Yuddha Kanda · Sarga 96 of 128 · 36 verses
Sugriva Kills Virupaksha
The ground is strewn with monkeys whose limbs Ten-necked has cut with his arrows; they cannot bear his blazing rain of arrows any more than moths can bear a fire, and they flee crying out, like elephants caught in flames. Ravana sweeps through the monkey divisions as the wind scatters great clouds, and after a swift slaughter he heads quickly for Raghava. Seeing the monkeys broken and routed, Sugriva leaves Sushena, a hero equal to himself, in charge of the troops and goes to meet the enemy with a tree for his weapon, all the monkey leaders following with great rocks and trees. Roaring loudly, he crushes the finest rakshasas as the wind at the end of an age crushes great trees, raining rocks on the rakshasa divisions like a cloud raining hailstones on flocks of birds; the rakshasas fall with heads shattered like crumbling mountains.
As the rakshasas are destroyed on every side, broken by Sugriva, crying out and falling, the archer Virupaksha shouts his own name, leaps from his chariot onto an elephant, roars terribly and charges the monkeys, loosing terrible arrows at Sugriva at the front of the army and steadying the frightened rakshasas. Deeply pierced, the monkey king cries out in great anger and resolves to kill him. Tearing up a tree, the heroic monkey leaps forward and strikes the great elephant in the face; struck, it staggers back a bow’s length, sinks down and trumpets. The rakshasa leaps quickly from the crushed elephant, takes a bull’s-hide shield and a sword, and, swift in his moves, comes up to Sugriva as if to threaten him. Enraged, Sugriva hurls a huge rock like a cloud at Virupaksha; the rakshasa sidesteps and strikes with his sword, and the monkey, struck by the mighty rakshasa’s blow, lies for a moment on the ground as if unconscious. Springing up, he clenches his fist and drives it into the rakshasa’s chest. Virupaksha, enraged, with his sword cuts down Sugriva’s armour at the front of the army; struck by his feet, Sugriva falls; rising, the monkey aims a slap at him, terrible as a thunderbolt; the rakshasa deftly avoids it and strikes Sugriva’s chest with his fist. More enraged, seeing his blow dodged, the monkey king watches for an opening and brings another great slap down in anger on Virupaksha’s temple. Struck by that palm like great Indra’s thunderbolt, Virupaksha falls to the ground, drenched, vomiting blood from every opening like water from a spring; his eyes rolling with rage, foaming, bathed in blood, he looks more ugly-eyed than ever; the monkeys watch their enemy writhe, roll on his side, soaked in blood, and moan piteously. The two swift armies of monkeys and rakshasas, locked in battle, roar like two great oceans breaking their bounds; seeing mighty Virupaksha killed by the monkey king, the combined army of monkeys and rakshasas is like the Ganga in flood.
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तथा तैः कृत्तगात्रैस्तु दशग्रीवेण मार्गणैः । बभूव वसुधा तत्र प्रकीर्णा हरिभिस्तदा ॥ १ ॥
So, with monkeys whose limbs had been cut by Ten-necked’s arrows, the earth there was strewn then.
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रावणस्याप्रसह्यं तं शरसम्पातमेकतः । न शेकुः सहितुं दीप्तं पतङ्गा ज्वलनं यथा ॥ २ ॥
That unbearable fall of Ravana’s arrows, all from one place, they could not bear, as moths cannot bear a blazing fire.
तेऽर्दिता निशितैर्बाणैः क्रोशन्तो विप्रदुद्रुवुः । पावकार्चिः समाविष्टा दह्यमाना यथा गजाः ॥ ३ ॥
Tormented by sharp arrows, they fled crying out, like elephants filled with flames of fire, burning.
प्लवंगानामनीकानि महाभ्राणीव मारुतः । संययौ समरे तस्मिन् विधमन् रावणः शरैः ॥ ४ ॥
Ravana went through the divisions of the leapers in that battle, scattering them with arrows, as the wind scatters great clouds.
कदनं तरसा कृत्वा राक्षसेन्द्रो वनौकसाम् । आससाद ततो युद्धे त्वरितं राघवं रणे ॥ ५ ॥
Having made slaughter of the forest-dwellers with force, the king of the rakshasas then quickly approached Raghava in battle.
सुग्रीवस्तान् कपीन् दृष्ट्वा भग्नान् विद्रावितान् रणे । गुल्मे सुषेणं निक्षिप्य चक्रे युद्धे द्रुतं मनः ॥ ६ ॥
Sugriva, seeing those monkeys broken and routed in battle, placing Sushena over the troop, quickly set his mind on battle.
आत्मनः सदृशं वीरं स तं निक्षिप्य वानरम् । सुग्रीवोऽभिमुखं शत्रुं प्रतस्थे पादपायुधः ॥ ७ ॥
Placing that monkey, a hero like himself, in charge, Sugriva set out to face the enemy with a tree for his weapon.
पार्श्वतः पृष्ठतश्चास्य सर्वे वानरयूथपाः । अनुजग्मुर्महाशैलान् विविधांश्च वनस्पतीन् ॥ ८ ॥
At his sides and behind him all the monkey troop leaders followed, taking great rocks and many kinds of trees.
ननर्द युधि सुग्रीवः स्वरेण महता महान् । पोथयन् विविधांश्चान्यान् ममन्थोत्तमराक्षसान् ॥ ९ ॥
Great Sugriva roared in battle with a great voice; striking down many others, he crushed the finest rakshasas.
ममर्द च महाकायो राक्षसान् वानरेश्वरः । युगान्तसमये वायुः प्रवृद्धानगमानिव ॥ १० ॥
The huge lord of the monkeys crushed the rakshasas, as the wind at the time of the end of an age crushes grown trees.
राक्षसानामनीकेषु शैलवर्षं ववर्ष ह । अश्मवर्षं यथा मेघः पक्षिसङ्घेषु कानने ॥ ११ ॥
He rained a rain of rocks on the divisions of the rakshasas, as a cloud rains a rain of stones on flocks of birds in a forest.
कपिराजविमुक्तैस्तैः शैलवर्षैस्तु राक्षसाः । विकीर्णशिरसः पेतुर्विकीर्णा इव पर्वताः ॥ १२ ॥
By those rains of rocks loosed by the monkey king, the rakshasas fell with their heads shattered, like shattered mountains.
अथ संक्षीयमाणेषु राक्षसेषु समन्ततः । सुग्रीवेण प्रभग्नेषु नदत्सु च पतत्सु च ॥ १३ ॥
Then, as the rakshasas were being destroyed on every side, broken by Sugriva, roaring and falling,
विरूपाक्षः स्वकं नाम धन्वी विश्राव्य राक्षसः । रथादाप्लुत्य दुर्धर्षो गजस्कन्धमुपारुहत् ॥ १४ ॥
the archer, the rakshasa Virupaksha, proclaiming his own name, unassailable, leaping from his chariot, mounted the shoulder of an elephant.
स तं द्विपमथारुह्य विरूपाक्षो महाबलः । ननर्द भीमनिर्ह्रादं वानरानभ्यधावत ॥ १५ ॥
Mounting that elephant, mighty Virupaksha roared a terrible roar and rushed at the monkeys.
सुग्रीवे स शरान् घोरान् विससर्ज चमूमुखे । स्थापयामास चोद्विग्नान् राक्षसान् सम्प्रहर्षयन् ॥ १६ ॥
He loosed terrible arrows at Sugriva at the head of the army, and steadied the anxious rakshasas, cheering them.
सोऽतिविद्धः शितैर्बाणैः कपीन्द्रस्तेन रक्षसा । चुक्रोश च महाक्रोधो वधे चास्य मनो दधे ॥ १७ ॥
Deeply pierced with sharp arrows by that rakshasa, the monkey lord cried out, very angry, and set his mind on killing him.
ततः पादपमुद्धृत्य शूरः सम्प्रधनो हरिः । अभिपत्य जघानास्य प्रमुखे तं महागजम् ॥ १८ ॥
Then, tearing up a tree, the heroic monkey, a fighter, leaping on him, struck that great elephant in front of him.
स तु प्रहाराभिहतः सुग्रीवेण महागजः । अपासर्पद् धनुर्मात्रं निषसाद ननाद च ॥ १९ ॥
Struck by Sugriva’s blow, that great elephant moved back a bow’s length, sank down and trumpeted.
गजात् तु मथितात् तूर्णमपक्रम्य स वीर्यवान् । राक्षसोऽभिमुखः शत्रुं प्रत्युद्गम्य ततः कपिम् ॥ २० ॥
Moving quickly away from the crushed elephant, the valiant rakshasa, coming forward to face his enemy, the monkey,
आर्षभं चर्म खड्गं च प्रगृह्य लघुविक्रमः । भर्त्सयन्निव सुग्रीवमाससाद व्यवस्थितम् ॥ २१ ॥
taking a bull’s-hide shield and a sword, swift in valour, came up to Sugriva standing there, as if threatening him.
स हि तस्याभिसंक्रुद्धः प्रगृह्य विपुलां शिलाम् । विरूपाक्षस्य चिक्षेप सुग्रीवो जलदोपमाम् ॥ २२ ॥
Sugriva, very enraged at him, taking a huge rock like a cloud, hurled it at Virupaksha.
स तां शिलामापतन्तीं दृष्ट्वा राक्षसपुंगवः । अपक्रम्य सुविक्रान्तः खड्गेन प्राहरत् तदा ॥ २३ ॥
Seeing that rock falling, the bull among rakshasas, very valiant, moving aside, then struck with his sword.
तेन खड्गप्रहारेण रक्षसा बलिना हतः । मुहूर्तमभवद् भूमौ विसंज्ञ इव वानरः ॥ २४ ॥
Struck by that sword blow by the mighty rakshasa, the monkey for a moment lay on the ground as if senseless.
सहसा स तदोत्पत्य राक्षसस्य महाहवे । मुष्टिं संवर्त्य वेगेन पातयामास वक्षसि ॥ २५ ॥
Springing up suddenly then, in the great battle, clenching his fist, he brought it down with force on the rakshasa’s chest.
मुष्टिप्रहाराभिहतो विरूपाक्षो निशाचरः । तेन खड्गेन संक्रुद्धः सुग्रीवस्य चमूमुखे ॥ २६ ॥
Struck by the blow of the fist, the night-wanderer Virupaksha, enraged, with that sword, at the head of the army, Sugriva’s
कवचं पातयामास पद्भ्यामभिहतोऽपतत् । स समुत्थाय पतितः कपिस्तस्य व्यसर्जयत् ॥ २७ ॥
armour he brought down; struck by his feet, he fell. Rising, the fallen monkey loosed at him
तलप्रहारमशनेः समानं भीमनिःस्वनम् । तलप्रहारं तद् रक्षः सुग्रीवेण समुद्यतम् ॥ २८ ॥
a slap, equal to the thunderbolt, with a terrible sound. That slap raised by Sugriva, the rakshasa
नैपुण्यान्मोचयित्वैनं मुष्टिनोरसि ताडयत् । ततस्तु संक्रुद्धतरः सुग्रीवो वानरेश्वरः ॥ २९ ॥
skilfully avoided, and struck him on the chest with his fist. Then Sugriva, lord of the monkeys, more enraged,
मोक्षितं चात्मनो दृष्ट्वा प्रहारं तेन रक्षसा । स ददर्शान्तरं तस्य विरूपाक्षस्य वानरः ॥ ३० ॥
seeing his own blow evaded by that rakshasa, the monkey saw an opening in that Virupaksha.
ततोऽन्यं पातयत् क्रोधाच्छङ्खदेशे महातलम् । महेन्द्राशनिकल्पेन तलेनाभिहतः क्षितौ ॥ ३१ ॥
Then in anger he brought down another great slap on his temple; struck by that palm like great Indra’s thunderbolt, on the ground
पपात रुधिरक्लिन्नः शोणितं हि समुद्गिरन् । स्रोतोभ्यस्तु विरूपाक्षो जलं प्रस्रवणादिव ॥ ३२ ॥
he fell, drenched with blood, vomiting blood: Virupaksha, from his openings, like water from a spring.
विवृत्तनयनं क्रोधात् सफेनं रुधिराप्लुतम् । ददृशुस्ते विरूपाक्षं विरूपाक्षतरं कृतम् ॥ ३३ ॥
They saw Virupaksha, his eyes rolling with anger, foaming, flooded with blood, made more ugly-eyed still.
स्फुरन्तं परिवर्तन्तं पार्श्वेन रुधिरोक्षितम् । करुणं च विनर्दन्तं ददृशुः कपयो रिपुम् ॥ ३४ ॥
The monkeys saw their enemy writhing, rolling on his side, drenched with blood, and moaning piteously.
तथा तु तौ संयति सम्प्रयुक्तौ तरस्विनौ वानरराक्षसानाम् । बलार्णवौ सस्वनतुश्च भीमौ महार्णवौ द्वाविव भिन्नसेतू ॥ ३५ ॥
So those two swift oceans of the forces of monkeys and rakshasas, locked in battle, roared terribly, like two great oceans with their dikes broken.
विनाशितं प्रेक्ष्य विरूपनेत्रं महाबलं तं हरिपार्थिवेन । बलं समेतं कपिराक्षसाना- मुद्वृत्तगङ्गाप्रतिमं बभूव ॥ ३६ ॥
Seeing that mighty ugly-eyed one destroyed by the king of the monkeys, the combined army of monkeys and rakshasas became like the Ganga in flood.