रावण संहार (rāvaṇa saṃhāra – ravana’s destruction)

     Again, take the case of रावण (rāvaṇa), the  महा असूर (mahā asūra – great demon) who confronted श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra) by abducting his beloved consort सीता देवी(sītā devī. Here, right at the beginning, रावण (rāvaṇa) had realized that श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra) who he was planning to confront, was none other than महा विभव अवतार (mahā vibhava avatāra – supreme incarnation) of श्री महा विष्णु (śrī mahā viṣṇu) the पर ब्रह्म (para brahma – absolute divnity).

    This fact is testified by  महऋषि व्यास (mahaṛṣi vyāsa) in the following verses from the आरण्य काण्डम् (āraṇya kāṇḍam) in the अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam), wherein रावण (rāvaṇa) contemplates thus when he heard the complaint of his sister सूर्पनख (sūrpanakha) about her mutilation by श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra) and his brother

Original	Transliteration	Translation
यद्वा न रामो मनुजः परेशो मां हन्तुकामः सबलं बलौघैः। स्मप्रर्थितोऽयं द्रहिणोने पूर्वं मनुष्यरूपोऽद्य् रघोः कुलेऽभूत्॥ वध्यो यदि स्यां प्रमात्म्नाहं वैकुण्ठराज्यं परिपालयेऽहम्। नो चोदिदं राक्षसराज्यमेव मोक्षेये चिरं रामामतो व्रजामि॥ इत्थं विचिन्त्याखिलराक्षसेन्द्रो रामं विदित्वा परमेश्वरं हरिम्। विरोध्बुद्धथैव हरिं प्रयामि द्रु तं न भवक्त्या भग्वान् प्रसिदेत्॥	yadvā na rāmo manujaḥ pareśo māṁ hantukāmaḥ sabalaṁ balaughaiḥ| smaprarthito'yaṁ drahiṇone pūrvaṁ manuṣyarūpo'dy raghoḥ kule'bhūt|| vadhyo yadi syāṁ pramātmnāhaṁ vaikuṇṭharājyaṁ paripālaye'ham| no codidaṁ rākṣasarājyameva mokṣeye ciraṁ rāmāmato vrajāmi|| itthaṁ vicintyākhilarākṣasendro rāmaṁ viditvā parameśvaraṁ harim| virodhbuddhathaiva hariṁ prayāmi dru taṁ na bhavaktyā bhagvān prasidet||	In all probability, Rama many not be a mere man. He may be that Supreme Being, who has assumed a human form in the line of the Raghus, and come with his forces to destroy me with my army, as implored by Brahma in the days of old. If I am killed by the Supreme Self, I shall reign in the Supreme Realm of Vaikuntha. If I am not killed, I shall be enjoying this realm of the Rakshasas for a long time. So I am going to oppose Rama.” Reflecting this way, the Lord of the Rakshasa concluded that Rama must be Hari, the Supreme Lord, and resolved within himself, “I shall attain to Him, through the atitude of confrontation; for the Lord soes not reveal Himself quickly by ordinary forms of Bhakti (devotion). Translation by Swamy Tapasyananda (RKM Order)
Sanskrit Reference: अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam) (5.59-61)

    The important point for us to understand is that, the all these episodes are are of a greater design, in other words, a  beautifully dramatized ब्रह्म लीला (brahma līlā - divine play). For example, it has been pre-destined by ब्रह्म संकल्प (brahma saṁkalpa) of Lord महा विष्णु (mahā viṣṇu) Himself, that his two trusted द्वारापाला (dvārāpālā - gatekeeprs) at श्री वैकुण्ठ (śrī vaikuṇṭha) viz. जय (jaya) & विजय (vijaya), would be born repeatedly thrice in the असुर वंश (asura vaṁśa – demonic race) and in each birth would reach me back through विद्वेश भक्ति (vidveśa bhakti – confrontational devotion) as testified in the following verses of श्रीदेवीभगवतमहापुराण (śrīdevībhagavatamahāpurāṇa)

Original	Transliteration	Translation
श्री भगवान् उवाच एतौ सुरेतर्गातं प्रतिपद्यासद्यः संरम्भसम्भृतसमाध्यनुबद्धयोगौ। भुयः सकाश्मुप्यास्यत आशु यो वः शापो मयैव निमितस्तदैवत विप्राः॥	śrī bhagavān uvāca etau suretargātaṁ pratipadyāsadyaḥ saṁrambhasambhṛutasamādhyanubaddhayogau| bhuyaḥ sakāśmupyāsyata āśu yo vaḥ śāpo mayaiva nimitastadaivata viprāḥ||	The Bhagavan said: These attendants will soon be born in the species of Asuras, noted for their antagonism to the Devas. There they will develop intense antagonism towards Me, and as a consequence their mind will get concentrated on Me through confrontation, which will help them to come back to me very quickly. Know that you happened to curse them, because I willed so. Translation by Swamy Tapasyananda (RKM Order)
Sanskrit Reference: श्रीदेवीभगवतमहापुराण (śrīdevībhagavatamahāpurāṇa) (3.16.26)

    Accordingly, जय (jaya) & विजय (vijaya) were born as हिरण्याक्ष (hiraṇyākṣa) killed by वारह अवतार (vāraha avatāra) & हिरण्यकशिपु (hiraṇyakaśipu) killed by नरशिम अवतार (naraśima avatāra), as रावण (rāvaṇa) & कुम्भकर्ण (kumbhakarṇa) killed by राम अवतार (rāma avatāra), and finally as शिशुपाल (śiśupāla) & दन्तिवक्त्र (dantivaktra) by कृष्ण (kṛṣṇa). In each of these the confrontational episodes, the confronting जीवात्म (jīvātma – bound soul), when all the मल (mala - impurities) are cleansed in the hands of the परमात्म (paramātma -  Divine being) finally unites with the same. This fact is testified in the अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam) itself, where it is stated thus:

Original	Transliteration	Translation
यद्वा न रामो मनुजः परेशो मां हन्तुकामः सबलं बलौघैः। स्मप्रर्थितोऽयं द्रहिणोने पूर्वं मनुष्यरूपोऽद्य् रघोः कुलेऽभूत्॥ वध्यो यदि स्यां प्रमात्म्नाहं वैकुण्ठराज्यं परिपालयेऽहम्। नो चोदिदं राक्षसराज्यमेव मोक्षेये चिरं रामामतो व्रजामि॥ इत्थं विचिन्त्याखिलराक्षसेन्द्रो रामं विदित्वा परमेश्वरं हरिम्। विरोध्बुद्धथैव हरिं प्रयामि द्रु तं न भवक्त्या भग्वान् प्रसिदेत्॥	yadvā na rāmo manujaḥ pareśo māṁ hantukāmaḥ sabalaṁ balaughaiḥ| smaprarthito'yaṁ drahiṇone pūrvaṁ manuṣyarūpo'dy raghoḥ kule'bhūt|| vadhyo yadi syāṁ pramātmnāhaṁ vaikuṇṭharājyaṁ paripālaye'ham| no codidaṁ rākṣasarājyameva mokṣeye ciraṁ rāmāmato vrajāmi|| itthaṁ vicintyākhilarākṣasendro rāmaṁ viditvā parameśvaraṁ harim| virodhbuddhathaiva hariṁ prayāmi dru taṁ na bhavaktyā bhagvān prasidet||	In all probability, Rama may not be a mere man. He may be that Supreme Being, who has assumed a human form in the line of the Raghus, and come with his forces to destroy me with my army, as implored by Brahma in the days of old. If I am killed by the Supreme Self, I shall reign in the Supreme Realm of Vaikuntha. If I am not killed, I shall be enjoying this realm of the Rakshasas for a long time. So I am going to oppose Rama.” Reflecting this way, the Lord of the Rakshasa concluded that Rama must be Hari, the Supreme Lord, and resolved within himself, “I shall attain to Him, through the atitude of confrontation; for the Lord soes not reveal Himself quickly by ordinary forms of Bhakti (devotion). Translation by Swamy Tapasyananda (RKM Order)
Sanskrit Reference: अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam) (5.59-61)

    Again, in the युद्ध काण्ड (yuddha kāṇḍa – battle section), at the fag end of the युद्ध  (yuddha - battle), just before the final onslaught of रावण (rāvaṇa), his chief consort मन्दोदरी (mandodarī) caringly warns him that he is actually fighting a losing battle as he is confronting श्री रामचन्द्र (śrī rāmacandra), who was none other the Almighty महा विष्णु (mahā viṣṇu) and who had earlier destroyed similar defaulters धर्म (dharma - righteousness) viz., हिरण्याक्ष (hiraṇyākṣa) & हिरण्यकशिपु (hiraṇyakaśipu). रावण (rāvaṇa) in response to his wife’s warning, reassures her of that he was already aware of these facts and yet decided to take the path of confrontation as a fast track to मोक्ष (mokṣa  - salvation).

Original	Transliteration	Translation
परानन्दमयी शुद्धा सेव्यते या मुमुक्षुभिः। तां गतिं तु गमिष्यामि हतो रामेण संयुगे॥ प्रक्षालय कल्मषाणीह मुक्तिं यास्यामि दुलर्भाम्॥ कलेशादि प्रपञ्चक तरङ्ग्युतं भ्रमाढयं दारात्मजाप्तघनबन्धुझषाभियुक्तम्। जैवार्नलाभनिजरोषमनङ्गजालं संसारसागरमित्य हरिं व्रजामि॥	parānandamayī śuddhā sevyate yā mumukṣubhiḥ| tāṁ gatiṁ tu gamiṣyāmi hato rāmeṇa saṁyuge|| prakṣālaya kalmaṣāṇīha muktiṁ yāsyāmi dularbhām|| kaleśādi prapañcaka taraṅgyutaṁ bhramāḍhayaṁ dārātmajāptaghanabandhujhaṣābhiyuktam| jaivārnalābhanijaroṣamanaṅgajālaṁ saṁsārasāgaramitya hariṁ vrajāmi||	That state, pure and blissful, which liberation seekers attain – that very goal, I shall gain by being killed by Rama in battle. All my sins done in this world shall be washed off by death at Rama’s hand and I shall find liberation, which is a rare attainment for a Jiva. I shall cross this ocean of Samsara having for its waves the five kleshas (ignorance, I-sense with regard to the body, attachments, anger and fear); and filled with aquatic creatures constituted of wife, children, friends, wealth, relatives and the like; terrifice by the submarine fire of one’s own anger; and dangerous with a net of sexuality. Translation by Swamy Tapasyananda (RKM Order)
Sanskrit Reference: अध्यात्मरामायणम् (adhyātmarāmāyaṇam) (10.59-61)

 

    The above testimonies will serve to be very helpful for our undertsanding of the deep philosophy underlying the concept of विद्वेश भक्ति (vidveśa bhakti – confrontational devotion). First and foremost, it is a peculiar kind of संबन्ध (saṁbandha - relation) that develops between the पशु (paśu – bound soul) and the पति (pati - god) which eventually leads the former’s deliverance. It is peculiar because it is charecterized by क्षत्रुपक्ष वैकारिक (kṣatrupakṣa vaikārika – antogonistic emotion) between the two. In other words, the भक्ति (bhakti - devotion) here is disguised by तिग्मद्वेश (tigma dveśa – intense hatred) rather than प्रीति (prīti - love) and hence the modus operandi in the process of मुक्ति (mukti - liberation) is more उग्र (ugra – violent). Moreover, as the पशु (paśu – bound soul) resorts to अधर्म (adharma - unrighteousness) by misusing all his सूरत्व (sūratva - valour), the forceful (violent) rectification was needed, in order to correct the defaulting soul.