेन दर्पेण बलेन चान्वितो विचिन्तयामास चिरं च स रावणः ॥
"Thus severely castigated and told about all his defects, the lord of rakshasas fell into deep thought. Here was Ravana, endowed with wealth, arrogance, and power, and he thought through what his sister had just told him in his assembly."
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
