Beholding Kumbha and Nikumbha slain, Rāvana was excited with ire like unto flaming fire. And being beside himself, simultaneously with wrath and grief Rāvana³²⁸ spoke unto Makarāksha, Khara’s son, having spacious eyes, saying—"O child, do thou proceed at my command with the army and destroy Rāghava and Lakshmana with all the monkeys". Hearing the words of Rāvana, Khara’s son, Makarāksha, proud of his own prowess, delightedly spoke unto the night-ranger, saying, "Be it so". And saluting and circumambulating the Ten-necked one, that hero, at Rāvana’s behest, issued out of the house. And Khara’s son spoke unto the commander who was near him, saying,—"Do thou speedily bring the chariot here and all the soldiers". And hearing his words, that commanding night-ranger, soon led before him the army and the chariot. And going round the chariot and addressing the charioteer that night-ranger (Makarāksha) said,—"O charioteer, do thou soon drive the chariot". And Makarāksha addressed those Rākshasas, saying,—"O Rākshasas! do ye all fight before me. I have been commanded by the high-souled Rāvana, the lord of Rākshasas, to slay both Rāma and Lakshmana in conflict. I shall slay to-day, O night-ranger, with my excellent arrows, Rāma, Lakshmana, Sugriva and all other monkeys. Like unto fire consuming dry fuel, shall I to-day slay the host of monkeys with my darts". Hearing those words of Makarāksha, the mighty night-rangers, (addressed themselves for fight). They were armed with various weapons, cautious; assuming shapes at will, crooked, having fearful teeth, coppery eyes; roaring like elephants, having dishevelled hair and terrible. And encircling the huge-bodied son of Khara, those gigantic (Rākshasas) began to proceed, delighted and moving the earth (with the weight of their persons). There arose a terrible noise on all sides from the sound of conches, and thousands of bugles, and from the moving of the arms of the heroes. And all on a sudden the reins slipped off (the hands of) the charioteer and the flag of the Rākshasas dropped down. And the course of the steeds was thus slackend and they began to move slowly and poorly with their heads drooping down. There blew a terribly rough wind mixed with dust when the fearfully wicked-minded Makarākshas issued out for battle. Those powerful Rākshasas neglecting those bad omens proceeded towards where Rāma and Lakshmana were. They were all black like unto clouds, elephants and buffaloes, and had marks of swords and maces on their persons. And all those night rangers were skilled in the art of warfare and began to range to and fro (in the battle field) saying, "I shall go first".
³²⁸ Nairita is another name of Rāvana.
SECTION LXXIX.
Beholding Makarāksha out for battle, those foremost monkeys, leaping on a sudden, addressed themselves for fight. Thereupon ensued a terrible conflict, capable of making one’s down stand on end, between the night-rangers and the monkeys like unto one between the celestials and Dānavas. And those monkeys and night-rangers crushed each other down with trees, darts, maces and parighas. And those night-rangers began to assail those foremost of monkeys with sakti,³²⁹ swords, maces, kuntas, tomaras, pattiças, Vindipalas,³³⁰ arrows, nooses and clubs. Being thus assailed with fearful arrows by Khara’s son, those monkeys, stricken with fear, fled away. And beholding the monkeys fly away, the victorious Rākshasas began to roar like excited lions. The monkeys thus flying away to all quarters, Rāma with a downpour of shafts assailed the Rākshasas. And beholding the Rākshasas thus overpowered, the night ranger Makarāksha, excited with the flame of ire, said,—"Stay, O Rāma, let us both fight with each other; I shall take thy life with sharp arrows discharged off my bow. Thou didst slay my father in the forest of Dandaka. Remembering thy action and finding thee before, my ire is excited. O Rāghava! Vicious souled one! My limbs are being burnt (with wrath) for I did not see thee then in that mighty forest. O Rāma, by my good luck, I have got thee to-day, like unto a hungry lion desiring to have other animals. Being despatched by my arrows to the world of devils, thou shalt live with those heroes, who had been killed by thee before. What is the use of speaking more, O Rāma, do thou hear my words. Let all the people behold thy as well as my prowess in the battlefield. Either with weapon or with clubs, in whatever thou art expert, do thou fight with me in the battle-field, O Rāma". Hearing the words of Makarāksha, Rāma, Daçaratha’s son, smiling, replied to the words of the babbler. "O Raksha, what is the use of idle prating? None can achieve success in battle with idle words—but with fighting. I slew in the forest of Dandaka thy father with fourteen thousand Rākshasas, Triçira and Dushana. O vile one, thou being slain to day, with thy flesh, vultures and crows, having sharp beaks and nails, and jackals shall be satisfied.³³¹ Being thus addressed by Rāghava, the mighty Makarāksha, began to dart sharp arrows towards him in the battle-field. And Rāma, with his shafts, sundered into several pieces, those arrows. And being thus rendered useless those arrows, feathered in gold, fell down on the earth. Then there arose a terrible conflict between the Rākshasa Khara’s son and Daçaratha’s son. And there were audible in that battle-field, the outcry of the heroes and the twang of the bows stretched by their hands, like unto the muttering of the clouds in the sky. And to beheld that wondrous conflict, the celestials, Dānavas, Gandharbas, Kinnaras and the mighty serpents stationed themselves in the sky. They were wounded with the arrows discharged by each other and their strength was doubled. And they began to fight in that battle-field one attacking and the other withstanding the attack. And in that conflict the Rākshasa sundered the shafts discharged by Rāma. And likewise Rāma severed into several pieces the arrows shot by the Rākshasa. All the quarters were covered with arrows and nothing on earth or in the sky was visible. Thereupon being excited with ire, Rāghava of long arms sundered his (Rākshasa’s) bow in conflict and with eight Nārachas pierced the charioteer. And with arrows Rāma sundered the chariot and killing the horses brought them down. And the night-ranger Makarāksha was brought down on the earth from the chariot. He then again rose up with a dart in his hand creating terror unto all creatures and resembling the Fire of Dissolution in resplendence. It was a terribly huge dart conferred on him by Siva, shining in the sky in its native brilliance and like unto another weapon of destruction.³³² And beholding which dart even the celestials fly away in fear to different quarters. And taking up that huge flaming dart, the night-ranger, being excited with ire, hurled it at the high-souled Rāghava. And Rāghava, with four shafts, sundered that dart, in the sky, flaming and hurled at him by the son of Khara. And that flaming dart, feathered in gold, being splintered into several pieces by Rāma’s arrows fell down on earth like a huge fire-brand. And beholding that dart baffled thus by Rāma of unwearied actions all those, stationed in the welkin began to shout, "Well done! Well done!!" And beholding his dart thus sundered, the night-ranger Makarāksha clenching his fist spoke unto Kākutstha, saying, "Stay! Stay!" And seeing him advance thus, the descendant of Raghu, smiling, fixed a fiery arrow on his bow. And with that arrow the Raksha was slain by Kākutstha in battle. And having his heart pierced he fell down and died. And beholding Makarāksha thus slain all the Rākshasas, being afraid of Rāma’s arrows, proceeded towards Lankā. And seeing that night-ranger, the son of Khara, slain by Rāma’s arrows, like unto a mountain clept by a thunder-bolt, the celestials were greatly delighted.
³²⁹ A short arrow thrown from the hand or shot through a tube.—T.
³³⁰ An Iron spear or dart.—T.
³³¹ Here is another sloka, which is to be found in all N. W. P. texts and in one or two texts published in Bengal—but it has been omitted by many for it conveys the same meaning as the previous sloka; the meaning is:—And the birds drinking thy blood shall fly away to various quarters.—T.
³³² This refers to the weapon used by Siva for destruction—for Siva, according to the Hindu Mythology is the God of destruction.—T.
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.