The Ramayana (85 page)

“Shortly after this wedding was celebrated in Lanka, with pomp and ceremony, Dasagriva went off to hunt in a forest of Bharatavarsha. He had grown up in a jungle and was always drawn to the wilderness. Now, fatefully, in the darkling vana, he came across the Asura Mayaa, Diti's son. Mayaa was passing through that forest with his daughter.

“Dasagriva saw the young Asuri, who was the most beautiful woman in creation in those days, and he was smitten. He asked Mayaa, ‘Who are you? Who is the young woman you lead through this dangerous forest?'

“Mayaa looked at the Rakshasa before him and felt a current of fate stir in his heart. He said, ‘Have you patience to listen to my story?'

“Dasagriva replied, ‘I have.'

“Mayaa launched into his tale. ‘There was an apsara called Hema, perhaps you have heard her name. Even as Puloma's daughter, Paulomi, was given to Indra by the Devas to be his wife, so, too, Hema was given to me. I lived with her for a thousand years and she was like my very breath to me. I am Mayaa, good Rakshasa, and I am the builder of the Asuras, even as Viswakarman is of the Devas. With my siddhis, I built for Hema a secret city in a jungle's heart. I made it with gold and paved its streets with cat's-eyes, topaz, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. I lined them with trees with silver leaves and built many mansions in which just we two lived.

“‘She bore me two sons, Mayavi and Dundubhi, and one daughter: this child you see. But fourteen years ago, my Hema left me because the Devas wanted her back in Amravati with them. My daughter was just a child then. I lived in my hidden city, until she grew into a young woman; and now I am abroad with her, for I must find her a husband. As you can see, Rakshasa, she is uncommonly beautiful, like her mother, and it will be hard to find the man who can contain her. I fear for my honor, with my child being so beautiful.

“‘But, stranger, you seem to be an exceptionally noble and strong rakshasa. Tell me who you are. Whose son are you?'

“All the while he spoke, the Asura Mayaa's dark and glowing eyes scrutinized Dasagriva with deep interest. When he finished speaking, he had no doubt the Rakshasa before him was an extraordinary young man: even a king, perhaps a king of destiny. Mayaa, also, had been a great king of his people once, in time out of mind. That was when three miraculous cities he built had circled the earth, and he and his two brothers had ruled from those fabled cities, the Tripura, which finally the Lord Siva torched from the sky. But that is another story.

“Dasagriva said humbly, ‘I am Pulastya's grandson, Visravas's son. My name is Dasagriva.'

“When Mayaa heard who the Rakshasa was and when he saw how this Demon gazed at his daughter, the Asura said to Dasagriva, ‘This is my daughter Mandodari. Will you have my child to be your wife, Dasagriva?'

“With no hesitation, Dasagriva said, ‘I will marry her now' and his eyes blazed with love.

“There in that vana, Dasagriva kindled a sacred fire and he married the Asuri Mandodari by the wild rite of gandharva vivaha. Mayaa had heard of Dasagriva before; he even knew how Visravas had cursed his mother Kaikasi. He also knew Dasagriva was Brahma's great-grandson, and he knew about the boons he had from the Pitamaha. Mayaa gave his son-in-law an occult shakti, which he himself had received from a God after a long tapasya. It was with Mayaa's shakti that Dasagriva struck your brother Lakshmana down, Rama,” said Agastya.

Rama shivered to recall that moment. He asked the muni, “And what of Kumbhakarna and Vibheeshana? Did they not marry?”

“Indeed they did. Dasagriva had Kumbhakarna married to Vajrajwala, who was the granddaughter of great Bali, the son of Virochana. Vibheeshana was married to a gandharva king's daughter. He married Sailusa's pious child Sarama, a child of dharma, who had been born near the Manasa sarovara. It was when the lake was about to break her banks during the monsoon that the pregnant gandharvi cried,
‘Saro ma vardhayata!'
[Lake, don't flood!] affectionately. And her child was named Sarama.

“Once they were married, the three rakshasa brothers came home to Lanka and were absorbed entirely for a time in their young, nubile wives. Then Mandodari, who was the most beautiful woman on earth by a long way, gave birth to a magnificent son, who would be Dasagriva's heir. When he was born, this child made a noise like spring clouds rumbling in the sky, and they called him Meghanada. This is the rakshasa Lakshmana killed: this was Indrajit.

“Cosseted by a hundred women in his father's harem, Indrajit grew in the palace of Lanka like fire hidden under a stack of wood.”

 

6. The crimes of Dasagriva

Agastya continued, and no one in his audience stirred. “One day soon, Brahma's curse began to take effect on Kumbhakarna. He yawned for an hour and felt a fathomless slumber coming over him. He said to Dasagriva, ‘My brother, I feel a great sleep come over me. Have a palace built, in which I can lie undisturbed.'

“At once Dasagriva commissioned the finest builders in Lanka to raise a matchless edifice for Kumbhakarna. It was a yojana wide and two yojanas long. It was supported by columns of crystal on every side and pillars of gold and silver. Its stairways were encrusted lavishly with padmaraga. Its terraces were of ivory and its latticed windows were hung with little bells that sounded together in the breeze.

“Gently Dasagriva led his brother, whom he loved no less than his life, into the extraordinary palace and laid him down in its central chamber. There Kumbhakarna fell asleep on a bed of fragrant sandalwood, and he did not awaken for a thousand years.

“In rage, and missing his brother terribly, Dasagriva set about distracting himself from his sorrow by conquering the three worlds. He smashed Indra's legions; he slaughtered rishis, gandharvas, and yakshas without favor. He anointed himself with their blood, because he blamed them for the endless slumber Kumbhakarna lay in.

“Dasagriva arrived with his demonic army in the Nandana, outside Amravati. He devastated the enchanted garden like a rogue elephant on the rampage. He sullied its clear pools and rivers; he cut down its trees and savaged its flower banks. Then he and his rakshasas stormed Indra's city and pillaged it as they pleased. With wild yells they forced themselves upon the apsaras of heaven, in their homes, in the streets, as the nymphs of Devaloka tried to flee from the horrible invaders. Indra fled before the Rakshasa. He gave him an immense treasure as tribute, and Dasagriva returned to Lanka.

“Vaisravana sent a messenger from the Himalaya to his half-brother in Lanka. This yaksha first arrived in Vibheeshana's presence and was welcomed by the good rakshasa. Vibheeshana brought that strange being into Dasagriva's court. The messenger bowed and said to the Lord of Lanka,
‘Jaya vijayi bhava!'
Be ever victorious.

“Dasagriva received this with a resounding silence. In a moment, the yaksha continued, ‘My Lord Vaisravana, Kubera of the mountain, sends you a message, mighty Dasagriva. Your brother says to you, “Dasagriva, rule the worlds not with fear, but with dharma. Only the rule of dharma will bring you lasting fortune; only dharma will save you. I have seen what you did to the Nandana. It is a disgrace to our noble family. I have heard that you kill the rishis of the vana as if they were beasts made for hunting. I have heard your rakshasas drink their blood and eat their flesh.

“‘“Beware, my brother, their curses will fall on you. I warn you again, as an older brother must when he sees his younger brother fall into danger: turn back from this folly! Or terrible punishment will come to you.

“Dasagriva, you have also killed my nairritas and yakshas upon the mountain. Listen to what I have to say to you. When I sat recently in a tapasya to the Lord Sankara, on a tableland near Kailasa, I saw a Devi, who was the very embodiment of beauty, walking past the place where I sat. She lit up the mountain with her lambency and I gazed helplessly at her. Indeed, I could not turn my eyes away from her, though I saw she resented my regard. In a mere moment, my left eye burst in my face, and my right eye was turned the color of ashes.

“‘“As I jumped up with a cry, I saw the Lord Siva appear before me, at that perfect woman's side. They seemed to be a single light, blinding, and they filled me with such peace that I hardly remembered my eye had burst.

“‘“Siva said kindly to me, ‘Suvrata, Dharmajna, I am pleased with your tapasya. Why, yours is the finest penance performed upon this mountain since my own, when I won Uma for myself. Be my friend, Kubera, you have conquered me with your worship. This is Parvati; she is like your mother from now. We bless you, Vaisravana, you shall live next to us forever.'

“‘“The Devi Uma also raised her hand over me in a blessing, and they vanished before me.

“‘“Siva himself swore friendship with me. I warn you, leave the earth in peace, or you will pay for your crimes.” So said my lord Kubera to you, O Dasagriva.'

“And the messenger fell silent. Dasagriva sat as if graven of stone. Not a muscle moved anywhere upon his person; only his eyes turned the color of ripe plums; that, and all his nine heads appeared and vanished, again and again, in their malignant cone around his central face.

“He scratched his cheek with a long talon, then said very softly, ‘I do not like the message you dare to bring to my sabha, yaksha. Your master sends word through you of his friendship with Mahadeva. Does he mean to threaten me? I have held Vaisravana in honor because I have thought of him as my older brother. But time and again he taunts me, he insists on provoking me. And now he dares to send you to my sabha with this haughty message. He is arrogant that he is a Dikpala, and that Siva once gave him some gold and a ship of the air. But I am Dasagriva, and I am invincible. And after hearing your master's message, I have decided that I will conquer the three worlds'

“Now he rose, tall and ominous, his eyes like flames, and his ten heads were plain in their evil cluster. Only now did the yaksha realize how angry the Rakshasa was. Only now did he realize that he might be in danger. But too late. His breath aflame, Dasagriva drew his curved sword and cut his half-brother's messenger down before his throne. He had the yaksha's body dragged out into the street, and gave it to his scavenger rakshasas to devour.

“Dasagriva summoned the brahmanas of Lanka and had them perform an elaborate ritual for his well-being and the success of his next enterprise. Without further ado, he took a fierce legion of demons with him, mounted his chariot, and rode out of Lanka like a black wind, to attack Vaisravana, Lord of treasures, in his city in the north.”

 

7. In Kubera's city

Agastya continued: “With six ferocious rakshasa commanders, Mahodara, Prahastha, Maricha, Suka, Sarana, and Dhrumraksha, in a ring around him, Dasagriva flew north through the air toward Mount Kailasa. He flitted over rivers laid like blue threads across the earth and plains like jade with brown hills jutting from them, flashed over unexplored jungles, and crossed the formidable Himalaya. In just a few hours that army arrived at Vaisravana's gates and made camp.

“The yakshas of the mountain heard of Dasagriva's advent and fled to their master's city, Alaka. Meanwhile, news of what Dasagriva had done to his messenger also reached Kubera. The Lokapala stood before his teeming legions, raised his hands high above his head, and roared, ‘Kill the Rakshasa! Kill all the rakshasas, that they dare to murder our messenger and come to attack us here. No matter that Dasagriva is my brother; he must die.'

“Crying their strange cries, like a sea roused to break its shores, the army of nairritas streamed out from their white city fortress and charged the rakshasa legion camped below them. They outnumbered Dasagriva's demons by a hundred to one, but the force from Lanka, especially its commanders, fought a spectacular battle. Each of the six who surrounded their ten-headed king killed a thousand yakshas, and Dasagriva killed ten times as many.

“Wave after wave of brave yakshas swept at the Rakshasa. He stopped them as a great cliff does the tide. He let flow a river of yakshas' blood, staining the white mountain scarlet. They beset him with a veritable night of maces, clubs, javelins, arrows, and other, more mysterious missiles Kubera's people are masters of. They cast sorceries at the Lord of Lanka, and drew blood on him like the wild roses of spring. For a time they arrested Dasagriva's frenzy of slaughter. They managed to check the bloody careen of his chariot.

“With a roar that stopped the wind on the mountain, Dasagriva seized up a huge mace, like Yama's danda, and leaped out of his chariot straight into the midst of the thronging yakshas. Like a volcano he erupted on them. His arms were a blur, the mountain air was a denseness of piteous shrieks: the yakshas fell all around him and their blood lapped around his feet.

“Mahodara, Prahastha, and the other rakshasa chieftains were hardly less dreadful than their ten-faced master was. Like snow on the Himalaya at the arrival of summer, Vaisravana's army melted at their onslaught. Limbs hewn from their trunks flew through the sunlit air, borne by invisible hands, and fell far away from those to whom they belonged. Severed heads rolled giddily down the mountain slope.

“Some of the rakshasas struck off their enemies' heads and then seized the headless trunks and swilled greedily from the open necks, their eyes as red as the blood that gushed into their wild mouths and flowed down their chests. Other rakshasas tore out the entrails of slain yakshas and wore them as macabre garlands. Soon the delicate nairritas could not bear the invaders' brutality, and fled back to their master in his city of gold and ice.

“A magnificent yaksha chieftain, Samyodhakantaka, killed a thousand rakshasas. He felled Maricha with a keening chakra, and knocked him down a sheer gorge, where the demon lay senseless for an hour; and Samyodhakantaka thought he had killed that rakshasa. Then, even as the yaksha cut down a thousand common rakshasas with some breathtaking archery and their gore flowed, mingling with yakshas' blood, Maricha flew up from the gorge he had fallen into. Roaring to shake the snow from the loftiest peaks, he hacked thrice at Samyodhakantaka with his curved scimitar, drawing three crescented fonts of blood from the yaksha. Howling, Kubera's commander fled.