Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventieth sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Turning east or west at times, but generally traveling in the southern direction, the duo scanned through the krauncha forest and reached nearer to the matanga forest. They left janasthAna for good. Following on the leads provided by the deer and then by a badly wounded jaTAyu, the duo went south after ensuring a dignified cremation and after-life for the vulture. They encountered a repeat of the SUrpanakha episode through another ogress and quickly making short work of her proceeded further. lakshmaNa saw some strange omens of a complicated situation arising in front of them and sure enough, they saw a demon with a head-less torso, whose large mouth and the solitary eye were all fixed on the trunk-like belly! The demon had two really long and strong arms that extended more than a yOjana (several km), with which he dragged his prey unto his immovable self! So, the duo, alerted by a deafening noise, got curious about the strange demon and were trapped by his strong arms. lakshmaNa felt momentarily helpless. But he soon recovered and rAma also drew strength from him. Onwards…
Looking at the two brothers thus caught in arms, just managing to stay up without fainting, the hungry kabandha licked his lips and said they were food sent by god! Hearing this, lakshmaNa who was suffering quite a bit in kabandha’s clutches mustered his courage in a timely manner and said –
“O brother, before the gigantic, mighty, vile and the towering demon who has managed to gobble just about anyone who came into his clutches swallows us, let us cut off his mighty arms. It is prohibited and despicable for a king to kill a creature that is immovable and cannot attempt to protect itself. [Therefore, let us cutoff his hands]”.
The enraged demon heard these words of lakshmaNa and opening his mouth wide began to drag them into it. Then the rAghava duo, who had an outstanding awareness of the appropriate time and place and when to accomplish what, rose to the occasion and rAma who was in the right hand of the demon cut off the right hand and lakshmaNa, the left hand. In one swift swoop of the sword, they cutoff kabandha’s arms.
ततस्तौ देशकालज्ञौ खड्गाभ्यामेव राघवौ ।
अच्छिन्दतां सुसंहृष्टौ बाहू तस्यांसदेशतः ॥
With the arms cutoff and profusely bleeding the demon had a mighty fall and his piteous roar filled up the earth and the skies like that of a thundering cloud and as he lay amputated, he asked them who they were!
To the inquiring demon, lakshmaNa replied – “He is known as rAma among people and is the scion of the ikshVaku family. Know me to be his younger brother, lakshmaNa. As we lived in the desolate forest, a demon abducted the wife of this god-like rAma. We are in search of her and seeking her we have come here. Who are you? Why are you lying in this forest with your limbs broken and with a wide open fiery mouth on your chest”?
Thus asked, kabandha, instantly remembered the words of indra and replied in great joy –
स्वागतं वां नरव्याघ्रौ दिष्ट्या पश्यामि चाप्यहम्।
दिष्ट्या चेमौ निकृत्तौ मे युवाभ्यां बाहुबन्धनौ।।3.70.17।।
“O, wonderful duo, hearty welcome to you! It is by my great good fortune I am seeing you today. By my great good fortune these arms of mine have been amputated by you today! O best among men, listen, I shall narrate to you factually the way I incurred this scary form due to my own churlishness”.
Here we conclude the seventieth 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: 3.71. kabandha offers a definite direction
Previous: 3.69. In the clutches of kabandha
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
