Story: Tiny Ramayana Stories

So, like I did last week with the "tiny jatakas" as my story experiment, this week I am writing 100-words tiny stories from the Ramayana, and for my source I'm using the Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana, the controversial last book which tells what happens after Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, but which also contains many different backstories about events that take place before Rama's birth, especially stories about Ravana. There is an old translation of the Uttara Kanda by M. N. Dutt online, although I am reading Arshia Sattar's translation as my main source. Details in the bibliography below, and here is a link to all my Uttara Kanda stories so far.

And now...... on to the stories:

Mount Meru mandala

Vishrava, Father of Ravana

Pulastya the sage lived on Mount Meru. Women sometimes disturbed his meditations, which enraged him. "If I so much as glance at you," he shouted, "you will become pregnant!"
The women ran away, but Manini didn't hear the warning, and when Pulastya looked at her, she became pregnant.
"I don't know what happened!" she swore to her father.
He took her to Pulastya. "She is virtuous and true, and will make you a good wife," he said.
Pulastya recognized Manini's virtues and loved her as his wife.
Their son was Vishrava, who would be father to Kubera and to Ravana.

Note. This story features the weird powers that rishis could acquire like the way the sage Kapila incinerated the sons of King Sagara with his gaze: Sagara.

Pushpaka, the flying chariot 

Vaishravana Becomes Kubera

Vaishravana, son of Vishrava, practiced austerities for a thousand years: he lived on water, then on air, then on nothing.
Brahma offered him a boon.
"Make me a guardian of the world!" Vaishravana said.
Brahma nodded. "As Indra guards the east, Varuna the west, and Yama the south, you will guard the north. You are now Kubera, lord of yakshas and protector of wealth!"
Kubera went to live in Lanka, the golden city on Mount Trikuta. Rakshasas once dwelled there, but Vishnu had driven them away, so Kubera and his yaksas occupied the empty city and made it their home.

Note. You can find out more about Kubera at Wikipedia.

Brahma

The Origin of Rakshasas and Yakshas

Long ago, as Brahma brought the world into being with the power of his mind, he created water. Then, he made living creatures.
The creatures were hungry and thirsty. "What will we eat? What will we drink?" they asked Brahma.
"These waters and the life in them belongs to you," said Brahma, "and the waters will need protection."
"We will protect!" said some of the creatures.
But some creatures said instead, "We will worship!"
Brahma then decreed, "You who protect will be rakshasas," for rakshami means protect. "And you who worship will be yakshas," for yakshami means worship.

Note. You can read more about rakshasas and yakshas at Wikipedia. This story is important because Ravana is Lord of the Rakshasas, while Kubera is Lord of the Yakshas.

Shiva and Parvati

Parvati's Boon to the Rakshasas

A rakshasa mother abandoned her baby on Mount Mandara. Shiva and Parvati heard it crying.

"Poor little thing!" said Parvati when they found the baby rakshasa. "Rise up, little rakshasa, and equal your mother in age," she declared. "Your name is Sukesha."

Obeying the goddess, Sukesha stood up, fully grown, and bowed to the goddess.

"For my part, I give you a celestial city in which to dwell," said Shiva.

Parvati then bestowed a third boon: rakshasha children would be born the same age as their mothers.

Sukesha will be Sumali's father, and Sumali's daughter Kaikesi will be Ravana's mother.

Note. This story also appears in the ACK comic book Kubera, the God of Wealth. (Much of the material in that comic book comes from the Uttara Kanda.)

Vishnu

Vishnu Defeats the Rakshasas

The sons of Sukesha — Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali — performed austerities to win boons from Lord Brahma.

"We wish to kill our enemies," the rakshasa brothers prayed, "and to live long lives together!"

Brahma granted their wish.

The rakshasa brothers then began to harass the gods, chasing them from their heavenly dwellings.

"Help us, Shiva!" said the gods.

"Ask Vishnu for help," Shiva replied, for he felt affection towards the sons of Sukesha.

"I will fight the rakshasa brothers!" proclaimed Vishnu.

There was a mighty battle. In the end, Vishnua chased all the rakshasas from their home in golden Lanka.

Note. The description of the battle between Vishnu and the rakshasas is really amazing; it is the first truly epic narrative in the Uttara Kanda so far with lots of exciting details. My goal for this story was to explain why the city of Lanka was empty, allowing Kubera to come live there (see above). From this story, we also learn that this is not the first time Rama (as avatar of Vishnu) fought rakshasas in Lanka.

agni, the fire

Kaikesi and the Sons of Vishrava

Vishnu drove the rakshasas into the underworld, but eventually Sumali emerged. He had vowed his daughter Kaikesi would marry Vishrava, so he led her to the sage's hermitage. Vishrava was performing the agnihotra sacrifice at sunset.

Kaikesi stood in the light of the fire, appearing to be a beautiful woman. "I am yours," she said.

"I know you for what you are," Vishrava replied, "and the hour is dark. Your sons will be wicked rakshasas knowing nothing of dharma."

"But you are a brahmin!" she protested.

"So the last son you bear will know dharma, but the others will not."

Note. This story brings up back to Vishrava, the brahmin sage: Sumali, in defeat, has decided his daughter will marry Vishrava; for more about the agnihotra, see Wikipedia. The son who knows dharma will be Vibhishana, and his wicked brothers who do not know dharma will be Ravana and Kumbhakarna. Their sister, Surpanakha, does not follow the path of dharma either (as Rama and Sita will learn!).

And I'll stop there, picking up with the birth of Ravana next time! This was all backstory leading up to his birth.

Bibliography.

Vishrava, Father of Ravana is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 2

Vaishravana Becomes Kubera is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 3

The Origin of Rakshasas and Yakshas is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 4

Parvati's Boon to the Rakshasas is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 4

Vishnu Defeats the Rakshasas is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 4-8. The description of the battle between Vishnu and the rakshasas is full of great details. I really liked this simile: "Like a lion chased by a sharabha, like an elephant chased by a lion, like a leopard by a tiger, like a dog by a leopard, like a cat by a dog, like a snake by a cat, like a rat by a snake, so ran the rakshasas from Vishnu in battle."

Kaikesi and the Sons of Vishrava is from Uttara Kanda: Sarga 9.