February 23 - Sargas 11 and 12 of Uttara Kanda.
The first thing Ravana does, on instigation by his maternal grandfather Sumali, is to make Kubera vacate Lanka, saying "Or else!".
Ravana and his siblings find spouses and get married. Meghanada is born.
***
उदतिष्ठद्भयं त्यक्त्वा सानुगः स रसातलात् "Sumali, exultant to hear of his grandson's newly acquired boons, rose up from Rasatala, freed from fear, along with his inner circle of rakshasas, Mareecha, Prahasta, Virupaksha, and Mahodara. "
Embracing Dashagriva warmly, Sumali said, "Son! You have achieved my long-standing ambition. You have got the greatest possible boons in the three worlds. You know we had run away from Lanka and hidden ourselves in Rasatala out of our fear of Vishnu. Indeed, our Lanka is right now is occupied by your worthy brother Dhanadhyaksha (Vaishravana Kubera)."
यदि श्कयं स्यात् साम्ना दानेन वानघ तरसा वा प्रत्यानेतुं कृतं भवेत् "Please see how we can get Lanka back either by diplomacy, exchange of favours, or if need be, coercion, oh blemishless one!"
"You shall then become the supreme emperor of all rakshasas, and will uplift us, the downtrodden."
Dashagriva hesitated. वित्तेशो गुरुरस्माकं नार्हसे वक्तुमीदृशम् "How can I tell our elder brother, the respected Kubera, to vacate Lanka?"
Sumali remained quiet, knowing that the idea soon would germinate in Dashagriva's mind. After allowing some time to pass, Prahasta went and met Dashagriva Ravana (this is the first time we see this name used since his birth). Prahasta said these meaningful words to Ravana:
"Ravana, you should not reject the idea of evicting Kubera from Lanka. "
सौभ्रात्रं नास्ति शूराणां शृणु चेदं वचो मम "There is nothing like cordial brotherhood among valorous people."
"Do you know that Aditi and Diti were sisters, both married to the great sage Kashyapa!? Aditi had sons who became devas (Vishnu was also born to her as Upendra). Diti produced daityas (asuras). The daityas pretty much owned the three worlds, all the lands, forests, and seas, everywhere, and were living happily. But Vishnu then led an attack from devas and wrested the three worlds from the daityas. So there is already a precedent for you. Nothing wrong in driving out Kubera from Lanka."
What Prahasta fails to mention is that the daityas were demonic in their rule and conduct, and had denied the devas any sharing. Also, Vishnu was never one to go after grabbing wealth or power by wrong means.
Ravana was now ready to send Prahasta as his emissary to Kubera. So they both went to the outskirts of Lanka. The message Prahasta was to deliver Kubera was, "Kubera, this Lanka was meant for rakshasas. It is not proper for you to live here. It will make us happy if you vacate Lanka and hand it over to us."
Prahasta spoke respectfully and diplomatically to Kubera: " Oh, lord of wealth! your younger brother Dashanana Ravana has sent me to tell you this. This Lanka was once the supreme capital of Sumali and others, who lived here well. Please therefore peacefully hand over Lanka back to Dashagriva."
Kubera replied:
दत्ता ममेयं पित्रा तु लङ्का शून्या निशाचरैः निवेशिता च मे रक्षो दानमानादिभिर्गुणैः
"This Lanka was given to me by my respected father at a time it had been deserted by rakshasas. I have ruled this place well with charity and dignity all this while, attracting people back into it.
"Please go and inform Dashagriva that I have absolutely no problem for him to come and live together here, and we shall share equally in its prosperity."
After saying this, Kubera went at once to his father, Vishravas. He explained to him Ravana's thinking and proposal. He asked for advice on what he should do and stood with folded hands.
Vishravas replied,
"Child, know that Ravana has already come here and proposed the same thing to me that you vacate Lanka at once. I chided him and warned that that plan of his would result in great harm and his eventual downfall. But you know how Ravana has a warped mind always. Now with those boons, his arrogance and violence have become multifold. His very nature since birth as foretold by me has been evil.
"It is, therefore, better, child, for you to move away to Kailasa. You can establish your own city there. There flows the delightful river Mandakini there, and the place is full of divine flowers. Devas and gandharvas favour that place for their visits and sport. You can live there in harmony and peace. Do not contest Ravana. You know he has arrogated to himself those powerful boons."
Respecting his father's words, Kubera immediately cleared out of Lanka with his wife, children, and ministers as well as his wealth and vehicles.
Prahasta went to Ravana and told him Lanka had been vacated! Ravana now entered Lanka with much fanfare, surrounded by his siblings, his army, and other rakshasas. He was wowed by its huge mansions, well-laid highways and avenues, and went and sat on the throne that rivalled Indra's throne in heaven.
Soon Lanka was buzzing with a large population of rakshasas. Meanwhile, Kubera, showing great respect for his father, went and constructed a magnificent city Alakapuri near Kailasa. That city rivalled Indra's Amaravati.
***
After establishing himself with his siblings well in Lanka, Ravana thought it was time to get a husband for Shurpanakha. He gave her hand in marriage to the danava king named Vidyujjivha, son of Kalaka.
Thereafter, during a hunting expedition, Ravana saw Maya, son of Diti. Maya had a young maiden with him. Ravana asked Maya who they were and what they were doing in that forest.
Maya answered at length: "You may have heard of a famous apsara by name Hema. She was given in marriage to me by the gods, just as Paulomi was married to Indra. We lived well for a thousand years. Then Hema went to heaven for some work on behalf of the devas. It is fourteen long years and she has still not returned. I had built a heavenly city using my powers to enjoy life with her there. But it is wasted now and I am pining for her. This, here, is our daughter, and I want to get her married too. I have left my city on this mission. You will understand the worry of every father about getting his daughter married off well. I also have from Hema two sons, Mayavi and Dundubhi. That is my story. Now please introduce yourself."
Ravana replied with decorum, " I am King Dashagriva, son of Paulastya Vishravas. He is the grandson of Brahma himself." Maya was delighted to meet Ravana, who was the son of a great sage. He wanted right away to offer his daughter's hand to such a groom indeed!
Placing her hand in Ravana's, in extreme happiness, Maya declared, "Oh great king! This daughter of mine, born to the great apsara Hema, is Mandodari. I offer her in marriage to you. " Ravana gladly acquiesced and with the sacred fire as witness, married Mandodari.
Sage Agastya now tells Sri Rama, " Oh Raghava! Maya well knew of the curse/prediction of Vishravas that Ravana would be evil. But he valued the fact even more that Ravana was born to a Brahmarshi, a descendent of Lord Brahma himself. So Maya was happy to give his daughter to Ravana."
Maya also had a terrific weapon called Shakti that he had acquired after great tapas. This was his wedding gift to Ravana. That was the Shakti Ravana used to strike down Lakshmana and injure him.
Ravana now arranged for Kumbhakarna to marry King Bali's grand-daughter Vajrajwala. For Vibhishana, he found a bride in Sarama, a daughter of the gandharva Shulusha. She was a righteous lady. Her name Sarama came from her mother's exclamation "सरो मा वर्धयस्व" to the Manas Sarorvar lake on whose edge the girl had been born. At the very moment of her birth, due to a big deluge of the monsoon rain, the lake started to swell all round. The mother ordered the lake not to cross its borders, the literal meaning of "sara maa" being "thou shalt not cross thy borders".
The three brothers lived like gandharvas in Lanka, making merry with their wives. Soon, Mandodari gave birth to a son.
The child, immediately after his birth itself, let out such a roar that seemed to rend the skies! Ravana was happy to name him aptly, "Meghanada" (a clap of thunder). The boy grew up blissfully under the care of his doting royal parents, like a fire building up quietly hidden within logs.
"Oh, Sri Rama, that very Meghanada came to be called as Indrajit by all of you afterwards."
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
