Bits of life

J-15 Words-1800

flying trip. No wise man stops anywhere until the mission for which he started off from his place is completed.

After flying for sometime, a demoness named Surasa noticed the ape warrior flying over her region. She was happy that she finally got mouthful of food. Feeling elated at the discovery of her quarry, Surasa raised herself from the depths of the sea in her hideous shape. She asked Hanuman to become her food. She argued that it was her right to eat him because she was hungry.

Then Hanuman said to her,
“O mother Surasa, forgive me. I am on an important job. I am on way to Lanka in the quest of Sita, Rama’s wife. After the completion of my duty, I will come back and be your food.”

Surasa laughed aloud and said,
“I will not believe you. You should serve my purpose right now. You cannot cross me and go. Lord Brahma had granted me the boon that none could cross me if I intercept them.”

She started opening her mouth wide and gaped at Hanuman. He used his intellect and made himself very huge. Surasa widened her mouth more. Suddenly, Hanuman made himself small and entered her mouth. Then he did pranam (folded his hands as a sign of respect) to her and came out of her mouth. Thus he fulfilled surasa’s wish that he should enter her mouth and that he could not cross Brahma’s boon to her either.

Surasa then changed into a celestial beauty and said that gods had sent her to him to test his strength. She blessed him and said that he had the four important qualities of courage, understanding, wisdom and valor. A person with these qualities would never fail in achieving his goal. She also prophesied that Lore Sree Rama would get all his important tasks done through Hanuman. Then she blessed him again disappeared into the invisible space.

Hanuman once again started flying southwards. Another awesome demoness called Singhika noticed Hanuman flying above. Her special skill was to seize the shadow of any flying being like birds or being and then pull it to herself and eat it. She seized Hanuman’s shadow and brought it to her mouth saying that she would enjoy eating a hearty meal. Hanuman froze in the midair was brought to Singhika’s mouth and she popped him inside. Hanuman got released in her mouth. Once he was free from her deathly grip, he made a hole in the palate of the demoness with his mighty mace and came out through her skull. This incident proved that none, be it a god or a demoness could stop Hanuman from achieving his task.

Anjaneya (another name of Hanuman) once again was on his way. After flying over the south sea, Hanuman landed before the gates of Lanka the empire of Ravana, the ten headed demon king. He spotted a gate keeper, the awful Lankini the guard demoness in charge of the entrance to the city. Hanuman took stock of the situation and changed his shape into that of a small monkey and tried to sneak inside the gates. But Lankini had a sharp sight.
She saw Hanuman trying to get in roared at him thus.
“You miserable worm! What do you think you are doing?”
Then she throws a punch at Hanuman. He thought that time was ripe to punish Lankini. So assumed a mighty shape and gave a fist punch on her face. She fell unconscious for a while and then got up and apologized for being impetuous to a mighty ape man. She had the vision to foresee the tidings of the future. She said that she knew the time had come to put a beginning to end of Ravana’s rule in Lanka.

Hanuman questioned her as to how she knew such a thing. She replied thus:
“O mighty Hanuman! Lord Brahma had employed me as the keeper of Lanka’s entrance. When I asked him as to how long my duty was going to last, he replied it would be when a mighty ape man punched me and made me fall unconscious. That, he said would signify the end of demon rule in Lanka. That moment had arrived as I see. Lanka’s end is preordained. No one can prevent fate. As for me, I am returning to the abode of Brahma, my master. Go into the city of Lanka and get your job done.” With those words, Lankini disappeared.

Hanuman turned his attention to the large doors of Lanka and detected a gap underneath the doors. He assumed the tiniest form and entered the city of Lanka invoking the name of Rama. He flew through the streets and markets and different residential areas of important demon chiefs and princes. But he could not find what he wanted. He went into the bedchamber of Ravana and found him sleeping deeply. He found Ravana highly impressive even while asleep. His deep breaths made the lamps in his bed chamber shiver. Hanuman reflected on the sinful behavior of the demon king and for a moment thought of killing him. But on second thoughts he gave up the idea thinking it was not for him to do so. Then he looked on Mandodari, the chief wife of Ravana sleeping peacefully in her chamber. For a moment he mistook her to be Sita. Then again he presumed that woman separated from her husband could not have slept as peacefully as this woman appeared to be. Searching through the streets of Lanka, Hanuman reached a palace that looked different from other palaces. Here in the courtyard he saw holy basil being worshiped in a centrally raised platform and the main door had the symbols of Lord Vishnu’s wheel and conch.

Then Hanuman put on a mendicant’s appearance and called for the owner of the palace with the praise “Jai Sree Ram.”
A tall man came out and greeted Hanuman and kindly enquired what he wanted and who he was. Hanuman revealed his identity knowing that he was Vibhishana the younger brother of Ravana. Known for his moderate nature and love of Vishnu, Vibhishana was not much favored by Ravana. When Hanuman asked for the whereabouts of Sita, Vibhishana replied that mother Sita was kept in Asoka grove and that it was guarded inside and out by ogresses and cruel rakshasi women. Bidding Vibhishana good bye Hanuman left with some new encouraging information about Sita.

He reached the Asoka grove and jumped the compound wall with ease and spotted a very weak and thin woman sitting under a thick and bushy Asoka tree. Then he saw some commotion with women holding swords and other weapons entering the grove. Emperor Ravana followed them with pomp and with all his other wives. He approached Sita and started talking to her and pressing her to marry him. He praised her beauty and said that she was wasting it thinking about a non-existent husband, Rama. Even if had somehow kept himself alive, by now he would have lost hope and out of failure and depression he would have dashed his head against a boulder and have taken his own life.

Hanuman hid himself among the thick leaves of Asoka tree under which Sita sat and was seen wearing a contemptuous expression as Ravana tempted her with material pleasures.

She took a blade of grass into her hands and holding it she said to the arrogant demon king Ravana thus:
“O arrogant Ravana! You don’t know you were playing with fire when you abducted me. you did like a coward. You knew you could not face Rama or Lakshmana and still stay alive. So you have adopted this deceitful method of abducting me in the absence of my husband and his brother. Why talk of them? I could easily reduce you to ashes with the power of my righteousness. Yet I wait for Rama to come and defeat you in the war. This grass of blade will burn you to death if you as much as try to touch me.”

Ravana was shocked at her powerful words and trembled with wrath against her. He raised his scimitar to strike her. He was stopped doing so by Mandodari, his topmost queen. She said,
“ why do you want to kill a woman and get the bad reputation. Besides, she is your guest now and you can’t ill treat a guest in this manner. Let us go away and enjoy ourselves in our courtyard and leave this business of teaching her a lesson to the guards women.”

Then Ravana’s anger cooled a bit and he said to Sita before leaving her presence,
“You Sita, listen to me carefully. If you do not agree to be my wife in two months’ time I will surely kill you and have you for my breakfast. You have only two months interim. Mind you! If you don’t agree to my suggestion, then your fate will be sealed forever.
”
With these words of warning, Ravana the ten headed demon king left the Asoka grove. Sita started crying in a heart breaking manner. Hanuman watched her pitifully as she went on with her sorrow.
The demonesses around Sita restarted their warnings and threats to her. They were of frightening forms and shapes. Tall, short, ugly and with their uncommon features such as possessing one Ear or one eye or long ears and hideous bodies, the demon women surrounded Sita and tried to drive her sense and sensibility beyond control. They forced her to accept Ravana and enjoy the unlimited pleasures of life with him. He could give her anything she liked. If didn’t accept their emperor, then she would be a doomed woman. She will die a death she might not imagine at the hands of Ravana. No one knew of the direction in which Lanka lay. No one was aware of the abduction of Sita by the demon king. Even if they knew the details by chance, they would never be able to share the news with anyone because everyone in all the three worlds trembled and feared the limitless power of Ravana. When Sita told them that her culture did not allow more than one husband, they argued that according to their ethic any number of marriages was allowed and they became lawful when a woman agreed to be the wife of one of them. They showed their scimitars and swords and threatened to take her life any moment.
Sita sat and wept. Alone and friendless, she had no one to talk to except the demons whose language and culture had nothing to do with hers.

One of the rakshasis named Trijata came forward and addressed the rest of the demon women. She was the daughter of Vibhishana and of a