It is impossible for strong and energetic people to keep
quiet and silent! Arrogance of power and strength do not allow them any peace
of mind. They would be impelled to show their strength and power on others. If
such people are granted boons by Gods,
their arrogance knows no bounds.
That is what we see in the stories of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu who
perished by their arrogance and
inveterate enmity with Lord Vishnu! How rightly has Adi Sankara described the
plight of such proud and arrogant people!
“ ma kuru dhana
jana youvana garvam harathi
nimeshath kalam sarvam’-----All this
pride of money, people and youth are wiped out by time!
With
innumerable boons to his credit granted by Brahma and lord Siva and
deathlessness from anything from heaven
and earth, Ravana’s ego bloated like a
balloon destined, of course, to blow up soon! He began conquering all lokas. He
defeated Indra, Yama, Varuna and kubera his own brother and confiscated the
divine Pushpaka Vimana! He obducted many
beautiful women irrespective of their status. On account of these unethical
acts he was cursed by many but he never cared and took them casually in his
stride! Whenever Ravana heard of a king or commoner more
powerful than him, he would challenge him for a fight. His utter humiliation in
the hands of Karthviryarjuna, king of Mahishmathi city did not teach him a
lesson! He forgot it too soon and was ready to fight again!
In
his search for an enemy equal or more powerful, Ravana entered the Vanara
Kingdom of Kishkinda ruled by the mighty King VALI. He challenged him to
fight! Vali’s minister and father in law said that Vali was away to offer ‘
sandhyavandana’at the four seas! He would be arriving shortly and can be the
exact match for Ravana’s strength and power! The minister pointed to a heap
nearby and said that the white pieces there are the bones of people who came to
fight with Vali! He directed Ravana to go to the sea in the south if he wanted to
challenge Vali immediately! Poor Ravana
had no knowledge of the might and prowess of the monkey king Vali!
Ravana
abused the minister and left by his Pushpaka Vimana to the sea in the south
with the hope of accosting vali face to
face. He saw the mighty , radiant king of Kishkinda immersed in performing the
rituals—prayer to goddess Gayathri and the SunGod! Getting down from his
Pushpaka Vimana, Ravana ran stealthily to catch Vali.
Meanwhile, Vali too saw Ravana running towards him and stood unperturbed. He
did not care for the presence of Ravana like a lion before a rabbit or Garuda
before a snake! He stood silent and thought of teaching Ravana a very good
lesson by catching him in his armpit and drenching him in the waters of the
four seas!
Slowly and
steadily Ravana came nearer and nearer to Vali but he remained nonchalant.
Suddenly Vali caught Ravana in his armpit and flew into the sky with tremendous
speed! Ravana ‘s ministers were stunned
at the turn of events. They could not follow Vali and Ravana as they were
totally exhausted. Vali took Ravana to all the four seas, drenched him
completely, and after finishing his rituals returned to Kishkinda. He let
Ravana down from his armpit and mocked at him saying, “Oh! Ravana, I didn’t see
you, When did you come?”
Ravana was utterly humiliated and his face turned red with
anger and shame! This sad experience was before he began his fight with Vali!
He imagined the dire consequence of fighting Vali directly! He thanked heaven
for not fighting with Vali! He complimented Vali for his amazing and incredible
strength and indomitable courage in carrying him over the four seas and
drenching him! His speed in flying was equal to that of manas, Vayu, and Garuda,
the king of birds. Ravana accepted his defeat and became friends with Vali!
After a stay for a month, Ravana left Kishkinda for Lanka with his
ministers!
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