Bits of life

J-20 Words-1900

of his spies named Shuk and Saran to go to Rama’s camp and get the information on their army strength, strategies and positions so it would be easy for him to launch an attack as soon as possible. Shuk and Saran went into the military camp of Sree Rama and saw the efficiency and intelligent planning that went into their building a fortress like camp. Vibhishana spotted them and got them arrested by the ape soldiers. Then they took them to Rama’s quarters to be suitably punished. When they came into their demon appearances, Rama got them released from the shackles and asked them who they were and who had sent them there. They told him of their secret investigation of the enemy camp as ordered by their king Ravana. Rama appreciated their duty consciousness and told them to go back and give the information they collected to their king. As a parting advice he told them to tell Ravana that he was like a coward in his manner of abducting Sita.
At least now, let him show his valor in war, he said.

Shuk and Saran were surprised by Rama’s graciousness and left with their hearts full of regard for him. They forgot that Rama was their opponent and enemy of Ravana their emperor.
Sugriva and Hanuman and Vibhishana praised the mercy and grace of Rama. They paid their heartfelt respects to him again and again. They were lucky to have been so closely associated with Rama because Rama was the very avatar of Vishnu.

In Lanka, Shuk and Saran went to their emperor and reported to him of what they had seen in Rama’s camp. They talked of the constant military practices that the ape men were undertaking under the supervision of Sugriva and other able commanders of the ape army. They were praising the enemies without intending to do so. Ravana got angry with them and went up the Trikuta peak to have a look at the activities going on in Rama’s camp. From there Shuk pointed out who was who and showed him Nal and Neel, the two sons of the divine architect, Vishwakarma. After a while Rama, Lakshmana, Sugriva and Vibhishana come up another mountain which directly faced Ravana. For the first time, Ravana had a clear glance at Sree Rama, the son of Dasaratha, king of Ayodhya.

Vibhishana pointed out the four gates that secure the city of Lanka. He also told him of the different commanders who guard them with a vast army. When Sugriva saw the demon emperor he could not control his anger and went straight flying to where Ravana was standing and attacked him suddenly. Ravana was taken by shock and was least prepared for a fist fight with Sugriva. They both got into fierce fight with Shuk and Saran as their witnesses. Sugriva was nearing victory when Ravana disappeared into thin air with the help of maya or magic. Now that he resorted to trickery, Sugriva returned to Rama and others. Rama said to Sugriva that he should not have dared to fight Ravana and risked his life.

Ravana’s wife Mandodari was duly sad and anxious after coming to know of the fight between her husband and emperor Ravana and the ape king Sugriva. She shed tears of sadness and consulted her father about how to dissuade Ravana from engaging himself in a battle with shree Rama. Her father tried to prevent Ravana from going ahead with war but it was in vain. Ravana had long ceased to listen to words of wisdom.
At Rama’s camp, Vibhishana’s secret service men brought some information which he relayed to Rama. He told them that after his sudden fight with Sugriva, Ravana summoned his ministers and generals and made a strategy as to how to guard the city of Lanka and when to attack the enemy.

Rama too called for a meeting of his assistants and told them his plan of advancing in the war. He arranged that all the battalions would be equally strong and attack the different gates of Lanka simultaneously. On the next day the attack was to begin.

On the next day both armies that was Ravan’s and Rama’s respectively started marching near to one another. Before they reached the fortress of Ravana, Rama addressed his assistants, Sugriva, Hanuman, Jambavanta, and other important leaders of the ape army.

“O, warriors of a righteous war, before we launch the deathly attack on Lanka, I want to give Ravana one last chance to save himself and his beautiful city from the jaws of death, my deadly arrows. Let us send a suitable messenger to convey him my opinion.”

The ape ministers and leaders were unanimous in their selection to the befitting envoy to carry on Rama’s message to Ravana. They chose the son of Vaali, warrior and the general of the ape army, Angad. Rama told Angad how to be a good envoy. An envoy should know how to control his anger and be in a balanced state of mind. His job was clear and conscientious. He would do nothing to confuse the matters between the combatants.
Angad went to the fort of Ravana and asked the keeper to open it because he had an important message to convey from shree Rama to the demon king. After obtaining permission from the commander, the gate was open and Angad entered the already assembled court of Ravana. Ravana asked him who he was and why he had come there without any preliminaries of either offering him a seat and inquire for details in a polite manner. Angad pointed out Ravana’s mistakes of not treating an envoy according to the moral code of conduct long established by the wise men of the past. Then he said he was capable providing a seat for himself. He grew his tail long enough to coil it and position the layers of coil underneath to give himself an elevated position as he sat down. Then he delivered his message from Rama to Ravana.

“O Ravana! in this final hour before commencing war with you, I would like to give you a chance to save yourself and your kingdom from disaster and annihilation. Even now, as war drums begin to sound, you have the chance to return Sita to me with due respect and curtsy. The moment you surrender my wife to me,
I will not fight. I will return to my own place. All of us could save the lives of innocent people on both sides and we could live in peace.”

Ravana listened to the last of the message and took the cue from there. He said to Angad that Rama was afraid to fight with him. He was a coward and a tribal. He wouldn’t understand what war consisted of and how much of valor was necessary to fight to get his wife back. Besides, Angad was the son of a great warrior like Vaali. He shouldn’t be serving a lowly man like Rama or be his envoy. His father Vaali was killed by Rama indirectly and not while fighting face to face. It was so shameful to be the servant of such deceitful person like Rama. Ravana said he pitied Angad for his pitiable situation.

Angad replied in a way that made Ravana speechless.
“O Ravana, understand that Rama is not merely a human being. He is the very avatar of Vishnu. My father Vaali understood this secret at the time of his death. He ordered me to go on serving Rama till my last breath. So I don’t need your pity. It is you need to be pitied. You pity yourself. Very soon you are going to be annihilated and the three worlds will be happy at your end.”
Angad read the final message of Rama to Ravana.

He said,
“O king of Lanka, even now I give you time to reform yourself. But you have failed to accept my hand of friendship and good will. Now the only option left for me is to kill you, your ministers, sons and near and dear in the battlefield. Show the same valor you had shown while abducting Sita. I will any way kill you. Your death will be cause of happiness in all the three worlds. There will be a return of peace and joy in the land.”


Ravana became extremely angry at Angad and ordered his soldiers to kill him but they could not even approach Angad. Before they could reach him, he threw them off the ground. Then Angad withdrew his tail and challenged Ravana and his ministers and the strong men of his court to move his foot from the ground. Everyone tried to take the foot of Angad off the ground but failed miserably. Finally, Ravana himself wanted to hold Angad’s foot and move it. Before his hands reached the foot, Angad kicked Ravana’s crown and told him if he wanted to touch anyone feet it should be the feet of merciful Rama. The crown of Ravana kicked off by Angad reached the feet of Rama.

Angad then flew away from the court of Ravana having delivered the message of Rama to the demon king. Ravana’s ministers told him not to go for war with Rama for he proved his valor when he fought with Ravana’s fourteen thousand demon soldiers led by Khar and Dushan during the war in Dandakaranya. But Ravana paid no heed to them. then Mandodari’s father king Maya and his own mother Kykasi tried to drive some sense into Ravana’s arrogant head. They both advised him that Dharma or righteousness was with Rama. It would be better for the demon king to go to Rama and ask for forgiveness. During that one night he could change the fate of Lanka and the king of Lanka. But the willful demon king scoffed at them cared not for their sound and wise counsel.
Ravana’s queen Mandodari made a last effort to dissuade her husband and king Ravana from going to war with Rama and his ape army. She went down on her knees trying to tell him the kind of damage he would be bringing on himself and his people by fighting with Rama who was the very powerful Vishnu.

It would in the interest of all concerned to return Sita to Rama and save the world thereupon. Ravana thundered that such a thing as returning Sita would never arise. She would definitely be his queen. Mandodari tried to reason with him saying that no one could win a woman’s love without her consent and involvement. A woman might be weak physically. But when it came to love, mercy and faith, she would be very much like an ocean, deep and eternal. If he didn’t return her with due honor to her husband, there was no doubt that Sita would bring death and extinction to Lanka. Mandodari tried her best to show some light of wisdom to her husband by performing her duty like a true wife, mother and queen of her people.

Ravana slighted her every word and blamed for being an uninspiring wife to a warrior husband. He walked away from her chamber in a scuff.

The secret spies of brought him the news that Ravana had looked down on his well wishers and refused to listen to their wise counsel. He was stupid enough to