Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 73

Meaning

Those ogre hosts who had survived those who had been killed, thereupon hastily reported to Rāvaṇa about the well-known bulls among ogres as had been made short work of, viz., Devāntaka, Triśirā, Atikāya and others. (1)

Meaning

Hearing all of a sudden of those who had been killed, the king found his eyes bathed in copious tears. Brooding on the destruction of his sons as well as on the terrible fall of his brothers, the king became exceedingly thoughtful. (2)

Meaning

Perceiving the king disconsolate and deeply plunged in an ocean of grief, Indrajit for his part, the eldest son of Rāvaṇa, the ruler of ogres, and the foremost of car-warriors, thereupon submitted to him as follows: (3)

Meaning

“While Indrajit, your son, is alive, O lord of ogres (the progeny of Nirṛti), you ought not to give way to despair, dear father; for, struck with the arrows of Indra’s enemy (in my person) none is able to preserve his life on the battlefield. (4)

Meaning

“Behold Rāma lying dead alongwith Lakṣmaṇa on the earth’s surface today, his body thrown about, torn to pieces by my shafts, and covered all over with my sharp arrows clinging fast to it (the body). (5)

Meaning

“Listen to the following vow of Indra’s enemy (myself), which is fully determined and is backed by manliness and divine blessing: I shall this very day overwhelm Rāma alongwith Lakṣmaṇa with my arrows that never miss their target. (6)

Meaning

“Today Indra (the ruler of gods), Yama (son of the sun-god), Viṣṇu (the Protector of the universe), Rudra (the god of destruction) and the Sādhyas (a class of gods), the god of fire, the moon-god and the sun-god will witness my immeasurable prowess even as they did the terrible prowess of Viṣṇu (as a dwarf in the form of measuring the entire universe in a couple of strides) in the enclosure where a sacrifice was being performed by the demon king, Bali.” (7)

Meaning

Having bragged as aforesaid, and taking leave of the king, that enemy of Indra (the ruler of gods), who was undepressed in spirit, duly ascended his chariot, swift as the wind, which was drawn by donkeys and was equipped with implements of war (in the shape of a bow, sword etc.). (8)

Meaning

Duly taking his seat in the chariot, which resembled the chariot of Indra, Indrajit (the tamer of his enemies), who was endowed with extraordinary energy, precipitately sought the battlefield. (9)

Meaning

Showing great enthusiasm, numerous ogres, who were endowed with extraordinary might and carried excellent bows in their hands, followed the gigantic prince, even as he departed. (10)

Meaning

Some ogres of terrible prowess rode on the back of elephants, while others rode on the back of excellent horses, tigers, scorpions, cats, donkeys and camels as well as on (the back of) serpents, boars, beasts of prey such as lions, jackals as large as hills, as also on the back of crows, swans and peacocks. (11-12)

Meaning

They carried lances, sharp-edged spears, swords, axes and maces and were armed with Bhuśuṇḍis (probably a kind of fire-arm), mallets, Āyaṣṭis, Śataghnīs (a stone or cylindrical piece of wood studded with iron pikes) and Parighas (an iron bludgeon or club studded with iron). (13)

Meaning

Accompanied by full blasts of conches as well as by the sounds of kettledrums, that valiant enemy of Indra (the ruler of gods) proceeded with all speed to the field of battle. (14)

Meaning

With his parasol white as conch and the moon, that destroyer of his enemies shone like the firmament with the full moon. (15)

Meaning

The hero, who was the foremost of all archers and was decked with gold ornaments, was being fanned at that time with the foremost of lovely whisks with handles of gold. (16)

Meaning

Seeing his son, Indrajit, sallying forth surrounded by a huge army, the glorious Rāvaṇa, the suzerain lord of ogres, for his part spoke to him as follows: (17)

Meaning

“There is no warrior who can stand as your rival, my son; by you Indra (the ruler of gods) was actually conquered. Much more will you (be able to) kill a mortal, Rāma (a scion of Raghu), who is subject to being assailed.” (18)

Meaning

Encouraged as aforesaid by the ruler of ogres, the prince gladly accepted his mighty blessings. Thereupon Laṅkā for its part shone with Indrajit, who vied with the sun in brilliance and who was matchless in valour, even as the firmament with the brilliant sun. Duly reaching the battlefield, Indrajit, the tamer of his foes, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, ranged the ogres around his chariot on all sides. Thereupon Indrajit, the foremost of ogres, who vied with the god of fire in brilliance, worshipped the fire according to the traditional rites, while reciting the best of Mantras (sacred texts). Having worshipped the sacred fire on the battlefield with offerings of parched grains of rice preceded by flowers and sandal-paste, that mighty ogre chief poured oblation into it. In that sacrificial performance weapons served the purpose of reeds (which are strewn about the fire to ward off evil forces), nay, chips of a Bibhītaka tree served as fuel for the sacrificial fire, again red pieces of cloth alone were used and the sacrificial ladle was made of iron. Duly strewing the fire there with reeds (in the form of other weapons) accompanied by lances, Indrajit elasped the neck of a live goat of dark hue (for offering it to the fire). From the fire, which was set ablaze by that offering having been thrown into it but once, and was free from smoke and had burst into mighty flames, appeared such signs as had betokened victory in the past. Risen into view, the god of fire, who shone brightly like refined gold and whose flames turned towards the right, accepted that offering in person. Indrajit, who was an adept in the use of mystic missiles, invoked the missile presided over by Brahmā, the creator, and charged the bow as well as his chariot and all with the invocatory spell on the field of battle. While that missile was being invoked and the sacrificial fire was being propitiated through oblations, the vault of heaven including the sun, the moon and other planets and lunar mansions shook with fear. (19—28)

Meaning

Having propitiated the fire with offerings, Indrajit, who was flaming with lustre like fire and vied with the mighty Indra, the ruler of gods, in might, and who was endowed with inconceivable prowess, hid himself from view in the sky with bow, arrows, sword, chariot, horses, charioteer and all. (29)

Meaning

Thereupon the army of ogres, which was crowded with horses and chariots and graced with pennants and flags, sallied forth roaring with a longing to fight. (30)

Meaning

They began to strike the monkeys on the battlefield with many wonderful and ornamented arrows of great velocity, lances and goads, too. (31)

Meaning

Keenly observing those prowlers of the night, Indrajit, son of Rāvaṇa, for his part, who was highly enraged, said to them, “Be of good cheer and fight with the intention of making short work of the monkeys.” (32)

Meaning

Roaring and longing for a victory, all those ogres thereupon terribly covered the monkeys on all sides with hails of arrows. (33)

Meaning

Remaining concealed from view by the ogres, Indrajit for his part began to destroy the monkeys on the battlefield with his Nālīkas (broad-headed arrows), steel arrows, maces and clubs too: so the tradition goes. (34)

Meaning

While being struck on the battlefield by Indrajit, as aforesaid, all the monkeys, who were armed with trees, covered the son of Rāvaṇa all of a sudden (where he stood concealed and from where he discharged his arrows and other weapons) with crags and trees. (35)

Meaning

Seized with wrath, the exceptionally mighty Indrajit, son of Rāvaṇa, for his part, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, then began to tear into pieces the bodies of the monkeys. (36)

Meaning

Nay, filled with rage, Indrajit pierced with a single arrow as many as nine, five and seven monkeys, respectively, on the field of battle, bringing excessive delight to the ogres. (37)

Meaning

The heroic Indrajit, who was exceedingly difficult to conquer, exterminated the monkeys on the field of battle with his arrows, which glittered like the sun and were decorated with gold. (38)

Meaning

Overwhelmed by the arrows, the aforesaid monkeys, whose limbs were pierced, and whose designs had been frustrated, fell like great demons oppressed by gods with their arrows. (39)

Meaning

Highly enraged, the said bulls among the monkeys, rushed on the field of battle in the direction of Indrajit, who was blazing like the sun with his rays in the form of arrows. (40)

Meaning

Bathed in blood, their bodies mutilated, nay, agonized and distressed, all the monkeys for their part thereupon stampeded. (41)

Meaning

Having exhibited their prowess, the monkeys, who had staked their lives in the cause of Śrī Rāma, did not retrace their steps and kept roaring on the battlefield, armed with rocks. (42)

Meaning

Remaining firm on the battlefield, the aforesaid monkeys began to cover the son of Rāvaṇa with trees, mountain peaks and rocks. (43)

Meaning

Indrajit, son of Rāvaṇa, who was ever victorious in combat and was endowed with extraordinary energy, dispersed that mighty and deadly hail of trees and rocks. (44)

Meaning

The mighty ogre thereupon began to split the simian ranks on the battlefield with his arrows, which shone brightly as fire and resembled venomous serpents. (45)

Meaning

Having pierced Gandhamādana with eighteen penetrating arrows, he struck Nala too, standing some way off, with nine others. (46)

Meaning

Indrajit, who was endowed with extraordinary prowess, for his part assailed Mainda with seven shafts, which tore his vital parts and pierced Gaja on the battlefield with five. (47)

Meaning

He for his part struck Jāmbavān with ten and Nīla with thirty arrows; and with dreadful and sharp arrows, on which a boon of infallibility had been bestowed by Brahmā he forthwith rendered lifeless as it were Sugrīva as well as Ṛṣabha, Aṅgada and Dwivida. Infuriated like the swollen fire of universal destruction, he tormented likewise with many shafts other leading monkeys too. With his swift-going arrows shot with skill and shining brightly like the sun he thoroughly agitated the simian ranks in that major conflict. Feeling rejoiced, that mighty son of the king of ogres, who was endowed with extraordinary energy, beheld once more with supreme gratification the army of monkeys overwhelmed with a rain of arrows and, therefore, agitated and bathed in blood. (48—52)

Meaning

Pouring a hail of shafts and a cruel shower of missiles, the mighty Indrajit crushed the army of monkeys on all sides. (53)

Meaning

Leaving the part of space above his own army and moving speedily to the space above the monkey forces in that major conflict while remaining still invisible, Indrajit let fall a formidable hail of shafts even as a dark rainy cloud would pour water. (54)

Meaning

Victims of his conjuring tricks, their bodies torn into pieces by the arrows of Indrajit, the aforesaid monkeys, who resembled mountains in size, fell in the fray shrieking in discordant tones like lordly mountains struck by the thunderbolt of Indra, the ruler of gods. (55)

Meaning

They perceived only sharp-pointed shafts descending in the course of the conflict on the simian ranks. They could not, however, see there that ogre, the enemy of Indra (the ruler of gods), who remained fully concealed by his magical power. (56)

Meaning

Thereupon that gigantic ruler of ogres thickly covered all the four quarters with volleys of his sharp-pointed shafts, shining like the sun, and destroyed the monkey chiefs. (57)

Meaning

He let fall on the army of monkey chiefs a violent shower of pikes, swords and axes, shining like a swollen and flaming fire and shooting forth incandescent flames with sparks. (58)

Meaning

Struck with the arrows of Indrajit—arrows which shone brightly as fire—the monkey generals thereupon looked like Kiṁśuka trees bearing crimson flowers. (59)

Meaning

Gliding towards one another when pierced by the missiles of Indrajit, the ruler of ogres, the aforesaid bulls among monkeys fell down screaming in discordant tones. (60)

Meaning

Struck with arrows in their eyes while looking up towards the sky, some monkeys clasped one another and fell down on the earth’s surface. (61)

Meaning

With lances, pikes and sharp arrows charged with sacred formula (Mantras), Indrajit, the foremost of ogres, pierced all the well-known tigers among monkeys, viz., Hanumān and Sugrīva, Aṅgada, Gandhamādana, Jāmbavān and Suṣeṇa as well as Vegadarśi and Mainda, Dwivida, Nīla, Gavākṣa, Gavaya and Kesari, Harilomā and the monkey Vidyudda√ṣṭra, Sūryānana, Jyotirmukha, and the monkey Dadhimukha, Pāvakākṣa as also Nala as well as the monkey Kumuda. (62—65)

Meaning

Having wounded the leaders of monkey hosts with his maces and arrows of a golden hue, he actually covered Śrī Rāma as well as Lakṣmaṇa with showers of shafts shining like sunbeams. (66)

Meaning

Not minding the arrows any more than torrents of rain, while being covered with showers of shafts, and gazing on Lakṣmaṇa, the celebrated Śrī Rāma, who was shining with a prodigious splendour, spoke as follows to him at that moment: (67)

Meaning

“Falling back upon the missile presided over by Brahmā (the creator), which has been secured by him, O Lakṣmaṇa, and striking down the army of monkeys, the yonder prince of ogres, an avowed enemy of Indra (the ruler of gods), is now tormenting us with his sharp arrows. (68)

Meaning

“How can the highly intelligent Indrajit—on whom a boon of invincibility has been bestowed by Brahmā (the self-born creator), nay, who is steadfast of purpose and has concealed his terrible form and who stands with his weapons uplifted, even though his body is invisible—be struck down in combat today? (69)

Meaning

“I know the self-born Lord Brahmā—who is the source (the creator) of this universe—is inconceivable in his essence and the missile used is presided over by him. Therefore, remaining undisturbed in mind, O wise one, endure you with me today the hail of arrows on this spot. (70)

Meaning

“Indeed this prince of ogres is thickly covering all the four quarters with the showers of his shafts. And this entire army of Sugrīva, the ruler of monkeys, whose leading heroes have fallen, looks charming no more. (71)

Meaning

“Finding us fallen unconscious and bereft of joy and anger, having desisted from fighting, nay, winning laurels in combat, he will surely return to Laṅkā, the abode of the enemies of gods.” (72)

Meaning

Thereupon the two princes for their part got grievously hurt on the battlefield by the missiles of Indrajit on that occasion. And, having reduced the two brothers to straits in that struggle, that prince of ogres shouted for joy. (73)

Meaning

Having prostrated in combat as aforesaid the army of monkeys as well as Śrī Rāma alongwith Lakṣmaṇa on that occasion, Indrajit thereupon withdrew all at once to the city protected by the arms of Rāvaṇa, the ten-headed monster. Nay, filled with delight while being duly extolled by ogres, he for his part related everything in extenso to his father. (74)