Uttara Kanda, Sarga 28

Meaning

Provoked to anger on seeing Sumālī killed and reduced to ashes by the Vasu, and on perceiving his army, too, put to flight when hard-pressed by the gods, nay, rallying all the ogres, the notorious Meghanāda, the mighty son of Rāvaṇa, firmly thereupon took his stand on the battlefield at that time. (1-2)

Meaning

Seated in his chariot which shone like fire and which coursed according to his will, that great car-warrior darted towards that army of gods as a blazing fire would rush towards forests. (3)

Meaning

At his very sight, as he entered the field carrying every kind of weapon on his person, the gods then fled in all directions. (4)

Meaning

None could stand before him at that time, pugnacious as he was. Admonishing all the terrified gods, Indra then said to them: (5)

Meaning

“You should not be afraid, nor should you run away; return to the battlefield, O gods! Here goes my son, who is invincible, for an encounter.” (6)

Meaning

The celebrated son of Indra, the god widely known by the name of Jayanta, thereupon appeared on the battlefield in a chariot of marvellous workmanship. (7)

Meaning

Surrounding Jayanta (Śacī’s son) and duly approaching Meghanāda (son of Rāvaṇa) on the battlefield, all the aforesaid gods thereupon began to strike him with violence. (8)

Meaning

A well-matched contest now ensued between the aforesaid gods and ogres as well as between the son of the mighty Indra and the son of Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres. (9)

Meaning

Thereupon the said son of Rāvaṇa shot shafts decked with gold on the charioteer, Gomukha, son of Mātali, Indra’s charioteer. (10)

Meaning

Nay, the son of Śacī, Jayanta, too likewise wounded the charioteer of Meghanāda and, provoked to anger, the son of Rāvaṇa too wounded Jayanta on every side. (11)

Meaning

Possessed with anger, that mighty son of Rāvaṇa, with dilated eyes actually covered the son of Indra with showers of shafts. (12)

Meaning

Filled with rage, the son of Rāvaṇa then let fly on the celestial troops every kind of sharp-edged weapon in thousands. (13)

Meaning

The son of Rāvaṇa also hurled Śataghnīs, pestles, spears, clubs, swords and battle-axes and huge crags on the celestial army. (14)

Meaning

As a result of the conjuring tricks of Meghanāda (son of Rāvaṇa) who was busy exterminating enemy battalions, darkness then prevailed on all sides and the worlds, including their inhabitants, felt greatly distressed in consequence. (15)

Meaning

Afflicted by the arrows, the said army of the gods, rallying round the celebrated son of Śacī felt ill at ease in many ways. (16)

Meaning

The belligerents could not distinguish one from the other; be it an ogre or a god, everyone was thrown into disorder on every side, everyone ran helter-skelter. (17)

Meaning

Getting confounded, enveloped as they were in darkness, the gods struck the gods and the ogres struck the ogres, while others took to their heels. (18)

Meaning

In the meantime there appeared on the battlefield a powerful hero, Pulomā by name, a ruler of the Daityas. Seizing hold of Jayanta, he for his part bore him away from the battle-field. (19)

Meaning

Taking hold of his aforesaid daughter’s son, he for his part then dived into the sea (in the depths of which he lived); for Pulomā, by whom (Jayanta’s mother) Śacī had been begotten, was Jayanta’s maternal grandfather. (20)

Meaning

Coming to know of Jayanta’s disappearance, on that occasion, the gods for their part forthwith felt cheerless and, stricken with affliction, all then took to their heels. (21)

Meaning

Surrounded by his forces, the son of Rāvaṇa full of rage, for his part forthwith rushed on the aforesaid gods and raised a loud cry. (22)

Meaning

Nay, seeing the disappearance of his son and the stampede among the gods, the ruler of the gods said to his charioteer, Mātali: “Let my chariot be brought near.” (23)

Meaning

Being driven by Mātali for its part, that celestial, exceedingly formidable, and duly equipped huge chariot, which moved very fast, stood near. (24)

Meaning

Thereupon above that chariot and at its head very powerful clouds riven by lightning and set in motion by the wind thundered with a great noise. (25)

Meaning

When the ruler of gods sallied forth, Gandharvas (celestial musicians) played on different kinds of musical instruments in a chorus and bevies of celestial nymphs danced. (26)

Meaning

The suzerain lord of the gods sallied forth, surrounded by the eleven Rudras, the eight Vasus, the twelve sons of Aditi, accompanied by the hosts of the wind-gods, equipped with all kinds of weapons, and the two Aświns. (27)

Meaning

As Indra set out, a piercing wind began to blow, the sun too was shorn of its splendour and huge meteors fell. (28)

Meaning

In the meantime the heroic and mighty Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, ascended his heavenly chariot, fashioned by Viśwakarmā (the artisan of heaven) and hung about by exceptionally gigantic serpents which caused one’s hair to stand on end and due to the wind of whose exhalations the chariot appeared on the battlefield to be in flames. (29-30)

Meaning

The chariot in question was surrounded by Daityas and night-stalkers. Advancing towards the battlefield, that celestial car stood in front of the mighty Indra. (31)

Meaning

Keeping back his notorious son, Rāvaṇa for his part firmly took his stand on the field of battle himself. Issuing out of the battlefield, the said son of Rāvaṇa too sat quietly in his chariot. (32)

Meaning

Then started anew the struggle with the ogres of the aforesaid gods, raining weapons on the battlefield like clouds pouring rain. (33)

Meaning

The evil-minded Kumbhakarṇa for his part, who carried various uplifted weapons, did not know at that moment with whom he entered into combat, O king! (34)

Meaning

Full of rage he struck the gods with any weapon that came to hand—with his teeth, feet, arms, hands, javelins, iron clubs and mallets. (35)

Meaning

Standing at close quarters with the fierce Rudras, the said ogre, Kumbhakarṇa, forthwith entered into a hard struggle with them on the battlefield and was wounded by them with weapons so as to leave no space intact. (36)

Meaning

Covered all over with arrows and dripping with blood, Kumbhakarṇa shone like a cloud accompanied by lightning and thunder and raining torrentially. (37)

Meaning

Engaged in a hard struggle with the gods armed with all kinds of weapons and assisted by the wind-gods, the whole of that army of the ogres was put to flight on the battlefield. (38)

Meaning

Some were killed, while others, who had been cut down, rolled about on the ground; while still others remained stuck to their mounts on the field of battle. (39)

Meaning

Some rangers of the night lay motionless clasping firmly with their arms their respective chariots, elephants, donkeys, camels, serpents and horses, dolphins and boars as well as other animals with heads of goblins; while others, who had recovered from their unconsciousness, were torn asunder by the gods and died. (40-41)

Meaning

The slaughter on the battlefield of all the ogres who lay killed on the earth’s surface, appeared like a marvel. (42)

Meaning

At the forefront of the battle flowed a river which carried blood for water, was crowded with crows and vultures and had weapons which had the appearance of alligators. (43)

Meaning

In the meantime the glorious Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) for his part was provoked to anger on perceiving his entire army destroyed by the gods. (44)

Meaning

Diving deep in no time into that swollen sea of the army of the gods, he ran up to Indra himself, killing the gods in combat on the way. (45)

Meaning

Indra thereupon stood pulling the string of his mighty bow, which gave forth a thunderous sound and with the twang of which resounded all the ten directions.(46)

Meaning

Bending that great bow, the aforesaid Indra let fall on the head of Rāvaṇa arrows vying with fire and the sun in respect of brilliance. (47)

Meaning

The mighty-armed ogre, Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, too covered Indra with showers of arrows shot from his bow. (48)

Meaning

When the two warriors were fighting hard in this manner, raining arrows on all sides, everything was actually enveloped in darkness forthwith and nothing could be seen at that moment. (49)