We had seen the battle evolving slowly and reaching a point where there was a heavy loss inflicted on the Rakshasa side. Many prominent heads belonging to the kith and kin of Ravana have been taken down by the more powerful vanara army guarded by the arrows of Rama and Lakshmana. Started with the Kumbhakarna, one after the other Narantaka, Devantaka, Mahodara, Trishira, Mahaparshva, Athikaya – the three sons and brothers of Ravana are all killed by the strong counterparts in the Vanara army – Angada, Hanuman, Nila, Rishaba, Lakshmana etc. As can be seen, a huge dent has been made on the enemy and how they reciprocate will be keenly observed by the elated vanaras. Still Indrajit along with Ravana – the two toughest opponents - are yet to be fully drawn into the battle. In escalation to the heavy losses, Indrajit has already arrived and made his magical presence felt by unleashing a battery of arrows, Brahmastra and rendering the vanaras, Rama and Lakshmana unconscious. By virtue of his prowess, Indrajit has done it again and it takes a very special feat from Hanuman to resurrect the fallen vanaras along with Rama and Lakshmana. This monumental feat of carrying a mountain altogether along with how the war moves along can be seen in the following chapters.
In chapter 74, After having been struck by Brahmastra missile released by Indrajit, Rama and Lakshmana became unconscious. Sixty-seven crores of monkeys fainted. Hanuman and Vibhishana, however in consciousness, roared about in the battlefront with torches in their hands, making a search of Jambavan. They find Jambavan. Jambavan requests Hanuman to proceed to Himalayas, by crossing over the ocean and to bring four important herbs. Hanuman uproots the mountain clothed with the four celestial herbs and carries it along with him. Inhaling the odour of those herbs, Rama, Lakshmana and all the monkeys regain their normal health.
When the vanaras saw Rama and Lakshmana on the ground, the entire army fainted out of sheer fright. Brushing aside their fears, Vibhishana said that the princes were not wounded, but were prone on the ground as a mark of respect to the Brahmastra given by Brahma to Indrajit. Vibhishana and Hanuman spent the night searching the battlefield for survivors among the heaps of mangled bodies and shattered weapons. They saw Sugriva, Angada, Nila, Sarabha, Gandamadhana, Gavaksha, Susena, Mainda, Dwivida and countless other vanara heroes.
Indrajit's Brahmastra had destroyed sixty-seven crore monkeys within five hours. When they found Jambhavan wounded and barely audible, he asked for Hanuman. When Vibhishana asked, "Why do you ask only for him?" Jambhavan replied, "Listen Vibhishana, so long as Hanuman is alive it does not matter even if the entire vanara army is extinct, but if Hanuman dies all of us though alive are like the dead." Hanuman came and Jambhavan asked him to go over the sea and north towards the Himalayas. Between the golden peaks of Rishabha and Kailash was the Oshadhi mountain where he would see the 4 medicinal herbs Visalyakarini, Sauvarkarini, Mritasanjivini and Sandhani. "Bring them quickly to bring the vanaras back to life," he said.
Hanuman, in search of herbs, saw what he sought, but when the herbs made themselves invisible, enraged at their disregard for Rama, Hanuman uprooted the entire peak and flew into Lanka. The vanaras who saw him roared from below and hearing them cringed the rakshasas in great fear. The moment Hanuman landed on Trikoota with the Oshadhi peak, Rama and Lakshmana stood up, while just inhaling the essence of those plants revived the entire army. Even the rakshasa hordes that had long been dead came alive. Hanuman flew back to the Himalayas to put back the Oshadhi.
In chapter 75, King Sugriva asks Hanuman to arrange for setting ablaze the City of Lanka. With torches in their hands, some monkeys throw fire to all parts of Lanka. The city, burnt by the monkeys within a short time, assumed like the earth burning at the time of a terrific dissolution of the world. Getting healed of their wounds, Rama and Lakshmana take their bows to resume fighting. Gates and buildings in the city are tumbled down by Rama's arrows. Ravana gets enraged and sends Kumbha and Nikumbha, the sons of Kumbhakarna, along with other demons to the battle. A terrific fight ensues between the monkeys and the demons. All the monkeys finally surround the army of demons on all sides.
Sugriva told Hanuman that they should attack Lanka right then as Ravana would be in no mood for war with Kumbhakarna and Athikaya dead. So, in the dark of night, with torches in hand, the vanara band rushed to the gates of Lanka setting fire from ramparts to palaces, to towers and temples, frightening away demon guards. In the splendor of mansions burned sandal, incense, silk, jewels and more, while outside the flames feasted on horses, elephants, chariots and everything else in the way. Trapped in the inferno, the cries of the hapless burning hordes was heard ten yojanas around and drowning those rose the happy roars of the vanaras.
Then came Rama. The twanging of his bowstring downed all other sounds and the power of his bow shattered the portals of Lanka. When the vanaras sounded the palace, Ravana's rage knew no bounds. He was like the very personification of his own fury. He commanded Kumbha and Nikumbha, sons of Kumbhakarna, to fight the monkey army.
In the final hour of that terrible war stood the rakshasas with tattered hair, robes, bereft of arms and armor, trounced and hemmed in by the armies from across the sea.
In chapter 76, Angada kills Akampana and severely injures Shonitaksha, the demons in battle. Angada, along with Mainda and Dvivida the monkey-warriors encounter Shonitaksha, Yupaksha and Prajangha. Angada kills Prajangha. Shonitaksha dies in the hands of Dvivida and Youpaksha at the hands of Mainda. When Kumbha throws down Angada in the battle-field, Rama sends some more monkey-chiefs headed by Jambavan. Sugriva, with his thunderbolt-like fist, strikes Kumbha with a heavy blow and kills him.
In the next battle, Angada killed Akampana, Prajagha and Sonithaksha until he fell to Kumbha's arrows wounded. When Rama sent Jambhavan and Sugriva to his rescue, impressed with Kumbha's skill, Sugriva said, "Your uncle Ravana subdued the devas and danavas by the might of his boons, but your father Kumbhakarna did it with the might of his own body. Strong and valiant as Ravana, an equal of Indrajit in archery, you are now the best among rakshasas. May all creatures now witness the battle between us, but having killed the most formidable of your enemies you seem weary, so do rest awhile. Insulted at that, the rakshasa flared like a fire fed with oblations and fell on Sugriva only to quickly die in his hands. As he fell dead, the earth shuddered, and the rakshasas shook with fear.
In chapter 77, Seeing Kumbha his brother killed in battle, the enraged Nikumbha with an iron club as his weapon roars and faces the battle. Hanuman directly attacks Nikumbha, by striking his fist forcibly on Nikumbha's breast. Unmoved by that blow, Nikumbha lifts Hanuman, off the ground. Hanuman in retaliation frees himself and throws down Nikumbha on the ground. Hanuman descends on Nikumbha, pounds his chest with his fist, catches his head and tears it off and Nikumbha dies at the hands of Hanuman.
Nikumbha's eyes flashed the fire of his anger as he looked at Sugriva. Picking up his mace as large as a Himalayan peak, he whirled it around and with it seemed to spin Lanka, the stars, the moon, the sky and all the planets. The vanaras stood rooted to the ground in terror, even as the blazing weapon flung on Hanuman's chest splintered into a hundred pieces to fall to earth like so many flaming torches. In the brief scuffle between them, Hanuman broke Nikumbha's neck.
Amidst the shrieks emitted by Nikumbha, who had fallen Under the blows of the son of Pavana, the armies of the son of Dasaratha and the son of that Indra of the Titans, both filled with fury, entered into a desperate struggle. And Nikumbha being slain, the Plavagas emitted cries of joy that re-echoed in all the quartets of the horizon and the earth seemed to tremble and the heavens crumble, whilst the hosts of the titans were filled with terror.
In chapter 78, Ravana orders Makaraksha to proceed to the battlefield with an army and to kill Rama, Lakshmana and the monkeys. Makaraksha, surrounded by his army of demons, set out for the encounter. Maharaksha's whip and flag staff fall down all of a sudden, by the will of providence, a dust-storm ensued. Ignoring those portents, Makaraskha's army march forward in the battle-field, to reach Rama and Lakshmana.
Ravana battling with his grief and his rage ordered Makaraksha, son of Kara, to kill Rama and Lakshmana.
Hearing Makaraksha's orders for war, the rangers of the night, furnished with all sorts of weapons, full of valor, closed their ranks. Able to change their shape at will, ferocious, endowed with sharp claws, their eyes inflamed, emitting the roar of elephants, causing the hair to stand on end, inspiring terror, those giants surrounded the huge son of Khara, shouting joyfully, shattering the vault of heaven. Then conches and drums sounded by thousands in all the quarters whilst they, leaping and clapping their hands, caused a great tumult. Thereafter Maharaksha's charioteer suddenly let the goad drop from his hand, and the standard fell to the ground, whilst the horses, harnessed to his chariot, slackened their pace and stumbled as they advanced, mournfully shedding tears, and, as the illustrious Makaraksha set forth, a sinister and biting dust storm arose. Nevertheless, the titans, having witnessed those portents, set out unheeding and full of courage to meet Rarna and Lakshmana and their hue was like unto herds of elephants or buffalo and they bore the marks of the blows from maces and swords received in the forefront of battle.
In chapter 79, Fight again ensues between monkeys and demons, when Makaraksha enters the battle-field. Rama kills him and demons run away to Lanka.
Makaraksha stood on the battlefield raining death on the vanaras. The monkeys get frightened of Makaraksha's arrows and begin to run away. Rama comes in and intercepts the demons with his hail of arrows. When Rama came, he challenged, "Stay Rama. Fight me. You who are the cause of my father's death at Dandaka shall now die. To avenge him, I have been seeking you like a hungry lion seeking its prey. Battle with me, with any weapon of your choice."
Rama smiled at the rakshasa. "One does not win by boasting. Sharp beaked hawks and jackals will soon be feasting on your body." No weapon of his enemy could even scathe Rama, while Makaraksha's every weapon shattered.
Rama tears off the arrows hurled by Makaraksha and Makaraksha broke the arrows released by Rama. Finally, Makaraksha breaks the chariot and the horses of his chariot, stands on the ground, takes a splendorous spike in his hand to fight and hurls it on Rama. Rama chops it off with his four arrows. When Makaraksha rushes towards Rama to fight with his fist, Rama hurls a mystic missile from his bow and kills him on the spot. The demons get frightened and run away to Lanka.
This concludes chapters 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 79 of the Yuddha Kanda where we had seen Hanuman flying to Himalayas, uproots an entire mountain and flies back, carrying entire weight of mountain including medicinal herbs with one hand. The picture of a powerful Hanuman in huge form, carrying a mountain in one hand is one of the favorite images across the land. The heroic feat brings back the unconscious vanara army back to life. It is one of the important moments when the power of Indrajit is overpowered by the son of Vayu with the help of life-inducing herbs and everyone including Rama, Lakshmana is resurrected. The act of bringing a mountain symbolizes Hanuman’s unwavering devotion, strength, and important role in winning key moments. Thereafter, the vanaras set Lanka ablaze similar to the heroic deeds of Hanuman in the last Kanda. Infuriated, Ravana sends Kumbha, Nikumbha, sons of Kumbhakarna to the battle. Both are slayed by Sugriva and Hanuman respectively after a long-drawn battle. Ravana then sends Makaraksha who is killed by Rama. With this, the powerful Indrajit is once again sent to the battlefield for a last time and his duel can be seen in subsequent chapters.
No comments:
Post a Comment