| Great Devotees |
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| Biographies of Great Indians & Hindus |
VIBHEESHANA |
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| Consultations The sight of the city in Names depressed discouraged Ravana. His mind was perturbed. He remembered the curse of Nandi. He immediately summoned his cabinet. Prahasta, Durmukha, Indrajit, Nikumbha, Vibheeshana and all others attended. Kumbhakarna was in a deep slumber. Ravana said, "Court consultations are to lead to victory. So I have summoned this meeting." The Rakshasas trusted more in physical might than in mental powers.Each of them would be a mountain of a man. For them statesmanship meant only con- frontation and fighting. Hanumanta had defeated the diety Lankadevata and entered Lanka. He had found out the secret place where Sita had been kept a prisoner. He had destroyed the Ashoka- vana forest, and killed Akshayakumara and the Rakshasa army. Finally he had faced Ravana himself undaunted and also burnt the city of Lanka. But they did not stop to think about all this. If they had the least intelligence, they would certainly have thought that the monkey army of Rama and Lakshmana would be as strong as they themselves were. But the Rakshasas were stupid and did not think of this. They flattered Ravana saying, "You are omnipotent and have conquered all the worlds. You can alone face and fight with Rama and Lakshmana. They are after all mere mortals". With such flattery, they made Ravana's pride rise.Everyoneamong them blew his own trumpet. "Prahasta can single-handed kill both Rama and Laksh- mana. If only Kumbhakarna, made immen sely powerful by Brahma's boon, wakes up from hi blissful slumber, he is no ordinary fighter And if Indrajit, who bound Hanumanta with his Brahmaastra, unfolds his magic weapons and powers, the enemies would be heIpless. If Ravana commands, one of us could go and kill Rama and Lakshmana and could also reduce the monkey army to nothing. "These & such were the Words of bravado uttered by the Rakshasas. |
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