Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty sixth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
As the large army of khara converged on rAma, he sent sItA away to safety along with an armed and alert lakshmaNa. And then putting on the armor, with great enthusiasm and determination he got his bow ready. He welcomed the enemy with a twang of the bow that reverberated throughout the forest and in the hearts of the enemy warriors! As the thousands of the warriors surrounded him and hurled at him everything at their disposal, rAma launched series of arrows to counter the rain of weapons from the enemy side. He was hit by a few and was bleeding, but he was neither deterred nor afraid. He changed the bow to a circular stance (manDala AkAra) and rained arrows to both counter the weapons hurled by the demons and also to get them. Soon they were tormented by the unceasing flow of arrows emerging from rAma’s bow coming and hitting them with alarming speed. One moment they saw rAma aiming and the next thing they knew was they were being hit out of their lives! The collective vision of the demons was such that they saw in the darkness created by the swathes of arrows blocking the sunlight, it appeared as if one rAma was spitting out the arrows at them unerringly. Thus in no time at all, rAma vanquished a large part of the army. Those who survived ran for their lives to khara to report them matter and seek protection. Onwards…
Watching the peerless destruction of his forces by rAma in the battle, the chief, dUshaNa led an army of five thousand redoubtable warriors who have never beaten retreat from the war! All of them began to hurl an unceasing rain of spears, swords, iron bars, trees and boulders at rAma. rAma took this potentially fatal rain of weapons with utter disdain as the bull takes the rain with closed eyes and neutralized all the weapons with sharp arrows. Then flying into a rage and determined to vanquish the army, inundated them with rain of arrows. The chief dUshaNa tried to match rAma and hurled powerful thunderbolt like arrows at rAma. He mitigated those effortlessly and attacking dUshaNa, broke his mighty bow with his arrows and killed the horses of his chariot with a series of arrows. Stepping up the offensive, rAma killed his charioteer with a crescent shaped arrow and hit dUshaNa on the chest with another.
Flying in to a rage, on account of the death of his horses and charioteer and left with an immobile chariot, dUshaNa took up his gigantic spear in his hand and lifted it. The spear sharp, made of iron, with golden bands around it, resembling a mighty mountain, carrying the vanquishing touch of the thunderbolt, capable of destroying the enemy fortress and creating fear and gloom in the hearts of the enemy was raised by dUshaNa and he charged at rAma to vanquish him with that! Watching the enemy charging at him thus menacingly, rAma, with sharp arrows cut off both hands of dUshaNa and with that the menacing spear fell down ineffective on the battle ground! With the enormous impact of those deadly arrows, dUshaNa fell down on the ground like a mighty elephant with tusks shattered and he was dead. The death of the chief of the enemy army drew lusty cheers from all beings and they praised rAma saying “very well done, (sAdhu sAdhu)!”
तं दृष्ट्वा पतितं भूमौ दूषणं निहतं रणे।
साधुसाध्विति काकुत्स्थं सर्वभूतान्यपूजयन्।।3.26.16।।
The death of dUshaNa angered three of the other generals and they charged at rAma as if drawn by death – mahAkapala and sthUlAksha with sharp spears, and pramAthI with a battle axe. Watching them charge at him, rAma welcomed them like guests but with his sharp arrows. As rAma’s sharp and swift arrows hit them mahAkapala fell down dead in a moment with his head cut off. rAma tormented pramAthI with a number of arrows and he collapsed like a chopped of tree on the ground. And then sthUlAksha, the broad eyed one was hit in the eyes with innumerable arrows! .
महाकपालस्य शिरश्चिच्छेद परमेषुभिः।।3.26.20।।
असङ्ख्येयैस्तु बाणौघैः प्रममाथ प्रमाथिनम्।
स पपात हतो भूमौ विटपीव महाद्रुमः।।3.26.21।।
स्थूलाक्षस्याक्षिणी तीक्ष्णैः पूरयामास सायकैः।
दूषणस्यानुगान्पञ्चसहस्रान्कुपितः क्षणात्।।3.26.22।।
बाणौघैः पञ्चसाहस्रैरनयद्यमसादनम्।
And then in a moment, unleashing his anger on the five thousand strong army of dUshaNa, rAma shot five thousand arrows at them and sent all them packing to the god of death!
Enraged by the death of dUshaNa and his large army, khara ordered the twelve generals who protected him to attack rAma along with their armies and kill that wicked human being! Ordered thus, the valorous generals, SyEnagAmi, pRthugrIva, yajnaSatru, vihangama, durjaya, karavirAksha, parusha, kAlakArmuka, mEghamAli, mahAmAli, sarpasya and rudhirASana along with their army attacked rAma at once and rained arrows on him. He responded in kind and vanquished them all with his sharp and fiery arrows that felled them like the thunder fells the trees.
Killing a hundred demons with a hundred arrows and a thousand demons with thousand, rAma annihilated the entire army of the demons that came to kill him. They all lay down dead in the battle field with their armors destroyed and chests pierced by the amazing gold studded arrows of rAma. They lay around with their weapons soaked in their own blood splintered on them with their hair loosened. The battle ground appeared like a large yajnavEdI with kuSa grass strewn all around. The earth drenched with their blood and flesh looked like a veritable hell for a moment!
चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम्।
हतान्येकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना।।3.26.35।।
In this manner, fourteen thousand mighty demon warriors were annihilated by one rAma who fought just on his feet. With the rest of them killed, now only the mighty demons khara and triSira remained to fight rAma. Livid at the sight of the unprecedented destruction of his army, khara mounting his chariot and lifting his weapon advanced towards rAma.
Here we conclude the the twenty sixth 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: 3.27. triSIrA hurtles to his end
Previous: 3.25. Now he aimed, now he destroyed!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 