Wednesday 18 December 2013

115. Shurpanakha rushed to Ravana for reprisal.

                   Hi! I have not forgotten that devil of a rakshashi Shurpanakha. She felt that she was completely screwed up on seeing the fourteen thousand rakshashas of heinous crimes totally perished at the hands of one lone Rama. She could not believe that Duushana, Khara and Trishira about whom she believed were unbeatable in a battle even with a god were killed by a human. A Human!  She went almost mad and started blaring so loud like a thunder. She rushed to her next obvious recourse, the great Ravana, her own eldest brother.
             She saw her dear brother the dazzling Ravana , surrounded by his ministers seated nearly and nearby, like Indra amid the devas.
             Seated similar to the Sun in firmament, on a supreme golden seat, which resembled a golden Fire-altar and he himself resembling the blazing Ritual-fire, when much ghee is poured into that Golden-Fire-Altar.
Comment.
 Ravana was seated, like the Sun in firmament, on a supreme golden throne, which resembled a golden Fire-altar, laid with golden bricks, whereas mud-bricks were used in Vedic-rituals in ordinary fashion, and when much ghee was poured into that Golden-Fire-Altar continually, he himself resembling the blazing Ritual-fire and his glow was heightening for every pour of ghee-oblation.
On conquering all the worlds Ravana assumed indratva i.e. 'Indra-hood.' Ipso facto all the oblations in rituals  belonged to Ravana. Any ritual other than this variety were hindered and spoiled by his group. This was the real problem to all celestials, as they were not getting their due from Vedic-rituals. Ravana's throne itself was the Golden-Ritual-Altar of his kind, and every praise or extolment of Ravana in hymn and any offering into that Ravana-Fire-Altar was making Ravana to aglow to the bedazzlement of all the worlds. 
End Comment.
             No god, gandharva, any sages or supreme embodiment, can repress him in any war, for he was like the Grim Reaper with a gaping mouth. In many combats with the devas  he was bruised by the Indra's most mighty weapon, namely the Thunderbolt, and blotched his chest with the gore of tusk-prongs of Iravata, the Elephant of Indra.
            When Shurpanakha entered the chamber she saw his brother Ravana, with his twenty arms and ten faces, with conspicuous regalia, and with a broad-chest and with all the other attributes for a king seated on his throne majestically. 
He himself was glistening like the gleaming Lapis gems studded in his ornaments.  All his twenty earlobes were decorated with studs of refined gold. His arms were mighty, powerful and strong. With dazzling white teeth and widish mouths he looked like a mountain. He was a great warrior in reality, too.  He fought a number of times with gods and devas. He was assaulted by weapons almost equal to the famous Vishnu-disc, hundreds of times in such wars. He had faced the assault of other missiles hundreds of times in other great wars. In all such wars he returned as the grand winner. Shurpanakha was very proud of her dear brother.
Comment.
The disc of Vishnu called 'Sudarshana Chakra' which is said to be the most powerful weapon. There were other missiles which are almost as powerful as the Sudarshana Chakra. One such was the one among many given to Rama by Vishwamitra. This narration is to portray that Ravana had war-wounds on all over his limbs. Though hit by Thunderbolts and other missiles for umpteen times, he was just wounded but not dead or incapacitated in any way and he was on such a winning spree, ineradicably.
End Comment.
              By getting numerous thrashings from gods and devas in the numerous wars he fought with them with success, his whole body became immune to any kind of assault. That apart he learned from such experience to thwart any weapon. His experience taught him to perturb even the oceans which normally cannot be perturbed, swiftly at his will and wish, and a swift perpetrator of anything at his will and wish.
               He had the power to repress even gods. Such power and capabilities made him so arrogant, he became an extirpator of ethical values, and a molester of others' wives. With impunity he went to the city named Bhogavati, the Capital of Nagas(Serpents), and defeated Vaasuki, the King of Serpents. On going to Mt. Kailash and defeated Kubera, the Lord of Wealth-Management. He also snatched away Kubera's aircraft, namely Pushpaka, which transits at the wish of its helmsman. 
               Performing penance for ten thousand years in a forest to Brahma, he got the boon that  he will not be imperiled or killed by gods, rakshashas, gandharvas, devils, birds, reptiles etc. [In his arrogance he did not specify Humans].
               However, the fear of being killed (somehow) made him a plunderer of the Vedic-rituals at the time of their culmination, namely, at the time of giving bounties and charities to all the cadres in society. He trespassed or caused to be trespassed by his deputies, and caused hindrance to all Vedic-rituals, the slayer of those Brahmins who conducted Vedic-rituals contrary to his wishes, which in the eyes of the affected brahmans an evildoer.
Comment.
 The problem with Ravana was that nobody should surpass him or his boons, by conducting various Vedic-rituals, appeasing the gods to get better boons, or say 'a boon to kill Ravana...' itself. That being his preconceived fear he did not let anyone to conduct any Vedic sacrifice. Secondly, he became one with Indra by the boon of Brahma, so any ritual should be centered on Ravana, not Indra. He was not a routine Brahmin slayer for he himself was of Brahminic origin and his teachers were Brahmins, but goes against those Brahmins who dared to conduct rituals for Indra and other divinities. 
End Comment.
                   After Ravana got all the boons he desired and usurped the kingdom of Lanka, he went on a winning spree withe devas and other gods. He then mused an idea of giving a jolt to Shiva, the god of all gods. Accordingly he went to the Mt. Kailash, the living abode of the god Siva and lifted with all his twenty hands. Mt. Kailash started shaking. Siva's consort Parvathi  became highly scared and hugged tightly her husband. Lord Shiva was happily enjoying that feeling. 
When the shaking went beyond the endurance of Nandi, sivaganas etc. all of them prayed the Lord Shiva for protection. Shiva nodded and just pressed down the Mt. Kailash with his left big toe causing Ravana's twenty hands buried under the Mt. Kailash. Ravana could not extricate even one hand. He started to yell in pain for a thousand years, terrifying all the worlds. Then, as advised by his ministers, Ravana started extolling Shiva in a stotram, danDakam, a rhythmical eulogy. That heavily worded eulogy is still available in the name of raavaNa kR^ita daNDaka. Then, Shiva released Ravana's hands from under Mt. Kailash and blessed him to be renowned as 'Ravana' then onward. This will be found in the Uttara RamayaNa seventh book. Thus, Ravana is the etymological derivation of the word from the root ru 'to make noise or weep...' Before this Ravana was known as Dashagriiva, or Dashakantha, or Dashaanana, or Dashakandhara.
End Comment.
                 Shurpanakha was proud to see such a great dear brother who though a reprobate was great  and mighty one. He was excellently attired and bejeweled and shining forth with excellent garlands. Shurpanakha, a fearless one in her movements, now defaced by Lakshmana, was now perplexed by the fear of Lakshmana, but with a lusty craving for Rama. With well rehearsed words with which to represent her side she moved towards her brother determinedly and steadily.
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