Ramayana – The War Begins – {Ep.220} – Stories From India – Podcast

Today’s story is from the Ramayana, and it is about the start of the war between the Vanars and Ravana’s army. We’ll see how Indrajit’s snake weapons almost won him the war on day 1, if a giant bird man hadn’t intervened!

Welcome to “Stories From India”. This is a podcast that will take you on a journey through the rich mythology, folklore and history of the Indian subcontinent. I am Narada Muni, the celestial storyteller and the original “time lord”. With my ability to travel through space and time, I can bring you fascinating stories from the past, the present, and the future. From the epic tales of the Mahabharata and Ramayana to the folktales of the Panchatantra to stories of Akbar-Birbal and Tenali Raman, I have a story for every occasion.

The purpose of the stories is neither to pass judgment nor to indoctrinate. My goal is only to share these stories with people who may not have heard them before and to make them more entertaining for those who have.

Today’s Story

In this episode, we’re continuing the story of the Ramayana. It’s one of the two major epics in Indian mythology, the other is the Mahabharata which we have also covered on this show. 

The Ramayana is all about Ram, the Crown Prince of Ayodhya. Despite being crown prince, there was a major obstacle before he could become King. Ram’s stepmother Kaikeyi pressured Ram’s father into sending Ram into exile for 14 years. Ram went, and his wife Sita and brother Laxman went along too.

Ram was an avatar of Vishnu. Vishnu, in case you don’t know, is the preserver of the Universe, creating a kind of balance between Brahma the Creator and Shiva the Destroyer. Together they are the holy trinity of Indian mythology. Quite shameless plug here, but Brahma is my dad. And I’m president for life of the Vishnu fan club, and I regularly meet Shiva on Mt Kailash – so you can rest assured this show is as authentic as it gets.

Ram, Laxman and Sita survived one challenge after another in the wild. There seemed to be a long queue of demons and demonesses that had lined up to either eat them or kidnap and enslave them. The trio managed to fight off all such challenges. 

Until Ravana abducted Sita. Ravana was the ruler of Lanka and the mega villain in this epic. If you want a modern analogy, imagine Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter Universe, but with 10 heads, so 10 times as evil. And blessed with all kinds of superpowers so defeating him was nearly impossible.

Ram and Laxman searched for Sita. In this, they got help from the Vaanars – a kingdom of monkeys led by their King, Sugriva. Most of the actual help came from Hanuman who was Sugriva’s adviser and right hand Vanar. Hanuman found Sita across an ocean in Ravana’s kingdom of Lanka. Sita refused to fly back on Hanuman airlines. She insisted that Ram himself should make the trip to Lanka, defeat Ravana and take her back, in full honor. 

Hanuman took Sita’s message back to Ram, but first he burned most of Lanka down.

After he returned to the Vanar base camp, and shared the news, the Ayodhya brothers and all the Vanars crossed the ocean to get to Lanka. It wasn’t easy, because they had to first build a bridge across the ocean. And along the way, they had help, in the form of intelligence. Vibhishana, one of Ravana’s brothers, switched sides and came over to help Ram. He was one of the few people who felt his brother was in the wrong.

The Vanars established camp on a nearby mountain. A couple of half-hearted attempts at diplomacy and negotiation failed. And now the two sides were getting ready to go into battle. That’s where we’ll continue the story.

As I was preparing to tell this story, I figured it might be a little bit more fun to report the kickoff – not from my inexhaustible memory of endless facts, but straight from the commentary box. I was eager to watch the Ramayana from a new perspective. And because I can travel in time, it’s easy for me to do exactly that. So there I was in the commentary box, overlooking the Esplanade where the battle was going to take place. I introduced myself to the two commentators – Harsha Shastry and Ravi Bhogle. I was allowed to stay in the box during the battle, especially because I had brought along enough bags of popcorn for all three of us.

Far below us, many dozens of Lankans had gathered to watch the battle.

Harsha addressed them “Well folks, what a historic occasion we have here today at the Esplanade. It’s a beautiful day for war, and the pitch looks absolutely perfect prepared for this. It’s Vanars vs Asuras, the first such battle, but very likely not the last. You can bet, Ravi, this is just the start of a long rivalry”

Ravi agreed. “Indeed Harsha, these armies have put in their 100% for this. You can bet they’ve been training all their lives for just such a battle. And you can just feel the energy from both sides here. The Vanars are chattering with excitement ready to go to bat. Just look at the practice swings they are taking with their clubs and their tree trunks. And the Lankans are yelling, no doubt trying to figure out field placements. There’s absolute commotion in both camps.”

Ravi was right, there was commotion, but it seemed a little more pronounced in the Lankan camp. Being more than a little curious, I decided to make a quick trip there to hear what was going on. And I’m glad I did. The Lankans were yelling, but not about field placements. Ravana’s army was nervous. There was a lot of grumbling. The soldiers didn’t want to fight. The Asura general was having a hard time managing his troops. Luckily for him, Ravana’s son, Indrajit, intervened.

“Sons of Lanka, I am Indrajit, your commander in battle today”

A naive young Lankan said “No you’re not. Indrajit is 8 feet tall”

“Yes, I’ve heard,” Indrajit said calmly. “Indrajit kills men by the thousands and shoots lightning bolts out of his eyes”

Nervous laughter from the others. When it died Indrajit continued. “I am Indrajit. And I see before me a whole army of my countrymen in defiance of these monkeys. You have come to fight against these insolent monkeys and those Ayodhya brothers. Are you ready to fight?”

A skeptical Lankan soldier replied “Fight? Against those Vanars with their firepower? No. We’ll run and we’ll live”

“Aye,” nodded Indrajit, “Fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live — at least a short while. Until I hunt each of you down. And then dying by my hand, would you be willing to trade all the time from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our right to abduct their wives!!!”

Well put that way, the Lankan soldiers quickly realized the error of their ways. They’d rather face the Vanar army than have Indrajit hunt them down. Being clobbered with a tree trunk was a mercy compared to the pain that Indrajit could inflict on them.

That’s all I needed to see. So I teleported back to the commentary box, where Harsha and Ravi were keeping it up.

Harsha said “An Asura throws the first stone, looks like it’s a big boulder headed straight for Sugreeva. Is the Vanar King going to be flattened? Is there anyone who could save him? And oh my goodness what a swing from Hanuman, he just stepped right up and swung that tree trunk and knocked that rock right out of the park. What a fabulous save from Hanuman there. Incredible footwork. Have you seen such flawless execution, Ravi? That asura is going to be scratching his head for a while over that delivery.”

“Absolutely Harsha. This could set the tone for the battle that is to come. I can sense a pummeling here. We’ll have to see how the Lankans regroup.

And regroup they did. The two sides ran towards each other. The Vanars were fighting tooth and nail, literally. Their sharp claws and teeth were just as much an asset as the rocks and tree trunks they wielded, as Sugriva had realized when drawing up battle plans.

“Ooh look at that, Lakshman’s arrows absolutely destroyed those warriors who were trying to simultaneously attack him from 3 sides. He’s at the top of his game here, Ravi,”

“Quite right. And over there, Harsha, Hanuman has just crumpled a chariot with the Asura still inside in it. I didn’t catch the number on that Asura’s jersey. And with the chariot crumpled the way it is, I’m not sure we’ll ever get a positive ID”

“But look over here, Ravi, this is where the battle is really heating up. Angad, Sugriva’s nephew, is taking on Indrajit. This is the face off that most people are here to watch”

“Yes, Harsha. And there’s some history between this pair. Their dads were friends. Angad’s father, Vali, and our emperor Ravana. Angad switched sides over to Sugriva”

“Didn’t he also visit Ravana’s court recently, Ravi?” Harsha asked

“Hush, we are not supposed to talk about it. If someone really wanted the whole story they could listen to Episode 209 of Narada Muni’s Stories From India Podcast. But look now, look at the number of arrows Indrajit is firing at Angad. Angad ducks, he dives and escapes without a scratch. But he’s bouncing back, he’s coming around and oh, what a sneaky move there. Angad has completely taken apart Indrajit’s chariot. The horses are running away scared, the chariot is in pieces and the charioteer’s look of surprise is well, priceless”

“But it’s strange Ravi, I don’t see Indrajit anymore. He seems to have completely disappeared!”

“Indeed Harsha, I think he’s using his magic. He’s got the disappearance trick you know. He used it very effectively against Indra, the chief of the Devs. Fun fact: that’s how he got his name.”

It was true. Indrajit was nowhere to be seen.

Angad, as well as our friends in the commentary box turned their attention towards other parts of the battlefield. Rama was seen taking out 4 asuras with one arrow.

“It’s also starting to get dark now. And I think the Home team is going to like that. There’s no technical advantage that their furry opponents will have. The Lankans know this ground like the back of their hands. That is going to be helpful in such poor visibility”

“Harsha, I wish there were floodlights or something, or at least we had some night vision glasses. This battle is getting incredibly hard to track and report on”

But it was only a temporary problem. Because the day’s actions were about to come to an abrupt end. Rama and Lakshman had unwittingly drifted closer to each other as they battled enemy soldiers. When they were close enough, Indrajit suddenly appeared again.

“Over there Ravi, Indrajit has suddenly appeared out of thin air. That’s incredible – how did he do that? He has an arrow ready in his bow, he pulls the string, and he’s fired it. It’s in the air. But was he aiming for Ram or Lakshman? Oh my goodness, it’s both! Indrajit has got them both”

“It’s his famous NagaPash, and he’s done it! That arrow has transformed into a net of snakes and it has entangled Ram and Lakshman both. The two of them are struggling but they can’t escape this powerful weapon, and now Indrajit is capitalizing on this moment. This is it folks, this is the turning point in the game. Ram and Lakshman appear to be trapped and Indrajit is raining down on them with arrows after arrows. And this is it – the Ayodhya brothers have collapsed. They are on the ground and they are not moving. This is surely victory for Lanka, and Indrajit managed to snatch it from the jaws of defeat. What a terrible day it was for the Lankan army all day and now suddenly the tables have completely turned.”

“Of course Ravi, we’ll have to wait for daylight in all probability before a formal decision is made, but it does look pretty bad for the Vanar army. The Vanars are howling, they are in disarray. Even the traitor Vibhishana seems to be overcome with emotion. I don’t know what he’s more upset about losing the new friends he made 2 days ago, or that he can no longer become Emperor of Lanka”

“Alright folks, I think we’re going to call it a day here. What a day of action it was. We’ll be here tomorrow morning, no wonder to witness the Vanars admitting defeat, packing their bags and crossing the ocean back to their land”

The Lankans seemed confident that they had won. There were victorious cheers and there was a party back in Ravana’s palace. Ravana hugged his boy and ruffled his hair and said how proud he was that his son had won the war, all without Ravana even having to step on the battlefield.

Ravana was also ecstatic for another reason. Because now it meant that Sita would have no choice but to accept him as her husband. He summoned Trijata, a demoness in his employ. Go take Sita out in my flying chariot, the Pushpak Vimana. Show her Rama and Lakshman from the air. He also handed her a wad of cash along with the keys to the Pushpak Vimana. “That was money to refuel the birds. The King of Lanka explained that they were probably hungry, and Trijata could keep the plenty of change that would be left over – “get yourself something nice” he added quite uncharacteristically.

Trijata was a bit conflicted – her duties were to her employer. This was a cruel mission. Sita was weeping as she saw Ram and Lakshman motionless on the battlefield. But something was off. And Trijata said so. “Don’t lose heart, Sita. I don’t think all is lost yet. Look at the scene carefully.”

Sita asked with a glimmer of hope – “You’re saying maybe Ravana staged this scene? I wouldn’t put it past him – he did show me a fake version of Ram’s head a few weeks ago”

“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it staged. There are just too many Vanars on the scene. Hard to get so many actors and costumes. No I think those are the real Ram and Laxman. But look, none of the Vanars are visibly grieving. They are silent, as if they are waiting for them. And that bear, Jambavan I think he’s called, was using a stethoscope and he did not look worried.”

“I don’t know if I have a baseline here. I’m not sure what a worried bear is supposed to look like”

“And more importantly, no one is leaving. It’s almost like they are waiting for something. If I were Sugreeva and Ram and Lakshman had really passed away, I’d start sending at least some sections of my army home. Instead I see Vanars cooking”

That was a valid point. Even if it relied on assumptions about how the Vanar administration might react.

When they got back all ten of Ravana’s heads were puzzled about why Sita continued to remain defiant. Obviously, neither woman mentioned Trijata’s arguments that had given Sita considerable hope and comfort. Ravana figured he’d give Sita another day or two before forcing her into marriage with him. Tonight, he was going to celebrate!

The mood in the Vanara camp was the opposite, of course. As I discovered, when I teleported there. It wasn’t all complete dejection however. Ram’s and Laxman’s pulses were checked. They were found to be still alive! But barely.

Sugriva and Hanuman were hurriedly discussing with the doctors on his crew. Apparently there were some herbs that might cure the Ayodhya brothers. And the doctors were supplying their descriptions, so Hanuman could speedily fetch them.

They were interrupted by a noise, and a cheer. Ram was waking up. He had somehow managed to overcome the powerful influence of the snakes in Indrajit’s astra. He was still pretty badly injured. And he felt a pang of despair looking at his brother’s inert body.

This was disastrous. He was considering his options, when the dark sky got a whole lot darker, suddenly. And there was the sound of the beating of massive wings. A huge shape descended from the sky. It was Garuda. He is a half-man, half-bird. And he’s also Vishnu’s mode of transport. 

Given that Ram was an avatar of Vishnu, an introduction wasn’t really necessary there, but the Vanars were clueless so Garuda introduced himself anyway. 

Garuda swiftly ran his hands all over Lakshman’s wounds. And just like that Lakshman woke up. Garuda did the same over Ram’s injuries as well. The brothers were refreshed and felt stronger than ever. Tears of joy were shed all around, and all main parties embraced each other, and thanked Garuda over and over. Garuda then explained that the Nagapaash astra that Indrajit had used was filled with the venom from the Nagas. The Nagas were Garuda’s cousins and also his sworn rivals, having imprisoned Garuda and his mother for years. 

Garuda had powers in his hands and feathers to undo any damage those slithering snakes might inflict. A small side effect of contact with Garuda was that Ram and Laxman were now also a lot stronger and quicker and more dexterous.

Garuda flew off, and the Vanar army cheered for Ram and Laxman and began preparations for battle the next day. This time, Ram and Laxman resolved they would be prepared for Indrajit’s tricks.

That’s all for now

Some notes on the show

We have seen Garuda’s story before in Episode 177 and Episode 178, including the conflict with the Nagas.

These episodes, as well as previous Ramayana episodes are linked in the show notes and on the site, check them out.

That’s all for now. 

Next Time

In the next episode, we’ll cover a Singhasan Battisi story. It’s been several months since we did one, and many of you listeners have been asking for one of these. So we’ll go back into Raja Bhoja’s world and hear another story from one of the talking idols on King Vikramaditya’s throne.

Feedback

Thank you all for the comments on Social Media and on Spotify’s Q&A! I can’t directly reply to the questions there, but I’ll address them here on this show.

Nikki, Shiv, Vishruth, Arvind, Bala, thank you for the support and feedback!

Vishruth, your sister might indeed be my youngest listener. Great that you’re starting her early on Stories From India.

Hiranmayee, loved your puns in the comments – thank you Beary much!

Prudhvi, there is a story explaining why we don’t pray to Brahma. I recommend hearing Episode 46 of this show, where I’ve covered that story

Samay – it’s interesting doing a story from the future. I’m always worried about revealing too much. Because it’s the classic time traveler’s paradox – if you know what is going to happen, what if you do things differently and that doesn’t happen at all? But I do think I can cook up a story with limited detail so I don’t throw off the time vortex.

And Ankur I will get to the story of the Maharana of Kumbha soon.

Arvind you and a few others asked for the Singhasan Battisi, so it’s coming right up next week!

If you have any other comments or suggestions or if there are particular stories you’d like to hear, please do let me know by leaving a comment or a review on the site sfipodcast.com, or tweet @sfipodcast, or reply to the questions on Spotify Q&A. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.

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A big thank you to each of you for your continued support and your feedback.

The music is from Purple Planet.

Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next time!