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| Angad Prince of Kishkindha |
There are many characteristics in a human being and one of
them is arrogance when one thinks of themselves as superior to everyone. The great
rakshasa king, Ravana of Lanka, was arrogant. In the great epic of Ramayana, a
vanara prince by the name of Angad successfully humbled the great king by
making him realize that he is not that great that he thinks himself to be.
Let us read the story of Angad.
Angad was the son of the king of Kishkindha Vali and queen Tara. Vali himself was a strong and son
of Lord Indra. In the event of the Ramayana, Vali was killed by Rama.
Vali was so strong that even Lord Rama did not duel with him. Instead, he shot him
from his hiding. Vali at the time of his death asked his brother Sugreeve to
take care of his child and asked Angad to be of service to Rama. Sugreeve
was anointed the king of Kishkindha after Vali's death. Angad was anointed as
the prince in waiting and put to learn under an able vanara general Nila. You can
find more details in the Story of Vali, vanara king of Kishkindha.
Angad showed signs of being a good diplomat and negotiator. Immediately after
Sugreeve was made the king after his brother’s death, the new king forgot his promise to
help Rama and Lakshmana to find Sita. He ignored the brothers and was engrossed
in enjoying the luxury of his kingdom. When days passed, Lakshmana lost his patience and was angry. Angada and his
mother Tara, helped reconcile with Lakshmana and made Sugreeve act on his promise.
Search teams were sent in all directions to find Sita. Angad
led a team to the south but was left disappointed as his team failed
to locate her. Later when her location was confirmed in the island kingdom of Lanka, there were attempts made to persuade
Ravana to release Sita. After those approaches failed, the vanara army had to
make a bridge from the mainland to the island of Lanka for a war. Nala was the vanara
architect who builds the bridge assisted by his general brother Nila and the vanara army
in five days. This bridge is 10 yojana or 130 km long, called the Ram Setu, and
is still visible in satellite images connecting India and Sri Lanka.
Rama wanted to avoid the destruction and wanted an alternate
arrangement to fight. On the eve of the war, he sent Angad as his messenger to the court of Ravana with
a proposition of the peaceful return of Sita. Angad was
praised for his valor and fearlessness, known for his diplomacy, devoted to Rama,
and loyal.
Angad reached the court and told that he had come for proposing
peace and avoid a war if Sita is returned to Rama. He asked Ravana to seek forgiveness.
To this Ravana hurled insults to Rama and his vanara army. Angad than
introduced himself as the son of king Vali, in whose armpit Ravana was held captive and
taken around Kishkindha for days. Ravana was humiliated when reminded of this incident, became
furious and ordered the capture of the vanara. Angad stayed calm, took a stance
and brought his right foot forward. He challenged the court that if anyone
present there could move his feet, the army of Rama will walk back without Sita
without a fight. One by one the rakshasa and their generals came and failed to give
a budge. Prince Indrajeet also failed to move the feet. He reminded the court
that if they cannot move the leg of one vanara, how will they fight the army. A
group of rakshasa tried to collectively move, but in vain. Ravana was filled
with anger, and he stood up. As soon as he bent to catch the limb, his crown rolled
off his head. Angad grabbed it and hurled it outside the palace towards the seashore. Before Ravana could recover, Angad moved his leg and said “This challenge was not for you. In place of my feet, would it not be wise to touch the feet of Rama
instead?” Ravana was left embarrassed. Enraged he ordered the vanara to be killed. The
soldiers pounced on him. Angad with a swift movement leaped
on the roof, thumped and broke a part of the palace roof before returning to the camp.
The army was camping at the seashore. They saw something
golden in the sky being hurled towards them. Hanuman quickly grabbed it, this was Ravana’s
crown, and placed it at Rama’s feet. Rama put this crown on the head of
Veebhushan, brother of Ravana who defected to Rama. He was crowned the king of
Lanka and the kingdom left to his care after the death of Ravana in the war.
The war was now inevitable. In the war, Angad
killed one of Ravana's son Narantaka, and the rakshasa commander Mahaparshva. He along
with Hanuman obstructed the yagna Indrajeet was conducting for assuring victory. Angad was injured in the battle a few times but recovered.
After the victory when Rama returned to Ayodhya, Angad and Hanuman
went along with him. While Hanuman remained a devotee, Angad got a high position in
the court.
We remember Angad for successfully breaking the arrogance of
Ravana, sending the message that the enemy is superior, breaking the confidence through the ranks of the enemy just before the war. And all this in his diplomatic efforts to broker peace before the great war between Lord Rama and Ravana.
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