Hari Om.
Let us begin the twentieth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Paying through her nose (and ears), literally, the ogress runs to her mighty brother khara who lorded over the demons in the danDaka forest. She had no remorse about her misadventure but was burning with vengeance at being not only spurned but punished severely by the duo. The chief khara rained questions, it was an affront he could hardly stomach. He bragged about his past glory and thundered who on earth dared to displease him. The demoness spoke about the handsome duo and the impediment that sItA was in the way of fulfilling her desire. She wanted to ensure that the trio were felled in the war and she quenched her thirst of raging revenge through their blood. The chief immediately summoned fourteen mighty demons and charged them to at once go to rAma and vanquish them. Onwards…
The terrifying demoness SUrpaNakha accompanied the fourteen warrior demons to the hermitage of rAma and identified the squatting trio for them there. Seeing the demons so arrived, rAma asked lakshmaNa to stay inside along with sItA so that he can deal with the demons and defeat them. Brother lakshmaNa stayed in honoring his words and rAma brought out his mighty golden bow and got it ready by stringing. He then went ahead and address the demons –
“We brothers, rAma and lakshmaNa are the sons of daSaratha and we have entered the treacherous danDaka forest along with sItA. We are righteous, lead an ascetic life, subsist on fruits and roots and self-restrained. What business have you got to torment us? I have been charged by the ascetics of this forest to punish offenders such as yourselves and for that reason I am fully equipped with bow, arrows and other weapons. If you are happy to die here, you may stay or else if you care for your life you may return”.
तिष्ठतैवात्र सन्तुष्टा नोपावर्तितुमर्हथ।
यदि प्राणैरिहार्थो वा निवर्तध्वं निशाचराः।।3.20.10।।
The spear wielding offenders of the sages retorted in rage –
“You have enraged our master, the great khara and therefore it is you who shall be vanquished by us. We outnumber you and therefore what power have you got to even stand your ground in front of us let alone fighting us. Be ready, here some our spears and daggers to get you and you shall be dead with your bow in the hand in no time”.
Accosting rAma thus, the fourteen demons at once threw the spears and daggers at the invincible rAma. The fourteen weapons hurled by the fourteen demons at once were undone by fourteen golden arrows shot by rAma.
तानि शूलानि काकुत्स्थस्समस्तानि चतुर्दश।
तावद्भिरेव चिच्छेद शरैः काञ्चनभूषणैः।।3.20.16।।
Having undone their weapons, the effulgent rAma took another fourteen stone-sharpened golden arrows and taking aim at the demons shot those unerringly like indra hurls the thunderbolt. The blazing arrows, studded with gold feathers hit their target with unerring accuracy and split the hearts of the fourteen demons rendering them lifeless and they fell off on the earth like tress cutoff at the roots. Lying in pools of blood, the demons lost their lives. Seeing the demons so felled the demoness SUrpaNakha who accompanied them was terrified and cried out in anger. She turned pale and at once ran back to khara to report the matter and fell down like a tree in front of him, crying in agony and unfulfillment, shedding copious tears and letting out mighty roars. She recounted to him in detail the felling of the fourteen demons and their death by rAma in the fight.
Here we conclude the the twentieth sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 3.21. She upbraids and incites khara
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 