The Right-thinking Rakshasa

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The Right-thinking Rakshasa

 

RAkshasAs, as a race, are demoniacal. All one tends to associate

with them are cruelty, torture and all sorts of murder and mayhem. They have

always been a clan of marauders, with more brawn than brain and making a

profession out of opposing the divine dispensation. They are always against the

Lord and His devotees, always on the look out for opportunities of causing harm

to the latter, in any and all ways. The very word "RAkshasa" brings to our mind

a RAvaNA, a HiranyAksha, a Hiranyakasipu and others of their ilk. At the mere

mention of the word, our mind's eye picturises a meaty hulk with bulging,

blood-red eyes, a tangled mane of hair falling over the shoulders, long and

sharp protruding teeth resembling those of a predator and a body which is a

veritable moving mountain of flesh, invariably dark in complexion, with a

terrifying and blood-curdling roar passing for a voice. And, somewhat

inexplicably, all the pictures of Rakshasas that I have seen, either on TV or in

films, were with stripes of VibhUti on their foreheads.

 

It is easy to conclude from the aforesaid that RakshasAs, without

exception, were a gang of rogues and murderers, who couldn't bear the sight or

thought of good things happening. However, when we peruse the VAlmIki Ramayana,

we find several exceptions to the aforesaid stereotype picture that is painted

of a RAkshasa. We are told that there were several Rakshasas in Lanka who were

well-versed in the Vedas and were constantly reciting the same-"SvAdhyAya

niratAnschaiva yAtudhAnAn dadarsa sa:". The houses of some of these worthies

were reverberating with the sound of Mantras-"sushrAva japatAm tatra mantrAn

rakshO grihEshuvai". Several were engaged in the performance of YagyAs and were

attired accordingly-"dIkshitAn jatilAn mundAn gO anijAmbara vAsasa:" Sri Hanuman

is also able to find among the residents of Lanka, those with beauty of physique

and character-"nananda drishtvA sa cha tAn surUpAn nAnA guNAn Atma

guNAnuroopAn". Their wives too impress the Vanara VIrA so much with their

good hearts that he describes them as "mahAnubhAvA:", "vishuddha bhAvA:" etc.

They are also extremely attached to righteous conduct, finds Sri

Maruti-"dharmaparA:". Many of the inhabitants of Lanka performed appropriate

hOmAs during amAvAsya, PourNamAsya etc. (like Darsam, PoorNamAsam etc.). These

Rakshasas were profound patrons of the arts and Lanka was filled with

bewtitching music emanating from various instruments as also from the sweet

shAreerams of their women.

 

Having said enough to establish that RAkshasAs were not entirely beyond

redemption and that there were indeed exceptions to the general rule of their

being bad, I should now do justice to the caption of this piece by dwelling on a

Right-thinking Rakshasa. Readers would invariably except me to write here about

the most obvious specimen of decency and Dharma that was to be found in

Lanka-Sri VibhIshaNa. Indeed, it appears difficult to think of anyone else as

rooted firmly in righteousness as this brother of Ravana, with his fearless

espousal of the right path despite very real threats to his life and limb and

his bold decision to leave all his earthly possessions, his princedom and all

his loved ones, to cross the seas and surrender at the Lord's lotus

feet-"tyaktvA putrAmscha dArAmshca Raghavam sharaNam gata:".

 

However, I would not be obliging readers by doing the obvious and writing about

Vibhishana. The Hero of this piece is quite different. Though it is difficult to

picturise him as a right-thinking person, he is indeed one, as Sri Valmiki

demonstrates through his own words. The amount of adulatory references to Sri

Rama, emanating from this Rakshasa, exceed the tributes paid by many of His

admirers. Indeed, this worthy uses so many imaginative similies to describe the

Prince of Ayodhya, that even the Lord's regular devotees would have to hang

their heads in shame. The encomiums heaped upon the distinguished son of

Dasarata, emanating from this unusual source, make one wonder as to whether he

was indeed a Rakshasa, or born in the clan due to some mix-up at BrahmA's

creative factory.

 

"RAmO vigrahavAn dharma: sAdhu: satya parAkrama:"-Sri Rama is indeed

righteousness personified and is the best of people, with proven prowess. Whom

do you think is the author of these eloquent words of tribute to the Prince of

Ayodhya? None other than MArIchA, who is the centerpiece of this article.

 

Enraged by the indignity meted out to sister ShoorpanakhA, Ravana seeks the help

of MarIchA for the abduction of Sri Mythili, to wreak revenge on Sri Rama. The

elder Rakshasa's elaborate reply and homilies to Ravana have been chronicled by

Sri Valmiki in considerable detail and each individual word of Maricha is worth

its weight in gold.

 

>From Maricha's accounts, it would appear as though he is the fittest person to

tell us about Sri Raghava's bravery, prowess in war, tolerance and mercy, of all

of which he (Maricha) has been either a target or a beneficiary. In fact, the

Prince of Ayodhya's very first encounter with enemies involves Maricha, SubAhu

and a host of others, when they arrive in force to create hurdles to

Visvamitra's yagyA. Mistaking the Prince to be a mere toddler playing with a

bow and arrow, when Maricha attacks, all that the Lord does is to let loose a

single sharp arrow, which not only renders the rakhsasa senseless, but the

momentum of which also carries him hundreds of miles afar, flinging him deep

into the ocean. Readers must appreciate the strategy behind the RamabANA's

sparing this rakshasa, when all the others accompanying him are annihilated.

Keeping in mind the important role the rakshasa was to play later on, Sri Rama

spares him with a warning shot, so to say.

 

The Rakshasa has a second encounter with the Prince, when he runs into Sri Rama,

Lakshmana and Sri Mythily during their initial sojourn in the DandakAraNya.

Misled again by appearances and failing to recognise in the deer-skin-clad Sri

Rama the Prince at whose hands he had almost met his nemesis, Maricha attacks

again, in the form of a deadly deer with lethal horns, intent on his habitual

pursuit of killing and consuming RishIs and dharmAtmAs. Again, the RAmabANa,

while putting paid to his equally blood-thirsty accomplices, spares Maricha,

with a sound thrashing.

 

Thankful to the Lord for having spared his life twice, Maricha turns over a new

leaf and leads a life of penance and renunciation, adhering to the right path

atleast towards the sunset of his life-

"sharENa muktO Ramasya kathanchit prApya jIvitam

iha pravrAjtO yukta: tApasOham samAhita:"

 

It is at this juncture that Ravana seeks out Maricha, for abetting the abduction

of Mythili. And Maricha, trying hard to dissuade DasagrIva from the foolhardy

endeavour, uses the opportunity to sing the praises of Sri Rama in delightful

detail. He tells the ill-fated Ravana that the one the latter was mistaking to

be a puny mortal to be easily triumphed over, was in fact a warrior of matchless

magnificence and peerless prowess. The similes employed by Maricha are choice

ones, portraying vividly the various and glorious aspects of the Prince of

Ayodhya.

 

"Rama is verily the Master of all these worlds, just as Indra is for the dEvAs",

begins Maricha, recounting the fame of the Prince of Ayodhya.

"He is verily the Furious Fire ("RAmAgni:"), having unfailing arrows as its

leaping tongues, fed by the magnificent bow and sceptre, which form the fuel,

and totally unappraochable to opponents intent on attack."

" Sri Rama is indeed the God of Death personified, with a terrifyingly gaping

mouth represented by His splendorous bow Kodandam, sharp and lethal arrows

forming the deadly tongue, weilding a sceptre that verily is a lasso capturing

resisting victims and spelling death with every action of His".

Maricha uses several beautiful adjectives to describe Sri Ramachandra's glorius

attributes, uttering each syllable with apparent relish-"MahAveeryam,

guNOnnatam, MahEndra VaruNOpamam, DharmAtmA., Narasimha:, Padmapatra

nibhEkshaNa:. SrImAn, BAlachandra:, aklishta karmaNa:," etc. If the

complimentary references made by Maricha are strung into a verse, they would

indeed form a fitting accolade to the illustrious son of Kousalya.

 

Maricha is also aware of the glory of SitA PirAtti and tells Ravana that one who

has Her at His side could never be won over, for His glory would be

immeasurable-"apramEyO hi tat tEjO yasya sA JanakAtmajA". She is like the

blazing fire, unapproachable by others-"deeptasyEva hutAsanasya Sita

sumadhyamA". The rakshasa is aware too of the inseparability of the Divine Duo,

likening Piratti to the brilliance of the Sun, which can never be separated from

its possessor-"PrabhAm iva Vivasvata:".

 

Sri Rama is in Maricha's constant contemplation and forms the unvarying subject

matter of his thoughts, both due to the terror occasioned by the former's deadly

arrows, as well as the pleasure it affords the Rakshasa to think about the

splendorous divine form with the matchless attributes. Like the seasoned

BrahmagnAni, he is able to see the Lord in everything that he sets his eyes on-

"Rama bhootam idam sarvam araNym pratibhAti mE". He sees not one Rama, but

thousands of Him, filling all directions, the earth and the skies above-

"api Rama sahasrANi bheeta: pasyAmi Ravana!".

He sees Sri Raghava in every tree and shrub of the forest he lives in-

 

"VrikshE vrikshE cha pasyAmi cheera krishNAjinAmbaram

girheeta dhanusham Ramam pAsa hastam ivAntakam"

 

Maricha is blessed to see the Lord not only while awake, but even in his sleep-

"Ramam Eva hi pasyAmi RakshasEsvara!

DrishtvA svapna gatam Ramam udbhavAmi vichEtana:"

 

So much obsessed is the rakshasa with Sri Rama that all words beginning with

"Ra" remind him only of the Prince of Ayodhya-

"RakAra AdIni nAmAni Rama trastasya Ravana!

RatnAni cha rathAschaiva trAsam sanjanayanti mE"

 

What an exalted state, which every aspiring seeker would covet! To see the Lord

in anything and everything one sets sight on, to hear the Lord's sonorous and

stentorian voice in all sounds that fall on one's ears, to have Him inhabit

one's thoughts constantly and without intermission, in waking and in sleep, to

have each and every word in the lexicon remind one only of Emperuman, to know

His prowess in all its glory and to think, breathe, hear and do everything with

the Lord as constant companion!

 

If this is not what Brahma gnAnam is all about, what else could it be! It is an

entirely different story that all this constant contemplation of the Lord was

caused in Maricha by his mortal fear of DAsarathi-irrespective of the causative

factors, we must admit that the rakshasa attained a state which would be

extremely difficult, if not impossible, for any devotee to even think of, leave

alone achieve.

 

There are two entities who claim to know the Lord's glories in all their

immeasurable extent- the first is the VEda Purusha, who claims with confidence

to know the Lord for what He is-"VEdAham Etam Purusham mahAntam" says the

Purusha Sukta. The other is Maharshi Visvamitra, who too employs almost similar

words to display his close acquaintance with and knowledge of the

Paramapurusha-"aham vEdmi mahAtmAnam Ramam satya parAkramam". And there is a

third too, a totally unlikely entity, none other than our Maricha, who says he

knows Sri Raghava in all His glory-" aham tasya prabhAvagya: na yuddham tEna tE

kshamam". All these three knowers stand on an equal footing, in that they know

not the true extent of the Lord's magnificence, but know it to be immeasurable

and beyond description.

 

The dialogue between Maricha and Ravana can rank very well with other

conversations of scriptural renown as those between Sri Bhishma and Sri

Yudhistthira (resulting in the Sri Vishnu Sahasranama stotram) and the one the

latter had with Sri Vidhura-for, all these serve to bring out the many-faceted

splendour of Emperuman and His auspicious attributes.

 

Maricha's monologue covers a lot of ground in social, political and personal

ethics and is a treat to the discerning reader. Maricha prefaces his long sermon

to Ravana with the remark that holds good even today-that quite a lot of friends

and relatives could be found, who tell you only what you want to hear, what is

pleasing to your ears, irrespective of its being truthful or otherwise. On the

other hand, there is none to voice bitter truths or hard options, and even if

there were to be some such honest person, he would find no takers or listeners-

"Bahava: purushA RAjan! Satatam priya vAdina:

apriyasya cha pathyasya vaktA shrOtA cha durlabha:".

 

One might wonder-if Maricha was indeed a reformed rakshasa, cured of all his

bestial nature, why should he consent to assuming the form of the golden deer

and enable the abduction of Piratti by Ravana? Does this not prove that one's

essential nature never changes, whatever be the lessons life teaches one? Can a

tiger ever change its stripes? And so on.

 

The truth of the matter is that Maricha was able to discern the inexorable hand

of fate pulling him towards his end. He was aware too that if he didn't oblige

Ravana, it would mean immediate death at the hands of the cruel asurA. He knew

too that to obey Ravana would mean certain death at the hands of Sri Rama, who

would definitely not spare him for a third time. So Maricha found that his fate

was sealed, with death a sure end-product of whichever option he chose. And he

preferred to die at the hands of one whom he admired most and whom he considered

a "vigrahavAn Dharma:". He says as much to Ravana too-

"MAm nihatya tu Ramascha na chirAt tvAm vadhishyati

anEna krita krityOsmi mriyE yat ariNA hata:"

 

And when, as expected, Sri Rama's arrow pierces his heart, Maricha lets out a

cry, "HA SItA! HA LakshmaNA!". Whatever be the motive behind these utterances,

the Rakshasa has the Piratti's tirunAmam on his lips and that of mahA bhAgavata

Lakshmana, which must have ensured for him a place in the heavens above, though

Sri Valmiki is silent on this. If the parable of ajAmiLa is any indication and

it is true that he was taken to the VishnulOka merely for calling out to his son

Narayana (and not the Paramapurusha Narayana) while on his death bed, it would

appear that the efficacy of Bhagavan nAma is such as to ensure emancipation,

irrespective of the intention behind its utterance-as such, Maricha too should

have attained the good worlds inhabited by meritorious mortals.

 

This is not an eulogy to an unendearing asura, but a tribute to the Lord who is

able to enthrall and entice even hard-core offenders and die-hard demons like

Maricha. Inscrutable indeed are the ways of Emperuman, in bringing habitual

offenders to the path of righteousness-He attracts some through His bewitching

form, some through His magnificent kalyANa guNAs, some others through His

prowess. In the case of Maricha, the Lord did it through the very basic human

emotion of fear, making the asura so terror-stricken as to find the Lord

anywhere and everywhere, to see Him in every object, while awake as well as when

asleep.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan