The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Lord Rama has managed to kill Maharaaksha and has instilled a definite fear in Ravana’s mind. Upon hearing the news, Ravana is stunned and is looking around for other options. Unfortunately he doesn’t have any! All his army chiefs, his dear brother Kumbhakarna, etc. have lost their lives in the war. It is only his son Indrajith who is left now! The entire city of Lanka is in distress. The palace has lost its glory and has entered into a deep gloom! All people in the palace are looking glum with sorrow!

Now Ravana’s only trumpcard is Indrajith. But he is not convinced with the way Indrajith is dealing with the current situation. His illusionary powers have started to fail! The opponents are having answers for every tough question that Indrajith has posed to them so far! What does he do now?

Indrajith decides to take it upon himself to answer his father’s doubts on his ability. He is clearly frustrated and ashamed on himself. Hence he decides to go to war immediately to put all the doubts about his credibility to rest. As Indrajith starts with all his fury, Ravana stops him. He gives his son an important piece of advice.

Ravana says to Indrajith, “My dear son! I know you are trying to prove a point to me. But you should be cautious now. Now you know the capability of the enemy. You should strategise your move according to that. Rather than going directly to the battlefield, equip yourself with more illusionary and destructive powers by going into penance. The more you equip yourself, the more you shall become invincible! Think and act accordingly!”

As his father says thus, Indrajith has got the lesson – He should now equip himself with more destructive illusionary powers. For that, he selects a spot amidst a distant cave and decides to do immense penance there, so as to gain invincible powers. But there is a small possibility of a backfire here – If Indrajith’s penance is disturbed by someone or some thing in the middle, all the powers that he is supposed to gain would be lost permanently and he would become totally powerless! But at this point in time, Indrajith is also running out of options and despite this probability of a downfall, decides to go ahead with the plan.

Accordingly Indrajith sets out in his horse towards that particular spot. As he travels, there is a change in the climate – The world is unable to bare the wrath of Indrajith’s extraordinary quest of power. There’s a sudden flash of lightning and thundering across the sky. All this happens in the middle of the night and this awakens the entire Vaanara camp. Rama and Lakshmana are up on their feet as well. They clearly sense that something is going wrong and there’s clearly a ploy that is being created! But what was that ploy? It is Vibhishana who figures it out at once! Because, Vibhishana has already seen such things happen whenever Indrajith sets out to undertake penance for the want of destructive powers. He immediately guesses that this might be Indrajith’s strategy. Now what do we do? How do we combat this?

Vibhishana explains everything to Rama quickly and briefly thus, “Oh Lord! This is clearly Indrajith’s act! If Indrajith succeeds in his penance of gaining the destructive powers, he would become totally invincible and nobody in this world would be able to take him on even in their wildest dreams!” Upon hearing this from Vibhishana, Lord Rama and Lakshmana are stunned! Immediately Rama quips, “Oh Vibhishana! I totally acknowledge your words! But how on earth to we cross this obstacle? There should be some solution right?”

Now Vibhishana explains the strategy clearly: “Oh Lord! You are right! There is a solution to this! The first thing we need to do is to prevent Indrajith from succeeding in the penance. We can do that by diverting his attention and uprooting him from that particular place. That would disturb his penance. Once his penance is disturbed, he would become powerless and thus it would become easy for us to take him on!”

Lord Rama listens very carefully to Vibhishana’s advice and strategy. The counter plan is clear – Someone should go immediately and try to stop Indrajith from gaining the destructive powers. Who is going to do that? Who is going to take up the responsibility? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out!

In the previous episode we witnessed that Lakshmana is back on his feet and rearing to go. However, Lord Rama cautions him of a backlash from Indrajith anytime. He has a few words of advice for his younger brother, which is also relevant for our modern day life. Lord Rama talks about the significance of controlling our anger at crucial times and we should try and implement this important advice in our day-to-day life.

Moving on thus, the news of Lakshmana’s revival reaches Ravana’s ears! He is stunned! How could this ever happen? Indrajith has failed not once, but twice now! His careless approach makes Ravana worrisome. He calls for Indrajith with all his fury. As Indrajith arrives at the courtroom, Ravana questions him for what had happened! Indrajith is equally stunned! He never anticipated that Lakshmana would ever survive after that lethal blow! Something mysterious has happened. Somebody who knows the technique of saving lives after an “Asthra” attack has been involved in Lakshmana’s revival. However, there is not much time to think and analyze all of this now. Ravana is angry at Indrajith’s careless attitude and gives him a lengthy scolding! Indrajith is clearly depressed and is worried! He doesn’t know what to say!

Meanwhile, Ravana summons the next person to go for the war. He calls upon Maharaaksha, who is almost equally powerful as Ravana himself. As Maharaaksha comes to Ravana’s court, he gets ready to take on the Vaaanra camp. It should be remembered that Maharaaksha is capable of assuming any form as he wishes! He is now coming on to the battlefield, with special focus on Rama and Lakshmana. He is determined to finish off both of them.

As Maharaaksha arrives, Lord Rama decides to take him on by himself. As Vibhishana gives the strategic advice as to how to go about the fight, Lord Rama attacks him with his sharp and powerful arrows. However, Maharaaksha is not one person who is going to be bogged down by Rama’s arrows! He catches them in his hands so easily, breaks them into pieces and throws them away on the ground! Looking at this, Lord Rama is taken aback by Maharaaksha’s power! He is now coming towards both Rama and Lakshmana and is taking them on with equal power. There is a fierce battle going on now. Both sides inflict heavy blows on each other as the fight progresses.

However, as Maharaaksha comes too close to Rama and Lakshmana, Lord Rama sees the opportunity to target his weakness. He inflicts heavy blows on Maharaaksha’s weak points and inflicts heavy damage to him. Unable to bare the pain from the blows, Maharaaksha falls on the ground dead!

As Maharaaksha falls on the ground, there is a huge cheer from the entire Vaanara army! Sugriva, Hanuman and Angadha are elated beyond words! They’ve just witnessed a cracker of a battle from Lord Rama himself and he has exhibited a glimpse of his ultimate power to all of them! It’s time now for celebration in the Vaanara camp, but a lot to ponder at the Ravana’s!

Upon hearing about Maharaaksha’s death, Ravana is now clearly running out of options. Heavy damage has been inflicted to his army as well! All his army chiefs are dead by now! It is now only Indrajith who is left with him. There is also a shortage of soldiers in his fast-depleting army. What does Ravana do now? Is he going to send Indrajith again to fight? What is going to happen next? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out!

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Lakshmana returns to normal condition after the Sanjeevani herb takes effect in his body. This brings cheers to the entire Vaanara camp and all of them are up on their feet! Obviously Lord Rama is in tears of joy as he hugs his brother with all his love and affection for him! Eventually, Rama turns to Hanuman and acknowledges his great effort of bringing in the entire cliff containing the Sanjeevani herbs. Lord Rama does not mince his words to thank Hanuman for his selfless service!

As everybody settle down again, Lord Rama turns towards Lakshmana in a bit of anger. He has some strong words to be delivered to Lakshmana now. Lord Rama says to Lakshmana, “Oh Lakshmana! I know and understand that you are trying your best to protect me in all ways possible. However, you should remember that you don’t give any room for anger to take over. This is your weakness – You are extremely skilled and powerful, however, the anger in you pulls you down sometimes! If you get too much angry, you would lose your thinking ability! Indirectly you are giving in to Indrajith’s trap! He is trying to provoke you in every way possible and you should be aware of that! Why did you go and attack Indrajith without my permission? Don’t you know that Indrajith is an expert in luring people and killing them?”

Lord Rama continues, “Oh Lakshmana! If you had been dead, what answers would I give to Mother Sumithra, Mother Kaushalya and Mother Kaikeyi? What would I say to your wife Urmila? Did you think of all that? Hence from now onwards, each and every move of ours are important. We need to be extremely cautious. The moment Indrajith comes to know that you are alive again, he would surely plot something to lure both of us. You should use your “Viveka” (Wisdom) rather than getting carried away by your anger!”

What an important message for all of us – Controlling our anger is of prime importance in whatever we do in life! This particular episode in the Ramayana is only to illustrate this very important point of “Anger control”. Even in today’s life we are witnessing innumerable incidences wherein we are provoked and tempted to show out our anger and frustration. However, we should remember always that by getting angry at someone, we are falling into the enemy’s trap. The more we maintain our calmness, the more probability for us to succeed! We should always remember that it becomes very easy for the opposition to defeat us if we are angry, and it becomes extremely tough to defeat us if we maintain our calm! Hence let us ponder over this important point today and try to reflect upon our daily lives, to control our anger! 🙂

Moving on further, upon hearing from Lord Rama, Lakshmana realizes his fault and apologizes to his brother straightaway. Now, Rama and Lakshmana are back again to fight out the Raakshasaas. Sugriva, Hanuman, Jaambhavaan and Angadha are also up on their feet to fight out whoever comes next!

In the midst of all this, Ravana comes to know that Lakshmana is back to life and is ready again to fight. He is stunned! Indrajith has failed him again! His carelessness is going to cost Ravana dearly. Now that one of his most powerful persons, Kumbhakarna has been killed, whom is Ravana going to send next? Let us wait till the next episode to find out!

Today we are at an extremely important juncture wherein Lakshmana’s life is in danger. Time is running out quickly as the doctor says that the “Sanjeevani” medicinal herb should reach Lanka at the earliest. Hanuman takes it upon himself as he commences his journey northwards in search of this Sanjeevani herb. As he crosses through the Himalayas he finds a particular cliff with a bright shine and is unique in nature. Perhaps is this the Sanjeevani herb that the doctor is talking about?

Thus, Hanuman goes near the cliff and examines it. Yes! This is the herb! But how to make sure that this is that particular herb? Moreover, what is the quantity in which this herb is needed? Hanuman thinks for a minute and decides to take the whole cliff to Lanka, so that sufficient amount of the herb is available for Lakshmana’s treatment. Thinking thus, Hanuman uproots the entire cliff as the whole world shakes for a moment! The celestial beings are looking at Hanuman with awe! They couldn’t believe that Hanuman is so powerful that he can even carry a mountain in his hands so easily!

Hanuman thus uproots the cliff, carries it in his hands and makes his way quickly to Lanka. He flies through mountains, plains, rivers, streams, cities, villages, etc. Finally he crosses through the ocean and lands back in Lanka with the huge cliff in his hand!

Upon seeing Hanuman land on the ground with this huge cliff, the other monkeys including Sugriva, Angadha, etc. are surprised! Lord Rama is astonished beyond words! As Hanuman lands, he keeps down the cliff and goes to the doctor to bring him here. As the doctor arrives, he quickly takes a few of the herbs, create a medicine and applies it on Lakshmana’s unconscious body. As the herb is applied, everybody is tensed! Lord Rama couldn’t wait to see his brother alive again!

Now the herb is fully applied on Lakshmana’s body and it slowly starts to take effect. The medicine is working! Now Lakshmana slowly starts giving signs of recovery! The entire Vaanara camp is eagerly looking at Lakshmana, waiting for the good news! Finally, with all the prayers from everybody around, and with Lord Rama’s infinite grace, the medicine cures Lakshmana completely as he wakes up again! As Lakshmana wakes up, there are cheers all around and the whole Vaanara camp is up on their feet! Lord Rama couldn’t believe his eyes! Lakshmana is alive and is getting up in front of him!

Upon seeing Lakshmana back to normal, Rama goes and hugs his brother with tears of joy! This is an emotional moment as Lord Rama is seeing his brother back to normal again!

As Rama is extremely happy, he turns towards Hanuman! After all if Hanuman hadn’t got the cliff with the Sanjeevani herb, Lakshmana would not have been alive! What a great service from the ever-dependable messenger! Lord Rama straightaway goes to Hanuman with all smiles and hugs Hanuman with him! He is clearly running out of words to thank Hanuman for the service he has done! Now again Lord Rama says to Hanuman, “Oh Hanuman! For all what you are doing to myself, Sita and Lakshmana, I really do not know what kind of a compliment I should be giving to you! In fact, I’m totally powerless in front of your sincere, honest and dedicated service for us!”

Upon hearing this from his hero, Hanuman is in tears of joy! What is Hanuman going to expect from Lord Rama? It is only to be with him always! So today, let us all realize the importance of “Seva” or “Selfless service” towards others! Let us keep thinking about this today and introspect. We shall wait till tomorrow for the action to continue further! 🙂

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Lakshmana has fallen unconscious on the ground after Indrajith’s mini cameo! His illusionary tactics has caused Lakshmana’s life to get into a danger! At this time, nobody knows how to bring back Lakshmana to normal. Lord Rama is unconsolably crying upon seeing Lakshmana’s condition. He laments as to why did Lakshmana accompany him to the forest and it has resulted in his life being in extreme danger!

As all of them are in grief, Vibhishana thinks of what can be done at this time. He immediately remembers something – A “doctor” to whom Indrajith goes to cure himself whenever he tests some new “Asthras” on his own body. This doctor is a highly capable person, but a sage living in one extreme corner of Lanka. Vibhishana thinks that maybe someone can go and find out the whereabouts of this doctor so that he may be able to suggest a solution for Lakshmana’s condition.

Thinking thus, Vibhishana explains this to Rama and as Rama listens to this, Hanuman is immediately ready for the assignment – Even before Rama says another word, Hanuman sets out to find out where this doctor is! He searches amidst the fringes of Lanka city and finally finds a small isolated cottage on the top of a hill. Hanuman decides to explore this cottage and finds an old sage sitting there in deep penance. As Hanuman arrives, the sage realizes that someone important has come to see him! He recognizes Hanuman and welcomes him into his cottage.

As Hanuman enters in, he explains the critical situation to the sage and who is the cause for this disaster. As the sage listens to Hanuman’s story, he is apprehensive since he is the doctor who cures Indrajith. He refuses to come with Hanuman because if Indrajith comes to know this, he would be hanged to death! However as all of us know, Hanuman is an expert in talking – He successfully convinces the sage to come along!

Finally the doctor sage agrees to come with Hanuman – But without the knowledge of Indrajith. Hanuman takes the sage quickly to the place where Rama and the Vaanaras are sitting. As the sage arrives, he immediately checks Lakshmana’s condition. He finds Lakshmana’s condition to be extremely critical and time is running out! As Rama asks him for a solution, the sage says that the only solution to this is the medicinal herb by name “Sanjeevani”. Now where do we find this “Sanjeevani”? Unfortunately it is unavailable anywhere in the vicinity. It is available only amidst the Himalayas in the north!

Now who is going to go and get this “Sanjeevani”? As expected, it is Hanuman who is up to the task! He is ready to start! As Rama nods his head in approval, Hanuman immediately sets out. He is quickly progressing towards the northern direction, searching for this particular herb. He proceeds further and further and reaches the foothills of the Himalayas in super-quick time! As Hanuman searches on, he is able to find one shining plant that is growing in large numbers on one particular hill. Upon seeing this, Hanuman is confused as to which is that one plant. Confused thus and with every minute and second running out, Hanuman decides that he would take the whole hill with him, and let the doctor find it out by himself.

Thinking thus, Hanuman unearths the whole mountain from the ground as the earth’s surface is trembling. Unable to bare Hanuman’s power, the celestial beings are astounded beyond extents! Hanuman carries the entire mountain and is travelling quickly back to Lanka.

So for today, let us travel with Hanuman, who is carrying the Sanjeevani mountain on his shoulders! Will this Sanjeevani bring Lakshmana back to life? Let’s wait with all our prayers and hopes till the next episode to find out!

In the previous episode we had witnessed that Indrajith lures Lakshmana into a trap wherein he drags and isolates Lakshmana to a lonely spot. A fierce battle commences, as Lakshmana is growing more and more furious! As Lakshmana is deeply into the fight, he fails to realize that Indrajith is an expert in creating illusions! According to the trap, Indrajith suddenly vanishes from that point, but arrows keep coming towards Lakshmana from all four direcions! Lakshmana is clueless now and finally succumbs to Indrajith’s asthra, which has the power of inducing an electric shock-like feeling. Unable to bear the impact of the powerful shock, Lakshmana falls on the ground unconscious.

The trap has worked extremely well for Indrajith as he roars in laughter! However, it is at this point, Indrajith again makes a similar mistake like the last time – Upon seeing Lakshmana unconscious on the floor, he wrongly interprets Lakshmana to be dead and hence he leaves that place without ensuring that Lakshmana is completely finished! Now how much is this going to cost Indrajith? Let’s wait and witness!

As Lakshmana is now unconscious on one side, let us look at what happens at the Vaanara camp. As the news spreads that Lakshmana has gone missing from nowhere, Lord Rama is deeply concerned! What could have happened? Nobody is aware of Indrajith’s strategy to pull out Lakshmana this way! The search begins – All the Vaanaras are going in different directions to check the whereabouts of Lakshmana. Finally it is Hanuman who spots Lakshmana amidst a bushy area lying unconscious and hurt very badly! Upon seeing Lakshmana in this condition, Hanuman quickly understood what had happened! Clearly it was Indrajith’s ploy to create some disruption like this in a cowardly manner! Hanuman’s anger knows no bounds, however his anger is not going to work at this moment as he has bigger things to worry about – It’s the question of Lakshmana’s life and survival! What can he do now?

Hanuman immediately carries Lakshmana’s body to the place where the Vaanaras and Lord Rama are currently camping. Upon seeing Lakshmana’s condition, Lord Rama is aghast! He could not believe his eyes for a moment! Rama now fumes and vents his frustration! He cries out aloud saying thus, “Oh Lakshmana! What kind of a blunder have you committed? Don’t you know that Indrajith is a smart fellow to use illusionary powers? Before attacking an enemy you should strategise your plans and then attack. How did you attack him blindly? Atleast you should have consulted me before going ahead! Now look at what has happened!”

Rama’s sadness knows no bounds now! Nobody knows how to bring Lakshmana back to life! He continues to lament, “Oh Lakshmana! My dearest brother! Before leaving for the forest, I advised you not to accompany me! You should have been at Ayodhya along with Bharata and Shathrugna and led a happy life with your Urmila! Now you’ve followed me and I’ve been rendered helpless to protect you! Now how would I go back to Ayodhya without you? What answer would I give Mother Sumithra? How will she be able to digest the fact that her son is no more? What would I say to Urmila? What what guts would I go and tell Urmila that her husband is no more? Oh Lakshmana! My dearest brother! You were everything for me in these fourteen years of my forest life! My life without you is a complete waste!”

Saying thus, Lord Rama is in tears and is unconsolable! For today, let us try and share Lord Rama’s grief and make him feel a bit comfortable! What’s going to happen next? How does this sad episode end? Who is going to take up this responsibility? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out!

In the previous episode we had witnessed a crucial event wherein Lord Rama is finally able to kill the powerful Kumbhakarna with his shrewdness and sharpness on the battlefield. Hearing the news of Kumbhakarna’s death, Ravana could not believe his ears! He almost faints down in grief and pain, unable to digest his dear brother’s death! What wrong did his brother do? Why should he be killed this way? On one side, Ravana’s anger knows no bounds and on the other side, he is inconsolable for what has happened to his dearest brother!

As Ravana mourns Kumbhakarna’s death, Indrajith fumes in anger. He has had enough. He fumes at his father to let him go once again and show his worth in front of Rama and Lakshmana. Accordingly Ravana who is also running out of options, gives permission to his son Indrajith to go ahead! As per his father’s order, Indrajith sets out once again. All of us know that Indrajith is an expert in illusionary warfare.

Having already been to the battlefield once before, Indrajith knows the valor and the powers of Rama and Lakshmana by now. He knows that both these people are not going to be bogged down if they are together! Now Indrajith plans a strategy – Rather than directly attacking Rama and Lakshmana together he decides to try something different. What does he do? He plans to tempt Lakshmana and draw him forward for a fight! Perhaps, things might be different if the two brothers are separated and thus he could easily capture and capitalize on the situation! How does Indrajith get this plan working on the ground?

The execution is simple – Indrajith spots the apt time when Lakshmana is away from Rama for a few minutes. He now comes alone to the battlefield in a horse and roams around the vicinity of Lakshmana’s movement and tempts him. Lakshmana hears a sound near him, turns around and finds Indrajith roaming around on top of a horse!

The trap is set! Is Lakshmana going to fall into this trap? He does! The moment he sees Indrajith roaming around, he sees this as an opportunity to finish him off! Accordingly, Lakshmana immediately sets out to chase Indrajith! The trap is working exactly as Indrajith had planned! As Lakshmana commences his chase, he does not care to inform his brother Rama about this! He starts giving Indrajith a chase! As Lakshmana is chasing from behind, Indrajith rides his horse faster and faster and takes him to a far off and an isolated place! Indrajith’s ploy is working beautifully! He is now making a strong statement that he is really an expert in luring the enemy into the fight!

As the chase continues, Lakshmana nears him and with his sharp arrows, pulls down the horse and Indrajith rolls on the floor. A fierce fight commences between Lakshmana and Indrajith! Clearly, Lakshmana is proving himself to be several notches higher than Indrajith in terms of extraordinary powers. At one stage, Indrajith is at the verge of losing – But all of a sudden the scenario changes completely!

Now Indrajith uses his illusionary power and disappears from that place all of a sudden! As Lakshmana is busy only on attacking Indrajith, he did not anticipate this strategy of Indrajith! Now it is going to be Indrajith’s time! He fires arrows after arrows on Lakshmana, and at a stage wherein Lakshmana started to get defensive, Indrajith waits for this golden opportunity and fires a powerful “Asthra” on Lakshmana and ties him up!

As Lakshmana gets tied up, the “Asthra” has the capacity to induce electric shock-like waves that start stinging his body and because of this, Lakshmana falls on the ground with a huge scream! Indrajith now has Lakshmana under complete control as he falls on the ground unconscious.

What has happened here in a split of a second? Nobody could even imagine! Is Indrajith capable of defeating Lakshmana this easily? The ploy has worked very well and clearly Lakshmana has fallen into the trap! What is going to happen next? Is Lakshmana going to be reviewed back to life? Who is going to do that? The action continues in the next episode!

In the previous episode we had commenced witnessing a cracker of a battle between two greats – Lord Rama on one side and the powerful Kumbhakarna on the other! As time passes by, the fight gets more and more intense! Kumbhakarna is unable to understand the technique with which he can defeat Rama. In turn, Lord Rama is also puzzled as to how to tackle Kumbhakarna’s might! As the fight intensifies, Kumbhakarna grows into an enormous size and creates fear amongst the opposition ranks! Nobody could strategise a plan against Kumbhakarna. Even Rama’s powerful and pointed arrows are being rendered useless! Kumbhakarna is continuing to swallow hundreds and hundreds of monkeys!

At this point, Lord Rama realizes that arrows would not work against this mighty Kumbhakarna. Perhaps “Asthras” might! Now the question comes as to how would be able to use those “Asthras” against a man who is this huge a size? It is now that Lord Rama’s able and trusted messenger Hanuman comes to the rescue – The plan is quickly made!

Immediately from nowhere Hanuman jumps in front of Kumbhakarna and starts to grow into the size that is equivalent of him. As Kumbhakarna looks on, Hanuman quickly bends down, takes Lord Rama in his palms and rises up! Now Rama is able to look at Kumbhakarna more closely and is trying quickly to spot out weaknesses if any! As Rama’s shrewdness plays a key role, he immediately senses Kumbhakarna’s weakness in certain parts of his body – He immediately takes a pointed arrow and directs it towards his shoulders! The arrow multiplies into two and fire up towards Kumbhakarna’s broad shoulders. Even before Kumbhakarna could react to Rama’s arrows, his hands are cut off one by one! The Celestial beings that are witnessing this intense battle are baffled beyond words, as Kumbhakarna suffers first major damage!

As Hanuman continues to hold Rama in his palms, Lord Rama’s next target was Kumbhakarna’s thighs and legs! He again points a series of arrows towards his lower position and blasts Kumbhakarna with surprise! All these are just happening within the split of a second and within a wink of an eye! Rama’s speed knows no bounds! Unable to bare the sudden blast from Lord Rama, Kumbhakarna’s thighs are cut off too and he falls on the ground, gasping for breath and with immense pain! Now both his hands and legs are cut off from his body and we can imagine what kind of a pain is he suffering from!

As Kumbhakarna falls on the ground helpless, Lord Rama showers his unending mercy on him! It is to be noted by the readers that both Ravana and Kumbhakarna were Lord Vishnu’s doorkeepers at Vaikunta, by names Jaya and Vijaya. It is because of a curse that these two are born as Raakshasas who are enemies of Lord Vishnu.

Now that Lord Rama has neutralised Kumbhakarna, he knows that this same Kumbhakarna is none other than Vijaya from Vaikunta. It is now time for Kumbhakarna to go back to Vaikunta as Vijaya! Hence, Lord Rama shows his true form of Lord Vishnu as Kumbhakarna looks on!

This is a beautiful and an emotional scene depicted by Vaalmiki Maharishi. As Kumbhakarna sets sight on his beloved Bhagawan in full dazzling beauty, his mind flashes back on how he was forced by Ravana to go to the battlefield to fight Rama. He realizes that it was all a ploy created by Bhagawan to bring him back to Vaikunta!

Kumbhakarna is in tears! He says to Rama, “Oh Bhagawan! You have come all the way to Lanka from Ayodhya, just to liberate me to Vaikunta? This is just phenomenal and it shows how gifted and blessed I am! I just could not thank you by my words for what you’ve done to your ardent devotee! However, my only problem at the moment is that I do not have hands in my body to fold and salute you! Please do not mistake me for this!”

Saying thus, Kumbhakarna breathes his last! Lord Rama has granted him the highest “Moksha”! As Kumbhakarna passes away, Lord Rama acknowledges his sincere prayers and thanksgiving! Kumbhakarna’s devotion moves Lord Rama to tears! Upon seeing his own brother pass away in front of his eyes, how would Vibhishana feel? He falls on the ground and sobs uncontrollably as Hanuman and Sugriva try to comfort him a little bit!

As Kumbhakarna passes away, grief spreads all over Lanka and Ravana is just stunned and speechless! The whole palace is doomed with grief! Now what does Ravana do? Does he change his stance atleast now? Does he realize that he is losing person after person just because of his arrogance? We shall wait to find out in the next episode!

Today we are at an important juncture wherein a powerful battle is going to commence. Till now we’ve seen many Raakshasas meeting their end rather too quickly under the hands of Angadha and Hanuman. These two are currently dominating the war scene with their immense and invincible strength and power! The Vaanara army is currently running away with all the winning momentum. But will this momentum shift? Who is going to try and enable the momentum shift in favor of Ravana?

As the Ravana camp is pondering over, it is now time for Kumbhakarna to step into action! He is now fully awake, thanks to all the noisy drums and trumpets doing rounds in Kumbakarna’s chamber! He sits up slowly and upon seeing his brother Ravana with a tensed face asks the reason as to why is he woken up! Ravana now addresses Kumbhakarna, “Oh brother! I’m so happy to see you awake! You are an extremely powerful and an invincible person and your success stories are enormous! Now, I’m in a situation wherein the monkeys under Rama and Sugriva are currently dominating my army! Although our army is invincible, I don’t really understand what is going wrong! Hence, I want you to go to the battlefield and teach these monkeys a lesson! So please get ready!”

Upon hearing this from Ravana, Kumbhakarna is puzzled – “Why should I go to a battlefield? What’s wrong with my brother? Why should monkeys and Rama fight with him?” However, as Kumbhakarna comes to know the entire background behind this war, he is shocked! He did not expect Ravana to be such a villain and that too to Lord Rama! Hence, instead of preparing himself to go to the battlefield, Kumbhakarna rather advises Ravana.

Kumhakarna says thus, “Oh Ravana! Till today I was thinking that you are an extremely intelligent person but now you’re proving yourself to be the negative of that! Do you know with whom you are trying to fight and win over? Do you know that person’s power and capability? Don’t you realize that you are waging a war with the Supreme Divine? How will it be possible that you would win against Lord Rama? And what have you done to him? You’ve abducted his wife! Don’t you realize the seriousness of your blunder? Hence Ravana, I’m advising you now.. Rather than fighting a listless battle with Lord Rama, surrender to him and return back Sita! This would save our entire family and clan!”

As Kumbhakarna says thus, is Ravana prepared to listen? The answer is a BIG NO!! His arrogance only increases from minute to minute! He answers Kumbhakarna back, “Oh brother! I did not know that you were such a coward till date! I thought you would be the one who would immediately jump in and support this Ravana and Lanka, but little did I know that you would ditch me like this! Your brother Vibhishana did the same and he has met with disaster! I’m warning you – If you do not budge to my order, you would meet the same end as that of Vibhishana! Now get ready to go to the battlefield!”

Hearing this, Kumbhakarna is extremely sad! He is now sure that himself along with Ravana is going to meet his end – and that too from Lord Rama’s hands! The entire Raakshasa community is going to wiped out from Lanka! However due to Ravana’s strong orders, Kumbhakarna is left with no option but to fight Lord Rama! He thus prepares himself for the battle and starts from the palace!

As Kumbhakarna arrives at the battlefield there is a terrifying sound that takes the Vaanaras aback! They’re stunned! A huge form emerges from within Lanka city and is coming towards them! As Kumbhakarna advances towards the Vaanara army, he swallows the monkeys in bulk! Hundreds of monkeys get destroyed as Kumbhakarna nears the core of the group – Rama, Lakshmana, Sugriva, Hanuman and Angadha. As per Vibhishana’s advice, it is going to be Lord Rama himself who is directly going to take on the mighty Kumbakarna!

Thus the cracker of a battle begins! Both Lord Rama and Kumbhakarna are invincible in their own ways! The battle is extremely fierce and both of them fire arrows and blows at each other! Kumbhakarna is rendering Lord Rama’s pointed arrows useless and Lord Rama is rendering Kumbhakarna’s magical powers useless! People who are witnessing the cracker are awestruck! The battle continues for hours together!

At one stage, Kumbhakarna realizes that his magical powers would not work against Lord Rama and hence he decides to deal with him physically! Kumbhakarna thus enlarges his physical form to an enormous size and stands before Rama! He challenges Rama to come and attack his huge physical form if he had the guts! Upon seeing Kumbhakarna’s huge size, Rama gets stunned for a moment! He doesn’t know how to tackle him! Surely arrows wouldn’t work! The only way to win over Kumbhakarna is to use “Asthras”! But how would be use the “Asthras” if he is unable to match Kumbhakarna’s enormous size?

As Rama thinks thus, his able and ever-dependable messenger comes to the rescue. Who is that person? Who is going to win this cracker of a battle? The action continues in the next episode!

In the previous episode we had witnessed that the war has restarted successfully as Rama and Lakshmana recover from the “Naagaasthra” of Indrajith. As the Vaanara army makes victorious sounds, Ravana is surprised and sends two of his trusted men, Vajradamshtra and Jumaali to the battlefield. As the fight goes on fiercely, Angadha and Hanuman take the lead and kill both these Raakshasaas.

As this message reaches Ravana, he immediately looks for the next alternative! He calls up another of his army chief – Athikaaya to take on the Vaanara army. Athikaaya is one of the most powerful men amongst the entire Raakshasa army. He commences his journey immediately from the palace with a huge army. Meanwhile, Ravana sends his men to Kumbakarna’s chamber to wake him up from his deep slumber.

As Athikaaya comes with a huge roaring sound, Vibhishana realizes Ravana’s war plan. He immediately engages in an active consultation with Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva on how to tackle Athikaaya. As Athikaaya nears the battlefield, he starts to exhibit his invincible power by swallowing hundreds of monkeys at one go! As this was happening, the Vaanara army is stunned! As discussed with Vibhishana, Sugriva deputes Hanuman for the duty.

Now Hanuman comes in front of Athikaaya and stands like a rock with his huge form! The fight begins and it is too fierce a fight between the two powerful people! As we know, Hanuman is too quick to adapt and change his strategies of fighting, Athikaaya is not able to predict Hanuman’s next move! This is the time when Hanuman decides to capitalize! The right moment to capitalize is when the enemy gets confused and starts to be defensive! Thus Hanuman looks for this apt minute and unleashes a powerful blow on Athikaaya. Unable to bare the heaviness of the blow, Athikaaya falls on the ground dead! There is a stream of blood running all over the battlefield and things started to look bleak for the Raakshasa army. The Vaanaras are dominating this battle now and chipping away with all their credits! Fearing the abilities of Hanuman and Co., the rest of the Raakshasa army retreats back into Lanka and into Ravana’s palace!

Upon hearing the news of Athikaaya’s death, Ravana is stunned! How could this happen? He couldn’t believe his ears! Are Rama, Lakshmana and Sugriva more powerful than him? Doubts started to cripple his thinking power. At this moment, two of Ravana’s able ministers, Kumba and Nikumba raise up their heads in approval to go and tackle Rama’s army! As they set out, the Vaanara army has finished rejoicing and is up for the next challenge! As Kumba and Nikumba are traversing through the Vaanara army, they inflict huge damage and are searching for Rama and Lakshmana in the battlefield.

As per the quick strategy by Vibhishana, Rama and Sugriva, Hanuman again comes forward to take on these two Raakshasas singlehandedly. Again, Hanuman’s valor is extremely unplayable with and it proves too costly for both Kumba and Nikumba! They did not realize Hanuman’s extraordinary powers! For a moment they look like as if they haven’t prepared themselves adequately before taking on the Vaanaras! Hanuman easily kills both of them and thus makes a strong statement to Ravana that he alone can take on the entire Raakshasa army singlehandedly! It is to be remembered that he had already made this strong statement during his previous visit to Lanka!

Hearing this news, Ravana speeds up the “awakening process” of Kumbakarna! He has had enough by now! He personally goes to Kumbakarna’s chamber to speed things up and awaken him as early as possible. Time is running out! However, Kumbakarna is still in deep slumber as there are loads of people rushing into his chamber with drums, trumpets, etc. to get him up from sleep! As the volume of the drums and trumpets increase minute by minute, Kumbakarna’s body shows signs of movement as his sleep gets disturbed! He is now waking up! The entire set of people including Ravana himself is all in smiles as they see Kumbakarna slowly waking up!

Kumbakarna is thus awake and is apprised of the situation in which his brother Ravana is currently in! What is Kumbakarna going to do now? Is Kumbakarna ready to go for the war?

The next episode is really going to be  an action-packed one!  Stay tuned!! 🙂