August 10 - Sargas 28 and 29 of Aranya Kanda.
The final battle between Khara, a supreme warrior, and Sri Rama ensues.
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Khara was himself taken aback by the total debacle of his army, and on seeing how his invincible warriors including Dushana and Trishiras died at the hands of this Rama. But he was undeterred in his attack on Rama.
ज्यां विधुन्वन् सुबहुशः शिक्षयास्त्राणि दर्शयन् ।
चचार समरे मार्गाञ्शरै रथगतः खरः ॥
"Seated on his chariot, Khara exhibited great expertise as he released a multitude of arrows in all directions while twanging his bow loudly."
As Sri Rama responded in kind, the sky was clouded by their arrows that flew noisily and full of sparks.
Khara advanced towards Rama on his chariot and thought this was the time to strike hard as he believed Sri Rama had tired fron the incessant fighting. He shot fierce arrows that broke Sri Rama's bow. He shot more arrows that pierced and shattered Sri Rama's armour. He advanced menacingly sensing that Rama was ready to be conquered.
Sri Rama was injured all over his body. Valmiki says that he looked like a smokeless fire with many tongues of flame.
Sri Rama was severely provoked. In Sanskrit poetry, when they say enraged, provoked, etc., in war, they refer to that flow of adrenalin that propels one to escalate the fight with a fierce focus and mustering all of one's strength.
Sri Rama took up the Vaishnava bow given by sage Agastya. He aimed infallible arrows and pierced Khara all over. He broke his bow deftly. He decimated Khara's horses, his charioteer, and his chariot, after felling its flagstaff that fell to the ground looking like the sun god despatched from heavens by order to illumine our sky.
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Khara was now on the ground. We have to imagine in a quick playback how a mere mortal in ascetic robes had so far weathered the onslaught of innumerable, hitherto undefeated, rakshasas who attacked him all at once incessantly. In fact this was the most decisive battle that Sri Rama fought in the entire Ramayana. Later, in the Lanka war, he was needed only to deal with Kumbhakarna and Ravana who were protected by divine boons that meant that only he could kill them.
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As Khara rushed towards Rama on the ground, about to launch his gada, Sri Rama addressed him:
वसतो दण्डकारण्ये तापसान् धर्मचारिणः ।
किं नु हत्वा महाभागान् फलं प्राप्स्यसि राक्षस ॥
अद्य त्वां निहतं बाणैः पश्यन्तु परमर्षयः ।
निरयस्थं विमानस्था ये त्वया निहता पुरा ॥
"Oh Rakshasa, what did you achieve by killing all those holy ascetics doing tapas in Dandakaranya, those blessed people who did no harm?
" Now you shall die, reaping the fruit of your sins. Those great sages whom you killed before will witness, from the heavens, as you die from my arrows".
Rama mentions how his father, King Dasharatha, had sent him on a mission to kill the rakshasas in Dandakaranya because they were tormenting the ascetics. Khara says he is unimpressed by all this boastful talk. He is going to finish off Rama. Does Rama not see that his end is very near as Khara hurls this deadly mace at Rama!!?
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"This will avenge all those warriors killed in this battle by you and they shall rejoice at your death!" Saying this, Khara launched that thunderbolt of a mace that went destroying trees and shattering rocks and descended towards Sri Rama.
तामापतन्तीं महतीं मृत्युपाशोपमां गदाम् ।
अन्तरिक्षगतां रामश्चिच्छेद बहुधा शरैः ॥
" Then Sri Rama shattered into smithereens with his several arrows that deadly mace which looked as infallible as Yama's noose as it rose up into the sky and started to descend on him."
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
