The Valmiki Ramayana

by Amish Tripathi

  Chapter 7(22)

  ‘Vaivasvata Yama heard his loud roar. He thought that the enemy had been victorious and that his own forces had been destroyed. He decided that his warriors had been killed and his eyes became red and dilated with rage. He asked his charioteer to quickly ready his chariot and bring it. The charioteer brought the divine chariot, which made a loud noise. The immensely energetic one mounted that large chariot and was astride it. Death was mounted in front, with a noose and a club in his hands, just as he does when he is about to destroy the three worlds, with their mobile and immobile objects. The personified form of Kaladanda563 was stationed next to him on the chariot. This was Yama’s divine weapon and blazed in its energy. The three worlds were terrified and the residents of heaven trembled. They saw that Death was enraged and this brought fear to the three worlds. The advisers of the Indra among rakshasas saw the gruesome chariot, with Death mounted on it. It was a sight that brought fear to the three worlds. All of them lost their spirits and their senses. They were afflicted by fear. “We are not capable of fighting.” Saying this, they fled. The rakshasa also saw the chariot that brought fear to the three worlds. However, he was not agitated or distressed. Yama approached Ravana and showered down spears and javelins, angrily piercing the rakshasa in his inner organs. Ravana remained steady and released showers of arrows on Vaivasvata’s chariot, like a cloud pouring down rain. He564 brought down one hundred large javelins on his broad chest. The rakshasa was incapable of countering these and suffered from these wounds. Yama, the afflicter of enemies, struck him with many weapons. The battle raged for seven nights and neither one was routed or defeated. The battle between Yama and the rakshasa continued again. Both wished to be victorious and neither one retreated from the encounter. With Prajapati at the forefront, the gods, the gandharvas, the siddhas and the supreme rishis assembled as spectators in the field of battle. As the foremost among the rakshasas and the lord of the dead fought, it was as if the destruction of the worlds had arrived. The Indra among rakshasas became angry in the encounter. He incessantly shot arrows from his bow and enveloped the sky. He quickly struck Mrityu with four arrows and the charioteer with seven arrows.565 He struck Yama in the inner organs with one thousand arrows.

  ‘Yama became violently angry. Garlands of flames issued from his mouth. There were angry flames in his mouth and his breath. The gods, the danavas and the rakshasas witnessed this extraordinary sight. The blazing fire of anger was about to burn down the enemy’s army. Mrityu became extremely angry and spoke to Vaivasvata. “O god! Quickly grant me permission, so that I can slay this enemy in the battle. Naraka, Shambara, Vritra, Shambhu, the powerful Kartasvara, Namuchi, Virochana, Madhu, Kaitabha and many other powerful and extremely invincible ones have become distressed on seeing me. Why worry about this roamer in the night? O one who knows about dharma! It is best to grant me permission, so that I can kill him now. After seeing me, no one is capable of remaining alive even for an instant. This is not because of my strength. It is because of the importance that has been given to me. If I touch anyone, that person can no longer remain alive.” The powerful Dharmaraja heard his words and told Mrityu, “I will kill him.” The lord Vaivasvata’s eyes turned red with rage. He raised the invincible Kaladanda in his hand. Death’s solid noose was right next to it and so was the personified form of the club, like fire to the touch. As soon as they saw these, the lives of creatures started to dry up, not to speak of embodied beings being struck by these and suffering from these. Surrounded by flames, it was about to consume the roamer in the night. Angry, the powerful one touched the extremely terrible Kaladanda with his hand. All the creatures fled from the field of battle. On seeing that Yama had raised his Kaladanda, the gods were agitated. As soon as he raised this Kaladanda in Ravana’s direction, the grandfather showed himself and spoke these words. “O Vaivasvata! O mighty-armed one! O one who is infinite in valour! You should indeed withdraw the Kaladanda and not use it against the roamer in the night. O bull among the gods! I have granted him a boon. You should not render the words I spoke false. Placing Mrityu at the forefront, I had fashioned this Kaladanda earlier and in bringing down all creatures, it will be invincible. O amiable one! Therefore, you should not bring it down on this rakshasa’s head. If it is brought down, no one is capable of remaining alive even for an instant. If it is brought down and the rakshasa does not die, or if Dashagriva dies, in either case, a falsehood will be committed. Therefore, control the Kaladanda, which you have raised to bring about the death of the Indra among the rakshasas. While all the worlds look on, make my words come true.” Thus addressed, with dharma in his soul, Yama replied. “I have withdrawn the Kaladanda. You are like the lord Vishnu to us. However, now that I am engaged in this battle, what am I capable of doing? This rakshasa is insolent because of his boon and I cannot kill him. Therefore, in the eyes of this rakshasa, I should be destroyed.” Having said this, he vanished with his chariot and his horses. Dashagriva announced that he had become victorious. Cheerful, he left Yama’s abode on Pushpaka. With the gods and with Brahma at the forefront, Vaivasvata went to heaven. Narada, the great sage, was delighted.’

  Chapter 7(23)

  ‘Thus, Dashagriva defeated Yama, the bull among the gods. Proud at his victory, Ravana saw his own aides. Maricha and the others were emboldened by his victory.566 Ravana comforted them and took them up on Pushpaka. He happily entered rasatala, the store of the waters. This was full of large numbers of daityas and serpents and was Varuna’s well-protected dominion. He went to the city of Bhogavati,567 protected by Vasuki. He went to the city that was full of jewels and brought the serpents under his subjugation. Daityas known as Nivatakavachas had obtained boons and resided there. The rakshasa approached them and challenged them in a battle. All those daityas were extremely brave and full of strength. Invincible in fighting, they wielded many kinds of weapons and started to fight. They fought with each other for more than a year. However, they could not defeat each other. Nor was either side destroyed. The undecaying grandfather could travel anywhere in the three worlds. Astride his excellent vimana, the god swiftly arrived there. He restrained the Nivatakavachas who were engaged in fighting. Knowing about the truth, the aged grandfather addressed them in these words. “The gods and the asuras are incapable of defeating this Ravana in a battle. Nor are the gods and the asuras, with Indra included, capable of bringing about your destruction. The idea of your friendship with this rakshasa appeals to me. There is no doubt that you should be united and should be each other’s well-wishers.” With the fire as a witness, Ravana contracted an alliance of friendship with the Nivatakavachas and became happy. They honoured each other and spent one year in bliss. Dashanana obtained honours that were superior to what he got in his own city. From them, he learnt more than one hundred different kinds of maya. He roamed around in rasatala, the city of the Indra of the waters.

  ‘He reached a city named Ashma,568 protected by the Kalakeyas. He conquered it in an instant and killed four hundred daityas. The lord of the rakshasas then saw Varuna’s divine abode. It possessed the complexion of a white cloud and was stationed like Kailasa. He saw the cow named Surabhee there. Milk continuously flowed from her. The milk that flows from her gives rise to the ocean named Kshiroda.569 The powerful Chandra,570 whose cool beams bring welfare to subjects, was generated from there and the supreme rishis, the Phenapas,571 survive on this. Amrita was generated there and the sura572 the gods subsist on. Men on earth know her by the name of Surabhee. Ravana circumambulated the supremely wonderful being. He then entered the extremely terrible city, protected by many kinds of forces. There were hundreds of different kinds of flows, with hues like those of autumn clouds. He saw Varuna’s excellent house, which was always cheerful. In an encounter, he attacked and killed the commander of the forces. He said, “Go and quickly tell the king that I have come. Ravana has come here, desiring to fight. Grant him a fight. If you do not wish to be terrified, join your hands in salutation and say that you have been vanquished.
” At this time, the great-souled Varuna became angry. He emerged with his sons and grandsons and with Gou and Pushkara.573 They possessed the qualities of valour and surrounded themselves with their own forces. They yoked chariots that could travel wherever they willed, as radiant as the sun, and emerged to fight. There was an extremely terrible clash that made the body hair stand up, between the sons of the Indra of the waters and the rakshasa Ravana. In a short while, the immensely brave advisers of the rakshasa Dashagriva brought down all of Varuna’s forces. Varuna’s sons saw that the net of arrows had afflicted their own forces in the battle and withdrew from the field of battle. Ravana was on the ground, but now returned to Pushpaka. On seeing this, they574 mounted swift chariots and advanced through the sky. They were now in comparable situations575 and a terrible and great clash commenced in the sky, like that between the gods and the danavas. In that battle, they used arrows that were like the fire to make Ravana retreat and cheerfully emitted many kinds of roars. On seeing that his king was suffering in this way, Mahodara became angry. The brave one wished to fight and gave up all fear of death. He saw that their horses were like the wind and could go wherever they willed. Therefore, Mahodara struck them with his club and made them fall down on the ground. In the battle, he killed the horses of Varuna’s sons. Having seen that they had thus been deprived of their chariots, he quickly emitted a loud roar. Destroyed and killed by Mahodara, their chariots, horses and excellent charioteers fell down on the ground. The great-souled Varuna’s sons abandoned their chariots. Though they were distressed, because of their own powers, those brave ones remained stationed in the sky.576 They strung their bows and pierced Mahodara. Enraged in the battle, they collectively attacked Ravana. Angry, Dashagriva was stationed like the fire of destruction. He showered down immensely forceful arrows and struck them in their inner organs. The invincible one brought down many kinds of clubs, hundreds of broad arrows, spears, javelins, shataghnis and spikes on them. Those brave ones were driven away and the foot soldiers were crushed. Having struck Varuna’s sons, the rakshasa let out a loud roar. He showered down many terrible weapons, like floods of rain from a cloud. All of them were repulsed and fell down on the ground. Servants swiftly withdrew them from the field of battle and delivered them to their houses. The rakshasa told them to convey his message to Varuna. Varuna’s minister was named Prabhasa and he told Ravana, “The immensely energetic lord of the waters has gone to Brahma’s world.577 You have challenged him to a battle, but Varuna has gone there, to listen to the gandharvas.578 O brave one! With the king gone, why are you unnecessarily exerting yourself? The brave princes assembled here, but they have been defeated.” Hearing this, the Indra among rakshasas announced his name. Uttering roars of delight, he emerged from Varuna’s abode. He returned along the route he had used to come. Proceeding through the sky, the rakshasa headed in the direction of Lanka.’

  Chapter 7(24)

  ‘The evil-souled Ravana returned cheerfully. Along the path, he abducted the daughters of royal sages, gods and gandharvas. If the rakshasa saw any beautiful woman or maiden, he slew her relatives and placed her in his vimana. In this way, Ravana seized the daughters of serpents, yakshas, men, rakshasas, daityas and danavas. Their hair was long. Their limbs were beautiful. Their faces were like the full moon. All of them were young. Afflicted by fear, their breasts hung down. They were like the rays of the fire. Their fear gave rise to a fire of grief. Suffering from misery, they trembled and shed warm tears. As they sighed, their breathing seemed to ignite everything. It was as if the fire of an agnihotra sacrifice had been lit inside Pushpaka. Some were afflicted by great sorrow and wondered, “When will he kill me?” Overwhelmed by sorrow and misery, the women remembered their mothers, fathers, brothers, sons and fathers-in-law and collectively lamented. “What will my son do without me? What will my mother and my brother do?” They were immersed in an ocean of grief. “Alas! What will I do without my divinity, my husband? O Death! Show me your favours and convey me to Yama’s abode. In earlier times, in a different body, what evil deeds have been committed by me? That is the reason I have been oppressed in this way and am submerged in an ocean of grief. Indeed, I do not see any end to my present sorrows. Since this wicked one has proved to be supreme, shame on this world of men. Ravana is powerful and is stronger than my relatives. He is like a rising sun that has destroyed the stars. Alas! This rakshasa is extremely strong. If I know about the means of his death, I will be delighted. Alas! He is evil in conduct and does not understand this himself. This evil-souled one is strong in every possible way. This act of oppressing other people’s wives is an act that is worthy of him. This evil-minded one always finds delight in the wives of others. Therefore, because of what he has done to women, Ravana deserves to be killed.” Because of the curses of the women, he lost his energy and his radiance was diminished. They were virtuous and devoted to their husbands. They based themselves on the path of virtue.

  ‘While they lamented in this way, Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas, entered the city of Lanka and was worshipped by the roamers in the night. The sister of the king of the rakshasas was extremely miserable. She fell down at his feet and attempted to speak. Ravana raised his sister and comforted her. He said, “O fortunate one! What is it? Tell me quickly.” Her eyes overflowing with tears, the rakshasi replied in these words. “O king! Because of your strength, I have become a widow. O king! Because of your valour, the daityas have been slain in the battle. They were known as the Kalakeyas and were immensely strong and brave. O brother! I loved my husband more than my own life. But at that time, because he was regarded as an enemy, he was killed. O king! When you killed this relation of mine, it is as if you killed me too. It is because of you that the appellation of ‘widow’ is being applied to me and I have been forced to suffer this. You should certainly have protected your brother-in-law in the battle. O king! However, you have slain him in the battle and are not ashamed.” The rakshasa was addressed and reprimanded by his sister in this way. He comforted her and spoke to her in words of conciliation. “O child! Enough of this grieving. You should not be scared in any possible way. In particular, I will always satisfy you with honours and gifts. I was intoxicated in the battle. Desiring victory, I shot arrows. O auspicious one! In the heat of the battle, I did not distinguish friend from foe. O sister! That is how I killed your husband in the battle. That being the case, right now, I will do whatever is beneficial for you. Go and reside with your prosperous brother, Khara. I will grant your brother the gift that he will be the lord of fourteen thousand greatly energetic rakshasas. The lord Khara is your brother. He is the son of your mother’s sister. You will see that he will himself always do whatever you ask him to do. For the sake of protecting Dandaka, quickly go to that brave one. The immensely strong Dushana will be the commander of the forces. Earlier, the enraged Ushanas had cursed him that he would reside in this part of the forest, inhabited by rakshasas. There is no doubt that this will happen.”579 Having said this, Dashagriva commanded his soldiers, fourteen thousand rakshasas who could assume any form at will. Fearless, Khara surrounded himself with these rakshasas, who were terrible to behold, and quickly left for Dandaka. With all his thorns destroyed, he established a kingdom there. Happy, Shurpanakha started to live in the forest of Dandaka.’