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    Kumuda

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    c656268
    Garuda, the king of birds, briefly helps Rama and Lakshmana in their battle against Ravana by saving them, though he does not directly participate. Garuda shares a connection to many nations through stories in the Ramayana. The passage then describes the events that lead to the battle between Rama's army of vanaras and Ravana's army to reclaim Sita, including both sides inspecting the other's forces and preparing for war.

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    Kumuda

    Uploaded by

    c656268
    79 views2 pages
    Garuda, the king of birds, briefly helps Rama and Lakshmana in their battle against Ravana by saving them, though he does not directly participate. Garuda shares a connection to many nations through stories in the Ramayana. The passage then describes the events that lead to the battle between Rama's army of vanaras and Ravana's army to reclaim Sita, including both sides inspecting the other's forces and preparing for war.

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    Kumuda

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    Garuda, the king of birds, briefly helps Rama and Lakshmana in their battle against Ravana by saving them, though he does not directly participate. Garuda shares a connection to many nations through stories in the Ramayana. The passage then describes the events that lead to the battle between Rama's army of vanaras and Ravana's army to reclaim Sita, including both sides inspecting the other's forces and preparing for war.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as txt, pdf, or txt
    79 views2 pages

    Kumuda

    Uploaded by

    c656268
    Garuda, the king of birds, briefly helps Rama and Lakshmana in their battle against Ravana by saving them, though he does not directly participate. Garuda shares a connection to many nations through stories in the Ramayana. The passage then describes the events that lead to the battle between Rama's army of vanaras and Ravana's army to reclaim Sita, including both sides inspecting the other's forces and preparing for war.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as txt, pdf, or txt
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    Birds of the Ramayana

    It is a fleeting but crucial moment within the Ramayana


    when Garuda, the king of the birds, enters to save Rama
    and Lakshmana, and withdraws without participating in
    the battle with Ravana. A faithful and constant
    companion of Narayana, he would have dearly loved to
    have fought alongside Rama. It is amazing that in spite
    of this momentary inclusion in the Ramayana, it is this
    grand epic and Garuda that brings together the
    tremendous diversity and panorama of nations from
    Mongolia, to Central Asia to South Asia and the Far East
    and South East Asian nations.
    There are only two common threads between all these
    nations, and they are the Ramayana and Garuda. It is
    indeed a most challenging task to limit oneself to the
    presence and actions of Garuda within the Ramayana
    and not allow any of the many hundreds of stories of
    Garuda to be retold here. It is in the first day of the
    battle, in the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana that
    Garuda helps Rama and Lakshmana. So shall it be told...
    The warriors of Ravana came to him and informed him
    that the city of Lanka had been surrounded by Rama
    along with his Vanara warriors. Knowing this, Ravana

    began to make arrangements for war, and climbed up to


    the ramparts of the city walls to look at the invading
    army and to ensure that Lanka was well defended.
    Ravana looked all about the beautiful city of Lanka, and
    the mountains and forests that were within it, and around
    the city walls. The beauty of his glorious city was
    marred by the extensively spread out army of Rama,
    waiting to attack.
    From where he stood, Ravana could see that Rama's
    army of Vanaras was in good strength. At this moment,
    the valiant Ravana was perplexed, seeing the numbers of
    the Vanaras, and wondered how he could destroy them
    completely. Knowing the strength of his own army, his
    generals and especially his son, Indrajit, Ravana
    regained his confidence and assured himself that victory
    would definitely be his, and Rama and his army of
    Vanaras would be wiped out.
    At the same moment, Rama was inspecting the city and
    its great walls. Rama, seated on Hanuman's shoulders,
    moved about his army of Vanaras, and inspected the
    armies of Ravana, the manner in which the city was
    defended, the various banners of Ravana's generals and
    the numerous settlements within the protected walls. For
    Rama, he did not see the beauty of Lanka, and neither
    did he seem to appreciate the forests and mountains. For
    him, his heart in anguish, he kept telling himself, that
    this was the city where Sita, the daughter of Janaka, was
    hidden away.
    Valmiki writes that, at that moment, Rama thought of

    Sita, who eyes resembled those of a fawn, and yet was


    tormented with severe grief, and probably was in severe
    physical distress, possibly refusing to eat, and sleeping
    on bare ground and suffering all these days merely

    because of the actions of Rama, himself. Thinking of


    Sita in trouble, thus, Rama commanded his army of
    Vanaras to attack the city of Lanka immediately.
    Realising that Rama was not weary of having arrived in
    Lanka just then, crossing over the bridge that they had
    constructed, having struggled with it for many days, the
    eager army of Vanaras were delighted. They were all
    keen to begin the battle, and show their prowess to Rama
    and Sugreeva, the King of the Vanaras.
    The Vanara warriors roared in pleasure, eager to fight,
    roaring that they would destroy the city of Lanka, and
    that they would do so merely with rocks, mountainpeaks or with their fists. Some Vanara generals roared
    that they could destroy the city of Lanka with their bare
    hands. They could tear off and lift entire mountain
    peaks, huge rocks or pull out huge trees and carry them
    as weapons. Having armed themselves, they began to
    attack the city walls, and Ravana stood, waiting,
    watching and wondering.

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