Dev: புதிய பக்கம்: = The arrow that did not kill = Which is the character that brought the most important turn of events in the epic? Manthara occupies the first position in the ch…

2010-02-08T08:23:17Z

புதிய பக்கம்: = The arrow that did not kill = Which is the character that brought the most important turn of events in the epic? Manthara occupies the first position in the ch…

புதிய பக்கம்

= The arrow that did not kill =

Which is the character that brought the most important turn of events in the epic? Manthara occupies the first position in the chronology of events. Kaikeyi comes next. But as the attempt was just started by Manthara and executed by Kaikeyi, the first position has to be shared between these two. The second position must therefore be given to Surpanakha and the third position goes to Märïca.

But if you reflect on it, it was Rama himself who was responsible for all the important turn of events! He was behind those persons who brought story to its natural and pre-ordained destiny. If it were not for his aiming clay-tipped arrows on the hunchback of Manthara, she would not have developed a dislike for the lad, after all! And that goes true in the case of Märïca as well. If it was not for Rama, Märïca would not have survived that long – approximately a little more than 22 years – to bring about a turn that led to the taking shape of events that quicken the process of reaching the culmination point of the purpose of the avatar.

There are two lineages of rakshasas, says sage Agastya in the Uttara Kanda while narrating the story of Ravana and his family to Rama. One was that of Salakatankata and the other one was that of Pulastya. Ravana belonged to the Pulastya lineage and Tataka was his grandmother. One would not have forgotten the sarcastic chuckle of Angada when he met Ravana in his court. ‘Enough of your bragging. Where were you when your grandmother’s carcass was feasted upon by vultures?’ (‘parundhu uNap paatti yaakkai padutha pOdhu…’) Tataka had two sons, Märïca and Subahu.

Ravana seems to have had his ‘outposts’ in India, with his relatives infesting the jungles. Tataka, Märïca and Subahu occupied the jungle where Viswamitra was performing his penance and Kara, Dhooshana and a whole lot of their army infested the forests of Panchavati.

We know how Viswamitra took Rama and Lakshmana to protect his yaga. Once Viswamitra started the sacrificial fire, there appeared these two ogres, sons of Tataka and therefore uncles of Ravana, Märïca and Subahu. To the frightened lot of sages Rama showed his abhaya hasta, says Kamban. ‘kaviththanan kara thalam kalangaleer ena.’ His hand rose up as a mark of protection. ‘Don’t fear,’ he said and in the next few moments he razed them all down to the ground. He killed Subahu.

‘thirumagal naayagan dheyva vaaLi dhaan,’ The divine arrow of the husband of Mahalakshmi, ‘veruvaru thatakai payandha veerargal iruvaril oruvanaik kadali ittadhu,’ threw one of the two sons of the dreaded Tataka and ‘angu oruvanai andhaka puraththil uyithadhE’ despatched the other to the Yamaloka. Subahu was killed and Märïca was thrown beyond the sea.

It was the wish of the Destiny to let Märïca escape the deadliest of arrows. If Rama’s arrow – celebrated as unfailing – did not kill him, it is something extraordinary. He was saved for a later occasion. But in the meantime, for the long, long 22 years, Märïca was a totally changed soul. He had quit from doing harms, striking terror and wreaking vengeance on sages and even on the general public. He was leading the life of a hermit.

= The mighty Ravana at the doors… =

‘It was all because I saw the most beautiful damsel on earth and thought that, you the ruler of all the three worlds should possess her. I tried to bring her here and those two humans severed my ears, nose and breasts,’ reported Surpanakha to her brother, suppressing the real reason for her plight. She knew the weakness of Ravana. It was not lust alone and it was not bloated ego alone; it was a combination of both. She paints an elaborate picture of Sita and this strange creature, even before seeing the lady for himself, falls head over heels in love with her. Was Ravana impelled more by his lust or by his ego that desired to own anything and everything on earth that is supposed to be ‘the best’ to undertake this misadventure is a matter for debate.

‘You are the only one in all the three worlds who is fit enough to possess her Ravana,’ Surpanakha fanned his lust. ‘baagaththil oruvan vaiththaan’ Lord Shiva gave half of his body to his Consort as her abode. ‘pangayaththu irundha ponnai aagaththil oruvan vaiththaan.’ Vishnu offered his bosom as the abode for his Consort, the one who resides in the lotus. ‘mEgaththil pirandha minnai vendra nuN idayinaaLai maagath thOL vIra petraal,’ And if you acquire that Sita of slender waist, that betters even the lightning ‘enganam vaiththu vaazhdhi?’ what would you offer her as her abode to reside?

Surpanakha then sets the deal with her brother. ‘You take that Sita.’ ‘chitridai seethai ennum maan koNdu Udaadu nee,’ you take that doe of a woman, Sita and live happily. ‘yaan koNdu Udaadum vaNNam raamanaith tharudhi’ and remember to give that Rama to me for me to live with happily. A deal indeed!

‘Märïca is the ideal person for you to achieve your goal,’ advised his counsellors and Ravana was off the next moment in his Pushpaka Vimana. ‘indhiyam adakki nindra maarIchan irukkai sErndhaan.’ Ravana reached the hermitage of Märïca, who had conquered the five sense organs. ‘iraavaNan eydhalOdum porundhiya bayaththan sindhai porumutru veruvugindraan.’ Märïca was startled to see Ravana at the doors of his hermitage. He became anxious and was afraid.

‘There are these two human beings who have wronged me,’ says Ravana. “Märïca dear, listen to my words (even) as I speak. I feel distressed and undoubtedly you are my supreme resort, afflicted as I am. You know Janasthana, where my brother Khara and the mighty-armed Düsana as well as my sister Surpanakha as also the mighty-armed Trisírä, the flesh eating ogres, and many other valiant night stalking ogres, who received encouragement (in the form of victory) in warfare, made their abode at my command, molesting ascetics who practised virtue in the great forest of Dandaka.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXVI, Sloka 1-5)

They were doing a good job all these days, my dear uncle. And listen to me! That two-handed puny human killed all of them. Shame on us! ‘iru kai sumandhaai indhin irundhaai,’ And you, you are sitting here with mighty shoulders, so peacefully when ‘un marugar ulandhaar oruvan malaindhaan vari villaal’ your own kith and kin have been mercilessly killed by that person. ‘What are you doing here, sitting idly like those useless ascetics, when our blood is spilled all over this jungle? Come on! We have to take revenge!’

If the sister had her own way of designing a couched way of presenting her desire, the brother had his own way. He always believed in whipping up passions.

= The reformed Märïca =

‘He has to pay dearly for all that he has wreaked on our race,’ thundered Ravana. ‘I need to take revenge on that mortal who has wantonly killed Kara, Düsana and a whole lot of others.’ ‘There was no reason behind this war’, Ravana was trying to tell Märïca. “Without uttering any harsh word the bow and arrows was made use of by Rama, in whom anger had burst forth, in the van of the fight.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXVI, Sloka 6)

‘Our men did not provoke him. They did not utter even a harsh word. Without any apparent reason, he has killed our people. I seethe with anger. This is a great insult on our race. This has to be avenged and he should repent for this. Listen to me.’

“By use of force, I shall bring from Janasthana Sita, resembling a daughter of gods, the wife of Rama, by whom, relying on his physical strength alone, was my sister (Surpanakha) deformed in the forest by depriving her of her ears and nose without (any show of) hostility.” (Ibid)

‘It was all because of that woman that my sister was deformed and when our men went there to enquire about it, Rama waged an unprovoked war and therefore we have to deprive him of his wife, the actual person behind all that has happened.’ It is the regular way in which Ravana whips up passions.

But quite unexpectedly, Märïca was a totally changed person. Gone were the days when he used to harass the sages and one is surprised to see him suddenly turning into a votary of Dharma. ‘chichee enath than meych chevi poththi therumandhaan.’ ‘Shameful,’ he hissed, putting both his hands to his ears, expressing dismay and disgust.

‘Do you remember how you got all your present power and position Ravana?’ he asked. ‘thirath thiranaalO sei thavam mutrith thiru uttraai’, was it due to the fact that you followed the path of rectitude ’marath thirathinaalO, solludhi marai vallOi’ or was it by pursuit of your misdeeds? You who are well-versed in the Vedas, you know it for yourself.

‘What you propose to do is a heinous offence which cannot be accepted by any standards. ‘naaram koNdaar naadu kavarndhar,’ those (kings) who covet the land of the ones whose love and trust they enjoy, ‘nadai allaa vaaram koNdaar,’ those (kings) who earn their revenue from people through undue means and ‘matru oruvan manai vaazhum thaaram kondaar endra ivar thammai’ and anyone who covets the wife of another man, ‘dharumam thaan Irum kaNdaai’ would all be slayed by Dharma.

That you think of coveting the wife of another man is by itself an unpardonable offence for which you need not be punished by anyone for disaster would be the natural course that it would lead to. When that being so, you are planning to steal the wife of warrior of unequalled prowess. You do not seem to realise whose wife you have set your eyes on. You are inviting trouble. Let me tell you my experience Ravana. I have had the bitter experience of tasting his power not once, but twice. It was not just on one occasion when I tried to mar the yaga of Viswamithra. There was another occasion when I tried to take revenge on Rama.

= The divine design =

‘I took him lightly when I saw him as a boy on the first occasion,’ Märïca continued. With an amazing kind of awe and devotion he narrates his first encounter with Rama to Ravana. Let’s listen to Valmiki.
<blockquote>
“Twanging his wonderful bow, Sri Rama stood by the side of the sage consecrated for a sacrifice in the Dandaka forest as prearranged. Illuminating the Dandaka forest with his refulgent splendour, the glorious Rama – who was (still) a boy, in whom the marks of manhood (in the shape of moustaches etc.) had not yet appeared, dark-brown (of complexion) with charming eyes and a single cloth (wrapped about his loins as a token of celibacy), wielding a bow and wearing a tuft of hair on the crown of his head and adorned with a string of gold – looked at that time like the new moon (just) risen. ………The moment I entered the hermitage I was espied by him. Having suddenly lifted up his weapon on seeing me, he strung his bow calmly indeed.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXVIII, Sloka13-15 and 17)
</blockquote>
That is a compliment indeed! Considering that it was the first battle that Rama waged and considering his age, the ‘calmness with which he strung the bow’ as recounted by Märïca, brings out the essence of the character of Rama. As we have observed several times, Rama seldom lost his temper and remained calm and collected, especially when he takes the bow in hand. He keeps all his other feelings, troublesome thoughts and emotions aside once he steps into the battlefield. Remaining calm in the face of storm is one of the qualities that the character of Rama exemplifies to all other mortals.

“Disregarding Rama (a scion of Raghu) through ignorance,” continues Märïca, “I rushed with speed towards the well-known altar occupied by Viswamitra. By him was discharged at that time a sharp arrow capable of destroying the enemy. Struck by it I was cast into the sea, which was a hundred Yojanas long. Spared on that occasion by the hero, who did not want to kill me, O dear one, and flung by the impetus of Rama’s arrow at that moment, I was hurled by him into the deep waters, rendered unconscious.” (Ibid, Sloka 17-20)

‘He did not want to kill me and hence I was thrown away into the sea that was around 800 miles away.’ It was probably for this high-pitched drama to take place around 25 years later, to take the epic to its ultimate destination! ‘I was spared on that occasion,’ confesses Märïca. But that doesn’t move Ravana an inch. Märïca then recounted his second encounter with Rama – which is less known or spoken about – on a subsequent occasion, in the jungle. Kamban mentions this in passing in just one verse, while we find Valmiki devoting an entire canto describing that incident.

The fact remains that Märïca was spared on the first occasion and managed to escape on the second occasion. And was it just a coincidence that Märïca and the other two demons assumed the form of deer, to attack Rama as if it were a prelude to what was lying in store! And also, Märïca was the only one ever in the Ramayana to survive the arrow of Rama, twice.

= The Arrow of Rama Never Hits a Fugitive =

Kamban describes this incident after Märïca agrees to the demand of Ravana and when he submits to him in 

utter dejection -
<blockquote>
‘aaNdayaan anaya kUra,’ Thus spoken to by Ravana, (Märïca told him) ‘arakkar Or iruvarOdum,’ along with two other demons, ‘pUNda en maanam theera,’ to avenge for the insult that I suffered at his hands, ‘dhandakam pukka pOzhdhil’ when he came into the Dandaka Aranya, ‘thooNdiya sarangaL paaya,’ (when we attempted to kill him) hit by his arrows ‘thuNaivar pattu uruLa,’ my companions died ‘anji’ (and I was) afraid ‘mINda naan,’ and escaped from that place ‘sendru seyyum vinai en kol’ what is left for me to go and do there?
</blockquote>
What had actually happened is not narrated here. Valmiki gives an account of this incident through the mouth of Märïca himself. “Belittling Rama, who had retired to the forest, even though he was possessed of great might, thinking that he was an ascetic (only), and recalling my past enmity (with him), I rushed towards him, highly enraged, in the form of a sharp-horned deer, thoughtlessly seeking to kill him, remembering as I did the blow dealt by him. Stretching at full length his very mighty bow, three sharp arrows – which were capable of putting an end to the enemy and which sped like Garuda (the king of birds and the carrier of Lord Vishnu) and the wind – were let loose by him. All those three most dreadful and flat-knobbed arrows, which shone brightly as lightning, and were fond of sucking blood – sped (towards me) together. Knowing as I did the prowess of Rama and having seen the peril (to which I had exposed myself) on a previous occasion, I slipped away, cunning as I was and was thereby saved (since the arrow of Rama never hits a fugitive) while both those ogres (my companions) were killed.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XXXIX, Sloka 9-13)

‘If at all I am alive today, it is due to the fact that Rama’s arrow does not pursue one who flees. I have taken to the life of an ascetic after that. Even now I perceive Rama in every tree and is scared. “Names beginning with the letter ‘R’ such as the word ‘Ratnas’ (jewels) and ‘Rathas’ (chariots) as well cause terror to me, afraid as I am of Rama.” (Ibid, Sloka 18)

Märïca’s most vivid and elaborate portrayal has no effect on Ravana. For him, such things could happen to ‘lesser’ beings. He was Ravana the greatest and nothing could cause any harm to him. And this is so, despite the fact that he had tasted defeat twice earlier, at the hands of Karthaviryarjuna and Vali.

‘You are not just asking for your death Ravana! You are paving the way for the destruction of the entire rakshasa race! Whose idea is this Ravana that you are pursuing? You do not seem to have good ministers around you!’

Finding that Ravana is not appealed against his foolhardiness, Märïca then ventures to coax him against it with words of wisdom. He lists out the duties of ministers and what they should do when the king goes astray.

= The duties of virtuous ministers =

The Ramayana speaks of the sacred responsibilities of a king and also that of his ministers, especially when the king goes astray, in several places. We find Kamban introducing the counsellors of Dasaratha – among other things – as:
<blockquote>
‘tham uyirkku irudhi eNNaar.’ They would not think of the possible risk of losing their lives. ‘thalai Magan veguNda pOdhum,’ even when the King is furious (when they offer an advice that may be unpleasant to him) ‘vemmayaith thaangi’ bearing the haughtiness as also the insults, ‘needhi vidaadhu nindru uraikkum veerar’ those brave men would persist in showing the king the path of justice.
</blockquote>
A minister’s mind must dwell on what is right and what is good for the people as a whole. Whenever the king takes a step that does not go with the common good, the minister should be bold enough to point it out, stand his ground and make the king see what is right. If he yields to the temptation of speaking whatever is pleasing to the king and try to justify his misdeeds with interpolated explanations of the codes of conduct, may be it would find short-term peace. But it is nothing but digging the grave for the king. That is why Valluvar, the great law-giver, states “The king, who is without the guard of men who can rebuke him, will perish, even though there be not one to destroy him.” (Kural 448)

Such a king who is surrounded by ‘yesmen’ needs no other enemy. He would walk the right royal road to destruction. Unfortunately, Ravana was surrounded by such men. They could not do much, however. Ravana had his own way of doctoring his counsellors. We find a mention of the duties of good counsellors in a most unexpected place in the Ramayana. Quite surprisingly, Märïca chides Ravana, for his mindless insistence on seeking his help for taking Sita by underhand means. And he finds faults with the counsellors he has.

“What man of sinful deeds has advised to you this course of action, which spells you doom along with that of your sons, kingdom and ministers, O night-stalker? Who is that man of sinful deeds, who does not rejoice with you while you are enjoying happiness, O king? By whom has this door to death been directed to you in the guise of an expedient, O king? Obviously enough, O ranger of the night, your enemies of meagre strength wish to see you besieged by a stronger power and meeting with your doom (in consequence). By what mean fellow of noxious designs has this course of action been urged on you? He wishes you to perish as a result of your own deeds, O prowler of the night! Worthy of execution indeed are your ministers, O Ravana, who do not hold you back by every means even though seeing you having set your foot on a wrong path; yet they are not put to death (by you).” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLI, Sloka 2-6)

Compare this Sloka from Valmiki with the Kural quoted above and also with what Kamban says of the ministers of Dasaratha. “A licentious king who has taken to evil ways surely deserves to be checked in everyway by virtuous ministers. Though deserving to be so checked, you have, however, not been checked.” (Ibid, Sloka 7)

If your ministers were virtuous, they would have shown you the right way and would have protected you from the path of total destruction. The very fact that you are here on such a mission shows that your ministers are incapable of doing so, which again proves that they are not virtuous. They deserve to be killed.

And then, why should a king be protected thus by a minister, even when he runs the risk of death at the hands of the former? 

= The sceptre without justice =

It is the ministers who are to keep an eye on virtuosity and selflessness and practice them first, so that they have the moral strength to insist on the king to follow them. “By the grace of their lord, O ranger of the night, ministers acquire religious merit, wealth and sensuous enjoyment as well as fame, O jewel among the victorious!” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLI, Sloka 8)

And when the ministers are not virtuous, it affects the king whom they are supposed to advice, and through him the people who are ruled by that king. “In the reverse case, however, everything becomes useless, O Ravana! Other people meet with adversity through the fault of a master!” (Ibid, Sloka 9) It does not simply stop with your downfall. It pulls the people down with you down into the abyss. And it is for this reason, a king has to be protected from wrongdoing. “Virtue as well as fame have their root in a king, O jewel among the victorious! Hence the rulers of men deserve to be protected under all circumstances.” (Ibid, Sloka 10)

‘I cannot just stop with finding fault with your ministers alone, Ravana, it is you who are responsible for their lack of temerity,’ Märïca seems to imply when he says “No state can be ruled by a king who is severe, nor by him who is most adversely disposed to people, nor again by him who is boorish (in his manners) O night-stalker!” (Ibid, Sloka 11)

If you are not just, if you are not straightforward, if you are nor free of the desire to possess that which is not right and that which belongs to others, you don’t have the moral courage to correct the people whom you rule and who copy your example. If you are not free from wanton and purposeless anger, you become unapproachable and anyone would be naturally afraid of and indeed be reluctant to show you the path of rectitude. They would rather sing your praise and stop with that. Drunk with your praise, your pride increases and your pride takes you to the precipice and when you reach there, you lack the vision to see the danger of taking a further step from there. And your counsellors would also be silent.

‘kadum soRkkaL porukkadha menmaikk kaadhum,’ Those whose ears are so soft as not to listen to harsh words (that show what is really right, as against what they think is right) ‘karum kallil visham thOindha nenjum koNdOr’ and have a heart that is as hard as a rock, that is steeped in poison, ‘padum seydhi thOndrum munnE paduvar kaNdaai’ will fall for sure, even before they come to know of it, sang Subramanya Bharati. And we find that all these ideas are enshrined in the speech of Märïca, who dares to venture on showing what is right to this ‘ten-headed-headless’ king.

‘I am telling you all this out of the affection that I have for you, as your uncle. Do not earn the wrath of Rama the unparalleled warrior. It would take you to the very gates of hell and would take all your kith and kin as well as your subjects also along with you. Therefore, when you are showing hatred against me, realise that your hatred is really towards yourself and your subjects.’

Ravana is not the one to listen!

= What a bad king does =

Ravana’s track record of not listening to words of wisdom is consistent. Right from step one towards his attempt to covet Sita he is warned of dire consequences not only for him but also for his race as a whole. Right from step one he retorts with the same kind of rhetoric. That continues on and on till the death of Indrajit, who at first saw eye to eye with his father but later realised and advised, rather begged with his father to be more conciliatory and return Sita. Ravana drove himself hard against the wall.

‘moo ulaginukkum oru naayagam mudithEn,’ I have won all the three worlds. ‘mEvalar kidaikkin ini idhan mEl iniyadhu undo?’ If, as you say I would earn the enmity of Rama, what could be sweeter than that, for there has not been a single enemy who has opposed me for such a long time? I would have the pleasure of waging a war, for none has fought with me for a very long time now. ‘Eval seykittri enadhu aaNai vazhi eNNi.’ You are here to obey me and execute my orders. ‘kaaval sey amaichchar kadan nee kadavadhu andrE.’ This business of advising is the job of my ministers. It is none of your business. ‘nee kadavadhu andrE,’ It is not your job, says Ravana.

‘If it is the job of my ministers to show me the right way, you are not my minister. Mind your role. You are no more than a soldier. You are not supposed to argue. Do what I ask for or die. ‘maRuththanai enap perinum,’ If I hear your refusal, ‘ninnai en vadi vaaLaal oruththu,’ I will slay you with my sword ‘manam utradhu mudippEn’ I will then get my wish fulfilled by some other means.

Märïca realised that the choices before him are rather limited. He did not have the right to choose what he knew was right. He knew for certain that if he accepted this assignment of Ravana, he would not live even to see Ravana completing his mission. He was convinced beyond doubt that he would die at the hands of Rama. ‘I pity you and your people’ he told Ravana wryly. ‘They are like lambs protected by a jackal.’ “Being protected by a violent and adversely disposed master, O Ravana, people do not prosper any more than the rams protected by a jackal. The ogres, O Ravana, whose ruler are you, cruel, evil-minded and a slave to your senses, will all surely perish. Although this terrible and unforeseen calamity (in the form of death at your hands has been met with by me, nevertheless you (alone) deserve to be pitied (and not I) inasmuch as you are going to meet your doom with your army.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLI, Sloka 14, 15)

You have not taken charge of yourself Ravana. How can you take charge of your people? You are a slave of your senses and that is going to spell the doom for your people.

Remaining great needs as strong a will as that of a woman who remains chaste, says Valluvar -
<blockquote>
orumai magaLirE pOlap perumayum thanaaithaan koNdozhugin uNdu. (Kural 974)
</blockquote>
“Even greatness, like a woman’s chastity, belongs only to him who guards himself.” If a king is not careful about guarding himself against base desires, it would result in the sufferings of his subjects. He pulls them to doom “even as chariots driven by a dull-witted charioteer coursing swiftly on uneven roads perish with the chariot.” (Ibid, Sloka 12)

= The devil’s alternative =

Märïca realised that he was left with no other option but to listen to Ravana. There was no purpose in his reasoning it out. No amount of logic, wisdom or fear of dharma would work here. Ravana was above all these. There are five things that protect a man from yielding to temptations and swerve from the path of rectitude. First comes the fear of God. Second one is the sanctions contained in scriptures. The fear that it would affect the children and the race at large comes third. A fourth is the laws enacted by the Government. And the fifth is the fear of ruination of health and also wealth.

Of the five, the first two – fear of God and fear for scriptures are dependent on faith. Ravana did not have any fear for the first two, though he could not be found lacking in it completely. He did not consider himself above the Ultimate, like Hiranya who insisted that his name be chanted instead of that of Narayana. Though he exhibits disrespect for the Trinity and talks ill of them in several instances, we find him offering puja to Lord Shiva on two occasions in the entire epic, before starting for his first war with Rama and also before starting for the last war. He is shown as more devoted to the Lord in the last scene – that is before he gets into the chariot for the last war. But till the last moment, we see him roaming about with the stoutest ego ever. Märïca knew that these wouldn’t work with him. But nonetheless, he tries to instil that kind of fear in vain.

The fourth would obviously not work with him! He was the Government and it was his will that was law! If we analyse the arguments of Märïca, we can clearly see that he shows a clear recognition of these and therefore places the emphasis on points three and five alone, more especially on point three, namely, it would spell the doom of children as well as the race.

He did his best to stop Ravana. Now he was left with just one option. That of choosing his death either from the hand of Rama or from Ravana. ‘arakkan ahdhu uraithalOdum aRindhanan.’ Having heard Ravana speaking thus, Märïca understood what was lying in store. ‘adangi nenjam,’ He controlled himself and stood balanced of mind. ‘tharukkinar keduvar endral thathuva nilayitru andrO!’ ‘Pride goes before a fall,’ is the adage, he said. ‘serukkunar theerththum enbaar thammin aar serukkar?’ Who can be termed more proud than the person who believes that he has the ability to bring the proud to sense?

The verse puts his position beautifully. ‘Ravana, pride goes before a fall and a person like you is incorrigible and cannot be made to see the truth as it is. I tried to correct you. Now I realise that my attempt was futile. If I continue to believe that I can correct you, then I would be considered to be prouder than you. Let me guard myself from excelling you in pride. I give up. I would listen to you. But listen to me, I have something more to tell you by way of warning, if not by way of advice.’

= The devil’s alternative II =

We both are standing at the doors of death, inevitable death, a death that we are welcoming with hands open. The doors are wide open for me right now and be forewarned that you will follow. The moment Rama sets his eyes on me, I am quite certain that I cannot escape his arrow this time. But I am not worried so much about my death.’

“Although this terrible and unforeseen calamity (in the form of death at your hands) has been met with by me, nevertheless on this score you (alone) deserve to be pitied (and not I) inasmuch as you are going to meet your doom with your army. Having killed me, the aforesaid Rama for his part will dispose of you before long. I shall, however feel accomplished of purpose through such death; for I would fain give up the ghost when killed by an enemy (rather than by you, my king.)” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda, Canto XLI, Sloka 15, 16)

‘puRaththu ini uraippadhu ennE?’ What more remains for me to tell you? ‘puravalan dhEvi thannai thiraththuzhi andri,’ (if at all you want) to own Sita, then fight with Rama and get her; ‘vanjiththu eydhudhal sirumaiththu aagum’ but to get her by means of deception does not befit you and is disreputable indeed. Why can’t you fight with Rama, win him over and take possession Sita? Why should you adopt such devious methods?

‘Do I need an army to fight with those two men? They can’t survive if I unsheathe my sword. I am afraid that that damsel would also die at the same moment. I need your help only because of that. I am trying to take revenge on a human who killed your mother and you are hesitating so much!’ Ravana

‘dhEviyaith theeNdaa munnam,’ Before he could even touch Sita, ‘ivan thalai sarathin sindhip pOm vagai puNarkkum’ he (Rama) would work wonders with his arrow as to make his heads roll on the ground ‘endru pundhi yaan pugalgindreRkkum aam vagai aayitru illai’ My words did no good either to him or to me. ‘yaar vidhi viLaivai Orvaar?’ Who can see what destiny has in store? ‘Eviya seivadhu allaal illai vEru ondru.’ I am left with no option but to obey him.

Märïca is an example of what an evolved soul would think and act like. He tried his hardest, even risking the wrath of his king, to set him on the right path. And when he saw that he was left with no option but to die at the hands of Ravana, he preferred to die at the hands of Rama instead.

The Poets have endeavoured to set an example to all of us through each and every character, however minor it is, to establish that evolution of the highest order is possible, if only one wishes to reach for it. Märïca is more comparable with Kumbhakarnan who chose death while performing his duty, though he was convinced against what his brother did and advised him against it.

At the moment of decision, Märïca captivates the hearts of all, especially when he says, “I shall, however feel accomplished of purpose through such death,” preferring to die at the hands of Rama rather than that of Ravana.

 Hari Krishnan

Marica (மாரீசன்) - திருத்த வரலாறு

09:01, 8 பெப்ரவரி 2010 இல் Hariki

Dev: "Marica (மாரீசன்)" காக்கப்பட்டது ([edit=sysop] (indefinite) [move=sysop] (indefinite))

Dev: புதிய பக்கம்: = The arrow that did not kill = Which is the character that brought the most important turn of events in the epic? Manthara occupies the first position in the ch…