Bits of life

J-21 Words- 1900

think that he was still as powerful as he presumed himself to be. His arrogance and self importance were not at their peak.

That was the night before the day of war. Rama and his assistants had a last meeting and decided that war with Ravana alone was the option before them.

The deities and the rishis who knew of the events that were taking place between Rama and Ravana were happy that the final night before the war had fallen. On the next day there would be a war between dharma and adharma, between the forces of darkness and light, between death and life. They were happy to wait for the end of the days unrighteous life and rule on earth.

On the next morning, Rama and his brother Lakshmana go the bank of the sea and offer prayers to the Sun god. They sought his blessings to take care of them and their good intentions in fighting the war with the demon king.

Both armies stood in configurations made by their commanders ready to stage attack on one another. The ape soldiers launched an attack on the south gate. Ravana heard of the attack and as per his minister’s advice opened the eastern gate and wanted to attack the ape army suddenly.

Both armies fought like brave soldiers for the sake of their leaders. By the end of the first day of war, several demons were killed. Sugriva had put an end to an important commander of Ravana’s army. Hanuman killed a commander called Durmukh and Lakshmana killed Ravana’s warrior son, Prahasth. Both deaths grieved Ravana. He especially lost heart when the news of the death of Prahasth was brought to him. Indrajit offered to avenge the death of his brother. But before Ravana agreed to him, a warrior named Makaraksh came forward and said he would like to avenge his own father’s death by killing Lakshmana and Rama too. Makaraksh was the son of Khar, Ravana’s brother and a demon warrior who fought with Rama and Lakshmana in the Dandakaranya to avenge Surpanakha. He died a miserable death at the hands of the brothers, Rama and Lakshmana. Makaraksh informed Ravana that his mother vowed to perform the last rites of his father with the skull of Rama. Ravana saw the fire of war on him and let him be the one to fight with Lakshmana.

Makaraksh went to war and challenged Rama for a duel. But Lakshmana stopped him and said that he should fight with him first to reach Rama. Sree Rama listened to the challenge of Makaraksh and came forward and accepted the challenge. Both aim powerful arrows at each other and finally Rama pierced the heart of Makaraksh and felled him. Then Ravana took an important decision. He thought he would end the war by going there and fighting. So on the very first day, the demon king presented himself on the battlefield and took a look at the devastating war raging between his forces and those of Rama.

He called out the name of Rama and challenged him to come and fight with him. Angad replied that before he could have the fortune of fighting with Rama, Ravana should go past the important warriors of Rama’s army. Then Ravana fought with Angad and other heroes and even Lakshmana tested his strength against the demon king. When Lakshmana was hit by one of Ravana’s deathly arrows he lost consciousness and carried away by Sugriva and others. Then Hanuman became angry and gave Ravana on fist throw on the chest and was duly hurt by Ravana in the same way. Then out of wrath he grew several sizes bigger than Ravana and threw his fist at his face and could have killed him too had it not for Rama who came in to intervene. Sree Rama said to his commanders that when a warrior was challenged by his enemy, he should respect and accept his challenge and face him. So, a fierce war took place between Ravana and Rama. Rama had successfully disarmed Ravana, despoiled his chariot and demolished his weapons. With no alternative in view, Ravana withdrew from the battle field.
By the end of the first day of war, several demons were killed and Sugriva had put an end to an important commander of Ravana’s army. These included Ravana’s son Prahasth.

On that night Ravana had a council meeting and discussed the matchless prowess of Rama’s arrows. The only way to counter his strength and stamina would be to make his younger brother Kumbhakarna go to war with Rama.
Kumbhakarna was the second of the three brothers. He was immensely strong from his childhood. His body was extremely big and he needed lots of food to appease his hunger. He used to so much that everyone was afraid that soon Lanka would have to go without food if he continued to eat so much. So the three brothers, Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana went to meditate on Brahma in order to find a solution this problem. When Brahma appeared to them, and asked them to have their boons, Kumbhakarna wanted to ask for the position of Indra, the chief of deities. Anticipating his wish Indra requested goddess Saraswati (Saraswati is the presiding goddess of education, languages, speech and word according to the Hindu pantheon) to sit on his tongue and make him ask for the throne of Nidra( Nidra means sleep in Sanskrit and south Indian languages of the subcontinent) instead of Indra. So she did the same and Kumbhakarna asked for the throne of Nidra and he realized his mistake the next moment and his brother Ravana pleaded with Brahma to change the boon. Brahma granted that Kumbhakarna would sleep for six months and awake for a day and then go back to sleep for another six months.

Kumbhakarna, though an asura, had more ethical sense than his elder brother, Ravana. Ravana has sent his men to wake up his sleeping brother because there was an emergency at that time. The huge form of Kumbhakarna lay asleep in a deep slumber. When he snored, the wind released from his breath would blow away trees uprooting them from the ground. No one in their senses would attempt to wake him, for try as they might, it would not be possible to do so. So people out of compulsion, tried their best to bring him back to the world. They had placed ladders to climb up to his chest and stomach and poured water on his supine body. They blew trumpets in his ear and were exhausted by the whole trial. Somehow, by trying for a day or days they finally brought him awake. Now the rule was that the moment he woke up Ravana’s brother had to be fed and provided entertainment. Accordingly, cart loads of food of various kinds were conveyed up the high bed of Kumbhakarna. He got up due to the crowd effort made to awaken him and started munching on his food. He ate like there was no tomorrow. Indeed, there was no tomorrow for him, for he would promptly fall asleep when the next day dawns. Dancers and musicians were called for and were entertaining him as much as they could.

Once he had his stomach full, Kumbhakarna came down from his high bed and went to meet his brother and king of Lanka, Ravana. Ravana saw him and they started talking. When the sleeping giant asked his brother for the reason he was abruptly brought up from sleep, Ravana explained to him the matter of war and the reasons behind and the present crisis they fell into. The first thing that Kumbhakarna said was that it was not a fair war. He pointed out the fact of Ravana’s fault in challenging Rama to a war. To begin with he had no business to abduct the wife of another man. Yes, an asura was strong enough to carry away another woman, but only with her consent. Here he was at fault. Ravana replied saying that he did it only to avenge their sister Surpanakha.

Kumbhakarna justly said that surpanakha was at fault. She should not have gone begging to another man to marry her was a shameful thing to do. Now Ravana felt at the end of his patience answering the questions and doubts of Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna also commented that he should have returned Sita to her husband with due respect and honor. Ravana agreed rather desperately that his pride and selfishness might have stopped him from doing so. He asked his younger brother what was the use of going over an irretrievable past. Kumbhakarna should now think of what to do with the enemy who seemed indefatigable.

Kumbhakarna said that his duty was only to obey the command of his older brother despite knowing his faults. Satisfied with his attitude, Ravana inspired him by wishing him great success on the battlefield.
When Kumbhakarna entered the war spot, he started killing hundreds of ape soldiers with one fist. He crushed many underneath his feet and enjoyed the dying cries of those people. Vibhishana, his younger brother came forward and tried to dissuade him from war. But Kumbhakarna rebuked him by saying that by claiming refuge at the enemy camp, Vibhishana had forever black marked himself as a traitor. He should have been loyal to his family.

After that unable to see the limitless loss of life, Rama took up his bow and arrow and killed Kumbhakarna. Thus ended the life of another very important warrior, on the side of Ravana.

Ravana further lost his heart and self confidence when he heard of the death of the strongest of his warriors and brother, Kumbhakarna. When he was talking like a defeated man, Indrajit insisted that none could defeat Ravana or his warrior sons. He wanted to go to war himself. He boasted of the times when he defeated the presiding deities of elements and the chief of devas, Indra. However, Ravana’s other sons named, Atikay, Narantak, and Devantak came forward and offered to go to war with Rama. It was now their turn to show their prowess to Rama and Lakshmana.

Ape warriors, Angad and Hanuman killed Narantak and Devantak. But Lakshmana wanted to fight with Atikay. He took permission to do so from Rama and went to war with Atikay. Now it was the turn of Sugriva to kill Lanka’s commander in chief, Akampan. With one blow with his mace he put an end to Akampan’s life.
Lakshmana engaged Atikay in a fierce battle. Both were equally well versed in archery and astras of divine power and mantras. Deities in heaven got together and sent the god of wind to Lakshmana and Hanuman. The wind god said to them.

“You cannot win over Atikay by shooting ordinary weapons. He has the boon of life, given to him by Brahma. So you must make use of Brahmastra against him.” Then he disappeared.
After that Lakshmana shot the Brahmastra at the raging asura, Atikay and sent him to the other world.

Everyone in Rama’s army was happy at the way they killed several heroes of Ravana’s army. Rama consoled a sorrowful Vibhishana whose brothers’ sons were killed on that day. Rama told him that everyone who was born would be dead some day. He said just as a tree flowered and