Ravana so fascinated, entranced, charmed, captivated, smitten, bewitched, engrossed, spellbound, infatuated and hypnotized by the lascivious body of Seetha, could not brook that so called beneficial advice of Malyavan. With bubbling anger swaying his body including his ten heads and twenty hands, knitting his brows on all his ten faces, rolling all his twenty eyes in fury he told Malyavan "I have closed all my ears to the speech you have made. How can you hold Rama, who is a mere human being, a small feeble man, taking help from vanarass and dwelling in a forest having been abandoned by his father, to be capable of defeating me in a battle? How can you hold me, the Lord of rakshashas, terrifying devas and possessing all powers in full, to be weaker than a human? I believe that you have become jealous of my prowess and developed a leaning towards the enemies. Which learned man, who understands the truth in the scriptures, would speak thus harshly to a mighty person in power, were it not to instigate him?
"Why should I give back Seetha, who is like Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune without the lotus, having brought her away from the forest. If you think that I did it in that way out fear of Rama see that Rama killed within a few days by me, along with Lakshama, Sugreeva and the crores of vanaras. How can you imagine that me, the omnipotent and invincible Ravana, whom in combat, the devas themselves dare not meet in battle, entertain fear for Rama, a mere human? I would rather be cut myself into pieces than bend before anybody! Such was I from birth, it is my nature by default and is not alterable. What great marvel is there in that which gave way to terror if by a lucky chance, a bridge was constructed by Rama across the ocean. That Rama along with his army of vanaras, having crossed the ocean, will not go back alive. It is my true promise to you."
Seeing Ravana to be highly excited and speaking with such fury, Malyavan became totally abashed and did not like to reply. Blessing Ravana with a victory over Rama and his army Malyavan took permission and went home. Ravana then continued to have deliberations with his ministers about planning the defense of Lanka. Thereafter, he assigned the eastern gate to the rakshash, Prahasta and the southern gate to Mahaparshva and Mahodara, both with great prowess. At the western gate, he placed his son Indrajit, a powerful conjurer besides being a valiant warrior, with considerable force of rakshashas.
Placing Shuka and Sarana at the northern gate, Ravana told his ministers that he would go there personally. He placed the rakshash Virupaksha, who was full of energy and courage, to be in the center of the fort, with a large number of rakshashas. Making fortified Lanka in this manner, that bull among rakshashas, under the grip of bad time, deemed his purpose as accomplished. Having ordered for adequate arrangements for the defense of the city, Ravana then let his ministers depart. Having been honoured with blessings of victory by the body of counsellors, he entered his mighty and sumptuous inner apartments.
==================================================
No comments:
Post a Comment