Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 45 of 128 · 28 verses
Rama and Lakshmana Fall
Searching for Indrajit’s path, Rama sends ten monkey leaders after him: the two sons of Sushena, Nila, Angada, Sharabha, Dvivida, Hanuman, Sanuprastha and Rishabha. They leap into the sky with great trees, searching every direction, but Indrajit, master of weapons, checks their speed with swifter arrows; wounded, they cannot see him in the darkness, like the sun hidden by clouds. He drives arrows into every part of Rama’s and Lakshmana’s bodies; serpents turned into arrows cover them so that no space is left, and they bleed like flowering kimshuka trees.
Invisible, his eyes red at the corners, dark as collyrium, Indrajit tells them: when I fight unseen, not even Shakra, lord of the gods, can see or approach me, let alone you two. Bound by my heron-feathered net of arrows, I send you both to Yama’s realm. He pierces the righteous brothers again, rejoices and roars, draws his great bow and looses more terrible arrows, sinking them into their vitals. Bound in the net of arrows, in a moment they cannot even look. Their every limb pierced and covered with arrows, they shake like Indra’s banners cut loose from their ropes and fall to the ground, the great archers, the lords of the earth, lying on a hero’s bed, drenched in blood, wrapped in arrows, in agony; there is not a finger’s breadth on them unpierced, from head to fingertips, and their blood flows like springs. Rama falls first, pierced in his vitals by the one who once defeated Indra, with every kind of arrow, and lies with his golden bow unstrung beside him. Seeing Rama fallen, Lakshmana despairs of life and grieves for his brother, the refuge of all, lying on the earth. The monkeys too are filled with anguish and cry out, their eyes full of tears; led by Hanuman, they gather around the two heroes lying bound on the battlefield, overwhelmed with despair.
Press › to begin with verse 1.
स तस्य गतिमन्विच्छन् राजपुत्रः प्रतापवान् । दिदेशातिबलो रामो दश वानरयूथपान् ॥ १ ॥
Seeking his path, mighty Rama, the powerful prince, ordered ten leaders of monkey troops:
Commentary on the whole sarga
Rama and Lakshmana Fall 1 min read.
Read the commentary
द्वौ सुषेणस्य दायादौ नीलं च प्लवगाधिपम् । अङ्गदं वालिपुत्रं च शरभं च तरस्विनम् ॥ २ ॥
the two sons of Sushena, Nila lord of leapers, Angada son of Vali, swift Sharabha,
द्विविदं च हनूमन्तं सानुप्रस्थं महाबलम् । ऋषभं चर्षभस्कन्धमादिदेश परंतपः ॥ ३ ॥
Dvivida and Hanuman, mighty Sanuprastha, and bull-shouldered Rishabha, the scorcher of foes ordered.
ते सम्प्रहृष्टा हरयो भीमानुद्यम्य पादपान् । आकाशं विविशुः सर्वे मार्गमाणा दिशो दश ॥ ४ ॥
Delighted, those monkeys raised terrible trees and all entered the sky, searching the ten directions.
तेषां वेगवतां वेगमिषुभिर्वेगवत्तरैः । अस्त्रवित् परमास्त्रस्तु वारयामास रावणिः ॥ ५ ॥
The speed of those swift ones Ravana’s son, master of weapons, with supreme weapons, checked with arrows swifter still.
तं भीमवेगा हरयो नाराचैः क्षतविक्षताः । अन्धकारे न ददृशुर्मेघैः सूर्यमिवावृतम् ॥ ६ ॥
Those monkeys of terrible speed, wounded and torn by iron arrows, could not see him in the darkness, like the sun covered by clouds.
रामलक्ष्मणयोरेव सर्वदेहभिदः शरान् । भृशमावेशयामास रावणिः समितिंजयः ॥ ७ ॥
Ravana’s son, victor in battle, drove arrows that pierce every part of the body deep into Rama and Lakshmana.
निरन्तरशरीरौ तु तावुभौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । क्रुद्धेनेन्द्रजिता वीरौ पन्नगैः शरतां गतैः ॥ ८ ॥
Those two heroes, Rama and Lakshmana, their bodies covered without a gap by angry Indrajit with serpents turned into arrows,
तयोः क्षतजमार्गेण सुस्राव रुधिरं बहु । तावुभौ च प्रकाशेते पुष्पिताविव किंशुकौ ॥ ९ ॥
much blood flowed from them by the paths of their wounds, and both shone like flowering kimshuka trees.
ततः पर्यन्तरक्ताक्षो भिन्नाञ्जनचयोपमः । रावणिर्भ्रातरौ वाक्यमन्तर्धानगतोऽब्रवीत् ॥ १० ॥
Then Ravana’s son, his eyes red at the corners, like a heap of broken collyrium, invisible, said to the brothers:
युध्यमानमनालक्ष्यं शक्रोऽपि त्रिदशेश्वरः । द्रष्टुमासादितुं वापि न शक्तः किं पुनर्युवाम् ॥ ११ ॥
“When I fight unseen, not even Shakra, lord of the thirty, can see me or approach me, let alone you two.
प्रापिताविषुजालेन राघवौ कङ्कपत्रिणा । एष रोषपरीतात्मा नयामि यमसादनम् ॥ १२ ॥
“Brought down by a net of heron-feathered arrows, Raghavas, I, my heart filled with anger, now take you to Yama’s dwelling.”
एवमुक्त्वा तु धर्मज्ञौ भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । निर्बिभेद शितैर्बाणैः प्रजहर्ष ननाद च ॥ १३ ॥
Having said this, he pierced the two righteous brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, with sharp arrows, rejoiced and roared.
भिन्नाञ्जनचयश्यामो विस्फार्य विपुलं धनुः । भूय एव शरान् घोरान् विससर्ज महामृधे ॥ १४ ॥
Dark as a heap of broken collyrium, drawing his great bow, he loosed terrible arrows again in that great battle.
ततो मर्मसु मर्मज्ञो मज्जयन् निशितान् शरान् । रामलक्ष्मणयोर्वीरो ननाद च मुहुर्मुहुः ॥ १५ ॥
Then the hero, who knew the vital points, sinking sharp arrows into the vitals of Rama and Lakshmana, roared again and again.
बद्धौ तु शरबन्धेन तावुभौ रणमूर्धनि । निमेषान्तरमात्रेण न शेकतुरवेक्षितुम् ॥ १६ ॥
Bound by the bond of arrows at the head of the battle, those two in the time of a blink could not even look.
ततो विभिन्नसर्वाङ्गौ शरशल्याचितौ कृतौ । ध्वजाविव महेन्द्रस्य रज्जुमुक्तौ प्रकम्पितौ ॥ १७ ॥
Then, pierced in every limb, covered with arrow-shafts, they shook like Mahendra’s banners released from their ropes.
तौ सम्प्रचलितौ वीरौ मर्मभेदेन कर्शितौ । निपेततुर्महेष्वासौ जगत्यां जगतीपती ॥ १८ ॥
Shaking, those two heroes, worn by the piercing of their vitals, the great archers, the lords of the earth, fell to the ground.
तौ वीरशयने वीरौ शयानौ रुधिरोक्षितौ । शरवेष्टितसर्वाङ्गावार्तौ परमपीडितौ ॥ १९ ॥
Those two heroes lay on a hero’s bed, drenched in blood, their every limb wrapped in arrows, in pain, in the greatest torment.
नह्यविद्धं तयोर्गात्रे बभूवाङ्गुलमन्तरम् । नानिर्विण्णं न चाध्वस्तमाकराग्रादजिह्मगैः ॥ २० ॥
There was not a finger’s breadth on their bodies unpierced, nothing untorn or undamaged by the straight-flying arrows, down to the tips of their hands.
तौ तु क्रूरेण निहतौ रक्षसा कामरूपिणा । असृक् सुस्रुवतुस्तीव्रं जलं प्रस्रवणाविव ॥ २१ ॥
Struck down by that cruel rakshasa who takes any form, they bled fiercely, like two springs pouring water.
पपात प्रथमं रामो विद्धो मर्मसु मार्गणैः । क्रोधादिन्द्रजिता येन पुरा शक्रो विनिर्जितः ॥ २२ ॥
Rama fell first, pierced in his vitals with arrows by angry Indrajit, by whom Shakra was once defeated:
रुक्मपुङ्खैः प्रसन्नाग्रै रजोगतिभिराशुगैः । नाराचैरर्धनाराचैर्भल्लैरञ्जलिकैरपि । विव्याध वत्सदन्तैश्च सिंहदंष्ट्रैः क्षुरैस्तथा ॥ २३ ॥
with golden-feathered, clear-pointed, dust-swift arrows, with iron arrows, half-iron arrows, bhallas and anjalikas, he pierced him, with calf-tooth and lion-tooth and razor-headed arrows.
स वीरशयने शिश्येऽविज्यमाविध्य कार्मुकम् । भिन्नमुष्टिपरीणाहं त्रिनतं रुक्मभूषितम् ॥ २४ ॥
He lay on the hero’s bed, having flung down his bow, unstrung, with its grip broken, three-curved, adorned with gold.
बाणपातान्तरे रामं पतितं पुरुषर्षभम् । स तत्र लक्ष्मणो दृष्ट्वा निराशो जीवितेऽभवत् ॥ २५ ॥
Seeing Rama fallen there within the range of the arrows, the bull among men, Lakshmana lost hope of life.
रामं कमलपत्राक्षं शरण्यं रणतोषिणम् । शुशोच भ्रातरं दृष्ट्वा पतितं धरणीतले ॥ २६ ॥
Seeing his brother, lotus-eyed Rama, the refuge, who delighted in battle, fallen on the ground, he grieved.
हरयश्चापि तं दृष्ट्वा संतापं परमं गताः । शोकार्ताश्चुक्रुशुर्घोरमश्रुपूरितलोचनाः ॥ २७ ॥
And the monkeys too, seeing him, were filled with the greatest anguish; stricken with grief, their eyes full of tears, they cried out terribly.
बद्धौ तु तौ वीरशये शयानौ ते वानराः सम्परिवार्य तस्थुः । समागता वायुसुतप्रमुख्या विषादमार्ताः परमं च जग्मुः ॥ २८ ॥
Those monkeys stood round the two lying bound on the hero’s bed; gathered, led by the son of the Wind, they were struck with the greatest despair.