Hari Om.
Let us begin the thirty seventh sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Beholding the converging vAnara army, its magnitude and the reported ferocity and determination, rAvaNa got jittery and anxious. He tried to woo sItA by sheer trickery but that didn’t work. He then had to summon all his generals and ministers to draw the battle strategy. All of them were pretty nervous as the battle loomed large on lanka. The demon king was annoyed by their diffident stance. One among the ministers, an elder by name mAlyavAn tried to breathe sense into rAvaNa one last time and urged him to open his eyes and notice the ominous portents that were visible all over lanka and indicating a bad defeat. The king would brook none of this. He was just too infatuated by the thought of sItA that he was ready to put his entire kingdom on the brink of a disaster. No one could stop it and giving elaborate instructions to appoint warriors at the four entrances, the demon king retired for the day. The focus of the poet is now on rAma’s camp. Onwards…
Soon the king of men – rAma and the king of the vAnaras – sugrIva along with the son of the wind god – hanumAn, the king of Rkshas – jAmbavAn, the demon – vibhIshaNa, the son of vAlI – angada, saumitri, Sarabham sushENa, mainda, dvivida, gaja, gavAksha, kumuda, nala and panasa reached the enemy’s city and reflected –
“So this is the city of lanka, ruled over by rAvaNa which is unconquerable by even the demons, gandharvas and the gods. The king of the demons, rAvaNa is ever present here and attentive towards this city. Be mindful of your mission and take up positions such that we are successful”.
As they spoke thus, the brother of rAvaNa, vibhIshaNa spoke deeply significant and courteous words –
“My associates anala, Sarabha, sampAti and praghasa (all are demons) took the forms of birds, went to lanka, infiltrated into the enemy ranks and returned having studied the arrangements and strategies of the enemy. O rAma, I shall now narrate what all they told me about the plans of the mean rAvaNa, listen.
In the eastern gate prahasta along with his army is positioned. The southern threshold is guaded by the warrior duo mahApArSva and mahOdara. Accompanied by a huge army of expert strikers armed with spears, bows and clubs, indrajit, the son of rAvaNa is at the western gate. Along with thousands of well armed warriors rAvaNa himself is stationed at the northern entrance. virUpAksha guards the middle portion of lanka along with a large army.
My ministers further report that ten thousand elephants, equal number of chariots, twenty thousand horses and a crore of mighty, valorous and murderous demons as soldiers who are always favourites of the demon king have been pressed into action. Each demon has access to a million demons for help in this battle, O king”.
Thus vibhIshaNa spoke everything that was happening in the enemy ranks in lanka to the lotus like lovely eyed rAma and to please him further, narrated further –
“O rAma when rAvaNa takes on kubEra, sixty lakh demons who are comparable to rAvaNa in valour, mettle, splendour, honour, substance and vanity emerge from lanka.
अत्रमन्युर्नकर्तव्योरोषयेत्वांनभीषये ।।6.37.23।।
समर्थोह्यसिवीर्येणसुराणामपिनिग्रहे ।
Don’t be anxious and be angry with me. I am saying this to excite you than to scare. By virtue of your valour you are capable of restraining even the gods. You are also endowed the four fold forces and with your strategic deployment of the vAnara army you will vanquish rAvaNa”.
As the brother of rAvaNa spoke thus, rAghava, with a view to strike the enemy said –
The best of the vAnaras, nIla shall be stationed with his army at the eastern gate of lanka and fight prahasta. Endowed with a huge army, angada, the son of vAlI will be at the southern gate. The western gates will be tormented by unimaginably mighty hanumAn along with his huge vAnara army. To persecute the demon king bolstered by the boons he has received, the lowly rAvaNa, who is fond of causing harm to the great gods, demons, Rshis, who goes around the worlds causing misery to the people and who is stationed at the northern gate, I shall go myself along with lakshmaNa and my army. The king of vAnaras sugrIva, valorous jAmabvAn and vibhIshaNa with an army will take the battle to the enemy camp in the centre.
Let not the vAnaras assume human forms in the battle. Let them fight in their vAnara forms by which we can identify our soldiers.
न चैव मानुषं रूपम् कार्यं हरिभिराहवे ।
एषा भवतु संज्ञा नो युद्धेऽस्मिन् वानरे बले ।
वानरा एव नश्चिह्नम् स्वजनेऽस्मिन् भविष्यति ॥ 6.37.34
In the human form will be seven of us, myself, my brother lakshmaNa, my mate vibhIshaNa and his four associates”.
Having instructed vibhIshaNa thus to achieve their mission, the supremely intelligent rAma beheld the beauty of the suvEla mountain and decided to scale it. Thus with a great army that covered the entire earth, rAma with a delightful countenance advanced towards lanka, determined to vanquish the enemy.
Here we conclude the thirty seventh sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
