(Reader Note: This is in continuation of Part-1 and Part-2 of the story. You may want to read them first if you haven’t already before reading this)
Kings of the Rakhsha clan and some of the Vidhyadhar kings joined hands when they came to know about Sri Ram’s condition after Lakshman’s death. They saw an opportunity to attack Ayodhya which was now orphaned and in despair. Lav and Kush, the two sons of Ram had also renounced the world after seeing their father’s condition and meaninglessness of this world.
King Indrajit’s sons and King SundRakshas’ sons assembled a large army along with some of the Vidhyadhar kings to capture Ayodhya and kill Sri Ram. They surrounded the city of Ayodhya. No one had imagined that enemies would attack during such a grim situation. The guards closed all the doors of the fort. The chief of the guard quickly ran to the palace to give this news.
“O King, a large army of the enemy has surrounded the city of Ayodhya. We have closed all the doors of the fort. We are yet to ascertain who the enemy is.”,
The guard shared the news with king Shatrughna, Vibhishan, and Sughriv.
All three were shocked to hear this.
“Who would dare to attack Ayodhya. Who are these new enemies of Sri Ram? They don’t know that Ayodhya is not orphaned yet.” King Shatrugna expressed his anger.
“They don’t know that King Vibhishan and King Sughriv are both at the service of Sri Ram in Ayodhya. They have done this venture without thinking. They will learn their life’s lesson” said King Sughriv
King Vibhishan was in some deep thought. Shatrughna asked –
“O King of Lanka, what are you thinking?”
“This is one opportunity which we can leverage to our benefit. We will tell him about this attack. That will break his dementia. He will get ready for the war and thrash the enemies.” – replied Vibhishan.
Both were in agreement. All three headed towards Ram’s palace. Sri Ram was sitting with Lakshman’s body. They shared the news of the attack, hearing which Ram was outraged and said –
“Don’t these wicked people know that Ram is still in Ayodhya? Though my brother Lakshman has fainted due to illness, I’m awake. Get my chariot ready, I’m going to the battlefield and destroy them.”
“Brother Lakshman, please talk now, these petty enemies have attacked our Ayodhya. I’ll take you to the battlefield. You will definitely wake up to the sound of the battle.”
Ram lifted Lakshman’s body on his shoulder and boarded his chariot.
Ram along with Vibhishan and Sughriv came out to the battlefield followed by a large army. Ram took his powerful Vajravat bow and pulled the string which made a thunderous sound that was also heard in heaven.
Jatayu who was now born as a demigod after his death at the hands of Ravan, heard the sound and saw Sri Ram on the battlefield. He also saw him carrying the body of Lakshman. He along with other demigods landed on the battlefield. The enemy kings were astounded to see their divine body and powerful aura.
Demigods greeted Sri Ram and said –
“O Son of King Dashrath! Please go back to the city. We will take care of these enemies.”
Vibhishan and Sughriv also got down from their chariots and came to Sri Ram. Seeing both of them, the enemy kings felt ashamed. When Indrajit’s sons saw their uncle Vibhishan, they felt shameful and guilty.
They requested to abandon the battlefield and return. They repented of their intentions of taking advantage of the situation to attack Ayodhya. What would Uncle Vibhishan think? How will we show our faces to him? They left the battlefield regretting their lowly act.
Sri Ram took his chariot back to the city but instead of going back to his palace, he went to the city garden. He decided to stay at the palace in the garden. Demigod Jatayu saw Lakshman’s dead body and Ram’s attachment for his brother. He was quite astonished to see such a brave and courageous Ram so helpless. He decided to help Ram come out of this dementia.
Will Jatayu succeed in his attempt? Will Ram finally let go of Lakshman?
To be continued…
