Friday 28 February 2014

143. Both the brothers held by the rakshash Kabandha.

                  Both the brothers were trudging through the off the beaten track of the thick forest. After crossing over that highly horrendous and dense forest, both those spryly energetic brothers moved ahead, speedily. Thereafter, they had to enter the highly thickset Krauncha forest. They entered it undauntedly and determinedly. Before the disappearance of Seetha, both the brothers were ambling (along with Seetha, of course) mostly for pastime and/or entertainment. Now they were walking purposefully as they had to find Seetha or at least some lead about her whereabouts. Those two brothers who were disquieted by the abduction of Seetha were now agog to find her, and they intently explored that forest. After passing over that Krauncha forest and on going further from there they came across another horrendous forest. After going further they saw a cave. When they went near the cave they noticed a rakshashi nearby that cave. She was massive in shape and misshapen in her face. She was pot-bellied, overblown, pachydermatous, head hair shaggy, body shape lumpy-bumpy, and she was going on eating massive beasts.
                     And that rakshashi saw the brothers, too. As Lakshmana was preceding his brother, that rakshashi saw Lashmana first and clearly and she did not care to see the other one, as she was terribly hit by the arrows of Kamadeva. She dropped whatever she was eating and rushed to Lakshmana and clung him fiercely  and told him "I am Ayomukhi, by my name. You won me by your heroic personality. You are the first male to attract me. Your are very lucky. I hereby pronounce that you are my lover, hero and my husband. Romance with me on the  mountaintops, in rivers, and on sandy isles, till the end of this life." Lakshmana became nauseated and furious, and upraising his sword he sheared off her nose, one ear, and one of her breasts. That rakshashi was terribly shocked by this act and ran out yelling with pain.
                The duo then traveled further into the forest and entered a very dense area of that forest. Lakshmana told his brother "Brother, my left arm is shuddering strongly and my heart is pulsating in the same way when I am in distraught. And something is troubling me. These forebodings seem to portend something bad to us is imminent. It is, however, heartening to see and hear this eerily dreadful bird known to be Vanjulaka is loudly ululating as though presaging our triumph in any given conflict that may ensue." 
                Almost immediately they heard a boisterous brouhaha which seemed to completely shatter down that forest. Both the brothers were quite piqued to note that the noise resembled an unbearable windstorm. When they were looking for the cause of that noise, Rama saw a giant-bodied and equally gigantesque-chested rakshash. At the same instant Lakshmana saw him, too. Then they both went near him to see him clearly.  What they saw was the waylaying rakshash named Kabandha, who had an overgrown body but without any neck or head. What he had was a big mouth in paunch and a couple of long, nay very long hands. And he
looked like a huge mountain. His hair was horripilating and thickset. His skin looked as if a dark cloud was covering his bodiless body, and his voice was like a thunder. He had only one eye on his forehead and the forehead was situated on his chest. That single eye with incisive and sharp-sight was broad beaming and wide angling, on which were winglike eyelids. That monster was now licking his giant mouth as he had just finished a good eats. His food was the highly brutal bears, lions, predators, and elephants, and he was outstretching both his loooooooong arms, each of which was stretchable to a yojana distance. Have a look at the imagination of an artist of that rakshash.


           
            That rakshash stayed waylaying the pathway of both the brothers, while catching bears, divers flights of birds, and numerous other animals, gripping them with both of his long-reaching hands and hauling them towards his mouth at his paunch, or dropping them off if they were unpalatable. On travelling a krosha distance, they saw Kabandha, whose body was colossal, and who was heinous and hideous, and who was like living trunk fenced by its shoulders and arms, and who by his physique was very deadly in appearance.
                Both the brothers were quite amazed to see the huge body (?) or should I say 'massive mass of flesh?' Before they could figure out what was happening, the loooooong arms of Kabandha snatched them both i.e. one in each arm. Holding them side-by-side in his fists he started wringing them with all his might.
                The action was so sudden the brothers were completely nonplussed. They could not reach for their swords or bows and arrows. They were stunned to see what had happened to them. However, Rama did not lose his composure, but Lakshmana became highly agitated and anguished. He told Rama "Oh, brother, I do not see how I could get out of the grip of this rakshash. I think that it is better you leave me and get yourself released from the hold of the rakshash somehow. Offer me as an offering to this mammoth creature, and you go and get Seetha. Please do not forget me when you return to Ayodhya and enthroned." Rama told Lakshmana calmly and composedly "Chillax, my dear chap. I am sure we will get out of this plight safely." Amused by this conversation between the brothers, Kabandha thundered "Who are you two? Your shoulders are akin to the bull-humps, and you are shouldering longbows and brandishing broad swords, how have you come to this place? Anyhow, I now have come across my most dainty morsel. Hope that you two will be better than the last one.
                "Anyhow, I am very much interested to know why and how you two chaps have come here. Tell me quickly. I am highly ravenous. Hope you two would taste as good as you look." 
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