71. THE GIANT IS ROUSED :

WHEN Ravana returned humbled and

dejected, the gods rejoiced foreseeing the

speedy end of their troubles. Ravana

entered the fortress, ashamed and anxious.

After deliberating a while, he recovered

his courage and ordered his sleeping

brother Kumbhakarna to be roused.

As the result of a curse, Kumbhakarna

used to sleep for months together and he

had gone to sleep just a few days before

the events last narrated. Ravana asked his

ministers to spare no efforts to rouse

Kumbhakarna at once and get him ready

for battle.

"All my penances have proved futile. It

looks as though the prophecy of the rishis

will be fulfilled," thus said Ravana to

himself, but rooted in his determination to

fight to the last he issued orders as if he

were certain of ultimate success: "Let the

warriors guard the fortress on all sides.

My brother is sound asleep. He sleeps

blissfully, unaware of my anxiety. He will

not wake up for months together if left

alone. It is only nine days since he started

sleeping. Rouse him at once. If he wakes

up and goes to the battle, the enemy will

be surely scattered. Who can stand before

my Kumbhakarna? If he wakes up and

opposes my enemies in battle, I need have

no fear."

Ravana's officers and their servants

accordingly went to Kumbhakarna's

palace. They knew that as soon as he

opened his eyes, he would be rapaciously

hungry. So they first prepared and piled

up mountains of food for him. Then they

made a great din beating drums and

blowing conches.

Many Rakshasas exhausted themselves

pushing and shaking the huge body of the

Rakshasa. The noise that they made with

their shouts and drums and trumpets filled

the sky and frightened all the birds and

beasts of Lanka, but Kumbhakarna in his

sleep heard nothing. The Rakshasas

worked hard at rousing him. They made

elephants walk on his body. They took

cudgels and belabored him.

At last his eyelids opened slightly and

as one might brush away a mosquito while

still asleep he pushed them all aside and

yawned. Kumbhakarna was thus

disturbed in his sleep which otherwise

would have been months long.

But before be could find out the cause

for this, he began to eat and drink. The

heaps of meat and the pots of blood and

wine kept ready for him were finished.

When his hunger was somewhat mitigated

the Rakshasas approached him to acquaint

him with the situation.

Ravana's minister Yupaksha said: "My

Lord, we have been defeated in battle and

stand in grave danger. You will remember

the quarrel about Sita. The Vanaras with

Rama and Lakshmana have arrived and

are breaking through the fort. They have

slaughtered and defeated our army which

never knew defeat before. Lanka is

surrounded by the Vanara host as by an

ocean. Ravana himself went to battle but

he retired from the field having had the

worst of it. It was our good luck that he

escaped with life."

Hearing this, Kumbhakarna was beside

himself with rage. "This very instant I

shall go and destroy this enemy. I shall

kill the Vanaras and drink the blood of

Rama and Lakshmana. After finishing this

first, I shall go and wait on the king."

The ministers were delighted to hear

this furious speech but pleaded with

Kumbhakarna that he should first see the

King and take counsel with him as to what

should be done.

Kumbhakarna agreed, washed his face

and then strode in sombre majesty to the

hall of the king of Lanka.

The Rakshasas standing on the royal

highway felt new courage and joy as they

saw him pass and bowed low before him

and showered flowers on him. He entered

the palace and stood in the presence of

Ravana. Rejoicing at the arrival of his

peerless brother, Ravana stepped down

from his throne and embraced him.

"What can I do for you, brother?"

asked Kumbhakarna. "Why did you get

my sleep broken? What makes you afraid?

Tell me who is tired of life and wants to

be turned into a corpse!"

"Brother! You do not know what has

happened," said Ravana. "You were lost

in sleep. The man Rama has become a real

menace to me. He has built a dam across

the sea we considered inviolate and now

the Vanara army surrounds Lanka like

another sea. Our warriors who sortied out

and met them have been defeated and

almost annihilated. It is for you now to

save us from destruction and I know you

can do it. You have put the gods to rout. I

know your love for me. I know your

keenness and your courage in battle. Go at

once and annihilate these enemies and

help us in our need and save Lanka."

Kumbhakarna, when he heard Ravana's

words of anxiety, was moved at first to

fury against the enemy but soon he

remembered the whole story and Ravana's

vainglorious confidence in his

invincibility and that made him smile a

little bitterly.

He said: "Excuse me, my brother. The

warning we gave you when you consulted

us went unheeded. Our fears have come

true. You rejected the good advice we

gave you . Now you suffer the

consequences of your error and your sin.

You brought away Sita. What else can

happen when, driven by lust, one acts

without thinking. If you so desired, and

you had the confidence and strength, it

would have been wise first to have slain

Rama and Lakshmana and then seized her.

You have done things without due thought

and in the wrong order. When one acts

without seeking or regarding the advice of

wise and faithful friends and kinsmen, it is

no wonder if he runs into danger and ruin.

Did you not know that these things must

follow? Should not a king understand who

gives him good advice and who bad?"

Ravana did not like all this lecturing.

He had no use now for lessons in ethics or

politics. His face flushed with anger but

he controlled himself and said: "Brother!

The time is now past for such talk. What I

need now is not your criticism but your

prowess. What is done has been done and

it is useless discussing whether it was just

or unjust, wise or unwise. The question

now is what we should do in our present

predicament. It is your duty now to use

your strength and skill and ward off the

present disasters resulting from past

errors. He is a true friend and a true

kinsman who helps one out of the trouble

that has been brought on oneself, maybe

because of folly. If indeed you care for

me, the time is now to show it by helping

me instead of commenting on my conduct.

I depend on your strength and prowess.

Out of your infinite courage, give me

comfort."

Kumbhakarna was moved by this

appeal. "Have no more care," he said. "I

am your brother and can never forsake

you. Rest assured that Rama and

Lakshmana are dead. I shall scatter and

slay their monkey army. I shall fling at

your feet the head of Rama and you shall

see the Vanara King's blood flowing on

the battlefield. Rama can only approach

you, if he does, over my dead body and

that is not possible, for no one can

vanquish or slay me."

Kumbhakarna's pride swelled. "No

matter who the enemy is," be cried, "I

shall destroy him. Be he Yama or Surya or

Agni, I shall eat them all up." In this

mood he rushed out to the field of battle.

The sudden waking from deep slumber

had completely upset his temper, but

when his consuming hunger and thirst had

been appeased, he had recovered his

balance and spoke wisdom to Ravana.

Again seeing Ravana's plight, fraternal

affection and pity made him forget

everything else.

Ravana was pleased. "O my true

warrior! O my brother! What a friend in

need I have in Kumbhakarna!" he

exclaimed, confident that Kumbhakarna

would return triumphant and he now felt

like one recovering from a mortal

sickness.

Kumbhakarna armed with his great

spear was about to go to battle alone, but

Ravana stopped him and sent an army to

aid him. He covered his brother's big body

with jewels and garments and blessed him

saving: "Go, my hero! Destroy the

enemies and return victorious."

Tall and mighty-limbed Kumbhakarna,

covered with shining jewels, was radiant

like Trivikrama himself. He

circumambulated his brother, bowed and

marched out spear in hand at the head of a

great army, amidst the plaudits of the

Rakshasas, and under a shower of flowers

and good wishes.

As the huge form of Kumbhakarna, a

giant even among the Rakshasas, was seen

stepping across the fortress-wall like

Yama at the end of Time or some great

natural cataclysm, the Vanaras were

frightened and started fleeing in all

directions. With great difficulty their

chiefs rallied them and put them in battle

formation.

Next : 72. IS THIS NARAYANA HIMSELF?

Continues...