SECTION LXXX.
Hearing of the destruction of Makarāksha, the heroic Rāvana, being excited with ire, began to grind his teeth. Being thus angered, and thinking within himself what steps to take, he ordered his son Indrajit to proceed to the battle-field. "O hero, gifted with great prowess as thou art, do thou, hidden (in clouds) or appearing before them, slay the two heroic brothers Rāma and Lakshmana. Thou didst defeat in conflict Indra of unequalled prowess. Shalt thou then neglect to slay men as they are?" Being thus addressed by the lord of the Rākshasas and obeying his father’s command, Indrajit proceeded towards the sacrificial ground to satisfy Fire (with oblations). There came some she-demons with crimson turbans and waited respectfully where Rāvana’s son was offering oblations unto Fire. In that sacrifice the weapons were the leaves of sara,³³³ _bibhutaks_³³⁴ were fuels, and there were brought crimson clothes and _sruvas_³³⁵ made of black iron. And spreading fire on all sides with sara leaves and tomaras, (Indrajit) caught a living goat, all black, by the neck. And the fire, with oblations of sara, became greatly blazed and devoid of smoke. And there were visible many good omens indicating victory. The flame of the fire was like unto gold, and moving Southwards began to receive offerings of clarified butter. And thus offering oblations unto fire and unto celestials, Dānavas and Rākshasas, he ascended an excellent car and soon disappeared. It was drawn by four horses and a huge bow, set with sharp arrows, appeared beautiful on that excellent car. The chariot was brilliant with its own native resplendence, adorned with gold and painted with the figures of deer and a cresent. It was encircled on all sides with golden bracelets, adorned with flags made of vaidurja and was like unto the flaming fire. And being thus well protected with Brahmā weapons resembling the Sun in brilliance, the mighty son of Rāvana became invincible. And offering oblations unto Fire in accordance with demonaic incantations and thus obtaining the power of hiding himself, that hero, ever victorious in battle, issued out of the city and said,—"Slaying these two brothers in battle, who have uselessly wandered away into the forest, shall I crown my father Rāvana with victory. Destroying Rāma and Lakshmana, and clearing the monkeys off the earth, shall I satisfy my sire greatly". Saying this, he disappeared from their view. Thereupon that fearful foe of the lord of celestials appeared in the battle-field, excited with wrath, armed with bow and sharp Nārachas and commissioned thus by the Ten-necked one. He beheld there those two heroes discharging flaming arrows and surrounded by the monkeys like unto the fearful three-hooded serpent in the midst of other serpents. And thinking "these must be Rāma and Lakshmana," and stretching his bow he began showering arrows like unto clouds. He was seated in a car in the welkin and hidden from the human gaze and began to assail Rāma and Lakshmana with sharp shafts. And being hurt with the arrows, Rāma and Lakshmana, fixing arrows on their bows, began to discharge celestial shafts. And those two highly powerful heroes could not even touch his person with their arrows resembling the Sun albeit they covered the whole welkin therewith. And clouding the whole sky with smoke that effulgent one, enveloped in frost, hid himself from their gaze. There was not audible the twang of his bow, the sound of the wheels, or the noise of the steeds. Nor was he seen by any. In that terrible darkness of clouds that one of mighty arms began to make a downpour of Nārachas and arrows like hail storms. And in that encounter, Rāvana’s son, inflamed with ire, wounded Rāma, with shafts, resembling the Sun and obtained by him as a boon. And being hurt with Nārachas, like unto mountains wet with rain, those two foremost of men, began to discharge shafts feathered in gold. And reaching the son of Rāvana in the sky and soaked in blood those golden arrows, fell down on earth. And those two best of men, hurt with his arrows, became more effulgent and baffled the shafts discharged by the Rākshasa. Thereupon Rāma and Lakshmana began to aim their sharp shafts to the direction whence the arrows came down. And stationed in his chariot that mighty car-warrior disturbed all quarters with his arrows and pierced Daçaratha’s sons with sharp shafts won by him. And being greatly hurt with those sharp-pointed and terrible arrows Rāma and Lakshmana appeared like blossoming kingsukas. Like unto the sun hidden in clouds they could see neither his countenance and motion, nor his bow and arrows. And being wounded with those arrows hundreds of monkeys died and fell down on the earth. Thereupon Lakshmana, being excited with wrath, spoke unto his brother, saying—"To slay all the Rākshasas shall I discharge to-day Brahmā weapon". Thereupon Rāma spoke unto Lakshmana, gifted with auspicious marks, saying—"It doth not behove thee to clear all the Rākshasas off the earth for the folly of one individual. Thou shouldst not slay him, who hath retired from battle, hath hidden himself, hath sought thy shelter, hath stood before thee with joined palms, hath fled away or who is bewildered. O thou of mighty-arms, let us try to slay him (Indrajit). And to accomplish it I shall use the weapons gifted with great impetuosity and resembling the serpents. He is hidden from the public gaze so we must slay him—had he been fighting openly the leaders of the monkey hosts could have slain that Rākshasa. Truly he shall be burnt to death with my shafts and fall down on the earth albeit he entereth the regions under the earth or the abode of the celestials". Having said these words pregnant with a high significance, the high-souled and heroic descendant of Raghu, being surrounded by monkeys, began to concert various plans for the destruction of that terrible Rākshasa of wicked deeds.
³³³ Saccharum—a reed or grass,
³³⁴ Beleric myrobalan.
³³⁵ A ladle with a double extremety or two oval collateral excavations made of wood to pour ghee upon the sacrificial Fire.—T.