December 17 - Sargas 38, 39 ansd 40 of Yuddha Kanda.
Sri Rama muses as he looks at Lanka from the top of Suvela mountain.
Sugriva spots Ravana on his palatial terrace and suddenly flies and attacks him.
***
Sri Rama invited Sugriva and the noble and astute Vibhishana to join him and spend the night at the top of the mineral-rich Suvela mountain. Along with Hanuman and Lakshmana, they all went to the top as the sun was setting.
लङ्कां चालोकयिष्यामो निलयं तस्य राक्षसः ।
येन मे मरणान्ताय हृता भार्या दुरात्मना ॥
"Friends, let us take a close look at the city of Lanka from this vantage point. It is the city of the evil rakshasa who has invited his death by abducting my wife."
"That despicable act was done by one who has no idea of Dharma or justice or the way to protect one's lineage and its reputation."
Sri Rama was followed by. Lakshmana, ever alert and carrying his mighty weapons. Hanuman, Angada, and eventually all the vanara chiefs also joined them.
As they all looked at it, Lanka appeared like a jewel in the sky. Its ramparts were guarded by blue-hued mighty rakshasas who appeared like another wall itself. The vanaras started making loud war cries.
The sun set. The mountain was soon bathed in moonlight. More so was Lanka. As they looked on, it looked like paradise. Its gardens were well laid and shone with a variety of splendid fauna and flora. We have seen how Valmiki never fails to describe with vibrant vebal imagery the trees, animals, and birds. The same kind of description follows.
विचित्रकुसुमोपेतै रक्तकोमलपल्लवैः "Lanka shone with incomparable splendour, filled with exotic flowering trees and reddish tender shoots in its gardens." The bees and birds were making merry constantly.
Valmiki says that the mighty vanaras could not resist Lanka's attractions. They took Sugriva's permission, and carrying their flags and insignia, entered Lanka and started roaming everywhere. Their loud roars scared away all the wild animals.
Lanka's main city was located on top of the Trikuta mountain which was huge and high. It was not scaleable by ordinary creatures. The city itself was ten yojanas wide and twenty yojanas long. Its tall mansions looked like clouds in the sky. Lanka had a thousand pillared main Chaitya (temple palace) that looked like the Kailasa peak.
Sri Rama did not hide his astonishment at the opulence, beauty, and grandeur of Lanka, which was like the abodes of Indra and Kubera. He did not fail to register its defences, with ramparts and moats and drawbridges - all under the fierce vigilance of rakshasas with their weapons and even missile-launching machinery,
***
Sri Rama, Sugriva and others spotted Ravana on his terrace. He was being fanned by maidens on both sides. They held a white royal umbrella over his head. He wore splendid jewellery and was anointed with red sandal paste. He was of the complexion of a dark rain cloud. He wore a shining brocaded silk garment. He proudly sported the marks on his chest made once by Airavata's tusks.
It was already early morning.
As Sri Rama and Sugriva were looking at Ravana, suddenly, the vanara king sprang up.
क्रोधवेगेन संयुक्तः सत्त्वेन च बलेन च अचलाग्रादथोत्थाय पप्लुवे गोपुरस्थले "Overcome by anger and brimming with confidence and power, Sugriva suddenly leapt from the mountain top directly on to Ravana's terrace."
He paused for a while, taking in Ravana's appearance and who was around him. Then Sugriva spoke:
लोकनाथस्य रामस्य सखा दासोस्मि राक्षस ।
न मया मोक्ष्यसेऽद्य त्वं पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य तेजसा ॥
"Oh Rakshasa, know me to be the close friend and servant of the lord of all, Sri Rama. Today you cannot escape from either me or the radiance of Sri Rama that has brought me to you."
Saying this, Sugriva leapt up, dislodged Ravana's crown, and felled him to the ground. Ravana shouted, " look, your epithet Sugriva meaning beautiful neck will be no more true. I will destroy your neck!"
Saying this, Ravana picked up Sugriva and threw him to the ground. Sugriva sprang up like a football (the exact word Valmiki uses - कन्दुवत् ) and in turn picked up Ravana and flung him to the ground with great force.
Soon they were wrestling fiercely, with sweat and blood running down their bodies. When they clasped each other tight, neither could move an inch. Their terrific combat with fists, open palms, elbows, and sharp nails was so fierce that no normal man would survive those blows. They were moving around on the wide terrace with great speed, and were getting the upper hand by turn over each other. It was relentless. They soon fell off the terrace, but recovered quickly to resume.
They displayed immaculate wrestling skills (it is still called Indian style wrestling in Olympics) and would hold each other in crushing vice grips. They appeared tireless. They moved around in in different patterns and they displayed the strength and force of tusker elephants. They schemed and attacked to floor the opponent. Sometimes they growled at each other like fighting cats. Valmiki also uses technical terms to describe the ancient methods of wrestling including the way one moves around the opponent and what tricks he can employ to attack and to escape. I am incapable of translating the various moves he describes.
Ravana decided he had to employ his rakshasa magical powers. It is called Mayavi shakti. Realizing what Ravana was up to, Sugriva leapt high into the sky. Sugriva was not tired or losing ground. He merely thought he had accomplished his purpose of scaring Ravana. He had sufficiently tormented Ravana. Satisfied, he leapt back to the Suvela peak and joined Sri Rama.
Sugriva had a triumphant feeling as he was received with shouts of victory by the vanaras.
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
