The Ramayana (83 page)

“Then Siva also blessed that demon Sukesa with untold wealth. And he gave him a luminous city to live in, a city that flew through the air and went anywhere at the rakshasa's wish. Sukesa flew through all the worlds in his city, and he became arrogant because of the boons he had. Yet he was not without the dharma that flowed in his very blood from his pious sires.

“When Gramani, the gandharva, saw Sukesa with his wealth and his city of the air, he gave his daughter Devavati to that rakshasa to be his wife. The lovely gandharvi was as pleased as a pauper who finds a treasure and the rakshasa was as delighted as an elephant in musth that finds a mate.

“Sukesa sired three sons on Devavati: Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali. They were as brilliant as the three fires of sacrifice, as steadfast as the three worlds, as powerful as the three Vedas, and as dreadful as the three diseases that afflict the body. Those boys knew their father had his boons from the Lord Siva by his dhyana. Those three young rakshasas climbed Mount Meru and began a tapasya that terrified all the created.

“When their penance threatened to ignite the very earth, the Lord Brahma appeared before the rakshasas in a vimana and said, ‘I have come to bless you with the boons you want.'

“The rakshasas, whose bodies shook from their long privations, answered him, ‘Lord, let us be long-lived, invincible, and may we all love one another.'

“Brahma granted them those boons and vanished from the sky like wealth won in a dream. Delivered from fear now, the demon brothers went where they liked and did as they pleased. An immense army of rakshasas followed them through the three realms. They had their way with every kingdom they came upon; none could resist them, and all creation went in fear of them. Finally, when they grew tired of their conquests, they came to Viswakarman, the divine builder, and said, ‘Master of edifices, build us a home as magnificent as Indra's or Siva's.'

“Viswakarman said to them, ‘In the southern sea, upon the island of Lanka, there is a mountain called Trikuta. Beside Trikuta is another mountain, Suvela. On Trikuta's central peak is a fortress city that seems to float on air. Once I built that city at Indra's behest. Its walls are so smooth only the birds of the air can come into Lanka. Rakshasas, you are the masters of your race, even as Indra is the lord of the Devas. As Indra lives in Amravati with his people, you may dwell in Lanka from now. And no enemy will reach you in that impregnable city, for its deep moats and its walls like glass.'

“Thus, Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali went to Lanka with their people, and when they saw the unearthly city, its streets paved with precious vaidurya, its mansions built of solid gold, they did not hesitate to make it their home.

“In that same time there lived a gandharvi called Narmada, and she had three daughters. Narmada knew Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali had gandharva blood in them, through their own mother. She knew they were masters of the earth by the boons Brahma had granted them. On a day when the Uttara Phalguni nakshatra was plain in the sky, she gave her three daughters to the rakshasas to be their wives.

“As the gandharvas of the air do with the apsaras of Devaloka, the young demons made love with their enchanting brides. Malyavan's wife was called Sundari, and she was as beautiful as her name proclaimed. He gave her a brood of fierce and handsome sons: Vajramushti, Virupaksha, Yajnakopa, Durmukha, Suptaghna, Matta, and Unmatta. He also gave her a beautiful daughter, Anala.

“Sumali's wife, Ketumati, was lovely as a full moon and dearer to her husband than his life. Their sons were called Prahastha, Akampana, Vikata, Kalikamukha, Dhrumraksha, Danda, Suparshva, Praghasa, and Bhasakarna. Their daughters were Raka, Pushpokata, Kaikasi, and Kumbheenasi.

“Mali's lotus-eyed wife, Vasudha, the gandharvi, bore him two daughters, Anala and Anila, and two sons, Hara and Sampati. The boys became Vibheeshana's ministers.

“With Brahma's boon, and sons as mighty as they had, Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali soon conquered the Devas, the rishis, the nagas, and the yakshas. They ranged the worlds like the wind, and they ruined every yagna they found and killed the rishis who performed them. Their hubris and savagery grew with their power, and the terrified Devas came to Siva, the Un-born, the God of Gods, and cried, ‘Mahadeva, Sukesa's sons are the bane of the worlds. We have no sanctuary anywhere in creation. They come to Amravati when they please, drive us from our homes, and cry that they are Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva; that they are Indra, Soma, Surya, Vayu, Yama, Agni, and Varuna! We beg you, Lord, kill the rakshasas for our sake: there is no peace left in creation.'

“But Sukesa was Siva's bhakta. Sankara said to the Devas, ‘The rakshasas' death is not written at my hands. Go to Narayana; he will find a way to rid you of them.'

“The Devas flew to Vaikunta, to the home of the Blue God who lies upon the sea of eternity. Piteously, they said to him, ‘Vishnu, save us. Sukesa's sons have Brahma's boon and they torment us as they like. We beg you, cut open the rakshasas' faces with your chakra; give them as a gift to Yama. Melt the fear from our hearts, Lord, even as the sun does the frost upon the mountain.'

“Slowly, Vishnu said, ‘Yes, I know Sukesa has Siva's boons and I know his sons have Brahma's blessing. I will kill them all for you, Devas. Be at peace.'

“When Malyavan heard what Vishnu had promised the Devas, he called his brothers and said, ‘The slayer of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu, of Namuchi, Kalanemi, Samhrada, Radheya the mayyavi, the just Yamala, Arjuna, Hardikya, Sumbha, and Nisumbha, and a thousand other great Asuras and rakshasas, has said he will kill us, as well. How will we resist the terrible Vishnu?'

“Sumali and Mali said to their brother, their king, ‘We have imbibed the Vedas, we have been just rulers to our people. We have observed our rakshasa dharma and we have no enmity with Vishnu. It is the craven Devas who have poisoned Narayana's mind against us. It is for their sake he has sworn to kill us. Let us kill the Devas and remove the very cause of Vishnu's anger toward us.'

“A vast rakshasa army was mustered, with awesome commanders like Jambha and Vritra, and the demons prepared for war. Riding in vimanas and chariots, on elephants, horses big as elephants that trod air, sorcerous mules, bulls, camels, dolphins, serpents, crocodiles, tortoises, fish, swarms of great birds, vultures, eagles, and ravens big as Garuda, lions, tigers, panthers, boars, bears, and deer called srimara and chamara, the teeming demon army gathered in Lanka. Then, with legions of millions, the rakshasas set out to kill Indra's Devas, by earth, sea, and air.

“Dreadful omens appeared everywhere. Clouds, formed suddenly in a clear sky, rained down pale bones and steaming blood. Jackal packs swarmed around the rakshasa legions and howled dismally. An uncanny ring of vultures wheeled above and breathed fire through their hooked beaks. All the creatures of the earth seemed disturbed, and the shrieks of a thousand races of birds rent the air, as did elephant herds' terrified trumpeting; and jungles of great cats roared their anxiety above the sounds that every other living beast made. It seemed the very elements, the panchabhuta, would dissolve and the worlds would be undone. Scarlet-footed pigeons and vivid mynahs darted above the rakshasas in frenzy.

“But the rakshasas were the sovereigns of the three worlds. They were swollen with the pride of their conquests, their wealth, and their power. They paid no mind to the omens that would have moved a blind and deaf man to fear for his life. The demon army rode on, and Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali at its head were like the three flames of the apocalypse. And the rest relied on these three as the Devas do upon the Trimurti.

“The rakshasas streamed on toward the Devas' city. Vishnu saw them and he filled his twin quivers with arrows, mounted Garuda, and flew down to fight. He was as bright as a hundred suns, his armor gleaming, the Panchajanya and the Sudarshana, the Saringa and the Kaumodaki glittering in his four dark hands. He wore a shining garment, like a wrap of lightning across his body blue as a thunderhead.

“Some legions of the rakshasa army were blown away by the wind stirred by Garuda's wings. The golden eagle was like a flying mountain. Then, roaring, the rakshasas rallied. They surrounded Vishnu and assailed him with every manner of ayudha and astra. As locusts fly into a paddy field, bees into a jar of honey, moths into a great flame, crocodiles into the sea, and the worlds themselves into Mahavishnu at the dissolution, the demons' arrow swarms flew into blue Narayana.

“They struck him, they even drew blood; but they did not harm the Blue One. Then he drew back his own bowstring and loosed a tide of arrows at the rakshasas. Narayana's cloudbanks of arrows, his streams, his rillets, his rivers of arrows, cut down the demons in thousands, in hundreds of thousands, in an eyeflash, in a wink. Blood, too, flowed in waves, in frothing brooks, in rivulets, in a sea, at Purushottama's cosmic archery.

“Vishnu raised his sea conch and blew a blast on it deep as the sky. The rakshasas' mounts turned tail in absolute terror. The greatest demons were struck by his impossible volleys and fell like mountains riven by thunderbolts. Blood flowed from their wounds like the red cataracts of the monsoon flashing down the Himalaya. But the God did not tire; he reveled in his yagna of death: he severed their necks, smashed their banners, their chariot wheels, their bows, their limbs, stopped their screams. Like rays from the sun, waves from the sea, serpents from a mountain, rain from a cloud, his arrows flowed in torrents from his miraculous Saringa.

“The rakshasas fled from the dreadful Hari, like lions from the Sarabha, like elephants from a hunting lion, like leopards from a tiger, like dogs from a leopard, like cats from a dog, like rats from a snake. They fled down to earth, back to Lanka.

“Vishnu flew after them. Then Sumali covered Vishnu in a drifting mist of arrows. He rode up to the Blue God and roared at him, waving his arm above his head even as an elephant waves his trunk. With a smile, Janardhana severed the head of Sumali's sarathy. The rakshasa's horses bolted. Now Mali charged Vishnu. As the birds of dusk streaked with the last rays of the day fly into the caves of the krauncha hill, Mali's gold-tipped arrows flew into the Blue One's darkling body, thousands of shafts.

“Vishnu aimed his own volleys at Mali, and they drank the demon's blood thirstily, as serpents drink nectar. Vishnu cut down Mali's banner, smashed his bow in his hand, shattered his chariot, and killed his horses. Leaping down with a fulminant roar, the rakshasa struck Garuda on his golden head with his mace, even as Yama once struck Siva. The eagle quivered; he spun round in pain and turned his back on the battle. Thinking for a moment that Vishnu had turned to flee, the rakshasa army roared its delight, like a sea at night when the moon is full.

“Even with his back turned, Vishnu cast the Sudarshana chakra at Mali. Time's wheel, blinding as the sun, the disk cut Mali's head from his throat and it fell on the ground, spouting blood even as Rahu's head did, when Mohini gave the Devas all the amrita to drink. Above, the sky erupted in peals of thunder, and petal rain fell down from Devaloka as Indra and his people were swept by joy.

“Roaring like ten prides of lions to see their brother killed, Malyavan and Sumali fled. They fled back into their city with what remained of their legions. Even as they went, Garuda recovered and began to flap his wings again, so thousands of rakshasas were blown into the sea. Some had their soft, handsome faces cut in two by the wheeling, ubiquitous chakra. Some had their chests crushed by a blow from the Kaumodaki. Some were dissected by arrows like bolts of lightning from the Saringa.

“Demon entrails floated like garlands upon the crimsoned waves. Like clouds driven by Vayu, the rakshasas fled before the terrible Vishnu. And he slaughtered them all around him and they lay in death's final postures like blue mountains.

“Seeing the massacre of his people, Malyavan came back to fight, as waves do to the sea after briefly touching the shore. His eyes bloodshot, his great body shaking, the king of the rakshasas cried to Vishnu, ‘Padmanabha, is this dharma? That you continue to kill my people, when they have abandoned all thought of war? They flee before you and yet you hunt them like animals. You will not find heaven for yourself with this murdering. If you must fight, Narayana, here I am before you. Fight me, if you dare!'

“Vishnu said softly, and his voice drowned every other noise of land, sea, and air, ‘I must keep the word I have given the Devas that I will exterminate your race. I will sacrifice Swarga to keep my word.'

“With a growl, Malyavan cast a shakti at the Lord, striking him squarely in his deep blue chest. It glittered there like a streak of lightning across a cloud. Smiling, Vishnu drew out that shakti and flung it back at the rakshasa. It struck his jeweled chest as a thunderbolt might a mountain. Malyavan fell in a swoon; but he rose at once, and rushed at Vishnu and struck both him and Garuda blows like thunderclaps with a fist clenched around an iron band studded with long, sharp spikes.

“Garuda flapped his wings and blew the demon back into the city of Lanka, and his brother Sumali and his legions with him. With that, somehow, the rakshasas' spirit was broken. They knew they could not stand before blue Narayana. The demons fled with all their people down below the earth, into deep, glimmering Patala, where their kind belong,” Agastya said in Rama's sabha.

 

3. The birth of Ravana

Rama said to Agastya, “Muni, tell us how Ravana was born.”

The maharishi resumed: “Sumali wandered the Patalas for an age. When his terror of Vishnu receded, he rose to the surface of the earth again and ranged the sea-girt world of humans for another age.

“One day, he saw the splendid Vaisravana flying above him in the pushpaka vimana, on his way to see his father Visravas. Vaisravana had come to Lanka and lived there with his nairritas. Sumali said to his daughter Kaikasi, ‘My child, you are a young woman now and it is time you were given in marriage. Remember, the honor of three families rests in the hands of a daughter: that of her father's clan, her mother's, and her husband's, as well. See that you preserve all three, my Kaikasi.'