Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 17. Yudhakandham Beginning

Adhyatma Ramayanam Day 17. Yudhakandham Beginning

Audiobook Link - Adhyatma Ramayanam  55.00 m

Ramayanam Kilippaattu Day 17 രാമായണമാസം - ദിവസം  17

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuAHDEpbaOg

Yudhakandham Beginning

Siva continued: “Dear Parvati, please continue to listen to the rest of the story of Sri Ramachandra after Maruti returned from Lanka.

Rama said: “What Hanuman has accomplished is impossible even for Gods. Who can think of crossing an ocean, hundred yojanas wide? But he has just done that without difficulty. He killed several Rakshasas and set fire to the city! It is indeed a blessing to have such servants as Maruti, who would do anything for his master!  He saved the Surya Clan, me, Lakshmana, and Sugriva by meeting Sita Devi in Lanka by undertaking an adventurous journey. Now let us think about crossing the ocean with the army. When am I going to see my Sita after crossing the crocodile-infested sea and killing the demon and his soldiers?”

Then Sugriva said: “Do not be concerned, Lord. We will cross the ocean and rescue Sita Devi, after killing the Rakshasas. Look at these mighty Vanaras. They are invincible and ready to do anything for their masters. If you ask them to jump in the fire, they will not hesitate. Let us think about the ways to cross the water. If we get to Lanka, then Ravana’s death is certain. You may use your arrows to part the sea and make way or we can make a dyke covering the entire gap. I see good omens and the time is auspicious to begin important works.” Hearing this, Rama queried Maruti: “tell me all about the city of Lanka. You must explain the details of the different layers of forts and ditches around the city as well.”

Hanuman replied: “Oh! Lord, situated in the middle of the ocean, the city of Lanka is built on top of the Trikuda mountain. It is magnificent and the whole city glitters as if it is made of gold. It has a golden fort around it, covering about seven hundred yojanas. On all four sides, you can see gate towers, seven stories high. Inside the fort are seven layers of tall walls and twenty-eight towers. Each wall has a deep trench adjacent to it with mechanized bridges over them operated by guards. There are ten thousand Rakshasas on these towers, observing all the movements around the area. There are thousands of soldiers on all four gates. Within the city, there are hundreds of thousand warriors keeping watch of all the strategic buildings and palaces. There are dining halls made of gold and magnificent drama theatres, everywhere. There are special places serving alcohol and they even have buildings dedicated for people to sit quietly in introspection. I roamed around the city with the help of my father Vayu, and I could not find any place that lacked anything. I met Sita Devi in one of their wonderful gardens. After exchanging your ring and Devi’s Choodaratna, my action was a bit of an indiscretion. I destroyed their garden and killed a few Rakshasas. I killed Ravana’s son Akshakumara. I might have destroyed one-fourth of their army. Then I met with Ravana, and he was outraged. He ordered his men to put me to death, but Vibhishana advised his brother that kings adept in diplomacy would never kill messengers of their enemies. Hearing that they decided to injure me. They used the oiled rags to cover my tail and set fire to it. Then I ran amuck and destroyed the city square in the two hundred yojana radius, setting fire to the buildings and gardens. We should not wait any longer. They have already lost one-fourth of their fighting capacity and let us start right away. We have innumerable Vanaras ready to fight for you. It is time that we kill those demons and make Lord Yama happy. Then we will come back victorious, with Sita Devi.”

Rama’s Preparation for the War 

When Maruti explained Lanka in detail, Rama carefully devised a strategy. He told Sugriva: “This is a good time to start our journey. The stars are showing good signs and my right eyes are twitching as a good omen. I ask Nila to be the commander who will assign jobs for other warriors.  I will be in the front, sitting on Maruti’s shoulder followed by Lakshmana, sitting on Angada’s. Nila, Gajan, Gavayan, Gavakshan, Bali, Maindan, Vividan, Tunga, Nala, Satabali, Tara, and others can join us along with Sugriva.” The retinue led by the two princes moved enthusiastically. On the way, the Vanaras found enough fruits to eat and water to drink. They jumped around and played with each other, excited about the war they were waiting for. By the evening, they arrived at the Mahendra Mountain and decided to do oblations of the evening twilight. “We will do the oblations here at the seashore and ask Varuna, how to cross the ocean.”

Vanaras were wonderstruck as the ocean was deep and full of tall waves. It had crocodiles and other wild animals ready to jump at anything that comes across them. “How would we cross the sea and kill the Rakshasas?” they asked each other. Even Rama was caught up in that thought and everyone started being concerned about the difficulty. Come to think of it, Lord Rama should be unaffected by any of these obstacles. But he went on with the crowd as if he were afflicted. He has taken a human form and humans are swayed by attributes leading them to qualify their states of mind as happy or sad. This is, of course, ignorance and that has influenced even the Lord.

Ravana’s Preparation

As Rama, Lakshmana, and the army of Vanaras, stood at the South shore of the sea, Ravana called his ministers to discuss the aftermath of incidents that happened when Hanuman came there. Ravana was ashamed that a mere monkey was able to create mayhem in the city and kill several warriors, including his son, Akshakumara. “You know what happened in the city when a Vanara trespassed the gates and forts of the city that are impossible even for Devas to breach. How did he enter the city with no one noticing it, and how come he was able to talk to Sita who is in the garden, kept under the watchful eyes of the lady security guards? He killed my son and destroyed the city by setting fire to many of the facilities. It is shameful to us and now I hear that Rama and his army of monkeys are waiting at the seashore in the mainland. You are my ministers who have given me appropriate advice all the time and you have never failed me. You are my eyes and ears and your love for me is unquestionable. There are three types of views in strategic thinking. ‘The perfect, the mediocre, and the imperfect’. Three types of opinions are also entertained ‘possible, possible with lots of effort, and impossible’. If everyone in a team agrees to a proposal in unison, that is a perfect decision. But even if the proposal has opponents and supports, if the team can come up with a decision after discussing and convincing each other, that is the middle path. If the team members raise different opinions and raise objections, just to satisfy their ego, and prolong the decision-making, that is despicable.  So, I called you to discuss and come up with a unanimous decision for our move forward.”

When Ravana asked them for a decision, they opined: “It is great that you asked us for our opinions. You have won over the world and how come you talk in a dejected voice? It is unbelievable that you seem to be afraid of a mere human, Rama. Your son Meghanada had once won Indra. You had won over Kubera, the god of wealth and that is when you confiscated the sky chariot, Pushpaka Vimana from him. You have defeated Kala, the god of death as well. So, what is there to fear, for you? Your roar threatened Varuna, the God of the seas. Maya, the mighty Asura, was afraid of you, and to appease you, he gave his daughter to you in marriage. All demon kingdoms are under you, and they pay you taxes. You are in good books with Lord Siva. You juggled the Kailas Mountain and that pleased Lord Maheswara when he gave you Chandrahasa, the mighty magical sword. We do not have to talk about humans; they are not even worthy to be your enemies. People in the three worlds are under you and you have nothing to fear. Yes, it is a shame that Maruti did all these in your city; but that is because you let him go. Had we known about it, we would have made sure that he would not leave alive. If you were to order any one of us to take care of the situation, rest assured that there will be no humans and Vanaras left in the world by the time he returns. We can decide a way forward easily and do the needful right away.” Ravana was somewhat consoled hearing these encouraging words.

Kumbhakarna’s Counsel.

Kumbhakarna got out of his bed after a sojourn of six months sleeping, got ready in a hurry to see his brother Ravana. Kumbhakarna paid obeisance to his brother and Ravana embraced him and gave him a seat.  He was briefed on what had happened and sought his thoughts. Hearing that Kumbhakarna was fearful, and he was quick to reply: “It is better to live in this world than to attain the abode of Devas after death. Whatever you have done so far will hit back at you and cause even death. If Rama gets a glimpse of you, I am sure he will not spare you. If you are keen to live, please go and serve Rama. Understand that Rama is not a mere human. He is Lord Narayana incarnated on earth to establish Dharma. Sita is Mahalakshmi and she was born to destroy you. Deer’s get hypnotized by the different musical notes and get killed by the hunter. Fish get attracted to the shiny, moving baits and get caught in the fisherman’s hooks. Flies get mesmerized by the colorful lights of fire and fly into them and get charred. You got infatuated by Sita’s beauty and that will lead you to death. Some people will pursue undesirable acts, fully knowing the nature of that act. It is said that he is swayed by the innate tendencies he brought to this life from his previous lives. He will not stop it, even if someone admonishes him for pursuing it. This happens to men of knowledge and what to talk about ignorant people? What you did is despicable, and your subjects are going to suffer the consequences as well. Since you asked me to come and help you, I will fight and kill Rama and Vanaras so that you can enjoy life with Sita. Whatever you had desired for, you must experience and enjoy before the body perishes. I predict that there will be calamity here. Know that a person who has control over his senses will enjoy more in this life.” Hearing his uncle, Indrajit also offered that he will fight Rama and return victorious.

Vibhishana and Ravana

Vibhishana, Ravana’s youngest brother came to the court and paid obeisance to his brothers. He was also given a seat and Vibhishana extolled the greatness of the king. Then he said: Oh! Best among the Rakshasas, please listen to me. I know we should always tell nice and desirable things to our loved ones. We should think about what actions would make our clan prosperous. Think, who in the three worlds can fight successfully with Rama! All our mighty warriors, Mattha, Unmattha, Prahasta, Vikata, Supthaghnan, and even Kumbhakarna and Jambumali, Kumbha, Nikumbha, Kampana, etc. are not a match for Rama, individually or collectively.  Even Indrajit who won over Indra is not a match for Rama. Do not even think of fighting with Rama one on one because he is not merely a human, and no one knows fully about him. He is not Indra, or Agni. He is not Vaivaswata of Nirurthi. He is not Varuna or Agni. He is not Kubera or Anantha. He is not one of the Rudra’s or Adithya’s. He is Mahavishnu, He is Narayana. He is the one who gives Moksha. He is behind Creation, Sustenance, and Destruction of the worlds. He rescued the earth from sinking in the seas, coming as a boar. He killed Hiranyakashipu, coming as Narasimha. As Vamana, he conquered the three worlds. He killed Kshatriyas twenty-one times to get rid of their demonic nature. He takes incarnation on the earth, to annihilate Asuras. Now he has taken birth as Dasratha’s son to kill you. The Lord’s divine plan will work without any changes, but he is compassionate. If you seek refuge in him, he will save you. Go and prostrate at the feet of Rama and return Sita Devi. Ask for his forgiveness and seek refuge in him. He will forgive you and give you redemption. You will not see anyone more compassionate than him. Haven’t you heard about the killing of Tadaka with a single arrow, while he was still a small boy? When he went to protect the Yagnas for the Sage Vishwamitra, he killed Subahu and Maricha. He gave moksha to Ahalya, who was cursed to be a stone. He broke the mighty bow of Siva and won Sita as his wife. He even encountered Parasurama and won over him through his love and devotion. He killed Viradha, Khara, and Dooshana. He even killed Bali, the Vanara king whose power is known to you. Maruti, his servant was able to inflict unspeakable damages to Lanka. Why do you feel enmity towards Rama? It is not proper to feel rivalry towards virtuous people. It is wise to return Sita Devi without delay. If your ministers are your well-wishers, they would be telling you what is auspicious for you. When a weak king starts fighting with a strong one, it will not end well.  His kingdom and his people are going to suffer the consequences. Not all those who tell you the pleasing words always to appease you, are not necessarily your friends You may not get any from them when disaster falls on you. Relatives will follow and serve only the powerful and the victorious ones. I am pained at heart thinking your fate of getting killed by Rama’s arrows, and I am requesting you to return Sita Devi. If you consider returning Sita Devi, after your army has been defeated, you will not stand a chance to negotiate. A weak person must think before entering a fight with a powerful opponent. If you quarrel with Sri Rama, there will be no refuge for you anywhere. Even Lord Sankara serves Lord Rama and chants his name. So, how can you oppose your favorite Lord Siva?”

As Vibhishana advised thus, Ravana lost his temper. “Known enemies are not the real enemies; the relatives who pretend to be your well-wishers are the real enemies. If you continue to blabber like this to me, I will have to kill you.”

Hearing Ravana, Vibhishana, an ardent devotee of Narayana thought: “When a man is destined to die, no medicines will work on him. There is no point in me talking to him anymore. Who can change the fate of a person? I think I do not have any other choice but to seek refuge at the feet of Sri Rama. I should go and fall at the Lotus feet of Rama and offer my service to him until I die.” Vibhishana set off from Lanka with the four of his confidants. He decided to leave his wife and the family in Lanka and to go and see Rama. Keeping Rama’s Lotus feet in his mind, he paid his respects to Ravana and bid him goodbye. Ravana yelled at him angrily: “I know you will bring misfortune to me. Go away and serve the enemy. If you do not leave at once, I will not hesitate to use my Chandrahasa.”

“You are my elder brother, and you are like my father. Unfortunately, I am not able to help you at this juncture. Please do not be upset with me.  I will leave right away. I wish you will be able to live happily with your wife and children. I know Rama is born to destroy you and uproot the Rakshasa clan. Sita Devi is also there playing along with the divine will. I am not surprised that you are not heeding my words of reason.  Lord Brahma had requested Lord Vishnu to kill Ravana and that is bound to happen. Before that, I am going to take refuge at Rama’s abode.”

Vibhishana Taking Refuge with Rama.

Vibhishana, along with his four confidants, left Lanka in an air chariot and landed close to where Rama was sitting with the Vanaras. He started chanting the glories of Rama with great devotion from afar. He started narrating his predicament as he approached Rama. “Lord, I am Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana. I am here with a decision to join you and serve until you rescue Sita Devi. I am a devotee of you, and I told Ravana that it was wrong for him to abduct Sita. I advised him to send back Sita Devi and seek refuge at Rama’s feet. However, much I tried to advise him of the proper conduct, he would not listen to me. Instead, he threatened to kill me and kicked me out of Lanka. Fearing for my life, I fled Lanka along with four of my closest associates and I seek refuge at your feet. I don't have anywhere else to go.”

Hearing this, Sugriva was not convinced. He cautioned: “Rakshasas are known to be great magicians and they can play a trick on us. How can we trust them? He has come with the four warriors carrying weapons. Now, he seems to be harmless, but he can be dangerous when we are asleep. I think we should kill them. If we trust people coming from the enemy camp right away, it may prove to be dangerous. However, we will follow your advice.” 

At that time Hanuman came forward and said Vibhishana can be trusted. He has taken refuge in us, and we must protect him. Just because he was born in the Rakshasa clan, we cannot assume that is he is not trustworthy. Cast, creed, color, name, etc., are of no relevance in a just society, but a king must adhere always to dharma.” Rama agreed. “I agree with Maruti. Hear this, elders, Jambava, and others, as a king, I must protect anyone who seeks refuge in me. Even if one belongs to the cast of dog-eaters, I am bound to protect him. If I do not do my duty, I will incur the sin of Brahmahatya, which is like killing a Brahmana. A protector of the refugee is as virtuous as someone who has conducted the Aswamedha Yagna. I will narrate the story of a dove couple who lived on top of a tree in a forest. A hunter came to the forest in search of food, and he shot an arrow that killed the she-bird. The he-bird was upset having lost his mate and he started crying. Suddenly it got dark, and it started raining heavily along with a fierce wind. The hunter sat under a tree, hungry and tired. The bird went and gave him a twig of fire so that he could cook and eat the flesh of his mate. The hunter could not douse his hunger, even after eating the flesh of the bird. Seeing the plight of the hunter who took refuge there, the he-bird also jumped in the fire so that the hunter could appease his hunger. If a bird can be that considerate, what to talk about humans? If one has sought refuge in me, no matter what I have to give him protection. Know that no one can cheat me anyway. I do not have any hesitation to create, sustain, and destroy worlds and kings within moments. So, who am I to fear? Sugriva, ask him to come near and let us accept him. Once with me, he does not have to fear about anything.” Sugriva brought them to Rama and Vibhishana prostrated at his feet. Vibhishana started extolling Rama’s virtue, chanting a beautiful stuti that summarized the Lila (play) of the Lord.

Coronation of Vibhishana in Exile

Rama decided to coronate Vibhishana as the king of Rakshasa in exile. “He must get the result of having met me today. I will coronate him as the king of Lanka. Bring waters from the seas for the ceremony. If the sun and the moon remain on the sky and my story is still being sung in the world, you reign the Rakshasa kingdom.” 

Vanaras celebrated the occasion with the sounds of their drums. Lakshmana took lead in performing the coronation in which a formal bath was given to the would-be king with waters from the seas. Even the celestial men and women were rejoiced seeing the celebration. Sugriva embraced him and congratulated him. “May you be the chief warrior for Sri Rama, and we will follow you! Please lead us and help us to reach Lanka and eventually kill Ravana.” 

Vibhishana smiled and replied: “When you have the Lord of the universe himself with us, what is there for me to help with? He has no friend or foe. He does not require any help, but we feel that we can help him, out of our ignorance. Let us serve him with the full understanding that we are swayed by the three Gunas (attributes) and he is beyond them.”