--- title: "Aranya Kanda, Sarga 26" canonical: "https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana/aranya-kanda/sarga-26" lang: "en" --- # Aranya Kanda, Sarga 26 > दूषणस्तु स्वकं सैन्यं हन्यमानं विलोक्य च। > संदिदेश महाबाहुर्भीमवेगान् दुरासदान्॥ १॥ > राक्षसान् पञ्चसाहस्रान् समरेष्वनिवर्तिनः। > ते शूलैः पट्टिशैः खड्गैः शिलावर्षैर्द्रुमैरपि॥ २॥ > शरवर्षैरविच्छिन्नं ववर्षुस्तं समन्ततः। > तद् द्रुमाणां शिलानां च वर्षं प्राणहरं महत्॥ ३॥ > प्रतिजग्राह धर्मात्मा राघवस्तीक्ष्णसायकैः। > प्रतिगृह्य च तद् वर्षं निमीलित इवर्षभः॥ ४॥ > रामः क्रोधं परं लेभे वधार्थं सर्वरक्षसाम्। > ततः क्रोधसमाविष्टः प्रदीप्त इव तेजसा॥ ५॥ > शरैरभ्यकिरत् सैन्यं सर्वतः सहदूषणम्। > ततः सेनापतिः क्रुद्धो दूषणः शत्रुदूषणः॥ ६॥ > शरैरशनिकल्पैस्तं राघवं समवारयत्। > ततो रामः सुसंक्रुद्धः क्षुरेणास्य महद् धनुः॥ ७॥ > चिच्छेद समरे वीरश्चर्तुभिश्चतुरो हयान्। > हत्वा चाश्वान् शरैस्तीक्ष्णैरर्धचन्द्रेण सारथेः॥ ८॥ > शिरो जहार तद्रक्षस्त्रिभिर्विव्याध वक्षसि। > स च्छिन्नधन्वा विरथो हताश्वो हतसारथिः॥ ९॥ > जग्राह गिरिशृङ्गाभं परिघं रोमहर्षणम्। > वेष्टितं काञ्चनैः पट्टैर्देवसैन्याभिमर्दनम्॥ १०॥ > आयसैः शङ्कुभिस्तीक्ष्णैः कीर्णं परवसोक्षितम्। > वज्राशनिसमस्पर्शं परगोपुरदारणम्॥ ११॥ Seeing his army being wiped out, the mighty-armed Dūṣaṇa urged five thousand ogres of terrible impetuosity, who were hard to approach and never turned their back on the battlefield, to march on. They incessantly assailed Rāma on all sides with iron pikes, scimitars, swords, showers of slabs of stone, as also with trees and volleys of arrows. The pious-minded Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) intercepted that great and deadly shower of trees and slabs of stone with his sharp arrows. Having intercepted that volley standing (fearlessly) like a bull with eyes closed, Śrī Rāma summoned extreme wrath for the extermination of all the ogres. Possessed by anger as though burning with glory, he thereupon covered on all sides the army including Dūṣaṇa, with his arrows. Getting angry, General Dūṣaṇa, the belittler of enemies, effectively intercepted the celebrated Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) with his arrows that vied with thunderbolts. Extremely enraged, the heroic Śrī Rāma then split his mighty bow with a razor-like arrow and with four other arrows pierced the four horses of his chariot. Nay, having killed the horses with his sharp arrows, he severed the head of Dūṣaṇa’s charioteer with an arrow having a crescent-shaped head and with three more arrows pierced that ogre in the chest. With his bow broken, as well as horses and charioteer killed, Dūṣaṇa, who was now left without a chariot, seized an iron-capped club looking like a mountain-peak, which was plated with belts of gold, studded with sharp iron pikes and soaked with the fat of enemies, which was hard to the touch like a thunderbolt and caused the hair to stand on its end, and which was capable of crushing the celestial army and smashing the gates of the enemies’ citadels. (1—11) > तं महोरगसंकाशं प्रगृह्य परिघं रणे। > दूषणोऽभ्यपतद् रामं क्रूरकर्मा निशाचरः॥ १२॥ Tightly grasping that club, which appeared like a large serpent, Dūṣaṇa, an ogre of cruel deeds, rushed at Śrī Rāma on the field of battle. (12) > तस्याभिपतमानस्य दूषणस्य च राघवः। > द्वाभ्यां शराभ्यां चिच्छेद सहस्ताभरणौ भुजौ॥ १३॥ While Dūṣaṇa was darting at him, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) lopped off with a pair of arrows both his arms with ornaments on the hands. (13) > भ्रष्टस्तस्य महाकायः पपात रणमूर्धनि। > परिघश्छिन्नहस्तस्य शक्रध्वज इवाग्रतः॥ १४॥ Loosed from his grasp, the colossal club of Dūṣaṇa, whose arms had been severed (from his body), dropped in the van of the fight like a banner raised in honour of Indra. (14) > कराभ्यां च विकीर्णाभ्यां पपात भुवि दूषणः। > विषाणाभ्यां विशीर्णाभ्यां मनस्वीव महागजः॥ १५॥ Alongwith his severed arms Dūṣaṇa fell on the ground like a proud lordly elephant with up-rooted tusks. (15) > दृष्ट्वा तं पतितं भूमौ दूषणं निहतं रणे। > साधु साध्विति काकुत्स्थं सर्वभूतान्यपूजयन्॥ १६॥ Seeing the celebrated Dūṣaṇa killed in battle and fallen on the ground, all beings present there acclaimed Śrī Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha) saying “Well-done ! Bravo !” (16) > एतस्मिन्नन्तरे क्रुद्धास्त्रयः सेनाग्रयायिनः। > संहत्याभ्यद्रवन् रामं मृत्युपाशावपाशिताः॥ १७॥ > महाकपालः स्थूलाक्षः प्रमाथी च महाबलः। > महाकपालो विपुलं शूलमुद्यम्य राक्षसः॥ १८॥ > स्थूलाक्षः पट्टिशं गृह्य प्रमाथी च परश्वधम्। > दृष्ट्वैवापततस्तांस्तु राघवः सायकैः शितैः॥ १९॥ > तीक्ष्णाग्रैः प्रतिजग्राह सम्प्राप्तानतिथीनिव। > महाकपालस्य शिरश्चिच्छेद रघुनन्दनः॥ २०॥ > असंख्येयैस्तु बाणौघैः प्रममाथ प्रमाथिनम्। > स्थूलाक्षस्याक्षिणी स्थूले पूरयामास सायकैः॥ २१॥ In the meanwhile, three generals (who marched in the van of the army)—Mahākapāla, Sthūlākṣa and Pramāthī, who was possessed of great might—rushed towards Śrī Rāma together, bound as they were with the noose of Death, the ogre Mahākapāla lifting a huge pike, Sthūlākṣa holding a scimitar and Pramāthī an axe. Seeing them approaching, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) for his part greeted them with whetted and sharp-edged arrows as one would receive newcomers arrived in one’s presence. Śrī Rāma (the delight of the Raghus) severed the head of Mahākapāla, overpowered Pramāthī with innumerable volleys of arrows and filled the large eyes of Sthūlākṣa with arrows. (17—21) > स पपात हतो भूमौ विटपीव महाद्रुमः। > दूषणस्यानुगान् पञ्चसाहस्रान् कुपितः क्षणात्॥ २२॥ > हत्वा तु पञ्चसाहस्रैरनयद् यमसादनम्। > दूषणं निहतं श्रुत्वा तस्य चैव पदानुगान्॥ २३॥ > व्यादिदेश खरः क्रुद्धः सेनाध्यक्षान् महाबलान्। > अयं विनिहतः संख्ये दूषणः सपदानुगः॥ २४॥ > महत्या सेनया सार्धं युद्ध्वा रामं कुमानुषम्। > शस्त्रैर्नानाविधाकारैर्हनध्वं सर्वराक्षसाः॥ २५॥ Having been killed, the trio dropped down on the ground like a large tree with branches. Striking the five thousand followers of Dūṣaṇa with an equal number of arrows, the angry Śrī Rāma for his part despatched them to the abode of death. Enraged to hear of Dūṣaṇa and of those following at his heels having been killed, Khara commanded the generals of his army, who were possessed of great might, as follows : “Here is Dūṣaṇa slain in battle as well as all those who followed at his heels. Giving battle to Rāma, the wretched human being, with your mighty army, let you all ogres kill him with the weapons of various shapes.” (22—25) > एवमुक्त्वा खरः क्रुद्धो राममेवाभिदुद्रुवे। > श्येनगामी पृथुग्रीवो यज्ञशत्रुर्विहंगमः॥ २६॥ > दुर्जयः करवीराक्षः परुषः कालकार्मुकः। > हेममाली महामाली सर्पास्यो रुधिराशनः॥ २७॥ > द्वादशैते महावीर्या बलाध्यक्षाः ससैनिकाः। > राममेवाभ्यधावन्त विसृजन्तः शरोत्तमान्॥ २८॥ Saying so, the angry Khara attacked Rāma at once. Nay, Śyenagāmī, Pṛthugrīva, Yajñaśatru, Vihaṅgama, Durjaya, Karavīrākṣa, Paruṣa, Kālakārmuka, Hemamālī, Mahāmālī, Sarpāsya and Rudhirāśana—these twelve generals also, who were possessed of extraordinary prowess, together with the rank and file attacked Rāma together, discharging the best of arrows. (26—28) > ततः पावकसंकाशैर्हेमवज्रविभूषितैः। > जघान शेषं तेजस्वी तस्य सैन्यस्य सायकैः॥ २९॥ Then with his arrows encrusted with gold and diamonds, and shining like flames the glorious Rāma destroyed the remnant of Khara’s army. (29) > ते रुक्मपुङ्खा विशिखाः सधूमा इव पावकाः। > निजघ्नुस्तानि रक्षांसि वज्रा इव महाद्रुमान्॥ ३०॥ Those arrows with golden feathers, which shone like flames emitting smoke, made short work of those ogres even as thunderbolts destroy large trees. (30) > रक्षसां तु शतं रामः शतेनैकेन कर्णिना। > सहस्रं तु सहस्रेण जघान रणमूर्धनि॥ ३१॥ In the van of the fight Śrī Rāma despatched a hundred ogres with a hundred arrows and a thousand ogres with a thousand all atonce. (31) > तैर्भिन्नवर्माभरणाश्छिन्नभिन्नशरासनाः। > निपेतुः शोणितादिग्धा धरण्यां रजनीचराः॥ ३२॥ With their coats of mail and ornaments shattered and bows split into two and broken and themselves besmeared with blood, the night-stalkers dropped on the ground. (32) > तैर्मुक्तकेशैः समरे पतितैः शोणितोक्षितैः। > विस्तीर्णा वसुधा कृत्स्ना महावेदिः कुशैरिव॥ ३३॥ Like a large sacrificial altar with blades of the sacred Kuśa grass, the whole area was completely strewn with the ogres fallen bathed in blood, with dishevelled hair on the battlefield. (33) > तत्क्षणे तु महाघोरं वनं निहतराक्षसम्। > बभूव निरयप्रख्यं मांसशोणितकर्दमम्॥ ३४॥ Covered with corpses of the slain ogres, the forest, which had been rendered muddy with blood and flesh, appeared most ghastly like a veritable hell. (34) > चतुर्दशसहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम्। > हतान्येकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना॥ ३५॥ Fourteen thousand ogres of terrible deeds were killed by Rāma, a human being, fighting on foot, single-handed. (35) > तस्य सैन्यस्य सर्वस्य खरः शेषो महारथः। > राक्षसस्त्रिशिराश्चैव रामश्च रिपुसूदनः॥ ३६॥ Out of that entire army, the great car-warrior Khara as also the ogre Triśirā and (its exterminator) Śrī Rāma, the slayer of his foes, survived. (36) > शेषा हता महावीर्या राक्षसा रणमूर्धनि। > घोरा दुर्विषहाः सर्वे लक्ष्मणस्याग्रजेन ते॥ ३७॥ The other ogres, who were well-known, possessed of great prowess, fierce and hard to encounter, were all killed by the elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa in the van of the fight. (37) > ततस्तु तद्भीमबलं महाहवे > समीक्ष्य रामेण हतं बलीयसा। > रथेन रामं महता खरस्ततः > समाससादेन्द्र इवोद्यताशनिः॥ ३८॥ Then, perceiving that terrible army killed in a major conflict by Śrī Rāma, who proved superior in strength (when matched with the entire host), Khara then rode in a large chariot like Indra with his thunderbolt uplifted, and attacked Śrī Rāma from where he was. (38) Book: https://ramayana.com/valmiki-ramayana --- Source: Gita Press, Gorakhpur editions. 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