Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 51 of 128 · 36 verses
Dhumraksha Sallies Out
Ravana hears the monkeys’ tumultuous roar and says to his ministers: this great sound of so many joyful monkeys, like thundering clouds, shows great joy, no doubt; the salt ocean itself is shaken. Yet the two brothers are bound with sharp arrows; this noise fills me with doubt. Find out quickly why the forest-dwellers are rejoicing at a time of grief. The rakshasas climb the walls, see the army guarded by Sugriva and the two Raghavas freed from the terrible bond and standing up; they climb down pale and terrified and tell Ravana that the brothers whom Indrajit had bound are free on the battlefield, like elephants who have broken their tethers.
Ravana turns pale with anxiety and grief: they were bound by terrible boon-given arrows like poisonous snakes, unfailing and bright as the sun; if my enemies are free from that weapon-bond, I see my whole army in danger. The fiery arrows that took my enemies’ lives in battle have become fruitless. Hissing like a snake in his anger, he orders the rakshasa Dhumraksha to go out with a great army and kill Rama and the monkeys. Dhumraksha circles him and goes, telling the commander to hurry the troops. The rakshasas, terrible, hung with bells, gather round him roaring, with every weapon: spears, hammers, maces, swords, iron staffs, pestles, bars, javelins, arrows, nooses and axes; in armoured chariots with banners and golden nets, drawn by donkeys with faces of many beasts, on swift horses and rutting elephants. Dhumraksha, braying like a donkey, mounts a heavenly chariot yoked with donkeys with the faces of wolves and lions, adorned with gold, and rides out laughing by the western gate, where Hanuman stands.
As he goes, cruel birds in the sky try to stop him; a huge vulture lands on his chariot top, carrion-birds cling to his flagstaff, a great white headless trunk, wet with blood, falls to the ground howling; the god rains blood, the earth shakes, the wind blows against him with a sound like thunder, and the directions are covered in darkness. Seeing these portents, terrible for the rakshasas, Dhumraksha is distressed, and his vanguard faint. Still, eager for battle, he goes out with many night-wanderers and sees the vast monkey army, like a great flood, protected by Raghava’s arms.
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तेषां तु तुमुलं शब्दं वानराणां महौजसाम् । नर्दतां राक्षसैः सार्धं तदा शुश्राव रावणः ॥ १ ॥
Ravana then heard, with the rakshasas, the tumultuous sound of those monkeys of great energy roaring.
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स्निग्धगम्भीरनिर्घोषं श्रुत्वा तं निनदं भृशम् । सचिवानां ततस्तेषां मध्ये वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
Hearing that deep, resonant sound so loud, he said this then in the midst of his ministers:
यथासौ सम्प्रहृष्टानां वानराणामुपस्थितः । बहूनां सुमहान् नादो मेघानामिव गर्जताम् ॥ ३ ॥
“This very great sound of many delighted monkeys that has arisen, like the thundering of clouds:
सुव्यक्तं महती प्रीतिरेतेषां नात्र संशयः । तथाहि विपुलैर्नादैश्चुक्षुभे लवणार्णवः ॥ ४ ॥
“clearly they feel great joy, no doubt of it; for the salt sea is shaken by their great roars.
तौ तु बद्धौ शरैस्तीक्ष्णैर्भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । अयं च सुमहान् नादः शङ्कां जनयतीव मे ॥ ५ ॥
“Yet those two brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, are bound with sharp arrows; and this very great sound seems to make me suspicious.”
एवं च वचनं चोक्त्वा मन्त्रिणो राक्षसेश्वरः । उवाच नैर्ऋतांस्तत्र समीपपरिवर्तिनः ॥ ६ ॥
Having said these words to his ministers, the lord of the rakshasas said to the nairritas standing near him there:
ज्ञायतां तूर्णमेतेषां सर्वेषां च वनौकसाम् । शोककाले समुत्पन्ने हर्षकारणमुत्थितम् ॥ ७ ॥
“Find out quickly why all these forest-dwellers have a cause for joy, when a time of grief has come.”
तथोक्तास्ते सुसम्भ्रान्ताः प्राकारमधिरुह्य च । ददृशुः पालितां सेनां सुग्रीवेण महात्मना ॥ ८ ॥
Told so, they, greatly agitated, climbed the wall and saw the army protected by great-souled Sugriva,
तौ च मुक्तौ सुघोरेण शरबन्धेन राघवौ । समुत्थितौ महाभागौ विषेदुः सर्वराक्षसाः ॥ ९ ॥
and the two fortunate Raghavas, freed from the very terrible bond of arrows, standing up; all the rakshasas were dismayed.
संत्रस्तहृदयाः सर्वे प्राकारादवरुह्य ते । विवर्णा राक्षसा घोरा राक्षसेन्द्रमुपस्थिताः ॥ १० ॥
Terrified at heart, all those terrible rakshasas came down from the wall and, pale, went to the king of the rakshasas.
तदप्रियं दीनमुखा रावणस्य च राक्षसाः । कृत्स्नं निवेदयामासुर्यथावद् वाक्यकोविदाः ॥ ११ ॥
With dejected faces, the rakshasas, skilled in speech, told Ravana all that unwelcome news exactly:
यौ ताविन्द्रजिता युद्धे भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ । निबद्धौ शरबन्धेन निष्प्रकम्पभुजौ कृतौ ॥ १२ ॥
“Those two brothers, Rama and Lakshmana, whom Indrajit bound in battle with a bond of arrows, their arms made motionless,
विमुक्तौ शरबन्धेन दृश्येते तौ रणाजिरे । पाशानिव गजौ छित्त्वा गजेन्द्रसमविक्रमौ ॥ १३ ॥
“are seen on the battlefield freed from the bond of arrows, like two elephants that have broken their ropes, with the valour of lordly elephants.”
तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तेषां राक्षसेन्द्रो महाबलः । चिन्ताशोकसमाक्रान्तो विवर्णवदनोऽभवत् ॥ १४ ॥
Hearing their words, the mighty king of the rakshasas, overcome by anxiety and grief, became pale in the face:
घोरैर्दत्तवरैर्बद्धौ शरैराशीविषोपमैः । अमोघैः सूर्यसंकाशैः प्रमथ्येन्द्रजिता युधि ॥ १५ ॥
“Bound in battle by Indrajit with terrible, boon-given arrows like venomous snakes, unfailing, like the sun, crushed:
तदस्त्रबन्धमासाद्य यदि मुक्तौ रिपू मम । संशयस्थमिदं सर्वमनुपश्याम्यहं बलम् ॥ १६ ॥
“if my enemies, having come into that weapon-bond, are freed, I see this whole army of mine in danger.
निष्फलाः खलु संवृत्ताः शराः पावकतेजसः । आदत्तं यैस्तु संग्रामे रिपूणां जीवितं मम ॥ १७ ॥
“Fruitless indeed have become the arrows with the splendour of fire, by which the lives of my enemies were taken in battle.”
एवमुक्त्वा तु संक्रुद्धो निःश्वसन्नुरगो यथा । अब्रवीद् रक्षसां मध्ये धूम्राक्षं नाम राक्षसम् ॥ १८ ॥
Having said this, very angry, hissing like a snake, he said in the midst of the rakshasas to a rakshasa named Dhumraksha:
बलेन महता युक्तो रक्षसां भीमविक्रम । त्वं वधायाशु निर्याहि रामस्य सह वानरैः ॥ १९ ॥
“With a great force of rakshasas, you of terrible valour, go out quickly to kill Rama with the monkeys.”
एवमुक्तस्तु धूम्राक्षो राक्षसेन्द्रेण धीमता । परिक्रम्य ततः शीघ्रं निर्जगाम नृपालयात् ॥ २० ॥
Told so by the wise king of the rakshasas, Dhumraksha circled him and quickly went out of the royal palace.
अभिनिष्क्रम्य तद् द्वारं बलाध्यक्षमुवाच ह । त्वरयस्व बलं शीघ्रं किं चिरेण युयुत्सतः ॥ २१ ॥
Going out of the gate, he said to the commander of the army: “Hurry the army quickly; why delay, for one eager to fight?”
धूम्राक्षवचनं श्रुत्वा बलाध्यक्षो बलानुगः । बलमुद्योजयामास रावणस्याज्ञया भृशम् ॥ २२ ॥
Hearing Dhumraksha’s words, the commander, followed by his force, quickly made the army ready at Ravana’s command.
ते बद्धघण्टा बलिनो घोररूपा निशाचराः । विनद्यमानाः संहृष्टा धूम्राक्षं पर्यवारयन् ॥ २३ ॥
Those mighty night-wanderers, terrible in form, hung with bells, roaring, delighted, surrounded Dhumraksha,
विविधायुधहस्ताश्च शूलमुद्गरपाणयः । गदाभिः पट्टिशैर्दण्डैरायसैर्मुसलैरपि ॥ २४ ॥
with all kinds of weapons in their hands, with tridents and hammers in their hands, with maces, spears, staves and iron pestles,
परिघैर्भिन्दिपालैश्च भल्लैः पाशैः परश्वधैः । निर्ययू राक्षसा घोरा नर्दन्तो जलदा यथा ॥ २५ ॥
with iron bars, javelins, bhallas, nooses and axes: the terrible rakshasas went out, roaring like clouds.
रथैः कवचिनस्त्वन्ये ध्वजैश्च समलंकृतैः । सुवर्णजालविहितैः खरैश्च विविधाननैः ॥ २६ ॥
Others, armoured, in chariots adorned with banners and fitted with nets of gold, with donkeys of many kinds of faces,
हयैः परमशीघ्रैश्च गजैश्चैव मदोत्कटैः । निर्ययुर्नैर्ऋतव्याघ्रा व्याघ्रा इव दुरासदाः ॥ २७ ॥
on very swift horses and on rutting elephants, the tigers among nairritas went out, unassailable as tigers.
वृकसिंहमुखैर्युक्तं खरैः कनकभूषितैः । आरुरोह रथं दिव्यं धूम्राक्षः खरनिःस्वनः ॥ २८ ॥
Dhumraksha, with a voice like a donkey’s, mounted a heavenly chariot yoked with donkeys with faces of wolves and lions, adorned with gold.
स निर्यातो महावीर्यो धूम्राक्षो राक्षसैर्वृतः । हसन् वै पश्चिमद्वाराद्धनूमान् यत्र तिष्ठति ॥ २९ ॥
He went out, very valiant, Dhumraksha, surrounded by rakshasas, laughing, by the western gate, where Hanuman stands.
रथप्रवरमास्थाय खरयुक्तं खरस्वनम् । प्रयान्तं तु महाघोरं राक्षसं भीमदर्शनम् ॥ ३० ॥
As that very terrible rakshasa, dreadful to see, set out, mounted on his fine chariot yoked with donkeys, braying,
अन्तरिक्षगताः क्रूराः शकुनाः प्रत्यषेधयन् । रथशीर्षे महाभीमो गृध्रश्च निपपात ह ॥ ३१ ॥
cruel birds in the sky tried to stop him; a very terrible vulture landed on the top of his chariot.
ध्वजाग्रे ग्रथिताश्चैव निपेतुः कुणपाशनाः । रुधिरार्द्रो महान् श्वेतः कबन्धः पतितो भुवि ॥ ३२ ॥
Carrion-eaters fell, entangled on the top of his flag; a great white headless trunk, wet with blood, fell on the ground,
विस्वरं चोत्सृजन्नादान् धूम्राक्षस्य निपातितः । ववर्ष रुधिरं देवः संचचाल च मेदिनी ॥ ३३ ॥
letting out discordant cries, before Dhumraksha. The god rained blood, and the earth shook.
प्रतिलोमं ववौ वायुर्निर्घातसमनिःस्वनः । तिमिरौघावृतास्तत्र दिशश्च न चकाशिरे ॥ ३४ ॥
The wind blew contrary, with a sound like thunder; covered with floods of darkness, the directions did not shine there.
स तूत्पातांस्ततो दृष्ट्वा राक्षसानां भयावहान् । प्रादुर्भूतान् सुघोरांश्च धूम्राक्षो व्यथितोऽभवत् । मुमुहू राक्षसाः सर्वे धूम्राक्षस्य पुरःसराः ॥ ३५ ॥
Seeing those portents, terrible for the rakshasas, very dreadful, appearing, Dhumraksha was distressed; all the rakshasas in front of Dhumraksha fainted.
ततः सुभीमो बहुभिर्निशाचरै- र्वृतोऽभिनिष्क्रम्य रणोत्सुको बली । ददर्श तां राघवबाहुपालितां महौघकल्पां बहु वानरीं चमूम् ॥ ३६ ॥
Then the very terrible, mighty one, eager for battle, going out surrounded by many night-wanderers, saw the great monkey army, like a great flood, protected by Raghava’s arms.