Chapter
7(b)
The Bridge
Ravana
replied in dire anger and sheer bravado. He was trembling
with rage at the unpalatable advice that Prahastha gave
him. Raising his voice to a wild roar, he admonished
Prahastha in a torrent of abuse. "Fool! Who taught you
this trickery? Whence did you derive such wisdom? They
say, sparks originate in bamboo clusters! You are born in
my clan". Ravana gnashed his teeth wildly; he shouted
harsh and vulgar abuse; and, finally, he kicked Prahastha
out of the Hall. But, before going out, Prahastha
clarified his stand condemning his father and his
overweening pride which had rendered him blind. Ravana,
he said, would be the cause of the destruction of the
dynasty. He consoled himself that for one who is mortally
stricken and is awaiting his last breath, no drug can be
of any use. "So my good advice appeared futile to my
father", he told himself. He proceeded straight to his
mother and related all that happened. Both agreed that
there was nothing they could say or do, which would turn
him on to the right path; So, they sat together and were
lost in the contemplation of Rama and his
majesty.
The Vanaras put up a
nice camp for Rama and Lakshmana on the Suvela Hill. They
prepared soft rests for them, heaping grass leaves and
flowers, and made them into nice beds. Rama appeared as
soon as they had finished; He sat upon it, to give them
joy. A little later, He placed his head on Sugriva's lap
and went to sleep. Bows and arrows were kept in readiness
on both sides of the bed. The Vanaras were scratching
their palms which itched, in anticipation of hitting
Ravana and killing him. They were holding back only
because Rama had not given them the 'go'. Hanuman, the
lucky, and the Crown Prince Angada were reverentially
massaging the feet of Rama. Lakshmana was standing at the
foot of the bed, ready with his bow and arrow, observing
the face of Rama with one-pointed attention. At this
moment, Rama looked out towards the East. His eyes fell
on the Moon, which was rising above the horizon.
"Friends!", he said, "Look at the Moon. There is a dark
patch on the Moon. Don't you see it?" he asked. Each one
of them answered about the patch the way he felt; but,
Hanuman confessed, "Lord! I do not see any dark patch on
the Moon. I see it as the reflection of your face. So, I
do not see the patch you mentioned, or any other
blemish."
That night Rama spent
with the Vanaras until dawn, with delightful talk and in
pleasant companionship. When day brightened, He had His
bath in the sea and He performed there, on the shore
itself, the rituals prescribed. He called together the
ministers of Sugriva and other leaders and gave them
instructions about the task ahead. Later, they met and
agreed unanimously that Angada, the son of Vali and the
Heir-apparent of the Vanara Kingdom, be sent as an Envoy
to Ravana, before launching the siege of Lanka. Rama
called Angada forward and told him, "Son! You are strong
and virtuous; you have to go on a mission from Rama to
Ravana and advise Ravana cleverly and cautiously, softly
and assuringly, without making him further enraged". He
was given directions about the tone and contents of what
he had to tell Ravana. He took leave, after prostrating
at the feet of Rama. While departing, he said, "Master!
Pray bless me with the auspicious look of your eyes. I am
indeed fortunate that I am entrusted with this work.
Whatever might happen to me while executing it, I am
ready to offer my very life to you". Rama's heart melted
with compassion when He heard these words of Angada. Rama
came forward, clasped Angada to his bosom and placed his
palm on his head, showering blessings on
him.
Angada then moved into
the City, with Rama installed in his heart and His Form
ever in his mind. He pushed aside every one who alerted
and stopped him on the way and displayed great
self-confidence and courage. He encountered the son of
Ravana on the way. The Rakshasa Prince accosted him and
inquired, "Here, o monkey! Who are you and wherefrom?"
Angada replied, "I am Angada, Envoy of Rama". At this,
the Rakshasa raised his foot to kick Angada. But, Angada
was too quick for him; he caught him by the foot and
raising him aloft twirled his body until he dashed him on
the ground! The Rakshasas who witnessed this were struck
with terror; they realized that the monkey was of
gigantic might and kept discreetly away. News spread that
the monkey that had set Lanka aflame had returned and
this created widespread confusion and fear. Angada
noticed, wherever he turned, panic-stricken groups of
inhabitants were watching his movements. He had no need
to ask any group to clear the path; they hurried out as
soon as he was sighted!
At last, he fearlessly
stepped into the Audience Hall of Ravana himself. One of
the guards carried the news of Angada's arrival in hot
haste to Ravana. Ravana directed him to bring the Envoy
to his presence and, accordingly, Angada was taken right
before the Rakshasa Emperor. Angada saw Ravana as a
conscious mountain, black in colour. His twenty hands
were as the branches of a giant tree. He walked up to him
with no trace of fear in his heart. But, everyone present
in that hall shuddered in their heart of hearts as they
saw him enter and proceed. They were in a state of
stupor. Ravana asked Angada who he was. Angada replied,
"I am the Envoy of Rama". At this, Ravana asked him the
purpose of his visit. "O Ravana!" Angada began, "you and
my father were friends of old. Therefore, with your
welfare in view, I have come at the orders of Rama to
give you some sound advice". Angada continued softly and
persuasively, "You brought away the 'Mother of all the
Worlds, the daughter of Janaka';
you were unable to withstand pride or lust and greed.
Well, let bygones be bygones. At least today, at this
very moment, if you realize the fact of your iniquity and
act as I am telling you, Rama will pardon you. Decide to
do as I suggest, without delay. Or else, with your own
hand, you will bury in this soil your clan and your
kingdom". When Angada spoke thus, Ravana exclaimed, "O
vilest of Vanaras! You are indeed a fool. Perhaps you do
not know that I am a foe of your 'God'. What is your
name? What was the relation between me and your father?
Don't be blind to the consequences of your
speech".
Angada laughed outright
at this outburst. He said, "O Monarch of Rakshasas. My
name is Angada; my father's name is
Vali. There was
friendship between you two". Hearing the words that
Angada spoke, Ravana was rendered stiff and silent. But,
he overcame the reaction soon and said, "True, true,
there was, I remember, a monkey of that name in older
days. O, are you his son? Hello, Angada! You seem to have
been born in that clump as a spark of fire in order to
destroy it?" Angada laughed aloud at the excited reply
from Ravana. He said, "Ravana! Your days have come to an
end. You will soon be reaching your old friend Vali. He
can tell you there the consequence of opposing Rama.
Equipped with twenty eyes, you are nevertheless blind;
burdened with twenty appendages called ears, you are
deaf. Caught in the thick night of ignorance, you strut
about in pride, proclaiming yourself great! The tribe you
plan to save will be effaced; that is the plan. Sinner!
Vile barbarian! Villain blinded by pride! Demon!" When
Angada gnashed his teeth in anger and poured on his head
the stream of abuse, Ravana rose from his throne in a
trice and shouted, "You monkey, you destroyer of your own
race! Since I know and recognize the rules of political
morality, I am bearing in silence your impertinence;
beware. There is a limit to my patience". Ravana stared
at Angada in fiery anger. But, Angada was not at all
affected by that demonstration. He retorted, "O Rakshasa
Monarch! I have heard much of your righteousness, your
virtues, and your political morality. Consider what
wonderful achievements your righteousness has effected.
Kidnapping the wife of another person, devouring the
messenger duly sent by your elder brother,
Kubera;
these are the highlights of your political morality! You
are boasting of these without a trace of shame. You dare
talk of your virtues and your morality! You set fire to
the tail of the messenger who came to your kingdom, and
yet you proclaim without shame that you are bound by
rules. Such is the behaviour of Rakshasas. You have no
right at all to utter the word political morality, with
your tongue. You are the vilest sinner".
When Angada was
replying, without break or hesitation, the courtiers who
filled the Audience Hall were aghast with fear, wondering
what was in store for them. Ravana resumed his talk. He
said, "Listen, monkey! Is there a single hero in your
camp who can stand up against me in battle? Your Lord is
broken down in sorrow at separation from his wife. He is
pining and pining every day. And, his brother is affected
and weakened by the sight of the agony. And,
Sugriva?
He hates you and is opposed to you, since you are the
heir to the kingdom. Like a pair of birds fighting on the
edge of a river, you will both drop into the flood some
day. Both of you have your eyes on the same Kingdom. How
then can you fight wholeheartedly and successfully
against me? My brother upon whom you seem to rely is a
coward. Jambuvantha,
another of your leaders, is too old to be of any use.
Nala and Nila (RRV-7a)
are but engineers, unaware of the art of wielding
swords".
Angada interrupted this
tirade and cut in with his own. "Ravana! One tiny monkey
entered your City and set it on flame. Did any fool
believe that it was ever possible? And, now, you who know
it as true deny that the monkey is a valiant fighter. I
am not in the least affected by anger when you declare
that there is no one in our camp who can defeat you in
battle, Yes. The texts on morality lay down that either
friendship or enmity has to be only with equals. Will
anyone praise a lion for destroying a frog? Surely, the
attempt by Rama to kill you is too low for his status and
dignity. Killing such a mean contemptible foe is
something that will reduce His majesty. The rules that
lay down the conduct and characteristics of the
Kshatriya caste
to which He belongs are high and noble. You are a
vicious, vile, vulgar sinner, who must meet death at the
hands of mere monkeys only".
Ravana burst into
desperate laughter. "Nasty monkey! You dance in glee and
jump shamelessly hither and thither, as the person who
holds the rope tied round your waist commands. You learn
the tricks He teaches and repeat them whenever He orders
you, so that He may collect a few coins from the
onlookers". Angada could not put up with these sarcastic
remarks. He ejaculated, "You seem to know only about
animals; you have not cared to know about the Lord, about
God, about Destiny and about Fate. Why, have not monkeys
taught you more than you know? They have demolished your
parks, they have killed your son, they have reduced your
City into a pile of ash. Yes. They have to perform one
more feat, yet. They have to administer proper punishment
to you. We have allowed you to escape the fate that you
must meet. I believed that your heart will be cured by
downright advice and harsh truth. But, no. You have no
sense of shame. You have no idea of repentance. You have
no trace of morality, no habit of rectitude. What a pity!
You are still gnashing your teeth in anger at
Vibhishana and
calling him names, like coward and traitor. You are
burdening the earth by the weight of your body; the
sooner you are eliminated the better. You are worse than
the dogs that infest your streets. They do not have the
vices you suffer from. You will soon realize that their
lives are better than yours".
Angada poured abuse on
Ravana regardless of convention and manners. Ravana could
not digest such fiery admonitions. "Angada! Know that I
am the hero, the redoubtable stalwart, who lifted the
Kailasa peak by sheer physical power and courage; this
Ravana is the person who laid, not flowers but his own
heads, plucked by him from his body, as offerings at the
Feet of Siva; this is the devotee whose might has been
acknowledged by Siva himself; this is the warrior whose
name strikes terror in the bravest, whose picture spreads
panic; stop your prattle praising yourself and your
patrons". But, Angada was in no mood to stop. He
continued his onslaught. "O you conceited fool! Don't
chatter away like this; use your breath for some good
purpose; sing some songs in praise of Rama. Surrender to
Him. Or else, the arrow of Rama will make your heads leap
like balls from the shoulder where they are now resting.
And, the Vanaras will gleefully kick them about, as in a
ball game. I happen to be the messenger from
Sugriva,
our Ruler. I have, unfortunately, no orders from Sri
Rama; and, I do not desire to deprive them the chance, or
else, I would have put an end to your life in a trice and
cast your carcass into the ocean".
Angada grew into a
fierce phenomenon as he uttered this threat. Like the
lion, he slapped the ground with his palms. The earth
shook so hard at the impact of those blows that the
crowns on Ravana's ten heads shook and fell on the floor.
Ravana rolled from his throne, but he recovered balance
very soon. Angada collected four of the ten, and threw
them with such great force and sure aim that they fell
into the camp of Rama, right within the Presence. The
Vanaras there were struck with wonder at the strange
articles and they described to each other the excellences
and beauties of the jeweled crowns. Rama knew what they
were; He said that, while coming over, they appeared like
Rahu and Kethu, which cause eclipses.
Meanwhile, Ravana
commanded, "Bind this monkey; don't allow him to depart;
eat him up", and hastily retired to the inner apartments.
Angada shouted "Shame on you! Why all this boast of
strength and prowess? Go, dip yourself in the depths of
the sea and hold your breath until you die.
Woman-stealer! Fool! Lust ridden lout! I shall pluck your
tongue out of your mouth on the battlefield and throw it
as food for crows. Be warned". Angada was gnashing his
teeth in hateful anger, when Ravana turned back and
called on the Rakshasas in the Hall, "Lift him by the
legs and throw him on the floor; splinter his head." At
this,
Meghanada rose
from his seat and holding Angada by his legs pulled him
with great force in order to make him fall. Many others
rushed forward to help him, but, however many they were,
they could not move the feet even a wee bit. They only
rolled on the ground, full of humiliation and unable to
decide what to do next. Then, Devakantaka tried various
holds to make the feet move. He too failed ignominiously.
At last, Ravana himself attempted the impossible task. He
held Angada by his legs and wanted to lift him and throw
him forcibly on the floor. Angada laughed at Ravana's
foolishness. He said, "Ravana! no, these are not the feet
you have to hold. Place your hands on the Feet of Rama,
in the genuine gesture of surrender; that will liberate
you from fear and bondage".
With these words,
Angada shook his feet in order to loosen the hold; the
impact of that gesture was so unexpected and so strong
that Ravana hit the floor and lost consciousness; his
glory and splendour were destroyed. The sense of shame
spread over his faces and he looked like the moon in
broad daylight, pale and poor. Angada looked at his
plight and felt that he should not continue his dialogue
with the coward. Rama, he remembered, had told him only
to administer some good advice to Ravana. "This fellow
will not yield to good counsel, he will not realize his
error and correct himself. He sticks to his vicious
nature. War alone can give effective cure". Deciding
thus, Angada left for the sacred proximity of the Feet of
Rama. Reaching there, he submitted a report of all that
had happened.
Ravana entered the
apartments of the queens, overwhelmed by shame and fear.
Mandodari noted
the pallid Crest-fallen appearance of Ravana; she said,
"At least, now, give up your foolish tenacity. To
cultivate enmity towards Rama will bring disaster to the
kingdom itself. You could not step across the line drawn
by Lakshmana [RRV-3a];
how then could you hope to defeat them in battle? Your
powers and might are but dry leaves before them. Your
followers could not overpower the messengers they sent;
can you ever hope to overwhelm them when they invade this
land in their billions? You could not stir Angada's feet
even a hair breadth, and yet, you hope to capture and
bind billions of such Vanaras! I am pained that, in spite
of all experience already available, you are still
holding on obstinately to your resolution. Our son
[Akshayakumara
- RRV-6a]
was killed. Your city was reduced into a heap of ash.
Your parks were uprooted; countless Rakshasas were thrown
up like balls and killed by the fall. Where were your
strength and skills at that time? Boastful declarations
can inflict no harm on these Vanaras."
"Lord", Mandodari
pleaded, "Pardon me for these words. You are badly
mistaken when you consider Rama a mere man. He is the
Master of the Universe; He is an invincible hero. You are
already aware of the extent of his might and valour,
aren't you? Recollect the facts related by Angada,
quietly within yourself. Remember! You were seated in the
gathering of kings in the Hall of Janaka, to exhibit your
strength and skill; but you failed even to shift a little
the position of the Bow of Siva. Rama lifted it
[RRV1-7c]
as if it was a spurt of playfulness and cast it aside in
broken halves. This demonstration of might was seen with
your own eyes. If you still do not give up your foolish
tenacity, it is an indication that your destruction is
imminent. What could you do when the nose and ears of
your own sister, Surpanakha,
[RRV2-2]
was sliced off? Are you not ashamed to proclaim and boast
about your strength and your heroism, after all these
experiences? Rama killed
Vali
[RRV2-4b]
with a single arrow. Was Vali an ordinary foe?... Rama
has now come with his army of Vanaras and encamped on the
Suvela Hill. Rama is the very embodiment of Righteousness
and Morality; or else, why should He send an envoy to
you, as He has done, to advise you how you can still save
yourself? This envoy has tried to turn your mind towards
accord with Rama. But you do not give up your sense of
pride; you do not appreciate the moral sense that moves
Rama; you do not understand the virtues that animate the
supremely sacred Person who has sent the envoy. And, you
are causing the downfall of your own kingdom! What could
you do now to throw out Angada, the envoy, who entered
the Audience Hall? There are in their camp thousands,
nay,
lakhs of
Vanaras, mightier and more destructive than this one.
Listen to my words; give up this demonic passion; go and
surrender to Rama". These words of counsel reminding
Ravana of happenings in the past, struck his heart like
sharp arrows.
Meanwhile, a new day
dawned. Ravana entered the Audience Hall as the very
personification of Vicious Pride and installed himself on
the throne. Inside his head were revolving fast and
furious the words of both Angada and Mandodari. Plans,
fears, schemes, and surmises rolled inside him, like the
earth and sky rotating round him. But, none of them was
along right lines, for, the day of destruction of the
demon clan of Rakshasas was drawing near.
Ravana
accosted a Rakshasa named Vidyutjihva, and said, "Fellow!
Use your magic skill, and bring before me the 'head' of
Rama as well as his 'bow and arrows'. Seeing them, Sita
must believe them genuine. She must be plunged in grief!"
Vidyutjihva rose from his seat in a trice and moved out
of the hall. He made a correct replica of the 'bow and
arrows' of Rama as well as of his head. Ravana was
pleased at the exactness of reproduction. With them, he
himself proceeded to Asokavana, where Sita was kept in
confinement. Holding them before her, he said, "O Sita!
See, these are the bow and arrows, this the head of the
very person whom you are pining for and extolling, night
and day. I have annihilated the Vanara hordes; Lakshmana
has saved himself by fleeing from the field. In order to
convince you that all this has really happened, I have
brought before you this head, this bow and these arrows.
Look at them". With these words, he placed them before
her. Sita was hit by grief for just one moment; but, she
reminded herself that there was no one, in the fourteen
worlds, who could pluck that head; she knew that this was
a mean trick played to terrorize her and she brushed
aside the threats. She said "Ravana! Surely, your
destruction has arrived. Or else, such abominable
thoughts would not have come into you. You have no
courage even to approach Rama; how then could you ever
hope to kill him? Even in dream, you cannot realize that
hope. This is a dirty magic trick, which fails to deceive
me." Sita poured scorn and insults on Ravana. Meanwhile,
loud exultant shouts of 'Jai', 'Jai for Lord Rama', 'Jai
for Lord Rama,' were heard from all around. The Vanaras
had entered the City from all directions! Ravana hurried
back into his palace and the Audience
Hall.
The good woman, Sarama,
wife of Vibhishana, then, came near Sita and consoled and
comforted her. She said, "Mother! This Ravana is a
trickster and all that he does is subterfuge. No one can
dare hurt Rama; just now, he has triumphantly entered
Lanka with his Vanara hordes. Lanka is being shattered
into shreds by the very shouts of the
Monkeys".
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