Hari Om.
Let us begin the seventy third sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
With rAvaNa’s kin falling rapidly in the battle, he was staring at an existential crisis. He had recklessly betted on their abilities to win wars despite getting more than one proof of the fact that his enemy presently was like no one before. He had steamrolled enemies including gods before at will and ruled over them with an iron hand but now he found himself to be at the receiving end. Save for his son indrajit’s brief battles employing trickery, the demons constantly lost their warriors and suffered heavy losses. rAma’s army was determined and strong. More than their improvised projectiles, their determination was winning them the battles. Now, rAvaNa felt the heat and the realization was also dawning on him that his enemy could be none other than vishNu Himself who came in this form! But it was too little, too late and more importantly, too fleeting. Now among his key warriors, only indrajit was left and he turned to him. Onwards…
The demons who managed to be alive among the ones that went with the six warriors returned to lanka in haste and narrated to the demon king the vanquishment of dEvantaka, triSirA and others. Learning about the fall of his sons and brothers, rAvaNa was devastated and wept piteously. He lost his senses briefly and recovered. He felt helpless and was submerged in the ocean of grief. The best among the demon warriors, his son indrajit then addressed him and said –
“O king of the demons, O my father, you ought not feel devastated when indrajit is alive. No one in the battle is capable of saving his life when hit by the arrow of this enemy of indra (indrajit). You shall watch both rAma and lakshmaNa fall today to my arrows and lie defeated on the battlefield with their bodies severely hurt all over. Listen to this vow of mine, I shall overwhelm rAma and lakshmaNa today and subjugate them to my arrows of unimaginable prowess. Let the guardian deities indra, yama, agnI along with vishNu, Chandra, sUrya and others watch my valour in the battlefield which will be akin to the assault of vishNu at the yajna altar of the king bali”.
The strong minded son of the demon king promised thus to his father and taking his permission, got into his glowing chariot that was yoked to the best of donkeys. As he rode that chariot, many mighty warriors followed him on elephants, horses, chariots and other animals wielding a variety of weapons like the javelins, maces, clubs etc. They blasted their conches and blared their trumpets as indrajit in chariot dazzled like the full moon as the great archer was being fanned in his dazzling chariot. His father rAvaNa came and wondered when his son had defeated indra why he was not vanquishing these mere mortals. Having stated his intent thus and blessing his son indrajit, rAVaNa went back. Then placing his chariot in the battlefield and securing it by appointing the demon warriors around it, indrajit went to the yajna altar and performed yajna to propitiate the agni dEva with his oblations.
He offered puffed rice (lAja) and other fragrant offerings in the sacrificial fire. He offered a red cloth, used vibhItika wood as the fuel for the fire and laid out iron ladles and other weapons around the yajna vEdI (altar). Chanting potent mantras, he offered the head of a black sheep as sacrifice into the fire and the smokeless flaming tongue rose sharply from the yajna accepting his offering and giving him good omens of victory. He circumambulated the yajna vEdI and invoked the power of the yajna unto himself, his bow and his chariot. As he did so, the earth, sun, moon and the planets trembled! Having propitiated the fire god thus and receiving power from the yajna, the rAvaNI of unimaginable prowess got into his chariot, ascended into the skies and disappeared! The boisterous army of the demons letting out roars with great enthusiasm marched into the battlefield obeying his instructions to go and fight the vAnaras.
The demons rained arrows on the vAnara army and began tormenting them with their maces, clubs, spears and other weapons. They retaliated with trees as their weapons and launched a concerted offensive on indrajit. Livid at their attack, the redoubtable rAvaNI (son of rAvaNa) began to overwhelm the vAnara army with his expert archery and hit them in packs of fives and sevens at once with his golden arrows. However, the determined and valorous vAnaras who were ready to lay their lives down for rAma, hurled mountain peaks and trees at indrajit who was hurling arrows at them from the sky. However the ever victorious indrajit mitigated all those improvised projectiles with ease using his arrows that were spitting venom and bossed over the vAnara army inflicting heavy damage on them.
With eighteen sharp arrows he hit the warrior gandhamAdana followed by nala with nine arrows from a good distance. The vitals of mainda were hit with seven arrows and gaja was hit with five. He followed them up by hitting jAmbavAn, nIla, sugrIva, Rshabha, angada and dvivida with terrible arrows and almost took their lives. Then hitting the remaining warriors in fury he unleash untold wrath on the vAnara army and spread desperation among them and rejoiced to see them all badly injured and fallen. The vAnara warriors were shaken at the onslaught where they couldn’t see the trickster enemy but were only seeing the glowing and brilliant arrows that were raining on them from the skies like a cloud showers rain. They tried to console each other but fell in the onslaught. Some of them who tried to look up were hit in the eyes while others were hit all over the body. Badly bleeding they resembled the forest flame tree (kimSuka) in full bloom. There was not a vAnara warrior who was spared in that onslaught and all of them were badly injured.
Having subdued the entire vAnara army with his rain of maces and arrows, indrajit showered torrent of arrows on lakshmaNa and rAma which fell on them like the rays of sun without a pause. rAma took that shower on like he would take a rain shower and beholding the amazing battle skills of indrajit and his brahmAstra said to lakshmaNa –
“O lakshmaNa, the enemy of indra, the demon is back with his brahmAstra and has felled the entire vAnara army. Wielding the brahmAstra with great calibre, he attacks from the skies being unbodied and invisible and overwhelms the enemy. I reckon the greatness of the self-born lord brahma to whim this astra and its abilities belong. O lakshmaNa, you have sharp intellect, and so put up with this onslaught with a strong mind. The vAnara army is despondent and low in morale with many of their leaders fallen. Now if we also fall, seeing us thus, he will surely retreat from the battlefield with great joy and enter the abode of the demons for sure”.
Planning thus, the duo fell in the battlefield and beholding them so, the demon let out a roar of great joy. Having felled the great army of the vAnaras along with rAma and lakshmaNa in the battle and spreading gloom in their ranks, indrajit entered the abode of lanka protected by the ten-headed demon king.
Here we conclude the seventy third 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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Next: 6.074. Heroic hanumAn rescues them all
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 