Aranya Kanda · Sarga 20 of 76 · 25 verses
The Fourteen Fall
Terrible Shurpanakha comes to Raghava’s hermitage and points out the two brothers and Sita to the rakshasas. They see mighty Rama sitting in the leaf hut with Sita, attended by Lakshmana. Seeing her and the rakshasas who have come, glorious Rama says to his brother Lakshmana of blazing splendour: “Stay close to Sita for a moment, Saumitri. I will kill these who have come here following her trail.” Hearing the words of self-knowing Rama, Lakshmana says “So be it,” honouring Raghava’s words. Righteous Raghava strings his great gold-adorned bow and says to the rakshasas: “We are the sons of Dasharatha, the brothers Rama and Lakshmana, who have entered the difficult Dandaka forest with Sita. Living on fruit and roots, self-controlled ascetics, celibate, living in the Dandaka forest: why do you want to harm us? At the command of the seers I have come with my bow to kill you wicked ones in a great battle, you who do them harm. Stay where you are, content; do not come near. If you value your lives, night-rangers, turn back.”
Hearing him, those fourteen brahmana-killing rakshasas, spears in hand, terrible, with red eyes, harsh, delighted, say angrily to red-eyed Rama, sweet of speech, whose valour they have not seen: “You have roused the anger of our great-souled master Khara; you will lose your life at once, killed by us in battle. What power have you, alone, to stand before many of us at the front of battle, let alone to fight? With these iron bars, spears and axes hurled by our arms, you will lose your life, your strength and the bow gripped in your hand.” Saying this, the fourteen rakshasas, raising weapons and swords, rush at Rama. They hurl their spears at invincible Raghava. With as many gold-adorned arrows Kakutstha cuts all fourteen spears. Then, very angry, the very splendid one takes fourteen iron arrows like the sun, sharpened on stone, draws his bow, aims at the rakshasas and releases the arrows like Shatakratu’s thunderbolts. Piercing the rakshasas’ chests with force, drenched in blood, they fall to the ground like snakes from an anthill. Their hearts split by them, the rakshasas fall to the ground like trees cut at the root, bathed in blood, disfigured, lifeless. Seeing them fallen on the ground, the rakshasi, beside herself with anger, goes back to Khara, her blood partly dried, and falls again in distress, like a creeper oozing sap. Near her brother, grief-stricken, she lets out a great cry and weeps aloud, her face pale. Seeing the rakshasas struck down in battle, Shurpanakha runs back again, and Khara’s sister tells him everything about the killing of all those rakshasas.
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ततः शूर्पणखा घोरा राघवाश्रममागता । राक्षसानाचचक्षे तौ भ्रातरौ सह सीतया ॥ १ ॥
Then terrible Shurpanakha came to Raghava’s hermitage and pointed out to the rakshasas the two brothers with Sita.
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The Fourteen Fall 1 min read.
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ते रामं पर्णशालायामुपविष्टं महाबलम् । ददृशुः सीतया सार्धं लक्ष्मणेनापि सेवितम् ॥ २ ॥
They saw mighty Rama sitting in the leaf hut with Sita, attended also by Lakshmana.
तां दृष्ट्वा राघवः श्रीमानागतांस्तांश्च राक्षसान् । अब्रवीद् भ्रातरं रामो लक्ष्मणं दीप्ततेजसम् ॥ ३ ॥
Seeing her and those rakshasas who had come, glorious Rama Raghava said to his brother Lakshmana of blazing splendour:
मुहूर्तं भव सौमित्रे सीतायाः प्रत्यनन्तरः । इमानस्या वधिष्यामि पदवीमागतानिह ॥ ४ ॥
“Be near Sita for a moment, Saumitri. I will kill these who have come here on her trail.”
वाक्यमेतत् ततः श्रुत्वा रामस्य विदितात्मनः । तथेति लक्ष्मणो वाक्यं राघवस्य प्रपूजयन् ॥ ५ ॥
Then, hearing these words of Rama, who knew himself, Lakshmana said “So be it,” honouring Raghava’s words.
राघवोऽपि महच्चापं चामीकरविभूषितम् । चकार सज्यं धर्मात्मा तानि रक्षांसि चाब्रवीत् ॥ ६ ॥
Raghava too, righteous, strung his great bow adorned with gold, and said to those rakshasas:
पुत्रौ दशरथस्यावां भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । प्रविष्टौ सीतया सार्धं दुश्चरं दण्डकावनम् ॥ ७ ॥
“We are the sons of Dasharatha, the brothers Rama and Lakshmana, who have entered the hard-to-pass Dandaka forest together with Sita.
फलमूलाशनौ दान्तौ तापसौ ब्रह्मचारिणौ । वसन्तौ दण्डकारण्ये किमर्थमुपहिंसथ ॥ ८ ॥
“Eating fruit and roots, self-controlled, ascetics, celibates, living in the Dandaka forest: why do you harm us?
युष्मान् पापात्मकान् हन्तुं विप्रकारान् महाहवे । ऋषीणां तु नियोगेन सम्प्राप्तः सशरासनः ॥ ९ ॥
“At the command of the seers I have come, bow in hand, to kill you wicked ones, doers of harm, in a great battle.
तिष्ठतैवात्र संतुष्टा नोपवर्तितुमर्हथ । यदि प्राणैरिहार्थो वो निवर्तध्वं निशाचराः ॥ १० ॥
“Stay right here, content; you should not come near. If you have any need of your lives here, turn back, night-rangers.”
तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा राक्षसास्ते चतुर्दश । ऊचुर्वाचं सुसंक्रुद्धा ब्रह्मघ्नाः शूलपाणयः ॥ ११ ॥
Hearing those words of his, the fourteen rakshasas, killers of brahmanas, spears in hand, very angry, spoke these words,
संरक्तनयना घोरा रामं संरक्तलोचनम् । परुषा मधुराभाषं हृष्टा दृष्टपराक्रमम् ॥ १२ ॥
terrible, with red eyes, harsh, delighted, to red-eyed Rama, sweet of speech, whose valour they had not seen:
क्रोधमुत्पाद्य नो भर्तुः खरस्य सुमहात्मनः । त्वमेव हास्यसे प्राणान् सद्योऽस्माभिर्हतो युधि ॥ १३ ॥
“Having roused the anger of our master, great-souled Khara, you yourself will give up your life, killed by us at once in battle.
का हि ते शक्तिरेकस्य बहूनां रणमूर्धनि । अस्माकमग्रतः स्थातुं किं पुनर्योद्धुमाहवे ॥ १४ ॥
“What power have you, alone, to stand before many of us at the front of battle, let alone to fight in combat?
एभिर्बाहुप्रयुक्तैश्च परिघैः शूलपट्टिशैः । प्राणांस्त्यक्ष्यसि वीर्यं च धनुश्च करपीडितम् ॥ १५ ॥
“By these iron bars, spears and axes hurled by our arms, you will give up your life, your strength, and the bow pressed in your hand.”
इत्येवमुक्त्वा संरब्धा राक्षसास्ते चतुर्दश । उद्यतायुधनिस्त्रिंशा राममेवाभिदुद्रुवुः ॥ १६ ॥
Having said this, those fourteen rakshasas, enraged, raising weapons and swords, rushed at Rama himself.
चिक्षिपुस्तानि शूलानि राघवं प्रति दुर्जयम् । तानि शूलानि काकुत्स्थः समस्तानि चतुर्दश ॥ १७ ॥
They hurled those spears at Raghava, hard to conquer. All those fourteen spears Kakutstha
तावद्भिरेव चिच्छेद शरैः काञ्चनभूषितैः । ततः पश्चान्महातेजा नाराचान् सूर्यसंनिभान् ॥ १८ ॥
cut with just as many arrows adorned with gold. Then afterwards the very splendid one took iron arrows bright as the sun,
जग्राह परमक्रुद्धश्चतुर्दश शिलाशितान् । गृहीत्वा धनुरायम्य लक्ष्यानुद्दिश्य राक्षसान् ॥ १९ ॥
fourteen, sharpened on stone, in supreme anger; and taking his bow, drawing it, aiming at the rakshasas as targets,
मुमोच राघवो बाणान् वज्रानिव शतक्रतुः । ते भित्त्वा रक्षसां वेगाद् वक्षांसि रुधिरप्लुताः ॥ २० ॥
Raghava released the arrows as Shatakratu releases thunderbolts. Piercing the chests of the rakshasas with force, drenched in blood,
विनिष्पेतुस्तदा भूमौ वल्मीकादिव पन्नगाः । तैर्भग्नहृदया भूमौ छिन्नमूला इव द्रुमाः ॥ २१ ॥
they then fell out on the ground, like snakes from an anthill. Their hearts broken by them, like trees cut at the root, on the ground
निपेतुः शोणितस्नाता विकृता विगतासवः । तान् भूमौ पतितान् दृष्ट्वा राक्षसी क्रोधमूर्छिता ॥ २२ ॥
they fell, bathed in blood, disfigured, lifeless. Seeing them fallen on the ground, the rakshasi, beside herself with anger,
उपगम्य खरं सा तु किंचित्संशुष्कशोणिता । पपात पुनरेवार्ता सनिर्यासेव वल्लरी ॥ २३ ॥
going to Khara, her blood partly dried, fell again in distress, like a creeper oozing sap.
भ्रातुः समीपे शोकार्ता ससर्ज निनदं महत् । सस्वरं मुमुचे बाष्पं विवर्णवदना तदा ॥ २४ ॥
Near her brother, stricken with grief, she let out a great cry and shed tears aloud, her face pale then.
निपातितान् प्रेक्ष्य रणे तु राक्षसान् प्रधाविता शूर्पणखा पुनस्ततः । वधं च तेषां निखिलेन रक्षसां शशंस सर्वं भगिनी खरस्य सा ॥ २५ ॥
Seeing the rakshasas struck down in battle, Shurpanakha ran back again from there; and Khara’s sister told him all about the killing of those rakshasas, entire.