January 22 - Sargas 93 and 94 of Yuddha Kanda.
दीनः परमदुःखितः अब्रवीत् रावणः प्राञ्जलिर्वाक्यं पुत्रव्यसनकर्षितः
सर्वे भवन्तः एकं रामं परिक्षिप्य समरे हन्तुमर्हथ
"Ravana, much distressed on account of the loss of his son, looking wretched and pitiable, pleaded with his chiefs in the court: All of you should go now with all your weapons and forces and attack Rama. Strike him and kill him. "
अथवाहं शरैस्तीक्ष्णैर्भिन्नगात्रं महाहवे भवद्भिश्वो निहन्तास्मि रामं लोकस्य पश्यतः
"Otherwise, I shall go myself tomorrow with you, and while being witnessed by the whole world, I will kill Rama with my sharp arrows."
The chiefs at once readied themselves with all their armamentarium. They took the rakshasa forces and went to battle with the vanaras.
Valmiki says that the dust on the battlefield quickly soaked up the river of blood from casualties on both sides and settled down.
After much action, unable to counter the terrific weapons that the rakshasas were hitting them with, the vanaras went and supplicated to Sri Rama to protect them.
We are now treated to a glorious narrative of Sri Rama's prowess on display in the battle that he fought alone against all the rakshasas, giving a break to all the vanaras and bears who were happy to witness the extraordinary spectacle.
ततो रामो महातेजा धनुरादाय वीर्यवान् ।
प्रविश्य राक्षसं सैन्यं शरवर्षं ववर्ष च ॥
कृतान्येव सुघोराणि रामेण रजनीचराः ।
रणे रामस्य ददृशुः कार्याण्यसुकराणि ते ॥
छिन्नं भिन्नं शरैर्दग्धं प्रभग्नं शस्त्रपीडितम् ।
बलं रामेण ददृशुर्न रामं शीघ्रकारिणम् ॥
न ते ददृशिरे रामं दहन्तमपि वाहिनीम् ।
मोहितां परमास्त्रेण गान्धर्वेण महात्मना ॥
ते तु रामसहस्राणि रणे पश्यन्ति राक्षसाः ।
पुनः पश्यन्ति काकुत्स्थमेकमेव महाहवे ॥
भ्रमन्तीं काञ्चनीं कोटिं कार्मुकस्य महात्मनः ।
अलातचक्रप्रतिमां ददृशुस्ते न राघवम् ॥
ददृशू रामचक्रं तत् कालचक्रमिव प्रजाः ॥
ते हताश्वा हतरथाः शान्ता विमथितध्वजाः ।
अभिपेतुः पुरीं लङ्कां हतशेषा निशाचराः ॥
ततो देवाः सगन्धर्वाः सिद्धाश्च परमर्षयः ।
साधु साध्विति रामस्य तत्कर्म समपूजयन् ॥
अब्रवीच्च तदा रामो सुग्रीवं प्रत्यनन्तरम् ।
विभीषणं च धर्मात्मा हनूमन्तं च वानरम् ॥
जाम्बवन्तं हरिश्रेष्ठं मैदं द्विविदमेव च ।
एतदस्त्रबलं दिव्यं मम वा त्र्यम्बकस्य वा ॥
"Sri Rama now entered the battle, raining a deluge of arrows on the rakshasas from his bow.
"The rakshasas witnessed an unprecedented onslaught from Sri Rama, not being able to actually see him shoot the arrows but seeing all the time the havoc the arrows unleashed in their effects.
"All they saw was the cleaved, cut, broken, dismembered, burnt and smashed bits of the rakshasa forces, but not the actual deployment of arrows by Sri Rama, because he was that quick.
"Sri Rama was as it were burning down the rakshasa army, but they could not even comprehend his actions, as they were all under the spell of his Gandharvastra.
"They sometimes saw a thousand Ramas. Then they saw one. But nobody could understand what force they had come up against, it was something they could not comprehend.
"They saw a million streaks of golden light emanating from a ring of fire that was Sri Rama's bow. But they did not see Sri Rama himself.
"They perceived the circle of destruction that Sri Rama's bow became, and saw in it the great wheel of destruction called Kala.
"Having lost their horses, elephants, chariots and their war flags, having lost an incredible number of their warriors who had died at Sri Rama's hands, the remaining rakshasas withdrew silently into Lanka.
"The gods, gandharvas, siddhas and great rishis all proclaimed, "Hail Sri Rama! What a battle he has fought and won today! Glory to Sri Rama!"
Sri Rama then quietly said to Sugriva, Vibhishana, Jambavan, Hanuman, Mainda, and Dvivida, 'what divine prowess you just witnessed is something only two beings are capable of. Me, and Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka."
***
The rakshasi women of Lanka now assembled in large numbers. None among them had been spared. They had lost their husbands, sons, brothers, relatives, everywhere in the battle so far. Everything in Lanka was desolate and destroyed. रावणेन प्रयुक्तानि - The rakshasas had been ordered into battle by Ravana, and had succumbed to Sri Rama.
कथं शूर्पणखा वृद्धा कराला निर्णतोदरी ।
अससाद वने रामं कन्दर्पमिवरूपिणम् ॥
सुकुमारं महासत्त्वं सर्वभुतहितेरतम् ।
तं दृष्ट्वा लोकवध्या सा हीनरूपा प्रकामिता ॥
अकार्यं अपहास्यं च सर्वलोकविगर्हितम् ।
राक्षसानां विनाशाय चकाराप्रतिरूपा चा राघवस्य प्रधर्षणम् ॥
तन्निमित्तमिदं वैरं रावणेन कृतं महत् ।
वधाय सीता साऽनीता दशग्रीवेण रक्षसा ॥
न च सीतां दशग्रीवः प्राप्नोति जनकात्मजाम् ।
बद्धं बलवता वैरमक्षय्य राघवेण च ॥
"Alas! What a terrible result are we reaping from the despicable act of Shurpanakha! She is old, terribly ugly, with sagging stomach and revolting looks. She went and offered herself to Sri Rama, who seems to be Cupid himself in human form! The tender, youthful, and handsome Sri Rama, who was always engaged himself in helping all mankind! Shurpanakha went and pressed her amorous advances on Sri Rama, not realizing how ugly and replusive she was. What she did was an unthinkable and unpardonable act, and she started the chain of destruction of all rakshasas from a good and virtuous Sri Rama. It was she alone who told Khara and everyone else to go and attack Sri Rama! They result is in front of all of us today.
"Ravana went and abducted Sita, expressly to cause the destruction of the entire rakshasa race. Sita will never be his, and our animosity with Sri Rama is now ineradicable.
"Who does not know how Sri Rama single-handedly killed fourteen thousand rakshasas including Khara Dushana and Trishira in Janasthana? Who does not know how he saved Sita from Viradha, a formidable demon? Who does not know how Sri Rama got rid of Kabamdha!? How Sri Rama killed Vali and installed Sugriva in Kishkindha!? Do we need more proof that our end is near!?
" The endless battle here between rakshasas and vanaras is going according to a set pattern. Ravana is unable to think what is good. Look at the way he banished the good Vibhishana with his sagely advice! Now the war has taken a toll of so many - Kumbhakarna, Atikaya, Indrajit..."
रावणो नावबुध्यते - "And yet Ravana does not understand!"
रुद्रो वा यदि वा विष्णोर्महेन्द्रो वा शतक्रतुः ।
हन्ति नो रामरूपेण यदि वा स्वयमन्तकः ॥
उत्पाताश्चापि दृश्यन्ते रावणस्य रणे रणे ।
कथयन्ति हि रामेण रावणस्य निबर्हणम् ॥
पितामहेन प्रीतेन देवदानवराक्षसैः ।
रावणस्याभयं दत्तं मनुष्येभ्यो न याचितम् ॥
"This is Rudra Lord Shiva himself, or Lord Mahavishnu himself, or Indra himself, who has come in the guise of Sri Rama. It could even be the God of Death!
"We see before every battle of Ravana these days so many ill-omens, all portending the imminent death of Ravana at the hands of Sri Rama.
"Ravana asked and got boons of protection from Lord Brahma as far as gods, asuras and rakshasas are concerned. But he did not ask for protection from humans! And Sri Rama is therefore his nemesis for sure!"
"Alas, we are losing everyone dear to us. We are smelling and tasting death all the time. And our fate is that we have no one to turn to, no one to pray to for help! We are ruined!"
***
॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
