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.
SECTION LXLIX.
Mahodara being thus slain by Sugriva, the highly powerful Mahāparshwa, having his eyes reddened with ire, looked towards him. And the Rākshasa, with his weapons, assailed the dreadful army of Angada as well as the leading monkeys. The Rākshasa severed the heads from the bodies of the monkeys like unto the wind throwing away the fruits from trees. And he cut off, with his arrows, the arms of some and some were deprived of their sides. The monkeys were thus assailed by Mahāparshwa with a shower of shafts. All the monkeys were thus stricken with grief and rendered senseless. And hearing of the anxiety of his own army thus assailed by the Rākshasa, Angada, gifted with great vehemence, taking his parigha made of iron and resembling the rays of the sun, dashed on like the rising deep during the lunar half of a month. And that foremost of monkeys encountered Mahāparshwa, who, thus struck by the monkey, became insensible with his charioteer and fell down on the earth. Thereupon leaped on the battle-field the highly powerful and effulgent lord of bears, having the hue of red collyrium, with his army resembling the cloud. And excited with ire, he, taking up a huge crag resembling the summit of a mountain, speedily struck down his horses and broke down his car. And regaining his senses in a moment the highly powerful Mahāparshwa, again assailed Angada with many arrows. He struck Jāmbavān, the lord of bears, on his breast with three arrows and assailed Gabāksha with many shafts. And beholding Jāmbavān and Gabāksha overwhelmed with arrows, Angada, beside himself with ire, took up a dreadful parigha. And holding with two hands that parigha made of iron and bright like the rays of the sun, Angada, the son of Vāli, with his eyes reddened in wrath, hurled it at Mahāparshwa who was stationed at a distance, to slay him. And being hurled by the highly powerful (Angada) the parigha, struck down from his hands the bow with arrows and the helmet of the Rākshasa. And approaching him vehemently, Vāli’s son, gifted with great prowess, in anger, struck him, with clenched fist, on his ears having excellent kundalas. There-upon Mahāparshwa gifted with great vehemence and effulgence, highly angered, took up in his hands a huge parashivadha, sharpened with oil, bright and hard as iron and discharged it at Vāli’s son, and struck him therewith on his left shoulder. And Angada baffled that parashwadha. Thereupon that hero, powerful like his own father, clenching his fist, hard as thunder-bolt and resembling even Indra’s açani, dealt it, in great anger, upon the Raksha’s breast. And being struck with that fist the Rākshasa’s breast was shattered and lie fell down on earth. He falling down on earth slain, his soldiers were greatly sorry and Rāvana attained to an excess of ire in the conflict. The noise set up by the delighted monkeys like unto a dreadful leonine roar, as if rending the city of Lankā abounding in edifices and gates, resembled the great roar of the celestials along with Indra. And hearing the noise of the celestials and monkeys, the lord of Rākshasas, the enemy of the gods, in great anger, again proceeded towards the battle field.
SECTION C.
Beholding Mahodara, Mahāparsha and the highly powerful Birupāksha slain in the encounter Rāvana attained to an excess of ire. And ordering his charioteer to hurry on he gave vent to the following words—"All my courtiers have been slain and my city is shut up—I shall remove my grief consequent on all these by slaying Rāma and Lakshmana. I shall destroy Rāma-like tree in the conflict whose flower is Sitā and whose branches are Sugriva, Jāmbavān, Kumuda, Nala, Divida, Mainda, Angada, Gandhamādana, Hanumān and all other leading monkeys". And resounding the ten quarters with the sound of his chariot wheels that mighty car-warrior proceeded quickly towards Rāghava. With that sound all quarters were filled, and the earth, with rivers, mountains and forests shook and all the lions, deer and birds were terrified. He created a dreadful darkness with the discharge of his sharp weapons and burnt down the monkeys who fled away to different directions. Dust was raised on the ground by those monkeys assailed and flying to various directions. They were unable to withstand the power of that weapon made by Brahmā himself. Beholding his own army, assailed and cut into hundred pieces by the excellent weapons of Rāvana, Rāghava dashed forward. And assailing the monkey-host, that foremost of Rākshasas espied Rāma, unconquered, at a distance with his brother Lakshmana like unto Bāsava with Vishnu, holding a huge bow like one painted on the sky, having expansive eyes like lotus-petals, long arms, and always subduing the enemies. Beholding the monkeys slain in the encounter and Rāvana approach, the heroic and highly powerful Rāma, with Sumitrā’s son in his company, delightedly set arrows on his bow. And as if rending the whole earth with that dreadful sound he began to draw the string of his excellent bow. With the sound of Rāvana’s arrows and the twang of Rāma’s bow hundreds of Rākshasas fell down on earth. And coming within the range of the arrows of those two princes, Rāvana appeared like Rāhu in presence of the sun and the moon. And desiring to fight with him first Lakshmana setting sharp arrows on his bow, discharged shafts at him resembling the flame of fire. And the highly powerful Rāvana too with his arrows stopped the course of those shafts in the sky as soon as they were discharged by Lakshmana, skilled in archery. And displaying his light-handedness, he, with one arrow, severed Lakshmana’s one, with three his three and with ten his ten. Surpassing thus the son of Sumitrā, Rāvana, ever victorious in battle, confronted Rāma in the encounter, standing like another hill. And approaching Rāghava, Rāvana the lord of Rākshasas, with his eyes reddened in ire, began to make a shower of arrows. Thereupon beholding the arrows shot off Rāvana’s bow fall on all sides, Rāma speedily took up a valla.³⁸⁶ And Rāghava sundered with his sharp valla his dreadful arrows flaming and resembling poisonous serpents. With various sharpened arrows Rāghava assailed Rāvana, and he again assailed Rāma in return. And forming a circle, they passed each other by the right side. Uprooting the earth with the vehemence of their arrows, irrepressible by each other, fighting equally discharging arrows, they looked dreadful like Death himself—and created terror in all creatures. The sky was filled with their various weapons, like unto clouds in the rainy season accompanied with lightning. And the welkin appeared full of windows with that shower of arrows, sharpened, shot with great vehemence and winged like vultures. The earth was stricken with darkness caused by these arrows like unto clouds appearing after sunset. There took place a dreadful conflict between them, desiring to slay each other, having their prowess unknown and fighting like Vitra and Vāsava. Both of them were proficient in archery, skilled in the art of conflict and foremost of those conversant with the use of weapons. And they began to veer round the battle-field. And wherever they went, there appeared arrows like unto waves of the deep roused by the winds. Then that destroyer of creatures—Rāvana—with his hand engaged in discharging shafts, shot at Rāma’s forehead a network of arrows. And thereat Rāma on his head bore that shower of shafts shot from his terrific bow, having the lustre of the petals of blue lotuses; nor did he experience any pain, And then reciting a formula, the exceedingly energetic Rāma endowed with prowess, wrought up with wrath, engaged in incessantly shooting his shafts, taking his Raudra weapon and again seizing his arrows, discharged them at that lord of Rākshasas. And alighting at the impenetrable hail of the Kakshasa-chief, resembling a mass of mighty clouds, those arrows did not then occasion him any pain. Again Rāma skilled in all weapons, from a powerful weapon discharged arrows at the sovereign of the Rākshasas mounted on his car. And piercing Rāvana, those like unto five-hooded serpents, resisted by him, entered the earth, hissing. Having baffled Rāghava’s weapon, Rāvana, transported with passion, took up a dreadful Asura weapon; and discharged sharpened shafts having the faces of lions and tigers, and the faces of kankas and _kokas_³⁸⁷ and the faces of vultures and hawks, and the faces of jackals, and the faces of wolves,—with gaping mouths,—and terrific of aspect; five-mouthed and red-hued. And that highly powerful one, enraged, sighing like a snake, by his power of illusion shot at Rāma other keen arrows having the faces of mules and the faces of bears, and the faces of dogs and cocks, and the faces of _makaras_³⁸⁸ and venomous serpents,—these as well as others. Covered with that Asura weapon, that foremost of the Raghus, himself resembling fire, discharged an exceedingly vigorous weapon informed with fire; and shot various shafts having faces filled with live flames, and faces like unto suns,—and hued like unto planets and stars,—and furnished with faces resembling mighty meteors, or resembling tongues of lightning. And those terrific shafts of Rāvana, resisted by Rāghava’s weapon, were annihilated in the sky, and destroyed (monkeys) by thousands. And seeing that weapon (of Rāvana) destroyed by Rāma of untiring deeds, all those heroes, the monkeys—headed by Sugriva, capable of wearing forms at will, shouted, surrounding Rāghava. And the high-souled son of Daçaratha—Rāghava—having by his might destroyed that weapon discharged by Rāvana’s arms, was delighted; and the monkey-chiefs, filled with glee, began to emit shouts.
³⁸⁶ An arrow with a crescent shaped head.
³⁸⁷ Koka—a ruddy goose. It may also mean a lizard, a chameleon, a
wolf.
³⁸⁸ A marine monster, generally confounded with the alligator and the
shark; but really a fabulous animal.—T.
SECTION CI.
On that weapon of his having been baffled, Rāvana—lord of the Rākshasas—was fired with double fury, and the highly effulgent Rāvana from wrath set about discharging at Rāghava a dreadful Raudra weapon, which had been conferred on him by Maya. And from his bow began to issue forth in large numbers darts and maces and clubs, flaming and having the might of thunder; and various kinds of sharp clubs and daggers and nooses and flaming thunderbolts began to descend like unto the winds at the universal tumbling. And thereupon the graceful and exceedingly effulgent Rāghava—foremost of those accomplished in noble arms—resisted that weapon with a powerful Gāndharva weapon. On that weapon being baffled by the high-souled Rāghava, Rāvana, with his eyes rendered coppery with passion, took up a Solar weapon. Thereupon from the bow of the wondrous vehement and intelligent Ten-necked one rushed out discuses flaming and mighty. And the firmament all round blazed up with those impendent (arms), as blaze up the cardinal quarters on the Sun and the Moon and the planets dropping down. Thereat Rāghava in the van of that army by means of vollies of shafts cut off Rāvana’s wonderful weapons and discuses. And seeing that weapon destroyed, Rāvana—lord of Rākshasas—with ten arrows pierced Rāma all through his vitals. And pierced by Rāvana with those ten shafts discharged from his mighty bow, the exceedingly powerful Rāghava did not so much shake. Then Rāghava—victor in fight—waxing wondrous wroth, with countless shafts pierced Rāvana all over his person. In the meanwhile Rāghava’s younger brother, the mighty Lakshmana—destroyer of foes—growing enraged, took up seven arrows. And with those highly impetuous arrows that exceedingly effulgent one severed the human-headed standard of Rāvana. And the mighty and graceful Lakshmana with a shaft cut off the head of the Nairita’s charioteer, illumined with ear-rings. And then with five sharpened arrows Lakshmana severed the bow of the Rākshasa-chief, resembling the trunk of an elephant. And Bibhishana, bounding up, with his mace despatched Rāvana’s excellent steeds, resembling hills or dark-blue clouds. Thereat, leaping down from his mighty car, whose horses had been slain, Rāvana was fired with high wrath against his brother. And the powerful lord of Rākshasas endowed with immense strength, hurled at Bibhishana a dart resembling the flaming thunder-bolt. And ere the dart had reached its destination, Lakshmana severed it with three shafts; and thereat in that mighty conflict there arose a mighty uproar from the monkeys. And the dart dight with networks of gold fell down in three fragments, as droppeth a mighty meteor from the firmament, flaming and shooting out scintillations. Then (Rāvana) took up a huge dart, glowing in its own energy, celebrated as being irrisistible, and incapable of being borne by the Destroyer himself. On being whirled by the impious and strong Rāvana, the dart possessed of exceeding energy, flamed up. In the meanwhile the heroic Lakshmana swiftly came to the side of Bibhishana,³⁸⁹ whose life was placed in peril. And in order to save him, that hero—Lakshmana—drawing his bow, covered the dart-handed Rāvana with showers of shafts. On being covered with arrows shot by that high souled one, Rāvana, with his prowess baffled, made up his mind to let (his brother) go. And seeing his brother delivered by Lakshmana, Rāvana, facing Lakshmana, spoke these words,—"O thou proud of thy prowess! as Bibhishana hath this wise been delivered by thee, passing by the Rākshasa, this dart, discharged from my bludgeon of an arm, will depart, depriving thee of thy life". Having said this, Rāvana, waxing furiously enraged, discharged at Lakshmana that dart forged by Maya with his power of illusion, furnished with eight bells, having mighty sounds,—incapable of being resisted,—competent to finish foes; and flaming in energy,—and shouted simultaneously. And hurled with terrific force, the dart sending sounds resembling that of Vajra or the thunder-bolt, vehemently alighted at Lakshmana in that encounter. Thereat, as the dart descended, Rāghava addressed³⁹⁰ it, saying,—"Peace be to Lakshmana! Be thou frustrated; and let thy energy go out of thee". But the dart discharged in the encounter by the enraged Rāvana, resembling a venomous serpent, dived into the dauntless and heroic Lakshmana; and (the dart) exceedingly splendid and blazing, possessed of dreadful impetuosity; and resembling the tongue of the king of serpents, smote Lakshmana in his mighty chest. And with his breast riven by the dart, driving deep through the force of Rāvana, Lakshmana fell down to the earth. And Rāghava, standing by, seeing Lakshmana in that plight, had his heart overspread with sorrow. But reflecting only for a while, he, with his eyes surcharged with tears, was filled with greater martial ardour, and resembled the fire risen at the universal dissolution. Then thinking,—’This is not the time to indulge in grief;’ he, gazing at Lakshmana, entered into a terrific encounter, resolved upon slaying Rāvana, laying under contribution his dearest energies. And Rāma saw Lakshmana with his chest riven by the dart in the mighty conflict, lying drenched in blood, and resembling a hill with serpents present in it—And in spite of all their efforts, the foremost monkeys failed to extract the dart which had been hurled by the powerful Rāvana.—And, further, they were (all the while) sore assailed with showers of shafts by the foremost Rākshasa of them all. The dart, having pierced Sumitrā’s son, had entered the earth. In the encounter the mighty Rāma, grasping the dreadful dart with his hands, extracted the same and wrathfully snapped it.³⁹¹ As he (Rāma) was engaged in pulling the dart out, the mighty Rāvana kept pouring marrow-piercing shafts all over his person. Thinking nothing of those arrows, Rāma, embracing Lakshmana, spoke unto Hanumān and the mighty monkey, Sugriva,—"Ye foremost of monkeys, do ye stay here, surrounding Lakshmana. The opportunity for putting forth my prowess which I had sought, is present. I shall slay this wicked-minded Ten-necked one, who is resolved to pursue the course of unrighteousness. Even as on the expiry of summer the Chātaka is eager for the sight of clouds, I had long been eager to obtain a sight of (Rāvana.) Ye monkeys, this, I swear unto you,—this very hour not long after ye will see this world without Rāvana or Rāma. To-day having slain Rāvana in battle, I shall renounce all sorrow arising from the loss of my kingdom, from my sojourn in the woods, from my wandering in Dandaka, from the ravishment of Vaidehi, from encounter with the Rakshas,—all the terrible evils that I have suffered, and all the troubles resembling hell. He for whom I have brought over the monkey-forces, made Sugriva king, slaying Vāli in battle, for whom I have crossed the ocean and constructed a bridge over the deep—the same hath been come at by me in conflict, and the same hath come within the range of my vision.—And having come within my ken, Rāvana will not live, even as one coming within ken of a serpent of poisonous sight, doth not live; or even as a serpent doth not live, coming within ken of Vinatā’s³⁹² son. Do ye, ye irrepressible ones, ye foremost of monkeys, seated at the brow of the mountain, behold the battle between me and Rāvana. To day let the three worlds with the Gandharvas, and the Siddhas, and the Chiranas, see that for which Rāma is Rāma. To-day I shall do a deed of which the worlds with the mobile and the immobile and the gods, shall speak as long as the Earth sustaineth (creatures.)" Having delivered himself thus, Rāma, concentrating his attention, began to charge the Ten-necked one in encounter with whetted arrows decked with burnished gold. And in the same way Rāvana showered on Rāma great nārāchas and clubs, even as clouds pour down showers. And there arose a tremendous uproar of mighty arrows discharged by Rāma and Rāvana, smiting one another. And the shafts shot by Rāma and Rāvana, severed and scattered, with flaming heads dropped to the Earth. And the mighty twangs of the bow-strings of both, terrifying all creatures, were wonderful to behold.³⁹³ And then even as clouds disperse on being trampled by the Winds, Rāvana, covered with showers of arrowy networks by that high souled one and reduced to sore straits by that one (Rāma) of a glowing bow, fled away in fear.