We had seen the dilemma faced by Rama and the vanara army upon reaching the southern tip of the land facing ocean. Before that Vibhishana departs from Lanka and joins with Rama as he prepares for the battle. He gives advice to Rama to request Ocean god to allow passage through the waters and reach Lanka. Earlier it was Hanuman who could cross the ocean and search in Lanka for Sita. No one else can even think about this, let alone crossing the ocean and reaching Lanka. While the single most powerful Hanuman can fly over the waters, the time has come for the ordinary few to take flight as well. There is a need for an entire army to reach the battlefield across the ocean. This necessity propelled Rama to wait for sea god for few days and nights to appear before him and ask him for a way to resolve the impasse. When this wait failed to bear any fruitful outcome, the enraged Rama threatens to empty the oceans with his powerful weapons and make a passage for vanaras to walk through. The anger threatens the lives in the deep waters and shakes the ocean God who appear in front of Rama to suggest a way and bridge the divide. This is the beginning of the invasion of an unassailable Lanka and doorway to reach an otherwise impregnable Lanka. No other forms can even dare to break this deadlock if not the mightiest of men, Rama who receives boons from ocean god and conjure the army to lay a passage which carries the vanara army to the doorstep of the demon King. We can see Rama’s army swelling up in Lanka in the following chapters and Ravana’s continued problems in coming to terms with reality.
In chapter 22, when Rama is about to release a missile presided over by Brahma from his bow, the sea-god appears in person before him with joined palms and advises him to get a bridge constructed by Nala across the ocean. The ocean god disappears after giving this advice to Rama. Nala accordingly constructs a bridge across the sea with the help of other monkeys.
Furious at the still invisible Samudra, Rama thundered, "My arrows shall incinerate the creatures that inhabit your waters, and your home shall be filled with sand." When Rama pulled out his most powerful of arrows, the earth quaked, mountains shuddered and a great darkness descended upon the earth. Raging winds felled massive trees and split lofty mountain peaks while shrill cries of terror rang from all directions.
All of a sudden, the lashing roaring waves began to recede for a form to appear. Rama stopped his attack and from the turbulent flood appeared the ocean's magnificent form, rising like the sun over mountain peaks; the wondrous bejeweled form stepped out, paid homage to Rama and said, "Rama, the earth, the wind, the sky, water and fire are ever bound by their essential nature. Depth and restlessness are mine. Bound by them, I am impossible to cross or swim. Nothing, not desire, not greed or fears can still my crocodile infested waters. The only help I can promise is to see that the sea monsters do not pray upon the army while on their way to the other shore. I shall also help them with the bridge."
The sea god also told Rama that Nala, son of Vishvakarma, would build the bridge. Nala reverently promising to do so gathered thousands of monkeys to help him. The monkeys then descended upon the many forests of the earth to uproot the largest and tallest of trees and threw them into the sea, while the strongest among them carried boulders as large as elephants. In five days rose a bridge, ten yojanas wide and ten yojanas long. The bustle of it all reached the skies. Gods and gandharvas came in droves to see the greatest of wonders. Then began the exodus into Lanka, with Rama being carried by Hanuman and Lakshmana by Angada. Drowning the very roar of the ocean, marched the armies. As some walked the bridge, some jumped in and out of the water, while some soared into the sky. Meanwhile the celestials beholding the awesome spectacle came to bless Rama, "May you destroy all enemies and rule this sea-girdled earth forever."
In chapter 23, Rama explains to Lakshmana the various portents he observes around him, that signal a destructive war fare. He orders the formation of battalions in the army and surges forth together with the battalions towards Lanka.
Rama and his armies soon stood on the shores of Lanka. Dividing them into many battalions headed by great generals, he settled them into camps where cool water and luscious fruit were plenty. Surveying the panorama before him, Rama said, "Lakshmana, winds blow fiercely, the earth trembles, great trees fall without cause and thundering clouds rainwater tinged with blood. Many bears and monkeys will die, and I fear great destruction. The gloomy sky seems to herald the dawn of doomsday. Jackals howl fearfully as mighty birds are felled by tiny ones. Filled with weapons, the world will soon be scattered with the flesh and blood of vanaras and rakshasas. Let us not wait anymore. Let us go to the city of Lanka."
In chapter 24, Seeing Lanka and describing it, Rama instructs Lakshmana to draw up his army in battle array. Rama orders for release of Suka who was captured by the army earlier. Suka approaches Ravana and describes the strength of Rama's side of the army. Ravana boasts of his own army's strength.
When Suka reached his king, Ravana laughed out aloud and said, "Your feathers are torn, and your wings seem bound. Did you perhaps fall victim to the fickle minded vanaras?" Suka replied, "Yes, even as I was delivering your message, they caught me, threw me to the ground and pounded me with their fists. Rama, slayer of the mightiest rakshasas, has landed on this island seeking Sita and now stands at the gates of Lanka. Massive as the mountains and larger than clouds, the bear and monkey legions seem to infest the entire earth. Either give up Sita or prepare to fight but do it quickly."
Ravana disagreed. Blazing eyes raining the fire of his fury, he thundered, "I shall war with Rama. When will my arrows pierce him and when will I eclipse his power like the sun eclipses the stars? He craves to fight me whom even Indra and Varuna could not vanquish. Indomitable as the sea and swift as the tempest's flight, I can face any god, gandharva or deva. Unaware of my invincible strength, Rama courts conflict with me.
In chapter 25, while Rama crossed over to the other shore of the sea, Ravana instructs his ministers, Suka and Sarana to enter the enemy's army in disguise and to bring all the required information about them. When Suka and Sarana enter the enemy's ranks, Vibhishana recognizes and captures them. But Rama sets them free. Going back to Ravana, they explain the mighty strength of the enemy's ranks and exhort him to restore Sita to Rama.
Ravana called for his ministers, Suka and Sarana and said, "Rama crossing the impassable ocean is here with his forces. That he has constructed a bridge hitherto unseen and unheard of also seems unbelievable. Infiltrate into the vanara army, find out how the bridge was made, what their weapons are and of the might of Rama and Lakshmana."
Transformed into monkeys came the rakshasas to spy on the teaming masses from across the sea. Every garden, grove, shore and mountain was swarming with them and their flow into Lanka seemed unending. Even the sea was filled with raucous warriors yet to arrive, whom the rakshasas beheld in stunned disbelief. Even as they stood agape, to their horror Vibhishana recognized them to be the spies that they were.
Caught, condemned and losing all hope of even being alive, the repentant demons pleaded for Rama's mercy. Noble prince, ever compassionate and righteous, Rama smiled at the culprits and said, "Go, see all that you have come to see. Obey every command of your master and go back to Lanka in all freedom. If there is anything else you want to know, Vibhishana himself will show you around and when you return to Lanka repeat this exact message to your king, 'Ravana, what power did you resort to when you stole Sita from me? Use that same power now to save your kith, kin and army. At dawn tomorrow I shall be on the threshold of your city and my anger in the form of my arrows shall incinerate Lanka and its monsters."
Struck by Rama's righteousness, the spies from the court of Ravana went back to tell their king, "Lord of Lanka, when we were in the midst of the armies from Kishkindha we were recognized, caught and taken to Rama. The most magnificent of all, a rare combination of greatness and goodness, Rama in all his mercy released us who deserved death. There we also saw Lakshmana, Vibhishana and Sugriva, a congregation of the most powerful of beings on earth. So great is their might that they can uproot Lanka without the help of their countless legions. In the presence of Rama and his bow, even the powers of Lakshmana, Vibhishana and Sugriva seem to fail. Protected by him, even the combined forces of devas cannot vanquish the vanaras. So, Ravana give up your enmity with Rama, your anger, and above all give up Sita."
In chapter 26, Hearing the submission of Sarana, Ravana climbs up the roof of his palace and sees the entire army of monkeys from there. Ravana enquires about the various monkey leaders and Sarana shows him Nila, Angada, Nala, Sweta, Kumuda, Rambha, Sarabha, Panasa, Vinata and Krathana the army-generals along with their distinguishing characteristics.
Ravana refused to heed Sarana. He said that not even for the fear of all the devas would he give up on Sita. "Abused by the vanaras and afraid of them, you ask me to return Sita. Show me one enemy who can face me on the battlefield." But later when he beheld the countless vanara armies he wanted to know all about Sugriva, his army and its commanders. Sarana said, "Many are the indomitable warriors that march upon Lanka and all of them are here for the explicit purpose of battling with you. Hanuman, who came in search of Sita for Rama's sake, is the cause for all this. Nila makes Lanka shudder with his fury and then there is Angada, son of Vali, Sarabha, Panasa, Vinatha, Gavaya and many more. Each have their own legions whose numbers are limitless, whose might have no match, and whose one desire is to destroy you.”
This concludes chapters 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 of Yuddha Kanda where we had seen sea-God finally appear before Rama and gives a solution to bridge the two land masses. Nala and the monkey army promptly construct a bridge to pour themselves into Lanka in huge numbers. The feat is an unprecedented celestial wonder and everyone from the heavens witnesses the awesome spectacle of passage and bless Rama. Once the army reaches Lanka, Rama sees a picture of days lying ahead with many dead on both sides. He asks for the army to stand guard and orders for the release of Suka, who was captured earlier. Ravana laughs out aloud when Suka reaches him. Suka speaks the plain truth and conveys Rama with his magnificent army has landed on the island. He asks to give up Sita which Ravana disagrees with and still thinks he is invincible in his illusory world when the enemy is next to him in unimaginable numbers and powers. Ravana himself sees the enemy army building up and asks his ministers Suka and Sarana to enter the opposite ranks in disguise. The two of them are caught spying and Rama asks them to deliver everything they had seen to Ravana while also pardoning them. Terrified and fleeing back to Ravana, the spies speak about the great qualities of Rama’s army along with their unmatched powers and implores him to give up on enmity, anger and Sita. Ravana, again refuses to heed Sarana, who explains about the indomitable vanara warriors who arrived in Lanka. The ground continues to build for the war and everything preceding unravels quickly which can be seen in subsequent chapters as well.
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