by Tulsidas
If touched by them, even the mightiest mountains
Will, by your favour, float upon the sea.
Keeping the Lord’s sovereignty in my heart, I, too,
Will help you in accordance with my strength.
In this manner, Lord, subdue the waves,
So that the three worlds may sing of this glorious deed.
With this very arrow, Lord, destroy the evil men,
Those accumulations of sin, who dwell on my northern shore.’
Hearing Ocean’s pain, the compassionate
And valiant Ram removed it at once.14
Seeing Ram’s mighty strength and valour,
Ocean rejoiced and was happy.
He related all the doings of those villains to the Lord,
And then, after prostrating himself at his feet, Ocean departed.
Ocean returned to his own abode,
And Lord Raghupati heeded well his advice.
This story removes the impurities of the Kali age,
And Tulsi has sung it in accordance with his own understanding.
The multitude of Raghupati’s virtues is the abode of bliss,
And the destroyer of all sorrows and doubt.
Forsake hope and faith in all others, foolish heart,
And listen to and sing unceasingly of his perfections.
The singing of Raghunayak’s virtues
Gives every blessing,
And those who listen with reverence
Will cross, without a boat, the ocean of this existence.
(60)
Thus ends the fifth descent into the Manas lake of Ram’s acts, that destroy all the impurities of the Kali age.
Book VI
LANKAKAND
(LANKA)
Mangalacharan
The adored of Shankar, Kamdev’s foe,
The dispeller of the fear of rebirth, the lion that destroys the fierce elephant of death,
The lord of the yogis, accessible through knowledge, the storehouse of all virtues,
The invincible, the unchangeable, the formless,
The sovereign of the gods, beyond maya, intent upon the destruction of the wicked,
The Brahmans’ only god,
Dark and beautiful as a rain-laden cloud, lotus-eyed,
The Supreme Lord incarnate as king of the earth—Ram, I worship him.
(1)
His body as beautiful as the radiance of the conch and the moon,
Clad in tiger’s skin,
Adorned with serpents as terrible and black as death,
Beloved by Ganga and the moon,
The lord of Kashi, the destroyer of the sins of the age of Kali,
The Kalpataru of every blessing,
Girija’s lord, the repository of every virtue, the vanquisher of Kandarpvii—
Shankar, I pay him homage.
(2)
May Shambhu, who grants the virtuous liberation from rebirth,
So difficult to attain,
And who punishes the wicked—
May that same Shankar grant me prosperity.
(3)
O heart, why do you not worship
Ram, whose
Bow is Time,
And its divisions his fierce arrows?
(0A)
Heeding Ocean’s words, Ram
Summoned his counsellors and said,
‘Now why the delay?
Make that bridge so the army may cross over.’
(0B)
Jamvant, folding his hands, said,
‘Listen, pride of the solar line,
Lord, your name is the bridge by which
Men cross over the ocean of this existence.
(0C)
So how long, then, can it take you to cross this little sea?’
Hearing this, the Wind’s son said,
‘The Lord’s glory is like a mighty fire beneath the sea—
It had, before now, dried up the ocean’s water.
Then it was filled again by the streams of tears
Shed by the wives of your enemies—and that’s why it came to be salt.’
Upon hearing Hanuman’s ingenious explanation,
The monkeys gazed in rapture at Raghupati.
Jamvant summoned the two brothers,
Nal and Nil, and explained the whole situation to them.
‘Invoking Ram’s majesty in your heart,
Build the bridge—you will find it to be effortless.’
He then summoned the monkey troops and said,
‘Listen, all of you, I have one request—
Hold in your hearts Ram’s lotus feet,
And together, bears and monkeys, put on a show!
Rush away, you formidable monkey host,
And bring back great piles of trees and mountains.’
At this, the bears and monkeys set off with a great noise, whooping and shouting,
‘Victory to Raghubir, the all-powerful!’
Huge trees and mighty mountains
They uprooted as though in play,
And bringing them back, gave them to Nal and Nil,
Who began to build the bridge.
(1)
The monkeys brought and handed to them enormous mountains,
And Nal and Nil took them as though they were balls to play with.
Seeing the exceedingly beautiful construction of the bridge,
The all-merciful Lord smiled and said,
‘Most excellent and supremely delightful is this place,
Its immeasurable glory defies description.
I will set up here an image of Shambhu—
I have this great plan in my heart.’
Hearing this, the king of the monkeys sent out several messengers,
Who invited and brought back with them all the great munis.
Installing the shivaling in the manner prescribed and duly worshipping it,
The Lord declared, ‘There is no one as dear to me as Shiv.
A man who is Shiv’s enemy may be called my devotee,
But he will never find me, even in dream.
One opposed to Shankar but aspiring to serve me
Is bound for hell, and is a fool with little understanding.
Those who love Shankar but are my foes,
Those who oppose him but wish to be my servants—
Such men shall abide
For a full cycle of creation in the deepest hell.
(2)
Those who will pay homage to my Lord, in this shivaling installed by me,
Will, upon quitting the body, depart for my abode.
He who brings and pours upon it water from the Ganga,
Will attain salvation and become one with me.
He who worships it selflessly and without deceit,
Shankar will grant him faith in me.
He who beholds this bridge built by me—
Will effortlessly cross the ocean of this existence.’
Ram’s words pleased all,
And the great munis returned, each one to his own ashram.
Girija, this is Ram’s way—
He is ever loving to those who seek refuge in him.
Clever Nil and Nal built the bridge,
And by Ram’s grace, their fame spread far and wide.
Those rocks, which themselves sink and cause other things to sink,
Became as buoyant as boats.
This is not a description of the sea’s greatness,
Nor of a quality of the stones, nor of the doing of the monkeys,
For it was by Raghubir’s power
That stones floated across the sea.
They are fools indeed, who, leaving Ram,
Worship another god.
(3)
They completed the bridge and made it strong and secure,
And, beholding it, the compassionate Lord was delighted.
The army began to cross, a sight that defied description—
The host of monkey warriors roared and bellowed as
they went.
Raghurai climbed up to the side of the bridge,
And gazed out at the vastness of the ocean.
In order to behold the compassionate Lord,
All the creatures of the sea appeared—
Crocodiles, sharks, many kinds of fish and serpents
With enormous bodies a hundred yojans long,
Others that could devour them,
And still others of whom even these latter were afraid.
Beholding the Lord, they would not leave—
Their hearts were joyous and all grew blissful.
So thickly did they cover it, the water could not be seen,
And they gazed, enraptured, upon Hari’s beauty.
The army marched forth at the Lord’s command—
Who can describe the vast size of the monkey host?
There was a huge crowd upon the bridge,
So that some of the monkeys took to the air,
While many others climbed on to the backs of the sea creatures
And crossed over.
(4)
The two brothers gazed at this spectacle,
And then the merciful Raghurai set forth with a smile.
Raghubir crossed over with the army—
It is impossible to describe the monkey legions and their commanders.
The Lord set up camp across the sea,
And ordered all the monkeys,
‘Go, eat the delicious fruits and roots!’
At this, the bears and monkeys ran off here and there.
All the trees bore fruit for Ram’s sake,
Disregarding the time of year and whether it was the right season or not.
They ate the sweet fruit and shook the trees,
And hurled the tops of mountains at the city of Lanka.
While wandering here and there, if they found a demon,
They would all surround him and tease and harass him,
Bite off his nose and ears with their teeth,
Relate to him their Lord’s great renown, and only then let him go.
Those who had lost their nose and ears,
Told Ravan all that had happened.
Hearing with his own ears that the ocean had been bridged,
He rose up in alarm, and cried out with all his ten tongues,
‘What! Has he truly bridged the sea, into which fall all the streams and rivers,
The deep, the vast ocean, the lord of all the waters,
The holder of the tides, with its surging waves,
The receptacle of the floods, the repository of the waters, the lord of all the rivers?’
(5)
Then, becoming aware of his own agitation,
He put away his fears with a laugh and left for his palace.
When Mandodari heard that the Lord had arrived
And had bridged the ocean as though in play,
She took her husband by the hand and led him into her own apartments,
And spoke to him in sweet and gentle tones.
Bowing her head, she most humbly pleaded,
‘Listen to my words, beloved, without anger.
Lord, you should antagonize only those
Whom you can vanquish through wit or might.
But the difference between you and Raghupati
Is like that between a firefly and the sun.
He, who slew the most mighty Madhu and Kaitabh,1
And killed Kanakakasipu and Hataklochan, the valiant sons of Diti,
Who subdued the Daitya Bali, and killed Sahasrabahu,
Has become incarnate to relieve the earth of her burden.
Oh my lord, do not oppose him
In whose hands lie Time and Fate and all individual souls.
Surrender Janaki to Ram,
Bowing your head at his lotus feet,
And handing over your kingdom to your son,
Retire to the forest and worship Raghunath.
(6)
My lord, Raghurai is merciful to the meek—
Even a tiger does not devour one who goes humbly before him.
All that you had to do, you have already done.
You have vanquished gods, Asurs, and all creation, moving and unmoving.
Holy men, Dashanan, have laid down this rule,
That in his fourth stage of life, a king must retire to the forest.
There, my husband, adore him
Who is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer.
Abandoning ego and all attachment, my lord, worship him,
That same Raghubir, who ever cherishes the humble,
For whom the greatest munis strive,
And kings give up their kingdoms to become ascetics.
That same Raghurai, king of Koshal,
Has come to shower his mercy upon you.
If, my beloved, you listen to my advice,
Your fame, pure and glorious, will spread throughout the three spheres.’
So saying, and with eyes full of tears
And trembling in every limb, she clasped his feet,
‘Lord, worship Raghunath,
So that my wedded state never changes.’
(7)
Then Ravan raised up Mai’s daughter,
And began, that villain, to boast of his own power.
‘Listen, my beloved, you are being needlessly afraid.
Is there any warrior in this world my equal?
Varun, Kuber, Vayuviii, Jam,
And all the other guardians of the quarters I have vanquished by the might of my arms.
Gods, demons and men are all under my sway,
So why are you afraid ?’
Ravan, having said all he could to comfort her,
Went and sat once again in his council-chamber.
Mandodari now knew in her heart,
His doom had made him arrogant.
Entering his council chamber, he asked his ministers,
‘How shall we engage with the enemy?’
Said the ministers, ‘Listen, king of the demons,
Why do you ask us thus again and again, lord?
Tell us, what is there to be afraid of that we must reflect upon?
After all, men, monkeys and bears are food for us!’
But, after listening to the words of all,
Prahast, Ravan’s son, folded his hands and said,
‘Do not act against what is moral and right, lord!
Your ministers have little understanding!
(8)
Your fawning ministers say only what pleases their master,
But success cannot be achieved in this way, my lord.
A single monkey leapt across the sea and came here,
And all the people still praise his doings in their hearts.
Were none of you hungry then?
Why didn’t you catch and eat him when he set fire to the city?
Pleasant to hear but leading to trouble later—
That is the kind of advice that these ministers have given you, my lord.
He who has bridged the ocean in play,
And has crossed over with all his army to Mount Suvela—
Tell me, is he a mere man whom you say you will devour?
Your ministers merely vaunt and vapour.
Father, listen to my words with deep attention,
And do not think me to be a coward.
There are plenty of men in this world
Who make and listen only to pleasant speeches,
But very few, my lord, who are willing to hear or to give
Beneficial advice if it sounds harsh and unpleasant.
Listen to my prudent counsel, and first send an envoy,
And after you have given Sita back to Ram, make friends with him.
If, having recovered his wife, he withdraws,
Do not continue the quarrel;
If not, meet him face to face on the battlefield, Father,
And, standing firm, fight him with determination and resolve.
(9)
In either case you will have glory in the world.’
The ten-headed one said to his son in fury,
‘Who has taught you, fool, to give such advice?
Is your heart already full of doubt?
You have proved to be prickly ghamoi, son, sprung from a bamboo root!’2
At his father’s harsh and brutal speech,
Prahast went off home with these hard and bitter words,
‘Good advice is as lost upon you
As medicine upon one in the grip of death.’
Seeing that it was now evening, ten-headed Ravan
Set off towards home, glancing with pride at his twenty arms.
On Lanka’s highest peak there stood a wonderful palace
Where musicians and dancers used to gather—
Ravan went and took a seat in that palace.
Kinnaras began to sing his praises,
As cymbals, drums and vinas played,
And graceful apsaras danced before him.
Here, he enjoyed unceasingly pleasures
A hundred times more delightful than those of Indra’s court.
Though the most powerful enemy stood at his door,
He was disturbed by neither worry nor fear.
(10)
Meanwhile, upon Mount Suvela, Raghubir
Had arrived with his vast army.
There, Lakshman saw a high and lofty peak,
Exceedingly lovely, level, and particularly shining and bright.
Upon it, he spread
Tender young leaves and pretty flowers from the trees,
Which he covered with a soft and lovely deer’s skin.
Upon this seat the compassionate one sat down.
The Lord’s head rested in the monkey-king, Sugriv’s, lap,
And to his left and right lay his bow and quiver.
With his two lotus hands he trimmed his arrows,
As Vibhishan, king of Lanka, whispered some counsel in his ear.
The most fortunate Angad and Hanuman
Assiduously massaged his feet,
While behind him stood Lakshman in warrior stance,
With a quiver at his waist and a bow and arrows in his hands.
Thus sat Ram,
Abode of mercy, grace and virtue.
Blessed are those men who ever remain absorbed