Rama i Ravana su oličenje dobra i zla. Pošto smo slobodne duše sa mogućnošću izbora možemo odlučiti kome ćemo se prikloniti i koga štovati. Onaj koga hranimo, taj će pobijediti.
Danas je Ramacandra Vijayotsava, dan kada se slavi pobjeda Rame na Ravanom.
Ovdje je opis pobjede Rame nad Ravanom. Dolazi iz Ramajane i na engleskom je:
Lord Ram then ordered, "Matali,
drive quickly to where Ravan is staying, but at the same time be very
cautious."
Then, remembering that He was speaking to Indra's charioteer, Lord Ram felt
embarrassed and so He apologized, "I am very sorry to have instructed you
as if I were your master. It is just that I am eager to kill Ravan, so please
excuse My offense."
Matali was very touched by Lord Ram's wonderful display of humility. As he
maneuvered Indra's chariot close by Ravan's side, Lord Ram and his adversary
began to exchange arrows. Soon, the fighting became very intense. Clouds rained
blood upon Ravan's chariot, and a flock of vultures followed him from behind. A
huge meteor fell nearby and so all the Rakshasas (the monster clan) became
exceedingly despondent, while Ravan became convinced that he would soon die.
On the other hand, very pleasing signs appeared before Lord Ram, and so He
became convinced that victory would soon be His. In the duel that followed,
Lord Ram and Ravan gradually exhibited the entire wealth of their respective
prowess. The competition became so intense that both armies became stunned with
amazement. Indeed, all the soldiers stood motionless, just like paintings, and
because they were so absorbed in watching the fight, they did not even think of
attacking one another.
When Ravan tried to knock down Indra's flag, Lord Ram deflected his arrows with
His own. Then, because He was determined to match Ravan, blow for blow, Lord
Ram knocked down the Rakshasa King's flag. Ravan then pierced Indra's horses,
but when the celestial steeds did not even stagger, he became angry and
frustrated.
At last, Ravan resorted to the Rakshasa power of illusion to send forth
mace-clubs, huge shuriken-discs, trees, and mountain peaks. Lord Ramchandra was
able to counteract all these before they reached His chariot, and so they fell
upon the army of monkeys. Lord Ram and Ravan continued to dispatch thousands of
weapons at each other, and as they collided in the air, they fell down onto the
battlefield. In this way, the fighting continued for about an hour. Lord Ram
matched Ravan, blow for blow, while all created beings looked on, their minds
astonished with wonder.
Both drivers also displayed great skill. But, when the chariots came side by
side, Lord Ram forced Ravan's four horses to turn away by piercing them with
four arrows. This incited Ravan's anger, and so he repeatedly pierced Lord Ram
in retaliation. Lord Ram remained undisturbed, and thereafter, the exchange of
all varieties of weapons became so feverish, that the fighting that took place
was unparalleled in the history of warfare.
Sometimes Ravan fought in his ten-headed feature, and at other times he fought
in his normal form, having one head. On one occasion, Lord Ram managed to sever
Ravan's head with an arrow. But, as that head fell to the ground, a duplicate
one miraculously cropped up in its place. Lord Ram then severed that head, but
once again, another one immediately manifested itself as a replacement. Again
and again Lord Ram cut off Ravan's head, until, altogether one hundred such
heads lay on the battlefield.
Because each time a new head appeared to replace the old one, Lord Ram began to
wonder, "With these arrows I formerly killed Maricha, Khara and Viradha. I
pierced seven Sal trees and killed the invincible Vali. These arrows had
humbled great mountains and agitated the fathomless sea. How is it that they
are now ineffectual against Ravan?"
The duel continued at a furious pace. Both combatants were obsessed with the
desire for killing the other. In fact, several days and nights passed without
any break in the fighting.
At last, when Matali saw that Lord Ram was not gaining His desired victory, he
inquired, "Why are you simply fighting defensively? My Lord, are You not
aware of Your limitless potencies? The hour of doom has now arrived for the
King of the Rakshasas. Why don't You employ the divine brahmastra?" Being
thus reminded of this ultimate weapon, Lord Ram picked up the arrow that
Agastya Rishi had formerly given Him at the time of their meeting in the
Dandaka forest. That arrow had been constructed personally by Lord Brahma for Indra's
use, and later on it was presented to Agastya. Garuda supplied the feathers of
that wonderful arrow and the sharp head combined the energy of the Firegod,
Agni, and the Sungod. Mount Meru and Mount Mandara contributed their gravity to
the arrow's weight, and its shaft was made from the subtle ethereal element.
This brahmastra weapon was omnipotent and infallible, and its dazzling
effulgence made it rival the splendor of the sun. After empowering the
brahmastra with the required mantras, Lord Ram placed it upon His bowstring. As
the monkeys gazed upon that flaming arrow, their hearts became filled with
delight, while a dreadful fear penetrated the cores of the hearts of all the
Rakshasas.
As Lord Ram pulled the bowstring back to His ear, the earth trembled and the
heavens also appeared to become disturbed. When Lord Ram released the
brahmastra, it sped through the air like death itself, and then violently fell
upon the chest of the wicked Ravan. After piercing right through the King of
the Rakshasa's heart, that effulgent arrow entered deep into the earth, taking
his sinful life along with it. As that awesome brahmastra came and re-entered
Lord Ram's quiver, Ravan dropped the bow from his hand and fell down dead from
his chariot.
With great, transcendental ecstasy, the monkey warriors loudly proclaimed Lord
Ram's victory as they attacked the fleeing Rakshasa army. From the sky, the
demigods shouted, "Sadhu! Sadhu!" ("Well done!
Excellent!"), as they completely covered Lord Ram's chariot with showers
of flowers, and beat upon their celestial drums.
Now that Ravan was dead at last, the demigods and great rishis felt blessed
relief and a peace of mind that they had not enjoyed for a long time. A cool
and gentle, fragrant breeze began to blow, and the sun spread its rays very
serenely, so that happiness seemed to pervade all directions. Sugriv, Angad,
Vibhishan and Lakshman were the first to come and pay their homage unto Lord
Ram. But, when Vibhishan saw his elder brother lying dead upon the ground, he broke
down and cried in an outburst of intense grief. Meanwhile, news of Ravan's
death spread throughout the inner apartments of the royal palace. Ravan's wives
came out of the city and entered the battlefield, their hair disheveled and
dress and ornaments in disarray. Overcome by unbearable grief and wailing
aloud, some of the women rolled in the dust like madwomen, while others went
and embraced different parts of Ravan's dead body.
Crying out, "O my lord! O my husband!" one of the ladies hung around
Ravan's neck, while others clutched at his feet, rubbed his wounded chest,
threw up their arms in despair or fainted away, being unable to bear the grief.
Amidst the sounds of loud wailing, these lamentations were heard: "Oh,
dear husband, by ignoring our good advice, as well as that given by Vibhishan,
you have brought about your destruction. Now that you are dead, our lives are
also finished, for the wife has no other support than her husband. This is the
inevitable end for such a cruel and hardhearted person like you. Who else would
have dared to kidnap Sita and keep her by force, against her will?"
Ravan's favorite queen, Mandodari, lamented, "My dear husband, even though
you were so powerful, you could not stand before Lord Ram. You were too proud
because of your acquired prowess, and so you became a great burden for the
earth. You foolishly could not understand that it was Lord Vishnu Himself who
had descended upon the earth as Lord Ram, in order to relieve her of that
burden."
"O Ravan, your sinful passion for Sita has turned out to be the cause for
the destruction of all the Rakshasas. You always masqueraded as a great hero,
but you were actually proven to be a coward when you deceitfully kidnapped
Sita. Still, despite your abominable character, I do not see how I shall be
able to go on living in your absence." Finally, Mandodari fainted with her
head upon Ravan's chest. Her co-wives then lifted her up and revived her. At
this time, Lord Ram ordered Vibhishan, "You should begin the funeral rites
for your elder brother without further delay. Only after the cremation of
Ravan's body will it be possible to comfort his widows."
Vibhishan replied, "I do not want to perform the funeral ceremonies for a
man who kidnapped the wives of others, who was merciless and tyrannical, and
who was inclined toward irreligion. Of course, Ravan was my elder brother, and
so it is my duty to respect him. But, on the other hand, because his actions
were like those of an enemy, I feel that he does not deserve my worship."
Lord Ram said, "Vibhishan, I approve of your words because they uphold the
cause of virtue. Still, I would like you to cremate your brother's body. After
all, despite his faults, Ravan was a great hero. And, it is a fact, that with
the death of his body, all hostilities have now ended." Vibhishan went
inside the city to make arrangements for Ravan's funeral. After bringing his
maternal grandfather, Malyavan, Vibhishan placed Ravan's body on the funeral
carrier and then proceeded, along with other Rakshasas who carried the
firewood. Going toward the south, the party arrived at a consecrated place
where they cremated Ravan's body according to the Vedic injunctions.
Thereafter, Ravan's wives were consoled, and then everyone returned to Lanka.
