(Extra Credit) Reading Notes: Ravana Leela Part C 9-12

 The Ravana Leela by Radha Viswanath: Chapters 9-12

Notes: I have collected quotes I found important or noteworthy. Since my storybook revolves around the relationship of the siblings, I collect quotes showing their relationship. I thought their nicknames for each other were really cute. 

Chapter 9:

This chapter begins with Dashagreeva worrying and watching over his mother, Kaikasi, who has fallen into a dream-state. He knows he has something to do with her dreams because she keeps muttering his pet name "Shamuloo." He feels guilty for this reason, although he does not understand how he is connected. We learn that while Kumbhakarna and Dashagreeve find ritualistic procedures and lessons on scriptural messages grueling, Vibheeshana enjoyed them. Dashagreeva observes the relationship between his mothers, Kaikasi and Devaparni, who cares for Kaikasi with the aid of Shurpanakha. Kaikasi wakes and tells Dashagreeva she has to tell him something. She talks to him for a long time, and he leaves her room without a word. 

Quotes:

"References to his sister were also frequent. These gave Dashagreeva the impression that his mother worried for his sister. It was true that she was wilful and sometimes at odds with herself. But she was amenable to discipline. She obeyed Devaparni without question, because she held her in such awe. She also loved her mother dearly in her own way. Surpanakha had implicit faith in Dashagreeva and his sense of fairness. The brother would go to great lengths to make his sister happy."

"Dashamukha asked if they too had heard janani muttering chants. ‘How would I know? She just mumbles; makes incoherent sounds. And that is because she is unwell. We must not pay much heed to any of it,’ Kumbhakarna said. Vibheeshana, on the other hand, said that he had noticed some repetitiveness in janani’s mutterings and added: ‘It will do her soul a lot of good and all her sins could be absolved because of this.’ Dashamukha let the pompousness of the remark pass and suggested that they should all be more alert when watching over their mother, because her condition had improved significantly in the past few days."

Chapter 10:

Dashagreeva disappears, his siblings go to find him. He confesses what his mother told him to Kumbhakarna. They learn their mother is a rakshasa. "She is in fact a rakshasa kanya. Her father was a king on earth before he was forced underground by the devas. There was a war between the devas and rakshasas in which that double-dealing Vishnu led the devas and vowed to finish the rakshasa race. It was an unfair war that the scheming Vishnu waged, flouting all rules of fairplay. Our grandfather, a brave and noble person, was forced to retreat to the Naga-loka to save the women of the family."

We learn that Kaikasi came to Lanka to restore power to her father and hopes that her children will achieve this. She says they are not ready yet, but have potential. In order to succeed, they must master their meditave and concentration skills that they struggle with. They also must go up against their half-brother, Kuber, which Kumbhakarna feels is wrong and unethical.  They ask their younger brother Vibhishana to tutor them in spirituality. 

Quotes:

"Thank god we found you!’ exclaimed Kumbhakarna as he dropped down heavily beside Dashagreeva. Vibheeshana, who was just a couple of paces behind him, came round and sat on the other side of his eldest brother. ‘You have been missing the entire day and matru shree has been very worried,’ he said accusingly."

"Bhrata, I can see that something is bothering you. Please share it with me. Together, we can overcome any hurdle, you know that,’ he said, placing his arm around his brother’s shoulders. Dashagreeva was more than willing to unburden his heart, secure in the knowledge that Kumbhakarna would respect the confidentiality of the information and also come up with constructive and helpful suggestions. ‘You know, janani woke up long before dawn and spoke to me at length about various things. She was not rambling, mind you. She was fully in control of her senses. She knew what she was saying and what she wanted. She shared with me the central issue that was at the core of her recent sickness. I have been mulling over her words all day. I appreciate the gravity of her words, but am at a loss as to how we can achieve her goal.’ ‘Go on, tell me all the details and I am sure we will find a way of doing whatever it is that needs to be done.’ ‘It is rather complicated and confusing. So listen carefully..."

"In fact, the three of us remind janani of her father and his two brothers, in terms of temperament. I, according to her, am like her eldest uncle—in holding that the end justifies the means, and going head on at it without caring for consequences. You resemble her father, being more balanced and with an eye for justice above everything else, and Vibheeshana is like her youngest uncle, with his excessive emphasis on what is theoretically correct and in accordance with the dharma shastras,’ he paused reflectively. ‘And what about our sister?’ Kumbhakarna was curious. ‘Surpanakha reminds janani of her eldest cousin sister…her name she said was “Anala”… Wilful and always wanting to have everything her way,’ Dashagreeva said with a short laugh."

"Kumbha, do you remember the time when the two of us used to be ridiculed by all the boys who came here to learn from pitru shree? I was laughed at for having so many heads and hands and you for your large ears. We went crying to pitru shree and complained about it. He fixed it immediately, remember?’ ‘Yes, I remember…he just held my head between his two hands and chanted silently for a while and I felt my ears shrinking. At the end of it, he told me that my acute sense of hearing would not be affected by my ears becoming a normal size.’ ‘And what he did with me was even more amazing. He held me tight by my shoulders and told me to concentrate with him. I sat in front of him with my eyes fixed on his tilak. Slowly, one by one, nine of my ten heads dissolved, and the same happened with nine pairs of my arms. But I did not lose them. They are all there, inside me somewhere and they will come out when I want them or need them. Meanwhile, my ability to think with ten different minds, examining each issue from ten different aspects at the same time, has remained with me."

"Dashagreeva came up with an idea. ‘Listen, Kumbha, while the two of us ran away from pitru shree’s practical training, Vibheeshana was a diligent pupil and learnt all those skills. I have heard pitru shree speak highly of Vibhee’s achievements on this score. We can ask him to train us, without telling him why we want to learn them now…’ His younger brother cut him short. ‘We will have to give some reason, which, if not the whole truth, will still not be a lie. Let us tell Vibhee we want to learn the science and art of meditation because we want to do tapasya. We will tell him that we want to do tapasya to please god and secure boons, as did Kuber and our grandfathers. Then he can also be with us and be a guide, if we encounter a problem or hitch.’ ‘Kumbha, don’t tell me that we have to do tapasya to please that double-crossing devil, Vishnu. I will not be able to endure it."

Chapter 11:

This chapter begins with a frustrated Dashagreeva being short with his younger brothers. Kumbhakarna chastises him for taking it out on Vibheeshana who was only following their orders and trying to help. I liked this scene because it paints a portrait of how the author envisions her characters' relationship. The three brothers have been away from home for 10 years, trying to learn tapasya, a strong meditation that leads to self-realization, which would allow them to access their inner powers. Dashagreeva reveals he misses home, and Shurpanakha, their little sister. He decides it is time to tell Vibhishana the truth about why they want to master tapasya. They also realize their father probably knows all about their mother and what they are trying to do. The truth is revealed. The boys are children of Vishravasu, grandsons of Pulastya, thus are Brahmins. But they have rakshasa blood from their mother's side of the family. Their mother was from "an illustrious line of rakshasas descending directly from Brahma." Their mother was sent to their father to bear children at the command of her father, because "their blood would make them Brahmin rakshasa, who would be physically strong enough to stand devas and mentally equipped to foresee and counter the deceitful ways of the devas in war." Dashagreeva shares this with Vibhishana, but leaves out the part where they must regain control of Lanka from their half-brother Kuber. Even so, Vibhishana is skeptical. He says that this is his mother's point of view, but not the full story. But he vows to help his brothers and stand by their side, so long as they do not "transgress the boundaries of dharma, for dharma is sacred and must prevail."

They decide to work harder to achieve tapasya. Dashagreeva comes up with an idea, and asks his brothers to perform with him one yagna for the 10 years of tapsya they did. They must collect "the wood necessary to invoke agni" and make an offering. Vibhishana does not understand what they have to offer, but does not argue with his eldest brother. Kumbhakarna agrees as well, though he suspects Dashagreeva is up to something. They get ready to make the offering,, the younger two on edge because they don't know what they have to offer. Suddenly, Dashagreeva draws his sword and attempts to cut off his own head. Kumbha trys to stop him, but he resists. "Do not stop me, Kumbha. I have nine more heads. Pitru shree said they would come out when I needed them. I believe him. Even if that does not come true and I lose my life in the process, I would consider my life well-spent. The two of you can continue on the journey we have embarked upon. I pray that you succeed and bring joy to janani" Then he chops off his head, which falls into the offering fire. 

Quotes:

"Frustration was writ large on the faces of all three brothers. Dashagreeva was pacing up and down, his irritation showing in every muscle and sinew of his body. Once in a while he would glare at his two brothers, silently accusing them for the situation on hand. Kumbhakarna ignored his elder brother and his angry glares, but Vibheeshana cringed every time he felt his brother’s eyes on him. With Kumbhakarna not showing any reaction to his anger, Dashagreeva shifted his focus to his youngest brother, whose discomfiture increased manifold with every accusing look thrown at him. Kumbhakarna felt sorry for Vibheeshana and decided to take matters into hand. He sat up straight and looked directly at his elder brother. ‘Bhrata, that is enough. Getting angry is not going to solve anything. And why subject this young one to your pointless and irrational rage? What has he done?’ ‘What has he done?’ Dashagreeva mimicked Kumbhakarna’s tone with an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders and with eyebrows raised. ‘Wasn’t he supposed to be the master at tapasya and expected to guide us in this endeavour?’ ‘No!’ Kumbhakarna cut him short. ‘Vibhee was not supposed to be the “master” at tapasya. He is only better at it than the two of us. We all know that he has neither done tapasya on his own nor ever watched anyone do it. So, with advice from him, we have to devise our own methods to achieve our objective. Stop making him miserable and sit down. Once all of us become calmer in mind, we can think of a strategy.’ Dashamukha stopped mid-step on hearing his brother’s chastising words."

"Her name should have been “Chandramukhi”. She has such a lovely face…beautiful like the moon. But she is called “Surpanakha” because her nails are broad. Well, what is in a name, after all! Whatever her name, she is pretty, sweet, and above all, our loving little sister,’ Dashagreeva continued in his dreamy voice.‘You know, she deserves a much better life…the life of a queen. That is what I will give her, once we return home…find her a nice husband… it would be such a treat to see her happily married, possibly with children of her own.’ He paused for a moment. ‘She has a free spirit…a spirit that refuses to submit to rules and codes. Earlier, I used to wonder about this peculiar aspect in her. But now that I know the secret of our birth, it fits…I understand.’ Kumbhakarna and Vibheeshana both started—the elder one with concern that bhrata was disclosing information that was to be kept secret from the younger one and the youngest brother wondering if he had heard right, and that there was something that he did not know. ‘Bhrata…’ Kumbhakarna’s voice rang an alarm bell, even as he placed a warning hand on Dashagreeva’s arm. Placing his other hand reassuringly on Kumbhakarna’s, Dashagreeva smiled. ‘Do not worry, Kumbha. Vibhee should also know what we know.’ ‘Then, why…why…’ Kumbhakarna trailed off, unable to articulate his question. Dashagreeva smiled again. ‘Why did I insist on keeping it a secret from Vibhee?’ he completed the question, and acknowledging his brother’s half nod, proceeded to answer. ‘Vibhee believes in complete truthfulness. So, had he known our secret when we were still at home, he would have informed everyone about the purpose of our tapasya."

"I am your brother and will be with you through thick and thin. My only condition is that whatever we do, we must not transgress the boundaries of dharma. For, dharma is sacred and must prevail,’ he said. ‘Pompous little brat,’ thought Dashagreeva even as he nodded to show his agreement. ‘Well spoken, like a mature and balanced person,’ thought Kumbhakarna as he looked at his younger brother with eyes full of affection and admiration. ‘See bhrata, we tend to think of Vibhee as a child. But he has grown up into such a wise person,’ he said aloud. Dashamukha found it difficult to hide his impatience with his two brothers who spoke so highly of empty words like ‘dharma’. What good are these values if they deny you your rights, he thought to himself."

Chapter 12:

After Dashagreeva's sacrifice, the brothers wait for something to happen. (Ninety years go by, in which Dashagreeva sacrifices all of his head but his last?). Kumbhakarna suggests maybe they should be appealing to Shiva or Vishnu. Dashagreeva answers that "they do not deserve respect from anyone. One is a wimp and the other is a cheat." He says Shiva is mindless, causes problems for himself and requires saving by Vishnu. His problem with Vishnu is that Vishnu gave amrit to the devas instead of the rakshasas, making him a cheat. Vibhishana defends Vishnu, saying he did what was fair, impressing Kumbha with his wisdom. 

Quotes:

An interesting conversation between the younger brothers: "Kumbhakarna’s admiration for his younger brother grew by leaps and bounds. He had never credited his meek-looking and soft-mannered brother with such profundity. Once again he glanced at Dashagreeva to gauge his reaction. He sat like a stone, showing no sign that he had even heard what was being said. Kumbhakarna decided to pose another question to Vibheeshana, but this time he sought to clear his own thinking rather than influence Dashamukha’s thinking. ‘You obviously think that our tapasya is wrong. Is that the reason why we are unable to achieve our objective despite such rigorous practice of austerities?’ Vibheeshana turned to face Kumbhakarna. ‘No bhrata, tapasya in itself is not wrong. What we seek to do with that power decides its merits and demerits. Have you not observed our pitru shree conduct austerities on a daily basis? That is also tapasya. He has powers that we have no idea about. He neither flaunts them nor uses them to achieve worldly objectives. His tapasya makes him wise; helps him achieve enlightenment on life itself; therefore that power goes to improve the world and make it a better place to live in. Tapasya that is used to the detriment of any other being or nature is destructive, and so can only have negative fallouts.’ ‘Tell me just one more thing, Vibhee. How would you rate Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva? Who is partial to whom and whom does each of them consider his enemies?’ Kumbhakarna asked. ‘We will fall into a trap and tie ourselves up in knots if we hold these three as three different entities. They are one and the same. Their distinction lies in the different aspects they signify. Consider this, bhrata—we see Brahma sitting in a lotus that arises out of Vishnu’s navel. So, logically, Brahma is Vishnu’s son. Or, you could say that Vishnu is Brahma’s father. But who is it that gives birth—mother or father? That is, Vishnu is not Brahma’s father, but mother. So what would you say is Vishnu’s gender—male or female? See! There is not even a gender distinction. It is the same god that creates, nurtures and demolishes. Depending upon the function being performed, god is known by a different name.’ ‘Will you both stop talking nonsense and get some sleep? We have to rise early and begin the last stage of our tapasya. The outcome will depend solely on our commitment and concentration. So I suggest that you calm your minds for easy repose,’ the eldest brother’s curt words put a stop to the conversation, which Kumbhakarna had enjoyed immensely. He marvelled at this hidden aspect of his younger brother and appreciated the deep wisdom in his words. His single thought as he stretched out flat on his back on the hard rock was that he should never be called upon to choose between dharma and filial loyalty. He knew that family loyalty would always rank first in his consideration, whatever the situation may be."