December 9 - Sargas 23 and 24 of Yuddha Kanda.
***
King Sugriva had chosen a good location for the army camp. The area was supplied well with fruits, roots, and drinking water.
The action was about to begin.
Sri Rama embraced Lakshmana, and said, "Look, brother, we should divide the army camp into separate divisions, each division close to sources of food and water. "
After a pause, he continued: "I see signs of a great slaying of rakshasas, bears, and vanaras soon. It is quite frightening. The wind is strong and dusty. It seems the earth is quaking, mountains are shaking enough to shed trees. These are ill-omens. Look at the clouds looking like huge birds of prey circling menacingly. The thunderstorm is raining blood-like drops. The evening sky is blood-red. The sun seems to be emitting shafts of fire. All animals and birds are screeching in distress. The moon is lustreless and sending red and black rays. The end of the world seems to be near!" And so on.
शैलैः शूलैश्च खड्गैश्च विमुक्तैः कपिराक्षसैः ।
भविष्यत्यावृता भूमिर्मांसशौणितकर्दमा ॥
"It seems the ground is being filled up with the rocks, spears, and swords used by vanaras and rakshasas in battle, and flesh and blood of the wounded and dead is being spread around."
Sri Rama now says something more important. "Let us decide and attack soon the well-guarded Lanka of Ravana with the vanara army." Saying this, Sri Rama rose, and walked resolutely ahead with bow and arrows, ahead of the vanara army, towards the city of Lanka.
***
Led by Vibhishana and Sugriva, the vanaras followed with great energy, roaring loudly.
राघवस्य प्रियार्थं तु सुतरां वीर्यशालिनम् ।
हरीणां कर्मचेष्टाभिस्तुतोष रघुनन्दनः ॥
"Undoubtedly dedicated to doing all that would please Sri Rama, the mighty vanara army exerted itself relentlessly, which immensely delighted Sri Rama."
***
Sri Rama was in the lead, ahead of the immense vanara forces led by Sugriva. The army looked bright, like the bright light of the wintry moon spread everywhere.
The vanaras were astonished at the terrific sounds of drums coming from inside Lanka. They decided to match those noises with their own roars that grew louder. The rakshasas heard those loud roars which resembled the constant rumble of thunder.
When Sri Rama beheld the insignia and flags of Lanka aflutter, he remembered Sita sadly.
अत्र सा मृगशावाक्षी रावणेनोपरुध्यते ।
अभिभूता ग्रहणेव लोहिताङ्गेन रोहिणी ॥
"Alas, beloved Sita, with her beautiful eyes that resemble those of the doe, is imprisoned there. She is like the star Rohini captured/eclipsed by the inauspicious red planet." Heaving a heavy and hot sigh of melancholy, Sri Rama tried and succeeded in shaking himself out of that poignant mood. There was work to be done.
"Look Lakshmana, how fascinating is this Lanka city that looks like a silver line sketch in the sky! It must have been simply dreamed up by Vishwakarma at one time. Lanka's mansions rose seven stories tall long back! It seems those tall mansions were reaching into the heavens to touch Lord Vishnu's feet. (Vishwakarma created Lanka for Kubera as a reward from the gods, for all his good work. We will read of this in the Uttara Kanda. Ravana simply drove Kubera out of Lanka and annexed it.)
"Lanka is full of splendid gardens, like Kubera's Chaitraratha. Many birds are singing and frolicking there, enjoying the fruit and flower-laden trees. So beautiful! Cuckoos are singing, bees are swirling around, and such a lovely breeze (शिवोऽनिलः) is blowing through Lanka!"
***
शशास कपिसेनां तां बलादादाय वीर्यवान् Now Sri Rama turned to organize the forward march of the vanara army decisively.
"Let Angada and Nila control the army by staying in its middle (उरसि). Let Vrishabha take the right flank with his vanara forces. Let the indomitable Gandhamadana take the left flank. I shall lead from the head of the army, along with Lakshmana. Let Jambavan, Sushena, and Vegadarshi take charge of the lower middle of the army. Like Varuna protects the western horizon, let King Sugriva take the position at the rear of the army and fully protect it."
Thus was the vanara army arraigned, with its valorous commanders, and looked magnificent like the sky full of clouds. The vanaras carried large boulders and whole trees and were eager to begin their attack on Lanka. All the commanders were bent on destroying Lanka by raining boulders and huge trees, and pommelling the rakshasas fatally.
***
ततो रामो महातेजाः सुग्रीवमिदमब्रवीत् ।
सुविभक्तानि सैन्यानि शुक एष विमुच्यताम् ॥
"Then the greatly radiant Sri Rama addressed King Sugriva. 'Now we have organized the army formation well. So it is time for you to release Ravana's emissary Shuka."
Surprise surprise! So actually, Sri Rama had asked Sugriva that Shuka, who had been badly beaten up and could not have made it on his own to Lanka over the ocean, should be ferried across along with the vanara army till this point. Now Sri Rama asked Sugriva to release him so he could crawl back into Lanka and report to Ravana!
***
Shuka was not in a very good shape when he managed to reach the palace and get an audience with Ravana. He was still shaking from fright, too.
Ravana made fun of Shuka, "what has happened to your wings, hope you did not manage to get caught by those fickle vanaras!"
Fear and foreboding were palpable in Shuka's voice: "Maharaja! I reached the northern shore well and reported verbatim your message to Sugriva, in sweet and clear words as you had directed. But the vanaras pounced on me as soon as they found me and started tearing off my wings and punching me, all over, hard. Lord, these vanaras are fierce and violent. Nobody can reason with them. So I could not even gather my voice to ask why they were beating me up.
"Anyway, Rama, who has destroyed Viradha, Kabandha, and Khara, has now landed here with Sugriva. He managed to build a mighty bridge across the sea and has arrived, holding his bow and arrows, thinking that the rakshasas can be dealt with easily. Millions of vanaras and bears, all looking mountainous in size and terrific in strength, have filled up our shores. I see as little chance of forging peace between these vanaras and rakshasas as between devas and asuras. "
पुरा प्राकारमायान्ति क्षिप्रमेकतरं कुरु ।
सीतां वास्मै प्रयच्छाशु युद्धं वापि प्रदीयताम् ॥
"Before those vanaras besiege Lanka from all sides, either decide and return Sita to Rama or prepare for war."
Ravana's anger shot up instantly and he looked from his enraged, red eyes.
यदि मां प्रति युद्धेरन् देवगन्धर्वदानवाः ।
नैव सीतां प्रदास्यामि सर्वलोकभयादपि ॥
"Look! Even if all gods, demons, and gandharvas come and attack me together, even if I have reason to fear the whole world's enmity, I shall not return Sita.
"My arrows will swarm around that Rama like bees attack a flower garden in spring. I look forward to destroying that Rama by injuring him all over till he bleeds to death or burns down from my deadly arrows. When I descend into battle, I shall simply overpower Rama and his large army like the sun pretty much eliminates the sight of all the stars in the sky when he rises. Rama has not experienced my oceanic might nor my wind-like speed. That is why he is daring to come to battle. He has never seen the serpent-like fatal arrows in my quiver.
मम चापमयीं वीणां शरकोणैः प्रवादिताम् "My bow is like a veena, to be played with the deadly arrow tips. Its string, when drawn, makes fierce music. Those injured and killed by my arrows will shriek in accompaniment! The terrific arrows will whizz from the bow making percussion sounds! The entire river of enemies will be my stage. " वादयिष्याम्यहं रणे " I shall play this macabre veena in battle!"
Ravana concludes, "Even Indra, Yama, or Kubera, cannot face me in battle or defeat me with their flaming arrows."
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
