ANGADA MEETS RAVANA
Dear All,
After Hanuman sets Lanka on fire and returns to Rama and shares the plight of Sita and the pride of Ravana, Rama orders the sena to make bridge over the Sea as per the guidance given by the Lord of the sea. Rama enters Lanka with Lakshmana and the entire vanara sena and Vibhishana and sends Angada as a last resort to advise Ravana to surrender and allow Sita to join Rama, to avoid war.
Swami writes on Angada's advice to Ravana,
".......Angada continued softly and persuasively, "You brought
away the 'Mother of all the Worlds, the daughter of Janaka'; you were unable to withstand pride or lust and greed. Well, let bygones be bygones. At least today, at this very moment, if you realize the fact of your iniquity and act as I am telling you, Rama will pardon you. Decide to do as I suggest, without delay. Or else, with your own hand, you will bury in this soil your clan and your kingdom". When Angada spoke thus, Ravana exclaimed, "O vilest of Vanaras! You are indeed a fool. Perhaps you do not know that I am a foe of your 'God'. What is your name? What was the relation between me and your father? Don't be blind to the consequences of your speech".
Angada laughed outright at this outburst. He said, "O Monarch of Rakshasas. My name is Angada; my father's name is Vali. There was friendship between you two". Hearing the words that Angada spoke, Ravana was rendered stiff and silent. But, he overcame the reaction soon and said, "True, true, there was, I remember, a monkey of that name in older days. O, are you his son? Hello, Angada! You seem to have been born in that clump as a spark of fire in order to destroy it?"
Angada laughed aloud at the excited reply from Ravana. He said, "Ravana! Your days have come to an end. You will soon be reaching your old friend Vali. He can tell you there the consequence of opposing Rama. Equipped with twenty eyes, you are nevertheless blind; burdened with twenty appendages called ears, you are deaf. Caught in the thick night of ignorance, you strut about in pride, proclaiming yourself great! The tribe you plan to save will be effaced; that is the plan. Sinner! Vile barbarian! Villain blinded by pride! Demon!" When Angada gnashed his teeth in anger and poured on his head the stream of abuse, Ravana rose from his throne in a trice and shouted, "You monkey, you destroyer of your own race!
Since I know and recognize the rules of political morality, I am bearing in silence your impertinence; beware. There is a limit to my patience". Ravana stared at Angada in fiery anger. But, Angada was not at all affected by that demonstration. He retorted, "O Rakshasa Monarch! I have heard much of your righteousness, your virtues, and your political morality. Consider what wonderful achievements your righteousness has effected. Kidnapping the wife of another person, devouring the messenger duly sent by your elder brother,Kubera; these are the highlights of your political morality! You are boasting of these without a trace of shame. You dare talk of your virtues and your morality! You set fire to the tail of the messenger who came to your kingdom, and yet you proclaim without shame that you are bound by rules. Such is the behaviour of Rakshasas. You have no right at all to utter the word political morality, with your tongue. You are the vilest sinner".
When Angada was replying, without break or hesitation, the courtiers who filled the Audience Hall were aghast with fear, wondering what was in store for them. Ravana resumed his talk. He said, "Listen, monkey! Is there a single hero in your camp who can stand up against me in battle? Your Lord is broken down in sorrow at separation from his wife. He is pining and pining every day. And, his brother is affected and weakened by the sight of the agony. And, Sugriva? He hates you and is opposed to you, since you are the heir to the kingdom. Like a pair of birds fighting on the edge of a river, you will both drop into the flood some day. Both of you have your eyes on the same Kingdom. How then can you fight wholeheartedly and successfully against me? My brother upon whom you seem to rely is a coward. Jambuvantha, another of your leaders, is too old to be of any use. Nala and Nila are but engineers, unaware of the art of wielding swords".
Angada interrupted this tirade and cut in with his own. "Ravana! One tiny monkey entered your City and set it on flame. Did any fool believe that it was ever possible? And, now, you who know it as true deny that the monkey is a valiant fighter. I am not in the least affected by anger when you declare that there is no one in our camp who can defeat you in battle, Yes. The texts on morality lay down that either friendship or enmity has to be only with equals. Will anyone praise a lion for destroying a frog? Surely, the attempt by Rama to kill you is too low for his status and dignity. Killing such a mean contemptible foe is something that will reduce His majesty. The rules that lay down the conduct and characteristics of the Kshatriya caste to which He belongs are high and noble. You are a vicious, vile, vulgar sinner, who must meet death at the hands of mere monkeys only".
..............Angada poured abuse on Ravana regardless of convention and manners. Ravana could not digest such fiery admonitions. "Angada! Know that I am the hero, the redoubtable stalwart, who lifted the Kailasa peak by sheer physical power and courage; this Ravana is the person who laid, not flowers but his own heads, plucked by him from his body, as offerings at the Feet of Siva; this is the devotee whose might has been acknowledged by Siva himself; this is the warrior whose name strikes terror in the bravest, whose picture spreads panic; stop your prattle praising yourself and your patrons". But, Angada was in no mood to stop. He continued his onslaught. "O you conceited fool! Don't chatter away like this; use your breath for some good purpose; sing some songs in praise of Rama. Surrender to Him. Or else, the arrow of Rama will make your heads leap like balls from the shoulder where they are now resting. And, the Vanaras will gleefully kick them about, as in a ball game. I happen to be the messenger from Sugriva, our Ruler. I have, unfortunately, no orders from Sri Rama; and, I do not desire to deprive them the chance, or else, I would have put an end to your life in a trice and cast your carcass into the ocean".
Swami writes further, on Ravana's rakshasha's inability to hold Angada and arrest him, Ravana himself tries to hold Angada and bind him
With these words, Angada shook his feet in order to loosen the hold; the impact of that gesture was so unexpected and so strong that Ravana hit the floor and lost consciousness; his glory and splendour were destroyed. The sense of shame spread over his faces and he looked like the moon in broad daylight, pale and poor. Angada looked at his plight and felt that he should not continue his dialogue with the coward. Rama, he remembered, had told him only to administer some good advice to Ravana. "This fellow will not yield to good counsel, he will not realize his error and correct himself. He sticks to his vicious nature. War alone can give effective cure". Deciding thus, Angada left for the sacred proximity of the Feet of Rama. Reaching there, he submitted a report of all that had happened.
Ravana entered the apartments of the queens, overwhelmed by shame and fear.Mandodari noted the pallid Crest-fallen appearance of Ravana; she said,
"............Lord", Mandodari pleaded, "Pardon me for these words. You are badly mistaken when you consider Rama a mere man. He is the Master of the Universe; He is an invincible hero. You are already aware of the extent of his might and valour, aren't you? Recollect the facts related by Angada, quietly within yourself. Remember! You were seated in the gathering of kings in the Hall of Janaka, to exhibit your strength and skill; but you failed even to shift a little the position of the Bow of Siva. Rama lifted it as if it was a spurt of playfulness and cast it aside in broken halves. This demonstration of might was seen with your own eyes. If you still do not give up your foolish tenacity, it is an indication that your destruction is imminent. What could you do when the nose and ears of your own sister, was sliced off? Are you not ashamed to proclaim and boast about your strength and your heroism, after all these experiences? Rama killed with a single arrow. Was Vali an ordinary foe?... Rama has now come with his army of Vanaras and encamped on the Suvela Hill. Rama is the very embodiment of Righteousness and Morality; or else, why should He send an envoy to you, as He has done, to advise you how you can still save yourself? This envoy has tried to turn your mind towards accord with Rama.
But you do not give up your sense of pride; you do not appreciate the moral sense that moves Rama; you do not understand the virtues that animate the supremely sacred Person who has sent the envoy. And, you are causing the downfall of your own kingdom.............!
Meanwhile, a new day dawned. Ravana entered the Audience Hall as the very personification of Vicious Pride and installed himself on the throne. Inside his head were revolving fast and furious the words of both Angada and Mandodari. Plans, fears, schemes, and surmises rolled inside him, like the earth and sky rotating round him. But, none of them was along right lines, for, the day of destruction of the demon clan of Rakshasas was drawing near.
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Dear All,
There is a saying - "For the one who is filled with anger and ego, the intellect fails to function".
Hanuman, Angada, Vibhishana, Mandodari and in between, even few ministers, even sons of Ravana time and again kept on advising Ravana to surrender to Rama and save Lanka from disaster, but even though Ravana himself was a great devotee of Siva, when ego and pride blinds a man, his intellect, his wisdom is colored and blinded and he runs towards his own disaster.
Sathya Sai has given us various wings in His organization and have given us various paths in various wings, not because He needed us in His organization, but for us to channelize our minds, for us to reduce our ego, for us to get purer day by day while undertaking spiritual activities / singing His glory / attending satsangh / seating it out by undertaking various service program, teaching children values in EHV/ Bal vikas etc.
There cannot be a more glorious era in human history to redeem ourselves, to transform ourselves with Sai holding our hands and guiding us!!!!
Love.
