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Continued from yesterday’s instalment
 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.
orumai magaLirE pOlap perumayum
thanaaithaan koNdozhugin uNdu. (Kural 974)
“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)
More follows...
Hari Krishnan
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