Chapter
13(b)
Exile for Sita
Rama
fell at the feet of Janaka and rising, sat by his side.
Janaka was overwhelmed by the joy that welled within him.
He stroked Rama's head and accosted him softly and
sweetly. Rama too replied expressing similar sentiments
in felicitous language. He assigned helpers and aides to
look after the comforts of Janaka and his entourage. He
directed Bharatha to be at the service of the
Emperor.
Meanwhile, Vasishta
arrived in the presence of Rama, accompanied by his
disciples, ten thousand in number. He said, "Ramachandra!
Listen to my words: The Vedas,
Sastras,
the
Puranas all of
them without exception proclaim that a Yaga,
performed without the duly wedded wife by the side of the
celebrant, will be barren of results. Great sages also
declare the same. Therefore, arrange to bring Janaki
back. She is very necessary during the Yaga." Rama was
surprised at these words spoken by the Chief among Sages.
He kept silent, without explaining the truth or untruth
of that belief. He said, "Chief among Sages! You have to
carry out my wish without causing breach of my vow, and
without bringing down the reputation of my dynasty. If
Janaki is brought back, the reputation is bound to
suffer. And, I shall not marry to have a wife for the
Yaga."
At this, Vasishta
consulted many famed Sages for a solution. They all held
fast to the rule that Janaki must be brought; they said,
it was an unavoidable pre-requisite. But, Rama, who was
Himself the master of all codes of morality, the
embodiment of all the forms of God, and the essence of
all the Sastras, thought over it for a while and
announced that a golden idol set with gems be made of
Sita and kept in place of Sita. He said that all the
Sastras support this view and that there can be no
objection to this procedure on any score. The ascetics,
sages and scholars versed in all fields of knowledge
could not contradict this opinion. They were all
surprised at the validity of the solution offered. They
admired his omniscience and acknowledged that He was
Himself the core of all codes.
The
golden Sita was got ready in one single day; it was made
more charming and realistic through jewels and garments.
Everyone who saw it mistook it for the live Sita; it was
so realistic. If Sita had seen it, she too would have
been struck with wonder. Many believed that Sita had
returned, when they saw the idol. They praised the makers
with a thousand tongues. Rama sat on the lion throne over
a tiger skin spread over it. The golden Sita was placed
by his side, where the wife had to take her position. The
assembly was led to believe that Sita herself was there.
All present prostrated in gratitude and
joy.
Vasishta addressed the
courtiers and asked them to extend hospitality to the
assembled guests according to the rules in practice.
"Give everyone what they wish for and make everyone happy
and contented". They seated them in proper lines and in
appropriate places, with the help of Bharatha who
supervised the arrangements. Each one of them
congratulated himself on the grandeur of the reception
accorded to him and praised the organizers for the care
and consideration they showed.
The Yaga Hall was
guarded on the outside by 500 warriors and inside the
Hall by 500 masters of the Vedas. The Yaga began on the
second day of the bright half of the
Magha month,
after Rama had initiated Himself with the necessary
rites. Vasishta directed that the Horse, chosen for the
Yaga, be brought so that it might be examined by experts,
whether it had the auspicious mark prescribed.
Lakshmana
prostrated before the Guru and hurried to the stables of
the palace to seek out the horse and decorate it before
leading it into the Hall. A gem-set saddle was placed on
its back; it was a horse immaculately white in
complexion. The horses of the sun would have felt ashamed
to stand before it! When it was fully caparisoned, it
became so charming that people thought the God of Love
and Beauty had a hand in adorning it. It was an
impossible task to describe its splendor. It could be
said that the horse gave the impression that the Sungod
(Suryanarayanamurthi) [see
also: SB, C5:Ch. 21]
had turned into a horse, and was prancing proudly; on its
forehead was placed a peacock feather with emerald gems
shining in it. Like the stars shining in the sky, that
feather shone brilliantly with its scintillating gems.
Silk cords that shone like lightning flashes were placed
round its neck and held by attendants. It was accompanied
by 5000 great warriors - heroes of many a battle -
fighters of invincible mettle, led by Lakshmana, all on
horseback.
When the cavalcade
entered the Hall, Viswamitra instructed Rama to worship
the sacred sacrificial Horse, which was to be sent out on
its mission of conquest. He gave away the sixteen
articles in charity; he performed the ritual purificatory
bath. Then, he tied on its brow the gold plate with the
inscriptional message to all rulers of the land. This was
the writing it carried:
"In
the City of Ayodhya, there is a Hero; He is the destroyer
of enemies. Even the Lord of Gods trembles at the sight
of Him. This horse is his sacrificial animal. The strong
may lay hold of it; or, they have to pay him tax and
tribute; or if you cannot do either, flee into the
jungles".
Rama inscribed thus on that gold plate and tied it on the
brow of that horse.
Meanwhile, Bhargava and
other sages came to Rama and related to him the
atrocities perpetrated by the demon Lavana. The assembled
sages were saddened at the news. Rama called to his
presence Satrughna; he gave him an arrow-case full of the
most powerful weapons. Then he told him, "Use these
weapons with the appropriate manthras on the enemy. Go,
achieve victory and return triumphant". Then, he wanted
Vibhishana to come to him. He fell at Rama's feet. Rama
asked him. "Tell me all about this Lavana". At this,
Vibhishana described everything about his power and
nature just as he knew.
Vibhishana had a
step-mother and she had a daughter named Kumbhinasa; she
was given in marriage by Ravana to a
Danava (member
of a demonic clan) named Madhu.
Madhu accepted her and in course of time, she gave birth
to the demon, Lavana. He underwent severe asceticism and
prayed to Lord Siva to bless him with boons. Siva was
pleased at this austerities. He gave him a trident,
describing its prowess thus: "Lavana! Whoever wields this
trident shall not be easily overcome in battle by any
one." With the help of that trident, he has been
terrorizing gods and men, demons and serpents and
parading his powers over the entire land. He was pursuing
all living beings and ill-treating them. No living being
was left unconquered by him. Hearing this from
Vibhishana, Rama gave vent to a peal of laughter. Of
course, there was nothing He did not know. But, since he
was wearing a human vesture, he had to act as if he did
not. He had given him the trident in the form of Siva and
he laughed at the stupidity of the recipient and the evil
use to which he was putting it. He blessed Satrughna with
a portion of his Divine Power and sent him on the mission
of destroying Lavana, the Demon.
Under Rama's orders,
3000 war-drums beat in unison, and the dhan-dhan shook
the earth. Horses and elephants cried out in joy, the
soldiers blew conches and marched on the capital city of
Lavana. Lavana heard their war-cries. He emerged from the
fort with 64.000 soldiers. He roared like a lion, eager
for the kill. He played several magic tricks to evade
defeat and to confound to enemy. But, his army was
shattered to pieces. The sons of Lavana who entered the
battle were killed by the son of Satrughna, named Subahu.
They reached the heaven reserved for heroes who die
fighting. At last, Satrughna shot an arrow invoking the
name of Rama and that arrow dealt a mortal wound on
Lavana. He drew his last breath as a result and ended his
vicious career. The gods acclaimed the victory with a
chorus of Jais and they showered blessings on
Satrughna.
Satrughna moved on with
his army and came to the banks of the Yamuna. He
prostrated before the holy river, and led his army
further. While proceeding thus, venturing in the four
directions along different routes and encountering
different places, he happened to reach the hermitage of
Valmiki.
There, Janaki was living with her twin sons, each
redoubtable in splendor like the Sun.
Those
two boys saw the Horse, read the golden plate tied around
its brow and, led it away, to be bound and kept at the
hermitage. Then, they came forward eager to fight back
the guardians of the horse, with an arrow-case tied
around their waists and bows and arrows in their hands.
By that time, the warriors accompanying the Horse reached
the place. They saw the Horse tied to a tree and finding
that it was done by those boys, they cooled down. They
said, "Sons! Your parents are indeed blessed to have such
charming children. Well. Let that horse loose, and go
home". But, the little boys replied, "O ye heroes! You
have come for battle and not for begging, we believe.
When you beg the horse from us, you are tarnishing the
fair name of Kshatriya."
Hearing this, the guardian soldiers said, "Brave boys!
Yes. Do not tarnish the fair name of the Kshatriyas. That
is why we ask you to be careful in speech." The boys only
laughed at this repartee. They said, "Ah, how brave must
be the person who sent this horse under the protection of
people like you? If you have no strength to take it from
us, you can proceed home."
When the boys, Kusa and
Lava, spoke so sharply and sarcastically the soldiers
were provoked to fall upon them in spite of the fact that
they were but tender boys. Lava shot a succession of
arrows at them, quite in a sportive manner, humming tunes
within himself and rather carelessly as if engaged in a
play. The bodies of the warriors were shot through in so
many places that they were rendered meshy. They fell
fainting on the ground; some of them ran into the camp of
Satrughna. They cried, "Maharaja! Two boys, evidently
children of the hermits, have captured our Horse and in
the fight that ensued, they have killed a large number of
our soldiers". Satrughna was enraged at this effrontery;
he gathered the four sections of his army and marched
towards Kusa and Lava. When he confronted them, and saw
their handiwork, on the field, proving their overwhelming
prowess, he was shocked into shame. "How can I enter into
battle with these two boys?", he hesitated. Satrughna
addressed them thus: "O Ye Children of hermits: Let loose
the Horse and go home. You are worthy of worship; it is
not right to wage battle with you."
The boys would not
yield. They said, "King! What is your name? From which
City are you coming? Why are you moving through this
forest at the head of an army? What is the reason for
your letting this Horse wander about as it likes? Why
have you tied this gold plate round its brow? Well if you
have the strength and the courage, remove the plate from
its brow, loosen the Horse and take it home." When Lava
and Kusa spoke straight and sharp like this Satrughna
bowed his head in shame and ordered his men to take up
arms and march forward. At this, the boys laughed among
themselves. "Aha! This King is pretty powerful! But,
listen. Can a lion be frightened when you clap your
hands?" They took up the bow and arrow, remembering their
Guru, the sage, Valmiki. Their arrows shattered the
chariot of Satrughna to pieces. They also entered his
body in many places and made it a patchwork of holes. His
veteran warriors fainted and fell. They called each
veteran forward and shot arrows at them with fatal
effect.
Soon, Rama was informed
of the exploits of the two boys from the hermitage. Of
course, he knew that they were not children of the
hermitage. But, he did not disclose that fact. He made
them believe that what they said was true. He doubted for
a moment how anyone could battle against the tender boys
belonging to the monks. At last, he said, "Fighting
cannot be avoided. Take Lakshmana with you and proceed."
Those who had fled to Rama had to return perforce to the
same place. Rama also commanded: "Bring those two boys
hither. Since they are from the hermitage, they do not
deserve death in any case."
Lakshmana marched
forward at the head of a fully equipped army. He reached
the place where the engagement had already taken place.
He saw the heroic warriors who had fainted and fallen. He
was surprised at the audacity of the ascetic boys. He
addressed them thus: "Boys, I warn you, save yourselves.
Flee from this place back to your homes. You are Brahmin
boys and it would be harmful for us if we fight against
you. It is against the injunctions of scripture. Get away
from before my eyes." Kusa and Lava greeted these words
with a peal of laughter. "O brave Commander! See how your
brother has fared; take refuge in your own home soon".
Lakshmana heard them and with one look at Satrughna who
had fallen in a faint, he took up his bow and
arrow.
But, he doubted whether
fighting against the children of monks was right or not.
He tried to persuade the boys themselves. "Boys, he said,
you have no reasoning faculty. You are mere boys. There
is no profit in fighting against you. Go, bring those who
are supporting you in this adventure." Even while
Lakshmana was importuning thus, Kusa, without paying the
least attention to his suggestion, shot an arrow right
against him. The earth shook in terror at the impact of
that arrow. That arrow spread all over the sky. Its
splendor was such that even the sun was rendered
dim.
Unable to withstand the
valour of Kusa and Lava, Lakshmana grew in anger and fell
on them with enormous violence. He placed his chariot
before them and began attacking them with no dread of the
consequences. The brothers broke his arrows into pieces;
they fought most admirably, with many new stratagems.
Lakshmana threw his mace at them and when it hit Kusa, he
suffered great pain. He rolled on the ground. Seeing
this, Lava got enraged; he aimed an arrow at the chest of
Lakshmana. Though it hit him straight, being a stronger
and older hero, he did not fall. Lava jumped on him and
they both had a personal duel with fists. The contest was
balanced with no one winning; both of them used many
holds and evasive tactics. Each of them fought using all
his strength. Lava pounded Lakshmana with his thunderbolt
hits. Lakshmana bore the brunt with pain and appreciated
the little fellow's mettle and skill. Meanwhile,
Lakshmana took Rama's name and aimed an arrow at Kusa.
Kusa who had raised himself up fainted and fell again. He
remembered Valmiki and Sita as he fell and so he could
stand up soon. He recovered his bow and arrow and
attacked Lakshmana. Though Lakshmana replied with an
arrow that he had used against Meghanada,
it could not harm the boys. The boy cut it into pieces,
and the pieces fell on the ground. Lakshmana said to
himself, "Ah. These calamities are happening to me since
Sita was exiled. I can never have peace unless I discard
this body". Just then Kusa fixed on his bow the Brahma
arrow that Valmiki had taught him to use. At the very
prospect of its release, the three worlds shook in fear.
He aimed it straight at the heart of Lakshmana and let it
go. Lakshmana was hit and he lost
consciousness.
Messengers carried the
news to Rama. Bharatha was sunk in sorrow; he folded his
hands and stood before Rama. "Lord!, he said, we are
experiencing the consequences of the wrong we committed
when we exiled Sita." Rama told the brother: "What! Are
you adopting this tactics, because you are afraid of
fighting in battle? Well, if that is so, I myself can go
into the field. Get me the chariot. Adjourn further rites
in the yaga; I shall go and find out the antecedents of
those boys. Brother! Send word to our former allies and
friends. Bring Hanuman to the battlefield". Then, Rama
reached the spot where the fighting was going on. Rama
was surprised to see the streams of
blood.
At that very moment,
Kusa and Lava, the unbeatable warriors, also came to the
place. The Vanaras who accompanied Hanuman to the field
were stricken with terror. But, Hanuman addressed the
brothers and said: "Boys! The parents who have given
birth to such magnificent heroes as you are, are really
blessed". But, Kusa declared, "O Monkey! If you have no
strength to meet us in battle, go back! Don't prate". At
this, Bharatha developed much anger; He shouted to his
men, "Well! Use your weapons!" When he said so, the
Vanaras cast upon them trees, rocks and mountain peaks.
Lava pulverized all of them by means of a single arrow.
In a short time the forces of Rama were in complete rout.
The field was one full flood of blood. All the valiant
soldiers lost their lives. At last, even Bharatha fell
fainting.
Then, Rama came into
the battle area, red with anger, at the head of a large
army; he saw the two boys and without letting arrows
against them, he got them near him and asked, "Boys! Who
are your parents? Where are they living? Which is your
native land? What are your names?". In reply, Lava said,
"O King! Of what use are these inquiries? You brothers,
all four of you, have the same mannerism, I believe.
Come, take up bow and arrow, and fight. Why do you bother
about parents and native place; this is no parley,
preliminary to marriage negotiations. No, this is serious
business". But, Rama insisted on continuing. He said,
"Boys, your bodies are so tender. I shall not fight with
you until I know your names and your
lineage."
"King. Our mother is
the daughter of Emperor Janaka. Janaki is being fostered
by the sage Valmiki. We do not know the name of our
father nor do we know the lineage to which we belong. Our
names are Kusa and Lava. We reside in the forest", they
said. Rama pretended to have discovered just then that
they were his children, and told them, "Boys! Give fight
to the army which is coming behind me". Saying this, he
raised up Angada, Jambavantha, Hanuman and others from
the fainting fit into which they had fallen. He also
raised Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrughna so that they
might see the happenings of the future. Then, he
addressed the soldiers. "Men of the army. Fight, so that
fame and status might be protected and strengthened".
Then, when the battle was renewed Rama watched with
immense delight the heroism of the boys with their bows
and arrows, and their superior skill and
bravery.
The Vanara heroes
failed to find any means to overpower the boys; so, they
spoke to one another that no one in the fourteen worlds
could gain victory over them. They could not say or do
anything more. They had to keep silent.
Just then Kusa fell
upon Rama. The impact forced Rama to faint and fall. Kusa
pulled down the decorative ropes and chains on the
chariot and the horses of Rama and both brothers bound
Hanuman with them. They led Hanuman at the end of the
rope and took him home. They also took other Vanaras and
a few bears, all with bright coloured clothes and
decorations on them. And, the sacrificial Horse was among
the possessions they paraded. With these, they approached
the mother, Janaki. They prostrated before her and
offered the booty acquired as homage to her.
contents
of this Vahini
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