March 1 - Sargas 23 and 24 of Uttara Kanda.
Ravana conquers all kings and kingdoms right down to the abode of Varuna under the sea where the divine Surabhi gave birth to the milky ocean.
Ravana abducts thousands of beautiful maidens belonging to gods, rishis, daityas, rakshasas, humans, and so on recklessly after killing their protectors. They fill up the Pushpaka with their heart-rending wailing.
Ravana kills Shurpanakha's husband in battle along with other daityas. He gives her a perfunctory apology and asks her to go with cousin Khara who establishes himself in Dandaka Janasthana.
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Ravana kills and abducts so readily and incessantly that one wonders what a "machine of evil" was created by Vishravas and Kaikasi. Of course, the explanation was that all this was a part of the grand design and even Lord Brahma simply played his part in giving those boons to Ravana.
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Ravana's lieutenants saw a battered, bruised, and bleeding Ravana climb back into the Pushpaka even as he was declaring his victory over Yama. They were surprised as they never imagined that their lord could even be hurt so much. Such was their confidence in Ravana.
Ravana lost no time in going and attacking daityas who ruled Rasatala. After conquering all the nagas and ransacking the Bhogavati kingdom ruled by Vasuki, they proceeded to Manimayipuri ruled by daityas called Nivatakavachas.
These daityas also had boons from Brahma and had armed themselves very well, So even after a hundred years of terrific battle, neither Ravana nor Nivatakavachas won decisively. Then Lord Brahma appeared there and said it was more sensible that the two sides made peace as Ravana could not be defeated. Ravana was also happy to share in the spoils of their kingdom and readily forged an alliance with them, with the sacred fire as witness. They extended great hospitality to Ravana who took a sabbatical for a year before proceeding elsewhere. He also got some education as the Nivatakvachas taught him a hundred tricks of magic and illusionism!
Ravana now attacked the land of Kalakeyas. He launched such a fierce attack that even the powerful and war-hungry Kalakeyas were all killed. Ravana killed his own brother-in-law, Mr.Vidyujjivha, husband of Shurpanakha! That demon had earned that name because he pretty much licked up the remains of all his adversaries, smacking his lips in glee.
Soon Ravana landed in the abode of Varuna, the god of the oceans. It was a spectacular, heavenly place, full of beautiful milk-white structures and edifices. The celestial cow Surabhi was there being worshipped. She only created the milky ocean out of which emerged during its churning the moon and even the goddess Lakshmi. (We read of it in Balakanda.)
The key element that always worked in favour of Ravana was the utter surprise all his victims felt when he attacked, for apparently no reason. Emboldened by his relentless success and protected by Brahma's boons, he feared none and spared too, none.
Ravana and his crew mounted such an assault that Varuna's army could not withstand it. Ultimately Varuna's sons and grandsons entered the battle.
ततस्ते विमुखाः सर्वे पतिता धरणीतले ।
रणात्स्वपुरुषैः शीघ्रं गृहाण्येव प्रवेशिताः ॥
तानब्रवीत् रक्षो वरुणाय निवेद्यताम् ।
"Varuna's sons and grandsons were soon beaten black and blue and had to be carried off by their men back into the safety of their palace. Then Ravana roared, "Bring on your lord, Varuna, himself! Indeed I wish to fight and finish him off!""
गतः खलु महाराजो ब्रह्मलोकं जलेश्वरः॥
Varuna's minister informed Ravana that Varuna may kindly be excused as he had gone away for a cultural conference in Brahmaloka a bit like the Margazhi festival in Chennai. Hearing this, and proclaiming triumphantly to the three worlds that the latest addition to his CV was that he had conquered even the Lord of the Ocean, Varuna, Ravana went to his next stop.
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The Pushpaka was on its way now to Lanka. Valmiki describes a terrible scene. Ravana had brought every young and beautiful woman he had seen anywhere. His modus operandi was to kill her protector, be it her father, husband, or son, and take her by force. This he had done among gods, gandharvas, yakshas, rishis, other celestials, humans, and denizens of the netherworld. He had an insatiable appetite for women.
The women were screaming and wailing and weeping, wondering what past misdeeds on their part had now made them succumb to this rakshasa who was mindlessly rendering them destitute and forcing them to go with him to Lanka for his pleasure. The women were all uniformly lovely, with great figures, features, and were mostly cultured and well-mannered. They could not grieve enough about their husbands, fathers, and even some about their children. The Pushpaka Vimana looked like a hijacked flight filled with terrorists pointing guns at hapless, screaming, women.
The Gita Press book carries a note that some versions of the Valmiki epic have five more chapters with a more or less similar narrative of Ravana's exploits.
यस्मादेष परक्यासु रमते राक्षसाधमः ।
तस्माद्वै स्त्रीकृतेनैव वध प्राप्स्यति दुर्मतिः॥
The abducted women on the Pushpaka said in one voice, "Looking at this terrible propensity of this despicable rakshasa to abduct and enjoy others' women, surely his end will come on account of a woman alone, whom he would abduct forcibly away from her people."
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Shurpanakka confronted Ravana on his landing at Lanka. Even before the airport formalities, he had to witness the terrible demonstration of grief by his dear sister. She said, "What kind of a brother are you!? After you married me off to Vidyujjivha, you alone went and killed him! How could you behead my husband knowing that I would become a widow!? Oh, what a terrible state I am in! What is to become of me now!?"
Ravana consoled Shurpanakha with a touch of irritation. "Oh, sister, here, I tender my apology. Look, I am such a warrior that in my frenzy during battle, I did not notice that he was your husband. But nothing is lost! I am establishing my lordship over the Dandaka forest in Janasthana. I am sending our cousin Khara and also Dushana with fourteen thousand rakshasas to take control of that place. I hear it is a beautiful forest with plenty of life forms to feed you including rishis. My lieutenants are all-powerful and can clear the forest of any adversaries easily. Go with Khara, roam the forest, and enjoy yourself! No good in crying over spilt milk or split blood."
Valmiki says that strangely, Shurpanakha was pacified and went with Ravana's plan!
What an evil role awaited her there!
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
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