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RAMAYANA BOOK IX: RAVANA-SABHA
(The Council of War)
RAVAN was thoroughly frightened by the deeds of Hanuman. For Hanuman had not only penetrated into his island and discovered Sita in her imprisonment, but had also managed to burn down a great portion of the city before he left the island. Ravan called a Council of War, and as might be expected, all the advisers heedlessly advised war.
All but Bibhishan. He was the youngest brother of Ravail, and condemned the folly and the crime by which Ravan was seeking a war with the righteous and unoffending Rama. He advised that Sita should be restored to her lord and peace made with Rama. His voice was drowned in the cries of more violent advisers.
It is noticeable that Ravan's second brother, Kumbha-karna, also had the courage to censure his elder's action. But unlike Bibhishan he was determined to fight for his king whether he was right or wrong. There is a touch of sublimity in this blind and devoted loyalty of Kumbha-karna to the cause of his king and his country.
Bibhishan was driven from the court with indiguity, and joined the forces of Rama, to whom he gave much valuable information about Lanka and its warriors.
The passages translated in this Book form Sections vi., viii., ix., portions of Sections xii. and xv., and the whole of Section xvi. of Book vi. of the original text.
I
RAVAN SEEKS ADVICE
Monarch of the mighty Rakshas,
Ravan spake to warriors all,
Spake to gallant chiefs and princes gathered in his Council Hall:
"Listen, Princes, Chiefs,
and Warriors! Hanuman our land hath seen,
Stealing through the woods of Lanka unto Rama's prisoned queen,
And audacious in his purpose
and resistless in his ire,
Burnt our turret tower and temple, wasted Lanka's town with fire!
Speak your counsel, gallant
leaders, Ravan is intent to hear,
Triumph waits on fearless wisdom, speak your thoughts without a fear,
Wisest monarchs act on counsel
from his men for wisdom known,
Next are they who in their wisdom and their daring act alone,
Last, unwisest are the monarchs
who nor death nor danger weigh,
Think not, ask not friendly counsel, by their passions borne away!
Wisest counsel comes from
courtiers who in holy lore unite,
Next, when varying plans and reasons blending lead unto the right,
Last end worst, when stormy
passions mark the hapless king's debate,
And his friends are disunited when his foe is at the gate!
Therefore freely speak your
counsel and your monarch's task shall be
But to shape in deed and action what your wisest thoughts decree,
Speak with rainds and hearts
united, shape your willing monarch's deed,
Counsel peace, or Ravan's forces to a war of vengeance lead,
Ere Sugriva's countless
forces cross the vast and boundless main,
Ere the wrathful Rama girdles Lanka with a living chain!"
II
PRAHASTA'S SPEECH
Dark and high as summer
tempest mighty-armed Prahasta rose,
Spake in fierce and fierce accents hurling challenge on his foes:
"Wherefore, Ravan, quails
thy bosom, gods against thee strive in vain,
Wherefore fear the feeble mortals, homeless hermits, helpless men?
Hanuman approached in secret,
stealing like a craven spy,
Not from one in open combat would alive the Vanar fly,
Let him come with all his
forces, to the confines of the sea
I will chase the scattered army and thy town from foemen free!
Not in fear and hesitation
Ravan should repent his deed,
While his gallant Raksha forces stand beside him in his need,
Not in tears and vain repentance
Sita to his consort yield,
While his chieftains guard his empire in the battle's gory field!"
III
DURMUKHA'S SPEECH
Durmukha of cruel visage
and of fierce and angry word,
Rose within the Council Chamber, spake to Lanka's mighty lord:
"Never shall the wily foeman
boast of insult on us flung,
Hanuman shall die a victim for the outrage and the wrong!
Stealing in unguarded Lanka
through thy city's virgin gate,
He hath courted deep disaster and a dark untimely fate,
Stealing in the inner mansions
where our dames and damsels dwell,
Hanuman shall die a victim,--tale of shame he shall not tell!
Need is none of Ravan's
army, bid me seek the foe alone,
If he hides in sky or ocean or in nether regions thrown,
Need is none of gathered
forces, Ravan's mandate I obey,
I will smite the bold intruder and his Vanar forces slay!
IV
VAJRA-DANSHTRA'S SPEECH
Iron-toothéd Vajra-danshtra
then arose in wrath and pride,
And his blood-stained mace of battle held in fury by his side,
"Wherefore, Ravan, waste
thy forces on the foemen poor and vile,
Hermit Rama and his brother, Hanuman of impious wile,
Bid me,-with this mace of
battle proud Sugriva I will slay,
Chase the helpless hermit brothers to the forests far away!
Or to deeper counsel listen!
Varied shapes the Rakshas wear,
Let them wearing human visage. dressed as Bharat's troops appear,
Succour from his ruling
brother Rama will in gladness greet,
Then with mace and blood-stained sabre we shall lay them at our feet,
Rock and javelin and arrow
we shall on our foemen hail,
Till no poor surviving Vanar lives to tell the tragic tale!"
V
SPEECH OF NIKUMBHA AND VAJRA-HANU
Then arose the brave Nikumbha,--Kumbha-kama's
son was he,--
Spake his young heart's mighty passion in his accents bold and free:
"Need is none, O mighty
monarch, for a battle or a war,
Bid me meet the homeless Rama and his brother wand'ring far,
Bid me face the proud Sugriva,
Hanuman of deepest wile,
I will rid thee of thy foemen and of Vanars poor and vile!"
Rose the chief with jaw
of iron, Vajra-hanu fierce and young,
Licked his lips like hungry tiger with his red and lolling tongue:
Wherefore, monarch, dream
of battle? Rakshas feed on human gore,
Let me feast upon thy foemen by the ocean's lonely shore,
Rama and his hermit brother,
Hanuman who hides in wood,
Augad and the proud Sugriva soon shall be my welcome food!"
VI
BIBHISHAN'S WARNING
Twenty warriors armed and
girded in the Council Hall arose,
Thirsting for a war of vengeance, hurling challenge on the foes,
But Bibhishan deep in wisdom--Ravan's
youngest brother he,--
Spake the word of solemn warning, for his eye could farthest see:
"Pardon, king and honoured
elder, if Bibhishan lifts his voice
'Gainst the wishes of the warriors and the monarch's fatal choice,
Firm in faith and strong
in forces Rama comes with conqu'ring might,
Vain against a righteous warrior would unrighteous Ravan fight!
Think him not a common Vanar
who transpassed the ocean wave,
Wrecked thy city tower and temple and a sign and warning gave,
Think him not a common hermit
who Ayodhya ruled of yore,
Crossing India's streams and mountains, thunders now on Lanka's shore!
What dark deed of crime
or folly hath the righteous Rama done,
That you stole his faithful consort unprotected and alone,
What offence or nameless
insult hath the saintly Sita given,
She who chained in Lanka's prison pleads in piteous tear to Heaven?
Take my counsel, king and
elder, Sita to her lord restore,
Wipe this deed of wrong and outrage, Rama's righteous grace implore,
Take my counsel, Raksha
monarch, vain against him is thy might,
Doubly arméd is the hero,--he who battles for the right!
Render Sita to her Rama
ere with vengeance swift and dire,
He despoils our peopled Lanka with his bow and brand and fire,
Render wife unto her husband
ere in battle's dread array,
Rama swoops upon thy empire like a falcon on its prey,
Render to the lord his consort
ere with blood of Rakshas slain,
Rama soaks the land of Lanka to the margin of the main!
Listen to my friendly counsel,--though
it be I stand alone,--
Faithful friend but fiery foeman is this Dasa-ratha's son,
Listen to my voice of warning,--Rama's
shafts are true and keen,
Flaming like the with'ring sunbeams on the summer's parchéd green,
Listen to my soft entreaty,-righteousness
becomes the brave,
Cherish peace and cherish virtue and thy sons and daughters save!"
VII
KUMBHA-KARNA'S DETERMINATION
Ravan's brother Kumbha-karna,
from his wonted slumber woke,
Mightiest he of all the Rakshas, thus in solemn accents spoke:
Truly speaks the wise Bibhishan;
ere he stole a hermit's wife,
Ravan should have thought and pondered, courted not a causeless strife,
Ere he did this deed of
folly, Ravan should have counsel sought,
Tardy is the vain repentance when the work of shame is wrought!
Word of wisdom timely spoken
saves from death and dangers dire,
Vain is grief for crime committed,--offerings to unholy fire,
Vain is hero's worth or
valour if by foolish counsel led,
Toil and labour fail and perish save when unto wisdom wed,
And the foeman speeds in
triumph o'er a heedless monarch's might,
As through gaps of Krauncha mountains hansas speed their southern flight!
Ravan, thou hast sought
unwisely Sita, in her calm retreat,
As the wild and heedless hunter feeds upon the poisoned meat,
Nathless, faithful Kumbha-karna,
will his loyal duty know,
He shall fight his monarch's battle, he shall face his brother's foe!
True to brother and to monarch,
be he right or be he wrong,
Kumbha-kama fights for Lanka 'gainst her foemen fierce and strong,
Recks not if the mighty
INDRA and VIVASVAT cross his path,
Or the wild and stormy MARUTS, AGNI in his fiery wrath!
For the Lord of Sky shall
tremble when he sees my stature high,
And he hears his thunders echoed by my loud and answering cry,
Rama armed with ample quiver
shall no second arrow send,
Ere I slay him in the battle and his limb from limb I rend!
Wiser heads than Kumbha-karna
right and true from wrong may know,
Faithful to his race and monarch he shall face the haughty foe,
Joy thee in thy pleasure,
Ravan, rule thy realm in regal pride,
When I slay the hermit Rama, widowed Sita be thy bride!"
VIII
INDRAJIT'S ASSURANCE
Indrajit the son of Ravan
then his lofty purpose told,
'Midst the best and boldest Rakshas none so gallant, none so bold:
"Wherefore, noble king and
father, pale Bibhishan's counsel hear,
Scion of the race of Rakshas speaks not thus in dastard fear,
In this race of valiant
Rakshas, known for deeds of glory done,
Feeble-hearted, faint in courage, save Bibhishan, there is none!
Matched with meanest of
the Rakshas what are sons of mortal men,
What are homeless human brothers hiding in the hermit's den,
Shall we yield to weary
wand'rers, driven from their distant home,
Chased from throne and father's kingdom in the desert woods to roam?
Lord of sky and nether region,
INDRA 'neath my weapon fell,
Pale Immortals know my valour and my warlike deeds can tell,
INDRA'S tusker, huge Airavat,
by my prowess overthrown,
Trumpeted its anguished accents, shaking sky and earth with groan,
Mighty Gods and dauntless
Daityas fame of Indrajit may know,
And he yields not, king and father, to a homeless human foe!"
IX
RAVAN's DECISION
Anger swelled in Ravan's
bosom as he cast his blood-red eye
On Bibhishan calm and fearless, and he spake in accents high:
"Rather dwell with open
foemen or in homes where cobras haunt,
Than with faithless friends who falter and whom fears of danger daunt!
O, the love of near relations!-false
and faithless, full of guile,
How they sorrow at my glory, at my danger how they smile,
How they grieve with secret
anguish when my loftier virtues shine,
How they harbour jealous envy when deserts and fame are mine,
How they scan with curious
vision every fault that clouds my path,
How they wait with eager longing till I fall in Fortune's wrath
Ask the elephants of jungle
how their captors catch and bind.--
Not by fire and feeble weapons, but by treason of their kind,
Not by javelin or arrow,--little
for these arms they care,--
But their false and fondling females lead them to the hunter's snare!
Long as nourishment and
vigour shall impart the milk of cow,
Long as woman shall be changeful, hermits holy in their vow,
Ave. so long shall near
relations bate us in their inner mind,
Mark us with a secret envy though their words be ne'er so kind!
Rain-drops fall upon the
lotus but unmingling hang apart,
False relations round us gather but they blend not heart with heart,
Winter clouds are big with
thunder but they shed no freshening rain,
False relations smile and greet us but their soothing words are vain,
Bees are tempted by the
honey but from flower to flower they range,
False relations share our favour but in secret seek a change!
Lying is thy speech, Bibhishan,
secret envy hirks within,
Thou wouldst rule thy elder's empire, thou wouldst wed thy elder's queen,
Take thy treason to the
foemen,--brother's blood I may not shed,--
Other Raksha craven-hearted by my royal hands had bled!"
X
BIBHISHAN'S DEPARTURE
This to me Bibhishan answered,
as with fiery comrades four,
Rose in arms the wrathful Raksha and in fury rushed before.
"But I spare thee, roval
Ravan, angry words thy lips have passed,
False and lying and unfounded is the censure thou hast cast!
True Bibhishan sought thy
safety, strove to save his elder's reign,--
Speed thee now to thy destruction since all counsel is in vain,
Many are thy smiling courtiers
who with honeyed speech beguile,--
Few are they with truth and candour speak their purpose void of guile!
Blind to reason and to wisdow,
Ravan seek thy destined fate,
For thy impious lust of woman, for thy dark unrighteous hate,
Blind to danger and destruction,
deaf to word of counsel given,
By the flaming shaft, of Rama thou shalt die by will of Heaven!
Yet, O! yet, my king
and elder, let me plead with latest breath,
'Gainst the death of race and kismen, 'gainst my lord and brother's death,
Ponder yet, O Raksha
monarch, save thy race and save thy own,
Ravan, part we now ever,--guard thy ancient sea-girt throne!"
From "THE RAMAYANA AND THE MAHABHARATA" Condensed into English Verse By Romesh C. Dutt (1899)
