Ravana and Yama - Part 2 of 2

Ravana nodded his head curtly and smiled. He was soon going to spread the word around that attacking the Lord of Death was his idea….after he had won!

Sage Narada left the place with a smile in his lips. He felt he had done all he could….Lord Yama was the Lord of Death and Lord Brahma had granted him a particular weapon….It was called Kala Danda….The weapon once fired would kill anybody before it…no matter what boons he had to protect himself….Ravana had sealed his fate by falling for Narada’s words….Narada smiled.

Then Narada hurriedly made his way to the abode of Yama.

‘My Lord!’ Narada called out on reaching the palace. Yama came out as Narada bowed to him. Yama looked surprised seeing Narada there. ‘Sage Narada? What are you doing here?’ He asked looking puzzled.

Sage Narada looked a little apprehensive. He finally told him. ‘I asked Ravana to come and attack you!’

Yama looked a little puzzled. He could not believe that any human would be stupid enough to come after him….He was after all the God of Death….As he was thinking, both of them heard a loud roar outside the palace. Yama was staring with utter bewilderment as he saw a huge army making its way to his palace…an army headed by Ravana. Yama let out a deep breath. He called his guards. ‘Guards be prepared! We are under attack!’

The guard was himself perplexed! The God of Death was under attack! But he anyway called the others and they all stood guard and they watched an ordinary human come and begin their attack…..To their surprise the guards found that Ravana fought brilliantly. He was slowly and systematically decimating the forces of Yama.

Watching the massacre done by Ravana and hearing the screams of his men, Yama could take it no more….In utter anger he pulled out his Kala Danda…the weapon of Death. Narada smiled as he watched Yama aim the weapon at Ravana. His mission was going to be accomplished. Ravana’s menace was going to come to an end…

Unfortunately Sage Narada had not counted on one thing….a person in fact….his father….

As Yama was about to fire the weapon, he and Sage Narada stared with wonder as time literally stopped still. Standing before them was none other than Lord Brahma himself….A flustered looking Yama and Sage Narada bowed to Lord Brahma.

‘Please son! Do not fire the weapon!’ Lord Brahma spoke with pleading tones. Sage Narada and Yama looked at each other with utter bewilderment. Had Lord Brahma actually asked them not to hurt Ravana! Yama was wondering whether this was some magic on the part of Ravana and hastily shook his head turned his attention to the weapon.

Lord Brahma came forward. ‘Please no! Don’t do this!’

Yama and Sage Narada looked at each other and then at Lord Brahma. Sage Narada spoke in a reasonable voice. ‘Sir! This is the best way! The Kaladanda cannot miss…that was the boon you gave Yama! Ravana will die, when Yama fires the weapons….People everywhere would be safe!’

Lord Brahma said with tears in his face. ‘You are going to make me a liar!’ There was utter desperation in the voice.

‘What?’ Yama asked.

Lord Brahma continued listlessly. ‘I promised Ravana, he could not be defeated by any God! If you fire the Kaladanda at him….either way I become a liar….I will lose face with the world!’ Yama was still looking a little puzzled.

However Sage Narada understood. If Yama fired the weapon, only two things could happen –either Ravana could die or he could survive. If Ravana died, Lord Brahma’s boon to Ravana that he could not be destroyed by any God, would become false. If Ravana survived, his boon to Yama’s Kaladanda as the ultimate weapon of destruction, would become false! Sage Narada shook his head wondering why his father made such rash promises and expected others to keep it up for him.

Slowly Lord Brahma explained to Lord Yama, why he should not fire the weapon. Yama looked frustrated, understandably so. ‘What do you want me to do?’ He fumed as he looked at Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma took a deep breath. ‘Just stop the war! Go away! Please!’

Yama looked flustered for a few seconds. ‘You want me to walk away from killing this excuse of a human being….so that the word you gave him may be true? Is that it?’ Yama pursed his lips angrily looking at Lord Brahma.

Lord Brahma bowed his head down not able to say anything. Yama took a deep breath and with a curt nod to Sage Narada and Lord Brahma, vanished from there.

Lord Brahma let out a noisy breath and he looked regretfully at Ravana and also vanished from there along with a disgruntled Sage Narada.

Ravana felt like he had woken up from a deep sleep and shook his head. He had a powerful weapon in his hands and looked around and saw that he had no one to fire it on! He remembered having come here to fight to Yama. The God had pulled out some great weapon and then suddenly everything went blank until now…..

Ravana looked with pride. So the fool ran away from him, instead of giving him a fight….Ravana grinned and shouted at his men. ‘I am Ravana, the conqueror of Yama!’

‘All hail Ravana, the conqueror of Death!’ The Asuas bellowed after him as Ravana left the place and went back to Lanka.