Hari Om.
Let us begin the twenty ninth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
With the entire army annihilated, khara was now the only remaining one. He was a tad anxious seeing the peerless might of rAma. But soon he demonstrated his valour on the battle field by facing rAma bravely. He unleashed a barrage of well pointed arrows at rAma. Although all the arrows were mitigated and their effect nullified by rAma, he was hit by some. One such arrow, thumping like the thunderbolt hit rAma on his armor and it came off! Then khara attacked rAma with a hundred and more arrows and injured rAma. He was bleeding all over, and yet rAma stood unfazed and resembled a glowing flame. Outraged at the attack of khara and completely determined to upstage him, rAma now took the bow bestowed upon him by sage agastya and shot thirteen arrows aimed at the demon. They destroyed the flag, the horses, the charioteer, the axle, the poles, the wheels – as such the entire chariot and then the remaining three arrows hit destroyed the bow and arrows of khara while the thirteenth arrow hit khara who was now grounded, thrown off from the destroyed chariot as if making fun of him! He remained there with just his mace! Onwards…
rAma looked at the demon khara who was bereft of his chariot and weapons and was now just holding a mace and was grounded and began speaking to him tad harshly –
“You had chariots, horses and elephants at your disposal and yet you chose to use them for despicable deeds. Being wicked and causing distress to the three worlds one cannot escape his fate even if he is the lord of the three worlds. One like you who is busy in tormenting the world will not be spared just like a serpent coming near. Whoever performs a deed that should not be done out of either greed or desire meets his end due that prohibited deed (the example of a lizard dies upon eating a hailstone is given!). In this danDaka forest ascetics who are deep rooted in dharma dwell. What did you get by torturing them? Such sinful deeds that are condemned by the world will certainly bring downfall just like the rotten roots bring to a tree. And such actions will certainly yield their results as certainly as the trees bearing flowers at the right time and as certainly as one reaps the result of consuming poisonous food.
पापमाचरतां घोरं लोकस्याप्रियमिच्छताम्।
अहमासादितो राजा प्राणान्हन्तुं निशाचर।।3.29.10।।
O nocturn, I have been commissioned by the king to vanquish those who perpetrate cruelty and sinful deeds upon the world. The gold studded arrows that I shall unleash on you now will pierce through your body and emerge just like a snake enters the anthill and with that you along with your army shall follow the fate of those ascetics who have been vanquished by you. Those sages eaten by you may witness from their aerial cars up there your fall into hell, hit hard by my arrows. You wicked fellow, try and hit me as hard as you can, I shall take down your head just like the palm fruit”.
Thus spoken to by an angry rAma with blood red eyes, khara was livid, yet, he let out a loud laughter and said –
“Oh, son of daSaratha (rAma), how is it that by killing some ordinary demons you are praising your unpraiseworthy self so much! The real valorous and able people do not boast, it is only the lowest and meanest among kshatriyas without self-control who boast like you are doing. When death comes calling on the battlefield no hero will talk about his high race and boast like you and in fact your boastfulness is as mistaken as mistaking buring kuSa grass for gold!
सर्वथैव लघुत्वं ते कत्थनेन विदर्शितम्।
सुवर्णप्रतिरूपेण तप्तेनेव कुशाग्निना।।3.29.20।।
It seems like you are not beholding my mountainous presence wielding the deadly mace. I am sufficient to kill you in the battle with the mace that I have, just like the lord of death yama is sufficient to vanquish the three worlds. I have lot more to say about you, but I will let it be now and fight since the Sun is about to set and that will bring interruption to this war. I shall now slay you and wipe the tears of the fourteen thousand demons that you have slain”.
Saying so, khara hurled that mighty mace on to rAma and it menacingly approached rAma reducing to ashes all the trees and foliage that it came in touch with. As that mace came flying in the sky, rAma destroyed it with many arrows.
तामापतन्तीं ज्वलतां मृत्युपाशोपमां गदाम्।
अन्तरिक्षगतां रामचशिच्छेद बहुधा शरैः।।3.29.27।।
Just like a snake is charmed by the mantras and is tamed, the mace was brought down by the arrows of rAma.
Here we conclude the the twenty ninth 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: 3.30. Endgame for khara, rAma is celebrated
Previous: 3.28. The solitary One fights the remaining one!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
