Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 102

Meaning

Seizng hold of his bow on hearing the aforesaid counsel tendered by Lakṣmaṇa, that valiant scion of Raghu, Śrī Rāma, the destroyer of hostile champions, for his part put formidable shafts to it and discharged them on Rāvaṇa at the head of his army. Taking his seat in another chariot, Rāvaṇa, the suzerain lord of ogres, forthwith rushed against Śrī Rāma, a scion of Kakutstha, as the planet Rāhu (the demon presiding over the planet of that name) would rush towards the sun on the eve of a solar eclipse. Seated in his chariot, Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster for his part struck Śrī Rāma with shafts hard as adamant, even as a rainy cloud would lash a huge mountain with torrents. (1—3)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma steadily covered the ten-headed monster on the battlefield with arrows decked with gold and shining like a blazing fire. (4)

Meaning

“The combat between Śrī Rāma, who is standing on the ground, and the ogre, who is seated in a chariot, is not well-matched,” so declared the gods, Gandharvas (celestial musicians) and Kinnaras (a class of demigods credited with a human figure and the head of a horse). (5)

Meaning

Summoning his charioteer, Mātali, on hearing their talk, sweet as nectar, the glorious Indra, the foremost of gods, thereupon spoke as follows: (6)

Meaning

“Proceed with all speed in my chariot to Śrī Rāma, the foremost of the Raghus, who stands on the ground; and, on reaching the earth, invite him to mount the chariot, and thus render a signal service to the gods thereby.” (7)

Meaning

Saluting the god with his head bent low, when commanded as aforesaid by Indra, the ruler of gods, Mātali, the charioteer of gods, thereupon submitted as follows: (8)

Meaning

“I shall proceed immediately, O lord of gods, and perform the duty of a charioteer to Śrī Rāma.” Nay, provided with green horses, the excellent chariot of Indra, the ruler of gods, he forthwith brought it to the presence of Indra. (9)

Meaning

Then came the glorious and excellent chariot of Indra (the ruler of gods), bearing a standard raised on a golden staff, the body of which was wrought with gold and looked splendid, nay, which was fitted up with hundreds of tiny bells and with its pole of cat’s-eye gems shone like the morning sun, and which was yoked to excellent green horses, decked with gold ornaments and white whisks and covered with nets of gold and shining like the sun. (10-11)

Meaning

Mounting the chariot as enjoined by Indra (the ruler of gods), and descending from paradise, Mātali stood before Śrī Rāma, a scion of Kākutstha. (12)

Meaning

Nay, remaining seated in his chariot, armed with a lash, Mātali, the charioteer of Indra (the thousand-eyed god), then made with joined palms the following submission to Śrī Rāma: (13)

Meaning

“This chariot has been sent to you by Indra (the thousand-eyed god) to bring you victory, O glorious scion of Kākutstha, the exterminator of your enemies, endowed as you are with extraordinary courage. (14)

Meaning

“Here is the mighty bow belonging to Indra, as well as his armour shining as fire, nay, his arrows bright as the sun and his stainless auspicious javelin. (15)

Meaning

“Mounting this chariot, O gallant prince, with me as your charioteer, make short work of the ogre Rāvaṇa even as the mighty Indra killed the giants, my lord!” (16)

Meaning

Duly walking round that chariot clockwise (as a mark of respect) and saluting it, when requested, as aforesaid by Mātali, Śrī Rāma then ascended the chariot, illumining all the three worlds by his splendour. (17)

Meaning

Then ensued a wonderful and thrilling duel, between the mighty-armed Śrī Rāma and the ogre, Rāvaṇa. (18)

Meaning

That scion of Raghu, who was supremely skilled in the use of excellent missiles, destroyed the missile presided over by Gandharvas as well as that presided over by gods, discharged by Rāvaṇa, by means of missiles of the same kind. (19)

Meaning

Greatly enraged, Rāvaṇa (a ranger of the night), the suzerain lord of ogres, for his part once more discharged an exceedingly formidable missile presided over by ogres. (20)

Meaning

Turning into highly venomous serpents, the aforesaid arrows, discharged from the bow of Rāvaṇa, which were decked with gold, rushed towards Śrī Rāma (a scion of Kakutstha). (21)

Meaning

With flaming mouths wide open, and vomiting a blazing fire from them, those dreadful arrows darted towards Śrī Rāma alone. (22)

Meaning

By those highly venomous reptiles with flaming coils, whose impact was hard as that of Vāsuki (the king of serpents), all the quarters stood covered and the corners between the quarters too stood enveloped. (23)

Meaning

Seeing those reptiles flying at him on the battlefield, Śrī Rāma discharged the formidable and fearful missile presided over by Garuḍa, the king of birds (an avowed enemy of serpents). (24)

Meaning

Turning into golden eagles, the natural enemies of snakes, those golden-feathered arrows discharged from the bow of Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, which shone like flames, flew about. (25)

Meaning

Appearing in the form of eagles, the aforesaid arrows of Śrī Rāma, which were able to change their form at will, destroyed all those shafts which flew with great speed in the form of snakes. (26)

Meaning

Provoked to anger on his missile having been frustrated by Śrī Rāma, the suzerain lord of ogres, then covered Śrī Rāma with formidable showers of shafts. (27)

Meaning

Having overwhelmed Śrī Rāma of unwearied action with a thousand arrows, he then pierced Mātali with a stream of shafts. (28)

Meaning

He tore the standard of Indra’s chariot with a single arrow aimed at it, and having felled the golden ensign from the top of the chariot down to the seat of the chariot, Rāvaṇa struck Indra’s horses as well with a series of arrows. Seeing Śrī Rāma afflicted, the gods, Gandharvas (celestial musicians) and Cāraṇas (celestial bards) alongwith the devils as also the Siddhas (a class of demigods endowed with mystic powers by virtue of their very birth) and the foremost Ṛṣis became despondent; while monkey chiefs alongwith Vibhīṣaṇa felt troubled. (29—31)

Meaning

Seeing the moon in the shape of Śrī Rāma eclipsed by the planet Rāhu in the shape of Rāvaṇa, the planet Mercury stood assailing the constellation Rohiṇī—presided over by the god Prajāpati (the lord of creation), the beloved of the moon, spelling disaster to all created beings. Burning as it were in fury, the ocean rose high at that time as though it was going to touch the sun, its mist-wreathed waves turning round. Looking ashy in colour and assuming a stern aspect, its rays grown faint, the sun appeared with a headless trunk in its lap and united with a comet. The planet Mars too evidently stood assailing in the heavens the constellation Viśākhā, presided over by the gods, Indra and Agni (the god of fire), which is propitious to the kings of Kosala. A bow held tightly in his hands, Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster, with his ten faces and twenty arms looked like the Maināka mountain. Being overwhelmed by the ten-headed ogre, Śrī Rāma for his part could not even set his arrows to his bow in the forefront of the battle. Knitting his brows, his eyes turned slightly crimson, he gave way to a fierce rage as though he would consume the ogres. Casting their eyes at the countenance of the sagacious Śrī Rāma, who was provoked to anger, all created beings were seized with terror and the earth began to quake. (32—39)

Meaning

Full of lions and tigers, Trikūṭa mountain shook, its trees swaying to and fro. The lord of rivers, the ocean too was agitated. (40)

Meaning

Nay, looking like donkeys and emitting a harsh sound, nay, assuming a stern aspect, portentous clouds circled in the sky on all sides, thundering all the time. (41)

Meaning

Finding Śrī Rāma extremely enraged and also beholding fearful portents, all created beings felt dismayed and fear seized Rāvaṇa, too. (42)

Meaning

Seated in their aerial cars, gods and Gandharvas (celestial musicians), great Nāgas (semi-divine beings having the face of a man and the tail of a serpent and said to inhabit Pātāla, the nethermost subterranean region), as well as Ṛṣis (the seers of Vedic Mantras), devils and giants and eagles remaining in the air, they all witnessed at that time the combat of the two heroes, fighting steadily with various dreadful weapons—a combat which presented the appearance of the final dissolution of the world. (43-44)

Meaning

Thrilled with delight on observing the momentous struggle, all the gods and demons who had come to witness the contest at that time spoke with devotion as follows: (45)

Meaning

Firmly established in their respective position, the demons cried out to the ten-headed monster: “Be victorious!!” The aforesaid gods, on the other side, called to Śrī Rāma, saying again and again, “Be you triumphant !!” (46)

Meaning

Nay, in the meantime, stroking an immense weapon, viz., an exceedingly fearful and unassailable dart—which was powerful as the thunderbolt, which made a loud noise when hurled at its target, and was capable of exterminating all enemies and dreadful to conceive, much more to behold, furnished as it was with spikes resembling mountain peaks, nay, which with its sharp point resembled a smoke-crested mass of fire blazing at the end of the world-cycle, again which was difficult to approach even for Death, and which was the terror of all living beings, capable as it was of tearing and splitting them—the evil-minded Rāvaṇa, so-called because he made others cry, who was keen to strike in rage Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), and was blazing as it were with anger, seized hold of that dart. (47—50)

Meaning

Surrounded by ogres—heroic in combat and formed into battalions—and extremely enraged, the valiant Rāvaṇa took hold of that dart on the field of battle. (51)

Meaning

Duly raising the dart, the colossus terribly roared on the field of battle, thereby bringing excessive joy all round to his army, his eyes blood-red with anger. (52)

Meaning

The frightful roar of Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres, caused the earth as well as the heavens as also the four quarters and the intermediate points of the compass to shake at that time. (53)

Meaning

All living beings were alarmed at the aforesaid roar of that evil-minded colossus, and the ocean was set in commotion. (54)

Meaning

Seizing hold of that enormous dart, and emitting a very loud roar, the aforesaid Rāvaṇa, who was endowed with extraordinary valour, addressed the following harsh words to Śrī Rāma: (55)

Meaning

“Raised in fury by me, O Rāma, this dart, which is as powerful as the thunderbolt, will instantly take away your life as well as that of your younger brother, who stands by you as your helpmate. (56)

Meaning

“Making short work of you, I, who always commend warfare, shall speedily level you today with the heroic ogres who have been killed by you at the head of the army. (57)

Meaning

“Wait a bit, I shall presently strike you down with this dart, O scion of Raghu!” Saying so, that suzerain lord of ogres hurled the aforesaid dart at Śrī Rāma. (58)

Meaning

Discharged from the hand of Rāvaṇa, the dart flashed in the air, wreathed as it was in a circle of lightning, and making a loud noise, provided as it was with eight bells.(59)

Meaning

Seeing that flaming dart, terrible to behold, and stretching his bow, the gallant Śrī Rāma shot a number of arrows. (60)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, tried to intercept the dart even as it came flying, with a stream of darts just as Indra, the ruler of gods, would endeavour to stay the fire emerging at the end of the world-cycle with showers. (61)

Meaning

That huge spear of Rāvaṇa consumed those arrows shot from the bow of Śrī Rāma even as a flame would consume moths. (62)

Meaning

Seeing those arrows pulverized by the impact of the dart and reduced to ashes even in air, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, gave vent to his fury. (63)

Meaning

Feeling extremely enraged, that scion of Raghu, the delight of the Raghus, seized hold of the celebrated javelin, esteemed by Indra (the ruler of gods) and brought by his charioteer, Mātali. (64)

Meaning

Lifted up by the mighty prince, that brilliant javelin, which was rendered sonorous by its bells, lit up the sky like a meteor appearing at the end of the world-cycle.(65)

Meaning

The javelin hurled by Śrī Rāma fell on that dart of Rāvaṇa (the king of ogres): so the tradition goes. Split up by the javelin and bereft of its splendour, the enormous dart fell down. (66)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma then pierced the exceedingly fleet horses of Rāvaṇa with his sharp arrows resembling the thunderbolt, which flew with great speed and went straight to their target. (67)

Meaning

Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) who was extremely energetic, then pierced Rāvaṇa in the breast with whetted shafts and also in the forehead with three arrows. (68)

Meaning

Pierced with arrows all over his body, blood flowing from his limbs, Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres, standing in the midst of a gathering of ogre-warriors, shone like an Aśoka tree in blossom. (69)

Meaning

His limbs severely pierced with the arrows of Śrī Rāma and his body bathed in blood, the aforesaid ruler of ogres (lit., rangers of the night) felt exhausted in the midst of his warriors and at the same time gave vent to a violent rage at that moment. (70)