After Draupadi had been rescued from Jayadratha and the king of Sindhu had been let off with a warning and a shaved head, Yudhistira went into depression once again. Rishi Markandeya arrived to console the Pandavas and help them adjust to the situation. Yudhistira said he felt sad for Draupadi for having to face such atrocities and being kidnapped more than once. He asked the rishi if any other women suffered as much as she did. Rishi Markandeya then took this chance to narrate a short summary of Ramayana (his version) to share that Sita also had to face many trials throughout her life.
Naturally, Yudhistira wanted more details. The rishi obliged.
Here, Rishi Markandeya listed the lineage of Rama as well as the story of how Ravana was born.
In the Ikshvaku lineage, there was a king named Aja. His son was Dasaratha, who had four sons – Rama, Lakshmana, Shatrughna, and Bharata. Rama was Kaushalya’s son, Lakshmana and Shatrughna were Sumitra’s twins, and Bharata was Kaikeyi’s son.
The king of Videha, Janaka, had a daughter named Sita. Tvashtra (Vishwakarma) created her to be Rama’s queen and consort.
Yudhistira asked why Rama had to go into exile and what happened afterward. Rishi Markandeya explained.
King Dasaratha was delighted when his sons were born. They grew up to be learned men with good manners and great warrior skills. Soon, the sons were married. Dasaratha was pleased with the developments.
Rama, the eldest son, had a pleasant nature and was a favorite of the subjects. He was also his father’s favorite. Dasaratha thought he was growing old and decided to crown Rama as the king of Ayodhya. His advisors and the council of ministers agreed with the decision. They even fixed the time for the coronation. Rama was dark-skinned, long-limbed, broad-chested, radiant, handsome, and brave. He had curly hair, was learned in dharma, and was as powerful as Indra. He protected those who needed it and punished the guilty. He was never defeated or vanquished by anyone.
Dasarartha made an announcement that Rama would be crowned the king on the day of Pushya nakshatra. The preparations began in earnest.
The news reached Manthara, who went to Kaikeyi and told her that she (Kaikeyi) was unfortunate while Kaushalya was fortunate since her son was becoming the king. Manthara asked what good fortune Kaikeyi had if her son wasn’t a king? Kaikeyi thought about it, dressed in stylish clothes, and went to meet the king. She sweetly reminded him that he had promised to grant her a boon, and she wanted it now. Dasaratha agreed and asked what she wanted. He said he would give her anything she asked for.
Kaikeyi asked Bharata to be crowned the king and for Rama to go into exile in the forest. Dasaratha was distraught and unable to say anything. Rama got the news of Kaikeyi’s wish and his father’s promise, so he chose to honor it by going to the forest. His wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshmana, followed him.
After Rama left, Dasaratha gave up his body and departed to the other world. Kaikeyi said to Bharata that he should accept the throne since all the thorns in his path had been removed. However, Bharata was furious and said she had brought him a bad name with her actions and was responsible for her husband’s death. He then went to find Rama and was accompanied by his three mothers. Shatrughna, Rishi Vasishtha, and many other ministers etc. followed Bharata on his quest.
Bharata found Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the Chitrakuta forest. However, Rama told him to go back and rule the kingdom. Bharata dutifully did so by placing Rama’s sandals on the throne and taking up the role of an administrator.
Meanwhile, Rama decided they should move elsewhere so that the citizens wouldn’t come to meet him again. The trio traveled to a forest near the ashram of Sharabhanga. Taking blessings from him, they went to stay in the Dandakaranya forest along the banks of the River Godavari. Here, Rama fought Khara due to Surpanaka’s actions and protected the ascetics residing in the region. He also killed fourteen thousand rakshasas, as well as Khara and Dushana (Khara’s younger brother). Later, when Surpanaka’s nose and lips were sliced off by Lakshmana, she went to her older brother in Lanka and shared her distress.
An angry Ravana asked who did that to her. Surpanaka told him everything about Rama’s valor and the death of her (their) brothers. Ravana got into his Pushpaka and flew to Gokarna to meet Maricha, his former advisor.
Maricha had turned an ascetic as he was afraid of Rama. He welcomed Ravana and offered him fruits and water. After inquiring about his health and subjects, Maricha wanted to know the reason for Ravana’s visit. When he explained, Marciha advised Ravana to stay away and not provoke Rama. However, an angry and arrogant Ravana threatened to kill Maricha if he didn’t do as ordered. Ravana planned to use Maricha to distract Rama and kidnap Sita. He said separation from Sita would make Rama distraught and lose interest in his life.
Knowing death was inevitable, Maricha performed his own funeral rites and set off with Ravana to Dandakaranya. He transformed into a golden deer and walked in front of the ashram where Rama and Sita lived. Sita sent Rama to chase the deer, and Lakshmana stayed back to ensure her safety. When Rama realized the deer was a rakshasa, he shot an arrow at it. Maricha called out for Sita and Lakshmana in Rama’s voice. This made Sita anxious even as Lakshmana tried to assure her. Nevertheless, he set off, following Rama’s footsteps.
Ravana took the chance he had been waiting for and approached Sita in the guise of a traveling Brahmin and begged for alms. She offered him fruits. Ravana revealed his true self and tried to entice her to go away with him by talking about the beauty and riches of Lanka. When Sita got angry and asked him to leave, he used force to restrain her. Sita fell unconscious. Ravana quickly grabbed her by her hair and got into his Pushpaka.
Jatayu, a vulture, saw this and tried to free Sita, but lost the fight to Ravana, who cut off the wing. An injured Jatayu fell to the earth in agony and cried for Rama. Jatayu was the son of Aruni. His brother was Sampati, a friend of King Dasaratha.
Meanwhile, Rama was rushing back to the ashram and met Lakshmana on the way. He was concerned for Sita’s safety and rebuked Lakshmana for leaving her alone. They ran back to the ashram to find Sita missing. They saw Jatayu, who told them what happened. The vulture took his last breath in Rama’s arms. After doing the needful, Rama and Lakshmana began their search for Sita.
They faced Kadanbha, a rakshasa who grasped Lakshmana in his arms. Rama told Lakshmana to slice off the rakshasa’s right arm while he attacked, and chopped the left arm. Together, the brothers killed Kadanbha. A divine being emerged from the dead body. It was Gandharva Vishvavasu who was cursed by Brahma to be born to a rakshasi. Being killed by Rama and Lakshmana freed him from the curse. Vishvavasu advised them to go and meet Sugriva, living near Lake Pampa around Mount Rishyamukha. The gandharva assured Rama that he would soon reunite with his wife with the help of Sugriva and his advisors.
Following the gandharva’s advice, Rama and Lakshmana went to Lake Pampa. It was a beautiful place with pink and blue lotus flowers, a scented breeze, and lovely plants. This made Rama miss Sita even more, and he cried for her. Lakshmana tried to cheer him up and said they would find Sugriva and bring back Sita from Lanka. They bathed in the lake, offering oblations to their ancestors, and went to Mount Rishyamukha. There, they saw five vanaras in a discussion. One was Sugriva, one was Hanuman, well-built and tall as a mountain, Jambavan, Mainda, and Dvivida.
After the introductions, Sugriva showed the jewels they collected (the ones that fell from the sky) to Rama. Positive that these belonged to Sita, Rama and the Vanaras made a deal. Rama would kill Vali, Sugriva’s brother, and crown Sugriva the king of Kishkinda. In return, Sugriva would help Rama find Sita (and fight the war if necessary).
They proceeded to Kishkinda, where Sugriva challenged Vali to a hand-to-hand combat. Tara, Vali’s wife, cautioned him not to go and said that Sugriva had the support of Hanuman, Jambavan, and Rama. However, Vali was confident of his strength and skills. He went to fight Sugriva.
Sugriva lost the first round since Rama couldn’t distinguish between him and his twin brother. Hanuman placed a garland around Sugriva’s neck, which allowed Rama to aim at Vali from behind a tree. After Vali’s death, Sugriva was made the king of Kishkinda and got back his wife. Tara also stayed with him since her husband had died. Rama stayed with them in Malyavan for four months.
Meanwhile, Ravana was mesmerized by Sita’s beauty and wanted to possess her. He made her a prisoner in a garden with ashoka trees and ordered several rakshasis to guard her. Sita spent all her time thinking about Rama. The raksashis tried to terrify her, but she asked them to eat her if they wanted. Sita said she had no will to live with Rama, so she would become their meal. This annoyed the rakshasis since she refused to accept or acknowledge Ravana.
However, when the rakshasis weren’t around, Trijata spoke to Sita. She was a pious woman despite being a rakshasi. Trijata said that Avindhya had told her a secret she would share with Sita. Rama and Lakshmana were searching for her and knew where she was. They were well and would come to free her soon. Trijata also said that Ravana wouldn’t dare to violate a woman due to a curse. A long time ago, he raped Rambha, Nalakubera’s wife, and was cursed by him to face death if he forced himself on another woman. Trijata assured Sita that she had seen Ravana’s destruction in her dreams, along with Kumbhakarna’s death and Vibhishana being alive. There was nothing to worry about since Rama and Lakshmana would come and take her back home.
Ravana, dressed in rich clothes and jewels, went to meet Sita. He boasted of his riches and powers. He listed the various women who served him and asked Sita to marry him and become his wife, like Mandodari. Sita simply turned away and ignored him. She held a blade of grass between them and spoke to the grass (indicating that Ravana was equal to that little piece of grass). She said she was unfortunate to have to listen to him talk and asked if he was such a great man and why he wasn’t following his dharma.
Ravana said she was still yearning for a human, and he couldn’t touch her against her wishes (due to the curse which would shatter his head into a thousand pieces if he did). He left her crying.
After waiting for Sugriva, Rama finally sent Lakshmana to remind him of the promise. He said Sugriva was happily enjoying himself in Kishkinda and might have forgotten the promise. Lakshmana went to Kishkinda and was welcomed by Sugriva. He gave Rama’s message to the vanara king. Sugriva said that he didn’t forget, nor was he ungrateful. He had sent many of his best vanaras in different directions to find the trace of Sita. They were to return to him in a month and give an update. He asked Lakshmana to wait for five days as they would get the news.
Lakhsmana and Sugriva went to Malyavan to meet Rama and share the news with him. Most spies had arrived but couldn’t find Sita anywhere. They said the ones who went southward were yet to return, so there was hope.
Rama was sad but determined to be hopeful. They had to wait for another two months before news arrived that Angada and Hanuman, who went southward, had some good news to share. Rama rushed to meet Hanuman and asked if he knew where Sita was.
Hanuman said he had good news and described his journey. The search party didn’t find Sita anywhere and finally reached a cave that belonged to a daitya named Maya. There, they saw a lady ascetic named Prabhavati who gave them directions. They ascended Malaya and saw the vast expanse of the ocean in front of them. They were discussing Jatayu when another similar vulture approached them and demanded how they knew his brother. This was Sampati who was agonized about his brother’s death. However, he knew that Ravana lived in Lanka and that Sita was possibly held captive there.
After a brief meeting, Hanuman invoked his father, Vayu, and flew across the ocean to reach Lanka. There, he had to kill a rakshasi who lived in water, Surasa, who tried to block his path. Reaching Lanka, Hanuman said he saw Sita inside and that she was fasting and looked tired and weak. He said he approached Sita and assured her that he wasn’t a rakshasa and informed her about Rama. Sita replied that Avindhya had said he would come, so she knew he was Hanuman. Sita gave him a jewel to show Rama and sent him back. She also sent a message and reminded Rama about an incident that happened in Chitrakuta (Rama hurled a straw at a crow for troubling Sita). Hanuman concluded his tale, saying that he had burnt the city before returning.
Rama was relieved to finally find the trace of Sita and know she was safe enough. Upon Sugriva’s instructions, his vanara army assembled there.
- Sushena, Vali’s father-in-law, arrived with one thousand crores of swift vanaras.
- Gaja and Gavaya arrived separately with one crore vanaras.
- Gavaksha, with the tail of a cow, came with sixty thousand crore vanaras.
- Panasa brought ten, twelve, and thirty-five crore vanaras.
- Dadhimukha, an aged, brave vanara, brought another large army.
- Jambhavan brought a hundred thousand crores of bears.
Many others came with more armies, all of them ready to help Rama fight Ravana.
They practiced and trained for a while. On an auspicious day, Sugriva arranged them into different battle formations. Hanuman led from the front, while Lakshmana guarded the rear. They were ready to march ahead for Rama’s cause. Nala, Nila, Angada, Kratha, Mainda, and Dvivida were also made the protectors and heads of different divisions of the army. They passed through the forests, plain lands, mountains, etc., to reach the seashore.
Rama asked Sugriva for his opinion about the best way to cross the ocean to reach Lanka. After discussing the odds, Rama said he would ask the ocean for help, and if he didn’t get a response, he would dry it up for them to march ahead. Rama touched the water and invoked the god of the ocean, who appeared in his dreams to provide a solution. The god of the ocean said that Nala was the son of Vishwakarma, and the ocean would bear whatever Nala threw into it and convert it into a bridge. So, Rama asked Nala to build a bridge of stones from the shore to Lanka. As the construction continued, they moved ahead toward their destination. Vibhishana heard of Rama’s arrival and went to meet him and extended his support, saying he would always be on the side of dharma. With Vibhishana’s help, Rama and the vanara army crossed the bridge and camped outside Lanka.
Ravana’s two rakshasi guards, Shuka and Sarana, disguised as vanaras to spy on them, but Vibhishana caught them. Rama exposed them to his army so that they wouldn’t be tricked again and freed the rakshasis. Then, Rama sent Angada as a messenger to Ravana.
Entering or penetrating Lanka wasn’t going to be easy for the vanaras. Ravana had fortified the city as per the sacred texts. The walls were big and strong, there were moats with crocodiles. There were watchtowers and catapults used to detect and attack enemies. The soldiers had pots filled with resin and venomous snakes. They were also armed with many weapons like clubs, spears, lances, axes, fireworks, spiked clubs, etc. They had shataghanis (a weapon that could kill hundreds at a time) and other weapons dipped in poisonous beeswax. All gates of the city were guarded.
Angada reached one of the gates and announced his presence. He entered the city fearlessly and walked into the court. Angada delivered Rama’s message to Paulastya (Ravana, Pulastya’s son) that there would be a war if he didn’t respectfully return Sita.
The message made Ravana angry. His guards, the night prowling rakshasas, grabbed Angada. He nimbly jumped up to the terrace, and this movement dislodged the rakshasas. Before they could react, he leaped from there and went back to Rama.
Upon Rama’s orders, the vanara army got to work and breached the walls of Lanka. With Lakshmana leading them, Jambhavan, Vibhishana, and others successfully destroyed the south gate and entered the city. Rama invaded Lanka with over a hundred thousand crore of vanaras. They raised such dust that the sun was invisible. The rakshasas and their families came out to watch and were amazed. Some travelers ran away, seeing the mayhem caused by the vanara army.
With orders from the king (Ravana), the rakshasas rushed out to tackle the invasion. They got onto the walls to attack the enemies. However, the vanaras were quick. Both sets fought and killed each other. Rama rained a relentless shower of arrows with Lakshmana. Once they successfully invaded Lanka and breached the defenses, the army withdrew for the day.
Parvana, Putana, Jambha, Khara, Krodhavasha, Hari, Praruja, Aruja, Praghhasa, and others, Ravana’s piscaha and rakshasa followers launched an attack. Vibhishana used his powers to remove the invisibility capability of the rakshasas. This made them easier targets, and the vanaras killed them all. Hearing about their death made Ravana so angry that he personally marched out with his army.
He arranged his army in a Ushana battle formation. Rama also stepped out and used a battle formation recommended by Brihaspati. Lakshmana fought with Indrajit, Sugriva with Virupaksha, Nikharvata with Tara, Nala with Tunda, and Patusha with Panasa, as Rama faced Ravana. It was a terrible and terrifying battle.
Suddenly, Prahasta rushed at Vibhishana, who faced him with ease and killed him soon. Dhumraksha attacked the vanaras, but Hanuman stepped in and killed him. As the war continued, both sides killed each other. When the sky turned dark, they retreated to their camps. Taking stock of the situation, Ravana decided to send Kumbhakarna into the battle. Since Kumbhakarna was asleep, the guards took musical instruments, food, and other items to wake him up from his deep and long sleep. Eventually, they succeeded. Ravana sent Kumbhakarna to fight Rama and his army the next morning. He also sent Vajravega and Pramathi with extra instructions.
The massive Kumbhakarna wreaked havoc on the vanara army. The monkeys were terrified but continued to fight him. He was laughing and killing them in spades. Surgriva tried to fight Kumbhakarna but couldn’t. Lakshmana shot an arrow that penetrated the rakshasa’s body and made him let go of Sugriva. However, Kumbhakarna threw a rock at Lakshmana, which he destroyed, and used the brahmastra to kill him. Seeing the mighty rakshasa fall, the smaller ones fled. However, Dushana’s brothers, Vajravega and Pramathi, targeted Lakshmana. Hanuman killed Vajravega, while Nila tackled Pramathi and ended his life. The day’s battle ended with many deaths on both sides.
When Ravana heard of Kumbhakarna and Dhumraksha’s deaths, he asked his older son, Indrajit, to kill his enemies and bring him victory. Indrajit entered the war the next day and challenged Lakshmana, who accepted it right away. They had a gruesome battle, trying to outdo each other at every opportunity. Angada also joined the fight at times. Indrajit began using his maya to disappear, so Rama stepped in to help his brother. However, Indrajit managed to injure Rama and Lakshmana and make them unconscious. The vanara army stood around them. Vibhishana too reached the spot and used an herb named Vishalya with divine mantras to revive the brothers.
When they woke up, Vibhishana said to Rama that a guhyaka arrived from Mount Shveta with miracle water from Kubera so that he could see invisible beings as well. Rama accepted the water and touched his eyes with it. Lakshmana, Sugriva, Angada, and other key warriors also did the same.
Meanwhile, Indrajit went to Ravana and gave him an update. He returned to find Rama and Lakshmana healthy again. Lakshmana launched an attack on Indrajit. After another ferocious fight, Lakshmana killed Indrajit. This angered Ravana so much that he went to kill Sita.
Avindhya stopped him and reminded him that he shouldn’t kill a woman. He said that as a captive, she was already considered dead, and the best way to kill her was to kill her husband. Ravana agreed and decided to fight Rama himself. He ordered his chariot to be prepared.
Ravana marched out with his rakshasa army, scattering the varanas in his path. Mainda, Nila, Nala, Angada, Hanuman, and Jambavan blocked his path. With his army being killed, Ravana resorted to maya. However, Rama killed the rakshasas. Seeing this, Ravana created lookalikes of Rama and Lakshmana and sent them to fight the brothers. Rama quickly killed his lookalike upon Lakshmana’s request.
Just then, Matali arrived in Indra’s chariot. He said Indra sent the chariot (named Jaitra) for Rama so that he could face Ravana and kill him that day. Rama first thought it was another maya of Ravana, but Vibhishana assured him that it was real and he should use the chariot sent by Indra.
When Rama mounted the chariot and rode toward Ravana, the god cheered from heaven. An angry Ravana unleashed thousands of arrows at Rama. Rama calmly invoked the Brahmastra and killed Ravana. The flames burnt him, his chariot, and the horses. The vanara army cheered.
The gods and rishis from heaven praised and blessed Rama for achieving their objective. Rama then handed over Lanka to Vibhishana. Avindhya emerged from the city with Sita and asked Rama to accept his wife.
Rama descended the chariot to see his wife crying, wearing dirty clothes, and with matted hair. He said to her that she was free to go wherever she wanted. He said he was freed from the rakshasa since she was his wife, but he wouldn’t accept her now. Sita was so distraught that she collapsed. Lakshmana and others stood still in shock. They didn’t know how to react.
Brahma, Indra, Vayu, Agni, and others descended from heaven to meet Rama. Even King Dasaratha arrived in his heavenly form.
Sita said to Rama that she didn’t blame him for his words. She continued that if she had committed an evil act, the air (breath) would be free of her (as in she would die). Vayu, Agni, Varuna, and Brahma told him that Sita was taintless and that Rama should take her back. Brahma said Sita was protected through Nalakubera’s curse, and everything that happened was set in motion for Rama to kill Ravana (due to the boon).
Dasaratha said he was proud of Rama and approved him as the king. Rama replied that he would go back to Ayodhya and rule the kingdom. He took his father’s blessings. He reunited with Sita, gave a boon to Avindhya, and many riches to Trijata.
Indra asked Rama what boon he wanted. Rama asked for victory over his enemies and to revive all the dead vanaras. Indra agreed. The dead vanaras rose to life as if they woke up from slumber. Sita gave a boon to Hanuman that he would live for as long as Rama’s fame lasted.
The gods went back to heaven. Matali told Rama that his fame would be sung for eternity for removing the rakshasa who troubled every creature on the earth. After arranging protection for Lanka, everyone crossed the stone bridge to return to the shore. Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana returned to Kishkinda with Vibhishana and Sugriva. Rama made Angada the heir apparent to Sugriva and resumed his journey to Ayodhya. He sent Hanuman as a messenger to Bharata to inform him of their return. Hanuman went to Nandigrama and saw Bharata wearing tree bark as a dress and ruling the kingdom with Rama’s sandals on the throne.
Rama and Lakshmana met their brothers Bharata and Shatrughna happily. After he was crowned the king, he gave Sugriva, Vibhishana, Jambhavan, and others permission to get back to their kingdoms. He returned the Pushpaka to Vibhishana, who flew to Lanka in it. Eventually, the Pushpaka returned to its original owner, Kubera.
Later, Rama performed ten Ashwamedha yagnas on the banks of the River Gomati. The kingdom flourished.
