Sri Ram and Lakshmana have now departed the monkey kingdom . Their journey takes them to the beautiful island of Sri Lanka, across an earthy bridge of grass and wood, constructed with the aid of animals. There, they engage in epic battles with the potent forces of the demon king Ravana in order to rescue Sita.
Unable to countenance the repeated defeats of his armies, Ravana himself decides to face Rama in combat... ...Drums thundered in the heavens and war-songs rained upon the earth. Even then magnanimous Rama tried to save Ravana and afforded him every chance to repent. At last, he put Ravana's remaining men to the sword. The demon king rose from his lookout, a high turret straddling the castle's golden spires and piercing the majestic Sri Lankan ether. He stared into the night sky, his eyes commanding a divine audience.
The gods approached his gaze, slowly. Ravana, who fears neither death nor dharma, mocked their holy names and flouted the fears of these dithering divinities. Ravana looked out across the battle-stained field of blood. He then listed to his right, swinging his heads, ten and mighty, toward the ground. Just as his ear grazed the stone floor, he threw his body upward, arms flailing, as if to take flight. He stopped short of leaping, his foot yet upon the tower top. He was preparing for war. The lowering clouds blackened with every breath of his lungs and lowered with every dip of his ten heads. Every footfall of his war dance was a peal of thunder; every strident cry of his song was a bolt of lightning. The very sound frightened monkeys and men alike. Rama's heart pined at the very sight. Then with three claps of his twenty hands and stomps of his demon feet, all was silence. The air was static, as when it anticipates an ambuscade of lightning. The hair of all the creatures bristled and their souls froze in fear of the near future.Ravana rushed down from the turret with the speed of the wind and the force of a great wave. Rama met the charge head on, with Matali, driver of Indra, blowing the conch and directing the chariot. The clash of the two warriors stopped time, confusing the seasons and the stars alike. In that moment rocks floated in the streams and the sun rose in the west. Birds swam and the fish flew. The land was moist and sea was arid. The battle lasted only a few moments on the ground. Arrows and the battle continued in the air, warfare became divine. Ravana used Maya, illusion itself, to outwit noble Rama. But, Rama countered with Gnana, divine perception. Ravana sent snakes, Rama eagles. Rama lopped off Ravana's demon heads like figs from the banyan. The heads fell to the earth, cursing Rama and bleeding from the necks.
Finally, Rama ended the life of the demon king. Evoking the Brahmastra, a divine weapon of last resort, Rama aimed for the vulnerable heart of Ravana and sealed his ineluctable fate.Ravana fell from heaven, dead and decapitated. Rama approached the corpse, hesitating lest the demon surprise him and deliver a death-blow. Surprise was not lacking. Though Ravana was indeed dead, his blood stanched within his veins, light shone from his remaining faces. Ravana showed no signs of agony, only of serenity. He appeared not as one slaughtered but rather as one saved.
Note: By destroying the demon king Ravana, Rama does more than just deliver his animal friends and his beloved Sita. He delivers his enemy as well. Although Ravana is indeed the antagonist of the story, he possesses noble qualities that redeem him in the end. His devotion to Rama, almost a fixation, is just as faithful as that of any other character in the Ramayana. This piety is reflected in his serenity after death. His faces were cleansed of their outer dross and so showed the light of one saved. As in the case of Vali, Ravana's only hope of deliverance lay in his own death, affected by Lord Vishnu in the guise of noble Rama.
Unable to countenance the repeated defeats of his armies, Ravana himself decides to face Rama in combat... ...Drums thundered in the heavens and war-songs rained upon the earth. Even then magnanimous Rama tried to save Ravana and afforded him every chance to repent. At last, he put Ravana's remaining men to the sword. The demon king rose from his lookout, a high turret straddling the castle's golden spires and piercing the majestic Sri Lankan ether. He stared into the night sky, his eyes commanding a divine audience.
The gods approached his gaze, slowly. Ravana, who fears neither death nor dharma, mocked their holy names and flouted the fears of these dithering divinities. Ravana looked out across the battle-stained field of blood. He then listed to his right, swinging his heads, ten and mighty, toward the ground. Just as his ear grazed the stone floor, he threw his body upward, arms flailing, as if to take flight. He stopped short of leaping, his foot yet upon the tower top. He was preparing for war. The lowering clouds blackened with every breath of his lungs and lowered with every dip of his ten heads. Every footfall of his war dance was a peal of thunder; every strident cry of his song was a bolt of lightning. The very sound frightened monkeys and men alike. Rama's heart pined at the very sight. Then with three claps of his twenty hands and stomps of his demon feet, all was silence. The air was static, as when it anticipates an ambuscade of lightning. The hair of all the creatures bristled and their souls froze in fear of the near future.Ravana rushed down from the turret with the speed of the wind and the force of a great wave. Rama met the charge head on, with Matali, driver of Indra, blowing the conch and directing the chariot. The clash of the two warriors stopped time, confusing the seasons and the stars alike. In that moment rocks floated in the streams and the sun rose in the west. Birds swam and the fish flew. The land was moist and sea was arid. The battle lasted only a few moments on the ground. Arrows and the battle continued in the air, warfare became divine. Ravana used Maya, illusion itself, to outwit noble Rama. But, Rama countered with Gnana, divine perception. Ravana sent snakes, Rama eagles. Rama lopped off Ravana's demon heads like figs from the banyan. The heads fell to the earth, cursing Rama and bleeding from the necks.
Finally, Rama ended the life of the demon king. Evoking the Brahmastra, a divine weapon of last resort, Rama aimed for the vulnerable heart of Ravana and sealed his ineluctable fate.Ravana fell from heaven, dead and decapitated. Rama approached the corpse, hesitating lest the demon surprise him and deliver a death-blow. Surprise was not lacking. Though Ravana was indeed dead, his blood stanched within his veins, light shone from his remaining faces. Ravana showed no signs of agony, only of serenity. He appeared not as one slaughtered but rather as one saved.
Note: By destroying the demon king Ravana, Rama does more than just deliver his animal friends and his beloved Sita. He delivers his enemy as well. Although Ravana is indeed the antagonist of the story, he possesses noble qualities that redeem him in the end. His devotion to Rama, almost a fixation, is just as faithful as that of any other character in the Ramayana. This piety is reflected in his serenity after death. His faces were cleansed of their outer dross and so showed the light of one saved. As in the case of Vali, Ravana's only hope of deliverance lay in his own death, affected by Lord Vishnu in the guise of noble Rama.
From the epic - Ramayan
