The Valmiki Ramayana

by Amish Tripathi

  Chapter 3(46)

  When Sita spoke in this way, Ravana became angry. With his forehead furrowed, he replied in these harsh words. ‘O one who is beautiful in complexion! I am Vaishravana’s283 stepbrother. O fortunate one! My name is Ravana and I am the powerful Dashagriva. Just as all beings are scared of Death, the gods, the gandharvas, the pishachas, the birds and the serpents are terrified of me and flee. Vaishravana is my stepbrother. Because of a certain reason, I angrily challenged him to a duel and in that encounter, vanquished him with my valour. Because he was afflicted by his fear of me, Naravahana abandoned his own seat of prosperity and sought refuge on the excellent Kailasa, supreme among mountains.284 He possessed an auspicious vimana named Pushpaka that could travel anywhere at will. O fortunate one! I obtained this through my valour and use it to travel through the sky. O Maithilee! When they glance at my face, once my rage has been ignited, the gods, with Shakra at the forefront, are terrified and run away. Wherever I am present, the wind is scared to blow. Scared of me, the sun turns his fierce rays into gentle rays. Wherever I am present or roam around, the leaves on the trees do not flutter and the water in the rivers is quiet. My auspicious city of Lanka is on the other shore of the ocean. It is like Indra’s Amaravati and is full of terrible rakshasas. It is decorated and protected by white ramparts. The beautiful city has golden chambers and gates of lapis lazuli. The place is full of elephants, horses and chariots and there is the blaring of trumpets. The gardens are ornamented with trees and these are laden with fruits that yield all the objects of desire. O Sita! O princess! Reside there with me. O spirited one! You will no longer remember that you are a human lady. O one who is supreme in complexion! Enjoy human and divine objects of pleasure. You will no longer remember Rama. As a human, his lifespan is over. King Dasharatha instated his beloved son. But the eldest son was limited in valour. That is the reason he left for the forest. O large-eyed one! Rama has been dislodged from his kingdom. Bereft of his senses, he has become an ascetic. Why should you practise austerities with him? I am the lord of all the rakshasas. However, overcome by desire, I have come here myself. You should not refuse a person who has been afflicted by Manmatha’s arrows. O timid one! If you refuse me, you will have to repent, like Urvashi did when she struck Pururava with her foot.’285

  Thus addressed, Vaidehi became angry and her eyes turned red with rage. In that lonely place, she addressed the lord of the rakshasas in these harsh words. ‘You wish to perform an inauspicious deed. How can you say that the god Vaishravana, worshipped by all the gods, is your brother? O Ravana! All the rakshasas will certainly be destroyed. They have a cruel and evil-minded king like you, who has not been able to conquer his senses. After abducting Shachi, Indra’s wife, it is possible to remain alive. However, it is impossible to remain alive after abducting me, Rama’s wife. Shachi’s beauty has no parallel. After oppressing her, even though the wielder of the vajra holds the weapon in his hand, it is possible to remain alive for a long time. O rakshasa! However, after oppressing someone like me, there can be no emancipation, even if one has drunk amrita.’

  Chapter 3(47)

  Hearing Sita’s words, the powerful Dashagriva struck the palm of one hand with the other and assumed an extremely gigantic form. He again addressed Maithilee in severe words. ‘I think that in your madness, you have not heard about my valour and prowess. Using my two arms, I can raise the earth up into the sky. I can drink up the ocean. Stationed in a battle, I can slay Death. Using my sharp arrows, I can shatter the sun and fragment the earth. I can assume any form at will. O mad one! Behold the form of the lord who can grant everything.’ When Ravana said this, in the light of the torch, his angry eyes turned red and seemed to be tawny at the edges. Ravana abandoned the agreeable form of a mendicant. Vaishravana’s younger brother assumed his own form, with a complexion and form that was like that of the Destroyer. His eyes were red. He was radiant, with ornaments made out of molten gold. The one who roamed around in the night assumed a form with ten heads, holding a bow and arrows. The one who was gigantic in form gave up the disguise of a mendicant. Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas, assumed his own form. Attired in red garments, he looked at Maithilee, jewel among women. Her hair was black at the tips. She was attired in ochre garments and wore ornaments. Her complexion was like the sun. Ravana spoke to Maithilee. ‘O beautiful one! If you desire a husband who is famous in the three worlds, seek refuge with me. I am a husband who is your equal. Serve me for a long period of time. I will be a husband you can praise. O fortunate one! I will never do anything that you find to be disagreeable. Abandon your human sentiments and turn your mind towards me. Rama has been dislodged from the kingdom and he will not be successful in his objective. His lifespan is limited. O foolish one who prides herself on her learning! What are the qualities that you love? Because of the words of a woman, he has abandoned the kingdom and the people who are his well-wishers. The evil-minded one is residing in the forest, where predatory beasts wander around.’

  Maithilee was pleasant in speech and deserved to be addressed in agreeable words. But saying this, Ravana seized Sita, the way Mercury seizes Rohini in the sky. With his left hand, he grasped the lotus-eyed Sita near the hair on her head. With his right hand, he grasped her by her thighs. With his sharp teeth and mighty arms, his complexion was like that of a mountain peak. On seeing him, resembling Death, the divinities of the forest were afflicted by fear and fled. Ravana’s great chariot could be seen, golden in parts. It was divine and full of maya. It was yoked to mules and harsh in its clatter. He raised Vaidehi by her lap and placed her on the chariot. The one with a loud voice censured her with harsh words. The illustrious one was seized by Ravana and shrieked loudly. Rama had gone far away into the forest. Struck by grief, Sita wailed, ‘Alas, Rama!’ She did not desire this, but he was overcome by desire. She was like the wife of an Indra among serpents, as she writhed. Seizing her, Ravana rose up. Through the sky, the Indra among rakshasas abducted her. With her senses awhirl and afflicted, as if she had gone made, she shrieked loudly. ‘Alas, Lakshmana! O mighty-armed one! O one who always pleases his senior’s mind! You do not know that I am being abducted by a rakshasa who can assume any form at will. O Raghava! Though alive, you have cast aside happiness and prosperity for the sake of dharma. You do not see that I am being abducted through adharma. O scorcher of enemies! This Ravana is insolent and you are the one who subjugates those who are insolent. Why are you not instructing the one who is committing this kind of crime? Indeed, this insolent one will instantly reap the fruits of his deeds. Just as crops take time to ripe, time proceeds in segments. You have lost your senses and have committed this act because of destiny.286 Rama will inflict a terrible calamity on you and that will bring an end to your life. Kaikeyee and her relatives have certainly accomplished their wishes now. Following dharma, I am the illustrious wife of one who desires dharma. Nevertheless, I am being abducted. I request the blossoming karnikara trees of Janasthana to quickly inform Rama that Sita has been abducted by Ravana. I bow down before the summit of Malyavan and Mount Prasravana and ask them to quickly inform Rama that Sita has been abducted by Ravana. I bow down before the river Godavari, full of swans and cranes, and request that Rama be quickly informed that Sita has been abducted by Ravana. There are divinities in this forest and in the many trees. I bow down before you. Tell my husband about my abduction. There are many living creatures that reside her. I seek refuge with all of them, the large numbers of birds and animals. Tell my husband that the helpless Sita, his beloved, whom he loves more than his life, has been abducted by Ravana. When the mighty-armed and immensely strong one knows that I have been taken away from here, he will use his valour to bring me back, even if that abduction is done by Vaivasvata.287 O Jatayu! Tell Rama the truth about my abduction. Without leaving anything out, tell Lakshmana everything.’

  Chapter 3(48)

  Jatayu was asleep. Hearing the sound, he quickly awoke and saw Ravana and Vaidehi. The excellent bird possessed a sharp beak and
his complexion was like that of the summit of a mountain. While seated on a tree, the handsome one uttered these auspicious words. ‘O Dashagriva! I am established in the ancient dharma and am devoted to the truth. My name is Jatayu and I am the extremely strong king of the eagles. Rama, Dasharatha’s son, is the king of all the worlds and is like the great Indra and Varuna. He is engaged in the welfare of the worlds. He is the protector of the worlds and this is his illustrious wife. This beautiful one is named Sita and she is the one you wish to abduct. If a king is established in dharma, how can he touch another person’s wife? O immensely strong one! Specifically, if she is a king’s wife, she must be protected. Refrain from this inferior conduct of touching another person’s wife. A patient person does not indulge in an act that is condemned by others. Just as one’s own wife is protected from being touched, another person’s wife must be protected in that way. O Poulastya’s descendant! If kings do not follow dharma and do not follow the sacred texts in obtaining artha or kama, virtuous people do not follow them. The king is the supreme foundation for dharma, kama and objects.288 The king is the source for auspicious dharma or wickedness. O supreme among rakshasas! How can you be wicked in conduct and fickle? That is the way you have obtained prosperity, like a person who is evil in conduct obtaining a vimana. If a person’s nature is based on desire, he finds it impossible to cleanse himself. Nobility does not dwell in the residence of an evil-souled person for a long time. The immensely strong Rama, with dharma in his soul, has not caused any harm to your kingdom or your city. Why are you injuring him? Earlier, Khara went to Janasthana for Shurpanakha’s sake and transgressed in his deeds. Rama, unblemished in deeds, killed him. Tell me the truth. How was this a transgression on Rama’s part? Why are you abducting the wife of someone who is the lord of the world? Swiftly release Vaidehi. Otherwise, his terrible eyesight, which can burn down beings, will consume you, just as Indra’s vajra burnt down Vritra. You do not understand that you have tied up a venomous serpent at the end of your garment. The noose of destiny is entangled around your throat, but you do not see it. O amiable one! A man should pick up a burden that does not tire him out. The food that is eaten must be digestible and must not cause disease. Why should one undertake an act that does not certainly bring dharma, deeds and fame, but only brings distress to the body? O Ravana! It has been sixty thousand years since my birth. I have been properly instated in the kingdom of my fathers and grandfathers. I am aged and you are young. You have a bow, a chariot, armour and arrows. But you will not be able to take Vaidehi and go without impediment. While I bear witness, you are incapable of abducting Vaidehi forcibly. This is certainly a good enough reason, like protecting the sacred texts of the Vedas. O Ravana! If you are brave, stay for a while and fight. You will be slain and will lie down on the ground, like Khara before you. He has repeatedly slain daityas and danavas in battles. Though he is attired in rags, Rama will soon kill you in an encounter. When the two princes have gone a long distance away, what am I capable of doing? O inferior one! There is no doubt that you are scared of them and that you will quickly destroy me. However, while I am alive, you cannot take away this auspicious one. The lotus-eyed Sita is Rama’s beloved wife. As long as I am alive, I must certainly do what is agreeable to the great-souled one, to Rama and to Dasharatha. Stay. O Dashagriva! Stay for a while and see. O Ravana! O one who wanders in the night! As long as I have life, I will hospitably offer you a duel. I will bring you down from your supreme chariot, like a fruit from its stem.’

  Chapter 3(49)

  Jatayu addressed Ravana in these appropriate words. However, all of his twenty eyes blazed with anger, like fire. Adorned in earrings made of molten gold, his eyes turned red with rage. Intolerant, the Indra among the rakshasas attacked the Indra among the birds. In the great forest, they violently struck each other. They were like two clouds in the sky and a storm seemed to arise. There was an extraordinary clash between the eagle and the rakshasa. It is as if two gigantic and winged Malyavan mountains were fighting each other.289 The immensely strong one showered down extremely terrible hollow arrows, sharp iron arrows and piercing barbed arrows on the king of the eagles. In the encounter, the eagle Jatayu, the lord of those who use their wings as chariots, received Ravana’s nets of arrows and weapons. With his sharp talons and feet, the immensely strong one, supreme among birds, caused many kinds of wounds on his290 body. Wishing to crush the enemy, Dashagriva angrily seized ten arrows that were as terrible as the staff of Death. Those terrible arrows were sharp, with pointed heads made out of stone. They were straight-flying. The immensely valorous one stretched his bow all the way back and pierced the eagle with these. Seeing Janakee, with tears in her eyes, on the rakshasa’s chariot, he291 paid no heed to these arrows and attacked the rakshasa. With his claws, the immensely energetic one, supreme among birds, shattered the bow, adorned with pearls and gems, while arrows were still affixed to it. Using his wings, the immensely energetic lord of the birds shattered Ravana’s armour, which blazed like the fire. In the encounter, the powerful one slew the mules292 that were swift, with faces like pishachas and covered with divine and golden breastplates. The great chariot could travel anywhere at will and was like the flames of a fire. It possessed a trivenu, steps adorned with jewels and colourful parts. He shattered this too, with its whisks and an umbrella that was like the full moon. His bow was shattered. He was without a chariot. His horses were slain. His charioteer was killed. Grasping Vaidehi on his lap, Ravana fell down on the ground. When they saw that Ravana had fallen down on the ground, with his chariot destroyed, all the creatures praised this act and honoured the king of the eagles.

  However, on seeing that the leader of flocks of birds was exhausted, Ravana was delighted. He seized Maithilee and leapt up again. Delighted, with Janaka’s daughter on his lap, he was about to leave. But Jatayu, king of the eagles, also leapt up and spoke these words. ‘O Ravana! O one limited in intelligence! Rama’s wife is like an arrow that has the touch of the vajra. You are certainly seeking to abduct her for the destruction of the rakshasas. With your friends, relatives, advisers, soldiers and companions, you are like a thirsty person who drinks poison, taking it to be water. You do not possess discrimination and do not know the consequences that will result from this act. You will quickly be destroyed and so will they. You are bound in the noose of destiny. Where will you go to escape? You are like an aquatic creature293 bound to a hook baited with flesh, for the sake of its destruction. O Ravana! The two invincible Raghavas, Kakutsthas, will not pardon your causing this violation of their hermitage. You have committed the act of a coward, condemned by the worlds. This is the path followed by thieves, not by those who are brave. O Ravana! If you are brave, stay for a while and fight. You will be slain and will lie down on the ground, like your brother, Khara. This act of adharma is for the sake of your own destruction. A man undertakes such an act only for the sake of going to the world hereafter. If there is wickedness associated with an act, which man undertakes it? Not even the illustrious Svayambhu, the lord of the worlds, acts in this way.’ With these auspicious words, Jatayu addressed the rakshasa.

  With great force, the valiant one then descended on Dashagriva’s back. He was like an elephant rider astride a wicked elephant. With his sharp talons, he grasped and pierced him. He pierced him on the back with his talons and beak. With nails, wings and beak as weapons, he tore out his hair. He was thus repeatedly afflicted by the king of the eagles. The rakshasa trembled and his lips quivered in rage. Afflicted and senseless with anger, he grasped Vaidehi on his left flank and struck Jatayu with his palm.294 When he was thus attacked, Jatayu, lord of the birds and scorcher of enemies, used his beak to sever his ten left arms. Enraged, Dashagriva released Sita. With his fists and feet, he struck the valiant king of the eagles. There was a brief clash between those two infinitely valorous ones, the foremost of rakshasas and the supreme among birds. Ravana raised his sword and severed the wings, feet and flanks of the one who was fighting for Rama’s sake. The rakshasa,
terrible in deeds, violently severed his wings. Slain, the eagle fell down on the ground, with only a little bit of life left in him. Jatayu fell down on the ground, wounded and wet with blood. Seeing the state her friend was in, Vaidehi was distressed and rushed towards him.

  The lord of Lanka also saw Jatayu, extensive in his valour, lying down on the ground, like a conflagration that has been pacified. His form was like that of a dark blue cloud, with an extremely white chest. Crushed by Ravana’s force, the one who used his wings as a chariot fell down on the ground. Sita, Janaka’s daughter, with a face like a moonbeam, wept and embraced him.