VALMIKI RAMAYANA
By Dr. Saroja Ramanujam, M.A.,Ph.D , siromani
Aranyakanda
17. Ravana fights with Jatayu
Seetha cried aloud calling Lakshmana and Rama and told Ravana that he was going to be destroyed by Rama for doing such a wicked thing prompted by his bad fortune. Then Seetha in her anguish said that Kaikeyi would have been happy that her wish was fulfilled, meaning that she wanted them to undergo suffering in the forest and it has happened now.
Seetha entreated the trees and the forest deities to tell Rama that Ravana was abducting her.She asked all the animals in forest to do so. Then she saw Jatayu sitting on a tree and cried out to him telling him that Ravana was carrying her off and said that he would not be stopped by Jatayu because he is cruel and mighty but asked him to tell Rama what happened.
Jatayu who was sleeping heard Seetha and saw Ravana carrying her off and first tried to advise Ravana, saying that Rama was equal to Indra and Varuna in valour and Ravana was committing a great sin and if he did not leave Seetha, as Indra killed Vrthra by the thunderbolt, Rama would kill him with his glance itself. Jatayu warned Ravana that he was carrying a poisonous snake tied to the end of his cloth and was winding the noose of death around his neck.
Then Jatayu told Ravana that even though he himself was old and unarmed he will not allow Ravana to carry Seetha as long as he lived . Hearing this Ravana was furious and started fighting with Jatayu and their fight is compared by Valmiki to that of two mountains. Ravana attacked Jatayu with his arrows and Jatayu wounded his body in several places with his beak and claws. Moved by Seetha in tears, Jatayu attacked Ravana fiercely and broke his bow, armour and killed the mules that were drawing his chariot, also destroying his chariot and other paraphernalia. This forced Ravana to descend to the ground and he stood there without releasing his grasp of Seetha. Seeing Jatayu fatigued, Ravana rose up in the air with Seetha but Jatayu also flew up barring his way and said that he and his followers would attain the state of those who drank the poisoned water and he was like the fish caught in the hook and could not escape the wrath of Rama wherever he went. Jatayu said that Ravana was a coward to abduct Seetha when Rama and Lakshmana was not there.
When Ravana would not listen to him Jatayu fell on his back and attacked him with his claws as one would injure the rouge elephant by using the goad. Then Ravana also fought fiercely with Jatayu and finally chopped off his legs and wings with his sword and Jatayu fell down.
Seetha on seeing Jatayu helplessly fallen on the ground, ran towards him and embraced him and cried. She told him that he would live till he saw Rama and informed the news of her abduction. Thus Jatayu was embraced by Seetha even before Rama did so and hence graced by her to live till Rama came. This was the indication that Jatayu was going to be liberated from embodiment as he was blessed by the divine mother, who is the purushkarabhootha, one who recommends the case of the devotees to the Lord.
Seetha then seeing Ravana coming near her clung to a tree but Ravana pulled her away. Valmiki says that seeing that there was no rescue for Seetha from Ravana the whole nature changed and all the worlds became covered with darkness and the wind did not blow and the sun lost his lustre. Seeing her Brahma said to himself that the deed was accomplished. ’krtham kaaryam ithi Sreemaan vyaajahaara pithaamahaH.’The sages seeing Seetha pulled by Ravana, became both glad and sorrowful at the same time, glad that Ravana was nearing his death and sad to see the plight of Seetha.
Then Ravana rose in the sky carrying Seetha and Valmiki, the poet describes the scene in detail.
18.Ravana carrying Seetha
Seetha was wearing a garment of yellow silk and shining ornaments of gold and she looked like a lightning while Ravana was looking like a volacano with his fiery hued cloth moving in the wind. Valmki further compares the cloth worn by Seetha moving in the air to the red cloud at noon., which is an impossibility. This and the comparison of Seetha to lightning indicated calamity for Ravana. Her face was like a lotus plucked from its soil and lost its lustre. She was shining like a second moon from the dark cloud, symbolized by Ravana, another weird happening serving as a bad omen. Seetha with her golden colour seen with the dark hued Ravana looked like a golden girdle around blue sapphire. The implication is that only silver goes well with blue sapphire and gold seemed out of place.
The speed with which Ravana was going was indicated by the flowers from the head of Seetha scattering on all sides and again falling on Ravana, who is compared by Valmiki to the high mountain of Meru shining with clear stars. Seetha was like a fire in the sky, which is bad omen like a comet. Her ornaments fell down on earth like the stars, says Valmiki, on their merit being exhausted. It is supposed that those who have acquired merit, punya, become stars and after their merits are exhausted they fell down to earth to take rebirth. The pearl garland falling from the neck of Seetha was like Ganges falling from the heavens.
The great wind that rose from the speed of Ravana created big noise in the trees and the birds were chirping loudly as though to reassure Seetha, while the aquatic beings seeing the lotuses shake violently became afraid. The wild animals of the forest ran along as though they wanted to threaten Ravana. The mountains with their high peaks and waterfalls flowing from them seem to cry with uplifted arms. Even the Sun lost his lustre. Thus the whole nature was struck with sorrow on Seetha being carried away.
Seetha tried her level best to dissuade Ravana from taking her away by insulting him and threatening him of dire consequences. She called him a coward in spite of his bragging about his valour earlier, since he came like a thief when Rama and Lakshmana were not there. She said that there was nothing to be proud of in slaying an old bird like Jatayu and he could not stand in front of Rama and that was why he was flying away speedily. Seetha told him that he could not bear the shower of arrows of Rama and Lakshman like a bird caught in a forest fire. She said she will never agree to his wish and would not live long and Ravana was nearing his death and hence he is acting like a man who pursues wrong path at the time of death. mrthyukaale yaThaa marthyo vipareethaani sevathe. Ravana , she said, will not escape from Rama wherever he runs and reminded him that Rama killed 14000 rakshasas with Khara and Dhooshana single handed. But Ravana under the spell of fate that was causing his end, did not pay heed and carried her off.
Seetha was looking on all sides to see whether anyone would come for her resque and saw five monkeys on the top of a hill near the river Pampa and tearing a part of her upper garment, tied her ornaments in it and threw it towards them hoping that they will give it to Rama when he came searching for her. These were Sugriva and his followers hiding in the Rsyamooka hill to escape from Vali. They looked at her and saw what was happening and later Rama heard this from them.
The commentators say that Sugrive looked up and was seen by Seetha and hence he regained his kingdom soon afterwards due to her kataksha which proves that to get the grace of the Lord first one should get the grace of the divine mother.
Ravana was elated in taking her away as he crossed the area of the asrama without opposition not knowing that he was carrying his death in his lap, as though carrying a fierce and poisonous cobra, says Valmiki. ‘Thaam jahaara susamhrshto raavaNo mrthyum aathmanaH; uthsangenaiva bujageem theekshna dhashtraammahaavishaam.’
Thus crossing the sea Ravana reached Lanka with Seetha. Valmiki says that the sea was agitated to see the act of Ravana and the waves of the ocean became silent along with the creatures in it. The celestial beings like the siddhas and charanas saw him and predicted his end to happen very soon.