Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 56 of 128 · 39 verses
Hanuman Kills Akampana
Seeing the great slaughter done by the best monkeys, Akampana flies into a fury, shakes his great bow and tells his charioteer to drive him straight at those mighty monkeys, who with trees and rocks are killing so many rakshasas; he wants to kill them himself. From afar he rains nets of arrows on the monkeys from his swift chariot; they cannot even stand, let alone fight, and all flee. Seeing his kinsmen falling under Akampana’s arrows into the power of death, mighty Hanuman comes to their aid; the monkey chiefs, delighted, gather round him and grow strong by relying on the strong.
Akampana rains arrows on Hanuman, standing like a mountain, as great Indra rains torrents. Ignoring the arrows falling on his body, Hanuman sets his mind on killing Akampana; laughing, he rushes at him, as if shaking the earth, roaring, blazing like a smokeless fire. Finding himself unarmed, he tears up a mountain, whirls it in one hand with a great roar, and rushes at Akampana as Indra once rushed at Namuci with his thunderbolt. Akampana shatters the peak from afar with crescent-headed arrows. Furious, Hanuman uproots an ashvakarna tree as tall as a mountain and whirls it joyfully; running with the force of his thighs, he breaks trees and splits the ground with his feet, killing elephants with their riders, chariots with their fighters, and foot soldiers. Seeing him like Death, tree in hand, taking lives, the rakshasas flee. Akampana, shaken, roars and pierces Hanuman with fourteen sharp arrows; covered with iron arrows and spears, Hanuman looks like a mountain grown with trees, like a flowering ashoka, like a smokeless fire. He tears up another tree and with matchless speed strikes Akampana on the head; struck by that angry monkey lord, the rakshasa falls and dies.
Seeing him dead, the rakshasas tremble like trees in an earthquake, throw down their weapons and flee to Lanka pursued by the monkeys, hair loose, dripping with sweat, trampling one another and looking back again and again. The monkeys honour Hanuman, and he, generous in victory, honours them in return. They roar, and drag the still-living rakshasas about. Like Vishnu killing a great asura at the head of an army, Hanuman has killed the terrible destroyer of enemies; the gods, mighty Rama himself, Lakshmana, Sugriva and the monkeys, and Vibhishana all honour the great monkey.
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तद् दृष्ट्वा सुमहत् कर्म कृतं वानरसत्तमैः । क्रोधमाहारयामास युधि तीव्रमकम्पनः ॥ १ ॥
Seeing that very great deed done by the best of monkeys, Akampana in battle became fiercely angry.
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क्रोधमूिर्च्छत तरूपस्तु धुन्वन् परमकार्मुकम् । दृष्ट्वा तु कर्म शत्रूणां सारथिं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
His form overwhelmed by anger, shaking his superb bow, seeing the deeds of his enemies, he said to his charioteer:
तत्रैव तावत् त्वरितो रथं प्रापय सारथे । एते च बलिनो घ्नन्ति सुबहून् राक्षसान् रणे ॥ ३ ॥
“Charioteer, drive the chariot quickly right there; these mighty ones are killing very many rakshasas in battle.
एते च बलवन्तो वा भीमकोपाश्च वानराः । द्रुमशैलप्रहरणास्तिष्ठन्ति प्रमुखे मम ॥ ४ ॥
“These monkeys, mighty and terribly angry, armed with trees and rocks, stand before me.
एतान् निहन्तुमिच्छामि समरश्लाघिनो ह्यहम् । एतैः प्रमथितं सर्वं रक्षसां दृश्यते बलम् ॥ ५ ॥
“I want to kill these who boast in battle; the whole army of the rakshasas is seen crushed by them.”
ततः प्रचलिताश्वेन रथेन रथिनां वरः । हरीनभ्यपतद् दूराच्छरजालैरकम्पनः ॥ ६ ॥
Then, with his chariot with its swift horses, Akampana, best of chariot-fighters, fell on the monkeys from afar with nets of arrows.
न स्थातुं वानराः शेकुः किं पुनर्योद्धुमाहवे । अकम्पनशरैर्भग्नाः सर्व एवाभिदुद्रुवुः ॥ ७ ॥
The monkeys could not even stand, let alone fight in battle; broken by Akampana’s arrows, all of them fled.
तान् मृत्युवशमापन्नानकम्पनशरानुगान् । समीक्ष्य हनुमान् ज्ञातीनुपतस्थे महाबलः ॥ ८ ॥
Seeing his kinsmen fallen into the power of death, pursued by Akampana’s arrows, mighty Hanuman came to them.
तं महाप्लवगं दृष्ट्वा सर्वे ते प्लवगर्षभाः । समेत्य समरे वीराः संहृष्टाः पर्यवारयन् ॥ ९ ॥
Seeing that great leaper, all those bulls among leapers, heroes, came together in battle, delighted, and surrounded him.
व्यवस्थितं हनूमन्तं ते दृष्ट्वा प्लवगर्षभाः । बभूवुर्बलवन्तो हि बलवन्तमुपाश्रिताः ॥ १० ॥
Seeing Hanuman standing firm, those bulls among leapers became strong, relying on the strong one.
अकम्पनस्तु शैलाभं हनूमन्तमवस्थितम् । महेन्द्र इव धाराभिः शरैरभिववर्ष ह ॥ ११ ॥
And Akampana rained arrows on Hanuman, standing there like a mountain, as great Indra rains torrents.
अचिन्तयित्वा बाणौघान् शरीरे पातितान् कपिः । अकम्पनवधार्थाय मनो दध्रे महाबलः ॥ १२ ॥
Disregarding the floods of arrows falling on his body, the mighty monkey set his mind on killing Akampana.
स प्रहस्य महातेजा हनूमान् मारुतात्मजः । अभिदुद्राव तद्रक्षः कम्पयन्निव मेदिनीम् ॥ १३ ॥
Laughing, radiant Hanuman, son of the Wind, rushed at that rakshasa, as if making the earth shake.
तस्याथ नर्दमानस्य दीप्यमानस्य तेजसा । बभूव रूपं दुर्धर्षं दीप्तस्येव विभावसोः ॥ १४ ॥
As he roared and blazed with splendour, his form became unassailable, like a blazing fire.
आत्मानं त्वप्रहरणं ज्ञात्वा क्रोधसमन्वितः । शैलमुत्पाटयामास वेगेन हरिपुङ्गवः ॥ १५ ॥
Knowing himself without a weapon, filled with anger, the bull among monkeys tore up a mountain with force.
गृहीत्वा सुमहाशैलं पाणिनैकेन मारुतिः । स विनद्य महानादं भ्रामयामास वीर्यवान् ॥ १६ ॥
Taking that very great mountain in one hand, the valiant son of the Wind roared a great roar and whirled it.
ततस्तमभिदुद्राव राक्षसेन्द्रमकम्पनम् । पुरा हि नमुचिं संख्ये वज्रेणेव पुरंदरः ॥ १७ ॥
Then he rushed at the king of the rakshasas, Akampana, as long ago Purandara rushed at Namuci in battle with the thunderbolt.
अकम्पनस्तु तद् दृष्ट्वा गिरिशृङ्गं समुद्यतम् । दूरादेव महाबाणैरर्धचन्द्रैर्व्यदारयत् ॥ १८ ॥
But Akampana, seeing that mountain peak raised, shattered it from afar with great crescent-headed arrows.
तं पर्वताग्रमाकाशे रक्षोबाणविदारितम् । विकीर्णं पतितं दृष्ट्वा हनूमान् क्रोधमूिर्च्छतः ॥ १९ ॥
Seeing that mountain top, shattered by the rakshasa’s arrows in the sky, fall scattered, Hanuman swooned with anger.
सोऽश्वकर्णं समासाद्य रोषदर्पान्वितो हरिः । तूर्णमुत्पाटयामास महागिरिमिवोच्छ्रितम् ॥ २० ॥
Coming to an ashvakarna tree, the monkey, filled with rage and pride, quickly tore it up, like a towering great mountain.
तं गृहीत्वा महास्कन्धं सोऽश्वकर्णं महाद्युतिः । प्रगृह्य परया प्रीत्या भ्रामयामास संयुगे ॥ २१ ॥
Taking that tree with its great trunk, the radiant one, grasping it with the greatest joy, whirled it in the battle.
प्रधावन्नुरुवेगेन बभञ्ज तरसा द्रुमान् । हनूमान् परमक्रुद्धश्चरणैर्दारयन् महीम् ॥ २२ ॥
Running with the great force of his thighs, he broke trees with force; Hanuman, in the height of anger, splitting the earth with his feet,
गजांश्च सगजारोहान् सरथान् रथिनस्तथा । जघान हनुमान् धीमान् राक्षसांश्च पदातिगान् ॥ २३ ॥
wise Hanuman killed elephants with their riders, chariot-fighters with their chariots, and rakshasas going on foot.
तमन्तकमिव क्रुद्धं सद्रुमं प्राणहारिणम् । हनूमन्तमभिप्रेक्ष्य राक्षसा विप्रदुद्रुवुः ॥ २४ ॥
Seeing Hanuman, angry like Death, tree in hand, taking lives, the rakshasas fled.
तमापतन्तं संक्रुद्धं राक्षसानां भयावहम् । ददर्शाकम्पनो वीरश्चुक्षोभ च ननाद च ॥ २५ ॥
Heroic Akampana saw him coming on, enraged, frightening the rakshasas, and was shaken, and roared.
स चतुर्दशभिर्बाणैर्निशितैर्देहदारणैः । निर्बिभेद महावीर्यं हनूमन्तमकम्पनः ॥ २६ ॥
With fourteen sharp, body-splitting arrows, Akampana pierced very valiant Hanuman.
स तथा विप्रकीर्णस्तु नाराचैः शितशक्तिभिः । हनूमान् ददृशे वीरः प्ररूढ इव सानुमान् ॥ २७ ॥
Covered so with iron arrows and sharp spears, heroic Hanuman looked like a mountain overgrown.
विरराज महावीर्यो महाकायो महाबलः । पुष्पिताशोकसंकाशो विधूम इव पावकः ॥ २८ ॥
Very valiant, huge-bodied, mighty, he shone like a flowering ashoka, like a smokeless fire.
ततोऽन्यं वृक्षमुत्पाट्य कृत्वा वेगमनुत्तमम् । शिरस्याभिजघानाशु राक्षसेन्द्रमकम्पनम् ॥ २९ ॥
Then, tearing up another tree, putting forth unsurpassed speed, he quickly struck Akampana, the king of the rakshasas, on the head.
स वृक्षेण हतस्तेन सक्रोधेन महात्मना । राक्षसो वानरेन्द्रेण पपात च ममार च ॥ ३० ॥
Struck by that tree by the angry, great-souled lord of monkeys, the rakshasa fell and died.
तं दृष्ट्वा निहतं भूमौ राक्षसेन्द्रमकम्पनम् । व्यथिता राक्षसाः सर्वे क्षितिकम्प इव द्रुमाः ॥ ३१ ॥
Seeing Akampana, the king of the rakshasas, killed on the ground, all the rakshasas trembled like trees in an earthquake.
त्यक्तप्रहरणाः सर्वे राक्षसास्ते पराजिताः । लङ्कामभिययुस्त्रासाद् वानरैस्तैरभिद्रुताः ॥ ३२ ॥
Throwing away their weapons, all those defeated rakshasas went to Lanka in terror, pursued by those monkeys.
ते मुक्तकेशाः सम्भ्रान्ता भग्नमानाः पराजिताः । भयाच्छ्रमजलैरङ्गैः प्रस्रवद्भिर्विदुद्रुवुः ॥ ३३ ॥
With loosened hair, confused, their pride broken, defeated, they ran, their limbs streaming with the sweat of fear.
अन्योन्यं ये प्रमथ्नन्तो विविशुर्नगरं भयात् । पृष्ठतस्ते तु सम्मूढाः प्रेक्षमाणा मुहुर्मुहुः ॥ ३४ ॥
Crushing one another, they entered the city in fear, looking back again and again, bewildered.
तेषु लङ्कां प्रविष्टेषु राक्षसेषु महाबलाः । समेत्य हरयः सर्वे हनूमन्तमपूजयन् ॥ ३५ ॥
When those rakshasas had entered Lanka, all the mighty monkeys came together and honoured Hanuman.
सोऽपि प्रवृद्धस्तान् सर्वान् हरीन् सम्प्रत्यपूजयत् । हनूमान् सत्त्वसम्पन्नो यथार्हमनुकूलतः ॥ ३६ ॥
And he too, exalted, full of courage, honoured all those monkeys in return, each as he deserved, kindly.
विनेदुश्च यथाप्राणं हरयो जितकाशिनः । चकृषुश्च पुनस्तत्र सप्राणानेव राक्षसान् ॥ ३७ ॥
The victorious monkeys roared with all their strength, and dragged there again the rakshasas who were still alive.
स वीरशोभामभजन्महाकपिः समेत्य रक्षांसि निहत्य मारुतिः । महासुरं भीमममित्रनाशनं विष्णुर्यथैवोरुबलं चमूमुखे ॥ ३८ ॥
The great monkey, son of the Wind, having met and killed the rakshasas, enjoyed a hero’s glory, as Vishnu did at the head of an army, having killed a great asura, terrible, a destroyer of enemies, of great strength.
अपूजयन् देवगणास्तदाकपिं स्वयं च रामोऽतिबलश्च लक्ष्मणः । तथैव सुग्रीवमुखाः प्लवंगमा विभीषणश्चैव महाबलस्तदा ॥ ३९ ॥
Then the hosts of gods honoured the monkey, and Rama himself, and very mighty Lakshmana, and likewise the leapers led by Sugriva, and mighty Vibhishana too.