Recalling Ram
Suman K Sharma
On being informed that Lakshman had been healed and was fighting fit once again to show his valour in the war, Ravan lost his poise.He knew of Lakshman’s rage, his might. Was not he the Sheshnag himself whose hissing could annihilate the world? He thought there was one person who might save him from the impending disaster: his own brother, Kumbhkaran. Younger to Ravan, he was a giant, feared for his prowess in battlefield. The only problem with him, thanks to a boon that he got from Lord Brahma, was that he possessed an insatiable belly which made him sleep most of the time. But with Ram’s forces knocking at his door, Ravan had to wake him up.
Disturbed in his slumber, Kumbhkaran made a horrible sight-
Jaga nisichardekheyikaisa/Manhun Kalu deh dharibaisa//
Kumbhkaranboojhakahu bhai/Kahe tavmukhrahesukahai//
Kumbhkaran woke up. He looked as if Death himself was seated in the form of a body. He asked, “O Brother! Why your mouths are drying up?”
Ramcharitmanas/Lanka Kand/61(iv)
Maharishi Balmiki narrates the episode in a different manner. Ravan, so goes Balmiki Ramayan (see Yuddh Kand/Cantos 51-60), did not wake up Kumbhkaran immediately following the recovery of Ram and Lakshman. He sent forth his well-tested warriors like Dhrumaksh, Vajradanshtra, Akampan, and lastly his general, Prahast,to the battle-field. But none of them could stand for long before the determined Vanar Sena. Dhrumaksh and Akampan were killed by Hanuman, Vajradanshtra met his end at hands of Prince Angad and Prahast perished before Vanar Neel’s onslaught. Prahast’s fall particularly shook Ravan. He decided to take the field himself.
With conches blowing, trumpets blaring and drums booming, he rode in a glittering chariot at the head of his army which comprised warriors such as Indrajit, Atikaye, Mahodar, Pishach, Trishira and others. They all were frightening to behold and dreadful in their intent. The battle ensued. The mighty warriors of Vanar Sena, such as Govaksh, Gavey, Sushen, Rishabh and Jyotirmukh, bombarded Ravan’s army with huge boulders and massive trees. But Ravan rendered them ineffective, shooting his strange looking arrows. Sugriv was wounded and fell unconscious.
At that instant, Ram advanced towards Ravan. Lakshman offered, however, to face the enemy instead. Granting him permission, Ram advised his brother to watch for any holes in Ravan’s defence and take advantages of his weaknesses. As Lakshman proceeded to fight, Hanuman too challenged Ravan to a duel of sorts, reminding him that it was he who had killed his son, Akshey. Ravan slapped Hanuman so hard that the latter felt giddy for a few moments. But soon enough, he gained control over himself. Then, he slapped Ravan with such a force that –
Tataah s tenabhihtovaanrenmahatamana/
Dashgreevahsamaabhootoyathabhoomtale-achla//
Receiving the impact of the venerated vanar’s slap, the ten-headed Ravan shook in the same manner as a mountain does during an earthquake.
Balmiki Ramayan/Yuddh Kand/Canto 59(lxii)
Seeing that such a mighty warrior as Ravan had been slapped so severely in the battlefield, the rishis, vanars and the divine communities of devas, siddhas, and asurs shouted joyously in Hanuman’s praise. Even Ravan himself commended him, “Well done, Vanar, in valour you are my admirable adversary!” (see, ibid (lxiv)). Neel too fought valiantly against Ravan, but could not stand before him. Seeing that Ravan had overcome Neel, Lakshman jumped into the fray. After a deadly combat, a severely wounded Ravan hit Lakshman with a missile which was bestowed on him by Lord Brahma. Lakshman fell down unconscious. When Hanuman came to his rescue, Ravan hit him too, leaving him incapacitated. Eventually Ram himself faced Ravan and compelled him to make a retreat to his citadel. Deeply humiliated and seeking a way to thwart Ram, Ravan resented Kumbhkaran for the latter’s carefree existence –
Sukhm svapitinishchintahkamopehritchetanah//
Nav saptdashashtouchmaasaansvapitirakshasah/
Mantram kritvaprasutoayamitastunavmeahni//
[While I keep awake in grief, worried and unaccomplished], that rakshas, unconscious with indulgence, is happily asleep without any care. He sleeps sometimes for nine, sometimes for seven, sometimes for ten and sometimes for eight months. He had gone to sleep in consultation with me eight months from now.
Ibid/Canto 60(xvi-xiii)
Ravan detailed a team of well-trained Rakshasas to wake up Kumbhkaran. They carried large quantities of live-stock and other edibles, garlands and so forth for the task. Kumbhkaran lived in a cave, well adorned and redolent with varied flowers. Snoring in his sleep, he looked like a live vulcano. The servants arranged around him live cattle and food material, as also huge pots filled with fresh blood. They messaged his body with unguents. Then they made ear-splitting noise, blowing conches, roaring themselves hoarse, clapping and beating thunderous drums. When he did not get up with such measures, they thrashed his body with fists and maces and even throwing huge boulders on him. All that failed to rouse him. But Raja Ravan had commanded that the sleeping giant had to be woken up at all costs. The minions then poured a hundred pots of water into each of his ears and ran numberless elephants on his chest. Kumbhkaran woke up at last.
Having been satiated on food and drink, he asked them, “Why have you woken me up? I hope the king of the rakshasas, Ravan, is well. Has anything untoward happened here?”
Ravan’s personal secretary, Yupaksh, then briefed him on the situation. Men and monkeys had devastated Lanka – Raja Ravan himself could save his life with great difficulty; he told him.
Kumbhkaran presented himself before Ravan in the assembled court. His first reaction was to lambast Ravan for having stolen Ram’s wife and then discarding the well-intentioned advice of both own wife Mandodiri and brother Vibhishan to make peace with Ram. Ravan told him that it was the time to face the enemy rather than finding faults with him.
Kumbhkaran abided by the royal command. When he descended on the battlefield, the whole Vanar Sena was scared and even Ram was amazed at his humongous proportions. Vibhishan told Ram that Kumbhkaran was the tallest among the rakshasas and he had beaten devas, demons, yakshas, gandharvas and all sorts of beings in the battlefield.
Kumbhkaran, true to his fame, began to gobble the vanars, so much so that even their chiefs ran away in fear. Prince Angad shamed them to return and put up a joint front under his leadership. But it seemed that vanars were no match for the voracious rakshas. He picked up even Sugriv in his claws, taking him to Lanka. It was with great difficulty that the vanar-raja freed himself from his claws. In the end however, Ram slayed him with his divine arrows. Maharishi Balmiki evokes the scene –
Td Rambanabhihtampapaatrakshahshirahparvatsamnikasham/
Babhanj charyagrihgopuraniprakaarmuchchamtampatyachch//
Severed by Ram’s arrows, the mountain-like head of the rakshas fell down in Lanka. With its impact, it caused countless houses, doors and high walls come tumbling down.
Ibid/Canto 68(clxx)
Indeed, with Kumbhkaran’s killing, the very foundations of Ravan’s demonic empire were shaken.
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