February 1 - Sargas 110 and 111 (shlokas 1-55) of Yuddha Kanda.
The lamentation of Ravana's queens, especially of Mandodari.
***
रावणं निहतं श्रुत्वा राघवेण महात्मना "Hearing that Ravana had been slain by the great-souled Sri Rama..."
Ravana's large harem of queens burst into Lanka's streets and rushed to where his corpse lay on the battlefield, presenting the most pitiable sight of nobility biting the dust.
If one has really to understand the horrors of war, one should read descriptions of war widows mourning their dead on the battlefield. Valmiki paints a most distressing picture. More so, the words that his queens speak show the extent of Ravana's downfall and its reasons.
***
Grieving like female elephants having lost their lord, the queens came to see his body:
ददृशुस्तं माहाकायं माहावीर्यं माहाद्युतिम् ।
रावणं निहतं भूमौ नीलाञ्जनचयोपमम् ॥
"They then saw the huge figure of the most valorous, most radiant, Ravana, having been killed in battle, lying on the ground like a mass of black collyrium (jet black liner applied to eyelashes for beauty)."
The queens went and embraced Ravana touching whatever they could. Some lay on him, someone placed his head in her lap, and so on.
"How come our lord, the dreaded foe of gods and celestials, the tormentor of rishis, the one who stole the Pushpaka from Kubera himself, now lies dead, killed by a mere human?
"Our beloved lord! You discarded good counsel from your wellwishers. You courted death by abducting Sita. You have now plunged us into an ocean of grief!
भ्राता विभीषणः धृष्टं परुषितो मोहात्त्वयाऽत्मवधकाङ्क्षिणा - "Your noble brother Vibhishana was mercilessly insulted and discarded by you, owing to your infatuation with Sita and your eagerness to die."
"If only you had returned Sita honourably to Sri Rama, we would not be in this state today. Vibhishana would have been vindicated and you would have found an ally in Sri Rama. But you continued to hold Sita in captivity and destroyed the rakshasas, us, and yourself! Your reckless self-indulgence was your undoing. Fate planned this for you. No one can change the course of Fate, using wealth or power."
***
Mandodari, the famed chief queen of Ravana and mother of Indrajit and Akshakumara, came now to the scene.
ज्येष्ठपत्नी प्रिया दीना भर्तारं समुदैक्षत दशग्रीवं हतं रामेणाचिन्त्यकर्मणा
"Ravana's chief queen, very dear to him, came in a most wretched condition and looked at the remains of her lord, the ten-headed Ravana, killed inconceivably in battle by Sri Rama."
"Oh, lord, brother of Kubera! Gods and celestials, holy mendicants and great ascetics, all dared not look you in the eye. They used to run away from your presence. And yet, today you were defeated by a mere human! Are you not ashamed!? Your force and your speed were unbearable for anyone. And yet, today you were slain by someone who wandered in the forest!? You could go where no humans ever could, you could assume any form you pleased. And yet, you were slain by Rama - how can I believe this!?"
"I discount all stories of Sri Rama's valour on the battlefield. I cannot believe it was merely a human who did all this. Possibly it was Yama himself, or Indra himself who came to kill you. But then both were so afraid of you!"
Now Mandodari says,
व्यक्तमेष महायोगी परमात्मा सनातानः ।
अनादिमध्यनिधनो महतः परमो महान् ।
तमसः परमो धाता शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः ॥
श्रीवत्सवक्षा नित्यश्रीरजय्यः शाश्वतो ध्रुवः ।
मानुषं रूपास्थाय विष्णुः सत्यपराक्रमः ॥
सर्वैः परिवृतो देवैर्वानरत्वमुपागतैः ।
सर्वलोकेश्वरः श्रीमाँल्लोकानां हितकाम्यया ॥
सराक्षसपरिवारं देवशत्रुं भयावहम् (निहतवान्)
"Oh, lord! I think this was accomplished only by that Supreme Yogi, Paramatma, ancient, the one without beginning, middle, and end, supreme beyond all creation, beyond light and darkness, the abiding support of the universe,
"the one who holds Shankha, Chakra, and Gada, with Srivatsa mark on his chest, always with his consort, the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi; the one who is unconquerable by anyone,
"the only ever-lasting and unshakeable one, Maha Vishnu himself, who deigned to take a human form and accomplish this task in the truest way as is his wont.
"Surrounded by the gods who took the form of vanaras, this lord of all, the most auspicious Vishnu, desiring to bestow grace and felicity on all, destroyed you along with your rakshasa folk as you were the dreaded enemy of gods and caused terror in all (actualizing the literal meaning of "Ravana")."
"Oh my lord Ravana, you did severe austerities, controlling your senses, and conquered the three worlds. But then you failed to control your lust and your sense-temptations which became your nemesis!"
"It was easy to see that Sri Rama was no ordinary mortal the moment he killed Khara and his army in Janasthana. It was easy to see the writing on the wall when Hanuman came here when we thought no one could find a way to come and enter the impregnable Lanka situated in the ocean.
"My repeated pleas not to court enmity with Sri Rama fell on your deaf ears. I think you went after Sita only to ensure the destruction of all that mattered to you. Your mind was too twisted to see that in her chastity and fidelity to her lord, Sita excels even Arundhati (wife of Vasistha) and Rohini (wife of Chandra.)
"You abducted a lonely and helpless Sita most shamefully from the forest. It surprises me that your evil act did not burn you down then and there. Is there any doubt that one reaps in good time the fruits of one's evil or good acts? Vibhishana reaps now the fruits of his good deeds, while you die like this.
"It was only your infatuation that prevented you from seeing that there were many queens in your harem more beautiful than Sita. Neither in birth, nor virtue, nor beauty, nor anything else, is Sita my match or my superior. But you missed seeing this. Nobody dies a violent death like this without a cause. For you it was Sita.
"Sita will now happily sport and roam around with her lord. My fate is widowhood. My limited Punya is exhausted and I am drowning in the ocean of grief. I remember how I roamed with you happily in Kailasa, Mandara, Meru, Chaitrarathavana, and so on in the Pushpaka vimana. That is all a thing of the past now that you are dead. Your most handsome face, your adornments, your impressive demeanour, all have bit the dust today. I never imagined I would be widowed thus. I thought I was protected by the most powerful and most evil one/s so I feared none! Now I cannot even embrace you as the arrows stuck in your body prevent me.
"Tell me, Lord! How indeed could Sri Rama kill you? You were after all death to Death himself! You shook the deities of the directions. You lifted up Kailasa with Shiva sitting on it. You conquered warriors proud of themselves. You tormented all good men, you terrorized the three worlds. You killed so many demons and destroyed so many ritualistic sacrifices! You used magic and illusionism to win battles, and forcibly brought away so many women that belonged to gods and humans and demons.
"You molested and terrorized others' women for long. You also ensured our comforts and pleasures unendingly. But now Sri Rama has killed you and all that you stood for. How come I am still alive!? Maybe it is because of my sinfulness."
***
