Hari Om.
Let us begin the ninety fifth sarga of the yuddha kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
The demon king’s options were running thin. He lost his heroic sons, giant brother and a score of warriors to the determined warriors of rAma’s army whom he severely underestimated. After the fall of indrajit, he sent hundreds of thousands of warriors in the army supplemented by the four-fold forces. The instructions were clear – they would all attack rAma at once and slay him! It is not clear whether he expected victory or was prolonging his defeat by sacrificing more of his army but the entire army was annihilated in a matter of a couple of hours by rAma alone as all his mates stood watching in amazement. With such a large army vanquished, now grief had entered every door step of lanka and the citizens, especially the womenfolk grieved at the loss of their husbands and children. rAvaNa’s hubris was hurling him towards his destiny. Onwards…
rAvaNa head the painful cries and lamentations of the devastated she-demons in every household. He sighed deeply and contemplated on his action plan. It enraged him. In that rage, he turned angry with reddened eyes, bit his lips with his teeth, utterly incensed, he resembled the all-ending fire at the time of the dissolution, so much so that even the demon couldn’t behold his form! He glared at the demons mahOdara, mahApArSwa and virUpAksha and ordered in words that were indistinct due to his anger –
“Ask the army to urgently get ready at once by my order”.
The fear-stricken rAkshasas acting upon his orders, began to mobilise the troops. The terrifying demons, invested in the victory of their lord, folded their hands, felicitated the king as per the custom, wished him the best, gave their benedictions and set off to the battlefield. Livid with anger and yet sporting a smile rAvaNa said to the three warriors, mahOdara, mahApArSwa and virUpAksha –
“I shall unleash such arrows today that resemble the all-consuming sun at the time of the ultimate dissolution and send off rAghava and lakshmaNa to the abode of yama. I shall avenge today the deaths of khara, kumbhakarNa, indrajit and prahasta by vanquishing the enemy. With the light clouded by the barrage of my arrows, neither the quarters, nor the rivers or oceans will be lit (visible). Moving in my swift chariot like the wind, I shall vanquish the key vAnara warriors today as the arrows resemble the waves emerging out of the ocean of my bow. In the pond of the battlefield, those vAnaras who have the complexion of the lotus pollen and faces that have bloomed like the lotuses will be trampled by me like the elephant tramples the lotuses!
व्याकोशपद्मवक्त्राणि पद्मकेसरवर्चसाम् ।
अद्य यूथतटाकानि गजवत् प्रमथाम्यहम् ॥
The earth shall be decorated with their heads severed by my arrows that look like lotuses with their stalks. With a single arrow I shall slay hundreds of those battle-hardened vAnaras who wield trees and fight. By the elimination of the enemy in the battle, I shall wipe the tears of those women who have lost their husbands and sons. Today, as the vAnaras go lifeless and lie on the battlefield, the eagles, jackals and other scavengers shall be satiated by me. Come on, get my chariot ready and bring my bow. The remaining demons, just follow me to the battlefield”.
Taking the orders of the king, the demon mahApArSwa asked the supervisor of the forces to make arrangements for the onslaught. The supervisors went door-to-door to mobilize the troops and got the attack ready. Within no time terrifying rAkshasas wielding swords, spears, maces, ploughs, darts, missiles, hammers, mallets and other sharp weapons marched forth letting out war cries. In the meantime the supervisor setup the glorious chariot yoked by eight horses. The giant and effulgent rAvaNa boarded the chariot lighting up the space around him by his own greatness. Then he began his journey to the battlefield accompanied by enormous number of demons and it appeared as if by his weight he was ploughing the earth leaving a rend there. Loud declarations were heard that said – “here comes the king of the demons, the abductor of sItA, mean, enemy of the sages and thorn in the flesh of gods with his parasol and attendants fanning him to battle rAghava.
Permitted by rAvaNa, mahOdara, mahApArSwa and the hard-to-beat virUpAksha also boarded their chariots and accompanied him. Letting out loud war cries they set off desiring to win the battle. The vAnaras were alerted and felt a bit nervous to hear these unbearable noises.
Luminous rAvaNa along with his army held his bow up resembling the lord yama and moving with great speed on his chariot yoked to powerful horses, he came out of the threshold to where rAma and lakshmaNa were (northern gate). As he entered the battlefield, the sun went dim, the quarters were enveloped by darkness, birds screamed and the earth seemed to shake. His horses missed their rhythm, the lord parjanya (cloud) showered blood, an eagle perched on his flag of the chariot and jackals howled horribly. As the ten-headed demon headed to the battle field, omens showing his imminent fall in the battle appeared everywhere.
ततो निष्पततो युद्धे दशग्रीवस्य रक्षसः ।
रणे निधनशंसीनि रूपाण्येतानि जज्ञिरे ॥
Meteors fell off the skies making loud noises, eagles screamed in an inauspicious manner and were imitated by the crows. Ignoring the bad omens that showed up, the deluded rAvaNa set forth prodded by his own death.
A tumultuous war broke out between the great demons and the vAnaras as they challenged each other and fought for victory. Then a livid rAvaNa attacked the vAnara army with great ferocity and severed the heads of several of them. Some of them were hit on their heart, some lost their ears, some were hit on the ribs, some lost their eyes and heads.
Spitting fire and casting death glare wherever the ten-headed moved on his chariot in the battlefield, the vAnara warriors could hardly withstand the force with which his arrows were hitting them.
Here we conclude the ninety fifth 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: 6.096. sugrIva vanquishes virUpAksha
Previous: 6.094. Fear and laments grip lanka
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
