Mythology - Glimpses from Adhyathma Ramayana

One of the main theme in this epic, is that Ravan, knew in his heart about the true identity of Lord Rama. Once on querying sage Narada about the ways to attain that ultimate liberation, the former tells him both the devotest, as well as the one's who get killed by Him reach that ultimate stage. He immediately decides to so infuriate Rama, that his death by Him and final liberation is inevitable. The abduction of Sita etc are part of this elaborate scheme. Keeping in mind this facet, the following scene in the epic makes for an impressive reading.

The scene is the battlefield. Ravana loses his last hope "meghnath". He then goes to His family Guru sage Sukracharya, and asks him as to how with such an exalted Guru in their midst such calamities can befall him and his kin. Confronted thus, the sage tells him to undertake a ritual, which if it is completed without a pause, or interruption, he will beget, a chariot, weapons etc and with which he will become undefeatable in the battle. The epic indirectly refers to this ritual to an "abhichara" one (namely some kind of black magic ritual) and how Ravan shuts himself off with every entry closed and is in the process of doing this, when Vibhishana sees havan smoke from this venue, discerns what Ravan is upto, and tells Rama and others that this has got to be prevented at any cost, as Ravan would then become unbeatable.

The entire Vanara sena is then off to this site, and gets cracking at destroying the venue, and distract Ravana. When nothing works, Angad, goes and forcibly catches hold of his wife by the hair, and drags her there. Mandodhari then wails aloud "Alas, if only her son Meghnath were alive he would have rescued her, as her husband had not only abandoned his wife, but all shame, and such a husband is himself only fit to die". Hearing her cries, Ravan wakes up and bashes up Angad, while the rest of the sena as if on cue, destroy the havan kund etc.

Ravan then realises the meaningless pursuit of winning the battle and talks about the ultimate reality of the atman, and preaches his wife about the need for not wasting one's time on "matl sukham/dukham which are just due to ignorance etc". He then finally makes a request; he will go to the battlefield and either defeat them or be killed by Ram, and reach that ultimate stage of "moksham". She will then have to kill Sita and immolate herself along with her body.

Mandodari is aghast and stats narrating to Ravan, the entire history of all the avatars Vishnu had taken from Matsya Kurma, down to now Rama, and how Sita is none other than Lakshmi herself, and the stupidity of the thought of killing Sita. It would therefore be best that Vibhishana is handed over the kingdom after sending Sita back, and then for themselves to go to forests .

It is then that Ravana tells her about his scheme of reaching the "parama padam" of the lord by infuriating the Lord by Sita's abduction, and get killed by Him in the battle. In any case, he says to her, after losing every one of kith/kin/his army, it was inconceivable, that he will now abandon the battle for saving his life. He is now clear he says; his time to merge with that absolute had come, and goes to the battle field to do his duty as king.

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Vichu