by Vanamali
In the course of his cosmic conquests, Ravana had subdued many of the Vedic gods and made them work as his servants. However, he had dealt really harshly with two of the most dangerous of these deities and imprisoned them at the southern edge of Lanka. The south is thought to be the most inauspicious cardinal direction. In his inspection of the city, Hanuman came to the southern tip and found a grotesque black figure chained to a rock. Hanuman approached him and asked him who he was and why he had been chained.
“I am Kaala, Lord of Death. Ravana has chained me here with a belt that has been secured by Rudra’s mantra.”
Hanuman, who was Rudra’s son, went close and touched the belt, which instantly came apart and released Kaala, who was so grateful that he gave him the boon that anyone who remembered Hanuman would have no fear of death.
Just then, Hanuman heard a pathetic cry for help. He followed the sound and found Shani, the malefic planet Saturn, who had also been imprisoned by Ravana. The deity had been chained by his feet to the ceiling of the cave and was hanging like a bat with his face to the wall so that his evil gaze could not fall on anyone. Maruti broke the chain and freed him.
The grateful Shani told him that even though the blue sapphire is believed to give protection against his evil influence, the blue-colored Lord Vishnu is the sapphire of sapphires, and all Vishnu’s devotees would be automatically protected. He then gave the boon to Hanuman that all those who worshipped him would not be troubled by Shani and gave him the title Sankata Mochana, which as mentioned earlier means “the one who delivers from sorrow.” However, later stories show the spiteful Shani attacking his benefactor who was forced to deal with him more firmly.
As he reached the center of the city he saw a smaller wall, which ran in a great circle and was made of sixteen colors of rose gold. This wall enclosed the palaces and gardens of the Demon King. Hanuman jumped over the wall and landed in a garden. Bright lamps burned on golden posts and the gravel on the paths was made of jewel dust. There were small temples everywhere from which the perfume of incense flowed. The temples were surrounded by arbors and pavilions. In the center of the park was the spired palace with golden domes and walls studded with gems and scattered with diamonds. Hanuman slipped past hooded watchmen and fierce night birds that were trained to scream if they were disturbed. He went round the palace and there, in a huge courtyard, he saw the fabled aerial chariot known as the Pushpaka that Ravana had stolen from his brother Kubera. It was breathtakingly beautiful, made entirely of flowers—the chariot of spring, driven by the mind and resting on air, two fingers above the ground. He got into it and gazed spellbound at the interior. It would take a whole month to explore it. There were hills and lawns and flowers and golden benches and everything that you could fancy. There was even a swimming pool with a splashing fountain!
At last Hanuman decided to get down and explore the palace grounds further, since it was obvious that Sita was not in the chariot. He saw another huge courtyard where Ravana’s garrison was housed. He peeped into all the palaces of Ravana’s great generals. He noted the huge numbers of horses and elephants.
Then he decided to follow his nose, since the smell of wonderful types of food and wine assailed his nostrils. Boldly he entered the hall from where the delicious aroma was flowing and noticed the golden walls studded with precious jewels. The palace thronged with ravishing princesses whom Ravana had abducted. The whole place was lighted up as if it were day, by lights burning inside golden lamps. The scene was one of total revelry and debauchery. Hundreds of voluptuous-looking females sprawled about in various states of dishevelment. Some lay on the carpets with flowing hair and scattered jewels, some were dancing, and some drinking. The red dots on their foreheads were often smeared by their lovers’ hands, their girdles loosened, clothes crushed, and garlands trampled. Pearls gleamed in the lamplight between their heavy breasts and heavy gold earrings hung from their ears. Some women were applying sandal (sandalwood tree) paste on their bodies as well as those of their lovers. Others remained with their arms entwined round their beloved’s necks. They were all in a half-intoxicated state and their breath smelled of liquor made from cloves. They were all enchanting to look at, elegantly clad, fragrant with perfumes, with curved eyes, long lashes, and sidelong glances guaranteed to entice men. All the most beautiful women from various parts of the world had been captured and brought to Lanka by Ravana. It appeared as if his main job had been to course through the length and breadth of the worlds in his aerial vehicle, grabbing the virgin daughters of the nagas, gandharvas, daityas, and rishis. All of them had cried and struggled when they were captured and had sworn to kill themselves, but in the end they had succumbed to his fatal charms, for his expertise in the art of lovemaking was proverbial. He had been cursed by their parents over and over again as well by the women whom he had brought forcibly to the palace. Hanuman looked at all of them and knew instinctively that none of these could be Sita. He imagined her to be pale and emaciated, pining for her husband, looking like the full moon seen through a cloud.
He stepped over alabaster floors and sprang up a stairway of lapis and burnished gold until he reached the end of a hall paved with silver that ended in a jade door with cut amethyst handles. This was the entrance to Ravana’s bedroom. Softly he turned the handle and entered. The room was lit with flaming lamps of gold and covered with sleeping women. Each woman was lovelier than the next. They were sleeping deeply after an evening of drinking, dancing, and music. Their fragrant hair was loose and their jewels scattered. Their girdles had come loose and their silken robes fell unheeded to either side. The city of Lanka, the palace, and Ravana’s female consorts, all described as extremely enticing, are meant to remind us of the disabling power of unchecked desire, a desire that is to destroy Ravana.
Suddenly he spied Ravana, chief of the night wanderers, reclining on a cot made of crystal, ivory, sandalwood, and gold. The cot was unbelievably beautiful, and he stood for a while admiring it. The white umbrella of royalty was above it. The demon king lay fast asleep on the bed. He was a magnificent figure of a man with huge, powerful arms and a broad chest covered with white silk. He had ten devilishly handsome heads adorned with long, heavy gold earrings. He was clad in the purest of white garments and was sound asleep. On one side was a table with the leftovers of a magnificent repast of exotic foods. Hanuman went closer and helped himself to some delicious fruits. Being a monkey, he did not care for cooked foods. After his tasty repast, he surveyed the rest of the room.
Four lovely women stood at the four corners of Ravana’s bed and fanned him gently. Many charming women were sleeping in abandoned positions all round him. Some of them were clutching musical instruments, which they must have been playing for Ravana. Suddenly Hanuman spied a most attractive woman sleeping on a couch set apart. She was so beautiful that for a moment he thought she must be Sita, but he soon realized that Rama’s wife would never adorn herself like this nor would she be able to sleep so deeply. He realized that the woman must be Mandodari, Queen of Lanka. She was Ravana’s chief wife and renowned for her beauty and chastity.
Long ago Ravana had heard that Shiva’s wife Parvati was the most beautiful woman in the world. Wanting to possess her, he performed many austerities to please him. Shiva was pleased and granted him a boon. Ravana immediately asked for Parvati! Shiva was forced to allow him to take her to Lanka. When she saw him coming to get her, Parvati decided to teach him a lesson. She caught a manduka (female frog), transformed it into a beautiful female, and called her Mandodari. Ravana saw her and, thinking it was Parvati, took her off to Lanka and made her his chief queen. Like all female frogs, Mandodari came to consort with Ravana only at the start of the rainy season, but she was a most faithful wife and always gave him unconditional support.
But generally, she is known as the daughter of the great King of Danavas, known variously as Maya, Mayan, or Mayasura. He was the chief architect of the creatures of the netherworld. And her mother was the beautiful celestial dancer, Apsar
a Hema. Mandodari is widely respected for her kind and pious nature, and always thought to be the better half of Ravana.
A lesser-known story concerning Mandodari makes her out to be Sita’s mother. Once Ravana performed a grand yaga, using the blood of sages as a sacrificial offering. Thousands of sages were beheaded and their blood collected in a jar that Ravana gave Mandodari for safekeeping. During the night, Mandodari got up with a raging thirst and accidentally drank up the contents of the jar. The blood of the sages entered her body and made her pregnant. In due course, she gave birth to a daughter. Oracles prophesied that the baby would be the cause of Ravana’s destruction. Due to her love for her husband, Mandodari threw the baby into the ocean. The sea god Varuna saved the baby and placed it into the arms of the earth goddess. The baby lay in a field, inside a golden pitcher, until Janaka, king of Videha, found her while plowing the field at the commencement of a sacrifice. He named the child Sita, since she was found in a sita, or furrow. And so fittingly, Sita is of the earth as Rama is of the heavens, and their union joins the individual to the infinite.
It should be noted that in this instance as elsewhere, there exist several versions of some events from the Ramayana, as Valmiki’s epic was clarified or embellished upon by various minds throughout the ages according to the social, philosophical, religious, political, artistic, and regional concerns of the day.
When he first came into the hall, Hanuman had felt slightly embarrassed at the thought of being forced to look at all these voluptuous females in seductive poses, but then he realized that though he was moving among such extraordinary beauties, his mind was totally unaffected and untouched by any of them. The vanaras as a race were not noted for their continence! But unlike other monkeys, Hanuman was a brahmachari (celibate) and had never thought of consorting with any woman.
Not wanting to waste time, he pressed on through the portrait gallery and many other places but was unable to find Sita. He became totally despondent and did not know where to look for her. He started to suspect that Ravana might have killed her. He thought he had completely exhausted all the places where he could possibly find her. It would be better to die rather than return to Rama with this tragic news. Tears rolled down his eyes at the thought. At last, just at that moment when he decided that he would have to return with his mission unaccomplished, he saw a grove that he had not seen before. It was filled with many types of trees; prominent among them was the ashoka. He leaped onto the wall that enclosed the grove and surveyed the garden, which was filled with all types of trees laden with fragrant blossoms. Many flower-laden creepers embraced the trees, and everywhere there was a fresh and wonderful fragrance, most unlike the artificial perfumes found inside the palace. There was a charming pond that had steps inlaid with gems and covered with lotuses. It was obviously a favorite haunt of the demon king, since it was so well tended. Hanuman jumped onto an ashoka tree, concealed himself among the thick foliage, and surveyed the garden. The night was passing and he still had not discovered Sita. The birds were beginning to wake up and they flew up into the clouds, chirping angrily at being disturbed by Hanuman’s frolics. The sun glided down the Trikuta peak and slipped into Lanka, setting the golden walls afire. The temple bells started to ring, and inside Ravana’s bedroom, the bards sang songs of praise to waken the Lord of Lanka.
Rama had told Hanuman that Sita was extremely fond of flowers, and he hoped that she might come to that enchanting grove for a walk. The garden, with its flowering shrubs and waterfalls and ponds, seemed to be made for her. Looking around in the light of the setting moon, he saw a small temple with white pillars. The steps were of coral and the surface covered with gold. It gleamed in the moonlight. As he peered closer, he suddenly spied a woman and knew unmistakably this was Sita—the beloved of Rama. She looked like the crescent moon, pale and wan. She was emaciated through fasting and was clad in a soiled yellow garment and devoid of all ornaments. Her lovely eyes were filled with tears that dropped unceasingly to the ground. Sorrow seemed to be her constant companion. Her long black hair was tied in a simple braid that fell to her thighs. She, who had been a stranger to sorrow, now knew only grief. Unwashed and unkempt as she was, she resembled a flame covered with smoke, and Hanuman knew instantly that this was indeed Sita, the darling of Rama, the princess of Videha. She was surrounded by rakshasis (female demons). Hanuman was filled with sorrow to see the beautiful queen of Ayodhya in such a sad plight. She who had been protected by the lotus-eyed Rama was now being protected by rakshasis with crooked eyes and deformed bodies! She was surrounded by these horrendous monsters, some with one eye or one ear, some without ears, some with noses on their foreheads, some hairy, some bald, some hunchbacked, and some with faces resembling goats, foxes, camels, and horses. Some had huge ears covering their bodies and some three eyes. Some had hanging bellies and flapping lips and voices like rasps. Some were leering, others grim. All of them without exception were misshapen and frightening to behold. Ravana had especially chosen them to frighten Sita into submission to his will. Surrounded by these hideous creatures, Sita was seated at the foot of one of the trees, the picture of despair with her head in her hands.
It is thought that symbolically, the misshapen ogresses may represent the base desires that surround our pure soul and keep us enslaved, until, with the help of wisdom and devotion, we escape. Hanuman is the embodiment of wisdom and devotion. The monsters are depicted as being so very repulsive in order to highlight desire’s terrible hold. One of the meanings of the word sita is “whiteness,” or purity, from the Sanskrit root sit. And it is the release of the pure soul from the world of monstrous desire that is one of the central dramas of the Ramayana. Sita, whose loveliness is internal as well as external, is Beauty itself made manifest on Earth, (she is the daughter of the Earth). This much-beloved section describing Sita in the garden is called The Book of Beauty (Sundara Kanda).
Hanuman thought to himself, “This is indeed Sita. Neither the lack of ornaments nor the fact that she is clothed in rags and is frail and emaciated can hide the fact that she is a raving beauty. She is as beautiful as Rama described her—exquisite eyebrows, graceful, rounded breasts, lips as red as a berry, peacock blue throat, slender waist, lotus petal eyes—all these are visible through her screen of sorrow.”
She sat on the bare ground like a female ascetic, bound in a net of grief, the picture of shattered hope. Though parted cruelly from her husband, her mind was full of him alone. Her lips were constantly murmuring the mantra, “Rama, Rama.” This was indeed the woman for whom Rama was pining. Hanuman could see that she belonged only to Rama, body, mind, and soul.
“She is meant only for Rama and he for her. Their love for each other is so great that it is only because of it that they have managed to remain alive. All Heaven’s stars may fall, and Earth may break apart. Fire may burn cold, and waters run uphill, but Sita will never turn from Rama!” Hanuman prostrated mentally to Rama and whispered, “Lord, I have found her!”
He was overcome with sorrow at the sight of the princess of Videha who had been parted so cruelly from her husband. “Fate is indeed all powerful,” he thought to himself, “or else why should this innocent lady have to suffer like this? She was protected by no less a personage than her illustrious husband, along with Lakshmana. Her husband killed thousands of rakshasas at Janasthana for her sake because Ravana’s sister was threatening her, and now she is held captive by that very Ravana, surrounded by these hideous women, with no privacy even to weep. She has no eyes for this beautiful garden. Her eyes are in her heart and her heart is with Rama.”
Hanuman was just wondering how he could present himself to Sita when he heard the sound of music coming from the palace. It was the time known as Brahma Muhurtam. With the break of day, the bards began to chant the Vedas to wake up the demon king of Lanka. Drums started booming and lutes began playing to welcome the dawn. The perfume of incense spread over the city from the fire sacrifices that were being performed everywhere. Ravana was greeted with many w
omen fanning chouries (yak tail fans) and ghee lamps. As soon as he woke up, his first thought was of Sita. Day and night he could think of nothing but Sita. Even though he had so many beauties from all the three worlds in his harem who were willing to give in to his passion, his mind was always fixed on her who refused even to look at him and treated him with utter scorn. He had never met with such resistance from any woman in all his life, and he certainly had a lot of experience with females of every type. Her resistance only served to whet his appetite. It was a challenge to him, and he was determined to make the citadel fall at all costs. He was sure that no woman could resist him for long and that it could only be a matter of time before she succumbed like all the others. He would happily have forced her to comply with his desire, but he had been cursed that if he took a woman without her consent, his head would burst, so he had to desist. Every morning as soon as he woke up, he was irresistibly drawn toward the grove and hurried there before he attended to any of his state matters.
Anjaneya looked up as the noise of bugles and cymbals came closer, and then he saw Ravana approaching with a bevy of belles. Most of them looked sleepy due to the intoxication of the night, but they hurried after their Lord, carrying chourie fans, golden lamps, cushions, and pitchers of wine. When he came close to the tree on which Sita was leaning, he commanded the rakshasis surrounding her to push off and also told his entourage to stand apart so that they would not be a witness to his ardent wooing! Hanuman came down the tree a little in order to have a closer look at the King of Lanka. He concealed himself behind the leaves and peered through the gaps. He had only seen him when he was asleep. Now he looked even more magnificent. He was clad in the finest of white garments, which billowed like a cloud behind him, and he was adorned with many fantastic ornaments, all meant to charm the heart of any female.
