Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty first sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The braggart chief of the demons in panchavaTI, khara saw his sister disfigured badly and asked for details of how it happened. She recounted her encounter with the elegant trio and her amorous advances towards rAma and lakshmaNa and how for the sake of sItA, the unmatched beauty, the duo disfigured her. She insisted that at any cost she would drink their blood. Bent upon fulfilling her desire and deeming it to be a small matter, the chief khara immediately summoned fourteen warrior demons and at once sent them to vanquish the trio and let his sister quench her blood thirst! The spear wielding fourteen terrible demons went accompanied by the ogress and challenged rAma. He came out, had a small word and as they hurled their spears at him all at once he nullified them all at one go by shooting fourteen arrows! And there upon, bring his gold studded arrows, rAma unerringly aimed at the chest of all of them and vanquished them all in no time. The ogress who had come with much hope of quenching her blood thirst, went back the same back to khara. Onwards…
Addressing SUrpaNakha, who had fallen again in front of him, wailing, angrily, khara addressed her and enquired – “In order to fulfil your desire I had entrusted fourteen demons for the cause, why are you crying again? The fourteen that have been charged for your sake are devoted and loyal to me and are my well wishers. Further they are supremely mighty, they can hurt but cannot be harmed in return. And they stay true to my orders, always. When you have been given such a team to accomplish your desire I am curious to know what makes you toss on the ground like a serpent hissing. Why do you lament thus like an orphan, when I the lord am around. Get up, give up your anxiety and tell me what happened?”
Thus pacified by khara, SUrpaNakha wiped her teary eyes and said –
“Disfigured by chopping of nose and ears I am came to you in anguish and you calmed me and sent with me fourteen spear wielding warriors to extract revenge and kill the trio. But the fourteen that you have sent have been vanquished by unerring arrows of rAma striking at their vital life sources. Watching those mighty ones fall thus by the peerless act of rAma, I am very troubled. O nocturn, I am terrified at these turn of events. I am drowned in this ocean of fright infested with the crocodiles called grief. You ought to save me from this. You must face rAma and destroy him making the danDaka forest safe for the demons. And if you cannot do that, O shameless one, I shall end my life right now in front of you.
बुद्ध्याहमनुपश्यामि न त्वं रामस्य संयुगे।।3.21.16।।
स्थातुं प्रतिमुखे शक्तस्सबलश्च महात्मनः।
I can however estimate that neither you nor your army is capable of facing rAma in a fight. You just boast of your might, but you have no valor at all. This so called might is a false projection you have unto yourself. You powerless one, if you can, face up to rAma and vanquish him, or being a disgrace to the clan, just get lost from this forest along with your kin rather than living here so disgracefully. The son of daSaratha, rAma is radiant and his brother lakshmaNa by whom I have been disfigured is extremely valorous. I do not think you stand a chance against them.”
The huge bellied giantess wept and wailed rolling on the floor and in disgust began beating her stomach with her hands to signify her sorrow.
Here we conclude the the twenty first 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: 3.22. The fourteen thousand march ahead
Previous: 3.20. Fourteen demons in one shot!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
