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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 Kamban describes this incident after Märïca agrees to the demand of Ravana and when he submits to him in utter dejection.
‘aaNdayaan anaya kUra,’
Thus spoken to by Ravana, (Märïca told him) ‘arakkar Or iruvarOdum,’ along with two other demons,
‘pUNda en maanam theera,’ to avenge for the insult that I suffered at his hands,
‘dhandakam pukka pOzhdhil’ when he came into the Dandaka
Aranya, ‘thooNdiya sarangaL paaya,’ (when we attempted to kill him) hit by his arrows ‘thuNaivar pattu uruLa,’
my companions died ‘anji’ (and I was) afraid ‘mINda naan,’ and escaped from that place ‘sendru seyyum vinai en kol’ what is left for me to go and do there?
What had actually happened is not narrated here. Valmiki gives an account of this incident through the mouth of Märïca himself. “Belittling Rama, who had retired to the forest, even though he was possessed of great might, thinking that he was an ascetic (only), and recalling my past enmity (with him), I rushed towards him, highly enraged, in the form of a sharp-horned deer, thoughtlessly seeking to kill him, remembering as I did the blow dealt by him. Stretching at full length his very mighty bow, three sharp arrows - which were capable of putting an end to the enemy and which sped like Garuda (the king of birds and the carrier of Lord Vishnu) and the wind - were let loose by him. All those three most dreadful and flat-knobbed arrows, which shone brightly as lightning, and were fond of sucking blood - sped (towards me) together. Knowing as I did the prowess of Rama and having seen the peril (to which I had exposed myself) on a previous occasion, I slipped away, cunning as I was and was thereby saved (since the arrow of Rama never hits a fugitive) while both those ogres (my companions) were killed.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXIX, Sloka 9-13) ‘If at all I am alive today, it is due to the fact that Rama’s arrow does not pursue one who flees. I have taken to the life of an ascetic after that. Even now I perceive Rama in every tree and is scared. “Names beginning with the letter ‘R’ such as the word ‘Ratnas’ (jewels) and ‘Rathas’ (chariots) as well cause terror to me, afraid as I am of Rama.” (Ibid, Sloka 18)
Märïca’s most vivid and elaborate portrayal has no effect on Ravana. For him, such things could happen to ‘lesser’ beings. He was Ravana the greatest and nothing could cause any harm to him. And this is so, despite the fact that he had tasted defeat twice earlier, at the hands of Karthaviryarjuna and
Vali.
‘You are not just asking for your death Ravana! You are paving the way for the destruction of the entire rakshasa race! Whose idea is this Ravana that you are pursuing? You do not seem to have good ministers around you!’
Finding that Ravana is not appealed against his foolhardiness, Märïca then ventures to coax him against it with words of wisdom. He lists out the duties of ministers and what they should do when the king goes astray.
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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