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  The two culprits were vastly relieved and having blessed Rama for his mercy, they hurried to Lanka and conveyed Rama’s message. Ravana was furious and went up to the palace ramparts to survey the army. The whole of the southern shore and the groves beyond were swarming with monkeys and bears of every size, shape, and color. He asked his spies to point out to him the chiefs of the various battalions and carefully scrutinized each of them. He then dismissed the two spies as being quite inefficient and traitors to boot, since they could do nothing but sing the praises of his enemy.

  Next he thought of another stratagem to torture Sita. He asked a magician called Vidyudjihva to make a realistic head of Rama, with an arrow stuck in it, in order to frighten Sita. He marched to the grove where she was sitting immersed in sorrow, her mind absorbed with thoughts of Rama, eyes cast down and filled with bitter drops.

  Ravana arrested his stride a few feet away from her in order to drink in her beauty, and then approached her. “It is high time you forgot that useless husband of yours, O Sita, for I am sorry to tell you that he is no more. Evidently your spiritual merits were not enough to save him. You boasted that your husband was invincible, but alas, he has been killed by me. He was camping on the shore with his army, but as he was sleeping, my general went and cut off his head. Vibhishana was captured and Lakshmana and the monkeys have fled for their lives. As for Hanuman his jaw was smashed and he lies dead under a tree. The whole shore is drenched with the blood of dead monkeys.” He gave her another of his piercing looks through his crystal green eyes and continued, “I see that you do not believe me. I anticipated that and I have brought Rama’s head to convince you.”

  He ordered one of the rakshasas to fetch the magician, who arrived promptly with his creation of Rama’s head stuck on a pole. This gruesome looking article was placed before Sita. Ravana threw a bow in front of her and said, “Here is the famous bow of Rama.” Then, leaning forward, he whispered, as if meant for her ears alone, “Now, will you agree to be mine?”

  Sita gave one look at the head and shrieked, “Oh my beloved lord, have you deserted me? I am a despicable woman, for I am responsible for the death of my husband.” So saying she beat her breast and lamented. Ravana watched with keen anticipation, hoping that in her sorrow she would turn to him, but she did not even notice him.

  Just then news was brought to him that his presence was urgently needed in the council chamber. Fearing that something serious was afoot, Ravana left immediately. As soon as he left, both the magic head and bow vanished, much to Sita’s amazement. Just then Vibhishana’s wife, a rakshasi called Sarama who was fond of Sita, came and told her about Ravana’s foul plan to dupe her.

  “Do not fear, Sita. Rama can never be killed. Your husband and brother are in good health and they are camped at the foot of the hill, ready to attack.” Just as she was saying this, the trumpets and bugles blared forth, calling all rakshasas to assemble for the fight. Sarama revived Sita, who lay in a swoon on the ground, and gave her all cheer.

  The sounds made by the approaching army of vanaras were undermining the morale of the rakshasa army. Ravana laughed at their fears and said, “You are supposed to be great warriors, and yet you have all become pale and frightened at the rumor that Rama is invincible.”

  Hearing this one of the aged ministers said, “My child, a king should always have the welfare of his subjects at heart. Because of your infatuation for a woman, you are prepared to sacrifice the well-being of your people. Is that the correct attitude for a king? The whole cause of this hatred and ill feeling is Sita. Give her back to her lawful husband and save your country. Have you forgotten the boon given to you by Brahma? You asked for exemption from death by heavenly and demonic beings, but you did not mention either human beings or monkeys and these are the very ones preparing to fight with you. I am afraid your infatuation with Sita will bring ruin on you and on our clan. Return her and let us live in peace.”

  Ravana could never brook any criticism. Moreover he was so infatuated with Sita that the very thought of giving her back was abhorrent to him. “This Rama, whom you all fear, is only a poor human being who has been banished by his own father and has now managed to get a few monkeys together and is daring to attack the might of Ravana, who has subdued even the king of gods! It is really laughable. After having taken so much trouble to bring Sita here, do you think I’ll give her back to that mendicant? I will never give her up. I may break in two but I will never bend my heads before anyone or ask their pardon.”

  With this ultimatum he ordered all his generals to guard the city gates and be prepared for a prolonged siege, if necessary.

  In the meantime Rama’s army had come close enough to see the guards stationed at the gates. Vibhishana’s spies had reported all that they needed to know about the stationing of the various forces. Hearing this Rama decided which of his commanders should go to which gate. He himself, along with Lakshmana, decided to go to the north gate, which was being guarded by Ravana himself. By this time night was falling, and Rama, along with Lakshmana and a few others, went to the top of an adjacent hill from which there was a magnificent view of the fabulous city in the pearly light of the rising moon. They slept on the hill in the open, and when they awoke the intoxicating fragrance of a thousand newly opened blooms wafted to them from the doomed city. The birds started their melodious music to welcome the rising sun, and Rama had his first glimpse of Ravana standing on the ramparts of his palace with the white umbrella of royalty furled above his head. The gold on his garment of red silk glittered in the sun. Sugriva was standing beside Rama, and when he saw Ravana standing in all his glory, he could not bear it, and on a sudden impulse, he leapt into the air and landed on the terrace beside the rakshasa king and sprang on him.

  Ravana was taken aback but he guessed who he was and said, “O monkey chieftain! Very soon you will lose that beautiful neck, which has given you your name!”

  Ravana would have made short work of him, but Sugriva realized his folly and evaded his grasp and jumped back to Rama’s side. Rama chided him gently for his foolhardiness, though the watching monkeys were thrilled and cheered their leader.

  Arming themselves with sticks, stones, rocks, and trees, the vanaras, led by Rama, proceeded toward the city and took up the positions that had been decided for them. Rama followed the rules of dharma in warfare and he decided to send a messenger to Ravana to make a last bid for peace. Calling Angada he ordered him to go and talk to Ravana.

  “Tell him that I said, ‘I have come to punish you for stealing my wife. But even at this last moment, I would like to give you a chance. If you agree to return Sita to me, I will stop the war. If not, it will be a fight to the finish and end in the extermination of the rakshasa race.’”

  Angada leapt into the sky and reached the conference hall of Ravana, where he was closeted with his ministers. Boldly, he walked inside and gave his message. The infuriated Ravana ordered his ministers to capture the monkey and beat him to death. As they ran to do his bidding, Angada leaped onto the terrace, carrying the ministers with him. He then threw them down and returned to Rama. War was now inevitable. Ravana had been given his last and final chance. The army marched up to the bastions of the city. As Rama gazed at the city walls, his heart flew to Sita who must have been anxiously waiting all these months for him to come and rescue her. This thought was enough to spur him to ferocious activity.

  This story of Sri Rama has millions of verses, each word is capable of freeing us from terrible sins.

  Hari Aum Tat Sat

  Divyastradharine Namaha!

  CANTO IV

  The Mighty Battle

  Sharanagatha goptharam!

  Pranipathaprasadikam!

  Kalameghanibhakaram!

  Karthaswarasamaprabham!

  (Rama) is the savior of those who surrender,

  (Sita) blesses all those who fall at her feet.

  He has the color of rain clouds,

  And she the color of gold.

  The v
anara army with bloodcurdling cries charged the eastern gate of Lanka. They clambered up the walls and broke the ramparts. Very soon they made inroads into the other three walls. The whole place was alive with a mass of leaping and screaming vanaras bent on destruction. The rakshasa army ably defended their bastion, and the first day’s fight continued into the night, which was the time when the rakshasas, who were night wanderers, became more powerful.

  Indrajit, Ravana’s son, was one of their ablest warriors. The name given to him at birth was Meghanatha, but he came to be called Indrajit after defeating Indra, king of the gods. He was a master magician and the prince of illusions—Ravana’s golden boy, who could take on any form at will. It is said that only his mother, Mandodari, knew his real form. After having almost defeated Angada, he leaped into the air and disappeared into the clouds. From this hidden vantage point, he sent the deadly nagapasa, or noose of the serpent, with which he bound the two brothers, whom he had already badly wounded. Rama fell to the ground in a faint, and Lakshmana followed suit. Enmeshed by the magic cords, lacerated all over their bodies by Indrajit’s deadly arrows, they lay on their bed of arrows, drenched in blood, with hardly any sign of life beyond an occasional feeble twitching. There was panic in the vanara army and they stared at the sky in the hope of being able to see Indrajit, but none could see him except Vibhishana, who was also helpless against the snake noose. Indrajit was jubilant, for he was sure that he had killed the brothers. Having created havoc in the rest of the army, he returned to his father to give him the happy news.

  Sugriva was desperate when he saw Rama and Lakshmana in this state, but Vibhishana comforted him and said, “Believe me, they are not dead. It is only a temporary faint. Let us chant some mantras and they will awaken. Now it is up to you to keep up the morale of the army until the brothers recover consciousness. You should not allow your affection to weaken you. Both of them will have to be guarded carefully until they regain consciousness.”

  In the meantime Indrajit entered the city covered with glory and gave the happy news to his father that he had killed his two enemies. Ravana was overjoyed and blessed his valiant son. That night the whole of Lanka slept peacefully. In the morning, Ravana sent for the rakshasis guarding Sita and told them to tell her that her husband lay dead on the battlefield. Since she would not be convinced by mere talk, he told them to take her in his aerial vehicle, the Pushpaka, to survey the battlefield from the air and see the body of her husband. “Tell Sita to forget her husband and come to me, since now she has no other recourse but to accept my love and become my wife.”

  The rakshasis forced Sita to get into the vehicle and took her over the battlefield, where she saw for herself the devastation in the vanara army. In the midst of the sea of corpses of dead and dying monkeys, she suddenly spied her beloved husband and his brother lying on a bed of arrows, their bodies bleeding and inert. She could no longer see clearly due to the tears flowing in torrents from her eyes. For some time she was shocked into silence, but then she started to moan and bewail her fate.

  “How is it that my Rama, who single-handedly killed all the rakshasas at Janasthana, could not counteract the effects of these deadly arrows of the evil-minded son of Ravana? Our guru Vasishta prophesied that my Rama would perform many ashvamedha yajnas and win great fame as a king, and that I would never be a widow and would be the mother of heroic sons. How is it that all these words have proven false? There is no one that we can trust. Fate is all powerful. Of what use are the lotus marks on my feet that proclaim I will be a queen? I have all the twelve auspicious signs. My body is symmetrical, my teeth even, my navel set deep in my stomach. My breasts are full and skin and hair soft. My eyes are like a doe’s, my nose delicate like a seasame flower, my ears small and rounded, my neck shaped like a conch. My complexion is pearly and my soles touch the ground when I walk, yet this calamity has overtaken me.”

  One of the rakshasis, who was kinder than the rest and had earlier befriended Sita, now comforted her with these words, “My lady, please do not weep. Your lord is not dead. Neither of them is dead. See how the vanaras are guarding their bodies? They appear to be waiting for them to recover. Take this opportunity and have a good look at the face of your beloved husband, from whom you have been parted for such a long time. There is a glow about their faces that would not be there if they were dead. So forget this sorrow and take heart.”

  Sita was thrilled to hear this. She observed the two carefully and confirmed what was said by the kindly rakshasi. She raised her palms in prostration to Rama and then returned.

  Slowly, after a passage of time, the nagapasa ceased to have effect and Rama came to consciousness. When he saw his brother lying apparently dead, he started lamenting and swooned again.

  At this moment, when all of them were sitting and crying round the fallen princes, Sugriva’s court physician came and said, “Once long ago when the gods and demons were fighting, the gods were struck down in a similar fashion, but their guru revived them with special herbs from the milky ocean. These herbs are known as sanjeevakarani, which is capable of reviving those who are fatally stricken; and vishalyakarani, which heals all wounds inflicted by weapons. Let Hanuman be sent to get them.

  Hardly had he finished speaking when a tempestuous wind rose from the ocean, making the waves leap into the sky. The force of the wind appeared to bend even the mountains. Trees were snapped like sticks and flung to the ground, and animals ran hither and thither. Suddenly Garuda, the king of birds, vehicle of Vishnu, cleaved his way through the storm-tossed sky. The storm had been caused by the wind stirred by his enormous wings. He was the bitter enemy of all snakes, and as soon as he appeared, the serpent noose that had bound the two brothers started loosening its deathly hold over them. As he came nearer they were released completely and Lakshmana stirred, as if from sleep. The wide-winged Garuda now came close to them and stroked their faces lovingly with his wings; instantly their wounds vanished and luster returned to their faces. Their splendor, majesty, intelligence, and courage increased tenfold. Garuda embraced them warmly, and Rama said, “When you caressed me with your wings, I felt as if my father were touching me. Because of you we have been saved from this deadly snake noose. How wonderful you look! Pray tell me who you are.” The bird said, “I am Garuda, son of Vinata, and am your constant companion. I am your vehicle and will always be hovering around you, even though you are not aware of it. I am the only one who could have saved you from this noose made of snakes that have taken on the form of arrows, which Indrajit invoked by a special mantra. I am their ancient enemy, and that is why they vanished as soon as they saw me. Rama, fear not, you and your brother are destined to destroy your enemies and have a glorious future. Your strength lies in your adherence to dharma and you will be victorious, even though your enemies are treacherous. Now give me leave to go. Whenever you need me, just think of me and I’ll be there.”

  Witnessing this miraculous recovery of the brothers, the monkeys chattered and clattered with delight. They beat their tails and thumped their kettledrums and jumped up and down with joy.

  Ravana heard these sounds and was puzzled. How can they be so joyous when Rama lies dead, he thought? He ordered his spies to go and find out the truth and was amazed when they returned with the news of Rama’s miraculous escape.

  Now Ravana sent another horde, led by the terrible warrior Dhumraksha, the fiery-eyed one, but he was killed by Hanuman. Next to be sent was Vajradamstra, another invincible warrior with fangs like sharpened diamonds, but he was killed by Vali’s son Angada. Then came Akampana, who was vanquished by Hanuman. Ravana was quite depressed at the death of three of his best warriors.

  He called his commander-in-chief Prahastha and told him to go. “How is it that an army that can hardly be called an army at all is able to defeat three of my best warriors? They are only a bunch of wild, fickle monkeys, untrained in the art of warfare. They will never be able to face a well-disciplined army that marches ruthlessly under the guidance of a master general
such as you.”

  Prahastha was happy to see the confidence his master placed in him and he advanced to the front. He created havoc in the vanara forces until Neela confronted him and crushed his chariot, forcing him to get down. They fought face to face until at last Neela took a big boulder and crushed Prahastha’s head. His frightened battalion abandoned their leader and flew back to Lanka.

  Ravana could not believe that his favorite commander had been killed. He decided that it was time he himself entered the arena. Rama saw the huge army advancing and asked Vibhishana who were the leaders of the troop.

  Vibhishana said, “The chariot with the lion banner belongs to Indrajit, and the one with the white umbrella holds Ravana, lord of the rakshasas.”

  Rama gazed at Ravana for a long moment and said, “Indeed, he is a glorious figure. Such radiance, like the sun at noon! He seems to be endowed with all the qualities of a great hero. When I think that he is the one who stole my Sita, I cannot help but pity him, for he is coming closer to his death.”

  Ravana arranged his army carefully and then plunged into battle. Sugriva had been eager to get his hands on the demon king and hurled rocks at him, which Ravana splintered with ease. At last Sugriva fell in a faint from one of Ravana’s arrows and the monkey hoard fled in fear and ran to Rama. Rama stood up ready to enter the fray, but Lakshmana stopped him, saying that it would be his pleasure to make an end of this wicked man.

  Hanuman, in the meantime, rushed at Ravana and said, “You have been granted many boons but none that will protect you from monkeys. Now allow my right hand to teach you a well-deserved lesson.”

  Ravana was furious when he heard this and said, “I will give you the opportunity to win everlasting fame by hitting me just once, and then I’ll kill you.”