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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 The Yuddha Kanda is the most fascinating part of the epic, which unfortunately, is not read or spoken about much. It is where the characters bloom in their full glory. The Poets do due justice to all characters, be it Rama or Ravana, be it Lakshmana or Indrajit, or anyone else for that matter. The characters display a very rare quality to be seen these days, of praising the enemy’s might and superiority openly and right in his presence, even when struck by the arrows of the other man and bleeding. Thus we see Rama praising the prowess of Ravana, Ravana speaking high of the archery of Lakshmana, the power of the fist of Hanuman et al right on the opening day of the battle.
The war scenes in Mahabaratha are not any different. There we see Bhishma, Drona, Kripa among others admiring the swiftness and the extraordinary skills of Arjuna and others, right in the battlefield, even when the war is still going on. This is a trait that can be found only in great characters and that perhaps gives us the direction in which our minds need to travel, reach and be evolved.
Of course, we are still discussing Lakshmana; but it is not inappropriate to deviate a little and cast a cursory glance at the character of Ravana in so far as it is needed for the study and understanding of the character of
Lakshmana.
It was no mean a character that Rama and Lakshmana had to contend with, fight and root out. Ravana’s greatness - despite his dark spots - cannot be overlooked and should not be understated. It has to be seen threadbare to understand what kind of a superior might that the brothers were faced with and what kind of strength of will and that of character was required to fight this super-demon.
 Ravana spent numberless years in penance and in sincere devotion to reach the position that he was placed in. But if it is difficult to reach such a position, it is even more difficult to stay there, retaining the heights achieved. It is not that easy even for the sages to stay put in their position, having won and controlled their senses of desire.
‘adal veNdum aindhan pulaththai,’ says Valluvar, speaking on renunciation. ‘You have to fight hard to stay in control over the five-senses. It is a continuous and never ending process. Stumble here or go slip-shod there, they would return with all their vehemence, only to prove that they can enslave you from that moment on.’ Ravana is an example of what happens to a person who performs penance, attains the height of glory and then after having tasted power, loses control over his senses that he won only the other day.
Even after frittering his attainments, Ravana had not lost much of his charm, lustre or charisma. Rama, when seeing him for the first time in the battlefront and having been informed of his identity by Vibishana, admires him and showers words of praise on him to Vibishana. “Thereupon Sri Rama, the scourge of his enemies, replied (as follows) to Vibishana: - ‘Oh! Ravana, the lord of ogres, is invested with an extraordinary luminous glory! Like the sun, Ravana is difficult to gaze on because of his rays of light, I do not actually discern his form, fully invested (as it is) with effulgence. The body (even) of celestial and demon heroes may not be so bright as the body of the king of ogres is shining brightly.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda, Canto LIX, Sloka 26-28)
And this was the warrior that Lakshmana stood against in the first day of the war, so furious to see the person who schemed to covet Sita away, when he was entrusted with the responsibility of protecting her.
More follows...
Published on 07th April 2002
Hari
Krishnan
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