Sundara Kanda · Sarga 44 of 68 · 20 verses
Jambumali
At Ravana’s command, Prahasta’s mighty son Jambumali, with huge tusks, red garlands and bright earrings, rides out in a chariot drawn by donkeys, twanging a great bow like Indra’s with a thunderclap sound that fills the sky. Hanuman, perched on the gateway, roars with joy. Jambumali shoots him in the face with a crescent-headed arrow, in the head with another, and in the arms with ten iron shafts; Hanuman’s coppery face, streaked with blood, looks like a lotus touched by the autumn sun, or a great lotus sprinkled with drops of red sandal.
Angry, Hanuman hurls a huge rock; the rakshasa shatters it with ten arrows. He whirls a great sala tree; Jambumali cuts it with four arrows and wounds him again in the arm, head and chest. Covered with arrows and furious, Hanuman seizes his iron bar, whirls it with tremendous speed and brings it down on Jambumali’s broad chest. Nothing is left: no head, no arms, no knees, no bow, chariot, horses or arrows. Hearing that Jambumali and the Kimkaras are dead, Ravana, eyes red with rage, sends the sons of his ministers.
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संदिष्टो राक्षसेन्द्रेण प्रहस्तस्य सुतो बली । जम्बुमाली महादंष्ट्रो निर्जगाम धनुर्धरः ॥ १ ॥
Ordered by the king of the rakshasas, Prahasta’s mighty son Jambumali, with huge tusks, went out bearing a bow,
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रक्तमाल्याम्बरधरः स्रग्वी रुचिरकुण्डलः । महान् विवृत्तनयनश्चण्डः समरदुर्जयः ॥ २ ॥
wearing red garlands and clothes, garlanded, with bright earrings, huge, with rolling eyes, fierce, hard to defeat in battle,
धनुः शक्रधनुःप्रख्यं महद्रुचिरसायकम् । विस्फारयानो वेगेन वज्राशनिसमस्वनम् ॥ ३ ॥
twanging with force his great bow like Indra’s bow, with its bright arrows, sounding like the thunderbolt.
तस्य विस्फारघोषेण धनुषो महता दिशः । प्रदिशश्च नभश्चॆव सहसा समपूर्यत ॥ ४ ॥
With the great sound of the twanging of his bow, the directions, the intermediate directions and the sky were suddenly filled.
रथेन खरयुक्तेन तमागतमुदीक्ष्य सः । हनुमान् वेगसंपन्नो जहर्ष च ननाद च ॥ ५ ॥
Seeing him come in a chariot yoked with donkeys, swift Hanuman rejoiced and roared.
तं तोरणविटङ्कस्थं हनुमन्तं महाकपिम् । जम्बुमाली महाबाहुर्विव्याध निशितैः शरैः ॥ ६ ॥
Mighty-armed Jambumali pierced Hanuman, the great monkey standing on the top of the gateway, with sharp arrows.
अर्धचन्द्रेण वदने शिरस्येकेन कर्णिना । बाह्वोर्विव्याध नाराचैर्दशभिस्तं कपीश्वरम् ॥ ७ ॥
He pierced the lord of monkeys in the face with a crescent-headed arrow, in the head with a barbed one, and in the arms with ten iron shafts.
तस्य तच्छुशुभे ताम्रं शरेणाभिहतं मुखम् । शरदीवाम्बुजम्फुल्लं विद्धं भास्कररश्मिना ॥ ८ ॥
His coppery face, struck by the arrow, shone like a full-blown lotus in autumn pierced by a ray of the sun.
तत्तस्य रक्तं रक्तेन रञ्जितं शुशुभे मुखम् । यथाकाशे महापद्मं सिक्तं चन्दनबिन्दुभिः ॥ ९ ॥
That red face of his, reddened with blood, shone like a great lotus in the sky sprinkled with drops of sandal.
चुकोप बाणाभिहतो राक्षसस्य महाकपिः । ततः पार्श्वेतिविपुलां ददर्श महतीं शिलाम् ॥ १० ॥
Struck by the rakshasa’s arrows, the great monkey grew angry. Then beside him he saw a very large, great rock.
तरसा तां समुत्पाट्य चिक्षेप बलवद्बली । तां शरैर्दशभिः क्रुद्धस्ताडयामास राक्षसः ॥ ११ ॥
Tearing it up swiftly, the mighty one hurled it with force. The angry rakshasa struck it with ten arrows.
विपन्नं कर्म तद्दृष्ट्वा हनुमांश्चण्डविक्रमः । सालं विपुलमुत्पाट्य भ्रामयामास वीर्यवान् ॥ १२ ॥
Seeing that effort fail, Hanuman of fierce valour tore up a great sala tree, and the valiant one whirled it.
भ्रामयन्तं कपिं दृष्ट्वा सालवृक्षं महाबलम् । चिक्षेप सुबहून् बाणान् जम्बुमाली महाबलः ॥ १३ ॥
Seeing the mighty monkey whirling the sala tree, mighty Jambumali shot very many arrows.
सालं चतुर्भिश्चिच्छेद वानरं पञ्चभिर्भुजे । शिरस्येकेन बाणेन दशभिस्तु स्तनान्तरे ॥ १४ ॥
He cut the sala with four, the monkey’s arm with five, his head with one arrow, and between his breasts with ten.
स शरैः पूरिततनुः क्रोधेन महता वृतः । तमेव परिघं गृह्य भ्रामयामास वेगतः ॥ १५ ॥
His body filled with arrows, seized by great anger, he took that same iron bar and whirled it swiftly.
अतिवेगोतिवेगेन भ्रामयित्वा बलोत्कटः । परिघं पातयामास जम्बुमालेर्महोरसि ॥ १६ ॥
Whirling it with tremendous speed, the one of overwhelming strength brought the bar down on Jambumali’s broad chest.
तस्य चैव शिरो नास्ति न बाहू न च जानुनी । न धनुर्नरथो नाश्वास्तत्रादृश्यन्त नेषवः ॥ १७ ॥
Then there was no head of his, no arms, no knees; no bow, no chariot, no horses, no arrows were to be seen there.
स हतस्तरसा तेन जम्बुमाली महाबलः । पपात निहतो भूवौ चूर्णिताङ्गविभूषणः ॥ १८ ॥
Struck down by him with force, mighty Jambumali fell dead on the ground, his limbs and ornaments crushed.
जम्बुमालिं च निहतं किङ्करांश्च महाबलान् । चुक्रोध रावणः श्रुत्वा कोपसंरक्त लोचनः ॥ १९ ॥
Hearing that Jambumali was killed, and the mighty Kimkaras, Ravana was angry, his eyes reddened with rage.
स रोषसंवर्तितताम्रलोचनः प्रहस्त पुत्रे निहते महाबले । अमात्यपुत्रानतिवीर्यविक्रमान् समादिदेशाशु निशाचरेश्वरः ॥ २० ॥
His copper eyes rolling with fury at the killing of Prahasta’s mighty son, the lord of the night-wanderers quickly ordered the ministers’ sons, of great valour and prowess.