January 11 - Sarga 75 of Yuddha Kanda.
You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs. You cannot wage a war without its concomitant horrors. There is a senselessness about the violent clash of any creature with any other that wrenches our guts. But this idea of war and victory and violence is wired into all creation. In Hindu imagery, the universal mother Durga herself wages fierce battles!
It takes a great poet to describe wars with the macabre imagery that wrings our guts and makes us wonder about it all. Give it to Valmiki in being a master at this too.
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Sugriva discusses with Hanuman on what should be the next military move.
Sugriva calls all his chiefs and announces, "Now that Kumbhakarna is dead and Ravana's sons and brothers are out of the picture, Ravana's Lanka is totally exposed to our attack. Enough is enough. Let us assault Lanka with lighted torches. All able-bodied and adept vanara warriors to the fore!"
It is nightfall. We should stop and think about waging wars at night. This was not seen very commonly under the rules of war. But rakshasas always chose to attack at night as they had the edge, given that their powers multiplied at night and made their prey easy meat for them. Therefore they had already attacked the vanaras at night. This was a natural consequence.
लङ्कामभिमुखाः सोऽल्का जग्मुस्ते प्लवगर्षभाः
आरक्षस्था विरुपाक्षाः सहसा विप्रदुद्रुवुः
तेषां गृहसहस्राणि ददाह हुतभुक्तदा
प्रासादाः पर्वताकाराः पतन्ति धरणीतले
अगुरुर्दह्यते तत्र परं चैव सुचन्दनम्
"The vanara warriors proceeded to attack Lanka holding blazing torches. The gatekeeper rakshasas were totally unprepared and displaying horror in their ugly faces scooted leaving the city totally exposed. The rakshasas' palaces and towers, impressive and huge, built by Vishwakarma in the past on a happier occasion, now were homes to unprincipled marauders of the world who knew no limits to unrighteousness. All those mansions met their end by blazing horrendously and tumbling down in the inferno. The well-stocked perfumes and sandalwood aromatics all became oblations to this macabre conflagration."
Valmiki describes how all the wherewithals of prosperity like furnishings, exquisite garments and drapes, carpets, blankets made of the finest lamb and goat wool, gold ornaments, weapons, armours, footwear, leather saddles, and you name it, all became fuel to the fire. The stables well-stocked with gear for battle including saddles and seats and adornments and ropes for horses and elephants were turned to ashes.
नानाविधान् गृहांश्चित्रान् ददाह हुतभुक्तदा आवासान् राक्षसानां च सर्वेषां हेमचित्रतरुत्राणां
सीधुपानचलाक्षाणां मदविह्वलगामिनां कान्तालम्बितवस्त्राणां शत्रुसञ्जातमन्युनाम्
"That relentless blaze ravaged and devoured everything - all fantastic palaces, their internal structures, their finery and gold ornaments, the pissessions of rakshasas who were too drunk to be stable or to move steadily, who were unable to even hold on to their garments without the help of their lovers, all trying to react to the attack of the vanara enemy."
In this vein, there are many more elaborate descriptions of how everything in Lanka fed the fire.
Many young women and mothers rushed out in disorderly robes, screaming and abandoning their valuables, with many rushing out screaming with their children in arms.
Valmiki says that from a distance, the city looked with its burning tall towers and structures like the Himalayan range ablaze. The sky lit up eerily. Horses and elephants ran amok. The ocean surrounding Lanka on all sides reflected the blaze in a strange spectacle as if the sea itself was on fire. It appeared that this was the cataclysm to end all creation.
Sri Rama and Lakshmana were now up and ready with their bows and arrows. Sri Rama twanged his bow to a great thunderous roar that rose above the already ear-splitting noises of a blazing Lanka. Valmiki says that Sri Rama was looking like Lord Mahashiva himself with his bow poised to destroy the Tripura abode of the asuras. Sri Rama's arrows took off parabolically and systematically destroyed the mighty gates of Lanka.
तेषां संनह्यमानानां सिंहनादं च कुर्वताम् ।
शर्वरी राक्षसेन्द्राणां रौद्रीव समपद्यत ॥
"The rakshasas started preparing to put up a stout defence, and as they were arming themselves and making huge noises, to them it appeared that tonight was the Night of Dissolution."
Sugriva gave stern orders that the vanaras should mount an attack and no one should retreat or be allowed to retreat under fear of death punishment.
Ravana woke up in a terrific rage. Even his loud yawn and his moving his arms on waking up struck terror. He thundered that Kumbha and Nikumbha, formidable sons of Kumbhakarna, and other rakshasas viz. Yupaksha, Shonitaksha, Prajangha, and Kampana, should mount a counterattack rightaway with the army.
Soon the rakshasa army was ready and shining with the warriors' weapons and ornaments.
The two armies clashed fiercely. While the vanaras used their usual rocks and trees very effectively, the rakshasas countered with their deadly weapons. Valmiki describes how one-to-one and one-to-many battles were all on relentlessly.
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
