The Ramayana Part 7

Thus by the gathered G.o.ds addressed He pondered in his secret breast, And said: "One only way I find To slay this fiend of evil mind.

He prayed me once his life to guard From demon, G.o.d, and heavenly bard, And spirits of the earth and air, And I consenting heard his prayer.

But the proud giant in his scorn Recked not of man of woman born.

None else may take his life away, But only man the fiend may slay."

The G.o.ds, with Indra at their head, Rejoiced to hear the words he said.

Then crowned with glory like a flame, Lord Vish?u to the council came; His hands sh.e.l.l, mace, and discus bore, And saffron were the robes he wore.

Riding his eagle through the crowd, As the sun rides upon a cloud, With bracelets of fine gold, he came Loud welcomed by the G.o.ds' acclaim.

His praise they sang with one consent, And cried, in lowly reverence bent: "O Lord whose hand fierce Madhu(106) slew, Be thou our refuge, firm and true; Friend of the suffering worlds art thou, We pray thee help thy suppliants now."

Then Vish?u spake: "Ye G.o.ds, declare, What may I do to grant your prayer?"

"King Dasaratha," thus cried they, "Fervent in penance many a day, The sacrificial steed has slain, Longing for sons, but all in vain.

Now, at the cry of us forlorn, Incarnate as his seed be born.

Three queens has he: each lovely dame Like Beauty, Modesty, or Fame.

Divide thyself in four, and be His offspring by these n.o.ble three.

Man's nature take, and slay in fight Rava? who laughs at heavenly might: This common scourge, this rankling thorn Whom the three worlds too long have borne For Rava? in the senseless pride Of might unequalled has defied The host of heaven, and plagues with woe Angel and bard and saint below, Crus.h.i.+ng each spirit and each maid Who plays in Nandan's(107) heavenly shade.

O conquering Lord, to thee we bow; Our surest hope and trust art thou.

Regard the world of men below, And slay the G.o.ds' tremendous foe."

When thus the suppliant G.o.ds had prayed, His wise reply Naraya?(108) made: "What task demands my presence there, And whence this dread, ye G.o.ds declare."

The G.o.ds replied: "We fear, O Lord, Fierce Rava?, ravener abhorred.

Be thine the glorious task, we pray, In human form this fiend to slay.

By thee of all the Blest alone This sinner may be overthrown.

He gained by penance long and dire The favour of the mighty Sire.

Then He who every gift bestows Guarded the fiend from heavenly foes, And gave a pledge his life that kept From all things living, man except.

On him thus armed no other foe Than man may deal the deadly blow.

a.s.sume, O King, a mortal birth, And strike the demon to the earth."

Then Vish?u, G.o.d of G.o.ds, the Lord Supreme by all the worlds adored, To Brahma and the suppliants spake: "Dismiss your fear: for your dear sake In battle will I smite him dead, The cruel fiend, the Immortal's dread.

And lords and ministers and all His kith and kin with him shall fall.

Then, in the world of mortal men, Ten thousand years and hundreds ten I as a human king will reign, And guard the earth as my domain."

G.o.d, saint, and nymph, and minstrel throng With heavenly voices raised their song In hymns of triumph to the G.o.d Whose conquering feet on Madhu trod: "Champion of G.o.ds, as man appear, This cruel Rava? slay, The thorn that saints and hermits fear, The plague that none can stay.

In savage fury uncontrolled His pride for ever grows: He dares the Lord of G.o.ds to hold Among his deadly foes."

Canto XV. The Nectar.

When wisest Vish?u thus had given His promise to the G.o.ds of heaven, He pondered in his secret mind A suited place of birth to find, Then he decreed, the lotus-eyed, In four his being to divide, And Dasaratha, gracious king, He chose as sire from whom to spring.

That childless prince of high renown, Who smote in war his foemen down, At that same time with utmost care Prepared the rite that wins an heir.(109) Then Vish?u, fain on earth to dwell, Bade the Almighty Sire farewell, And vanished while a reverent crowd Of G.o.ds and saints in wors.h.i.+p bowed.

The monarch watched the sacred rite, When a vast form of awful might, Of matchless splendour, strength, and size Was manifest before his eyes.

From forth the sacrificial flame, Dark, robed in red, the being came.

His voice was drumlike, loud and low, His face suffused with rosy glow.

Like a huge lion's mane appeared The long locks of his hair and beard.

He shone with many a lucky sign, And many an ornament divine; A towering mountain in his height, A tiger in his gait and might.

No precious mine more rich could be, No burning flame more bright than he.

His arms embraced in loving hold, Like a dear wife, a vase of gold Whose silver lining held a draught Of nectar as in heaven is quaffed: A vase so vast, so bright to view, They scarce could count the vision true.

Upon the king his eyes he bent, And said: "The Lord of life has sent His servant down, O Prince, to be A messenger from heaven to thee."

The king with all his n.o.bles by Raised reverent hands and made reply: "Welcome, O glorious being! Say How can my care thy grace repay."

Envoy of Him whom all adore Thus to the king he spake once more: "The G.o.ds accept thy wors.h.i.+p: they Give thee the blessed fruit to-day.

Approach and take, O glorious King, This heavenly nectar which I bring, For it shall give thee sons and wealth, And bless thee with a store of health.

Give it to those fair queens of thine, And bid them quaff the drink divine: And they the princely sons shall bear Long sought by sacrifice and prayer."

"Yea, O my lord," the monarch said, And took the vase upon his head, The gift of G.o.ds, of fine gold wrought, With store of heavenly liquor fraught.

He honoured, filled with transport new, That wondrous being, fair to view, As round the envoy of the G.o.d With reverential steps he trod.(110) His errand done, that form of light Arose and vanished from the sight.

High rapture filled the monarch's soul, Possessed of that celestial bowl, As when a man by want distressed With unexpected wealth is blest.

And rays of transport seemed to fall Illuminating bower and hall, As when the autumn moon rides high, And floods with lovely light the sky.

Quick to the ladies' bower he sped, And thus to Queen Kausalya said: "This genial nectar take and quaff,"

He spoke, and gave the lady half.

Part of the nectar that remained Sumitra from his hand obtained.

He gave, to make her fruitful too, Kaikeyi half the residue.

A portion yet remaining there, He paused awhile to think.

Then gave Sumitra, with her share.

The remnant of the drink.

Thus on each queen of those fair three A part the king bestowed, And with sweet hope a child to see Their yearning bosoms glowed.

The heavenly bowl the king supplied Their longing souls relieved, And soon, with rapture and with pride, Each royal dame conceived.

He gazed upon each lady's face, And triumphed as he gazed, As Indra in his royal place By G.o.ds and spirits praised.

Canto XVI. The Vanars.

When Vish?u thus had gone on earth, From the great king to take his birth, The self-existent Lord of all Addressed the G.o.ds who heard his call: "For Vish?u's sake, the strong and true, Who seeks the good of all of you, Make helps, in war to lend him aid, In forms that change at will, arrayed, Of wizard skill and hero might, Outstrippers of the wind in flight, Skilled in the arts of counsel, wise, And Vish?u's peers in bold emprise; With heavenly arts and prudence fraught, By no devices to be caught; Skilled in all weapon's lore and use As they who drink the immortal juice.(111) And let the nymphs supreme in grace, And maidens of the minstrel race, Monkeys and snakes, and those who rove Free spirits of the hill and grove, And wandering Daughters of the Air, In monkey form brave children bear.

So erst the lord of bears I shaped, Born from my mouth as wide I gaped."

Thus by the mighty Sire addressed They all obeyed his high behest, And thus begot in countless swarms Brave sons disguised in sylvan forms.

Each G.o.d, each sage became a sire, Each minstrel of the heavenly quire,(112) Each faun,(113) of children strong and good Whose feet should roam the hill and wood.

Snakes, bards,(114) and spirits,(115) serpents bold Had sons too numerous to be told.

Bali, the woodland hosts who led, High as Mahendra's(116) lofty head, Was Indra's child. That n.o.blest fire, The Sun, was great Sugriva's sire, Tara, the mighty monkey, he Was offspring of V?ihaspati:(117) Tara the matchless chieftain, boast For wisdom of the Vanar host.

Of Gandhamadan brave and bold The father was the Lord of Gold.

Nala the mighty, dear to fame, Of skilful Visvakarma(118) came.

From Agni,(119) Nila bright as flame, Who in his splendour, might, and worth, Surpa.s.sed the sire who gave him birth.

The heavenly Asvins,(120) swift and fair, Were fathers of a n.o.ble pair, Who, Dwivida and Mainda named, For beauty like their sires were famed, Varu?(121) was father of Sushe?, Of Sarabh, he who sends the rain,(122) Hanuman, best of monkey kind, Was son of him who breathes the wind: Like thunderbolt in frame was he, And swift as Garu?'s(123) self could flee.

These thousands did the G.o.ds create Endowed with might that none could mate, In monkey forms that changed at will; So strong their wish the fiend to kill.

In mountain size, like lions thewed, Up sprang the wondrous mult.i.tude, Auxiliar hosts in every shape, Monkey and bear and highland ape.

In each the strength, the might, the mien Of his own parent G.o.d were seen.

Some chiefs of Vanar mothers came, Some of she-bear and minstrel dame, Skilled in all arms in battle's shock; The brandished tree, the loosened rock; And prompt, should other weapons fail, To fight and slay with tooth and nail.

Their strength could shake the hills amain, And rend the rooted trees in twain, Disturb with their impetuous sweep The Rivers' Lord, the Ocean deep, Rend with their feet the seated ground, And pa.s.s wide floods with airy bound, Or forcing through the sky their way The very clouds by force could stay.

Mad elephants that wander through The forest wilds, could they subdue, And with their furious shout could scare Dead upon earth the birds of air.

So were the sylvan chieftains formed; Thousands on thousands still they swarmed.

These were the leaders honoured most, The captains of the Vanar host, And to each lord and chief and guide Was monkey offspring born beside.

Then by the bears' great monarch stood The other roamers of the wood, And turned, their pathless homes to seek, To forest and to mountain peak.

The leaders of the monkey band By the two brothers took their stand, Sugriva, offspring of the Sun And Bali, Indra's mighty one.