Valmiki says, “O devotees, we begin from the scene when the
most beautiful of them all, with her skin as radiant as thousand blooming
sunflowers, was captivated by the wisest, the most impetuous Lord of Our Age,
Shri Ravana himself. Reluctance may be on her part as her initial reaction, but
the wisdom of our Lord forgave her, as it only stemmed from her ignorance,
which had somehow found its way into her soul owing to a long period of stay with
somebody as intellectually invalid as Rama. Blessed are your souls, for you are
going to hear the last skanda of
Ravanayana, the grand tale of our Lord.”
Tulsidas continues, “So when Sita was taken to Lanka on the Pushpak Viman, she struggled to free herself, but Shiva knows that Lord
Ravana held her close to his bosom only for his fear lest she fell down from
the craft; it was never in his upbringing to hold a lady intimately against her
wish, married or a maiden. At Lanka, Sita was given all the comforts of life
which any noble princess of the province could only dream of, yet strong was
her resolve not to yield to consistent pleas from Ravana to marry him. But our
Lord could be weaker in resolve to none but Shiva, so he persisted. Friends,
may this be a lesson to those of you who have failed in love; never give up,
keep up that strength and pursue her till you get what you want. We are the
Ravan-vanshi, the heirs of Lord Ravana!”
Valmiki carries on, “As our Lord was busy seeing to the
issues pertaining to a comfortable stay of Sita at Lanka, there was a commotion
in the enemy camp. Rama was worried beyond measure. Absurd was it on his part
to seek the help of a herd of monkeys; the Lord with the might of Chandrahaas,
the sword of the moon, the very sword wielded by Shiva; could only be but
defeated at the hands of such an enemy. Rama’s intellect was rendered even more
incapable; for he furiously rejected the treaty of “Wife and Kingdom Exchange”
which our Lord offered, owing to his benevolence. So, a battle ensued, a
historic war, the account of which you all shall hear now.”
Tulsidas speaks, “Sita had a belief that her husband, mighty
in her eyes, could never be defeated. So, in order to deter Ravana from his
matrimonial advances, she promised to marry him if he defeated Rama in the
ensuing battle. The battlefield was dipped in red, moans and cries of fell
soldiers and beasts rended the hearts of every living soul which could hear.
And our armies marched ahead, marched with vigor, marched with a constant zeal
which could culminate only when the swords had wiped the earth clean of every
single head of the enemy. Rama’s army dwindled in number with time, and coward
that he was, he took shelter in a tent while the poor monkeys fought to their
deaths. Kind that our Lord was, it aggrieved him to be the cause of death of
animals by nature innocent, but only gullible to be ensnared by the cunning
Lakshman to be used for his selfish motives. On one hand the doctrines of Battle
compelled him to go on with slayings, but on the other, the conscience of a
noble didn’t go whole-heartedly with him. Praise be upon His Wisdom, he found a
way out through the predicament: he sent Bibhishena, his brother, for a treaty
with the monkeys, at the evening when the battle ceased for the day. Bibhishena
had parley with Hanumana, and thus they agreed to this: on the next day of war,
monkeys would fight from Ravana’s side; and in exchange, they would be given
unlimited access to all the orchards which Lanka had, and also to those in
India in the event that the battle was won. Also, they were promised unbridled
entry and exit in the marriage feast of Lord Ravana. This was quite lucrative
for the monkeys as they had their havens limited to dark forests and were
promptly kicked out if they as much as dared to enter any orchard, and food, for them, was
always a welcome commodity.”
“So on the next day, O friends,” Valmiki continues, “The sun
rose to the zeal of our Lord and much to the horror of the enemy! Moments after
sunrise, Laxman was fell by a mortal blow from Sugriba’s cutlass, and caused
Rama much grief and fury alike. As he aimed his arrow right on the temple of
Sugriba, a flying arrow came from nowhere and hit him flat in the chest:
Hanuman stood with a spent crossbow. Incredulous was the expression on the face
of our greatest enemy, as he said with a grimace,” Et Tu, Hanuman!”, and fell
to his death. Thus, the Great Battle ended to the victory of our Lord, which
the world shall remember for eons and eons after.”
“With a victorious smile, Ravana returned to his palace, and
went straight to the abode of Sita to claim her hand. As the mightiest of them
all bent upon his knees and said,” O lady of my dreams, conquered I have my
biggest enemy, rival in love, but failed to conquer your heart, O lady! You
enlighten me: thus failed I have, for love of yours is too beyond all the
wisdom and strength that I have. Therefore I have come to beg: grant me your
heart, grant me the love that I yearn for, you make me complete!”. Abashedly,
Sita says, "Love if it was that I had preserved so far, then it has failed my
faith. And leaning by a failed faith is like leaning on a burnt staff, it
crumples sooner or later. So, O Ravana, I will stand by my word: I shall marry
you. I promise you all of me but my love.”
Ravana said, “And I trust my love, Sita, that someday it would find its
way to your heart, however inexplicable the paths seem now.”
“Thus with a grand pomp and show, Ravana married Sita . The
whole Lanka was beautifully lighted with earthen lamps, splendid fireworks set
the night sky ablaze, and the monkeys dined to their heart’s content. As a
token of care, gratitude and respect for Sita, Hanuman gifted her a ring of
Rama, that happened to be left with him. People made merry and fun, it was the
most wonderful night the people ever had in their lives. And ever since, we
annually celebrate that day as 'Diwali'.”
Lord Ravana ascended the throne of Ayodhya a few months
later, and Bharat was made a steward. Ayodhya saw a golden reign under him.
Love for Sita, particularly his marriage to her, eradicated the streak of cruelty
in in him, and he was a just and
benevolent ruler, kind to all but firm in justice. The monkeys were given the
duty of bridge construction over all the major rivers in the kingdom. Proud we
are to be the heirs of such a Lord, just to all living being, unabashed to recognize
quality even in races traditionally considered inferior to humans.”
Valmiki poured some milk over the Shiva Lingam, and bent
prostrate to the idol of Ravana. With reverence he turned to the Hanuman statue
and prayed,” O the Monkey Lord, most beloved of Lankesh, the Slayer of The
Great Enemy, I bow to thee. Praise be upon you, and upon all of us, and may we
be granted the strength to carry on the legacy of our wise Lord Ravanal!”
Note: It was written for an alternate history writing competition organized while I was in the first year of my Undergraduate. It has not been written to particularly offend your religious sentiments.
Note: It was written for an alternate history writing competition organized while I was in the first year of my Undergraduate. It has not been written to particularly offend your religious sentiments.
