Hari Om.
Let us begin the ninety fourth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
As rAma predicted, rAvaNa in the desperation of the loss of his son deployed an entire akshauhiNi of army whose only job was to surround rAma, attack him and finish him off. He was gambling with the lives of hundreds of thousands, including a vast military deployment of horses, elephants, chariots and weapons. They advanced towards rAma breaching the defences formed by the valiant vAnaras. And rAma did arrive with his fabulous bow to face the rampaging rAkshasas. He took a dynamic stance with his bow held in manner that it could be moved in a circular fashion so that it can have a broader range and coverage. He was so swift with his footwork and shooting that the demons hardly realized where he was and what he was doing. They could infer his presence only based on what struck them! Although rAma was unleashing complete havoc single handedly they had no clue where he was and were in complete maze. In an eighth of the day (less than two hours), rAma had annihilated the entire army including the foot soldiers, elephant mounted warriors, horse riders and those on the chariot. The destruction was total and comprehensive. At the end of the battle, rAma told everyone that the repertoire of the astras that he has is equalled only by lord Siva! The grief had reached every doorstep of lanka. Onwards…
The womenfolk of the demons who had come to fight rAma and were slain, heard and witnessed the comprehensive demolition of the forces deployed by rAvaNa by rAma who could accomplish the toughest of missions with ease. They saw the thousands of hose riders, elephant warriors, chariot riders who had fallen with their carriers. The chariots had been destroyed, their flags and the maces and other weapons carried by the demons strewn all over. The womenfolk were stunned and numb at this annihilation and gathering, embracing each other they lamented and wept –
“How did the terrible looking SUrpanakha with a sagging belly encounter the supremely handsome rAma who is bewitching, mighty and engaged in the welfare of every being! That despicable woman with an ugly form and no virtues to show, covet the effulgent and virtuous rAma? The crooked ogress with grey hair and wrinkle face wanted the very handsome rAma which was condemnable. It made a mockery of everyone bringing the demons khara and dUshaNa on the warpath with rAma. That was the reason, rAvaNa nursed grudge against rAma. He abducted his consort sItA to bring about his own end. There is no way the ten headed rAvaNa will secure the daughter janaka having invoked immeasurable enmity with the mighty rAghava.
virAdha tried to misbehave with jAnakI and was slain squarely by the solitary rAma and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
With scorching arrows glittering with the glow of Sun, he slayed fourteen thousand demons including khara, triSirA and dUshaNa and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
The blood thirsty kabandha with arms that stretched out a yOjana long was slain by him and he succumbed letting out a loud cry and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
The mighty and mEru-like giant vAlI was vanquished by rAma and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
sugrIva was sulking on the hills of RshyamUka with his hopes dashed. He was established as the king by rAma and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
The son of the wind god, hanumAn breached into lanka, killed demons, gutted the whole city and went back and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
Restraining the expansive ocean, rAma made the vAnaras build a bridge and then crossed over to lanka accompanied by them and that instance is sufficient to know (what the fallout of rAma’s wrath would be like).
वैदेहीं प्रार्थयानं तम् विराधं प्रेक्ष्य राक्षसम् ।
हतमेकेन रामेण पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम् ॥
खरश्च निहतः सङ्ख्ये दूषणस्त्रिशिरास्तथा ।
शरैरादित्यसङ्काशैः पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम् ॥
हतो योजनबाहुश्च कबन्धो रुधिराशनः ।
क्रोधान्नादं नदन् सोऽथ पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम् ॥
ऋष्यमूके वसन् शैले दीनो भग्नमनोरथः ।
सुग्रीवः स्थापितो राज्ये पर्याप्तं तन्निदर्शनम् ॥
The appropriate counsel offered by vibhIshaNa which was laden with dharma and the means to achieve that and which was in the welfare of our clan didn’t appeal to rAvaNa out of his illusion and ignorance. If indeed he had accepted the counsel of vibhIshaNa, today the city of lanka would not have turned into a veritable graveyard. He was none-the-wiser even when he learnt about the slaying of kumbhakarNa by rAma, vanquishment of his sons atikAya and indrajit in the hands of lakshmaNa, or that of his son akshakumAra in the hands of hanumAn in the past, alas! That is the reason our sons and husbands have been slain in the battle”.
This was the lamentation and wailing that was heard across the board from lanka. The further said –
“Our chariots were destroyed, we lost elephants and horses in hundreds and thousands. rAma annihilated an entire lot of infantry. We don’t know if he is the rudra or vishNU or the thousand-eyed indra or verily the lord of death who has come in the form of rAma and is slaying us. He has done away with a number of very famous warriors on our side by virtue of which we are very pessimistic about our own lives and not able to fathom the end of this massacre we are drowning in the ocean of grief. Boasting of the great boons that have been conferred on him, the ten-headed warrior king is not realizing this grave danger that is staring at us. Neither the gods, nor the gandharvAs, nor the piSachas nor the demons can rescue someone from the hands of rAma in the battle. In battle after battle the results are pointing towards a grave crisis for rAvaNa. They say that rAvaNa has been conferred immunity against the gods, gandharvas and demons by the great lord brahma very lovingly but was not given protection against humans since he didn’t ask for it. Without doubt, the fear of humans has reached our doorstep and this threat will consume the lives of us and rAvaNa.
The gods were being tormented by the demons who were drunk in the pride of the boons they have secured from the lord brahma. They were led by scholars and Rshis to the presence of lord brahma who pronounced then, upon being worshipped that, the demons in the three worlds shall begin to live and roam in fear from that day. All the gods led by indra then went and propitiated lord Siva, the slayer of tripurA. He was pleased and said a woman shall take birth for the welfare of gods who will bring about the destruction of the demons.
प्रसन्नस्तु महादेवो देवानेतद्वचोऽब्रवीत् ।
उत्पत्स्यति हितार्थं वो नारी रक्षःक्षयावहा ॥
These words of the lord are coming true and like hunger consumed the demons earlier, we shall be consumed along with rAvaNa by sItA. This terrible calamity has befallen us and pushed us into grief due to the wicked rAvaNa’s missteps and arrogance. Alas, tormented by rAghava like the death and the end of time, we don’t see in the world who will come to our rescue. We live in constant and great fear like the she-elephants caught in the forest fire. The great paulastya (vibhIshaNa) did the right thing at the right time by seeking refuge from the very person from whom he saw the threat”.
In this manner, all the womenfolk of the demons holding each other’s arms wailed in great fear reflecting on the destruction of the demons.
Here we conclude the ninety fourth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
Click on the above link to listen to the audio by SrIrAma ghanApATi
Next: 6.095. No one to shield him, rAvaNa out to war
Previous: 6.093. rAma annihilates!
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
