March 6 - Sargas 32 and 33 of Uttara Kanda.
We have to remember that Sri Rama asked Sage Agastya if there was indeed no king capable of defeating Ravana. Sage Agastya laughed and started this story in reply.
We now read of the story of Ravana's defeat!
***
Ravana (whom Valmiki chooses to call here as the cruel rakshasa) was offering flowers to the Shivalingam on the banks of the Narmada, while not very far away downstream was King Arjuna, whose full name was Kartaviryarjuna. He was sporting right in the middle of that river with all his queens.
Suddenly the Narmada river overflowed her banks and flooded away Ravana's floral offerings. Ravana looked in consternation at this, in a reaction, as Valmiki says, similar to when a beautiful and gracious mistress suddenly turns hostile. Ravana was not pleased.
The cause of this flash flood was that Arjuna, who had obtained through penance boons of extraordinary might and near-invincibility, also had secured a physical figure with a thousand arms and legs! He was a therefore an unimaginably huge person.
जिज्ञासुः स तु बाहूनां सहस्रस्योत्तमं बलम् ।
रुरोध नर्मदावेगं बाहुभिर्बहुभिर्वृतः ॥
"King Kartaviryarjuna, sporting in the waters with his thousand queens in great joy, swung his one thousand arms in delight, and that was enough to stop the course of the mighty river Narmada."
***
Ravana was enraged and asked his lieutenants Shuka and Sarana to go and find out what had caused this flash flood. They took off aerially and just a little distance downhill, they saw a huge figure of a royal with his queens flailing his limbs and stopping the flow. They could not fathom who it might be and came back to report. Ravana shouted in rage, "Of course, you fools, it is that King Arjuna! Go at once and tell him that we want to fight him."
Prahasta, Mareecha, and others who were with Ravana went promptly to the Narmada bank and told Arjuna's ministers to announce that Ravana and his army wanted a battle right now. The ministers replied, "It is not moot to attack or invite for a battle one engaged in amorous sport and in an inebriated state. Kindly wait till tomorrow morning when King Arjuna will surely enter the battle with your lord. If you still insist on engagement just now, you will have to face us first."
Arjuna's ministers armed themselves and faced the rakshasas. Of course, the rakshasas killed all of them at once. In rage, the rakshasas also ate up their bodies. Ravana let out a roar. The remnants of Arjuna's army rushed to the king and reported what had happened.
Arjuna simply told his women, न भेतव्यम् - "Fear Not! I shall deal with this."
Arjuna emerged from the river, looking like a raging wildfire. He was quite angry about Ravana's attack. With his huge golden gada (mace), he attacked the rakshasas. His speed was that of Garuda as he scattered the rakshasas. Prahasta dared to confront Arjuna with his musala. He launched it at Arjuna, uttering a huge roar. In spite of the fierce appearance of that musala emitting fire and coming to destroy him, Arjuna was unfazed. He dexterously warded it off with his gada. He then struck Prahasta like Indra would with his thunderbolt a mountain and Prahasta fell down and bit the dust. Seeing this, Mareecha, Shuka, Sarana, Mahodara, and Mahaparshva fled the scene.
Ravana now directly confronted Arjuna. There was a fierce fight between two strange warriors, both formidable, one with twenty arms and the other with a thousand arms!
Valmiki describes that fight between two strong adversaries using many similes, the best one being of two oceans that were clashing with each other.
When Arjuna struck Ravana on his breast with his gada, a rocket of golden light emerged and rose into the sky. When Ravana struck Arjuna's chest with his gada, a column of light rose up like a meteor striking a mountain.
Finally, Arjuna landed a most powerful blow to Ravana's chest with his gada. The gada was shattered and fell to the ground! But it had served its purpose as Ravana reeled in great pain and sat down totally disoriented. Arjuna leaped in an instant and caught hold of Ravana with his thousand arms like Garuda would swoop and catch a king serpent. Ravana was totally overpowered and could do nothing. There were celebrations by the gods, showers of divine flowers, and shouts of "Bravo! Well done, King Arjuna!" Just then Prahasta had recovered and saw Ravana captured. He now attacked the Haihaya king Arjuna from the flank. Many rakshasas joined the attack and shouted "Release our king!" as they engulfed Arjuna with their weapons. But Arjuna was unmoved. He simply shook off their attack, and catching those very weapons, flung them back at the rakshasas such that they were all beaten back and scattered away.
The glorious Mahishmati capital, full of its prosperous citizenry, celebrated the king's victory and there were festivities as Ravana was taken prisoner with the king announcing his victory with a loud roar.
***
The sage Pulastya, the grandfather of Ravana and son of Brahma, heard from the gods the news of Ravana's capture. They were saying that the event of Ravana's capture by Arjuna was strange as if someone had imprisoned the wind!
Pulastya left his celestial hermitage out of filial affection and compassion for Ravana. He at once came down to Mahishmati. He saw how prosperous and glorious were the kingdom and its people. Valmiki says that the sage entering Mahishmati was like Brahma entering Amaravati, Indra's capital.
Arjuna realized who the sage was and rushed to receive him with all deference and decorum including the Vedic rituals of formal reception of a high-souled guest.
Arjuna said to the sage Pulastya,
अद्य मे कुशलं देव अद्य मे कुशलं व्रतम् ।
अद्य मे सफलं जन्म अद्य मे सफलं तपः ॥
यत्ते देवगणैर्वन्द्यौ वन्देहं चरणौ तव ।
ब्रह्मन् किं कुर्मः किं कार्यं आज्ञापयतु नो भवान् ॥
"Oh! Noble sage! With your gracious arrival, I consider my wellbeing, my righteous conduct, my life itself, and my austerity fulfilled in their purpose! I offer myself with my family, my wealth, and kingdom at your feet. Pray tell me what you want me to do."
Pulastya replied, "Oh glorious Arjuna! What a radiant and triumphant king you are! Your might in defeating and capturing Ravana is indeed most laudable and unprecedented in the three worlds. You know that even the sun and wind respect Ravana's orders out of fear. Therefore, with this victory, your fame and glory are going to be forever. Since your purpose has been accomplished with your victory, I now request you to release my grandson from captivity and let him go free."
Most cheerfully, Arjuna complied and let Ravana go. Ravana was sheepish as he wended his way in utter ignominy.
Sage Agastya concluded his narration with these pithy words:
एवं बलिभ्यो बलिनः सन्ति राघवनन्दन ।
नावज्ञाहि परे कार्या यदिच्छेच्छ्रेय आत्मनः ॥
"Dear Sri Rama, therefore one should know that even for the most mighty kings, there would always be mightier rivals somewhere. One therefore who wishes to retain his fame and glory in the long term should never underestimate one's rivals."
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
