January 30 - Sarga 107 of Yuddha Kanda.
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Then the final battle between Sri Rama and Ravana.
ततः प्रवृत्तं सक्रूरं युद्धं सर्वलोकभयावहम् - "Then began a most violent battle between the two great foes that shook the three worlds with fright."
The rakshasas and vanaras, arrayed with deadly weapons and missiles, were stupefied watching that battle. Neither side thought of doing anything except watching the two heroes battle.
रक्षसां रावणं चापि वानराणां च राघवम् ।
पश्यतां विस्मिताक्षाणां सैन्यं चित्रमिवाबभौ ॥
तौ तु तत्र निमित्तानि दृष्ट्वा रावणराघवौ ।
कृतबुद्धी स्थिरामर्षौ युयुधाते ह्यभीतवत् ॥
"The rakshasas, watching their lord Ravana battle it out, held their breath, just as did the vanaras, looking on the incredible prowess of Sri Rama, their lord. In the process, all the onlookers were frozen into a tableau."
"Sri Rama and Ravana, meanwhile, fully realizing the portent of the evident omens on their respective prospects of victory and defeat, were determined to fight it out to the last, displaying extreme hatred towards each other, displaying absolutely no fear."
जेत्वयमिति काकुत्स्थो मर्तव्यमिति रावणः ।
धृतौ स्ववीर्यसर्वस्वं युद्धेऽदर्शयतां तदा ॥
"Committed to victory was Sri Rama, and committed to martyrdom was Ravana, respectively. They both fought with every ounce of their might, and it was on full display in the battle."
Ravana shot arrows to destroy the flag aloft Indra's chariot. Even before his arrows reached their target, a force field of the chariot felled them. Seeing Ravana's intent, Sri Rama avenged the act by shooting a serpentine arrow, unbearable in its fierce splendour, that went straight and broke down the flag of Ravana's chariot and dashed it to the ground.
Ravana started attacking Sri Rama's horses. But they were unflustered. Ravana went on launching varied weapons like gada, parigha, shula, axe, pestle, and so on relentlessly at Sri Rama. These weapons raised a huge noise. It appeared Ravana was fighting his last battle as his arrows went everywhere into the sky and attacked the vanaras too. Sri Rama looked on with a smile as he countered them with his own rain of arrows.
तदा शरवर्षेण द्वितीयं भास्वदम्बरम् - "The sky filled with all those arrows and missiles appeared to be a different one, metamorphosed in its strangeness."
Valmiki says that the arrows shot from either side never failed to find their target and strike. They were being countered also very effectively. So finally all the arrows were being neutralized and falling to earth.
Valmiki says that each hurt the other's horses, each struck the other, and this went on and on without any let-up, causing extreme wonderment in all the spectators including the celestials in the sky.
The chariots were also being driven at great speed in all directions and going back and forth too, causing even more wonder.
At one stage, it appeared that the two chariots merged into one.
Sri Rama suddenly struck Ravana's horses with four arrows that pushed them back. Ravana chose to respond by hurting Sri Rama all over. But Sri Rama appeared not in the least bothered. Ravana then struck Matali with thunderbolt-like arrows. But Matali was totally unfazed. Sri Rama was now provoked like never before seeing Ravana attacking Matali. He immediately launched thousands of arrows at Ravana. Ravana too responded.
The battle stirred up the oceans so much that the beings living under the sea were distressed. Similarly, all the terrestrial creatures and even mountains and forests experienced deep agitation.
ततो देवा सगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः ।
चिन्तामापेदिरे सर्वे सकिन्नरमहोरगाः। ॥
स्वस्ति गोब्राह्मणेभ्यस्तु लोकास्तिष्ठन्तु शाश्वताः ।
जयतां राघवः सङ्ख्ये रावणं राक्षसेश्वरम् ॥
"The gods along with gandharvas, rishis, kinnaras, and the great serpents, prayed fervently that the world should flourish forever with the well-being of Brahmanas and good people everywhere. Sri Rama should defeat Ravana, the lord of rakshasas."
All had only one thought. Just as the sky and the ocean each has no parallel, this battle had no parallel.
रामरावणयोर्युद्धं रामरावणयोरिव ।
एवं ब्रुवन्तो ददृशुस्तद्युद्धं रामरावणम् ॥
"Unblinkingly, they all witnessed the battle between Sri Rama and Ravana, saying that the only comparison for the Rama-Ravana- yuddha was the Rama-Ravana-yuddha itself."
Then Sri Rama set terrific arrows to his bow and sent them to cut off Ravana's head.
तच्छिरः पतितं भूमौ दृष्टं लोकैस्त्रिभिस्तदा
तस्यैव सदृशं चान्यद्रावणस्योत्थितं शिरः
क्षिप्रहस्तेन रामेण शिरश्छिन्नं संयति सायकैः छिन्नमात्रं तच्छीर्षं पुनरेव प्रदर्श्यते
"Sri Rama's arrow went and cut off Ravana's head that dropped to earth at once. This was seen by all in the three worlds. But at once, an identical head sprang up on Ravana. Again Sri Rama cut off another head of Ravana. That too sprang up again, identical to the one cut down."
Thus did Sri Rama cut off one hundred heads of Ravana, all of which sprang up back with identical replacements.
Sri Rama, the master of all the weapons in the world, now fell into thought.
"My arrows destroyed Mareecha, Khara, Dushana, Viradha, Kamabdha. They struck down seven sala trees in a row. They destroyed Vali. I had absolute confidence in my arrows in all my battles. How come they are ineffectual today against Ravana!? What could be the reason?"
Even as he thought thus, Sri Rama struck Ravana repeatedly in his chest. Ravana was replying in equal measure with maces and axes and so on. This battle went on, sometimes in the sky, sometimes on mountain peaks, sometimes on the bare ground. This went on day and night as the gods witnessed in amazement.
Just then, seeing Sri Rama's efforts being unsuccessful, the charioteer Matali spoke to Sri Rama.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
