Valmiki's Ramayana

by Vālmīki,Sattar, Arshia

‘Even though much of the monkey army has been destroyed, let us console those that are still alive!’ said Hanumān. Along with Vibhīṣaṇa, the best of rākṣasas, Hanumān walked through the battlefield at night, lighting the way with torches. They saw the earth covered with tails, arms, torsos, legs, fingers and scattered limbs. Blood flowed from the bodies of fallen monkeys who were the size of mountains and abandoned weapons glowed in the dark. Hanumān and Vibhīṣaṇa saw Sugrīva, Angada, Nīla, Śarabha, Gandhamādana, Jāmbavān, Suṣeṇa and Vegadarśī, Mainda Dvivida, Nala, Jyotimukha and Panasa, all injured on the battlefield. Seventy-six million monkeys had been slain on the fifth day of battle by Brahmā’s weapon.

  Hanumān and Vibhīṣaṇa looked among the bloodied bodies which resembled the ocean at high tide, for Jāmbavān. They found the old bear, pierced by hundreds of arrows, shining like a fire that was about to be extinguished. ‘Can it be, noble one, that you are still alive after being pierced by all these arrows?’ asked Vibhīṣaṇa.

  Jāmbavān replied slowly and painfully, ‘King of the rākṣasas, I recognize your voice, but the pain from my wounds dims my eyes and I cannot see you. Tell me, is Hanumān, the son of the Wind, still alive?’

  ‘You ignore the princes and ask about Hanumān!’ cried Vibhīṣaṇa. ‘Not for king Sugrīva nor Angada, not even for Rāma do you display the kind of affection that you do for Hanumān!’

  ‘Listen, rākṣasa, and I will tell you why I ask about Hanumān,’ said Jāmbavān. ‘If Hanumān is alive, then even though the army has been slaughtered, they are not dead. If Hanumān lives, we shall all live, even though we lie here dead. My child, Hanumān’s powers are equal to his father’s and his courage rivals that of Agni, so we have hope for life!’

  Hanumān came up to Jāmbavān, touched his feet and greeted him with respect. Jāmbavān’s senses were flickering, but he felt as if he had been reborn when he heard Hanumān’s voice. ‘Come here, tiger among monkeys!’ he said. ‘You can save us all! You are the monkeys’ best friend and you are the only one who has the power to save them. This is the time to display your prowess. I can see no other who can do what you can. Heal injured Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa and bring happiness to the army of monkeys and bears!

  ‘Hanumān, fly over the ocean and go to Himavat, the best of mountains. You will see the golden peaks of Kailāsa which are difficult to scale. Between these two mountains lies the herb mountain where all the medicinal herbs shine with unmatched splendour. There you will find four herbs, the mṛtyasan~jīvanī, viṣalyakarṇī, sauvarṇakarṇī and samdhānī. They shine so brightly that they illuminate the directions. Collect all four and bring them back here as soon as you can! Son of the Wind, put heart into the monkeys by reviving them!’

  Hanumān expanded with strength as the wind swells the waters of the ocean when he heard Jāmbavān’s words. He went to the top of a mountain and, crushed under his feet, the mountain sank into the earth. Hanumān shattered its peaks and its trees caught fire as they fell. The monkeys could no longer stand on that mountain which had been shaken to its roots. Lankā seemed to dance in the night as its doors, windows and gateways were smashed and as agitated people ran here and there.

  Hanumān was like a mountain himself as he made the earth and the ocean tremble. He roared as he prepared to leap and the rākṣasas were petrified. Hanumān honoured Rāma and steeled himself to perform another great deed for Rāma’s sake. He raised his tail which looked like a serpent, he crouched and flattened his ears against his head. He opened his mouth which blazed like the submarine fire and leapt into the sky. He carried off rocks and trees and natural monkeys but they fell into the ocean because of the speed with which Hanumān flew.

  He stretched out his arms and flew in the direction of Mount Meru. He travelled over the ocean, garlanded with waves and filled with moving and unmoving creatures, as he went onwards like a discus released from the hand of Viṣṇu. Flying as quickly as his father, he crossed mountains and forests, lakes and rivers, ponds, cities and flourishing peoples. He took the path of the sun and soon. He saw Himavat, its peaks like white clouds, covered with streams and waterfalls, caves and the settlements of pious sages. He saw Brahmāloka and the navel of the earth and golden-peaked Kailāsa.

  Between Himavat and Kailāsa, he saw the herb mountain shining like the fire because of the plants that grew on it. He was wonderstruck as he gazed at it, but he quickly alighted and began to gather herbs. He wandered all over the rocky mountain but the herbs saw him coming and, knowing his purpose, they made themselves invisible. Hanumān became impatient and roared loudly.

  ‘Why are you not sympathetic to Rāma’s cause!’ he cried to the mountain. ‘I can crush you in an instant with my strong arms!’ He grabbed the mountain by its peaks and uprooted it along with its trees, elephants, minerals and plateaux. He leapt into the sky with the mountain and the sky dwellers praised and honoured him as he flew along the path of the sun with the shining mountain. He passed close to the sun as he blazed along, shining in the sky like the thousand-spoked discus released by Viṣṇu.

  The monkeys saw him returning and roared with joy. Hanumān roared back and Lankā’s mansions echoed and resounded. He came down from the sky in the middle of the monkey army, bowed to the monkey leaders and embraced Vibhīṣaṇa. The human princes inhaled the sweet-smelling medicinal herbs and were instantly revived, their wounds healed. The other monkeys were also restored to health and vitality. Hanumān took the herb mountain back to its place near Himavat and returned quickly to Rāma.

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Sugrīva told Hanumān what had to be done next. ‘Since Kumbhakarṇa and the rākṣasa princes are dead, Rāvaṇa cannot order another attack. Let the strongest monkeys jump over the ramparts into Lankā with burning firebrands!’

  When night fell and a deep darkness covered everything, a band of monkeys crept towards Lankā with firebrands in their hands. The rākṣasas deserted their guard posts when they saw the monkeys approaching and the monkeys gleefully set fire to the towers, gates and lofty mansions.

  Thousands of buildings began to burn as the homes of rākṣasa householders were destroyed. Some of the rākṣasas were wearing golden armour and were adorned with garlands and wonderful garments. Their eyes rolled back and they reeled from all the liquor they had drunk. Some of them left their clothes in the hands of their wives, others raved and ranted against the enemy. Some were armed with clubs and spears, others were eating and drinking. Some were asleep with their women on fine couches, some ran as fast as they could, trying to get away with their children.

  The fire devoured them all in the thousands and burned ever more brightly. It consumed their beautiful, spacious homes which were decorated with all kinds of gems and jewels and had been filled with the sweet songs of birds. Enveloped by flames, the gates shone like clouds touched by lightning in the summer sky. Women who had been sleeping in their homes screamed as they burned, their bodies now bereft of all ornaments. From afar, the burning mansions looked like the peaks of the Himālayas lit up by medicinal herbs.

  Elephants and horses who had been freed ran around in confusion and made Lankā seem like the ocean boiling over at the end of time. Torched by the monkeys, in a single hour, Lankā had become like the universe blazing with the doomsday fire. Women suffocated by smoke and burned by the flames could be heard wailing ten yojanās away. When the burning rākṣasas ran out of the city, they were attacked by the monkeys who were waiting for a fight.

  Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were perfectly recovered and healed and they stood there, ready to use their bows. Rāma twanged the string of his great bow and the sound put fear into the hearts of the rākṣasas. Lankā’s towering gateway, which was as high as Mount Kailāsa, came crashing down under his arrows. The rākṣasas who were still in their homes prepared themselves for battle and struggled into their armour. Sugrīva ordered his leaders to man the gates and fight with any cr
eature that dared to pass.

  When Rāvaṇa saw the monkeys at the city gates with torches in their hands, he flew into an uncontrollable rage. He summoned Kumbha and Nikumbha, the sons of Kumbhakarṇa, and sent them out against the enemy with a huge force of rākṣasas, urging them to shout their battle cries and spurring them on to victory.

  The warriors emerged from Lankā, their bright weapons gleaming, their elephants and horses and chariots raising a terrible din, their colourful flags waving in the wind. The monkey army surged forward to meet them and the rākṣasas charged on, like moths into a flame. A terrible battle ensued with the monkeys and the rākṣasas clashing, weapon against weapon, body against body. The rākṣasas demolished the monkeys seven and ten at a time and the monkeys did the same. But when the rākṣasas tried to flee, their hair dishevelled, their clothes and armour and battle banners in shreds, the monkeys surrounded them.

  Many great warriors lost their lives in this terrible battle. Angada smashed the rākṣasa Prajangha’s head, Śonitākṣa and Yūpākṣa were killed by Mainda and Dvivida, and Sugrīva himself killed Kumbha who had injured a number of monkey leaders. Enraged that Sugrīva had killed his brother, Nikumbha jumped into the fray with renewed vigour. After a frightful battle, Hanumān took the rākṣasa’s life by twisting off his neck.

  Then Rāvaṇa sent Khara’s son, Makarākṣa, onto the battlefield with specific instructions to kill Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. Makarākṣa was motivated by the idea of avenging his father’s death and though he was a skilled and brave warrior, he was no match for Rāma. Rāma eventually killed him with a magnificent arrow powered by the fire god and once again, the other rākṣasas ran back to Lankā in terror.

  Meanwhile, Indrajit grew angrier and angrier as he thought about the innumerable heroic rākṣasas who had been killed in battle. Mighty Indrajit, thorn in the side of the gods and a descendent of Pulastya, rode forth from the western gate surrounded by rākṣasas. When he saw that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were still full of energy and enthusiasm for battle, he felt he had to resort to sorcery. He decided to surround himself with a large band of rākṣasas, create a phantom Sītā and kill her in front of all the monkeys in order to crush their spirit.

  The monkeys surged forward when they saw Indrajit emerging from the city gates and Hanumān charged towards him, armed with a huge tree. Suddenly, he noticed that a pathetic and miserable Sītā was seated in Indrajit’s chariot. Emaciated and pale, her hair in a single braid, Rāma’s beloved was dressed in dirty clothes and was covered with dust. Hanumān looked twice to make sure that it was really Sītā and his eyes filled with tears at the sight of her terrible state. He wondered why Indrajit was displaying the miserable woman and asked this question aloud as he approached Indrajit.

  Indrajit was in a rage when he saw the monkey forces. He unsheathed his sword and grabbed Sītā by the hair. In front of everyone, he slapped her hard and she cried out, ‘Oh! Rāma! Rāma!’ Hanumān was outraged and berated Indrajit angrily. ‘Vile wretch! Wicked creature! You have called for your own destruction by grabbing Sītā by her hair! You were born in a line of royal sages even though you emerged from the womb of a rākṣasī! Damn you! Your powers are rooted in unrighteousness! Who but the vilest and most dishonourable would do something like this? Sītā has neither a home, nor a kingdom, nor even Rāma! What did she ever do to you that you should want to kill her? If you kill Sītā, you will soon die, for your life will be in my hands! And you deserve death for this terrible deed! You shall die and go to the hell reserved for killers of women. Those hells are reviled even by the lowest of the low!’

  Hanumān and the other monkeys rushed towards the rākṣasa prince. Indrajit loosed thousands of arrows at them and shouted to Hanumān, ‘Sītā was the reason for you and Rāma and Sugrīva coming here! I shall kill her in front of your eyes! And after this, I shall kill Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Sugrīva, you and that vile traitor Vibhīṣaṇa as well! As for your idea that women should not be killed, I think one can do anything to demoralize the enemy!’

  With that, Indrajit killed the phantom Sītā, slitting her across her body from her shoulders to her hips. The lovely woman fell to the ground as Indrajit yelled, ‘Look! I have killed Rāma’s wife!’ Standing in his chariot, Indrajit shouted for joy and the monkeys were filled with despair as they turned away.

  Hanumān rallied them, for they were utterly disheartened and ready to flee. ‘How can you run away like this in dismay? What has happened to your legendary courage? Follow me into battle! The noble and the brave do not run away like this!’

  The monkeys’ spirits revived and they armed themselves with trees and stones, roaring as they fell behind Hanumān, who led them against the enemy. Hanumān hurled a huge rock against Indrajit but the skilled warrior moved his chariot away from it. The rock fell to the ground, creating havoc among the rākṣasas as it smashed many of them to pulp. The monkeys continued their onslaught and more and more rākṣasas fell writhing to the ground. Indrajit unleashed his fury on the monkeys, attacking them with every kind of weapon and killing a great number of them. But Hanumān inflicted an equal amount of damage on the rākṣasas, wielding trees and hurling rocks with great skill.

  But suddenly, Hanumān decided that it was futile to continue fighting. ‘We have been throwing our lives away for Rāma’s sake. Now that Sītā has been killed, the reason for doing this no longer exists! We must go and tell Rāma and Sugrīva that this has happened. Then we shall do as they think best.’ Slowly, Hanumān and the other monkeys retreated and went back to Rāma. Indrajit saw the monkeys turning away and went quickly to a nearby temple. He fed the sacred fire with flesh and blood until it blazed like the morning sun. As his followers stood around and watched, he made offerings to the fire and conducted a special ritual for the rākṣasas’ success in battle.

  Hanumān hurried back to Rāma and sadly, he said, ‘During the battle, Indrajit killed Sītā in front of our very eyes! I was overwhelmed with grief when I saw this and came immediately to tell you about it.’

  Rāma fell to the ground in a faint, like a tree axed at the root. The monkeys came running from all directions and sprinkled water perfumed with lotus and lily on his face. Lakṣmaṇa embraced his grieving brother, trying his best to console him. ‘All this talk of dharma is futile!’ he said. ‘Your adherence to dharma has not protected you from all these calamities. We cannot see dharma the way we can see other objects. I am beginning to believe that there is no such thing! If dharma really did exist, Rāvaṇa would be in hell and you would not be suffering like this! Rāvaṇa suffers nothing. Has dharma become adharma? If dharma did exist, nothing bad should ever happen to you!

  ‘Or maybe dharma rallies around might, it supports the strong. Which means that we should never ally ourselves with the weak. If dharma helps only the mighty, then give up your allegiance to it and rely, instead, on your strength. Taking refuge in either dharma or adharma on principal is ultimately destructive. A man should choose which of them to follow according to circumstanes.

  ‘You cut at the root of dharma when you renounced the kingdom. Purposeful action flows from the accumulation of wealth from all possible sources, like rivers from a mountain. Men who lack wealth and power can never act in any significant way. The man who renounces wealth will continue to hanker after pleasure because he is accustomed to it. That will lead him to unethical practices. A wealthy man can support his friends and well-wishers who will then proclaim his wealth, his learning, his skills and his virtues. I do not know what you were thinking about when you gave up the kingdom!

  ‘Wealth gives access to pleasures and happiness, to the fulfilment of desires. It sustains a man’s pride and allows him to cling to dharma. You were obedient to your father’s wishes and went into exile. A rākṣasa abducted your wife who is dearer to you than your own life. As a consequence of all that, Indrajit has brought this disaster upon you today.

  ‘But I shall put
and end to all this! I shall release my anger and avenge the killing of Sītā. I shall raze Lankā to the ground, along with all its elephants and chariots! I shall kill the king of the rākṣasas!’

  While Lakṣmaṇa was comforting his brother, Vibhīṣaṇa came back from an inspection of the forces. He saw Rāma overwhelmed with grief, lying with his head in Lakṣmaṇa’s lap, almost senseless with sorrow, and all the monkeys with tears in their eyes. His heart sinking, Vibhīṣaṇa asked, ‘What is the matter?’ Lakṣmaṇa looked at Vibhīṣaṇa, Sugrīva and all the monkeys and said, ‘When Hanumān told Rāma that Indrajit had killed Sītā, he fainted!’

  Vibhīṣaṇa interrupted him before he could say any more. ‘What Hanumān reported is as unlikely as the ocean drying up! I know what vile Rāvaṇa’s intentions are towards Sītā! He would never have her killed. I told him many times for his own good that he should give Sītā back but he would not do it.

  ‘Indrajit has done this to confuse and demoralize the monkeys. Now he has gone to the temple to perform a special sacrifice. If he can complete it, then even the gods led by Indra will not be able to defeat him in battle. He will use magic and sorcery to prevent the monkeys from using their skills in battle. Let us go there with our forces before he can complete his rituals.

  ‘Shake off this dejection. It has no basis! The entire army suffers when they see you like this! Rāma, stay here and pull yourself together. Let Lakṣmaṇa come with us. His sharp arrows will prevent Indrajit from completing his ritual. Then it will be simple to kill him. Command Lakṣmaṇa, the mighty warrior, to destroy this rākṣasa!’

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  ‘Listen and I will tell you what is the best course of action,’ continued Vibhīṣaṇa. ‘Let Lakṣmaṇa lead a large force to the temple where Indrajit is and then let Lakṣmaṇa kill him in battle. His snake-like arrows will fly from his bow drawn back to its fullest extent and they will take Indrajit’s life! Indrajit has won his boons from Brahmā because of the austerities he performed. He has the power to use Brahmā’s weapon and he has horses that can take him anywhere he pleases. Brahmā decreed that the enemy who prevents Indrajit from completing this ritual would be the one to kill him. We must kill him as soon as we can, for when he is dead, Rāvaṇa and all the others are as good as dead, too!’