Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty fifth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
There was great tumult in the forest on account of the charge of the fourteen thousand demons led by khara converging on rAma. He grasped the situation that was coming up. To ensure the safety of sItA, he instructed lakshmaNa to escort her to a difficult to reach cave and stay alert and equipped to meet any situation. As they did so, a fully determined rAma put on his shining armor and taking his mighty bow unleashed a twang that reverberated through the forests! The sages, gods and demigods who were constantly being tormented by the demons, sensing a savior in rAma, converged on the skies in their celestial chariots to witness the battle that was going to take place between the solitary rAma and the fourteen thousand strong army! It was all set for the battle. Onwards…
Having reached the hermitage of rAma along with his army, khara beheld the tormentor of enemies, rAma, angry and wielding his mighty bow. Seeing him so, khara let out a roar and held his mighty bow and ordered his charioteer to take the chariot towards rAma. Facing rAma who was standing all by himself at a place of his choice, as khara roared, so did all the demons who surrounded him. That khara shone like the red planet angAraka (mars) surrounded by the stars. As khara hurled his arrows, the surrounding army on foot, mounted on horses, chariots and elephants hurled their weapons – the arrows, spears, hammers, swords, axes at the invincible rAma out of simmering anger. They rained arrows on him like the clouds rain on a hill! Surrounded by the hordes of demons, rAma appeared like the lord mahAdEva (Siva) surrounded by his subjects! All their weapons were subsumed by him like the rivers subsume in the ocean. Hit by their weapons, rAma stood unmoved like the mountain unaffected by the thunderbolt. Wounded by those strikes and bleeding all over, rAma appeared like the evening Sun surrounded by clouds. The sages and other celestial personages who came to witness the battle became sad seeing this and wondered how this battle of One with the many thousands is going to be like.
And then rAma, full of purposeful anger, changed the way he held the bow and the stance and at once unleashed in hundreds and thousands.
ततो रामस्सुसङ्कृद्धो मण्डलीकृतकार्मुकः।
ससर्ज विशिखान्बाणाञ्छतशोऽथ सहस्रश।।3.25.16।।
दुरावारान्दुर्विषहान्कालदण्डोपमान् रणे।
मुमोच लीलया रामः कङ्कपत्रानजिह्मगान्।।3.25.17।।
With unmatched ease, rAma then hurled unerring arrows that were unstoppable and unbearable like the noose of the god of death. Those arrows without missing a single mark, hit at the vitals of the demons and drew out their life unfailingly. Having hit the vitals of the demons, the blood soaked arrows shone resplendently in the skies. Thus innumerable arrows emerged out of the circularly held stance of rAma’s bow and they were highly fierce and destroyed the lives of the demons.
असङ्ख्येयास्तु रामस्य सायकाश्चापमण्डलात्।
विनिष्पेतुरतीवोग्रा रक्षःप्राणापहारिणः।।3.25.20।।
The deadly arrows of rAma, cut the flags, armors, heads, limbs, killed charioteers, elephants, horses and hordes of demons and sent them packing to the god of death. As the demons let out pitiable cries, hurt by the deadly arrows of rAma, his arrows targeted their vitals and destroyed them like the raging wildfire destroys the forests. Few other daredevil demons ventured in front of rAma and hurled their weapons at him and they all met the same fate by his deadly arrows and were felled like trees uprooted by the force of the flapping of wings of the garuDa!
Those desperately distressed demons who survived rAma’s assault ran for their lives and took refuge in khara. The commander dUshaNa assured protection to them and regrouped them and feeling safe under him, they all charged at rAma again with sAl and palm trees and their weapons. Commander dUshaNa himself ran towards rAma and it seemed like the god of death was charging at rudra! They again rained arrows, spears, axes, trees and boulders at rAma.
The intense battle that ensued between solitary rAma and the scores of demons was tumultuous and hair raising.
तद्बभूवाद्भुतं युद्धं तुमुलं रोमहर्षणम्।
रामस्य च महाघोरं पुनस्तेषां च रक्षसाम्।।3.25.33।।
As scores of them hurled their weapons at rAma, surrounded and attacked, he let out a war cry and on his mighty bow he placed the divine gandharva weapon.
स कृत्वा भैरवं नादमस्त्रं परमभास्वरम्।
संयोजयत गान्धर्वं राक्षसेषु महाबलः।।3.25.36।।
And as he did so, from the sphere of his bow held in circular stance emerged thousands and thousands of arrows covered all the directions. The demons being hit by the swift and unerring arrows of rAma hardly could make out which direction they came from. The sun was engulfed by the swathes of arrows that rAma launched from his bow and there was darkness all over caused by them. In that darkness, only rAma was visible and it appeared as if the arrows emerged out of his mouth!
शरान्धकारमाकाशमावृणोत्सदिवाकरम्।
बभूवावस्थितो रामः प्रवमन्निव ताञ्छरान्।।3.25.39।।
It all happened with unimaginable speed, now the demons were injured, now they were slain and now they were felled and the earth was filled by their bodies scattered everywhere. Wounded, torn, battered, disfigured, disassembled… the bodies of the demons lay around in thousands all over.
निहताः पतिताः क्षीणाश्छिन्ना भिन्ना विदारिताः।
तत्र तत्र स्म दृश्यन्ते राक्षसास्ते सहस्रशः।।3.25.41।।
Destroyed by the arrows of rAma, as the bodies of the demons lay around, with their limbs cut off, their headgears, arm bands, and other wearables adorned on their thighs and other colorful and well made gears lay around. So did the various weapons of the demons and also their horses and elephants that they came on. Watching this unimaginable destruction of their ilk, the remaining demons shuddered at the thought of heading towards rAma!
Here we conclude the the twenty fifth 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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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
