Mandodari

by Manini J Anandani

  A celebration heralded the completion of thirty years of Ravana’s reign. Lanka had prospered under his rule; it had stronger allies, booming trade, fiscal organization, advanced equipment and weaponry and an empowered citizenry.

  A grand gathering was held. I sat next to Dashaanan. Nanashri bowed to his legendary ten-headed crown. Right then, a woman rushed in with our guards behind her, a veil draped across her face. She fell unto Dashaanan’s feet and wept. When she raised her face, her eyes gave her away. It was Meenakshi! She had returned to Lanka after a year.

  Dashaanan stood up, shocked at Meenakshi’s state. We all clambered up from our seats, the celebration in abeyance, waiting for an explanation.

  Gently, Dashaanan asked her. ‘What is the matter, sister?’ He lifted her by her shoulders. ‘I almost didn’t recognize you.’

  ‘Bhrata Lankesh, you once said that you will protect me and I have come today to seek your help!’ said Meenakshi.

  ‘I will help you, sister, but why are you in such a state? And why do you cover your face?’ asked Dashaanan.

  ‘I cannot show my face to you; I cannot even look at myself.’

  ‘Why do you say so, Meenakshi? What has happened to you?’ I interrupted.

  She hung her head in shame. ‘Uncover your face and let me see you,’ said Dashaanan.

  ‘I beg you to not ask this of me, brother. I have been humiliated and if you see me, you will be too,’ cried Meenakshi.

  ‘Enough, Meenakshi, show me your face!’ said Dashaanan and she pulled her veil down.

  There was a brief moment of shocked silence before the murmurs began. Dashaanan stared at her. I felt weak with shock. Behind the veil was the hollow of her nose. The flesh from her nose and ears was also missing.

  ‘I knew you could not bear to see my face. I am sorry that I have come to you like this, my brother. But I seek your help; avenge me! Avenge our dead cousins Khara and Dushana!’

  ‘How did this happen?’ asked Dashaanan. He screamed at his guards, ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me about Khara and Dushana?’

  ‘Two brothers portray themselves as destroyers of evil and kill rakshasa men. One of them did this to me! And that man has no guilt for what he has done. He knew I was your sister; I warned him, but he mocked you. I would have killed myself for the disgrace I have gone through, but I couldn’t die peacefully either. They have insulted you too and I want them destroyed,’ said Meenakshi and Dashaanan clenched his fists.

  ‘Who are they? Who had the nerve to behave like this with my sister?’ thundered Dashaanan.

  ‘Those two brothers and a woman dwell in the forest of Dandakaranya. They have been exiled from their kingdom, Ayodhya. They are savage beings, my lord. I warned them that I was your sister and that you would finish them if you learnt about their misconduct. But they didn’t care about anything, as if you couldn’t stand a chance against them at all.’

  ‘But where did you meet them, sister Meenakshi? Why would they harm you like this?’ I asked her.

  Meenakshi narrated in detail. ‘When I reached Bharatvarsh with Khara and Dushana, we planned our journey to the colonies of Dandaka through the forest region. As we moved northwards, we heard various stories about these two manava brothers from Ayodhya who were gaining control over rakshasa and yaksha tribes by killing their men. There was a rumour that these two brothers were princes in exile, trying to finish asura rule from the north of Bharatvarsh in order to serve their kingdom in disguise. They are called Rama and Lakshmana. Some sages and devas support them in the killings too.’

  Some people present in court already knew these names. They came forward to hear Meenakshi’s story.

  ‘We reached the dense forest of Dandakaranya and set our camp there for three months. I asked my son to continue his journey to Dandaka with a few guards for safety. During this time, we heard that one of our relatives had been killed by these manava brothers.’ She turned towards Mama Marichan, who was present at court for the celebration. ‘It was your mother Taraka, who ruled over a region in that forest.’

  ‘Khara and Dushana now gauged that these brothers were not ordinary men. They announced a reward amongst their army to capture them. We were told that they were hiding in another part of the forest, which they kept protected from intruders. Hence, our men started looking in the regions around the area they occupied.

  ‘Once, when I was bathing in a nearby river, I saw a woman at the other end. She was filling a pot and didn’t notice me. She was as beautiful as an apsara. There were hardly any women in that region, and I was curious to know who she was. I began swimming towards her but she spotted me halfway and shouted for help. “Lakshmana, there is something in the water!”

  ‘I revealed myself. A man hurried out at her calls. He strung his bow and prepared to shoot into the water. “Wait! That’s a woman. I misunderstood her for some animal,” she stopped him.

  ‘“I am sorry if I frightened you. I saw you from the other end. Who are you? And who is he?” I asked her.

  ‘“You tell us who you are or else I will kill you,” said the man. But the woman insisted: “No, Lakshmana, wait! She is a woman.” She turned towards me and said, “We mean no harm; we are in exile and he is my brother-in-law Lakshmana. Please return whence you came from.”

  ‘I returned to our camp and informed our cousins about them. Lakshmana, the name was clear and renowned. They left immediately with warriors to attack him and his brother. I followed them. Our men searched the nearby regions and found their dwelling. They lived in a protected wooden shelter inside a boundary. There were three distant boundaries set by them, which went unnoticed by our men.

  Then we waited in the woods for them to reveal themselves. We saw one man trying to repair a fence, the other on guard and the woman doing household chores. As soon as our men proceeded to raid the place, we heard a crack and several of our guards hung upside down from branches. It was a trap. Our men were caught in a snare around their boundary. They heard the guards shouting from the trees and were alerted. One by one, I saw all our guards die at their hands. Khara and Dushana were slayed in front of my eyes. I screamed in terror as I watched them die. Lakshmana saw me hiding, ran towards me and grabbed my hair.

  ‘“We saw this woman near the river. She was with them, a rakshasi, I guess,” said Lakshmana to his brother Rama. It was clear that Rama was elder to him.

  ‘“I told you to go back where you came from; why are you here?” asked the woman, who was Rama’s wife.

  ‘“Bhabhi, she is not an ordinary woman. She must have told them our whereabouts,” said Lakshmana and pulled my hair even harder.

  ‘“Let me go; you don’t know who I am,” I told him.

  ‘“Then tell us! These asuras that we killed, were you married to any of them?” asked the elder brother Rama.

  ‘“No, I am a widow. The men you killed today, Khara and Dushana, were my cousins.”

  ‘“Hmm, they said they were related to Taraka and attacked us for revenge,” said Rama.

  ‘“You have killed our people. You have killed men with wives and children, who are now orphans. You should be ashamed of yourself,” I replied and Lakshmana slapped me. “How dare you speak to my brother like that?” he said.

  ‘“Enough, Lakshmana, leave her on the outskirts of the forest. She is harmless,” said Rama.

  ‘“Bhaiya Rama, she harmed us by exposing us. I shouldn’t have left her in the first place,” said Lakshmana, and kicked me this time.

  ‘“Enough, you strike me again and I will make sure my brother kills you. You behave with a woman like this! Just because I am alone doesn’t mean I can’t protect myself,” I warned him.

  ‘“Is that true? Then why don’t you show us your talent?” Lakshmana mocked me. He bent down to face me. “You look pretty, though, you know. I would have married you and kept you here had I not been married already. You are of no use to my brother too. I pity you, with your people killed and no husband, you must be so lonely.” I couldn’t tolerat
e him humiliating me any further. I scratched his face with my nails.

  ‘“You monster, how dare you!” he tried hitting me again but his brother stopped him. “Enough, Lakshmana, leave her now,” said Rama.

  ‘“No, bhaiya, not so easily. I ought to teach her a lesson first,” said Lakshmana, pulling out his knife.

  ‘“Stop it or else my brother will kill you in revenge. He is the king of Lanka,” I warned him again.

  ‘“I don’t care who your brother is. If he comes for revenge, I will kill him too.” He locked my arms behind my back and peeled off my nose and ears with that knife.’

  We were stunned with rage. Never had we heard of a woman being treated so savagely. Meenakshi wept helplessly.

  She went on: ‘I screamed with pain. My ears and nose were bleeding profusely. He dragged me to the river bank and pushed me in. Night was about to fall and I somehow made it back to our camp. My four remaining guards and I fled from the forest and came back home.’

  Dashaanan’s face had darkened. His voice trembled as he spoke. ‘I will make them repent, sister. I can’t express how miserable your condition makes me feel. Your wounds are my wounds; your humiliation is mine. I swear in front of this court that I will avenge you and make them repent for their sins. You will get your justice,’ he announced and stormed out.

  Meenakshi was taken for treatment. Mata Kaikesi and the other royal ladies were informed about her return. Meanwhile, close family members gathered in the palace courtyard to discuss matters.

  ‘They are in exile; we cannot attack their kingdom,’ said Nanashri.

  ‘We don’t know their location so well. And they don’t seem to be ordinary men. They are manava princes and definitely very skilled to have defeated Khara and Dushana,’ said Vibhishana.

  ‘I am not bothered if they are rakshasas, devas or manavas, I want their wicked heads off,’ said Dashaanan.

  ‘Lankesh, when I went to Dandaka a year ago, I heard various stories about these brothers who were hunting down asuras on Sage Vishwamitra’s orders. I warned my mother Taraka and brother Subahu about the threat they posed. But it is obvious that our mother couldn’t escape death. I have sent a message to summon Subahu. He should be here in a few days. I suggest we plan our strategy after speaking to him as he has been in battle with those brothers,’ said Marichan.

  ‘I agree with Marichan. Subahu knows their tactics. It will be good to know how powerful an enemy we are dealing with before we attack them,’ suggested Nanashri.

  ‘Are you blind to my sister’s suffering? I cannot wait a single day to finish them off!’ roared Dashaanan.

  ‘Bhrata Lankesh, we all know how mighty our cousins Khara and Dushana were. It is impossible to believe that they, along with their army of thirty-five soldiers, were defeated by merely two people of average strength. They are more powerful than we are giving them credit for,’ said Vibhishana.

  ‘Vibhishana is right. Let us prepare for the attack while we wait for Subahu,’ added Nanashri.

  Dashaanan stood up, thinking for a brief moment. He grudgingly agreed, ‘Prepare our army in the meantime. My son Narantaka will be in charge of the mission. Inform Meghanath to take soldiers under him accordingly. Narantaka should arrest them and bring them here.’

  We waited three days for Mama Subahu to reach Lanka. After his mother’s death, Subahu had surrendered to Rama. He agreed to leave the forest of Dandakaranya forever in exchange for his life. Dashaanan was restless. Meenakshi’s humiliation and pain tortured him. We congregated once again.

  Mama Subahu told us everything he knew about Rama and Lakshmana. ‘My lord Lankesh, Rama and Lakshmana are no ordinary manava men. They are Kshatriyas; they call themselves Raghuvanshi, disciples of great Guru Vashishta and Muni Vishwamitra. Skilled at warfare and archery, I have seen them vanquish the toughest of opponents effortlessly. They are the sons of king Dasharatha of Ikshwaku dynasty, and the princes of Ayodhya. I have heard that one of the three queens of Ayodhya demanded Rama’s exile in order to pass the throne to her own son. They wandered around until finally settling in the western part of the Dandaka forest. Their exile of fourteen years will be over soon. While in exile, they have gained knowledge of celestial weaponry from Vishwamitra. In return, they have eliminated the asuras threatening Vishwamitra’s sacred practices. Also in exile with them is Rama’s wife Sita, daughter of king Janaka of Mithila.’

  I saw Dashaanan’s eyes widen in surprise. Thirteen years ago, the same name had caused quite a stir at her swayamwar. ‘Sita, the daughter of king Janaka!’ He had not forgotten her.

  ‘Bhrata Lankesh that means this Rama is the same Prince of Ayodhya who had won that contest in Mithila. He is the one who lifted and broke the mighty bow of Shiva!’ added Vibhishana.

  ‘Sita, wife of Rama . . . are you sure she is the same Sita—daughter of king Janaka?’ asked Dashaanan.

  ‘I am most certain, my lord. She is also known as Janaki, after her father Janaka, to commoners,’ said Mama Subahu.

  ‘But, Lankesh, attacking these brothers in exile would be beneath us. Their kingdom will have nothing to do with them until their exile is over. We cannot attack them right now,’ said Nanashri.

  ‘In that case, I know another way of avenging my sister. They disgraced a woman and I will show them how it feels when a woman of one’s family is mistreated,’ said Dashaanan.

  ‘My lord, what are you thinking of doing?’ I probed, fearing his intentions.

  ‘We cannot start a battle with them and, thus, must provoke them to do it,’ said Dashaanan.

  ‘And how will we provoke them, my lord? They have no purpose to travel so far for a battle,’ asked Mama Subahu.

  ‘We will give them a motive. A taste of their own medicine. I will do it myself,’ said Dashaanan and turned towards Mama Marichan. ‘They haven’t seen you; you have to come with me. We leave for Dandaka tomorrow.’

  SEVENTEEN

  I probed for answers, worried about what Dashaanan would do next. Before he left for Dandaka, I had a final word with him.

  ‘My lord, please remember that Sita is not at fault for what happened with sister Meenakshi. You can punish her husband and his brother for their deeds, but don’t involve Sita.’

  ‘Why do you think I will involve her? She is not my enemy,’ said Dashaanan.

  ‘But I know that your plan has something to do with her. What are you thinking, my lord? Please tell me.’

  ‘Trust me, Mandodari, I haven’t thought about it yet. I want to see them first and then decide.’

  ‘If I may ask, what happened during Sita’s swayamwar all those years ago? Is your revenge in any which way motivated by that?

  ‘If you believe I want to take revenge for my own failings, you are mistaken. This is about Meenakshi. If you think I want to take revenge for what happened during that contest, then you are wrong. The resentment of losing that contest still remains but it has nothing to do with what happened to my sister. They have challenged me unwittingly. Not only have they cut my sister’s nose, but they have also dared us all at Lanka. I am duty-bound to respond to that.’

  ‘My lord, I beg your pardon, but I want to say one last thing: take no woman’s wrath any more. Please don’t do anything that marks you against a woman’s will.’

  ‘What do you think Rama and Lakshmana have done? And exactly how would you mark them for what they have done to my sister? Are they any different than I, Mandodari?’ asked Dashaanan and I could not answer him.

  ‘My lord, I advise you because there have been times in the past when you have mistreated women.’

  ‘I have treated men with more brutality than women. Why do you choose to fixate on the episodes where only women were involved?’

  It struck me that in my own eyes I had relegated Dashaanan to being a lecher. I had convinced myself, perhaps to reconcile with his politically driven marriages and the women he kept in the antapura that at the heart of his conduct was lust. I wanted to claim his love, be its sole recipient, a
nd saw his adultery as debauchery.

  ‘I will be back soon. My vengeance is towards Rama and Lakshmana; I will try not to harm Sita,’ he assured. Then he took his Pushpaka Vimana and along with Mama Marichan flew across the ocean.

  Seven days later, a guard reported he had seen our vimana in the air, making its way back. Along with Nanashri, Vibhishana, Sarama, Meghanath and Dhanyamalini, I reached the landing ground.

  ‘Lankeshwar didn’t inform us about his arrival. I hope everything is fine,’ said Dhanyamalini, looking for vimana in the sky.

  ‘Lankesh shouldn’t have gone. I tried to stop him but he paid me no heed. It was terribly unsafe; I am glad he is back now,’ added Nanashri.

  The vimana descended slowly. Dashaanan emerged first. Behind him, a young woman cowered, dressed in rough-spun clothes, taking in her surroundings.

  ‘Oh lord, who is that woman? Is it Sita?’ exclaimed Sarama.

  My heart pounded. I went up to them, and although I was staring at the woman behind him, I asked Dashaanan, ‘Who is she?’

  ‘She is Sita,’ came his deadpan response. He summoned the guards. ‘Take her to shanti bhavan and watch over her!’ he ordered them.

  I froze in fear. ‘Sita! You brought her here? My lord, how did she come with you?’ I gaped at him, aghast.

  ‘She didn’t come here willingly, of course,’ Dashaanan dodged, not giving me a straight answer.

  ‘So how, my lord? Did you abduct her?’ I couldn’t help but ask.

  Dashaanan looked solidly ahead. He shrugged, ‘This is the only way we get our revenge.’

  ‘No, my lord, this can’t be the only way. You cannot abduct someone’s wife to deliver justice to your sister!’ I protested. I looked at Meghanath to say something to his father but he chose to abide by Dashaanan’s wishes.

  ‘We are not doing this for justice, Mandodari; we are doing this for revenge!’ said Dashaanan and walked away.

  After sometime, we gathered in the courtyard again. I was open to discussing the matter. While I was against Sita’s abduction, there were some who saw it as a necessary evil. Since most council members did not want to overstep their bounds and question Dashaanan, I had to initiate the dialogue.