SECTION LXLVIII.
Like unto a pond in the summer both the armies became gradually reduced. Beholding his own army and Birupāksha slain, Rāvana, the lord of Rākshasas, was doubly excited with ire. And observing his army reduced and slain by the heroic (monkeys) he perceived ill omens in the fight and was accordingly pained at heart. And he addressed Mahodara, who was near him, saying, "O thou of great arms, all my hopes of success are now centered in thee. Do thou slay the enemy’s force, O hero, and display thy prowess. Now hath come the time of returning the favours of thy master. Do thou fight bravely". Being thus accosted that Rākshasa-chief Mahodara, saying "so be it" entered the enemy’s army like unto a fly entering into a flame. Excited by his master’s command and empowered by his own prowess that (Rākshasa) gifted with great strength, began to assail the monkeys. And the highly powerful monkeys too taking up huge crags dashed against the dreadful army of the enemies and crushed all the Rākshasas. And Mahodara, greatly angered, severed in that mighty encounter, with his arrows feathered in gold, the hands, feet and thighs of the monkeys. Then the monkeys, in fear of the Rākshasas, fled away to different quarters and some sought shelter of Sugriva. And beholding his powerful monkey force thus assailed in the conflict, Sugriva dashed forward and fronted Mahodara. And taking up a huge and dreadful crag resembling a mountain, the monkey-king hurled it with great vehemence to slay him. Thereupon finding that crag about to fall, Mahodara fearlessly severed it with his arrows. And being sundered into a thousand pieces by the arrow of that Rākshasa, it fell down on the earth like unto a band of vultures. And beholding that crag thus severed, Sugriva was beside himself with ire; and uplifting a sāla tree hurled it: and the heroic Rākshasa, the slayer of enemy’s force, severed it into several pieces with his arrows. Thereupon excited with wrath he saw a parigha on the ground. And hurling that flaming parigha and displaying his (light-handedness) he struck his excellent horse therewith. And having his horse slain, that hero—the Rākshasa Mahodara, ascended his car, and in great anger took up his club. Those two heroes, with club and parigha in their hands, engaged in battle, roaring like two bulls or clouds accompanied with lightning. Thereupon the night-ranger Mahodara, inflamed with ire, hurled at Sugriva, the club flaming like the Sun. And beholding that dreadful club about to fall the highly powerful Sugriva—the lord of monkeys, uplifting his parigha struck it therewith. And the parigha, being sundered, fell quickly down on the earth. Thereupon the effulgent Sugriva picked up from the ground a musala made of iron and ornamented with gold. Taking that musala up he hurled it at the Rākshasa and who again hurled a club; and both of them being severed fell down on the earth. Having their weapons baffled thus, those two heroes, gifted with great prowess and effulgence and resembling the burning fire, were ready to interchange blows. They, emitting roars again and again, struck each other down on the earth with their clenched fists. And rising up speedily they again assailed each other. Thus those two heroes, unsubdued, struck each other with their arms. Thereupon both of them, highly proficient in fighting with arms, were greatly exhausted. Thereupon they took up daggers. And uplifting them, (those two heroes) with their persons trembling in ire, proficient in fighting and skilled in the use of weapons, dashed on roaring. And both of them enraged with each other and anxious to score success, moving in a circle on each other’s right side, addressed themselves for action. Thereupon the vicious-minded, heroic Mahodara, gifted with great vehemence and proud of his own heroism, flung his dagger at (the monkey’s) armour. And as he was about to extricate his dagger from the armour, that foremost of monkeys severed with his dagger that Rākshasa’s head with helmet and kundalas. And beholding the Rākshasa-chief fall down on the earth with his head off, his forces fled away from the field. And slaying him that monkey-chief, delighted, began to roar along with other monkeys. There-upon the Ten-necked one became highly enraged and Rāghava greatly delighted. And all the Rākshasas, with their hearts broken and countenances rendered poorly and stricken with fear fled away to different quarters. Slaying and striking down on earth Mahodara like unto a portion of a mighty hill severed, that son of the Sun appeared resplendent in his own effulgence and became irrepressible like unto the Sun. And winning victory in the action that lord of monkeys was espied by the celestials, Siddhas and Yakshas along with all creatures on earth, having their eyes flushed with joy.