¹⁷⁴ This sentence, "And slain……and died" reads foolish. But the original is answerable for—in logical parlance—this identical proposition.—T.
SECTION LVII.
Hearing that Akampana had been killed, the lord of Rākshasas, overwhelmed with anger, with his face somewhat fallen, cast his eyes on his counsellors. And then pondering and reflecting for a while, in the forenoon he went round the city of Lankā for inspecting the barracks. And the king surveyed the city guarded by the Rākshasas, covered with innumerable barracks, and crowned with ensigns and standards. And seeing the city beseiged, Rāvana—lord of the Rākshasas—seasonably spoke words of welfare unto Prahasta skilled in fight,—"Save battle, deliverance find I none for the city suddenly beleaguered and put to straits. And this strain must be borne by these versed in warfare—me or Kumbhakarna or thee—my general—or Indrajit or Nikumbha.¹⁷⁵ And therefore do thou from this place, speedily taking this force, march to where the monkeys are, for securing victory (in the encounter). And as soon as thou settest out, the monkey-forces, hearing the roars of the foremost Rākshasas—speedily setting themselves in motion,—shall flee away. And volatile and haughty and of fickle minds, the monkeys will not be able to bear thy shouts; even as elephants are incapable of bearing the roaring of a lion. And on that monkey-army running away, Rāma in company with Sumitrā’s son, deprived of his power and shorn of support, shall, O Prahasta, come under thy subjection. In this matter, thy being slain is uncertain, but victory is certain. Now do thou, as thou weighest our welfare, declare thyself for or against this course". Thus addressed by Rāvana, Prahasta—general of the forces—said unto the Rākshasa-chief; like Uçanas addressing the lord of Asuras,—"O, king, before this we had deliberated together with wise counsellors, and then we disputed with each other in our respective views. And I had declared myself for giving up Sitā as fraught with our welfare; and we saw war involved in witholding her. I have ever been honored by thee variously with gifts and regard and soft speech. And what is thy good for which I shall not be at the pains? My life I do not care to keep,—nor yet my sons or my wife. Behold! for thee will I offer up my life into the sacrificial fire of conflict". Having said this unto his master—Rāvana—the general, Prahasta, addressed his generals staying before him, saying,—"At once bring up the mighty host of Rākshasas. To-day in the field of fight will I entertain the flesh-feeding fowls of the forest with the bodies of the foes slain with my resistless shafts". Hearing his speech, the highly powerful leaders arrayed the army in that abode of the Rākshasa. And in a moment Lankā swarmed with heroic and terrific Rākshasas equipped with various arms,—as if with elephants,—as well as with people worshipping Fire and bowing down unto Brahmanas. And the perfumed breeze blew, laden with the incense of sacrificial offerings. And the Rākshasas, inspired with martial ardour, put on diverse garlands, consecrated with scriptural formulae; and donned on their armour. And furnished with their bows and wearing their armour, the Rākshasas, on seeing king Rāvana, leaving (their vehicles), stood, surrounding Prahasta. Then greeting the monarch, Prahasta, furnished (with all appliances of battle),—winding his dreadful trumpet, ascended his car; having all sorts of weapons; yoked with wondrous fleet steeds; driven by a competent charioteer,—excellently furnished; sending up sounds resembling the rumbling of mighty masses of cloud,—appearing like the very Sun or Moon; invincible with a serpent-standard; having a defence as well as a portion exceedingly handsome; netted with gold all round; and seeming to be laughing in grace. And then, ascending this car, Prahasta, whom Rāvana had entrusted with authority, surrounded by a vast host, swiftly went out of Lankā. And then there were heard the sounds of kettle-drums, resembling the roars of Parjanya,—and the sounds of musical instruments, as if filling the Earth. And on that general of the forces marching, sounds of conchs were heard (all around); and the Rākshasas of dreadful forms and huge bodies, going before Prahasta, advanced, emitting tremendous roars. And Narāntaka,¹⁷⁶ Kambhahanu, Mahānāda,¹⁷⁷ and Samunnata,¹⁷⁸—Prahasta’s counsellors all of them—went on, surrounding him. And he went out by the Eastern entrance, environed by this exceedingly dreadful array, resembling troops of elephants. And resembling the Destroyer—Yama himself—Prahasta in rage went out surrounded by that mighty host resembling the sea. And at the tumult raised by their exodus, as well as the roars of the Rākshasas, all creatures in Lankā began to cry in preternatural tones. And swarming under the cloudless welkin, birds feasting on flesh and gore began to gyrate at the right hand of the car. And dreadful jackals, emitting live flames from their mouths, set up cries. And stars began to shoot from the firmament; and the winds to ruffle. And enraged at each other, the planetary bodies were shorn of their brightness. And clouds emitting sharp sounds showered down blood upon the car, and those marching in front were washed therewith. And alighting at the top of the standard, a vulture set up cries, facing the south, and began to prick both its sides,—thereby depriving (Prahasta) of his grace. And from the hands of his charioteer and his driver conducting the steeds, never given to turning away from the field, the goad began to drop again and again. And the auspiciousness that was bright and rare when the army set out, was clean gone in a moment,—and the steeds began to stumble on even ground. And as Prahasta of renowned worth and valor marched, the monkey-army equipped with various arms, presented themselves before him. And loud was the tumult that was raised by the monkeys. And mighty was the din that was heard of those, uprooting trees and taking up ponderous crags of the Rākshasas roaring and the monkeys storming in both the exhilarated armies of Rakshas and wood-rangers,—of vehement and able (warriors) eager for slaying each other, and challenging each other to fight. And like an insect falling into a flame, the wicked-minded Prahasta, for obtaining victory, increasing his impetuosity entered into that host of the monkey-king.
¹⁷⁵ Grammatically faulty such is the sentence in the original.—T.
¹⁷⁶ Lit. destroyer of men. Almost all the names of the Rākshasas are thus significant names. This assigning of names, embosoming some harmonising image, has by Sir Francis Palgrave, justly been considered as betokening a high poetical faculty.
¹⁷⁷ Lit.—loud-throated.
¹⁷⁸ Lit.—lofty.
SECTION LVIII.
Seeing Prahasta sally, ready for encounter, that chastiser of foes—Rāma—with a smile said unto Bibhishana,—"Who is this huge-bodied one that armed with impetuosity, advanceth to the encounter? And what is his power and prowess like? O mighty-armed one, tell me this concerning this powerful night-ranger". Hearing Rāghava’s words, Bibhishana answered,—"In Lankā this is the general of the lord of Rākshasas—the Rākshasa named Prahasta, surrounded by a third of the forces. He is possessed of prowess and is of distinguished gallantry. And that mighty army of strong monkeys, wrought up with wrath, and roaring at Prahasta, saw him dreadful and of terrific prowess and huge-bodied,—surrounded on all sides by the Rākshasas,—and setting up roars, marching. And the Rākshasas, eagerly desirous of victory, pursued the monkeys, wielding swords and darts and rishtis, and javelins and shafts and maces and clubs and bludgeons and prāças and various axes and curious bows. And the monkeys on their part, eager for encounter, took up flowering trees and hills and huge and broad crags. And each party approaching the other, great was the encounter that took place. And innumerable (monkeys and Rākshasas) kept showering rocks and arrows. And many Rākshasas in conflict slew many a powerful monkey, and the monkeys on their part slaughtered many a Rākshasa. And some were pierced with darts and with (other) powerful weapons; and some were wounded with bludgeons; and some were hewn with axes. And some rendered senseless, dropped down to the earth; and some hit with weapons, had their breasts riven. And some, severed in twain with swords, dropped to the earth lifeless. And monkeys were hewn in their sides by heroic Rākshasas. And numbers of Rākshasas all around were beaten to the ground by infuriated monkeys with trees and mountain-peaks. And some smitten sore with slaps having the touch of the thunder-bolt, began to vomit blood from their mouths, with faces and eyes turned pale. And great was the uproar that arose in consequence of Rākshasas and monkeys emitting distressful cries and sending forth leonine roars. And monkeys and Rākshasas wrought up with wrath, engaged in treading the path of heroes,—looking terrific with their faces moving about,—performed deeds of intrepid courage. And Narāntaka and Kambhahanu and Mahānāda and Samunnata—all counsellors of Prahasta—set about slaughtering the rangers of the woods. Of these doing swift execution among the monkeys, Dwivida, taking up a mountain-peak, slew one—namely Narāntaka. And then the monkey, Durmukha, rising up afresh, armed with a mighty tree, killed the light-handed Rākshasa—Samunnata. And Jāmbavān endowed with energy, waxing enraged, uplifting a giant crag brought the same down on Mahānāda’s breast. And there speedily assailed by Tāra, with a mighty tree, the powerful Kumbhahanu gave up the ghost in the conflict. And not brooking that feat, Prahasta, mounted on a car, taking a bow in his hand, fell to spreading a dreadful havoc among the rangers of the woods. And then there the two hosts mingled into almost a vortex; and the sounds that arose from those infuriated ones of immeasurable might, resembled the roar of the ocean. And in terrific encounter the enraged Rākshasa irresistible in battle drove the monkeys to sore straits with showers of arrows. And the earth was covered quite with the terrible bodies of monkeys and Rākshasas; and it looked as if covered with mountains. And the earth drenched with streams of gore looked as if swarming with blossoming palāças in the month of spring. And as leaders of elephant-herds cross a lotus-tank covered with lotus-dust, those Rākshasas and choice monkeys crossed that river flowing in the field of conflict incapable of being crossed; having for her banks hosts of heroic warriors slain; for her mighty trees broken arms; for her volume of waters showers of blood; coursing to Yama resembling the Ocean; with livers and spleens for her vast slime; with scattered entrails for her moss; with riven bodies and heads for her fish; limbs for her lawns; swarming with vultures for her swans; with Kankas for her cranes; filled with fat representing her foam; with the roars (of warriors) for her sounds,—incapable of being crossed by cravens,—and resembling a real river swarming at the end of the rains with cranes and swans. Then all of a sudden Nila saw Prahasta stationed on his car, discharging vollies of shafts and harassing the monkeys therewith. And mounted on a sun-bright vehicle, that leader of the army—Prahasta—seeing Nila advance towards him amain in the encounter, like the wind in the sky scattering a mighty mass of clouds,—rushed towards Nila. And that leader of forces—Prahasta—foremost of bowmen, stretching his bow, began to shower arrows on Nila. And having pierced Nila sore and wounded him, those shafts sought the earth like enraged serpents. And that mighty monkey—Nila—endowed with energy, struck with those sharpened shafts resembling flames,—uprooting a tree, assailed therewith the irrepressible Prahasta—who was rushing against him. And thereat, that foremost of Rākshasas, on being attacked, flaming up into fury and uttering roars,—poured showers of arrows on the monkey-leader. And not being able to resist the arrowy vollies of that wicked-minded Rākshasa, (Nila) bore them, even as a bull beareth with closed eyes a fast-descending autumnal shower. And in the very same way did Nila with his eyes closed suddenly stand the mighty arrowy buffet of Prahasta incapable of being withstood. And wrought up with rage, the exceedingly strong and mighty Nila with a giant Sāla slew the steeds of Prahasta. And then his soul surcharged with wrath, Nila swiftly shattered the bow of that wicked-minded one, and then shouted again and again. On being bereft of his bow, Prahasta, general of forces, taking a terrible mace, leapt down from his car. And the redoubtable leaders endowed with activity, bearing hostility to each other, their persons bathed in blood, stood (on the ground) like two elephants (with their temples) riven. And they kept tearing each other with their teeth like a lion and a tiger, and also striving like a lion and a tiger. And endowed with victorious vigor, those heroes, never knowing to desist from fight, were eager for fame, even like Vritra and Vāsava (fighting). And then Prahasta putting forth his dearest effort, hit Nila on the temples with a mace; and the blood began to flow. And then the mighty monkey, with his person drenched in blood,—wrought up with passion, discharged a tall tree at Prahasta’s breast. And without caring for that hit, he, taking up a mighty mace, furiously rushed against the monkey—Nila. And witnessing that enraged (hero) rushing against him with exceeding impetuosity, that redoubted monkey endowed with vehemence, took up a tremendous crag. And in the encounter Nila at once let that crag alight right on the head of Prahasta, eager for encounter and fighting with the mace. And hurled by that foremost of monkeys, that huge and terrific crag then shattered Prahasta’s head in pieces. And then bereft of life and shorn of nerve and devoid of sense, he suddenly dropped down to the earth like a tree whose roots have been severed. And even as fountains flow from the sides of a hill, blood flowed profusely from the person of that one, whose head had been riven. On Prahasta being slain by Nila, that mighty army of Rākshasas, never trembling (from fear),—retreated towards Lankā. And like waters rushing (through a breach in) a dyke, the Rākshasas could not stand their ground, on their leader being slain. And on that head of the hosts being killed, the Rākshasas, growing dispirited, repairing to the residence of the lord of Rakshas, remained plunged in thought, without speaking anything. And plunged in that sea of sorrow, they seemed as if they had been bereft of their senses. And then the highly powerful and victorious Nila, leader of forces, on being extolled with gracious offices, and on being joined by Rāma and Lakshmana, looked exceedingly exhilarated.