Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 58 of 128 · 61 verses
Nila Kills Prahasta
Seeing Prahasta come out ready for battle, Rama, smiling, asks Vibhishana who this huge warrior is. Vibhishana tells him: Prahasta, commander of Ravana’s army in Lanka, with a third of its forces, valiant, skilled in weapons, famous for his prowess. The great monkey army sees him come, roaring, surrounded by rakshasas with swords, spears, lances, tridents, arrows, pestles, maces, iron bars, axes and bows, and shouts back, grasping trees, flowering mountains and long rocks. A great battle follows, rains of stones against rains of arrows: some fall pierced by tridents, cut by axes, split in two by swords; rakshasas are ground into the earth by trees and peaks and struck by fists, vomiting blood, their teeth and eyes broken. Cries of pain and lions’ roars mingle.
Prahasta’s ministers kill many forest-dwellers; then Dvivida kills Narantaka with a mountain peak, Durmukha flattens the quick-handed Samunnata with a great tree, Jambavan crushes Mahanada’s chest with a rock, and Tara kills Kumbhahanu with a tree. Unable to bear it, Prahasta, bow in hand, makes a terrible slaughter of the monkeys from his chariot; the armies swirl like a whirlpool in the churning ocean. The ground, heaped with bodies of monkeys and rakshasas, covered with blood like flowering palasha trees in spring, becomes a river of battle: its banks the heaps of slain heroes, its great trees the broken weapons, its water floods of blood flowing to Yama’s ocean, its mud liver and spleen, its weeds entrails, its fish cut heads and bodies, its grass limbs, haunted by vultures, herons and cranes, its foam fat, its sound the groans of the wounded: a river cowards cannot cross. The rakshasas and monkeys cross it as elephants cross a lotus pool dusted with pollen.
Nila sees Prahasta in his chariot pouring arrows and scattering the monkeys, and rushes at him like a wind driving a mass of cloud. Prahasta charges him in his sun-bright chariot and shoots arrows that pierce Nila and plunge into the earth like angry snakes. Nila strikes him with an uprooted tree; Prahasta, roaring, rains arrows on him. Unable to ward them off, Nila endures them with his eyes closed, like a bull in a sudden autumn shower. Then, enraged, he kills Prahasta’s horses with a great sala tree and breaks his bow. Bowless, Prahasta leaps down with a terrible pestle. The two commanders face each other like rutting elephants, bleeding, like lion and tiger, longing for glory like Vritra and Indra. Prahasta strikes Nila on the forehead with the pestle and blood flows; Nila hurls a great tree at his chest; Prahasta charges with his pestle; Nila seizes a huge rock and brings it down on Prahasta’s head, splitting it in many places. Lifeless, his glory and senses gone, Prahasta falls like a tree cut at the root, blood streaming from him like a mountain spring. With their commander dead, the rakshasa army cannot stand, like water breaking through a dam; they flee to Lanka and sit in Ravana’s palace, silent with brooding, sunk in a sea of grief, as if senseless. Victorious Nila, praised for his deed, goes joyfully to Rama and Lakshmana.
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ततः प्रहस्तं निर्यान्तं दृष्ट्वा रणकृतोद्यमम् । उवाच सस्मितं रामो विभीषणमरिंदमः ॥ १ ॥
Then, seeing Prahasta coming out, ready for battle, Rama, tamer of enemies, said with a smile to Vibhishana:
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क एष सुमहाकायो बलेन महता वृतः । आगच्छति महावेगः किंरूपबलपौरुषः ॥ २ ॥
“Who is this, very huge, surrounded by a great army, coming on with great speed? Of what form, strength and manliness?
आचक्ष्व मे महाबाहो वीर्यवन्तं निशाचरम् । राघवस्य वचः श्रुत्वा प्रत्युवाच विभीषणः ॥ ३ ॥
“Tell me about this valiant night-wanderer, mighty-armed one.” Hearing Raghava’s words, Vibhishana replied:
एष सेनापतिस्तस्य प्रहस्तो नाम राक्षसः । लङ्कायां राक्षसेन्द्रस्य त्रिभागबलसंवृतः । वीर्यवानस्त्रविच्छूरः सुप्रख्यातपराक्रमः ॥ ४ ॥
“This is the commander of his army, the rakshasa named Prahasta, surrounded by a third of the forces of the king of the rakshasas in Lanka, valiant, skilled in weapons, a hero of very famous prowess.”
ततः प्रहस्तं निर्यान्तं भीमं भीमपराक्रमम् । गर्जन्तं सुमहाकायं राक्षसैरभिसंवृतम् ॥ ५ ॥
Then the great army of mighty monkeys saw Prahasta coming out, terrible, of terrible valour, roaring, very huge, surrounded by rakshasas,
ददर्श महती सेना वानराणां बलीयसाम् । अभिसंजातघोषाणां प्रहस्तमभिगर्जताम् ॥ ६ ॥
and with roaring voices they roared back at Prahasta.
खड्गशक्त्यृष्टिशूलाश्च बाणानि मुसलानि च । गदाश्च परिघाः प्रासा विविधाश्च परश्वधाः ॥ ७ ॥
Swords, spears, lances and tridents, arrows and pestles, maces, iron bars, darts and axes of many kinds,
धनूंषि च विचित्राणि राक्षसानां जयैषिणाम् । प्रगृहीतान्यराजन्त वानरानभिधावताम् ॥ ८ ॥
and wonderful bows, gripped by the rakshasas wanting victory as they rushed at the monkeys, shone.
जगृहुः पादपांश्चापि पुष्पितांस्तु गिरींस्तथा । शिलाश्च विपुला दीर्घा योद्धुकामाः प्लवंगमाः ॥ ९ ॥
And the leapers, eager to fight, grabbed trees and flowering mountains, and huge, long rocks.
तेषामन्योन्यमासाद्य संग्रामः सुमहानभूत् । बहूनामश्मवृष्टिं च शरवर्षं च वर्षताम् ॥ १० ॥
A very great battle arose as they met each other, many raining showers of stones and showers of arrows.
बहवो राक्षसा युद्धे बहून् वानरपुङ्गवान् । वानरा राक्षसांश्चापि निजघ्नुर्बहवो बहून् ॥ ११ ॥
Many rakshasas in battle killed many bulls among monkeys, and many monkeys killed many rakshasas.
शूलैः प्रमथिताः केचित् केचित् तु परमायुधैः । परिघैराहताः केचित् केचिच्छिन्नाः परश्वधैः ॥ १२ ॥
Some were crushed by tridents, some by superb weapons; some struck by iron bars, some cut by axes.
निरुच्छ्वासाः पुनः केचित् पतिता जगतीतले । विभिन्नहृदयाः केचिदिषुसंधानसाधिताः ॥ १३ ॥
Some fell breathless on the ground; some, their hearts split, were brought down by the aim of arrows.
केचिद् द्विधा कृताः खड्गैः स्फुरन्तः पतिता भुवि । वानरा राक्षसैः शूरैः पार्श्वतश्च विदारिताः ॥ १४ ॥
Some, split in two by swords, fell writhing on the ground; monkeys were torn open in the sides by heroic rakshasas.
वानरैश्चापि संक्रुद्धै राक्षसौघाः समन्ततः । पादपैर्गिरिशृङ्गैश्च सम्पिष्टा वसुधातले ॥ १५ ॥
And by the enraged monkeys hosts of rakshasas on every side were ground into the earth with trees and mountain peaks.
वज्रस्पर्शतलैर्हस्तैर्मुष्टिभिश्च हता भृशम् । वमन् शोणितमास्येभ्यो विशीर्णदशनेक्षणाः ॥ १६ ॥
Struck hard with hands whose palms were like the thunderbolt and with fists, they vomited blood from their mouths, their teeth and eyes shattered.
आर्तस्वनं च स्वनतां सिंहनादं च नर्दताम् । बभूव तुमुलः शब्दो हरीणां रक्षसामपि ॥ १७ ॥
A tumultuous sound arose of those crying in pain and of those roaring lions’ roars, of monkeys and rakshasas.
वानरा राक्षसाः क्रुद्धा वीरमार्गमनुव्रताः । विवृत्तवदनाः क्रूराश्चक्रुः कर्माण्यभीतवत् ॥ १८ ॥
Monkeys and rakshasas, angry, following the path of heroes, their faces distorted, cruel, did deeds as if without fear.
नरान्तकः कुम्भहनुर्महानादः समुन्नतः । एते प्रहस्तसचिवाः सर्वे जघ्नुर्वनौकसः ॥ १९ ॥
Narantaka, Kumbhahanu, Mahanada and Samunnata: these ministers of Prahasta all killed forest-dwellers.
तेषां निपततां शीघ्रं निघ्नतां चापि वानरान् । द्विविदो गिरिशृङ्गेण जघानैकं नरान्तकम् ॥ २० ॥
Of those who were swiftly falling on and killing the monkeys, Dvivida killed one, Narantaka, with a mountain peak.
दुर्मुखः पुनरुत्थाय कपिः सविपुलद्रुमम् । राक्षसं क्षिप्रहस्तं तु समुन्नतमपोथयत् ॥ २१ ॥
The monkey Durmukha, rising again with a huge tree, crushed the quick-handed rakshasa Samunnata.
जाम्बवांस्तु सुसंक्रुद्धः प्रगृह्य महतीं शिलाम् । पातयामास तेजस्वी महानादस्य वक्षसि ॥ २२ ॥
Radiant Jambavan, very angry, seizing a huge rock, brought it down on Mahanada’s chest.
अथ कुम्भहनुस्तत्र तारेणासाद्य वीर्यवान् । वृक्षेण महता सद्यः प्राणान् संत्याजयद् रणे ॥ २३ ॥
Then valiant Kumbhahanu, meeting Tara there, was made to give up his life at once in battle by a great tree.
अमृष्यमाणस्तत्कर्म प्रहस्तो रथमास्थितः । चकार कदनं घोरं धनुष्पाणिर्वनौकसाम् ॥ २४ ॥
Not bearing that deed, Prahasta, standing in his chariot, bow in hand, made a terrible slaughter of the forest-dwellers.
आवर्त इव संजज्ञे सेनयोरुभयोस्तदा । क्षुभितस्याप्रमेयस्य सागरस्येव निःस्वनः ॥ २५ ॥
A whirlpool arose then between the two armies, a roar like that of the boundless ocean churned up.
महता हि शरौघेण राक्षसो रणदुर्मदः । अर्दयामास संक्रुद्धो वानरान् परमाहवे ॥ २६ ॥
With a great flood of arrows the rakshasa, wild in battle, enraged, tormented the monkeys in the great fight.
वानराणां शरीरैस्तु राक्षसानां च मेदिनी । बभूवातिचिता घोरैः पर्वतैरिव संवृता ॥ २७ ॥
With the bodies of monkeys and of rakshasas, the earth became thickly heaped, as if covered with terrible mountains.
सा मही रुधिरौघेण प्रच्छन्ना सम्प्रकाशते । संछन्ना माधवे मासि पलाशैरिव पुष्पितैः ॥ २८ ॥
That ground, covered with a flood of blood, shone like ground covered in the month of Madhava with flowering palasha trees.
हतवीरौघवप्रां तु भग्नायुधमहाद्रुमाम् । शोणितौघमहातोयां यमसागरगामिनीम् ॥ २९ ॥
Its banks heaps of slain heroes, its great trees broken weapons, its great water floods of blood, flowing to the ocean of Yama,
यकृत् प्लीहमहापङ्कां विनिकीर्णान्त्रशैवलाम् । भिन्नकायशिरोमीनामङ्गावयवशाद्वलाम् ॥ ३० ॥
its great mud liver and spleen, its weeds scattered entrails, its fish split bodies and heads, its grass limbs and parts of limbs,
गृध्रहंसवराकीर्णां कङ्कसारससेविताम् । मेदःफेनसमाकीर्णामार्तस्तनितनिःस्वनाम् ॥ ३१ ॥
crowded with vultures as its fine geese, frequented by herons and cranes, covered with fat as its foam, sounding with the groans of the wounded:
तां कापुरुषदुस्तारां युद्धभूमिमयीं नदीम् । नदीमिव घनापाये हंससारससेविताम् ॥ ३२ ॥
that river made of the battlefield, hard for cowards to cross, like a river at the end of the rains, frequented by geese and cranes,
राक्षसाः कपिमुख्यास्ते तेरुस्तां दुस्तरां नदीम् । यथा पद्मरजोध्वस्तां नलिनीं गजयूथपाः ॥ ३३ ॥
the rakshasas and the chief monkeys crossed, that river so hard to cross, as leaders of elephant herds cross a lotus pool dusted with pollen.
ततः सृजन्तं बाणौघान् प्रहस्तं स्यन्दने स्थितम् । ददर्श तरसा नीलो विधमन्तं प्लवंगमान् ॥ ३४ ॥
Then Nila swiftly saw Prahasta, standing in his chariot, pouring out floods of arrows, scattering the leapers,
उद्धूत इव वायुः खे महदभ्रबलं बलात् । समीक्ष्याभिद्रुतं युद्धे प्रहस्तो वाहिनीपतिः ॥ ३५ ॥
like the wind in the sky forcibly driving a great mass of cloud. Seeing him rushing at him in battle, Prahasta, commander of the army,
रथेनादित्यवर्णेन नीलमेवाभिदुद्रुवे । स धनुर्धन्विनां श्रेष्ठो विकृष्य परमाहवे ॥ ३६ ॥
rushed at Nila himself in his chariot of the colour of the sun. Drawing his bow in the great battle, that best of bowmen,
नीलाय व्यसृजद् बाणान् प्रहस्तो वाहिनीपतिः । ते प्राप्य विशिखा नीलं विनिर्भिद्य समाहिताः ॥ ३७ ॥
Prahasta, commander of the army, loosed arrows at Nila. Those arrows, reaching Nila and piercing him, well aimed,
महीं जग्मुर्महावेगा रोषिता इव पन्नगाः । नीलः शरैरभिहतो निशितैर्ज्वलनोपमैः ॥ ३८ ॥
went into the earth with great speed, like angry snakes. Nila, struck by sharp arrows like fire,
स तं परमदुर्धर्षमापतन्तं महाकपिः । प्रहस्तं ताडयामास वृक्षमुत्पाट्य वीर्यवान् ॥ ३९ ॥
the great monkey, valiant, tearing up a tree, struck that most unassailable Prahasta as he came on.
स तेनाभिहतः क्रुद्धो नर्दन् राक्षसपुंगवः । ववर्ष शरवर्षाणि प्लवंगानां चमूपतौ ॥ ४० ॥
Struck by it, the bull among rakshasas, angry, roaring, rained showers of arrows on the commander of the leapers.
तस्य बाणगणानेव राक्षसस्य दुरात्मनः । अपारयन् वारयितुं प्रत्यगृह्णान्निमीलितः । यथैव गोवृषो वर्षं शारदं शीघ्रमागतम् ॥ ४१ ॥
Unable to ward off that evil-souled rakshasa’s swarms of arrows, he received them with his eyes closed, as a bull receives an autumn rain that has come suddenly.
एवमेव प्रहस्तस्य शरवर्षान् दुरासदान् । निमीलिताक्षः सहसा नीलः सेहे दुरासदान् ॥ ४२ ॥
Just so Nila, with his eyes closed, suddenly bore Prahasta’s showers of arrows, so hard to withstand.
रोषितः शरवर्षेण सालेन महता महान् । प्रजघान हयान् नीलः प्रहस्तस्य महाबलः ॥ ४३ ॥
Enraged by the shower of arrows, the great, mighty Nila struck Prahasta’s horses with a great sala tree.
ततो रोषपरीतात्मा धनुस्तस्य दुरात्मनः । बभञ्ज तरसा नीलो ननाद च पुनः पुनः ॥ ४४ ॥
Then, his mind filled with rage, Nila swiftly broke that evil-souled one’s bow and roared again and again.
विधनुः स कृतस्तेन प्रहस्तो वाहिनीपतिः । प्रगृह्य मुसलं घोरं स्यन्दनादवपुप्लुवे ॥ ४५ ॥
Made bowless by him, Prahasta, commander of the army, seizing a terrible pestle, leapt down from the chariot.
तावुभौ वाहिनीमुख्यौ जातवैरौ तरस्विनौ । स्थितौ क्षतजसिक्ताङ्गौ प्रभिन्नाविव कुञ्जरौ ॥ ४६ ॥
Those two chiefs of armies, bound in enmity, swift, stood there, their limbs drenched in blood, like two elephants in rut,
उल्लिखन्तौ सुतीक्ष्णाभिर्दंष्ट्राभिरितरेतरम् । सिंहशार्दूलसदृशौ सिंहशार्दूलचेष्टितौ ॥ ४७ ॥
tearing each other with very sharp teeth, like a lion and a tiger, moving like a lion and a tiger,
विक्रान्तविजयौ वीरौ समरेष्वनिवर्तिनौ । काङ्क्षमाणौ यशः प्राप्तुं वृत्रवासवयोरिव ॥ ४८ ॥
heroes of tested valour and victory, never turning back in battle, longing to win glory, like Vritra and Vasava.
आजघान तदा नीलं ललाटे मुसलेन सः । प्रहस्तः परमायत्तस्ततः सुस्राव शोणितम् ॥ ४९ ॥
Then Prahasta, with the greatest effort, struck Nila on the forehead with the pestle; and blood flowed from it.
ततः शोणितदिग्धाङ्गः प्रगृह्य च महातरुम् । प्रहस्तस्योरसि क्रुद्धो विससर्ज महाकपिः ॥ ५० ॥
Then, his limbs smeared with blood, seizing a great tree, the great monkey, enraged, hurled it at Prahasta’s chest.
तमचिन्त्यप्रहारं स प्रगृह्य मुसलं महत् । अभिदुद्राव बलिनं बलान्नीलं प्लवङ्गमम् ॥ ५१ ॥
Disregarding that blow, he, seizing his great pestle, rushed at the mighty leaper Nila with force.
तमुग्रवेगं संरब्धमापतन्तं महाकपिः । ततः सम्प्रेक्ष्य जग्राह महावेगो महाशिलाम् ॥ ५२ ॥
Seeing him coming on with fierce speed, furious, the great monkey of great speed seized a great rock.
तस्य युद्धाभिकामस्य मृधे मुसलयोधिनः । प्रहस्तस्य शिलां नीलो मूर्ध्नि तूर्णमपातयत् ॥ ५३ ॥
On the head of Prahasta, eager for battle, fighting with a pestle in the fight, Nila quickly brought down the rock.
नीलेन कपिमुख्येन विमुक्ता महती शिला । बिभेद बहुधा घोरा प्रहस्तस्य शिरस्तदा ॥ ५४ ॥
That great, terrible rock, loosed by Nila, chief of the monkeys, split Prahasta’s head into many pieces then.
स गतासुर्गतश्रीको गतसत्त्वो गतेन्द्रियः । पपात सहसा भूमौ छिन्नमूल इव द्रुमः ॥ ५५ ॥
Lifeless, his glory gone, his strength gone, his senses gone, he fell suddenly on the ground like a tree cut at the root.
विभिन्नशिरसस्तस्य बहु सुस्राव शोणितम् । शरीरादपि सुस्राव गिरेः प्रस्रवणं यथा ॥ ५६ ॥
From his split head much blood flowed, and from his body too it flowed, like a spring from a mountain.
हते प्रहस्ते नीलेन तदकम्प्यं महाबलम् । राक्षसानामहृष्टानां लङ्कामभिजगाम ह ॥ ५७ ॥
When Prahasta had been killed by Nila, that unshakeable great army of the dispirited rakshasas went back to Lanka.
न शेकुः समवस्थातुं निहते वाहिनीपतौ । सेतुबन्धं समासाद्य विशीर्णं सलिलं यथा ॥ ५८ ॥
With their commander killed, they could not stand firm, like water reaching a broken dam.
हते तस्मिंश्चमूमुख्ये राक्षसास्ते निरुद्यमाः । रक्षःपतिगृहं गत्वा ध्यानमूकत्वमागताः ॥ ५९ ॥
With that chief of the army killed, those rakshasas, without energy, went to the palace of the lord of the rakshasas and fell silent with brooding.
प्राप्ताः शोकार्णवं तीव्रं विसंज्ञा इव तेऽभवन् ॥ ६० ॥
Fallen into a fierce ocean of grief, they became as if senseless.
ततस्तु नीलो विजयी महाबलः प्रशस्यमानः सुकृतेन कर्मणा । समेत्य रामेण सलक्ष्मणेन प्रहृष्टरूपस्तु बभूव यूथपः ॥ ६१ ॥
Then Nila, victorious, mighty, praised for his well-done deed, went to Rama with Lakshmana, the troop leader, his form full of joy.