Chapter 114 - The Lamentations of Mandodari: Ravana’s Funeral Rites

While the consorts of Ravana were lamenting thus, the foremost amongst them steadily fixed on him a tender and sorrowful glance and, in the presence of her lord, Dashagriva, who had been slain by Rama of inconceivable exploits, the unfortunate Mandodari expressed her grief in this wise:—

“O Long-armed Warrior, younger brother of Vaishravana, did not Purandara himself fear to stand before you in your wrath and did not the great Rishis and the illustrious Gandharvas as also the Caranas, assailed by you, flee to every quarter? Now Rama, who is but a mortal, has defeated you in combat, you who didst surpass the Three Worlds in prowess; you whose strength rendered you invincible, how is it that you have fallen under the blows of a mere man, a wanderer in the forest? You, able to assume any form at will, living in a place inaccessible to man, how can your defeat by Rama be explained?

“Nay, I do not believe that you wast thus struck down in the forefront of the battle by Rama’s action, you who were ever wont to be victorious in all circumstances. Rather, having recourse to inconceivable magic, was it destiny in the form of Rama in person or it may be that it was Vasava who slew you, O Mighty Hero! But would Vasava have ventured to stand face to face with you on the battlefield in view of your great prowess and strength, you the foe of the Celestials? Assuredly it was that great Yogi, the Supreme Soul, the Eternal Spirit Who was your slayer. He who has no beginning, middle or end, the Most High, greater that Mahat (i.e., Cosmic Intellect), the Support of Nature, He Who carries the conch, the discus and the mace, Whose breast bears the Shrivatsa Mark, to Whom prosperity belongs, the invincible, indestructible, everlasting Vishnu, the true Hero assuming human form surrounded by all the Gods in monkey shapes, He, the Lord of the Worlds, has slain you, you, the enemy of the Gods, with your kinsmen and the titans who attended on you!

“Formerly, having subdued the senses, you didst conquer the Three Worlds and thereafter your senses conquered you in their turn. Rama is no mere mortal; once in Janasthana he slew your brother Khara and the innumerable titans who followed him; furthermore when Hanuman audaciously penetrated into the City of Lanka, inaccessible to the Gods themselves, we were sorely distressed. How oft did I address you, saying, ‘Have we nought to fear from Raghava’, but you didst not heed me. These are the consequences! Without cause you didst cherish a passion for Sita, O King of the Titans, to the destruction of your kingdom, life and race! By offering insult to the illustrious Sita, who surpasses Arundhati and Rohini, you didst commit an unpardonable offence! She is more patient than the earth itself, the prosperity of prosperity itself, the beloved consort of Rama, of faultless limbs, who was the splendour of the lonely forest where she dwelt. By bearing that unfortunate one away, assuming a disguise and without being able to enjoy the anticipated delight of union with Maithili, you have brought about thine own destruction 1

“O My Lord, the asceticism of that lady faithful to her husband, has consumed you 1 Since all the Gods and their leaders with Agni at their head feared you, you wast not instantly destroyed when you didst lay brutal hands on that slender-waisted lady. But, O Lord, when the time is ripe, the one who acts wickedly reaps the fruit of his evil actions; of that there is no doubt. He who behaves virtuously culls felicity and he who acts sinfully reaps ill-fortune. Bibishana has found happiness and you in the same wise has met with disaster. You didst possess other women who surpassed Maithili in beauty but in thine infatuation you didst not perceive it. None dies without a determining cause, for you it was none other than Sita. Far didst you go to seek that woman who was to be the reason of your death; now Maithili, released from all her sufferings, will rejoice with Rama. Trifling indeed is my merit, since I have fallen into this ocean of grief, I who formerly sported on Mount Kailasha, Mandara and Meru and in the woods of Caitaratha and all the gardens of the Gods with you, being adorned with marvellous garlands and jewels, roaming at large in a chariot of incomparable magnificence, beholding innumerable countries, whilst now I am deprived of all pleasures and enjoyments by your death, O Hero 1 Here am I, transformed as it were into another; condemned on account of the fluctuations of the fortunes of kings. O Prince, how gracious were you with your charming eyebrows, brilliant complexion and arched nose; you whose beauty, splendour and radiance rivalled the moon, the lotus and die sun; dazzling with innumerable diadems and variegated garlands, your red lips and brilliant earrings; handsome and pleasing, whose glances, misty with wine, roved here and there in the banqueting hall, conversing with tender smiles! Alas to-day your countenance has lost its radiance, O King, mutilated as you are by Rama’s shafts, red with blood, covered with flesh and brains and soiled with the dust of chariots. Ah I the final period of my life has come; the sad state of widowhood! Wretched being that I am, I never contemplated this! ‘My father is the King of the Danavas, my consort the Lord of the Titans, my son the Conqueror of Shakra! I have nought to fear with such protectors who crush the arrogance of their foes, who are terrible and renowned for their might and courage,’ thus did I speak in my pride. With such a power as you possessed, O Bull among Titans, how has so great a disaster overtaken dice suddenly, through a mere man? You were like a marvellous sapphire, enormous, like unto a mountain and dazzling with your rings, bracelets, chains of emeralds and pearls and your flowery garlands; full of gaiety in pastimes and enjoyments. Your body, that shone with the lustre of thine ornaments, as a cloud riven with lightning, is now pierced by many arrows, ill-fitted to be embraced, without a space that is not bristling with darts, like unto an hedgehog, the muscles tom with shafts loosed with violence on your vital parts, a corpse, lying on the earth, that was formerly dark in hue and is now the colour of blood, O King I Alas! That which seemed a dream has now become a reality I How was Rama able to strike you down, you who were death to Death himself; whence comes it that you have fallen under his sway, you who enjoyed the wealth of the Three Worlds whom you didst inspire with a lively fear; you who conquered the Guardians of the Worlds, who overcame Shankara with your shafts, who didst humble the proud and manifest your great prowess. You who didst trouble the universe, the scourge of the virtuous, whose strength inspired you to utter insolent threats in the enemy’s presence; you the support of your family and thine attendants, the slayer of redoubtable warriors, you who exterminated the leaders of the Danavas and Yakshas in their thousands, you who triumphed in the fight over those wearing impenetrable armour, you who many a time obstructed the sacrifices, you the saviour of your race, who set at nought the laws of duty, who took refuge in the power of magic in battle, who robbed the Gods, Asuras and men of their daughters from here and there and who didst plunge the wives of your foes into mourning; you, the guide of your people, who ruled over the Island of Lanka, you the perpetrator of dreadful deeds, you who didst prepare for us many a pleasure and enjoyment, you the foremost of warriors; beholding you, O Lord, who despite your great powers, hast been struck down by Rama, my heart must be hard indeed that I yet live bereft of you, my Beloved. Having rested on sumptuous couches, O King of the Titans, how is it that you are now sleeping on the earth, the dust your coverlet?

“When mine illustrious son Indrajita was struck down by Lakshmana in the fight, I was deeply distressed but to-day I am undone, I, who, already bereft of parents and kinsfolk, now lose my last support in you! Deprived of pleasure and enjoyments, now that you have left on the last journey from which none returns, O King, I shall waste away in your perpetual remembrance. I cannot live without you; take me with you; why dost you leave me in my misery? Art you vexed to see me unveiled who have crossed the city boundary to run here on foot, O Lord? Look on your cherished consorts who have discarded their veils; seeing them all come forth from the city, art you displeased? This company, with whom you didst disport thyself, is desolate, deprived of its leader and you dost not comfort them. Hast you no reverence for us? Those women whom you have widowed, 0 King, and more than one was of noble lineage, who were devoted to their consorts, firm in their duty and submissive to their Gurus, in their grief have cursed you and, on this account, you have fallen under the blows of thine adversary. Stricken by you, they have cursed you and this is the retribution 1 O King, the truth of the saying, The tears of women devoted to their husbands do not fall on the earth in vain’, has been proven by you! How comes it, O King, that you, who didst surpass all the worlds in valour, were so base as to carry off this woman, having lured Rama from the hermitage with the aid of an illusory deer? In the intoxication of your strength you didst bear away Rama’s consort after separating her from Lakshmana, and yet, if I reflect carefully, you were never a faint-hearted warrior! This is the manifest proof of the changeability of fortune. Conversant with the past and future and reflecting on the present, that long-armed warrior, my truthful brother-in-law (i.e., Bibhishana), seeing Maithili, whom you had borne away, sighing deeply, told me what had taken place. The destruction of the foremost of the titans has been brought about by this infatuation which was the source of your lust and anger. You didst sacrifice your real interests to this violent appetite that destroys everything to its very roots and, by this action, the whole titan race is deprived of its leader.

“Nay, I should not weep for you, though famed for your strength and valour but my woman’s nature inclines my heart to compassion. Bearing with you the sum of that which you have done, be it good or ill, you have gone to the place for which you were destined; it is for myself I should lament, I who am plunged in affliction by your loss.

“You didst not give ear to your friends who desired your welfare and, though exceedingly sagacious, you didst ignore the counsels of your brothers, O Ten-necked One. Bibishana’s words so full of reason, that were measured, prudent, salutory and affectionate were not heeded by you despite their significance. Drunk with thine own power, the utterances of Marica, Kumbhakarna and of your sire also, were not acceptable to you; behold the consequences!

“O You who resemblest a dark doud in hue, who art clothed in yellow, wearing dazzling bracelets, why are your limbs stiff and covered with blood? You feignest sleep; why dost you not answer me who am overcome with grief? Why dost you not speak to me, the daughter of the supremely powerful Yatudhana Sumali, who never retreated in battle? Rise! Rise I Why dost you remain lying there in the face of this fresh insult? To-day the rays of the sun fall on Lanka without fear. Your mace, that brilliant weapon encircled with gold, like unto Surya, with which you didst exterminate your foes in battle, resembling the thunderbolt of Indra, which you didst wield at your whim to the destruction of the many on the battlefield, now lies shattered in a thousand pieces by Rama’s arrows. Why dost you lie embracing the earth like a loved one? How is it that you dost not address a word to me as if I were no longer your beloved?

“Woe unto me, whose heart did not split into a thousand pieces, riven by grief, when you didst return to the five elements!”

Thus did Mandodari lament, her eyes full of tears; and thereafter her heart overflowing with love, she swooned away, falling unconscious on Ravana’s breast, like a flash of lightning striking a crimson cloud at dusk. Thereupon her companions, distressed, raised up her who was lamenting and placing her in their midst, said:—

“O Queen, art you not conversant with the uncertainty of fate in this world and how, in a moment, the fortune of kings may change?”

To these words, Mandodari replied with sobs and cries, her pure and lovely face and her breast bathed in tears.

Then Rama said to Bibishana:—

“Proceed with the obsequies of your brother and offer consolation to his wives!”

Thereafter the sagacious Bibishana, having reflected within himself, made this answer that was discreet, reasoned and in conformity with duty and understanding, saying:—

“I cannot perform the funeral rites for one who failed to fulfil his responsibilities and his vows, who was cruel, ruthless and disloyal; a ravisher of others wives! Under the guise of a brother he was mine enemy and took pleasure in inflicting injury; Ravana does not merit this homage! The world may say of me ‘he was a barbarian but when they learn of Ravana’s wicked deeds, everyone will approve my conduct.”

Thus did he speak, and Rama, full of joy, the foremost of those who are firm in their duty, answered Bibishana, who was skilled in speech, saying:—

“I seek your welfare, since with thine aid I have been victorious, nevertheless it is essential that I should utter what is fitting, O Chief of the Titans 1 Though unjust and wicked, this nightranger was ever energetic, valiant and courageous in war. It is said that the Gods with Shatakratu at their head were not able to overcome him. He was magnanimous and powerful, this oppressor of the worlds. Death brings enmity to an end; we have accomplished our purpose, let us perform the obsequies; it is meet for me, as well as for you, to do so. In accord with tradition, this ceremony should take place in your presence. Perform this pious act speedily, you will receive much glory therefrom.”

At these words of Raghava, Bibishana hastened to carry out the funeral rites.

Entering the City of Lanka, that Indra among the Titans, Bibishana, began to prepare for the Agnihotra Ceremony in honour of his brother. Carts, wood of varying essences, fire, utensils, sandal, logs of every kind, fragrant gums, perfumes, cloths, jewels, pearls and coral were all assembled by him and he soon returned surrounded by titans, whereupon, accompanied by Malyavan (i.e., The brother of Sumali), he initiated the sacrifice.

Having placed Ravana, the supreme Lord of the Titans, wrapped in linen cloths on a golden bier, the Twice-born with Bibishana at their head, their eyes suffused with tears, raised the litter decorated with many fragrant and divine symbols to the sound of innumerable musical instruments and fimeral chants, and all, turning their faces towards the south, took up pieces of wood which had been distributed among them.

Then the brahmins, versed in the Yajur Veda, bearing flaming brands went forward and those who had taken refuge with them, and the women of the inner apartments followed sobbing with tottering steps, running hither and thither. And Ravana was placed in a spacious ground, amidst profound lamentation, and a great pyre was built with pieces of Sandal and Padmaka Wood and grass, according to tradition; and he was covered with antelope skins.

Thereafter, in honour of the King of the Titans, a rare offering was made to the ancestors and the altar was installed to the south-west with the sacred fire in its proper place. Then curd and clarified butter were poured on Ravana’s shoulder and a wooden mortar placed at his feet with one between his thighs; vessels of wood and the lower and upper kindling sticks, with a spare pestle, were set there according to the prescribed rules. Now the titans sacrificed a goat in honour of their king, according to tradition, as taught by the great Rishis, and, having dipped a cloth in butter, they covered the face of their sovereign, who was adorned with garlands and sprinkled with perfumes. Thereafter Bibishana’s companions, their faces bathed in tears, covered the body with cloths and every kind of roasted grain, whereupon Bibishana kindled the pyre according to the sacred rites and, having laved him with a cloth which had been previously wetted with water and mingled with linseed and sacrificial grass, he bowed down to him; then he addressed the consorts of Ravana again and again in order to console them, finally entreating them to return home. And when they had all reentered the City of Lanka, that Indra among the Titans took up his place by Rama in an attitude of reverence.

Rama, however, with his army, Sugriva and Lakshmana, rejoiced at the death of his enemy, as the God who bears the Thunderbolt on the destruction of Vritra.

Having laid aside the arrows and bow that Mahendra had bestowed upon him as also the massive armour, Rama, the slayer of his foes, renounced his wrath, his adversary having been subdued, and once more assumed a gentle mien.