Part 4

"After a while the Rākshasa named Sumāli, coming up from the nether regions, began to range all over the earth. And resembling dark clouds, that lord of Rākshasas decked in ear-rings of burnished gold, taking his daughter like unto Sree herself without her lotus, and wandering over the earth, saw the lord of riches journeying in his Pushpaka, going to see his sire—that lord, the son of Pulastya. And seeing that one resembling an immortal and like unto fire, journeying on, (Sumāli) struck with amazement, entered the nether regions from the earth. And that mighty-minded one reflected thus,—’By adopting what measure may the welfare of the Rākshasas be brought about, and how can we increase (in power)?’ And that great-minded lord of Rākshasas, resembling dark clouds, decked in burnished ear-rings of gold, then began to reflect. And then the Raksha addressed his daughter, named Kaikasi, saying,—’O daughter, the time hath come when I should give thee away. Thy youth is about to be passed. (Kept back) by the fear of refusal, no suitor hath sought thee (up to this time). But desirous of acquiring religious merit, we are striving our best in thy interests. My daughter, thou art furnished with every perfection like unto Sree herself. The being father to a daughter is misery to every one that seeketh honor. O daughter, one doth not know who shall ask for one’s daughter. Wherever may a daughter be conferred, a daughter stayeth, placing in uncertainty the three races³⁶ to which she is related. Do thou, my daughter, seek for thy husband that best and foremost of ascetics sprung in the line of Prajapati—Pulastya’s son,—Viçrava, and of thyself accept him (for thy lord). And then, O daughter, even as is this lord of riches, so thou wilt, without doubt, have sons resembling the Sun himself in energy.’ Hearing that speech of his, the daughter for the sake of the dignity of her sire, going to where Viçrava was practising penances, stood there. In the meanwhile, O Rāma, that twice-born one—Pulastya’s son—was performing the Agnihotra, like the fourth Fire itself. And without minding that terrific time, (Kaikasi), having regard to the dignity of her sire, coming up before him, stood (there) hanging her head down towards his feet and throwing up the earth with her great foe. And seeing that one of shapely hips, having a face fair as the full Moon, (that exceedingly high-minded ascetic) flaming in energy accosted her thus,—’O gentle on, whose daughter art thou? And whence dost thou come hither? And what is thy errand? And for whom (dost thou come)? O beauteous (damsel), truly tell me this.’ Thus addressed, the girl, with joined hands, said,—’O ascetic, thou art competent to get at my intent by virtue of thy own power. Yet, O Brahmarshi, know me as having come here at the mandate of my sire. My name is Kaikasi. The rest do thou read thyself.’ And thereupon, the ascetic, entering into contemplation, said these words,—’O gentle lady, I have learnt the purpose that is in thy heart. O thou having the gait of a mad elephant, there reigns a powerful desire in thee for having offspring. Inasmuch as thou hast come to me at this fierce hour, hearken, thou amiable one, as to the kind of offspring that thou shalt bring forth. Thou shalt, O thou of graceful hips, bring forth terrible and grim-visaged Rākshasas delighting in frightful friends, and of cruel deeds.’ Hearing his speech, she, bowing down, said,—’O reverend (ascetic), such sons of terrific ways seek I not from thee that followest the Veda. Therefore it behoveth thee to favor me.’ On being thus besought by the girl, Viçrava—best of ascetics—again addressed Kaikasi, like the full Moon addressing Rohini,³⁷—’O fair-faced one, the son that thou bringest forth last, shall be like unto my line,—he shall, without doubt—be righteous-souled.’ Having been thus accosted, the girl, O Rāma, after a length of time brought forth a very terrible and hideous offspring having the form of a Raksha,—having ten necks, furnished with large teeth, and resembling a heap of collyrium, with coppery lips, twenty arms, huge faces, and flaming hair. On his having been born, jackals with flaming mouths and other ferocious beasts began to gyrate on the left. And that god showered down blood; and the clouds uttered forth harsh sounds. And the Sun was deprived of his splendour; and meteors began to dart to the earth. And the earth shook; and the wind swept away violently. And that lord of streams—the ocean, which was calm before, became agitated. And his sire resembling his grand-father named him, (saying),—’As this one hath been born with ten necks, he shall be called Ten-necked.’ After him was born Kumbhakarna endowed with prodigious strength, than whose proportions there are none other’s on earth. Then was born she that, having a frightful visage, goeth under the name of Surpanakhā; the righteous Bibhishana is the youngest son of Kaikasi. On that one endowed with great strength having been born, blossoms were showered down from heaven; and celestial kettle-drums were sounded in the heavenly regions. And then there arose the sounds of ’Excellent!’ ’Excellent!’ And in that extensive forest those exceedingly energetic ones—Kumbhakarna and the Ten-necked one grew up,—and became the sources of anxiety to people. And Kumbhakarna, maddened to the height, devouring mighty saints devoted to religion, constantly ranged the triune world in a dissatisfied spirit. But the righteous Bibhishana, ever intent on piety, dwelt there, studying the Veda, restraining his fare, and controlling his senses. And it came to pass that after a length of time the god, Vaiçravana—lord of riches—came to see his sire, mounted on Pushpaka. Seeing him, the Rākshasi—Kaikasi—flaming up in energy, coming to the Ten-necked one, represented to him,—’O son, behold thy brother, Vaiçravana, enfolded in effulgence; and, albeit of equal fraternity, behold thee in this plight! Therefore, O Ten-necked one, O thou of measureless prowess, do thou so strive that thou also, my son, may be like Vaiçravana himself. Hearing that speech of his mother, the powerful Ten-necked one was wrought up with exceeding great ill-will, and he vowed then,—’I truly promise unto thee that I will be equal to my brother (in energy), or excel him in it. Therefore do thou cast off this sorrow that is in thy heart.’ And influenced by that passion, the Ten-necked one with his younger brother began to perform rigid acts, with his mind fixed on asceticism. ’I must through austerities have my wish,’ thus fixed and resolved, he for compassing his end, came to the sacred asylum of Gokarna. And there the Rākshasa of unrivalled prowess along with his younger brother carried on austerities and thus gratified that lord—the great-father. And beings gratified (with him), he conferred on him boons bringing on victory."

³⁶ The races respectively of her father, mother and husband.

³⁷ Hesperus.

SECTION X.

Then Rāma spoke unto the ascetic,—"O Brāhmana, how did those exceedingly mighty brothers carry on austerities in that forest; and what kind of penances were theirs?" Thereat there Agastya said unto Rāma of a complacent mind,—"The brothers severally observed the morality proper to each. And Kumbhakarna, putting forth his best energies, constantly abode in the path of righteousness. And remaining in the midst of five fires in summer, he practised austerities, and in the rainy season, soaked in water (poured down) by clouds, he sat in the heroic attitude.³⁸ And in winter he always remained in the water. Thus passed away ten thousand years of that one putting forth exertions in behalf of religion, and established in the path of honesty. And the virtuous Bibhishana, ever intent on virtue and pure of spirit, remained standing on one leg for five thousand years. And when he had completed (his term of restriction), swarms of Apsarās danced, and blossoms showered, and the deities hymned (him). And for five thousand years, he adored the Sun, and with his mind concentrated in the study of the Veda, remained with his head and hands raised up. In this wise Bibhishana like a deity in Nandana passed away ten thousand years, observing restrictions. And the Ten-necked one passed ten thousand years without fare. On a thousand years being complete, he offered his own head as a sacrifice to Fire. In this way he passed away nine thousand years; and nine of his heads entered into Fire. And as in the tenth year he intended to strike off his tenth head, the Great-father presented himself at that place. And well-pleased, the Great-father came there along with the celestials. ’O Ten-necked one,’ said (the Great-father), ’I am well-pleased with thee. Do thou, O thou cognizant of righteousness, at once ask for the boon that thou wishest to have. What wish of thine shall I realize? Thy toil must not go for nothing.’ Thereat, the Ten-necked one, bowing down his head unto the deity, said with a delighted heart,—his words faltering with ecstacy,—’O Reverend one, creatures have no other fear than (that of) death; and enemy there is none that is like unto death. Therefore immortality is even what I crave for.’ Thus accosted, Brahmā spoke unto the Ten-necked one,—Thou canst not be immortal. Do thou therefore ask of me some other boon.’ Thus addressed by the creator, Brahmā, the Ten-necked one, O Rāma, standing before him with joined hands, said,—’O lord of creatures, I would, O eternal one, be incapable of being slain by birds and serpents, Yakshas, Daityas, Dānavas and Rākshasas, and the deities; for, O thou that art worshipped by the immortals, anxiety I have none from any other beings. Indeed, I deem as straw creatures such as men _etc._’ Thus accosted by the Raksha—the Ten-necked one—that righteous-souled one, the Great-father, along with the celestials, said,—’O foremost of Rākshasas, what thou sayest shall come to pass.’ Having, O Rāma, said this unto the Ten-necked one, the Great-father (again spoke),—’Hear! I, having been gratified, will confer on thee a fresh boon. O Rākshasa, O sinless one, those heads of thine which have been offered as sacrifices and which have sunk into the fire, shall again be thine. And, O placid one, I shall also confer on thee another boon difficult of being obtained,—The form that thou shalt wish to wear, shall instantly be thine. As soon as the Ten-necked Raksha had spoken thus, the heads that had been offered as sacrifices into the fire, rose up again. Having said this unto the Ten-necked one, the Great-sire of all creatures addressed Bibhishana, saying,—’O Bibhishana, gratified have I been by thee, whose intelligence is established in righteousness. Therefore, my child, O righteous-souled one, O thou of excellent vows, ask for the boon that thou wouldst have.’ Thereat the virtuous Bibhishana spoke with joined hands,—’O reverend one, since the spiritual preceptor of all creatures himself (is pleased) with me,—I (deem myself) as furnished with every perfection, even as the Moon is environed with rays. If thou wilt bestow on me a boon with pleasure, then, thou of excellent vows, hear of the boon that I would have. May my mind remain fast fixed on righteousness, even when I shall happen to fall into high peril; and may I attain Brahmā knowledge without any instructions! And may every sense of mine sprung during the observance of particular modes of life, be in unison with righteousness,—so that I may practise the form of religion (in harmony with any particular mode of life!) O exceedingly noble one, this best of boons, is even what is sought for by me, for nothing in this world is incapable of being attained by those attached to righteousness.’ Then the lord of creatures, being again delighted, spoke unto Bibhishana,—’As thou art virtuous, so all this shall come to pass on thy behalf. And inasmuch as in spite of thy having been born in the Rākshasa race, thy thoughts, O destroyer of enemies, do not originate in sin, I confer on thee immortality.’ Having said this, he intended to grant boons unto Kumbhakarna. Thereat the celestials in a body represented to the lord of creatures with joined hands,—’On Kumbhakarna thou shouldst confer no boons, since thou knowest in what manner doth this wicked-minded one frighten people. And, O Brahman, seven Apsarās in Nandana, ten attendants of Mahendra, as well as sages and human beings, have been devoured by this one. Considering what this Rākshasa did when he had not obtained any boon whatever, if he obtain one now he shall eat up the three worlds. Do thou then, O lord having immeasurable prowess, pretending to give him a boon, give stupifaction (instead). Thereby the welfare of people would be secured, and the honor of this one too shall be maintained.’ Thus addressed by the celestials, Brahmā, the Lotus-sprung one, pondered. The goddess, Saraswati, who was by his side was also agitated with anxiety. And remaining by him, Saraswati with joined hands observed,—‘O god, I have come here. What work shall I accomplish?’ And the lord of creatures, on having her, spake unto ’Saraswati,—‘O Vāni!³⁹ be thou the goddess of speech of this foremost of Rākshasas,⁴⁰ favorable unto the deities. Having said,—‘So be it,’ she entered (within Kumbhakarna’s throat); and Prajāpati said,—‘O Kumbhakarna, O mighty-armed one, do thou ask for the boon that thou wouldst have. Hearing those words, Kumbhakarna said,—‘O god of gods, my wish is that I may sleep for a good many years.’ Thereupon, saying,—‘So be it,’ Brahmā along with the celestials went away; and the goddess, Saraswati, also again left the Rākshasa. And on Brahmā accompanied by the deities going to the celestial regions, he was renounced by Saraswati, and then he regained his consciousness. And then the wicked-minded Kumbhakarna sorrowfully thought,—‘What is this speech that has to-day come out from my lips? Meseems I had then been stupified by the deities that had come.’ Having thus obtained the boons, the brothers endowed with flaming energy, going to the Sleshmātaka wood, began to dwell there peacefully."

³⁸ Hindu Yogis practise various attitudes, which are favorable to the regulation of respiration.—T.

³⁹ Lit. word, a designation of Saraswati.

⁴⁰ i.e. preside over Kumbhakarna’s speech while asking for the boon,—and let him, through thy power, ask for such a gift as may turn out profitable to the gods.—T.

SECTION XI.

"Learning that these night-rangers had obtained boons, Sumāli with his followers, casting off fear, rose up from the nether regions. And wrought up with exceeding great wrath, the counsellors of that Raksha—Māricha and Prahasta and Virupāksha and Mahodara—also rose up. And accompanied by his counsellors—foremost of Rākshasas—Sumāli presenting himself before the Ten-necked one and embracing him, addressed him, saying,—‘By good fortune it is, O child, that through thee we have had the wish that was in our heart, inasmuch as thou hast received the best of boons from him that is the foremost in all these three worlds. O mighty-armed one, that great fear arising from Vishnu, from which leaving Lankā, we had gone to the nethermost abysses, hath been removed. Full many a time, brought down by that fear, we, on being pursued (by our enemies), forsaking our homes, had gone to the nether regions along with all those (related to us). This Lankā was our city, inhabited by Rākshasas. (Now) it is inhabited by thy brother—the intelligent lord of riches. O mighty-armed one, if thou canst through self-control or charity or by a sudden display of prowess, repossess thyself of the same, a (great) thing shall have been achieved; and then, O child, thou shouldst, without doubt, be the lord of Lankā; and this Rākshasa race, which hath sunk, shall have been raised up by thee. And, O thou endowed with prodigious strength, thou shalt be the lord of all.’ Then the Ten-necked one addressed his maternal grand-father, who was present, saying,—‘The lord of riches is our superior; therefore thou ought not to speak thus.’ On that dignified Rākshasa-chief having through moderation thus passed it by, that Raksha, understanding his intent, did not then say anything more. And it came to pass that when Rāvana had resided there for a time, Prahasta addressed him in a humble speech,—’O Ten-necked one, O long-armed (hero), it doth not behove thee to speak thus. Fraternal feeling there is none among heroes. Listen to these words of mine! There were two sisters—Aditi and Diti. And mutually attached to each other, those (damsels) endowed with surpassing beauty, became the wives of that lord of creatures—Kaçyapa. And Aditi brought forth the gods,—who are the lords of the three worlds. And Diti gave birth to the Daityas,—offspring of Kaçyapa. O thou cognizant of righteousness, formerly this earth, O hero, having the ocean for her garment, and furnished with mountains, belonged to the Daityas; and (gradually) they grew very powerful. And then this undeteriorating triune world was brought under the dominion of the celestials. So that thou art not the only one that would act inimically (to thy brother); but this course had formerly been pursued by both the celestials and the Asuras. Therefore do thou act in conformity with my word.’ Thus exhorted, the Ten-necked one, with a delighted heart, reflecting for a moment, said, ‘Very well.’ And wrought up with delight, the Ten-necked one endowed with prowess the very same day went to the forest, accompanied by the night-rangers. And arriving at Trikuta, that one skilled in speech—the night-ranger, Rāvana—sent Prahasta in the capacity of an ambassador: ‘O Prahasta, hie thee; and tell the foremost of Nairitas—the lord of riches—in my words informed with mildness,—This city of Lankā, O king, belongs to the high-souled Rakshasas; but thou hast established thyself in her. This, O sinless one, is not proper for thee. Therefore, O thou of unrivalled prowess, if thou shouldst render the same (back), I shall be highly gratified; and righteousness also thou wilt maintain.—’ Thereupon, repairing to Lankā, well-protected by the giver of riches, Prahasta communicated these words unto the highly generous ruler of riches,—‘O thou of excellent vows, I have been sent to thee by thy brother, the Ten-necked one, O long-armed one, O foremost of those versed in all branches of learning, do thou listen to my words, O lord of wealth,—and what the Ten-faced one says,—This beautiful city, O thou furnished with expansive eyes, was formerly inhabited by Rākshasas of dreadful prowess headed by Sumāli; and for that reason, O son of Viçrava, he asks thee this. Do thou, my child, grant this unto him, who is humbly begging for it.’—Hearing these words from Prahasta, the god Vaiçravana, best of those skilled in speech, answered the former, saying,—‘My father had given this unto me, when it had been emptied of night-rangers; and, O Raksha, I have inhabited this place, furnished with charity, honor, and other virtues. Go and tell the Ten-necked one, as this city and this kingdom are mine, so they are thine, O mighty-armed one. Do thou enjoy this kingdom without a foe. May my kingdom and wealth never undergo division when thou art present!’ Having said this, the lord of riches sought the side of his sire,—and, paying him reverence, he communicated Rāvana’s wish unto him: ’My father, this Ten-necked one had sent a messenger to me, saying,—Give (back) the city of Lankā, which had before been inhabited by hosts of Rakshas.—Now, O thou of excellent vows, do thou tell me what I should do.’ Thus accosted, that foremost of ascetics, the Brahmarshi—Viçrava—spoke unto the lord of riches (standing) with joined hands,—‘O son, listen to my words. The mighty-armed Ten-necked one had (once) spoken in my presence (to that effect). Thereat I greatly rebuked that wicked-minded one; and I said again and again in anger,—Thou disregardest (thy religion and honor). Do thou listen to my words fraught with religion and profit. Of a wicked heart, thou, with thy understanding spoilt in consequence of the granting of the boon, canst not distinguish between those deserving honor and those not; and, further, through my curse, thou hast come by a fierce nature. Therefore, O mighty-armed one, go to the mountain, Kailaça. Do thou, along with thy retainers, for the purpose of dwelling there, take up thy quarters (there). There floweth the Mandākini—best of streams, with her water covered with golden lotuses resembling suns, as also with lilies and blue lotuses and various other fragrant flowers. And coming there frequently, celestials with Gandharvas and Apsarās and serpents and Kinnaras, ever sport there, O lord of riches, thou ought not to enter into hostilities with that Raksha. Thou knowest how he hath obtained a great boon.’ Thus addressed, Viçravana, for the sake of his father’s dignity, with his wives and sons, with his counsellors and his vehicles and wealth went (to Kailaça). And Prahasta, going (back), joyfully spoke unto the high-souled Ten-necked one, (seated) with his counsellors and his younger brothers,—’The city of Lankā is (now) empty. Renouncing her, the bestower of riches hath gone out of her. (Now) entering into her, along with us, do thou there maintain thine own religion.’ Thus addressed by Prahasta, the redoubtable Ten-necked one entered the city of Lankā with his brothers and forces and followers. And then even as the lord of the celestials ascends heaven, that foe of the immortals ascended Lankā well-divided by highways,—which had been forsaken by the lord of wealth. And having been installed, that night-ranger—the Ten-faced one—dwelt in that city; and that city teemed with night-rangers resembling dark clouds. And the lord of riches, for the sake of his father’s dignity, dwelt in a palace situated on the hill bright as moon-light, graced with ornamented superb piles; even as Purandara dwells in Amaravati."

SECTION XII.