Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 42

Meaning

Proceeding to the palace of Rāvaṇa in Laṅkā, the said ogres thereupon broke the news to him about the city having been laid siege to by Śrī Rāma, accompanied by the monkeys. (1)

Meaning

Enraged to hear of the city having been besieged by the monkeys, nay, doubling the arrangements already made for the defence of the capital, the ranger of the night for his part ascended the palace. (2)

Meaning

He saw Laṅkā with its mountains, woods and forests, besieged on all sides by innumerable monkeys, who were all eager to fight. (3)

Meaning

Beholding the earth round about Laṅkā, rendered brown by all the monkeys gathered there, he became thoughtful as to how they were to be exterminated. (4)

Meaning

Having pondered for a pretty long time and embracing firmness, the notorious Rāvaṇa with dilated eyes gazed on Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu) and the simian troops. (5)

Meaning

Full of delight, Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, pressed forward with his army and saw Laṅkā surrounded on all sides and guarded by ogres. (6)

Meaning

Seeing Laṅkā, which was dressed with picturesque flags and buntings, Śrī Rāma (son of Daśaratha) suddenly thought of Sītā with a mind which was being consumed with affliction. (7)

Meaning

He said to himself: “Here is that daughter of Janaka, with eyes resembling those of a fawn, undergoing suffering on my account, tormented, as she is, with grief, emaciated and reposing, as she does, on the ground.” (8)

Meaning

Thinking again and again of Sītā (a princess of the Videha territory), who was being sore oppressed by ogresses, Śrī Rāma, whose mind was set on virtue, speedily commanded the monkeys to make short work of the enemy. (9)

Meaning

When the aforesaid command was issued by Śrī Rāma, who was unwearied in action, the monkeys, who were struggling hard to outdo one another in advancing against the enemy, made Laṅkā resound with their shouts, resembling the roar of a lion. (10)

Meaning

All the monkey-generals made the following resolve: ‘Let us crush this Laṅkā with mountain-peaks or with our fists alone.’ (11)

Meaning

Lifting up mountain-peaks as well as huge rocks, and uprooting trees of various kinds, the commanders of monkey troops stood prepared to launch an attack on Laṅkā. (12)

Meaning

In order to accomplish Śrī Rāma’s cherished desire, the aforesaid simian troops then began to scale the walls of Laṅkā in various parts, while Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres, stood gazing. (13)

Meaning

Contending with sal trees and mountain-peaks for weapons, those monkeys of golden hue with coppery faces, who had dedicated their lives to the cause of Śrī Rāma, advanced towards Laṅkā itself. (14)

Meaning

By means of trees and mountain-tops as well as with their fists the said monkeys demolished the tops of countless defensive walls as well as archways. (15)

Meaning

The monkeys stood filling the moats containing translucent water with sands, mountain-tops, grass and logs of wood. (16)

Meaning

The leaders of monkey troops then scaled the walls of Laṅkā taking with them battalions of monkeys in thousands, crores and even hundreds of crores. (17)

Meaning

The monkeys stood demolishing the archways of gold. Nay, having razed to the ground the gates with their tops resembling the peaks of Mount Kailāsa, the monkeys, who closely resembled huge elephants, rushed towards the said Laṅkā, springing on all sides and leaping the walls, nay, roaring all the time. (18-19)

Meaning

“Victorious is Śrī Rāma, who is possessed of surpassing strength, and Lakṣmaṇa, who is endowed with extraordinary might! Victorious too is King Sugrīva, protected on all sides by Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu!” (20)

Meaning

Shouting thus, the monkeys, who were all able to change their form at will, rushed roaring towards the defensive walls of Laṅkā. (21)

Meaning

Storming the defensive walls, the monkey generals, Vīrabāhu and Subāhu, as also Nala and Panasa, took up their position on them. In the meantime they settled the beleaguering army in camps. (22)

Meaning

Surrounded by monkeys, numbering ten crores, who all behaved like conquerors, the mighty Kumuda for his part stood besieging the eastern gate, while remaining stationed in north-east. (23)

Meaning

Surrounded by other monkeys, the monkey Praghasa and the mighty-armed Panasa for their part took up their position by his side in order to assist Kumuda himself. (24)

Meaning

Reaching the southern gate (while remaining stationed in the south-east), the valiant and mighty monkey Śatabali, who was accompanied by monkeys numbering twenty crores, stood besieging the aforesaid gate. (25)

Meaning

Seeking the western gate (while remaining stationed in the south-west), Suṣeṇa, the mighty father of Tārā (Vālī’swife), who was surrounded by crores and crores of monkeys, stood besieging that gate. (26)

Meaning

Making his way to the northern gate alongwith Lakṣmaṇa (son of Sumitrā), (while remaining stationed in the north-west) the mighty Śrī Rāma as also Sugrīva, the king of monkeys, stood blockading that gate. (27)

Meaning

Surrounded by a crore of monkeys, Gavākṣa of gigantic proportions and grim aspect, who belonged to the Golāṅgūla species of monkeys and was endowed with extraordinary virility, stood by the side of Śrī Rāma. (28)

Meaning

Accompanied by a crore of bears of redoubtable fury, Dhūmra, brother of Jāmbavān, the king of bears, the exterminator of his foes, nay, who was endowed with extraordinary valour, also took up his position by the side of Śrī Rāma. (29)

Meaning

Clad in defensive armour and accompanied by his watchful ministers, Vibhīṣaṇa for his part, who was endowed with extraordinary virility, stood, mace in hand, where Śrī Rāma, who was possessed of great might, had taken up his position.(30)

Meaning

Rushing on all sides, Gaja, Gavākṣa, Gavaya, Śarabha and Gandhamādana defended the simian army. (31)

Meaning

With a mind possessed by anger on that score, Rāvaṇa the ruler of ogres, forthwith ordered a quick sally of all his forces. (32)

Meaning

Hearing this command issued from the lips of Rāvaṇa, a clamour was raised all of a sudden by the rangers of the night with a terrible roar. (33)

Meaning

Beaten with sticks of gold then sounded on every side the kettledrums of the ogres, with discs white as the moon. (34)

Meaning

Blown with the wind from the mouth of most hideous ogres, sonorous conches also blared forth in their hundreds and thousands. (35)

Meaning

With their brilliant dark limbs decked with jewels, the aforesaid rangers of the night, who were equipped with conches, shone like dark clouds provided with armour in the shape of flashes of lightning and accompanied by rows of herons. (36)

Meaning

Urged by Rāvaṇa, the troops of ogres thereupon joyfully rushed forth like the waves of the ocean which is being swollen by clouds at the time of universal destruction. (37)

Meaning

A roar was then shouted on all sides by the simian army—a roar which filled the Malaya (Trikūṭa) mountain with its major and minor peaks and caves. (38)

Meaning

The blast of conches and the roll of drums as well as the leonine roar of monkey heroes, accompanied by the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the clatter of chariot wheels and the shout of ogres, made the earth and the air as well as the sea resound. (39-40)

Meaning

In the meantime there ensued a terrible fight between the ogres and the monkeys as between the gods and the demons in the olden days. (41)

Meaning

Vaunting their own prowess, the ogres began to strike all the monkeys with their flaming maces as well as with javelins, pikes and axes. (42)

Meaning

Full of impetuosity the gigantic monkeys likewise struck those ogres with trees and mountain-tops as well as with their nails and teeth. (43)

Meaning

There arose (in the simian ranks) a loud war-cry: “Victorious is King Sugrīva!” Shouting “Be tirumphant! Be victorious, O king!” the ogres then proclaimed their own respective names. (44)

Meaning

Standing on the walls, other redoubtable ogres for thier part pierced the monkeys standing on the ground below with their Bhindipālas (a jeveline-like weapon) as well as with pikes. (45)

Meaning

Bounding into the air highly enraged, the monkeys too, who stood on the ground, dragged down the ogres stationed on the walls with their arms. (46)

Meaning

The aforesaid fight between the ogres and the monkeys, confused as it was, could not be easily compared to any other conflict and left a mire of flesh and blood. (47)