Due to elevation of Vishnu to the status of Lord of all Worlds - by Vaishnavaites, his Chakra was described to be all powerful and invincible like that of Lord Shiva's weapons - by Shaivaites. And, in order to do so the Vaishnavaites, Shaivaites and Shakteyas (worshipers of Shakti) degraded the status of Lord Brahma and that of Lord Indra by writing PURANAS suiting to and elevating their respective deities.Many weaknesses were attributed to Lord Brahma and he was depicted inferior both to Vishnu and Shiva.
By that time Sage Valmiki wrote Sri Ramayana Kaavya, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva did not have the elevated status that we are seeing now. Shiva was only the Chief of army of Devatas (Senapati - सेनापतिः).
येन सेनापतिः देव दत्तो भगवता पुरा |
स तपः परम् आस्थाय तप्यते स्म सह उमया || (Sloka 3 of Sarga 37 of Bala Kanda).
“Oh, god Brahma, he who has hypothetically given a Chief of Celestial Army (सेनापतिः ) in the form of his potence that god Shiva is undertaking a supreme ascesis, indeed along with Goddess Uma.”
Vishnu is one among so many Devatas but his position is next to Lord Indra (Upendra). In many places Sri Rama was described to be equal to Lord Indra and Lakshmana with Vishnu.
विक्रमिष्यति रक्षह्सु भर्ता ते सह लक्ष्मणः |
यथा शत्रुषु शत्रुघ्नो विष्णुना सह वासवः || (Yuddha Kanda 33 Sarga 31 Sloka)
"Your consort (Sri Rama) along with Lakshmana will show his valor against the demons, like Indra the lord of celestials along with Vishnu ,the annihilator of enemies exhibited his strength over his adversaries."
ततो राक्षसशार्दूलो विद्राव्य हरिवाहिनीम् |
स ददर्श ततो रामन् तिष्ठन्तमपराजितम् ||
लक्ष्मणेन सह भ्रात्रा विष्णुना वासवन् यथा |
आलिखन्तमिवाकाशमवष्टभ्य महद्धनुः ||
पद्मपत्रविशालाक्षन् दीर्घबाहुमरिन्दमम् | (Yuddha Kanda 100 Sarga 11-12 Slokas)
"Having driven away the army of monkeys, Ravana the foremost among the demons then saw Rama, the annihilator of his enemies, who was endowed with long arms and eyes as wide as lotus petals standing unconquered with his brother Lakshmana-like Indra the lord of celestials is seen with Vishnu, holding up his great bow as though scraping the sky. "
However, due to insertions, like Putrakamesthi in Bala Kanda - where appearance of Lord Vishnu was descibed alongwith his assurance to Devatas of his taking birth as Rama, made at a later date, Sri Rama was described as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
In Ramayana period , Vishnu Chakra and weapons of Shiva are among many weapons available for anybody, who perform austerities, but not OMNIPOTENT, as described in the PURANAS. The ultimate weapon was only that of Lord Brahma.
Updated (11-5-19)
I) If we scrutinise the following narrations in Srimad Ramayana, we can understand that
Brahma was described to be a boon giver only in Bala kanda of Ramayana .
In the rest of Ramayana Indra was described to be the Boon giver, be it giving boon to Sri Hanuma of the boon of "Death at his volition" ( स्वच्छन्दतश्च मरणं ) or giving back life to dead vanaras at the request of Sri Rama in Yuddha Kanda.
Thus, we can conclude that those portions of Ramayana in which Brahma was praised to be a boon giver/ruler of all worlds, must be an interpolated ones .
Ramayana was written in the Vedic Age, and Sage Valmiki praised Indra as the Chief of Gods and Boon giver, in accordance with the vedic age thinking.
1) वज्रस्य च निपातेन विरुजं त्वां समीक्ष्य च।
सहस्रनेत्रः प्रीतात्मा ददौ ते वरमुत्तमम्।।
(Kishkinda Kanda Sarga 66 Sloka 28)
स्वच्छन्दतश्च मरणं तेभूयादिति वै प्रभो।
'O lord observing that you are not hurt even when struck by the thunderbolt, Indra offered, one of the best boons to you, to choose to die only when you wish.
2) मम हेतोः पराक्रान्ता ये गता यमसादनम् |
ते सर्वे जीवितं प्राप्य समुत्तिष्ठन्तु वानराः ||
(Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 120 Sloka 5)
"Let all the monkeys, who reached the abode of death, after displaying their energy for"
श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तस्य राघवस्य महात्मनः |
महेन्द्रह् प्रत्युवाचेदं वचनं प्रीतिसंयुतम् ||
(Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 120 Sloka 11)
Hearing the words of that great-souled Rama, Indra the lord of celestials endowed as he was with delight, again spoke the following words:
समुत्तिष्ठन्तु ते सर्वे हता ये युधि राक्षसैः |
ऋक्षाश्च सह गोपुच्छैर्निकृत्ताननबाहवः ||
(Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 120 Sloka 13)
"Let all those monkeys and bears along with long-tailed monkeys, who have been killed in battle, by the demons and whose heads and arms have been severed, be alive and active again."
II) In Aranya Kanda of Ramayana, a king was described as the fourth part of Indra, whereas in Puranas a king was described to be equal to Vishnu on the Earth Na Vishnu Prithivi Patih
इन्द्रस्येह चतुर्भागः प्रजा रक्षति राघव।
राजा तस्माद्वरान्भोगान्रम्यान् भुङक्तेलोकनमस्कृतः
।।Aranya Kanda 1st Sarga 19th Sloka।।
O Rama, in this world a king is considered the fourth part of Indra as he protects the people. Therefore, he is respected and he enjoys the choicest pleasures of life.
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