Ranjit Chitrakar
OTHER PATS OF RAMAYANA
Artist : Ranjit Chitrakar
Transcript
When Rama got the news of Sita’s abduction from the bird (Jatayu), he was devastated.
His parents had stayed back in his country, Ayodhya.
So did his brothers.
But as fate conspired, Sita got abducted from the forest of Panchavati.
Deep within his heart, Rama regretted inconsolably.
Dear Lakhsmana also untied his hair in grief.
They frantically started collecting rocks.
They were joined in by two monkey brothers – Nala and Nali.
They all started building a bridge to Lanka.
They collected branches, leaves and rocks and constructed a bridge across the ocean.
Angad declared that war was imminent.
The fragrance of garlands made from forest flowers filled the air.
Angad crossed over the bridge and reached Lanka with his troop of monkeys.
They met Sukh and Saran (the ministers of Ravana) at the seashore.
The troop of monkeys started creating a ruckus.
They were mere animals, with no voice of their own.
They feared none, but one.
Angad, with his battalion entered the kingdom (of Lanka) in a jiffy.
The moment Ravana laid his eyes on him, he realised…
Once Rama sets his foot in, there would be no escape.
On seeing Angad, Ravana started hatching plans about confusing his opponent by creating optical illusions.
He immediately called for a meeting.
He summoned his son, Indrajit.
Ravana created an illusion and asked Indrajit if he could distinguish between his real father and the illusions.
Ravana asked his son, Indrajit to ask his mother Mandodari if she could discern who her husband was.
A beautiful, young, chaste woman – Mandodari remained silently seated.
After an exchange of heated arguments between the two parties, the situation started deteriorating.
Angad slapped Ravana and snatched away his crown.
He did not give the crown back to Ravana.
The war between Rama and Ravana began.
Lanka started burning.
Every arrow that Rama shot branched into a hundred more arrows.
Ravana combated him with equal number of arrows.
They started releasing arrows according to the training they had received respectively.
Ravana finally got severely injured.
Rama knew that Ravana would perish soon.
Raghuvir (Rama) chanted hymns while releasing an arrow.
One such arrow pierced and ripped Ravana’s chest into two halves.
Ravana started writhing in pain and collapsed on the ground.
This event was witnessed by Brahma and other gods from the heaven above.
Ravana had one lakh sons and one crore grandsons.
Each and everyone had to be killed, so as to wipe out the entire lineage.
Fourteen thousand women surrounded Ravana and mourned.
They started wailing, “Whom did you hand over the kingdom of Lanka, o King?”
His wife, Mandodari told Rama that her husband was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva.
How could Lord Shiva not protect him from such an ending!
Bibhishana lit the pyre and cremated the king with ten heads.
The smoke from his pyre filled the skies.
Here the episode of the defeat and killing of Ravana comes to an end.
Rama Rajya (Rama’s kingdom) prospered.
Here, I conclude my homage paid through verses.
The name of the author is Ranjit Chitrakar.
Medinipur is my district.
Naya is the village.