Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 44 of 128 · 39 verses
The Night Battle
The sun sets as they fight, and a night that takes lives begins. In the terrible darkness monkeys and rakshasas strike one another, crying “You are a rakshasa!” and “You are a monkey!”; “Kill! Tear! Come here! Why do you run?” The dark rakshasas in golden armour look like mountains with glowing herbs. Mad with rage, they rush about devouring monkeys, biting horses and banners; the monkeys drag down elephants, riders and chariots and bite them. Rama and Lakshmana kill the chief rakshasas, seen and unseen, with snake-like arrows. Dust from hooves and wheels blinds the fighters, and terrible rivers of blood flow; drums, conches and wheels mingle with the cries of the dying. The ground, strewn with weapons like flower offerings, becomes a mire of blood, and the night becomes like the Night of Doom for all creatures.
The rakshasas converge on Rama with showers of arrows, roaring like the seven oceans in flood. In the twinkling of an eye Rama strikes six with six fiery arrows: Yajnashatru, Mahaparshva, Mahodara, the huge Vajradamshtra, and Shuka and Sarana, who flee the battle wounded in every vital part with a little life left. He clears the directions; all who face him perish like moths in a flame; his golden-feathered arrows make the night bright as an autumn night full of fireflies. The golangula monkeys, dark as the night, crush rakshasas in their arms and devour them. Angada kills Indrajit’s driver and horses; Indrajit abandons his chariot and vanishes on the spot. The gods and sages, Rama and Lakshmana praise Angada; everyone knows Indrajit’s power, and the monkeys cheer to see him beaten.
But Indrajit, enraged at his defeat by Vali’s son, uses Brahma’s boon: invisible, wrapped in magic, the deceitful fighter looses arrows like thunderbolts, and with terrible serpent-arrows (naga-banas) pierces Rama and Lakshmana all over and binds them in a net of arrows, while the monkeys look on.
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युध्यतामेव तेषां तु तदा वानररक्षसाम् । रविरस्तं गतो रात्रिः प्रवृत्ता प्राणहारिणी ॥ १ ॥
While the monkeys and rakshasas were still fighting, the sun set, and a night that takes lives began.
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अन्योन्यं बद्धवैराणां घोराणं जयमिच्छताम् । सम्प्रवृत्तं निशायुद्धं तदा वानररक्षसाम् ॥ २ ॥
Between the terrible monkeys and rakshasas, bound in enmity, wanting victory, a night battle began.
राक्षसोऽसीति हरयो वानरोऽसीति राक्षसाः । अन्योन्यं समरे जघ्नुस्तस्मिंस्तमसि दारुणे ॥ ३ ॥
“You are a rakshasa!” cried the monkeys; “You are a monkey!” cried the rakshasas; they killed one another in battle in that dreadful darkness.
हत दारय चैहीति कथं विद्रवसीति च । एवं सुतुमुलः शब्दस्तस्मिन् सैन्ये तु शुश्रुवे ॥ ४ ॥
“Kill! Tear! Come here! Why do you run away?” Such a tumultuous noise was heard in that army.
कालाः काञ्चनसंनाहास्तस्मिंस्तमसि राक्षसाः । सम्प्रदृश्यन्त शैलेन्द्रा दीप्तौषधिवना इव ॥ ५ ॥
The black rakshasas in golden armour were seen in that darkness like great mountains with forests of glowing herbs.
तस्मिंस्तमसि दुष्पारे राक्षसाः क्रोधमूिर्च्छताः । परिपेतुर्महावेगा भक्षयन्तः प्लवङ्गमान् ॥ ६ ॥
In that impenetrable darkness the rakshasas, mad with anger, rushed about with great speed, devouring the leapers.
ते हयान् काञ्चनापीडान् ध्वजांश्चाशीविषोपमान् । आप्लुत्य दशनैस्तीक्ष्णैर्भीमकोपा व्यदारयन् ॥ ७ ॥
Leaping on the gold-crested horses and on the banners like poisonous snakes, the terribly angry ones tore them with sharp teeth.
वानरा बलिनो युद्धेऽक्षोभयन् राक्षसीं चमूम् । कुञ्जरान् कुञ्जरारोहान् पताकाध्वजिनो रथान् ॥ ८ ॥
The mighty monkeys threw the rakshasa army into turmoil in battle; elephants and elephant-riders, chariots with flags and banners,
चकर्षुश्च ददंशुश्च दशनैः क्रोधमूिर्च्छताः । लक्ष्मणश्चापि रामश्च शरैराशीविषोपमैः ॥ ९ ॥
they dragged and bit with their teeth, mad with anger. And Lakshmana and Rama, with arrows like poisonous snakes,
दृश्यादृश्यानि रक्षांसि प्रवराणि निजघ्नतुः । तुरंगखुरविध्वस्तं रथनेमिसमुत्थितम् ॥ १० ॥
killed the chief rakshasas, both seen and unseen. Raised by horses’ hooves and churned up by chariot wheels,
रुरोध कर्णनेत्राणि युध्यतां धरणीरजः । वर्तमाने तथा घोरे संग्रामे लोमहर्षणे । रुधिरौघा महाघोरा नद्यस्तत्र विसुस्रुवुः ॥ ११ ॥
the dust of the earth blocked the ears and eyes of the fighters. In that terrible, hair-raising battle, very terrible streams of blood flowed as rivers there.
ततो भेरीमृदङ्गानां पणवानां च निःस्वनः । शङ्खनेमिस्वनोन्मिश्रः सम्बभूवाद्भुतोपमः ॥ १२ ॥
Then the sound of kettledrums, tabors and drums, mixed with the sound of conches and wheels, became wondrous.
हतानां स्तनमानानां राक्षसानां च निःस्वनः । शस्तानां वानराणां च सम्बभूवात्र दारुणः ॥ १३ ॥
And the cries of slain and groaning rakshasas and of wounded monkeys there were dreadful.
हतैर्वानरमुख्यैश्च शक्तिशूलपरश्वधैः । निहतैः पर्वताकारै राक्षसैः कामरूपिभिः ॥ १४ ॥
With chief monkeys killed by spears, tridents and axes, and with rakshasas like mountains, who take any form, killed,
शस्त्रपुष्पोपहारा च तत्रासीद् युद्धमेदिनी । दुर्ज्ञेया दुर्निवेशा च शोणितास्त्रावकर्दमा ॥ १५ ॥
the battle ground was strewn with weapons as with flower offerings; it was hard to recognise and hard to walk on, a mire from flowing blood.
सा बभूव निशा घोरा हरिराक्षसहारिणी । कालरात्रीव भूतानां सर्वेषां दुरतिक्रमा ॥ १६ ॥
That night became terrible, the destroyer of monkeys and rakshasas, hard to pass, like the Night of Doom for all beings.
ततस्ते राक्षसास्तत्र तस्मिंस्तमसि दारुणे । राममेवाभ्यवर्तन्त संहृष्टाः शरवृष्टिभिः ॥ १७ ॥
Then those rakshasas there, in that dreadful darkness, rushed only at Rama, delighted, with showers of arrows.
तेषामापततां शब्दः क्रुद्धानामपि गर्जताम् । उद्वर्त इव सप्तानां समुद्राणामभूत् स्वनः ॥ १८ ॥
The noise of them as they came on, angry and roaring, was like the sound of the seven oceans in flood.
तेषां रामः शरैः षड्भिः षड् जघान निशाचरान् । निमेषान्तरमात्रेण शरैरग्निशिखोपमैः ॥ १९ ॥
Rama killed six of those night-wanderers with six arrows like tongues of fire, in the time of a blink:
यज्ञशत्रुश्च दुर्धर्षो महापार्श्वमहोदरौ । वज्रदंष्ट्रो महाकायस्तौ चोभौ शुकसारणौ ॥ २० ॥
unassailable Yajnashatru, Mahaparshva and Mahodara, huge Vajradamshtra, and those two, Shuka and Sarana.
ते तु रामेण बाणौघैः सर्वमर्मसु ताडिताः । युद्धादपसृतास्तत्र सावशेषायुषोऽभवन् ॥ २१ ॥
Struck in all their vitals by Rama’s floods of arrows, they withdrew from the battle there with some remnant of life.
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण घोरैरग्निशिखोपमैः । दिशश्चकार विमलाः प्रदिशश्च महारथः ॥ २२ ॥
In the time of a blink the great chariot-warrior made the directions and intermediate directions clear with terrible arrows like tongues of fire.
ये त्वन्ये राक्षसा वीरा रामस्याभिमुखे स्थिताः । तेऽपि नष्टाः समासाद्य पतङ्गा इव पावकम् ॥ २३ ॥
And the other heroic rakshasas who stood facing Rama also perished on reaching him, like moths reaching fire.
सुवर्णपुङ्खैर्विशिखैः सम्पतद्भिः समन्ततः । बभूव रजनी चित्रा खद्योतैरिव शारदी ॥ २४ ॥
With golden-feathered arrows flying everywhere, the night became bright, like an autumn night with fireflies.
राक्षसानां च निनदैर्भेरीणां चैव निःस्वनैः । सा बभूव निशा घोरा भूयो घोरतराभवत् ॥ २५ ॥
With the roars of the rakshasas and the sounds of the drums, that terrible night became even more terrible.
तेन शब्देन महता प्रवृद्धेन समन्ततः । त्रिकूटः कंदराकीर्णः प्रव्याहरदिवाचलः ॥ २६ ॥
With that great sound swelling on every side, Trikuta, full of caves, the mountain, seemed to echo.
गोलाङ्गूला महाकायास्तमसा तुल्यवर्चसः । सम्परिष्वज्य बाहुभ्यां भक्षयन् रजनीचरान् ॥ २७ ॥
The huge golangulas, like the darkness in colour, embracing the night-wanderers with their arms, devoured them.
अङ्गदस्तु रणे शत्रून् निहन्तुं समुपस्थितः । रावणिं निजघानाशु सारथिं च हयानपि ॥ २८ ॥
Angada, standing ready in battle to kill his enemies, quickly killed Ravana’s son’s driver and his horses.
इन्द्रजित् तु रथं त्यक्त्वा हताश्वो हतसारथिः । अङ्गदेन महाकायस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ॥ २९ ॥
His horses killed and his driver killed, huge Indrajit, abandoning his chariot, vanished right there because of Angada.
तत् कर्म वालिपुत्रस्य सर्वे देवाः सहर्षिभिः । तुष्टुवुः पूजनार्हस्य तौ चोभौ रामलक्ष्मणौ ॥ ३० ॥
That deed of Vali’s son, worthy of honour, all the gods with the sages praised, and both Rama and Lakshmana.
प्रभावं सर्वभूतानि विदुरिन्द्रजितो युधि । ततस्ते तं महात्मानं दृष्ट्वा तुष्टाः प्रधर्षितम् ॥ ३१ ॥
All beings knew Indrajit’s power in battle; so they were pleased to see that great soul overpowered.
ततः प्रहृष्टाः कपयः ससुग्रीवविभीषणाः । साधुसाध्विति नेदुश्च दृष्ट्वा शत्रुं पराजितम् ॥ ३२ ॥
Then the monkeys, delighted, with Sugriva and Vibhishana, cried “Well done! Well done!” seeing the enemy defeated.
इन्द्रजित् तु तदानेन निर्जितो भीमकर्मणा । संयुगे वालिपुत्रेण क्रोधं चक्रे सुदारुणम् ॥ ३३ ॥
But Indrajit, defeated in battle by that son of Vali of terrible deeds, conceived a very fierce anger.
सोऽन्तर्धानगतः पापो रावणी रणकर्शितः । ब्रह्मदत्तवरो वीरो रावणिः क्रोधमूर्च्छितः ॥ ३४ ॥
That evil one, gone invisible, Ravana’s son, worn by battle, the hero who had received a boon from Brahma, swooning with anger,
अदृश्यो निशितान् बाणान् मुमोचाशनिवर्चसः । रामं च लक्ष्मणं चैव घोरैर्नागमयैः शरैः ॥ ३५ ॥
invisible, loosed sharp arrows with the splendour of thunderbolts; and Rama and Lakshmana, with terrible arrows made of serpents,
बिभेद समरे क्रुद्धः सर्वगात्रेषु राक्षसः । मायया संवृतस्तत्र मोहयन् राघवौ युधि ॥ ३६ ॥
the angry rakshasa pierced in all their limbs in battle, hidden there by magic, deluding the two Raghavas in battle.
अदृश्यः सर्वभूतानां कूटयोधी निशाचरः । बबन्ध शरबन्धेन भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ ॥ ३७ ॥
Invisible to all beings, the night-wanderer, fighting by deceit, bound the brothers Rama and Lakshmana with a bond of arrows.
तौ तेन पुरुषव्याघ्रौ क्रुद्धेनाशीविषैः शरैः । सहसाभिहतौ वीरौ तदा प्रेक्षन्त वानराः ॥ ३८ ॥
The monkeys then saw those two heroes, tigers among men, suddenly struck by him in his anger with snake-like arrows.
प्रकाशरूपस्तु यदा न शक्त- स्तौ बाधितुं राक्षसराजपुत्रः । मायां प्रयोक्तुं समुपाजगाम बबन्ध तौ राजसुतौ दुरात्मा ॥ ३९ ॥
When the son of the king of the rakshasas, in open form, could not overcome those two, the evil-souled one turned to using magic, and bound those two princes.