Aranya Kanda, Sarga 22

Meaning

Thus reproached by Śūrpaṇakhā, the valiant and cruel Khara then uttered the following very sharp words in the midst of other ogres: (1)

Meaning

“This immeasurable anger of mine, arising from your insult, cannot be held in check like a powerful wave of the ocean.(2)

Meaning

“By virtue of my prowess I hold of no account the human Rāma, whose life is already worn away and who will be deprived of his life today, being killed by his own misdeeds. (3)

Meaning

“Restrain these tears and completely shed your fear. I am despatching Rāma with his brother to the abode of Yama. (4)

Meaning

“O ogress, you will drink today the red and hot blood of Rāma fallen on the ground, struck dead with my axe.” (5)

Meaning

Extremely delighted to hear the words fallen from the lips of Khara, she once again extolled in her folly her brother, a giant among ogres. (6)

Meaning

Snubbed in the first instance and then definitely praised by her, Khara now commanded his general, Dūṣaṇa by name in the following words : (7)

Meaning

“O gentle one, get all the fourteen thousand ogres who follow my mind, who are possessed of terrible impetuosity, who never restreat from the fields of battle, who possess the hue of dark blue clouds, who divert themselves by indulging in carnage and are full of martial zeal, to exert in every way for war. (8-9)

Meaning

“Place before me quickly my chariot and bows, as well as my arrows, swords of diverse kinds and various sharp javelins, O gentle one ! (10)

Meaning

“I wish to march at the head of the high-souled Paulastyas (ogres claiming their descent from Sage Pulastya) for the destruction of the haughty Rāma, O brother skilled in warfare !” (11)

Meaning

“Even while he was speaking as aforesaid, Dūṣaṇa presently announced to Khara the arrival of a huge chariot shining like the sun and drawn by excellent spotted horses. (12)

Meaning

The celebrated Khara then indignantly ascended the aforesaid spacious chariot, resembling a peak of Mount Meru, decked with refined gold, furnished with golden wheels and a pole of cat’s-eye jewels, and encompassed with decorative golden figures of alligators, flowers, trees, mountains, moons and suns, flocks of birds and stars, furnished with ensigns and swords etc., decorated with excellent small bells and drawn by high breed horses. (13—15)

Meaning

Keenly observing that mighty army equipped with chariots, shields, weapons and ensigns, Khara and Dūṣaṇa charged all the ogres to advance. (16)

Meaning

Then that army of ogres, equipped with dreadful shields, weapons and ensigns, sallied forth from Janasthāna with a loud noise and great onrush. (17)

Meaning

With clubs, Paṭṭiśas, darts, exceptionally sharp axes, glittering swords, discuses held in their hands alongwith iron clubs and also with javelins, fearful clubs tipped with iron and huge bows, maces, scimitars, Musalas and terrible-looking thunderbolts seized by them, all the fourteen thousand of the most dreadful ogres, who followed the mind of Khara, sallied forth from Janasthāna. (18—20)

Meaning

Seeing those ogres of terrible aspect issuing forth, the chariot of Khara too followed closely after them. (21)

Meaning

Reading the mind of Khara, the charioteer forthwith spurred on those spotted horses decorated with refined gold. (22)

Meaning

Urged on with speed, the chariot of Khara, the slayer of his foes, quickly filled with its sound the four quarters as well as the intermediate points of the compass. (23)

Meaning

With his indignation risen high and thundering like a cloud raining hail-stones, the very mighty Khara, who was seized with a flurry to kill the enemy and looked like Death, urged on his charioteer once more in a sharp tone. (24)