Ramayana of valmiki and Kamban-yuddhakanda

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15. The end of Ravana

 

Ravana

started for the battle with the whole of his army. The battle

that ensued between the rakshasas and Rama whom they all surrounded and

attacked as per the instructions of Ravana, was terrific. The rakshasas never

saw Rama but only his shower of arrows. They felt as though there were

thousands of Ramas and almost the whole army was destroyed by Rama and the

remaining fled to Lanka. Ravana heard the lamentations of the women all over

Lanka as predicted by Seetha earlier.

 

 

Ravana

started for the war with Mahodhara, Mahaparsva and viroopaksha along with his

strongest warriors on chariots, ignoring the bad omens. When Mahodhaera , Mahaparsva and Viroopaaksha

were killed in the battle Ravana attacked Rama ignoring Lakshman who came in

front and the two fought vigorously for some time when Lakshmana and Vibheeshana

came to the spot and attacked Ravana. Seeing Vibheeshana the anger of Ravana

knew no bounds and he started to send shakthi missile towards him but Lakshmana

destroyed it even before it was flung at Vibheeshana. Then Ravana attacked

Lakshmana with shakthi missile and Lakshmana fell down unconscious.

 

Rama seeing this, tried to relieve Lakshmana

of the missile but Ravana was attacking him fiercely. Then Rama told Hanuman and Sugriva to guard Lakshman and

started fighting with Ravana, who, not able to face the arrows of Rama fainted

and his charioteer carried him away from

the battlefield. Sushena consoled the grieving Rama and told Hanuman to get the

herbs again and Hanuman again went to the mountain and unable to find the herbs

brought the mountain as before. Lakshmana was relieved from the effects of

the missile and his wounds were healed.

 

Ravana,

chided his charioteer who took him away and returned in a chariot and the devas and Indra,

seeing that there was no equal status between Rama

who was fighting on foot and Ravana on the chariot, sent the chariot of Indra

with his charioteer Matali to Rama, who went round the chariot and got on it.

The fight between them was very fierce with arrows going to and fro while the

two were not seen due to the shower of arrows. Kamban says here that Ravana

wondered whether Rama was the Supreme a of the Vedas and then reassuring

himself that he will not retreat whoever

Rama might be.

 

sivanO?

allan;naanmugan allan;thirumaalaam

avanO?

allan;mey varam ellaam aduginRaan;

thavanO

ennin seydhumudikkum tharan allan;

ivanOdhaan

avvEdhamudhal kaaraNan?enRaan

 

Ravaan

eliminated all devas like Siva and Brahma or Vishnu, seeing Rama because all

his boons have become useless in front of Rama, and wondered if He is the Brahman

of the Vedas , the original cause of the universe.

 

At

this juncture, seeing Ravana fatigued by the powerful attack by Rama, sage

Agasthya came there and told the Adhithyahrdhayasthothra to Rama to bring the

battle to a conclusion by the speedy death of Ravana. The sthothra deserves a

special treatise and it might be taken as that said to invoke the power of Lord Narayana in Rama

because almost all the namas of the sthothra are found in the Vishnusahasrnama.

The Upanishad says ,

 

ya

esho antharaadhithye hiraNmayaH purushaH dhrSyathe, and DhyeyaH sadhaa savithrmandalavarthee

 

The

Lord Narayana is referred to as the Supreme Being in the orbit of the Sun , and

he is to be worshipped always.

 

The

battle that took place between Rama and Ravana then was something incomparable

and Valmiki says,

 

gaganam gaganaakaaram saagaram

saagaropamam

raamaraavaNayoryudDam

raamaraavanayoriva

 

The

sky is like the sky. The sea is like the sea. The fight between Rama and Ravana

was like that of Rama and Ravana, meaning that there is nothing which could be

compared with it. Rama cut off the heads of Ravana and they sprang up again.

After a hundreds of heads were cut off and reappeared, Rama was told by Matali

to use brahmasthra as the end of Ravana was near. Then Rama did so and the

missile went through the chest of Ravana and entered the earth and then

returned to the quiver of Rama. Ravana fell down from the chariot lifeless on

the ground.

 

Vibheeshana

seeing the body of Ravana , lamented that Ravana met his death because he never

listened to the words of Vibheeshana and Rama consoled him saying that Ravana

met his death as a warrior and he should not be grieved but told Vibheeshana to

take care of the next course of action. When Vibheeshana hesitated, Rama said

that all enmity is only till death and told him to perform the last rites of

Ravana.

 

In

the meanwhile the wives of Ravana hearing about his death came out of Lanka and

cried over his body. Mandodhari said that it was impossible that a mere man who

was roaming in the forest had killed Ravana who was victorious in all the three

worlds. The one who killed Khara and his whole army single handed was not a

human being. She said,

 

thamasaH paramo dhaataa

shankhachakragadhaaDharaH

shriivathsavakShaa nityashriir

ajayyaH SaaSvato DhruvaH

maanushaM ruupamaasThaaya viShNuH

sathyaparaakramaH

 

He

is dispeller of darkness, wearer of the conch, disc and mace, marked by the

srivatsa on His chest, always with Sreedevi, invincible, eternal and immutable,

the Lord Vishnu Himself of true valour, assumed human form. She said the in his

case the saying, pathivrathaanaam na

akasmaathpathathai aSrooNi bhoothale,

the

tears of chaste women will not fall accidentally on earth, meaning that the

tears of a chaste woman will have its effect on the one who caused it. She

further said that what Vibheeshana , who always speaks the truth, said had come

true. In Valmikiramayana Mandhodhari

says

saa aham banDhujanairheena heenaa

naaThena thu svayaa

viheenaa kaamabhogaiScha Sochoshye

SaaSvatheeH

samaaH

 

" I am going to live for several years having lost

my relatives, my husband and all happiness."

 

But in Kamban it is different. Mandhodhari says, on

seeing the arrow of Rama which pierced the chest of Ravana,

 

kaL irukkum malarkkoondhal jaanakiyai

manacchiRaiyil karandha kaadhal

uL irukkum enakkarudhi, udal pugundhu

 

thadaviyadhO oruvan vaaLi?

 

meaning, whether the arrow of Rama entered the

heart to search whether he still had the desire for Seetha.

 

Thus lamenting she embraced his chest and died.

 

Then

after the funeral rites had been done for Ravana, Rama sent Mathali with the

chariot to the devaloka and embraced Sugriva. Then he told Lakshmana to perform

the coronation to Vibheeshana. After being crowned as the king of Lanka,

Vibheeshana did the fitting honour to

Rama and Lakshmana. Rama then told Hanuman who was standing near like a mountain

with folded hands to go to Lanka and with the permission of Vibheeshana convey

the good news to Seetha and get her reply.