kaH ca raamaH katham viiryaH kim ruupaH kim paraakramaH |
kim artham daNDakaaraNyam praviSTaH ca sudustaram || 3-34-2
2. raamaH kaH= Rama, who is; katham viiryaH= what, is his calibre; kim ruupaH= of what, mien; kim paraakramaH= what, is his bravery; su dustaram= highly, inscrutable; daNDaka araNyam= Dandaka forest; kim artham praviSTaH= what, for reason, he entered.
“Who is Rama? How brave he is? Of what mien and what calibre he is? And for what reason he entered the highly inscrutable Dandaka forest? [1-34-2]
‘Why this Rama has to come this far to Dandaka instead of loitering somewhere near Himalayas? Has he come purposefully with any revenge against us, the demons, or is it a pleasure-trip? Why should he leave his ancestral kingdom and enter Dandaka, a stronghold of demons?’ This is the real worry of Ravana. kena ca k˜raõena kula parampara ˜gatam pr˜jyam r˜jyam parityajya nikhila niþ˜cara v˜so asmin deþe sam˜gata× – dk Ravana might be unaware that Dandaka forest also belongs to Ikshvaku-s as Kishkindha belonged to them, as said by Rama at the time of eliminating of Vali.
Then on seeing Shurpanakha speaking bitter words against him in the presence of ministers, Ravana is verily infuriated and questioned her.
“Who is this Rama? How is his bravery? And of what mien and what might he is? And for what reason he entered the highly inscrutable Dandaka forest?
Comment: ‘Why this Rama has to come this far to Dandaka instead of loitering somewhere near Himalayas? Has he come purposefully with any revenge against us, the demons or is it a pleasure trip?’ is the real worry of Ravana. kena ca k˜raõena kula parampara ˜gatam pr˜jyam r˜jyam parityajya nikhila niþ˜cara v˜so asmin deþe sam˜gata× – dk ‘why should he leave his ancestral kingdom and enter Dandaka, a stronghold of demons?’ Ravana might be unaware that Dandaka also belongs to Ikshvaku-s as Kishkindha belonged to them, as said by Rama at the time of eliminating of Vali.
“What is the weapon of that Rama by whom these many demons are killed in war, also the unkillable Khara is killed and Dushana and Trishira likewise?
Comment: This can be simple question ‘What is his weapon?’ without telling round about as above. But Ravana is weighing arsenal balance since he is self-content a giant-robot namely Kumbhakarna, and one brave and all-trickster son Indrajit with his own ICBMs, ASMs and ASMs, plus his own invincibility. Thereby he said to be puzzled and asking: k˜ni k˜ni ca ˜yudh˜ni khara mukha niþ˜cra pr˜õa h˜ni kar˜õi – dk ‘you said that Rama caused this havoc single-handedly, then he should have used various and numerous weapons by which missiles are flung… because common sense does not permit any belief that one bow can dart numerous arrows or missile, that too when wielded by a single human…’..’
-Aranya Kanda, Sraga 34, Sloka 2.
To take the view that Kumbhakarna was Robot is not sensible as he had two sons , Kumbha and Nikumbha.
Now consider these lies spoke by Vibhishana on Kumbhakarna adavncing in the Battle field.
“Sage Valmiki writes the thoughts of Brahma when he saw Kumbhakarna :
Translation : It is sure that you were created by visravasa for the destroyal of people. On that account, you will be sleeping apparently dead from now onwards.
Here, he clearly uses the word ‘nirmitaH‘, which means ‘built/created‘ by Visravasa, who was Ravana’s father.
When Kumbhakarna was approaching Vanara Army and crushing them under his toes, they started to runway in fear.
Then Ravana’s brother Vibhishana reveal the truth of Kumbhakarna to Rama and his army.
Translation : Hurled by Kumbhakarna in his mouth which was looking like a hole in the earth, the monkeys again came out from his nostrils and ears.
How can person enter into a gigantic person’s mouth and come out of nostrils and ears, unless the giant is a machine with no internal anatomy ?
But in same Ramayana, it was clearly stated that Kumbhakarna was married with Vajramala and had kumbh, nikumbh as sons.
These sons were killed by Hanuman.
So, Kumbhakarna must be an alive brother of Ravana, who operated a giant robot from its inside (like the AMP suit in Avatar movie).
So the robot was known with the same name of its operator.
Infact Kumbha-Karna means the one who has pot(kumbha) like ears(karna).
Rama used Vayuvyastra (a wind forced missile) to cut-off Kumbhakarna’s arm and later chopped its head.
When Kumbhakarna was shot down by arrows of Rama, he died and the robot which had nobody to control it, fell into the sea.
Upon knowing the death of Kumbhakarna, Ravana and his sons wept.
The place where Ravana got married to Mandodari is Mandor, is a town located 9 km north of Jodhpur city, in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
This is also the place where Rama’s Father Dasaratha, killed a Rishi’s son, Shravana Jumar, thinking he was a Deer and was cursed by his parents that Dasaratha shall die of separation from His son.
There is an old Chandi Devi temple in the compound of Nauchandi ground. It is believed that Ravan’s wife Mandodari used to come here to worship Goddess Chandi and since then every year a fete (Nauchandi Mela) is held in sacred days of Navratri ( also called days of Goddess )
After the archaeological excavations at ‘Vidura-ka-tila’, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura, in 1950–52, a site 37 km (23 miles) north-east of Meerut, it was concluded to be remains of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravasand Pandavas of Mahabharata, which was washed away by Ganges floods.
Meerut also contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur. It was also the easternmost settlement of the Indus valley civilisation. Meerut had been a centre ofBuddhism in the period of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.), and remains of Buddhist structures were found near the Jama Masjid in the present day city.
The descendants of Ravana through his wife Mandodari , it is claimed, live in Jodhpur, India.
They offer Sraddha or rites to the depated, Ravana during Dusshera.
“While the people throughout the country celebrate Dussehra, an occasion marking the triumph of good over evil, a section of about 100 families believed to be descendants of Ravana, mourn the death of the demon king. These families of Dave, Godha and Srimal clans settled in different localities of the walled city do not celebrate the occasion, instead they mourn and observe post cremation rituals after burning the effigies of Ravana, kumbhkarna and Meghnaad. It is said that people migrated from Sri Lanka in Jodhpur, Phalodi and some places in Gujarat belong to the Ravana’s clans and his extended family. Till recently these community people used to observe mourning and related rituals collectively but of late they have started to observe the same at individual level. Families of these clans also perform the “Shraadh karma” (death anniversary) of the demon king on 10th day during the Pitra Paksha (first fortnight of Ashwin month of India Vikram Calendar), Akshya Jyotish Research Centre Head Kamlesh Dave said. “We do consider Ravana a learned pundit and a devotee of Lord Shiva. A Ravana Temple has been constructed in the Amarnath Temple premises in Chandpol locality here in which Ravana is shown worshipping Lord Shiva,” Mr Dave said.
There are some variations in the narrations among them.
Most notable among them, I thought was the one, which states that it was not the real Sita but Maya Sita.
But, Mandodari, who is considered to be a Chaste woman and kept on par with Arundhathi, Vasishta’s wife as a model of Faithful wives got married to Vibhishana, after Ravanas’ death, at the instance of Lord Rama.
Queen Mandodari and the women of Lanka mourning the death of Ravana. Bas-relief of 9th century Prambanan temple, Java, Indonesia
This is from the Rama charita Manas by Tulsidas.
Mandodari was considered as one among the Pachkanya who were known for their chastity.
Ahalyā draupadi kuntī tārā mandodari tathā
pañcakanyā smarenityaṃ mahapātaka nāśanaṃ
Remembering ever the virgins five –Ahalya, Draupadi, Kunti, Tara and Mandodari
Destroys the greatest of sins.
“After the death of Ravana, Rama advises Vibhishana to take Mandodari as his wife, even though he already has a wife. A theory suggests that Ravana’s race may have had matrilineal families and thus, to restore order in the kingdom after Ravana’s death, it was necessary for Vibhishana to marry the reigning queen to get the right to rule.[13] Another theory suggests it may be a non-Aryan custom to marry the reigning queen.[12] The marriage between Mandodari and Vibhishana is purely an “act of statesmanship”, rather than a marriage based on their “mutual sexual interference”.[13]Mandodari may have agreed to marry Vibhishana, her younger brother-in-law, as this would lead the kingdom to prosperity and stability as allies of Rama’s Ayodhya, and she would continue to have a say in governance.[12] Another reason for the marriage is as an alternative to suicide for the widowed Mandodari, which is averted by Rama.
Adbuda Ramayana states that Mandodari was the Mother of Sita.
The Adbhuta Ramayana narrates: Ravana used to store the blood of sages he killed in a large pot. The sage Gritsamada was practicing penance to acquire the goddess Lakshmi as his daughter. He stored milk from Darbha grass and purified it with mantras in a pot so that Lakshmi would inhabit it. Ravana poured the milk from this pot into his blood pot. Mandodari is frustrated seeing the evil deeds of Ravana, so she decides to commit suicide by drinking the contents of the blood-pot, which is described to be more poisonous than poison. Instead of dying, Mandodari gets pregnant with the incarnation of Lakshmi due to the power of Gritsamada’s milk. Mandodari buries the foetus inKurukshetra, where it is discovered by Janaka, who named her Sita.
Valmiki’s Ramayana does not say anything to this effect.
As I have been going through the Original Texts of Indian Epics, especially the Ramayana, I have across some facts which I am unable to reconcile with geographical locations.
Valmiki states clearly that Hanuman jumped from Mahenra Parvatha.
( I found an answer relating to the place from where Hanuman jumped for Lanka, here the answer was Hanuman did not jump but walked over!
This information is incorrect.
Valmiki states in Sundara Kanda,
”
niilalohitamaaJNjishhThapatravarNaiH sitaasitaiH |
svabhaavavihitaishchitrairdhaatubhiH samalaMkR^itam ||5-1-5
kaamaruupibhiraavishhTamabhiikshNaM saparichchhidaiH |
yakshakinnaragandharvairdevaklpaishcha pannagaiH ||5-1-6
sa tasya girivaryasya tale naagavaraayute |
tishhThan kapivarastatra hrade naaga ivaababhau ||5-1-7
5,6,7. saH= that, kapivaraH= great monkey, babhau= shone, naagaH iva= like an elephant, hrade= in a lake, tishhThan= being located, tasya girivarasya= on that great mountain’s, tale= foot, naagavaraayute= which had best of elephants, tatra= there, samalaMkR^itam= was decorated by, svabhaavavihitaiH= naturally formed, dhaatubhiH= mineral rocks, chitraiH= of varied hues, sitaasitaiH= (like) black and white, niilalohitamaaJNjishhThapatravarNaiH= blue, red, yellow, leaf color (green), abhiikshNam aavishhTam= surrounded to a great extent by, yakshakinnaragandharvaiH= Yakshas- Kinnaras-Gandharvas, kaamaruupibhiH= who could assume desired form, saparichchhadaiH= together with their families, cha deva kalpaiH pannagaiH= and godly serpents.
That great monkey Hanuma shone like an elephant in a lake, standing on the foot of that great mountain by the name of Mahendra, where many elephants of good breed resided, which was beautifully decorated with many naturally formed mineral rocks of varied hue like black, white, red, blue, yellow and green and which was surrounded by godly serpents and Yakshas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas who were capable of assuming desired form, together with their families.(Verse 8,Sundara Kanda, Sarga 1)
The problem is that Iam unable to find the Mountain in India, save for a refernce to Tirukurungudi in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, South India. The taluk of Thirukurungudi isNanguneri and it belongs to Nanguneri Assembly. At the foothills of the Western Ghats and 40 km to the North of Cape Comerin.
This is reported to be the place from Hanuman jumped for Lanka.
Another one is near Rameswaram, where Rama’feet, Ramar Padam, are found with Sugreeva’s Temple.
Both these refernces do not seem to meet with the description of Valmiki.
There is yet another mahendragiri found in Odisha.
There is also the theory that there was an island off the Narmada River.
This could be the Lankaof Ramayana!
“n an article “The Antiquity of Rama’s Era”, in the journal Prachya Pratibha
(published by Prachya Niketan, a Birla sponsored institution in Bhopal),
Vol. 11-1, 1982[?], the author, R.L. Gupta, a retired engineer and
government secretary, says, that for India’s geography to match that
described in the Ramayana, particularly the existence of the ‘hundred yojana
sea’, the Ramayana era must have been at that time in the geological past
when a lake, large enough to be described by that phrase and abutting the
Vindhyan mountain range where it is described in the Ramayana and is
accepted by geologists as having existed… in the Narmada valley. He
identifies Lanka as an Island in that Narmada lake, now Bagra hill. He also
re-identifies several other places in the the Ramayana by correlating
geographical features and present place names; Chitrakuta, Panchvati (where
Sita was abducted), the Pampawati river, Kishkindha, Mahendra Parvata,
Trikuta Parvata, Rameshwaram, Pampa lake, Kishyamuka, Pravarsan, Mynaka and
Suvela Parvatas, Dhawalgiri and the Setu (bridge) built by Rama… all in
locations in present Madhya Pradesh.
According to the author of the article, Reva Khanda of Skandha Purana speaks
of a big lake or sea in the Narmada valley and that modern fossil finds in
the area substantiate this. He refers to the Madhya Pradesh Chronicle of May
23, 1982 and to an article in the Times of India, June 20, 1982. Geologists
believe in the existence of an ancient lake existing till the middle or late
Pleistocene extending from about the town of Harda, District Hoshangabad in
the west to about the town of Jabalpur M.P. in the east, a distance of over
320 km. At places it was over 300 meters deep and 65 km wide — enough to
appear as a ‘sagar’.
He refers to a book ‘Lanka ki khoj’ which lists many past attempts by
various authors to identifiy the ‘true’ location of Lanka (including,
outside India: Sumatra, the Maldives, Lakshadwip, Liggadwip, 800 miles into
the Indian ocean, Lanka (the present Sri Lanka) and Australia (!), and
within the boundaries of India: Assam, Rekanpalli, between the Godavari and
Krishna rivers, near Maheshwar, near Jabalpur, Amarkantak and near Pendra in
Bilaspur district, M.P. The book’s author (Hiralal Shukla), himself suggests
the Godavari delta as the location of Lanka.
According to Ramayana, Lanka was located on Trikuti Parvata close to
Dhawlagiri surrounded by the hundred yojana sea and in a area where Sal
trees grew (the trees used both by both Hanuman and his followers and Ravana
and company in the Ramaa-Ravana battle). The article describes Bagra hill as
close to and a little west of Pachmarhi Hill, district Hoshangabad, Madhya
Pradesh. Pachmarhi hill is identified in the respected reference book
‘Castes and Tribes of the Central Provinces’ as Dhawlagiri. The article’s
author refers to Survey of India (SOI) topographical map 55 F/14 showing
three hill tops on Bagra Hill at longitude 78° E. It marks the beginning of
a region extending east to Chota Nagpur and south almost to Bhadrachalam on
the Godavari. It also is in a Sal area.
The author says (plausibly), that the phrase “hundred yojana sea” has more
than one interpretation: that it was only a general expression to create the
impression of ‘large size’. In at least one Bhagavatam verse (5.16.23)
‘hundred yojanas’ appears to be used in this way.
It is long ago that I read the complete Ramayan (and would not have
remembered such details in any case) but according to the article, the
Ramayan indicates the sagar as lying along the Vindhya mountain range,
citing that Swanyaprabha, while escorting Hanuman and other Vanaras out of
the tunnel in those mountains, pointed out that they were on Mahendragiri
and that the expanse of water below was the Sagara. Jatayu’s brother Sampati
also indicated the Sagara as the location of the island of Trikuta parvata
with Lanka on it.
The article claims that the geography described in the Ramayana establishes
the antiquity of Rama’s era. The Mynaka Parvata which Hanuman used in his
leap — in geological terms the ‘Vindhyan geosyncline’ (‘uplifted trough’),
came up from the sea. In Rama’s ancestor Bhagtratha’s time, Bhagiratha had
to work hard to bring the Ganga river to the plains. In his father Dilip’s
time, it was confined to the mountains. The Ramayana, also shows that in
Bhagiratha’s ancestor Sagar’s time the river Saryu, which at present flows
southwards, flowed northwards. These changes and events had their causes in
the rise of land masses and the last such land rise of any magnitude in
India is reported by the geologists to have been associated with the
uplifting of the Himalayas in late pleistocene to early recent times. The
drying up of the Saraswati River is another instance… attributed to the
rising up of the Sivalik Himalaya foothills.
Regarding the Setu, causeway, the “bridge”, the topography map of the once
Narmada lake bed shows a formation compatible with its having once been a
setu from near the present town of Hosangabad to about the town of Itarsi
and to the Bagra hill, just where the lake is narrowest. The level of this
formation is fifty metres higher than those of the neighbouring areas.
Furthermore, based on bore hole drillings, the rock in this formation is
different from surrounding rock: It is black basalt, as compared to anything
but black basalt for many kilometres on either side. The floating stone,
presumably pumice, used by Hanuman and the monkeys has the same origin as
black basalt, namely lava flows and is formed by the solidifying froth on
the surface of glassy lava. There is the significant description in Ramayan
that the sea started boiling as soon as Rama but an arrow to his bow. This
could be due to submarine volcanic activity. Furthermore, there is a place
presently known as Bandrabhan which the author points out sounds very much
like “Vänara Bandh”, or the “Bandh (Setu) built by the Vanaras”. The author
says that there is no basalt south of Bombay (Panaji region) except an
isolated flow at Rajamundry, A.P.
According to the Ramayana Hanuman crossed the Sagara by jumping from
Mahendra Parvata north of Lanka. Lord Caitanya visited a Mahendra Parvata
after visiting Madurai and before visiting Setubandha, Dhanus-tirtha,
Ramesvara, the Tamraparni River, Sri Vaikuntham and Kanya-kumari — all in
South India. But Lord Balaram, “after finishing His bathing and ritualistic
ceremonies at Gangasagara, proceeded toward the mountain known as Mahendra
Parvata. After this He turned toward southern India and visited the banks of
the river Godavari” indicating this Mahendra Parvat to be in North India.
The author of the article refers to a hill Mahendra shown on governemt maps
today in the Vindhyan range in the Ken river basin at latitude 23° N, 79° E
and suggests, based on the time Lord Rama took to travel between the places
He visited, that it is the Mahendra parvat of the Ramayana — north of the
Bagra hill and almost at the edge of the Narmada lake.
Ramayana describes the rising of Mynaka parvata from the sagar to assist
Hanuman in his jump over it. The Vindhyas arose from the ocean over 500
million years ago. The author suggests the likelihood that the rise of the
Vindhyan trough coincided with Hanuman’s jump. The uplifted trough has a
break where Hanuman crossed it.
There is anotherview.
The Mahedra Pavatha city is found in, of all places, Cambodia.
And to add to this confusion, the Trikuta Parvatha from where Hanuman is reported to have jumped from Lanka to India is found in Kashmir.
Please read my post Hanuman to Lanka, distance controversy.
”
A lost city that thrived on a mist-shrouded Cambodian mountain 1,200 years ago has been discovered by archaeologists using airborne laser technology, Sydney Morning Herald reported on Saturday in a world exclusive.
Over two dozen temple sites have been discovered on the site, which is thought to have been built around 802 AD when the Angor Empire was founded.
It is believed to be the lost city of Mahendraparvata, located on a misty mountain called Phnom Kulen deep in the hinterland of Cambodia. It was thought to be built 350 years before the famed Angor Wat. A journalist and photographer from the newspaper accompanied the expedition, led by a French-born archaeologist, through the landmine-strewn jungle in the Siem Reap region where Angkor Wat is located.
It is said that when Ravana tried to enter the Himalayas, the abode of Shiva, the Lord’s faithful attendant, Nandi, stopped him in his tracks. Infuriated, Ravana called Nandi a monkey. Nandi in return gave Ravana a curse that monkeys would destroy him and his kingdom. In order to uphold Nandi’s dignity, Shiva took the form of the vanara, Hanuman.
This hill believed to be the birthplace of Hanuman is located in the center of Anegondiarea. You can see this hill from the Hampi side of the river as you trek along the Kampa Bhups’s (the riverside trek) Path.
* There is a cotroversy on this.Hanuman is reported to have been born near Nasik,Anjeri.
At the top of the hill is the temple dedicated for Hanuman, the monkey god.
The temple door is always kept closed (to prevent the cheeky monkeys enter inside, though it’s their General’s temple!). All are allowed inside. Just keep in mind the basic etiquettes needed in a prayer area, if you are new to a Hindu temple. The priest may offer holy water and the vermilion colored powder Hindus wear on their forehead.
The icon of Hanuman is carved on the rock. Also is the small shrine for Rama and his consort Sita inside the temple.
The way to the hilltop is stepped. It’s quite a climb.
There are no shops at the top. So bring water, snacks etc from the base.
There are a few small stalls down selling drinks and snacks.
From Hampi you can come to this place by first crossing the river by the coracle.
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