SECTION VII.

"And as clouds assail a mountain with showers, then the Rākshasas, representing clouds, setting up shouts, began to assail Nārāyana representing a mountain. And Vishnu of a bright brown-blue hue, being surrounded by the flower of the night-rangers with dark visages, resembled the mountain, Anjana, on which the clouds pour down. And as locusts (flood) a field, gnats (throng) about a flame, gad-flies (cluster) around a pot of honey, or makaras (range) the deep, so the shafts shot by the bows of the Rakhas, having (the energy of) the thunder-bolt and endowed with (the velocity of) the wind or thought, pierce Hari as if at the universal dissolution. And those mounted on cars (assailed him) with their cars, and those mounted on the backs of elephants (assailed him) with their elephants, and those riding horses (assailed him) with their horses, and the foot-soldiers attacked him, stationed in the sky; and the foremost of Rākshasas resembling mountains, by means of darts, rishtis and tomaras, suspended the respiration of Hari even as the prānāyāma[²⁷] doth that of a twice-born one. On being sore tried by the night-rangers, like the great Ocean by the fishes (residing in it), that invincible one, taking his Sārnga, showered shafts among the Rākshasas. And with sharpened arrows resembling the thunder, and endowed with the velocity of the wind, shot from his bow drawn to its fullest stretch, Vishnu cut off (Rākshasas) by hundreds and by thousands. And dashing away (the Rākshasa ranks) with his arrowy shower, even as the wind aroused dasheth away a downpour, that best of male beings blew his mighty conch—Pānchajanya. And winded by Hari with his utmost might, that water-sprung king of conchs, endowed with terrific blares, roared, as if afflicting the three worlds. And the sounds of that king of conchs struck terror into the Rākshasas, even as in a mighty forest a lion (strikes terror into the hearts of) elephants in rut. And thereat the horses could not keep their ground, and the elephants were reft of their temporal flow, and shorn of their virtue at the roars of the conch, heroes began to topple down from their cars. And dight with dainty feathered parts having heads, the shafts discharged from the Sārnga, resembling thunder-bolts, riving those Rakshas, entered the earth. And in that conflict, pierced by the arrows discharged from Nārāyana's arm, the Rākshasas began to drop to the ground like mountains struck with the thunder-bolt. And the wounds on the persons of the foes inflicted by the discus of Vishnu discharge blood in streams, like mountains discharging streams of red chalk. And the sounds of that king of conchs, as well as those of the Sārnga, combined with the roars emitted by Vishnu himself, swallowed up the roars of the Rākshasas. And Hari by means of his shafts cut off their necks, and arrows, and standards, and bows, and cars, and ensigns, and quivers. And like fierce rays streaming about from the sun, like torrents dashing from the ocean, like elephants coming down a mountain, or like showers descending from clouds, the shafts shot by Nārāyana pursue (the foes) by hundreds and by thousands. And even as an elephant pursueth a tiger, a tiger a wolf, a wolf a dog, a dog a cat, a cat a snake, or a snake a rat, so the mighty Vishnu pursueth the Rākshasa host; and others, (struck down by him), measure their lengths on the ground. Then, having despatched thousands of Rākshasas, the destroyer of Madhu blew his water-sprung (conch), even as the sovereign of the celestials filleth clouds (with rain). And agitated by the arrows of Nārāyana, with their senses bewildered by the blares of the conch, the broken Rākshasa forces made for Lankā. And on the Rākshasa army having been broken in consequence of the beating it got at the hands of Nārāyana, Sumāli with showers of shafts resisted Hari in the encounter; and as a mist envelopes the Sun, he enveloped him (with his arrows). Thereat, the Rākshasas again summoned up their fortitude. And fired with rage, that Rākshasa, inflated with insolence on account of his strength, setting up a tremendous roar, darted at his antagonist in the conflict, thereby seeming to revive the Rākshasas. And as an elephant flourishes its trunk, that Rākshasa, lifting up his arm adorned with ornaments, began to roar from rapture, like a mass of clouds lighted up with lightning. And (Vishnu) cut off the head flaming with ear-rings of the charioteer of the shouting Sumāli; and thereat the horses of that Rākshasa aimlessly strayed hither and thither. And with his bewildered steeds Sumāli wanders like a person deprived of patience, whose senses are under a hallucination. And on Sumāli's car being drawn at random by his steeds, Māli, taking his bow and equipped therewith, darted at Vishnu's car and assailed that mighty-armed one as he was descending on the field of fight. And like birds entering the Krauncha,[²⁸] the arrows discharged from Māli's bow, graced with gold, hit Hari and entered (into his body). And thereat, as a person holding his senses under subjection is not thrown out of his mental balance, Vishnu, assailed in that encounter with thousands of arrows shot by Māli, was not disturbed ever so little. And then that creator of all beings, the reverend Gadādhara,[²⁹] twanging his bow-string, showered vollies of shafts on Māli. And getting at Māli's body, the arrows furnished with the luminousness of lightning, drink his blood, like unto serpents drinking nectar. And baffling Māli, the holder of the conch, discus, and mace, brought down Māli's crown, standard, bow and steeds. And then that foremost of night-rangers, on being deprived of his car, sprang forward, mace in hand, even as a lion bounds up from the brow of a hillock. And he with his mace smote at the forehead of that lord of birds, even as the Destroyer had smitten Içāna,[³⁰] or as Indra smiteth a mountain with his thunder-bolt. On being severely struck by Māli with his mace, Garuda, writhing in torments, moved the god away from the field of battle. On the god having been removed from the field by Māli as well as Garuda, there arose a mighty din of Rakshas roaring (in chorus). And hearing the cheers of the Rakshas, Indra's younger brother, the reverend Hari, sitting awry on that lord of birds, albeit moved off from the scene of conflict, waxing enraged, from a desire of slaying (Māli) hurled his disc at him. And thereat the disc, possessed of the splendour of the solar disc, and resembling the wheel[³¹] itself of Kāla, flooding all the heavens with radiance, brought down Māli's head to the ground. And that head of the lord of Rākshasas, terrific to behold, on being cut off (by Vishnu), vomitting blood, fell down before (the Rākshasas), as formerly Rāhu's head' had fallen. And then the deities experiencing excess of joy set up leonine cheers with might and main, crying,—'Excellent, O god.' Seeing Māli slain, Sumāli and Malyavān, burning in grief, fled precipitately towards Lankā along with their forces. And Garuda, being cheered, turned round, and growing enraged, as before drove the Rākshasas with the wind of his wings. And (some) with their lotus-faces cut by the discus, (some) with their chests crushed with the mace, (some) with their necks torn off by the plough, (some) with their heads riven by the club, and some hewn by the sword, and others pierced by arrows, the Rākshasas began to drop fast from the sky into the waters of the ocean. And as the thunder-bolt with lightning (riveth) a mighty mass of clouds, Nārāyana by means of the thunder-bolts of his arrows discharged from his bow, rived the night-rangers with their hair dishevelled and streaming (in the wind). And the forces having their umbrellas rent, their arms falling off, their goodly garments scattered, their entrails coming out and their eyes rolling,—became incapable of distinguishing their own party from that of the foe. And even like (the roars and the vehemence) displayed by elephants on being attacked by lions, the roars and the vehemence of the night-rangers and their elephants, sore assailed by the Primaeval Lion,[³²] were equal. And driven by Hari's networks of arrows, and discharging (all the while) their own showers of shafts, those night-rangers resembling the clouds of doom, are driven like the veritable clouds of the universal dissolution drifted by the wind. And hewn in twain with swords, the foremost Rākshasas fell like unto hills (toppling headlong). And the Earth was seen to be (covered) with night-rangers resembling dark clouds, adorned with jewelled necklaces and ear-rings,—falling down,—as if covered with dark mountains dropping down."

[27]	The practice of regulating respiration and finally suspending the same. This is practised by the Yogis of India, who attribute wonderful virtues to it.—T.

[28]	The mountain so named.

[29]	Lit. the holder of the mace, a name of Vishnu.

[30]	There took place an encounter between Rudra and Yama in the Sweta forest, for the protection of Mārkandeya and a certain king. In this battle, Yama had smitten Rudra. This is narrated in the Purānas.—T.

[31]	The wheel of Kāla or Time, representing the Reaper consists, remarks Rāmānuja, of days, months, years, decades, centuries, aeons, etc.—T.

[32]	Vishnu as a man-lion had formerly taken the conceit out of Hiranyakaçipu—the Asura king—and slain him, to rid his devotee—Prahlāda—of his mortal foe in the form of a father.—T.