Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana Read online

  Rationalists believe that the bridge was built across a river, not the sea.

  There is much speculation on the ‘real’ location of Lanka. Scholars have speculated that it must be located somewhere in Madhya Pradesh or in Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, based on information in the Valmiki Ramayana. But such rational speculations have no impact on the faithful who are convinced the bridge was built from Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka. In the island nation there are many places identified with where Sita was imprisoned (Sita-eliya) and the battle against Ravana was fought (Ravana-goda, Sita-waka).

  The episode of the bridge breaking and Ram’s army crossing over to Lanka on Hanuman’s tail (in some retellings, on his back) is purely South-East Asian.

  Ram travels across the bridge on Hanuman’s shoulders and Lakshman on Angada’s.

  The story of Bhasmalochan comes from Krittivasa’s Bengali Ramayana and is based on similar stories found in the Puranas.

  Facing Ravana

  Now the island was swarming with monkeys. They circled the land, like a noose determined to choke Lanka.

  Ravana climbed up to the tallest tower of Lanka to see the monkey army that had gathered on the shores of Lanka. For the first time, the monkeys and Ram had a view of the man who had abducted Sita. There he stood tall and arrogant, arms crossed, his crowns flashing diamonds. Ravana remembered the words of Nandi, Shiva’s bull, ‘One day, you arrogant fool, you will face defeat at the hands of monkeys.’ Was that curse coming true?

  Hundreds of monkeys started scrambling up the towers, determined to bring the rakshasa-king down like a coconut. Their screaming and swift movements took the rakshasas by surprise. Before they knew it, or could do anything, many monkeys tore down the banners that fluttered proudly over the palaces, and Sugriva was dancing on top of Ravana’s heads, knocking off the crowns.

  The monkeys who were on the beach saw this and roared in approval. Sugriva ran back, beaming with joy. The enemy who sought to intimidate was thus intimidated.

  Ram, however, did not smile. He did not approve of such an attack; it was against the rules of war.

  Angry at how the monkeys had insulted his father, Indrajit raised his bow and shot arrows at Ram and Lakshman. These were not ordinary arrows. They were naga-pashas, the noose of serpents that coiled around their limbs and immobilized them with deadly venom. Try as they might, the monkeys could not break their bonds. Neither Ram nor Lakshman could move a muscle.

  Suddenly from the horizon came a bird, followed by hundreds of other birds, eagles and vultures and crows and geese. They crossed the sea and landed on Lanka and with their sharp beaks and talons ripped away the serpents. Garuda, king of the eagles, led them.

  ‘We heard someone call out to us,’ said Garuda.

  ‘Who was it?’ asked Ram.

  ‘Sita, from within the walls of this golden city. She knows you have come and rescue is not far away.’

  In most retellings, Sugriva dances on Ravana’s heads and knocks his crowns down. In some, it is Angada. Occasionally one hears of Hanuman doing it.

  Ram’s displeasure at the attack indicates his discomfort with brute force and barbaric displays of courage. He wants a civilized war, one that follows after appropriate warnings are given and peace efforts made. In that, he is similar to Krishna in the Mahabharata who insists on peace negotiations before war is finally declared between the Kauravas and the Pandavas.

  Western scholars see the Ramayana in social terms. Thus they see the rakshasas and vanaras divided along religious, social, sectarian and racial lines. Indian scholars prefer seeing the two groups in psychological terms: those whom we don’t like are always rakshasas, while those who serve us unquestioningly are vanaras.

  In Bali, the famous Kecak dance or monkey chant tells the story of how the monkeys help Ram defeat Ravana. Kecak was originally a trance ritual that was turned into a theatre form based on the Ramayana by the German artist Walter Spies in the 1930s.

  The arrival of Garuda to save Ram from the naga-pasha is the earliest indicator of Ram being seen as an avatar of Vishnu. The episode is found in the Valmiki Ramayana. In it, Garuda does not identify Ram as Vishnu but says cryptically that Ram should wait for a time later to know why Garuda came to his rescue. Ram is thus unaware of his own divinity in the Valmiki Ramayana.

  In the Gobind Ramayana, Sita prays to the snake-gods to save Ram from the snake-bonds.

  Nagas (snakes) and Garuda (the eagle) have an ancient rivalry, akin to the rivalry between asuras and devas, rakshasas and yakshas. All these creatures descend from Kashyapa, son of Brahma.

  South Indian temple lore has it that Garuda enfolds Ram in his wings and begs him to prove that he is indeed Vishnu by taking the form of Krishna. Hanuman does not like this and so, when Ram is reborn as Krishna, he travels to Dwarka and demands Krishna present himself as Ram for his benefit, in the presence of Garuda. These tales speak of rivalry within Vaishnava sects between Ram-worshippers and Krishna-worshippers. Ram-worshippers kept the image of Hanuman before the Vishnu shrine while Krishna-worshippers kept the image of Garuda.

  The lost text of the Bhusundi Ramayana, which Tulsidas refers to, was the story of Ram narrated by the crow Kakabhusandi to the eagle Garuda who is confused whether Ram is really Vishnu as he is subjugated by Indrajit’s snake-arrows. These medieval Ramayana s gradually established the idea that Ram was no hero of Vedic kavyas but God as described in the Puranas.

  Angada, the Messenger

  On recovering from the snake-arrows, Ram said, ‘Let us not fight like barbarians raiding a village. Let us send a messenger to the rakshasas offering to withdraw if they let my Sita go.’

  Angada was chosen to serve as Ram’s messenger. When he entered Ravana’s palace, jeering rakshasas surrounded him. But young Angada was not intimidated. He entered Ravana’s hall and made note of the many warriors there, and the fabulous weapons they carried.

  First Angada identified himself: ‘Long ago, Ravana, king of Lanka, mistook Vali for an ordinary monkey and tried to catch his tail. Vali coiled his tail around Ravana and dragged him around Kishkindha, where the monkeys mistook him for the royal pet. I am Angada, son of that Vali.’

  Then Angada clarified his role: ‘Long ago, Kartavirya of the Haiheya clan stretched his thousand arms to block the flow of a river, causing a flood that washed away all the flowers and leaves Ravana had gathered for his worship of Shiva. Kartavirya thus humiliated Ravana. Kartavirya was killed by Parashurama, and Parashurama was defeated by Ram of the Raghu clan. I am the messenger of that Ram.’

  Finally, Angada communicated the message: ‘Ram stands outside the gates ready to attack this city with his army of monkeys. But there can be peace if you return to Ram his wife. A king should care for the welfare of his subjects first, not his own pride, or lust.’

  ‘Monkeys do not make armies,’ scoffed Ravana. ‘They are captured, and trained to perform. Ram is your master and you are his servants. Join me, and you will be free, unbound by such rules. But if you persist, I will treat you like the animals you are, hunt you down and feast on your flesh.’

  ‘You overestimate your strength. Let me see if there is one rakshasa here who can move this left leg of mine that I have firmly planted on the ground,’ challenged Angada.

  The rakshasas laughed and came one by one to yank the leg of the audacious monkey and hurl him into the sea. All of them failed.

  Still Ravana said, ‘I do not fear you. I will kill you and your band of monkeys and your king and that Ram and that Lakshman and that traitor who calls himself my brother.’

  Ravana’s father, Sumali, did not like this and advised his son to make peace. So did Ravana’s mother, Kaikesi. As did Kaikesi’s brother, Malyavan. But Ravana was adamant. No monkey would make a fool of him.

  Angada is chosen as the messenger, not Hanuman, as he is young, royal and perhaps because he does not have a history of burning Lanka.

  In the Mahabharata, when Krishna tries to make peace, Duryodhana tries to arre