66. THE GREAT CAUSEWAY :

MEANWHILE Ravana did something
foolish. He sent a scout to seduce Sugriva
from his loyalty to Rama. This Rakshasa,
Suka by name, flew across and in disguise
met Sugriva in secret and with every
appearance of benevolent solicitude spoke
to him thus:


"Ravana, the king of Lanka, has sent
me because of his affection and regard for
you. He sends you his fraternal greetings.
You are a king and he is another and there
is no sense in your staking your high
heritage and making common cause with
a disinherited prince against an allpowerful
king. If Ravana desired Rama's
wife and carried her off, how does it
concern you? What do you lose by it?
Consider well and choose your course
with description. It is most expedient that
you and your army should return
forthwith to Kishkindha."


But Sugriva's response was scornful
and definite:


"Base fellow! Go and tell your king
that he is no brother of mine. He is wicked
and, being an enemy of my friend Rama,
he is my enemy too and we are out to rid
the world of him and his wicked gang. He
is a fool to imagine that he can offend
Rama and still survive. Tell him that there
is no escape for him, tell him all this as
from me."


When Sugriva delivered this message
to the Rakshasa spy the Vanaras caught
hold of him and began to handle him
roughly but Rama sternly forbade it and
set him free to go the way he came. The
spy rushed back to Lanka and conveyed
the result of his adventure to Ravana.


As soon as Vibhishana's adherence was
accepted by Rama, Lakshmana and
Sugriva crowned Vibhishana king of
Lanka and performed the abhisheka with
seawater. Vibhishana pledged unchanging
friendship to Rama and Rama in turn gave
his word that he would not return to
Ayodhya without slaying Ravana.
Then Sugriva, Vibhishana and
Lakshmana deliberated on how to cross
the sea. They thought it best to begin with
a prayer to the ocean-god and submitted
their opinion to Rama.


Rama accepted their counsel and,
spreading darbha grass on the seashore
and laying himself on it, began a fast,
addressing his request for a passage
across, to the king of the sea.


For three days he prayed to the god of
the sea but received no response. Then
Rama, his eyes glowing with anger at the
sea-god's arrogance, turned to Lakshmana
and said:


"The low-minded mistake courtesy and
gentleness for want of strength. Mildness
is simply wasted on them. See now how I
shall bring this misproud sea to its senses
with my arrows which shall not only
choke it with the carcasses of mighty fish
but even dry it up with their fierce odour.
Bring me my bow and quiver, O
Soumitra!"


Then bow in hand and blazing with
wrath like the destroying fire at the end of
the world he shot arrows irresistible as
thunderbolts into the bosom of the sea.
These missiles of power disturbed the sea
to its depths carrying death and dismay to
all it contained and presently the tortured
waters began to exhale steam in their
agony.


It looked as though Rama in his wrath
would convert the sea with its infinitude
of waters into a desert of blazing dust
bereft of all life. The sea-god could stand
it no longer. Shining like the rising sun
behind Mount Meru, he appeared and
stood before Rama.
With folded hands he said:


"My Lord Ramachandra! I am subject
to the laws of nature like the earth, the air,
space, light, and all constituents of the
universe. How can I depart from my
nature, which is to be vast, deep, wavefilled,
and impassable? But this I can do.
Ask the Vanaras to bring boulders and
trees to build a causeway. I shall permit it.


I shall help you by receiving and keeping
in place the rocks and trees. This is all that
I can do and I shall also show the most
favorable place for this causeway. There
is Nala, son of Viswakarma, with you,
who has the ability to build this path. May
victory be yours."


Rama, true to his nature, graciously
accepted the sea god's apology and offer
of help. And then, ordered by Rama, they
all began to work. Thousands of Vanaras
went at it with enthusiasm and soon
finished building the causeway.
Valmiki describes the work at length.


He sings with gusto of the noise and
confusion of the gigantic project. The
Vanaras went to the mountains and forests
and, plucking rocks and trees, dragged
them to the shore. The bigger Vanaras
brought big boulders and threw them into
the sea. As they fell down, the water
splashed up sky-high.


Nala stood and supervised their labors.
The leaders in charge of companies kept
them active. On top of the rocks and trees,
when the base was firm, a dressing of
grass and little pieces of wood was given
to produce a level surface. The noise
raised by the dam-builders drowned the
roar of the ocean.


The construction was complete. The
new path shone across the sea like the
milky way in the sky. Hosts of gods above
rejoiced, as hosts of Vanaras shouted
below in exultation. The gods and the
rishis uttered benedictions.


Then they went on the causeway.
Hanuman carried Rama on his shoulders
and Angada carried Lakshmana on his.
The Vanara army crossed the sea. There
is a principle expounded here. As Rama
stood bow in hand, the ocean-god bowed
before him with clasped bands and said:
"Dear Ramachandra! Earth, air, ether,
water, fire, these five elements must
follow the eternal laws of their nature.


Tempted by pleasure or reward or
frightened of punishment, can I ever
swerve from my nature? Can water harden
and become stone? Or can I reduce my
depths into a shallow pond for your easy
crossing?"


Thus the ocean king protested with all
politeness to Sri Rama. Valmiki puts into
the mouth of the ocean king a
fundamental of our religious philosophy.
He explains the primordial relationship
between God and Nature.


God's law operates in and through
Nature. The laws of nature were created
so that the universe may proceed by itself.
So too the law of Karma. The five
elements, all objects without life as well
as all living creatures, must follow their
own permanent laws.


According to the Hindu Shastras,
Nature itself, the sequence and chain of
cause and effect, the properties of matter,
and the law of Karma, all are ordained
permanently by God.


Nature itself is a witness to God. He is
not proved by a suspension of the laws of
nature. This is expounded clearly in the
ninth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:
"Under my supervision Nature gives
rise to all that exists movable and
immovable, and the universe, evolves
from this cause."


This is put briefly by Valmiki in the
speech of the ocean king. Malyavan, the
aged Rakshasa, tried his best to impress
on Ravana the error of his ways. He said:


"Your time of good fortune is over.
Your sins have begun to bear their fruit
and to dim your radiance. You can trust
no longer the boons you have obtained
from the gods. Make peace with your
enemies. Look at the army that has
arrived, the terrible host of Vanaras and
bears. Look at this wonderful causeway so
quickly built. It seems to me, this Rama is
Vishnu himself come in human form."
Ravana had no patience with such talk.


"Your words are wormwood in my ear,"
he cried. "It looks as though you too have
joined my enemies. Are not human beings
well known to be weaklings? Why are you
afraid of this wretched man driven into the
forest by his father? And he relies on the
support of monkeys and bears! Of such a
man you are afraid.


Really I am ashamed of you. Or could
it be that you cannot bear to see me
happy? Why do you talk like this to me? I
cannot bend before Rama. If it is wrong
policy or wrong ethics, I cannot help it.
You may take it that it is part of my nature
and I cannot change it. I would far rather
die fighting than sue before Rama for
peace!"


Malyavan replied: "Consider well and
do what you think best." And he returned
home, uttering the usual benedictory
words: "Victory to the King! Victory to
Ravana!"


The old man was Ravana's grandfather.
Ravana carefully stationed his
warriors. He posted Prahasta at the eastern
entrance, Mahaparsva and Mahodara at
the southern entrance and Indrajit, his
illustrious son, accomplished in the arts of
secret magic, at the western entrance,
while he decided himself to guard the
northern entrance. Virupaksha, the
mighty, was appointed commander of the
army within the city.


Having ordered the disposition of his
forces and chief warriors, he felt he had
ensured victory. As his end was
approaching, he listened to no one and
foolishly believed himself unconquerable.


The ministers raised shouts of victory to
please the King and then dispersed.
Rama, Sugriva, Vibhishana and others
held a council of war. Vibhishana duly
laid before the council the information
gathered by scouts who had gone out and
watched Ravana's arrangements.


"In numbers, strength and courage,"
Vibhishana said, "the army now mobilised
by Ravana surpasses that with which he
opposed Kubera. Still I have no doubt of
Rama's victory."


Rama distributed his forces to meet
Ravana's disposition and assigned to each
commander the task he was to perform.
He ordered Nila to meet Prahasta at the
eastern gate. Angada was to meet
Mahaparsva and Mahodara at the southern
entrance. At the western entrance
Hanuman was to encounter Indrajit, the
master of black magic.


"Lakshmana and I shall meet Ravana,
the terror of the world, and we shall direct
the assault on Lanka. Sugriva, Jambavan
and Vibhishana shall stay behind with our
main army." The army rested for the
night on Mount Suvela. The following
morning, standing on the mountaintop,
they took a good look at Lanka.


The beautiful city on the summit of
Trikuta seemed as if suspended from the
sky. Behind the thick fortress wall the
Rakshasa army stood sentry, looking like
another massive wall. Observing the great
and beautiful buildings in Lanka, Rama
was moved to pity. And he said:


"Alas! Because one person, drawn by
the noose of time, has committed a sin, all
this wealth and the whole Rakshasa race
must now be destroyed. Alas that this
scion of a noble race should forget his real
greatness and pull death and destruction
on himself and his people!"


Rama continued: "However, we should
now bend all our thoughts to the task
before us to win this battle and destroy
Ravana. There will be much confusion in
the course of the battle. The Rakshasas
will try to deceive us with many disguises.


Let the Vanaras and bears retain their own
shape while fighting. Vibhishana and his
friends alone need assume human forms,
like Lakshmana and myself. The
Rakshasas, our enemies, will never take
the form of man or monkey. They would
think it beneath their dignity to do so. If
we stand together maintaining due order
we can know who is who, slay our
enemies and help our friends."



Next : 67. THE BATTLE BEGINS


Continues..