Ramayana of valmiki and Kamban-yuddhakanda

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13. Rama and Lakshmana hit with

Brahmasthra

 

Mahodhara, before

Kumbakarna went to battle suggested to Ravana that he should circulate

rumours that Rama and Lakshmana were devoured by the rakshasas and should go to

Seetha in private and ask her to accept him. Mahodhara said that she had no other refuge she would

agree to him. But Kumbakarna chided him for his advice and went to the

battlefront saying that he would kill

them all.

 

In

Kamban however, while Kumbakarna had gone to fight, Ravana asks Mahodhara the

way to make Seetha accept him so that it would be an antidote to the defeat he

experienced at the hand of Rama. Mahodhara suggests that Ravana should produce

a form of Janaka in front of Seetha and make him advise her. Ravana does so but

Seetha rebukes the pseudo Janaka and

Ravana . At that time news is

brought to him that Kumbakarna was no more and Ravana goes away lamenting.

Thrijata consoles Seetha saying that the Janaka who was present was only a

rakshasa appearing as Janaka.

 

Hearing

about the death of Kumbakarna, Ravana became unconscious and regaining

consciousness lamented piteously. He said,

 

raajyena naasthi me kaaryam kim karishyaami

seethayaa

 

kumbakarnaviheenasya jeevithe naasthi me rathiH

 

"I

have nothing to do with kingdom nor with Seetha. Without Kumbakarna I have lost

the wish to live."

 

He

regretted that he did not listen to Vibheeshana and banished him which resulted

in this situation.

 

Then

Thrisiras and Devaanthaka, Naraanthaka and athikaaya the sons of Ravana

comforted him and went to the battle along with Mahodhara and MahaaparSva. All

of them except Athikaya were killed by the vanaras and Athikaya started

attacking the vanaras , the huge form of whom made the vanaras think that

Kumbakarna had come alive. Seeing the vanaras unable to check him Lakshmana

went to him and bent his bow ready to strike when Athikaya said that

Lakshmana was just a child in front of him and asked him to go

away. Lakshmana said whether child or old man he would prove to be the death of

Athikaya and reminded him that the three worlds were measured in three steps by

Lord Vishnu who came in the form of a young boy. The Lakshmana killed him by

cutting off his head.

 

Ravana

became worried on hearing that Athikaya had died and said,

 

yasya vikramam aasaadhya raakshasaaH

niDhanam gathaaH

 

tham manye raaghavam veeram naaraayaNam

anaamayam

 

"I

think that Raghava, by whose valour all the rakshasas were destroyed, must be

Narayana, the infallible."

 

Then

Indrajith told Ravana not to worry while he was alive still and he would

destroy all who opposed him in battle. Doing a homa to get power and acquiring brhamasthra

,chariot and bow etc. by his power of manthra, he started to the battlefield.

He became invisible and attacked the vanara army and Rama and Lakshmana.

 

Indrajit

sent brahmasthra by which sixtyseven

crores of monkeys along with Rama and Lakshman fell down unconscious

Vibheeshana consoled the vanaras who

survived saying that nothing would have happened to Rama and Lakshman and they

were only giving respect to the asthra of Brahma and succumbed to it but would

be revived soon.

 

Then

Hanuman and Vibheeshana searched through

the fallen vanaras and found Jambavan still conscious but could not see due to

his wounds. Jambavan hearing Vibheeshana's voice enquired whether Hanuman was

alive. Vinheeshana expressed his surprise that Jambavan enquired about Hanuman

and not about Sugriva or even Rama, to which Jambavan replied that if Hanuman

was alive all of them would be alive and if not, all of them would be dead.

Then Hanuman spoke to Jambavan with reverence and Jambavan asked Hanuman to go

to Himalayas and bring the herbs mrtha sanjeevani( one that brings dead to life),

viSalya karani (one that heals all the wounds), saavarnya karani (one that

gives lustre to the body),santhaana karani (one that joins the broken limbs),

from the herbal mountain on the top of Himalayas.

 

Hanuman

flew to Himalayas and the herbs became

invisible knowing someone had come to search for them. Hanuman, not finding

them, lifted the whole herb mountain and brought it to the battlefield. Even by

the fragrance of the herbs, all the dead vanaras came back to life and the

wounded had their wounds healed and the broken limbs were rejoined. To the

possible question whether this would not have brought back even the dead

rakshasas to life, Valmiki answers that the bodies of dead rakshasas were

pushed into the sea from the orders of Ravana so that none would know the

magnitude of the rakshasas who got killed in the war.