Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 86 of 128 · 35 verses
Battle at Nikumbhila
Vibhishana tells Lakshmana: this rakshasa army, dark as a cloud, must be attacked at once, by you and by the monkeys with rocks for weapons. Strive to break this great army, Lakshmana; once it is broken, the rakshasa king’s son will be seen here too. Rush at them quickly, scattering the enemy with arrows like Indra’s thunderbolt, before this rite is finished. Kill, hero, Ravana’s evil son, master of illusion, utterly lawless, of cruel deeds, a terror to all the worlds. Lakshmana rains arrows toward the rakshasa king’s son; bears and monkeys, fighting with the best trees, rush together at the army drawn up there; the rakshasas meet them with sharp arrows, swords, spears and lances, wanting to kill the monkey army. The tumultuous clash makes Lanka echo on every side; the sky is covered with weapons, arrows, trees and raised mountain peaks. Rakshasas with distorted faces and arms drive their weapons into the monkey chiefs, causing great fear; the monkeys strike and kill all the rakshasas with whole trees and peaks; great fear arises among the fighting rakshasas from the huge, mighty bear and monkey chiefs.
Hearing that his own army is despairing, tormented by the enemy, the unassailable Indrajit rises with his rite unfinished. Coming out of the darkness of the trees, enraged, he mounts his chariot, ready-yoked and well prepared; with terrible bow and arrows, like a heap of black collyrium, red in mouth and eyes, he looks like Death the ender. Seeing him in his chariot, the rakshasa army, of terrible speed, turns again to fight Lakshmana. Just then Hanuman, like a mountain, tears up a huge, unassailable tree and burns up the rakshasa army like the fire of Time, leaving many senseless with his trees. Seeing the son of the Wind destroying them, thousands of rakshasas cover Hanuman with tridents, swords, spears, lances, iron bars, maces, javelins, hundred-killers, iron hammers, fierce axes and darts, fists like thunderbolts and palms like lightning, closing on that mountain-like hero from every side; and he, enraged, makes great slaughter of them.
Indrajit sees the best of monkeys, immovable as a mountain, fearlessly destroying his enemies, and tells his driver: go where that monkey is; if we ignore him he will destroy us rakshasas. The driver carries the unassailable Indrajit to the son of the Wind, and Indrajit rains arrows, swords, lances and axes on the monkey’s head. Taking those terrible weapons, the son of the Wind, filled with rage, says: fight, if you are a hero, evil-minded son of Ravana; having come up against the son of the Wind, you will not go back alive. Fight me with your arms, if you face me one to one, and bear my force, fool; then you will be the best of the rakshasas. As Ravana’s son raises his bow to kill Hanuman, Vibhishana points him out to Lakshmana: that conqueror of Vasava, Ravana’s own son, has mounted his chariot and wants to kill Hanuman; kill him, Saumitri, with your peerless, foe-stopping, life-ending, terrible arrows. So addressed by Vibhishana, terror of his enemies, the great-souled Lakshmana sees him standing in his chariot like a mountain, of terrible strength, unassailable.
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अथ तस्यामवस्थायां लक्ष्मणं रावणानुजः । परेषामहितं वाक्यमर्थसाधकमब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Then, in that situation, Ravana’s younger brother spoke to Lakshmana words harmful to the enemies, accomplishing the purpose:
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Battle at Nikumbhila 1 min read.
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यदेतद् राक्षसानीकं मेघश्यामं विलोक्यते । एतदायोध्यतां शीघ्रं कपिभिश्च शिलायुधैः ॥ २ ॥
“This rakshasa army that is seen, dark as a cloud, let it be fought at once, and by the monkeys with rocks for weapons.
तस्यानीकस्य महतो भेदने यत लक्ष्मण । राक्षसेन्द्रसुतोऽप्यत्र भिन्ने दृश्यो भविष्यति ॥ ३ ॥
“Strive to break this great army, Lakshmana; when it is broken, the son of the king of the rakshasas will be seen here too.
स त्वमिन्द्राशनिप्रख्यैः शरैरवकिरन् परान् । अभिद्रवाशु यावद् वै नैतत् कर्म समाप्यते ॥ ४ ॥
“So you, scattering the enemies with arrows like Indra’s thunderbolt, rush on quickly, before this rite is finished.
जहि वीर दुरात्मानं मायापरमधार्मिकम् । रावणिं क्रूरकर्माणं सर्वलोकभयावहम् ॥ ५ ॥
“Kill, hero, the evil-souled son of Ravana, supreme in illusion, utterly lawless, of cruel deeds, a terror to all the worlds.”
विभीषणवचः श्रुत्वा लक्ष्मणः शुभलक्षणः । ववर्ष शरवर्षेण राक्षसेन्द्रसुतं प्रति ॥ ६ ॥
Hearing Vibhishana’s words, Lakshmana of auspicious marks rained a rain of arrows toward the son of the rakshasa king.
ऋक्षाः शाखामृगाश्चैव द्रुमप्रवरयोधिनः । अभ्यधावन्त सहितास्तदनीकमवस्थितम् ॥ ७ ॥
And the bears and tree-beasts, fighting with the best of trees, rushed together at that army standing there.
राक्षसाश्च शितैर्बाणैरसिभिः शक्तितोमरैः । अभ्यवर्तन्त समरे कपिसैन्यजिघांसवः ॥ ८ ॥
And the rakshasas, with sharp arrows, with swords, spears and lances, came on in battle, wishing to kill the monkey army.
स सम्प्रहारस्तुमुलः संजज्ञे कपिरक्षसाम् । शब्देन महता लङ्कां नादयन् वै समन्ततः ॥ ९ ॥
That tumultuous clash of monkeys and rakshasas arose, making Lanka resound on every side with its great noise.
शस्त्रैश्च विविधाकारैः शितैर्बाणैश्च पादपैः । उद्यतैर्गिरिशृङ्गैश्च घोरैराकाशमावृतम् ॥ १० ॥
The sky was covered with weapons of many shapes, with sharp arrows and trees, and with terrible, raised mountain peaks.
राक्षसा वानरेन्द्रेषु विकृताननबाहवः । निवेशयन्तः शस्त्राणि चक्रुस्ते सुमहद्भयम् ॥ ११ ॥
The rakshasas, with distorted faces and arms, driving their weapons into the monkey lords, caused very great fear.
तथैव सकलैर्वृक्षैर्गिरिशृङ्गैश्च वानराः । अभिजघ्नुर्निजघ्नुश्च समरे सर्वराक्षसान् ॥ १२ ॥
And likewise the monkeys, with whole trees and mountain peaks, struck and killed all the rakshasas in battle.
ऋक्षवानरमुख्यैश्च महाकायैर्महाबलैः । रक्षसां युध्यमानानां महद्भयमजायत ॥ १३ ॥
From the huge, very mighty chiefs of the bears and monkeys, great fear arose among the rakshasas as they fought.
स्वमनीकं विषण्णं तु श्रुत्वा शत्रुभिरर्दितम् । उदतिष्ठत दुर्धर्षः स कर्मण्यननुष्ठिते ॥ १४ ॥
Hearing that his own army was despairing, tormented by the enemies, the unassailable one rose up with his rite unperformed.
वृक्षान्धकारान्निर्गत्य जातक्रोधः स रावणिः । आरुरोह रथं सज्जं पूर्वयुक्तं सुसंयतम् ॥ १५ ॥
Coming out of the darkness of the trees, his anger kindled, that son of Ravana mounted his chariot, ready, yoked before, well prepared.
स भीमकार्मुकशरः कृष्णाञ्जनचयोपमः । रक्तास्यनयनो भीमो बभौ मृत्युरिवान्तकः ॥ १६ ॥
With terrible bow and arrows, like a heap of black collyrium, red in mouth and eyes, terrible, he shone like Death the ender.
दृष्ट्वैव तु रथस्थं तं पर्यवर्तत तद् बलम् । रक्षसां भीमवेगानां लक्ष्मणेन युयुत्सताम् ॥ १७ ॥
As soon as they saw him standing in his chariot, that army of rakshasas of terrible speed turned back, eager to fight with Lakshmana.
तस्मिंस्तु काले हनुमानरुजत् स दुरासदम् । धरणीधरसंकाशो महावृक्षमरिंदमः ॥ १८ ॥
At that time Hanuman, like a mountain, the tamer of enemies, broke off an unassailable, great tree.
स राक्षसानां तत् सैन्यं कालाग्निरिव निर्दहन् । चकार बहुभिर्वृक्षैर्निःसंज्ञं युधि वानरः ॥ १९ ॥
Burning that army of the rakshasas like the fire of Time, the monkey made them senseless in battle with many trees.
विध्वंसयन्तं तरसा दृष्ट्वैव पवनात्मजम् । राक्षसानां सहस्राणि हनूमन्तमवाकिरन् ॥ २० ॥
As soon as they saw the son of the Wind destroying them with force, thousands of rakshasas covered Hanuman.
शितशूलधराः शूलैरसिभिश्चासिपाणयः । शक्तिहस्ताश्च शक्तीभिः पट्टिशैः पट्टिशायुधाः ॥ २१ ॥
Bearers of sharp tridents with tridents, sword-handed ones with swords, spear-handed ones with spears, those armed with javelins with javelins,
परिघैश्च गदाभिश्च कुन्तैश्च शुभदर्शनैः । शतशश्च शतघ्नीभिरायसैरपि मुद्गरैः ॥ २२ ॥
with iron bars and maces, with lovely-looking lances, by hundreds with hundred-killers and with iron hammers,
घोरैः परशुभिश्चैव भिन्दिपालैश्च राक्षसाः । मुष्टिभिर्वज्रकल्पैश्च तलैरशनिसंनिभैः ॥ २३ ॥
with terrible axes and darts, the rakshasas, with fists like thunderbolts and palms like lightning,
अभिजघ्नुः समासाद्य समन्तात् पर्वतोपमम् । तेषामपि च संक्रुद्धश्चकार कदनं महत् ॥ २४ ॥
closing in, struck him, like a mountain, on every side. And he, very angry, made great slaughter of them too.
स ददर्श कपिश्रेष्ठमचलोपममिन्द्रजित् । सूदमानमसंत्रस्तममित्रान् पवनात्मजम् ॥ २५ ॥
Indrajit saw the best of monkeys, like a mountain, the son of the Wind, unafraid, destroying his enemies.
स सारथिमुवाचेदं याहि यत्रैष वानरः । क्षयमेव हि नः कुर्याद् राक्षसानामुपेक्षितः ॥ २६ ॥
He said this to his charioteer: “Go where this monkey is; if ignored, he would bring about the destruction of us rakshasas.”
इत्युक्तः सारथिस्तेन ययौ यत्र स मारुतिः । वहन् परमदुर्धर्षं स्थितमिन्द्रजितं रथे ॥ २७ ॥
Told so by him, the charioteer went where the son of the Wind was, carrying the very unassailable Indrajit standing in the chariot.
सोऽभ्युपेत्य शरान् खड्गान् पट्टिशांश्च परश्वधान् । अभ्यवर्षत दुर्धर्षः कपिमूर्धनि राक्षसः ॥ २८ ॥
Coming up, the unassailable rakshasa rained arrows, swords, javelins and axes on the monkey’s head.
तानि शस्त्राणि घोराणि प्रतिगृह्य स मारुतिः । रोषेण महताविष्टो वाक्यं चेदमुवाच ह ॥ २९ ॥
Taking those terrible weapons, the son of the Wind, filled with great rage, said these words:
युध्यस्व यदि शूरोऽसि रावणात्मज दुर्मते । वायुपुत्रं समासाद्य न जीवन् प्रतियास्यसि ॥ ३० ॥
“Fight, if you are a hero, evil-minded son of Ravana; having come up against the son of the Wind, you will not go back alive.
बाहुभ्यां सम्प्रयुध्यस्व यदि मे द्वन्द्वमाहवे । वेगं सहस्व दुर्बुद्धे ततस्त्वं रक्षसां वरः ॥ ३१ ॥
“Fight with your arms, if you meet me in single combat in battle; bear my force, fool; then you will be the best of the rakshasas.”
हनूमन्तं जिघांसन्तं समुद्यतशरासनम् । रावणात्मजमाचष्टे लक्ष्मणाय विभीषणः ॥ ३२ ॥
As Ravana’s son, his bow raised, sought to kill Hanuman, Vibhishana pointed him out to Lakshmana:
यः स वासवनिर्जेता रावणस्यात्मसम्भवः । स एष रथमास्थाय हनूमन्तं जिघांसति ॥ ३३ ॥
“He who is the conqueror of Vasava, Ravana’s own son, here he is, mounted on his chariot, seeking to kill Hanuman.
तमप्रतिमसंस्थानैः शरैः शत्रुनिवारणैः । जीवितान्तकरैर्घोरैः सौमित्रे रावणिं जहि ॥ ३४ ॥
“Kill him, Saumitri, Ravana’s son, with arrows of peerless shape, that stop enemies, terrible, ending life.”
इत्येवमुक्तस्तु तदा महात्मा विभीषणेनारिविभीषणेन । ददर्श तं पर्वतसंनिकाशं रथस्थितं भीमबलं दुरासदम् ॥ ३५ ॥
Addressed so then by Vibhishana, terror of his enemies, the great-souled one saw him, like a mountain, standing in his chariot, of terrible strength, unassailable.