Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 44

Meaning

While the aforesaid monkeys and ogres were still fighting on the occasion, the sun actually sank below the horizon and the night fell, which proved destructive to life. (1)

Meaning

Then ensued in full swing a nocturnal fight between the redoubtable monkeys and ogres, whose enmity for one another was deep-rooted and who were all yearning for victory. (2)

Meaning

The monkeys put the question to their antagonist: “Are you an ogre?”; while the ogres made the inquiry: “Are you a monkey?” Then alone they struck one another on the field of battle in that terrible gloom. (3)

Meaning

“Strike!”, “Tear asunder!”, “Come on!”, “Why do you flee away?” Such was the tumultuous noise actually heard in that army of monkeys and ogres. (4)

Meaning

Clad in golden armour, the dark-complexioned ogres could be clearly seen in that darkness like the foremost of mountains clothed with forests abounding in phosphorescent herbs. (5)

Meaning

Smitten with anger, the ogres, who were endowed with great impetuosity, assailed the monkeys on all sides in that darkness, which was diffcult to penetrate, devouring them. (6)

Meaning

Springing up, the monkeys (in their turn) whose fury was terrible, tore with their sharp teeth the horses of the ogres, decked with golden ornaments, as well as their flags, which looked like venomed serpents. (7)

Meaning

The mighty monkeys sowed confusion in the army of the ogres, nay, infatuated with fury, they draggd the elephants, those mounted upon them and the chariots, which were dressed with flags and pennons, and tore them with their teeth. With their arrows, resembling venomous snakes, Lakṣmaṇa and Śrī Rāma too killed the principal ogres, visible as well as invisible. Pulverized by the horses’ hoofs and raised by the chariot wheels, the dust of the earth filled the ears as well as the eyes of the combatants . While that terrible conflict, which made one’s hair stand on end, was raging as aforesaid, most dreadful streams carrying volumes of blood flowed on the battlefield. (8—11)

Meaning

Then there arose a marvellous sound of kettledrums, wooden tomtoms and drums mixed with the blast of conches and the rattling of wheels. (12)

Meaning

There also arose on the battlefield a fearful wailing of wounded ogres groaning with pain, as well as of injured monkeys. (13)

Meaning

With the foremost of monkeys lying wounded by javelins, pikes and axes, and ogres, huge as mountains and able to change their form at will, who had been killed, the battle-ground in Laṅkā, on which offerings of flowers in the form of weapons had been made and which had been rendered muddy by the flow of blood, had beocme difficult of recognization and were difficult of access. (14-15)

Meaning

Like the night of dissolution, that fearful night, which proved destructive to the monkeys and ogres alike, was difficult to pass for all created beings. (16)

Meaning

Feeling highly delighed in that dreadful darkness, the aforesaid ogres then assailed Śrī Rāma himself with a hail of shafts on that battlefield. (17)

Meaning

The noise of those roaring ogres, rushing furiously towards Śrī Rāma, resembled the roar of all the seven oceans (dividing the seven Dwīpas or principal divisions of the terrestrial globe from one another) at the time of the final dissolution. (18)

Meaning

In the mere twinkling of an eye, Śrī Rāma struck down with six shafts, resembling tongues of flame, six principal prowlers of the night among the ogres. (19)

Meaning

They were Yajñaśatru, who was difficult to overcome, Mahāpārśwa and Mahodara, the gigantic Vajradaṁṣtra and both Śuka and Sāraṇa, mentioned before. (20)

Meaning

Pierced by Śrī Rāma with showers of arrows in their vital parts, the ogres, however, slipped away from the battle, and their life was saved thereby. (21)

Meaning

In the mere twinkling of an eye, the great car-warrior, Śrī Rāma, lit up all the quarters as well as the intermediate points with his formidable arrows resembling tongues of flame. (22)

Meaning

Those other ogre champions too who for their part stood in front of Śrī Rāma, perished as moths would on coming in contact with fire. (23)

Meaning

With golden-feathered arrows raining on all sides the night looked bright as an autumnal night illumined with fire-flies. (24)

Meaning

Nay, the said night, which was already dreadful, turned all the more fearful becaue of the yells of the ogres and the roll of kettledrums. (25)

Meaning

Resounding with that loud outcry, that had swelled on all sides, the Trikūṭa mountain, which was thickly set with caves, responded as it were to someone’s call. (26)

Meaning

Folding the prowlers of the night tightly in their arms, the gigantic Golāṅgūlas (long-tailed and black-faced monkeys), who were dark as night, crushed them to death and allowed them to be devoured by jackals and vultures etc. (27)

Meaning

Aṅgada, for his part, who was determined to exterminate the enemies on the field of battle, wounded in no time Indrajit (son of Rāvaṇa), his charioteer and horses, too. (28)

Meaning

Leaving his chariot, Indrajit, on the other hand, whose horses and charioteer had been killed by Aṅgada, vanished on that very spot, greatly fatigued as he was. (29)

Meaning

All the gods (who had been witnessing the combat from their arieal cars) alongwith Ṛṣis (seers of Vedic Mantras), as also both the brothers, Śri Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa applauded the aforesaid exploit of Aṅgada (son of Vāli), who was worthy of praise for his valour. (30)

Meaning

All created beings present there were aware of the might of Indrajit in war; therefore, they all felt gratified to find the latter, even though endowed with great courage, overpowerd by Aṅgada. (31)

Meaning

Highly rejoiced to see the enemy vanquished, the monkeys too, alongwith Sugrīva and Vibhīṣaṇa, cried out “Well done! Bravo!” (32)

Meaning

Utterly routed in combat by the aforesaid Aṅgada (son of Vāli) of redoubtable deeds, Indrajit, for his part, then exhibited a terrible rage. (33)

Meaning

Infatuated with anger, the notorious and gallant Indrajit, the sinful son of Rāvaṇa—who, having been enfeebled by his encounter with Aṅgada, had gone out of sight and on whom a boon had been conferred by Brahmā (the creator)—shot sharp arrows, bright as lightning, while remaining still invisible. Nay, enraged in battle, the ogre pierced Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, too, with formidable shafts, consisting of serpents, all over their limbs. Confounding the two scions of Raghu in the struggle, the ranger of the night, who was fully guarded by supernatural power and as such remained invisible to all created beings, and who fought treacherously, bound the two brothers, Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, in a network of arrows. (34—37)

Meaning

At that time monkeys beheld those two heroes, who were veritable tigers among men, enmeshed by the furious ogre all of a sudden with darts in the form of venomous snakes. (38)

Meaning

When Indrajit (son of the king of ogres) was not able to overcome them in his visible form, the evil-minded fellow duly proceeded to employ a conjuring trick and bound the two princes, Śrī Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. (39)