December 15 - sargas 34 and 35 of Yuddha Kanda.
सरमा ह्लादयामास महीं दग्धामिवाम्भसा "Sarama brought great cheer to the distraught Sita much like rain clouds bring cheer in a parched land."
Sarama, smilingly, now wanted to cheer up Sita even more. In a soft and understanding voice, she said, 'Oh, my dear Sita, I am keen to go incognito and carry your message to Sri Rama right now. I can come back in a jiffy and neither Wind-god nor Garuda can catch me."
Sita replied:
"Oh Sarama, I know well how you can with your powers travel even to the netherworld and the sky. However, there is something specific I want you to do for me, please."
"Find out in detail what Ravana is up to right now. The cruel Ravana has completely disrupted my mind with his tricks. He makes these terrible rakshasis torment me every day. That is my condition here in Ashoka Vana. I am keen to know what he is now discussing and deciding with all his ministers. If you find out and tell me, it will be a great favour to me."
Tenderly touching Sita's cheeks that had tears running down them, Sarama said, "Of course, Sita, consider it done. I will come back quickly."
Sarama returned in a short time, after apprising herself of all the developments in Ravana's quarters.
तां तु सीता पुनः प्राप्तां सरमां प्रियभाषिणीम् ।
परिष्वज्य च सुस्निग्धं ददौ च स्वयमासनम् ॥
I am taken by Valmiki's imagery here.
"On her return, Sarama was again embraced cheerfully by Sita, who got up and offered Sarama her seat."
We are seeing here affection and decorum inspired by sheer trust. These qualities of nobility are regal in nature but the situation here is that Sita was seated but on the bare ground when Sarama returned!
Sita was shaking as she asked in all eagerness for Sarama's debrief. Sarama spoke:
"Oh Sita, know that his mother and a senior advisor have both advised Ravana to return you to Sri Rama. Their words were, "please honour Sri Rama as a guest and return to him his wife. Remember what Sri Rama did in Janasthana to Khara and his army. That is enough to understand what Sri Rama is. Even his servants seem to be incredible, looking at Hanuman's crossing the ocean and coming here and killing so many rakshasas in battle.""
"But like a miser who will never part with even a penny, Ravana was unmoved.
न त्वाम् उत्सहते मोक्तुम् He does not want to release you." Sarama added, " it seems that Ravana and all his folk should be killed in battle first before he lets go of you."
"Ravana will not stop tormenting you until he is killed in battle. He seems to be in the fatal grip of Death, seeing the way he is hurtling towards self-destruction."
"Sr Rama will kill Ravana with his terrifically sharp arrows, and then take you to Ayodhya, oh Sita!"
Just then the earth-shattering sounds of an army with their drums and conches were heard. That was indeed coming from the vanaras! The rakshasas serving Ravana felt a sinking feeling hearing that noise. They did not see anything good ahead, all caused by Ravana's misdoings.
***
Sri Rama and his immense army commenced their attack on Lanka.
Ravana heard their war cries and war drums. He looked at his ministers, as if wanting a cue.
Then he said, "All of you have already heard enough of Rama's exploits in bridging the ocean and arriving here with his army. But I expect that you will not stop with looking at each others' faces, but will show your valour on the battlefield."
Hearing this sarcasm from Ravana, his maternal grandfather, the wise Malyavan, spoke.
'Oh King! The monarch who is well-schooled in the fourteen branches of knowledge essential for a ruler and following the right way to rule will reign his land for long. He will know how to collect treasures as well as how to bring enemies over to his side. The ruler with his interests in the long term will make peace with enemies when it becomes necessary.
हीयमानेन कर्तव्यो राज्ञा सन्धिं समेन च ।
न शत्रुमवमन्येत ज्यायान् कुर्वीत विग्रहम् ॥
"When a king is weakened, and confronted with an enemy, even if he is his equal, he should make peace. In any case, when the enemy is more powerful, insulting and provoking the enemy is wrong. War is warranted only when the enemy is weaker."
तन्मह्यं रोचते सन्धिः सह रामेण रावण ।
यदर्थमभियुक्तोऽसि सीता तस्मै प्रदीयताम् ॥
"Oh Ravana! Indeed it strikes me that you should make peace with Sri Rama. The cause of this confrontation, i.e. Sita (whom you have abducted), should be restored to Sri Rama, her husband."
"Ravana! Gods, rishis, and gandharvas- all are rooting for Sri Rama's victory. Don't therefore cultivate enmity with him. Make peace."
Malyavan continues to say how Brahma created devas and asuras with a distinction that one would stand for Dharma and the other would pursue Adharma. Whereas in Satya Yuga, Dharma subjugated Adharma, in this time Adharma ruled over Dharma. By Ravana's constant pursuit of Adharma during his relentless world conquest, all his enemies had now gathered into a mightier enemy force than his own.
The Adharma pursued and nurtured by Ravana was now a big python snake about to swallow up all of them. The gods' Dharma had made the enemy stronger.
विषयेषु प्रसक्तेन यत् काचित् कारिणा त्वया ।
ऋषीणामग्निकल्पानामुद्वेगो जनितो महान् ॥
"Oh Ravana, all your obsession with sense pleasures that drove you to all your misdeeds has now brought upon you the wrath of all the rishis who nurture the sacred fire of immense power. That has all culminated in the extreme provocation of your enemies." Malyavan says no one should underestimate the ascetic powers of those rishis who lead extremely pure lives and pursue their fire worship and their practice of Dharma constantly. Their fire sacrifices with loud Vedic chants cannot fail to have an effect. Indeed their Vedic chants and rituals routinely disperse all rakshasas after weakening them. The smoke rising from their fire altars spreads in ten directions and scatters the rakshasas. Thus far the greatest force potent in taming rakshasas has been the endeavour of these rishis.
"Oh Ravana, you asked for boons that no devas, danavas, or rakshasas could kill you. But realize now that Sri Rama and his army are only humans, bears, and vanaras. You have no protection from the boon against them. And they are extremely powerful!"
उत्पातान् विविधान् दृष्ट्वा - "I have seen so many ill-omens that all spell the destruction of rakshasas."
"I see terrible, dark clouds of destruction looming overhead and raining blood. Horses and elephants are making tragic sounds of distress. All the skies are dark and gloomy. Many wild animals of prey and eagles are hovering around us. I see in my dreams black women with yellow teeth spelling evil robbing us and laughing away. ..." And so on. Malyavan lists many other omens featuring strange behaviours of domestic animals, and common birds, too. Death is roaming amidst them with a cruel guffaw.
विष्णुं मन्यामहे रामं मानुषं रूपमास्थितम् न हि मानुषमात्रोऽसौ राघवो दृढविक्रमः ।
तेन बद्धः समुद्रे च सेतुः च परमाद्भुतः कुरुष्व नरराजेन सन्धिं रामेण रावण ॥
"Oh Ravana! I think it is none other than Vishnu himself who has come in the form of Sri Rama, a human. How could a human accomplish all that he has done? Indeed he has built a bridge over the ocean! He is of proven prowess and has surely astonished all of us. Please make peace with the lord of humans, Sri Rama. "
Malyavan, as court decorum demanded, concluded, "Ok King, do what brings good for the future. Think through all that I have said." He looked at Ravana, assessed his mood, and fell silent.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
