Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 100

Meaning

The aforesaid missile having been counteracted by Śrī Rāma, Rāvaṇa, the suzerain lord of ogres, for his part doubled his fury and in his wrath the latter, who was endowed with extraordinary might, forthwith proceeded to aim at Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) another fearful missile presided over by Rudra (the god of destruction) and produced by the demon Maya. (1-2)

Meaning

Then issued forth on all sides from his bow flaming pikes and maces as well as clubs, hard as adamant, mallets, deceptive nooses and fiery thunderbolts of various kinds like piercing gales at the end of the world-cycle. (3-4)

Meaning

The glorious Rāma, a scion of Raghu, the foremost of those proficient in the use of excellent missiles, who was endowed with extraordinary splendour, neutralized that missile with the excellent missile presided over by the Gandharvas (celestial musicians). (5)

Meaning

The aforesaid missile having been rendered void by the high-souled Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, Rāvaṇa for his part, his eyes coppery with wrath, employed the missile presided over by the sun-god. (6)

Meaning

Thereupon issued brilliant and large discuses from the bow of the resourceful Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) of terrific impetuosity. (7)

Meaning

Even as they rose into view and struck on all sides, the sky was lit up and the quarters illuminated as by the sun, the moon and other planets. (8)

Meaning

The celebrated Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, however, split those discuses and other strange weapons with the streams of his shafts in the forefront of Rāvaṇa’s army. (9)

Meaning

Seeing that missile frustrated, Rāvaṇa, the suzerain lord of ogres, for his part struck hard Śrī Rāma with ten arrows in all his vital parts. (10)

Meaning

Though grievously hurt by Rāvaṇa with ten shafts which had been shot forth from his huge bow, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, did not flinch. (11)

Meaning

Extremely enraged, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), for his part, who ever won battles, thereupon pierced Rāvaṇa in all his limbs with numerous arrows. (12)

Meaning

Provoked to anger, in the meantime the mighty Lakṣmaṇa, younger brother of Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), the destroyer of hostile champions, seized hold of seven arrows. (13)

Meaning

With those shafts, which were impelled with great force, Lakṣmaṇa, who was endowed with extraordinary splendour, for his part tore (to begin with) into a number of pieces the standard of Rāvaṇa, which bore the device of a man’s head. (14)

Meaning

With a single arrow the glorious Lakṣmaṇa, who was endowed with extraordinary might, also severed the head of the ogre’s charioteer, which was adorned with flaming earrings. (15)

Meaning

Nay, with five whetted shafts Lakṣmaṇa then split asunder the bow of that king of ogres, which resembled the proboscis of an elephant. (16)

Meaning

And bounding forward, Vibhīṣaṇa struck down with his mace Rāvaṇa’s excellent horses which resembled a dark cloud in hue and were tall as hills. (17)

Meaning

Leaping down with all speed from his huge chariot, whose horses had been killed, Rāvaṇa for his part then exhibited a violent rage against his youngest brother. (18)

Meaning

Thereupon the powerful king of ogres, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, flung at Vibhīṣaṇa a flaming javelin, which resembled the thunderbolt. (19)

Meaning

With three shafts Lakṣmaṇa, however, tore it asunder even before it reached him. A loud cheer forthwith rose among the monkeys in that major conflict. (20)

Meaning

Split into three fragments, the javelin, which was wreathed in gold, struck the target like an enormous flaming meteor, emitting sparks, fallen from the heavens.(21)

Meaning

Rāvaṇa thereupon seized hold of a big javelin, which was highly renowned for its infallibility, was difficult to approach even for Death, and was shining with its own splendour. (22)

Meaning

Brandished with violence by the mighty and evil-minded Rāvaṇa, that immensely splendid javelin, which shone like a flaming thunderbolt, gave out a lurid gleam. (23)

Meaning

In the meantime, the heroic Lakṣmaṇa speedily came to the rescue of the aforesaid Vibhīṣaṇa, who had reached a stage in which his life was in danger. (24)

Meaning

Stretching his bow, the gallant Lakṣmaṇa, in order to save Vibhīṣaṇa, actually overwhelmed with volleys of arrows Rāvaṇa, who stood, javelin in hand. (25)

Meaning

Being covered, as aforesaid, with a stream of shafts discharged by the high-souled Lakṣmaṇa, Rāvaṇa, whose prowess stood balked in this way, no longer felt spirited to strike. (26)

Meaning

Standing with his face turned towards Lakṣmaṇa, on seeing his younger brother, Vibhīṣaṇa, rescued by Lakṣmaṇa, the notorious Rāvaṇa spoke as follows: (27)

Meaning

“Letting off the ogre, Vibhīṣaṇa, this javelin is being violently hurled on you inasmuch as Vibhīṣaṇa has thus been rescued by you, O vaunter of your strength!” (28)

Meaning

“Piercing your heart, as soon as hurled by my bludgeon-like arm, and stained with your blood, this javelin will depart only after taking your life.” (29)

Meaning

Saying so and aiming at Lakṣmaṇa that infallible javelin, which was adorned with eight bells and made a loud noise in the course of its flight, nay, which had been designed by the domon Maya by dint of magic, was capable of destroying the enemy and shone, as it were, with splendour, Rāvaṇa, who was extremely enraged, hurled it and roared. (30-31)

Meaning

Flung with terrible impetuosity and cracking like a thunderbolt, that javelin flew with force towards Lakṣmaṇa in the forefront of the battle. (32)

Meaning

Addressing that javelin even as it was striking at Lakṣmaṇa, that scion of Raghu, Śrī Rāma imprecated it as follows: “May all be well with Lakṣmaṇa! May you prove ineffectual! May your attempt to kill Lakṣmaṇa be frustrated!!” (33)

Meaning

Released by the enraged Rāvaṇa on the battlefield, that javelin, which was deadly as a venomous snake, struck at once at the bosom of Lakṣmaṇa, who stood fearless.(34)

Meaning

Flying with great violence and flaming like the tongue of Vāsuki (the lord of serpents), the javelin, which was full of extraordinary splendour, descended on the broad chest of Lakṣmaṇa. (35)

Meaning

Pierced grievously by the javelin, which had penetrated very deep due to the tremendous force exerted by Rāvaṇa, Lakṣmaṇa thereupon fell to the ground. (36)

Meaning

Observing Lakṣmaṇa reduced to that predicament, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), who stood near, felt despondent at heart because of brotherly affection, even though he was endowed with extraordinary courage. (37)

Meaning

Reflecting awhile as it were, his eyes bedimmed with tears, he felt all the more enraged even like the fire at the end of a world-cycle. (38)

Meaning

Realizing that it was not the time for feeling disconsolate, and gazing on Lakṣmaṇa, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, resumed the fierce struggle with a mighty and whole-hearted endeavour, resolved as he was upon the destruction of Rāvaṇa. (39)

Meaning

The aforesaid Śrī Rāma then beheld Lakṣmaṇa pierced with a javelin in the great struggle and bathed in blood, and resembling a mountain with a snake penetrating its centre. (40)

Meaning

The jewels among the monkeys could not extract even with effort that javelin, propelled as it was by the exceedingly mighty Rāvaṇa and also because they were overwhelmed by the stream of arrows discharged by the king of ogres. Nay, passing through the body of Lakṣmaṇa (son of Sumitrā), it had penetrated into the surface of the earth. (41-42)

Meaning

Seizing hold of the terrible javelin with his hands, the mighty Rāma drew it out and, getting enraged, snapped it in the course of the struggle. (43)

Meaning

While he was busy extracting the javelin, arrows which pierced his vital parts were hurled by the exceedingly mighty Rāvaṇa on all his limbs. (44)

Meaning

Not minding those arrows, and embracing Lakṣmaṇa, he spoke as follows to Hanumān and the great monkey, Sugrīva: (45)

Meaning

“Remain encompassing Lakṣmaṇa as you are doing, O princes of monkeys. The occasion, long sought by me to manifest my prowess, has come. Let this ten-headed monster of sinful mind and sinful resolve be made short work of. His death is sought by me as the sight of a cloud by a Cātaka bird at the end of summer. (46-47)

Meaning

“I take this unfailing vow before you at this hour, O monkeys, that before long you will see the world devoid of Rāvaṇa or Rāma (myself). (48)

Meaning

“I suffered the loss of my sovereignty, exile in the forest, peregrination in the woods of Daṇḍaka and the insult offered to Sītā (a princess of the Videha territory) by the ogre, Rāvaṇa. (49)

Meaning

“In this way great and terrible agony has been suffered by me as also bodily torment approaching the tortures in hell. Making short work of Rāvaṇa in combat, I shall have done with all this today. (50)

Meaning

“This sinful ogre on whose account this army of monkeys has been dragged by me to this distant land, Sugrīva has been installed on the throne of Kiṣkindhā after disposing of Vālī in combat, and on whose account the sea has been crossed and a bridge thrown over it, has fallen within the range of my vision on the battlefield today. Having come within my sight, he does not deserve to survive any longer. (51-52)

Meaning

“Having fallen within my view, Rāvaṇa cannot survive any more than one who has entered the range of vision of a snake injecting deadly venom with his very glance, or, than a serpent who has fallen under the gaze of Garuḍa, the king of birds and enemy of serpents. (53)

Meaning

“Perched on mountain-peaks, O bulls among the monkeys, witness at ease you, who are so difficult to overpower, this trial of strength between myself and Rāvaṇa.(54)

Meaning

“Let all the three worlds (viz., earth, heaven and the intermediate region) including the Gandharvas (celestial musicians), gods, Ṛṣis (the seers of Vedic Mantras) and Cāraṇas (celestial bards) behold with their own eyes today the Rāmahood of Rāma in the course of my combat. (55)

Meaning

“I shall accomplish today a feat which people in the world including all living beings, mobile as well immobile, gods not excepted, will ever recount together, describing how the combat proceeded, as long as the earth is able to support those inhabiting it.” (56)

Meaning

Saying so, Śrī Rāma steadily proceeded to strike Rāvaṇa (the ten-headed monster) on the battlefield with penetrating shafts embellished with refined gold. (57)

Meaning

Rāvaṇa too likewise covered Śrī Rāma on that occasion with flaming steel arrows and clubs even as a cloud would cover a mountain with torrents of rain. (58)

Meaning

Nay, a confused din arose from the excellent arrows shot by Śrī Rāma, on the one hand, and Rāvaṇa, on the other, as each struck his opponent. (59)

Meaning

Split asunder and scattered, the shafts with flaming points of Śrī Rāma and Rāvaṇa fell from the airspace to the earth’s surface. (60)

Meaning

The mighty sound produced by the impact of the bow-string on the palms of the two heroes, which struck terror in all living beings, was astonishing, as it were, to hear. (61)

Meaning

Being covered by hails of shafts and overwhelmed by the high-souled Śrī Rāma, who was armed with a flaming bow, on closing with Rāvaṇa, who took to his heels out of fear, even as a cloud would disperse when propelled by a gale. (62)