Bits of life

J-22 Words-1900

then it turned to fruit and then it had to come to an end, so it was with human life.

In Ravana’s palace there were clouds of sadness thickly spread over. The mother of Atikay was beside herself with grief and sorrow. She blamed Ravana’s lust for another man’s wife which along was responsible for the large scale deaths and especially the death of her valiant son Atikay. Then she cried of vengeance. In the meanwhile, Ravana’s eldest queen Mandodari tried to console Dhanyamalini, the mother of Atikay by asking her to be calm. Dhanyamalini retaliated by saying that Mandodari would know the meaning of sorrow only when her son Indrajit’s death would be reported to her. Ravana just stood there grounded in sorrow listening to Dhanyamalini’s bickering. He started feeling the regret of starting the war and causing the deaths of so many prominent warriors of his army. Indrajit intervened and said that it was not proper on the part of the king of Lanka to lose heart like a woman. He assured his father of his imminent victory over Rama.

In the Asoka grove, Trijata told Sita of Rama’s success stories and lightened the burden of sorrow in her heart. Sita asked her if there was any change of heart in Ravana.

“None” replied Trijata. “In fact now his motive of war found a new strength with the entrance of his most powerful son, Indrajit into the war.”
“What could Indrajit do while other mighty warriors fell in the war?” Asked Sita.
“You don’t know his prowess. I am really worried for Rama now,” replied Trijata.

In the palace Indrajit,
His wife Sulochana was grieved, because she was afraid if her husband would return home alive on that day. Indrajit got his armor and other defense effects don on him and was prepared to get a grand farewell by his wife. When she expressed her doubt if everything would be alright he assured her that he would be victorious in war. Then he worshiped the powers that gave him his strength and stamina.

He boasted of his past victories over Indra and other deities.
In Rama’s camp there were doubts if Ravana would continue war on that day. A little later they heard the sounds of chariots and the infantry coming out of the fort gates. Indrajit was seen coming out of the gates of Lanka with a proud smile displaying on his face. He was thirsting to get his hands on Rama and his ape army.
A fierce battle emanated on the battlefield. Indrajit was no mean fighter. He used different arrows with different disastrous effects on the ape army. Finally he shot a nagastra(serpent spell) on the both the brothers and they fell to ground unconscious. The ape leaders like Sugriva, Jambavanta. Angad and Vibhishana did not know what to do. They cried desperate tears looking on helplessly on the unconscious faces of Rama and Lakshmana.

In the Asoka grove, Sita heard from Trijata of the serpent spell which bound both her husband and his brother. She started losing her heart on the one hand and couldn’t believe that Rama and Lakshmana who were invincible could not have suffered this calamity. Trijata inspired her to be courageous in this moment of depression and disappointment. She told her to pray to goddess Durga for the rescue of her husband and brother in law. Sita immediately went into meditation and prayer for the welfare of her dear ones.

Then the solution came from Hanuman’s father Kesari. He said that Hanuman was given a boon by Brahma that he could get anyone unbound from serpent spell. But, for that he should go and request the lord of eagles, Garuda to come and pluck away the serpents that now surround the bodies of Rama and Lakshmana. Immediately, Hanuman went to Garuda and told him the condition of Rama who was the very incarnation of Narayana or Vishnu. Vishnu was Garuda’s master. He did not want his master to be chained thus by the nagas or serpents. He flew down to the Lankan shore and plucked away the serpents with his beak. At once, Rama and Lakshmana were freed and sat up and looked around.

Indrajit was much appreciated by his father. Everybody in Lanka was in a celebrative mood being assured of victory for themselves. When the secret spies of Ravana brought them the news that Rama and Lakshmana were freed of the serpent spell, they were aghast and bewildered. Indrajit once again vowed that the next time they would meet he would certainly kill his enemies and would bring his father fame and pride.

He went to war with multiplied enthusiasm to face the brothers duo in the battle field. Rama’s commanders were extra careful. When Indrajit saw Angad and Hanuman ready to fight with him, he teased them saying that they were mere boys and he wanted to fight Rama and Lakshmana. Unable to resist the challenge by Indrajit, Lakshmana promptly faced him. Both measure each other and war commenced between the two. It was fierce and it was watched by the deities in the sky and rishis of the forest through their spiritual sight. Both aimed powerful arrows at one another and Indrajit realized that Lakshmana was more than his match. So he resorted to war by practicing magical tricks and feats. He would disappear from one place and appear at another spot. He would stand in the sky and shower arrows without being seen. Even though it was difficult to know from which direction an arrow would be shot, Lakshmana stood his ground rocklike and made sensible guesses and countered the arrows from Indrajit in a valiant way.

Now Indrajit decided it would be disastrous for him if he did not take a more serious arrow from his quiver and put an end to the threatening enemy. He invoked his most powerful arrow, a weapon granted to him by his penance and worship of Shakti, the goddess of war. He drew the arrow and aimed it at Lakshmana. The moment the arrow pierced his back, Lakshmana fell to the ground unconscious. Indrajit was excited at this victory and ordered his demon soldiers to lift Lakshmana on to his chariot. He wanted to present an unconscious Lakshmana to his father Ravana and make him jubilant at the victory. But the soldiers were not able to lift him. Then Indrajit himself wanted to try. Even he failed and was aghast that his plans failed. When he tried again, Hanuman approached him and kicked him off with his mace and carried him away to a solitary place.

There on the lonely beach lay the unconscious Lakshmana who pledged his life for the service of his elder brother Rama. Soon Rama, Sugriva, Angad, Jambavanta and Hanuman surrounded him and went on weeping at the still form of Lakshmana. Rama went on thinking pitifully about what consequences would be if Lakshmana’s mother Sumitra and his wife Urmila ask him where Lakshmana was. How would he answer them, how could he put an end to their misery?

Here, in Lanka, Ravana was once again jubilant over his son Indrajit’s victory over Lakshmana. He ordered a week of celebrations in Lanka marking the success of his son.

Sita who came to know of Lakshmana’s dangerous state wept and went into a meditative prayer to mother Durga. She pleaded for some way or means to save her dear husband Rama’s loving brother.

As the night fell, the warriors surround Lakshmana started worrying even more. So far they could think of no solution. When once again they start discussing how to save the dying Lakshmana, Sugriva asked Vibhishana if he could think of some means to solve the problem. Vibhishana replied that in Lanka there was an excellent ayurvedic healer named Sushena. If he examined Lakshmana he might suggest a remedy for him. But how to bring Sushena out of Lanka asked Vibhishana. Hanuman said he would get him out of his house in Lanka. He took Rama’s leave and flew inside the city of Lanka and assuming the minutest of forms went in search of Sushena’s house and found it. When he asked the healer to come with him, Sushena refused to go because he could not treat an enemy patient as a loyal servant of the king of Lanka.

With no option left before him, Hanuman carried the doctor along with his house to where Lakshmana lay in a half dead condition. Even after going to the patient, sushena argued that he, as a loyal subject of his emperor could not touch the patient belonging to enemy camp. Then Vibhishana told him that as a healer he was supposed to look after the welfare of all. He should not draw a difference between enemy and friend. His duty was only to give relief to the patient. Sushena still was in doubt. Then Rama convinced him that a healer owed his loyalty to all creatures in suffering. His bond was only with the patient and his concern should be only to find the means of relief to the patient. After long consideration of duty and loyalty to the king, Sushena was finally convinced that it would be no sin to treat a dying patient. He examined Lakshmana, found his pulse which was beating but very faintly. Then he came to the conclusion that there was no medicine at his disposal to treat the wound in the heart of Lakshmana. On being asked for the next course of action, Sushena replied that there was a way, but it might not be possible for them to get it done over a night’s span. Hanuman vowed that he would bring it even it was found in heaven or anywhere. Then Sushena told him that the kind of medicine which worked for Lakshmana were available in the vicinity of the Himalayas. Between the peaks of Kailash and Rishabh there was another peak which was a storehouse of medicinal plants. Lakshmana needed four important herbs.

Even if Hanuman reached the spot it would be difficult for him to locate this mount. It would be guarded by gods and the herbs there emanated light. The moment a stranger tried to look on them, they stop the twinkle. If one had the spiritual purity and pray to the gods then it might be possible for him to spot the mountain of herbs. If Hanuman could bring those herbs necessary for the treatment of Lakshmana before the sun rose, then there might be some hope, said Sushena. Hanuman said his devotion to shree Rama would see him through all challenges and would bring him success. Thus with invincible faith in his Lord Rama, Hanuman flew into the sky to go all the way to the Himalayas to get the life giving herbs for Lakshmana.

Ravana was not complacent with the success of Indrajit’s felling of Lakshmana. He had sent his secret men to inquire after the events that were taking place at Rama’s camp. His reported that Sushena, the court physician of Ravana was forcibly being carried away along with his mansion by Hanuman. And the same Hanuman was now flying northward to the mighty Himalayas in search of the life giving herb named Sanjivani as advised by Sushena. He went with the objective of bringing the rare and precious herb before