Hari Om.
Let us begin the fourth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
As soon as they entered the forest, the trio encountered a terrible and terrifying, gigantic ogre named virAdha. He was wielding a deadly spear that contained his prized scalps. He initiated the conflict by snatching sItA and tried to upset rAma and lakshmaNa. Among them first rAma was taken a back a bit but then regrouping his calm thanks to lakshmaNa’s spirits both of them shot swift arrows at the demon. Stung by those fast flying arrows the demon let go of sItA and then unleashed the spear at the duo. Without much trouble rAma nullified the spear with his arrows and rendered virAdha weaponless. The monstrous demon then used his sheer size and captured both rAma and lakshmaNa and started to run into the forest. rAma understood his intentions and calmly said to lakshmaNa to not obstruct the demon as their goal was the forest and that is where he was taking them! Onwards…
As the two brothers rAma and lakshmaNa were being carried away by the demon virAdha, sItA was devastated ad cried out loudly to spare them. She reasoned that left to herself she will be prey to the wild beasts and hence she beseeched virAdha to spare the duo wedded to truth and instead take her. Seeing that sItA was devastated the two brothers hastened to end virAdha’s game. While lakshmaNa broke the left shoulder of the demon, rAma broke the right with all their might and got free from the clutches of the demon. With both shoulders broken the ogre resembling a large dark cloud collapsed on the earth like the mountain split by the thunderbolt. As he fell down, rAma and lakshmaNa pounced upon him hitting him with fists and knees, they put him on the bear ground and smashed him. Hit by arrows, swords and repeatedly thrown on the ground and yet the demon didn’t die! Watching the undying ogre, rAma, the protector from fear said to lakshmaNa that by the power of his penance the demon won’t die with weapons and that the elephantine demon must be buried under the earth and saying so he instructed lakshmaNa to dig a large pit to bury the demon. rAma stood with his feet on the throat of virAdha, exercising complete control on him, while lakshmaNa dug the pit.
Mustering his strength virAdha addressed rAma – “O great son of kausalyA, o best among men, I have understood that you three are rAma, lakshmaNa and sItA. O dear, I have been vanquished by your indra like might, there is no doubt. By virtue of my ignorance I couldn’t know you earlier. I am actually a demigod, gandharva by name tumburu. I was infatuated by the divine damsell apsara rambha and skipped my duty in the court of kubEra. Livid, he cursed me. By virtue of the dreadful curse, I assumed the form of an ugly ogre. Post the curse as kubEra was entreated by me beseechingly he assured me that I shall regain my celestial body when I am vanquished by rAma, the son of daSaratha and then I shall ascend the heavens. By your grace, O rAma, I am freed from the curse and I shall ascend back to the heavens, may good happen to you all. O rAma, the resplendent sage Sarabhanga lives close by. Do visit him immediately and he shall confer welfare upon you. Please bury me in the pit and happily go ahead rAma. This is the way dead demons are buried and such ones attain the heavens”. With these words virAdha was almost dead.
Upon rAma’s instruction lakshmaNa fetched a spade and dug a pit large enough to bury the dead demon virAdha. Once the pit was ready, rAma removed his feet from the throat of virAdha and the two brave brothers joyously threw the body of the demon into the pit and fearlessly covered the pit with stones. The dying roar of virAdha reverberated in the forest.
The demon wouldn’t die in spite of being hit by sharp arrows and swords which the brothers hurled at him. He revealed this invincibility of his to rAma. Then rAma decided to bury him in a pit and did so. Having vanquished virAdha and buried him in the pit, without fear the brothers along with sItA roamed the forest armed with their golden bows like the sun and moon in the sky.
Here we conclude the the fourth 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: 3.5. Salvation of sage Sarabhanga
Previous: 3.3. Into the forest with the ogre!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
