Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirtieth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The entire army of khara was decimated and destroyed by the peerless valour of rAma. He faced their fury single handedly and unleashed his deadly wrath and consumed their lives rendering the forest to a veritable sacrificial altar! Only the chief of the demons, khara remained now. He was a bit anxious to begin with but managed to trouble rAma with his might. Though troubled and hit, rAma was undaunted, like the hill indifferent to the rain, he bore the assault and in a determined bid, taking the bow gifted by sage agastya, he aimed thirteen arrows that decimated khara’s chariot and his weapons! The demon was now grounded. He just had a mace in his hand but nonetheless his arrogance was not subdued. After some verbal volleys, he launched his menacing mace on to rAma. As it came flying to rAma, he destroyed it mid-air with his arrows. The demon was weaponless now. Onwards…
Having destroyed the mace of khara mid-air, rAma smiled at a bewildered khara and said – “lo, here you have demonstrated all your powers. You are unequal to me in prowess and are shouting in vain! The powerful mace about which you boasted so much lies impotent on the ground shattering your faith, mitigated by my arrows. And what you boasted about extracting revenge for the death of your kin with my blood has also turned out to be a false acclamation!
नीचस्य क्षुद्रशीलस्य मिथ्यावृत्तस्य रक्षसः।
प्राणानहं हरिष्यामि गरुत्मानमृतं यथा।।3.30.5।।
You mean, lowly demon of terrible conduct, I shall draw the life out of you just like the great garuDa carried off the nectar. As my arrows cut off your throat today, the earth shall quench its thirst by drinking the frothy blood flowing out of it. As I hit you down, you shall lie on the earth with outstretched arms like embracing a difficult to get woman and with your death, the forests of the danDaka shall be the refuge of those who deserve to be here. In your janasthAna, O demon, where you perpetrated many a cruel deed, the sages shall roam about freely and without fear. Imagine the fate of all the demonesses, your wives. Their lives will be filled with tears for no fault of theirs having got a lord like you.
नृशंस नीच क्षुद्रात्मन्नित्यं ब्राह्मणकण्टक।
यत्कृते शङ्कितैरग्नौ मुनिभिः पात्यते हविः।।3.30.12।।
You vile, mean, lowly brAhmin slayer. You have been committing sacrilege by desecrating the yajnas performed by the sages…”
As rAma blasted khara thus in the middle of the war in excitement, khara retorted with even harsher words –
“Oh wow, indeed you are arrogant and proud. Being in the grip of death you don’t even know what to speak and what not to and are feigning fearlessness in fear. Those men aaround whose neck the noose of death has been flung, their senses are rendered dull and they hardly have a clue as to what they are doing”.
Roaring thus and frowning at rAma, khara looked around to hurl something at rAma and not too far, found a sAl tree. He uprooted that tree and hurled at rAma with all his might yelling “gotcha”! rAma with his arrows destroyed the tree flying towards him in the air. Now rAma, with blood shot eyes, determined to end khara, gathered his fury and unleashed on khara a thousand arrows. The demon khara was hit all over his body by rAma’s arrows and blood flowed out like the water falls on the mountain praSravaNa. The smell of blood intoxicated him and he menacingly charged at rAma. Now rAma, the ace archer, was sure, he wanted to make it the end game, so he took a step back, just to give himself enough time, swiftly took the arrow and the bow gifted to him by indra, stretched it fully and unleashed a deadly arrow resembling the brahmadanDa. The speeding arrow hit a charging khara on the chest and he fell down dead!
स पपात खरो भूमौ दह्यमानश्शरानग्निना।
रुद्रेणेव विनिर्दग्धश्वेतारण्ये यथान्तकः।।3.30.27।।
Burned down by the fire of that arrow of rAma, khara was felled down dead just like rudra felled the demon andhaka in the SwEtAraNya or like indra felled the demon vRtra or like namuchi was vanquished by froth.
Then all the great sages who witnessed this great conquest of rAma descended, congratulated and felicitated rAma. They revealed, this was the reason that indra visited the hermitage of sage Sarabhanga [3.5. Salvation of sage Sarabhanga] and that the sages have laid a plan to bring rAma to the danDaka forests in order to vanquish the demons of cruel deeds.
एतदर्थं महातेजा महेन्द्रः पाकशासनः।
शरभङ्गाश्रमं पुण्यमाजगाम पुरन्दरः।।3.30.30।।
आनीतस्त्वमिमं देशमुपायेन महर्षिभिः।
एषां वधार्थं क्रूराणां रक्षसां पापकर्मणाम्।।3.30.31।।
And they declared now that rAma has cleared the demon infested danDaka forest, the sages can now roam there free observing their vows. In the meanwhile, the gods blew trumpets, performed drumbeats and showered flowers on the victorious rAma. They exclaimed –
“In but a moment, hurling sharp arrows, rAma destroyed the fourteen thousand strong army of demons led by khara and dUshaNa. Oh my god, this is indeed unbelievably great accomplishment, which only the great vishNu is capable of”.
अहो बत महत्कर्म रामस्य विदितात्मनः।
अहो वीर्यमहो दाक्ष्यं विष्णोरिव हि दृश्यते।।3.30.36।।
With those exclamations, the gods left for their heavenly abodes. In the meantime, lakshmaNa along with sItA safely returned to the hermitage. rAma was accorded a glorious welcome to the hermitage felicitated by the sages and lakshmaNa.
तं दृष्ट्वा शत्रुहन्तारं महर्षीणां सुखावहम्।
बभूव हृष्टा वैदेही भर्तारं परिषस्वजे।।3.30.39।।
Beholding the slayer of the enemy and cause of the joy of Rshis, vaidEhi (sItA) was delighted and embraced her husband! She was extremely happy to have seen the demonic forces wiped out and that rAma was unhurt! The sItA of a moon-like countenance was ecstatic to behold her husband, the destroyer of the demonic forces and the object of worship of the sages and she again embraced him delightfully.
ततस्तु तं राक्षससङ्घमर्दनं सभाज्यमानं मुदितैर्महर्षिभिः।
पुनः परिष्वज्य शशिप्रभानना बभूव हृष्टा जनकात्मजा तदा।।3.30.41।।
Here we conclude the the thirtieth 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: 3.31. rAvaNa plans a misadventure, mAricha counsels
Previous: 3.29. Verbal war before the final flourish
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 