Chapter 26
Aranya Kanda - Book Of Forest
दूषणः तु स्वकम् सैन्यम् हन्यमानम् विलोक्य च
संदिदेश महाबाहुः भीम वेगान् निशाचरान्
dūṣaṇaḥ tu svakam sainyam hanyamānam vilokya ca
saṃdideśa mahābāhuḥ bhīma vegān niśācarān
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On seeing the shattering of his own forces, Duushana bid five thousand mighty-armed nightwalkers of monstrous impetus, and who knew no retreat in war, to attack Rama. [3-26-1]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
And they with spears, scimitars, swords, and with the rains of boulders, trees and arrows rained incessantly and inordinately upon Rama from all over. [3-26-2b, 3a]
तत् द्रुमाणाम् शिलानाम् च वर्षम् प्राण हरम् महत्
tat drumāṇām śilānām ca varṣam prāṇa haram mahat
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Raghava, the virtue-souled, in his turn has neutralised that ghastly and life-taking storm of boulders and trees with his fierce arrows. [3-26-3b, 4a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Like a bull receiving rain with closed eyes Rama assimilated that storming and then evoked an inordinate infuriation for eliminating all of the demons. [3-26-4b, 5a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Exasperation prevailing on him who appeared to be highly blazing with the blaze of his own virtue, he then diffused Duushana and his army with arrows from all over. [3-26-5b, 6a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
And on becoming enraged Duushana, the railer of his rivals and the commander of that army, then virtually forestalled Raghava's onslaught with his arrows that are simulative of thunderbolts. [3-26-6b, 7a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
That valiant one in warring Rama is then infuriated and with his crescent-barbed arrow shivered the sturdy bow of Duushana, shredding four of his horses with four more arrows. [3-26-7b, 8a]
हत्वा च अश्वान् शरैः तीक्ष्णैः अर्थ चन्द्रेण सारथे
hatvā ca aśvān śaraiḥ tīkṣṇaiḥ artha candreṇa sārathe
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On destructing the horses with excruciating arrows, he even fragmented the head of the charioteer with a crescent-barbed arrow, and even impaled the chest of demon Duushana with some more arrows. [3-26-8b, 9a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With his bow fractured and chariot shredded, and with horses and charioteer killed, he that Duushana grabbed a mace which outranks a peak of mountain and a hair-thriller at its sight, and which girt with golden girths once gritted the armies of gods, the head of which is studded with incisive iron spikes and saturated with the fat of foes, a coequal of a diamond and a thunderbolt in its hardiness and flashiness, and a ransacker of the archways of fortresses of his adversaries. [3-26-9b, 10, 11]
तम् महा उरग संकाशम् प्रगृह्य परिघम् रणे
दूषणो अभ्यपतत् रामम् क्रूर कर्मा निशाचरः
tam mahā uraga saṃkāśam pragṛhya parigham raṇe
dūṣaṇo abhyapatat rāmam krūra karmā niśācaraḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On firmly gripping that mace which in war is akin to an infernal serpent, and the touch of which tantamount to snakebite, rushed that nightwalker Duushana with infernal exerts rushed towards Rama. [3-26-12]
तस्य अभिपतमानस्य दूषणस्य स राघवः
द्वाभ्याम् शराभ्याम् चिच्छ्हेद स हस्त आभरणौ भुजौ
tasya abhipatamānasya dūṣaṇasya sa rāghavaḥ
dvābhyām śarābhyām cicchheda sa hasta ābharaṇau bhujau
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
While Duushana came falling on, he that Raghava sheared off his shoulders that have wrist-ornaments on his arms with two arrows. [3-26-13]
भ्रष्टः तस्य महाकायः पपात रण मूर्धनि
परिघः छ्हिन्न हस्तस्य शक्र ध्वज इव अग्रतः
bhraṣṭaḥ tasya mahākāyaḥ papāta raṇa mūrdhani
parighaḥ chhinna hastasya śakra dhvaja iva agrataḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
When Duushana's arms are thus sheared in the van of war, his gigantic mace slipped and spun in his own front, like the flagstaff with flag raised in honour of Indra, and collapsed . [3-26-14]
कराभ्याम् च विकीर्णाभ्याम् पपात भुवि दूषणः
विषाणाभ्याम् विशीर्णाभ्याम् मनस्वी इव महागजः
karābhyām ca vikīrṇābhyām papāta bhuvi dūṣaṇaḥ
viṣāṇābhyām viśīrṇābhyām manasvī iva mahāgajaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With both of his arms strewn around Duushana fell down onto earth like a haughty and gigantic elephant when both of its tusks are broken down. [3-26-15]
दृष्ट्वा तम् पतितम् भूमौ दूषणम् निहतम् रणे
साधु साधु इति काकुत्स्थम् सर्व भूतानि अपूजयन्
dṛṣṭvā tam patitam bhūmau dūṣaṇam nihatam raṇe
sādhu sādhu iti kākutstham sarva bhūtāni apūjayan
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On seeing Duushana eliminated and fallen to ground, all the beings have applauded Rama saying, 'good, good...' [3-26-16]
एतस्मिन् अन्तरे क्रुद्धाः त्रयः सेना अग्र यायिनः
संहत्य अभ्यद्रवन् रामम् मृत्यु पाश अवपाशिताः
etasmin antare kruddhāḥ trayaḥ senā agra yāyinaḥ
saṃhatya abhyadravan rāmam mṛtyu pāśa avapāśitāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
In the meantime infuriated are the three leading commanders of that army, namely Mahakapaala, Sthulaaksha and great mighty Pramaathii, and they collectively ran towards Rama, bound by the rein of death. [3-26-17, 18a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Mahakapaala raising a broad trident, Sthulaaksha handling a scimitar, Pramaathi handling an axe rushed towards Rama. [3-26-18b, 19a]
दृष्ट्वा एव आपततः ताम् तु राघवः सायकैः शितैः
dṛṣṭvā eva āpatataḥ tām tu rāghavaḥ sāyakaiḥ śitaiḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
As one would receive guests meeting his basic needs, Raghava too took on these untimely guests of war, rather the insurgents, meeting their basic needs which now are no more than highly sharpened acute edged arrows, when he saw them coming and falling upon him, inopportunely. [3-26-19b, 20a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Rama, the legatee of Raghu, chopped off the head of Mahakapaala, with incalculable spates of arrows he eliminated Pramaathi, and filled the bulging eyes of Sthulaaksha with arrows by which Sthulaaksha is killed and fell down onto ground like a burly tree with its broad branches. Then still infuriated Rama forthwith eliminated the five thousand hench-demons of Duushana with five thousand arrows, and thus he led them to the residence of Time-god, namely the hell. [3-26-20b, 21, 22, 23a]
PURPORT
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
On hearing about the killing of Duushana and also thus of the followers of Duushana, Khara irately ordered his army captains, under whose captaincy mighty forces are there. [3-26-23b, 24a]
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
"Duushana is killed in war along with his followers, hence all you demons, take formidable army, take weapons of diverse designs, combat and kill that evil-human Rama..." Thus Khara ordered the remaining demons. [3-26-24b, 25]
एवम् उक्त्वा खरः क्रुद्धो रामम् एव अभि दुद्रुवे
श्येनगामी पृथुग्रीवो यज्ञशत्रुर् विहंगमः
evam uktvā kharaḥ kruddho rāmam eva abhi dudruve
śyenagāmī pṛthugrīvo yajñaśatrur vihaṃgamaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Saying so Khara himself rushed towards Rama in rage, and Shyenagaami, Prithugriiva, Yajnashatru, Vihangama Durjaya, Karaviiraaksha, Parusha, Kaalakaarmuka, Hemamaali, Mahaamaali, Sarpaasya, and Rudhiraaksha are the twelve fiendishly atrocious troop leaders of demonic forces, and they too rushed towards Rama launching their atrocious arrows. [3-26-26, 27, 28]
ततः पावक संकाशैः हेम वज्र विभूषितैः
जघन शेषम् तेजस्वी तस्य सैन्यस्य सायकैः
tataḥ pāvaka saṃkāśaiḥ hema vajra vibhūṣitaiḥ
jaghana śeṣam tejasvī tasya sainyasya sāyakaiḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
He who is resplendent that Rama then annihilated the remaining demons of that army with his arrows that are embellished with gold and diamonds, and that are blazing like ritual-fires. [3-26-29]
ते रुक्म पुंखा विशिखाः स धूमा इव पावकाः
निजघ्नुः तानि रक्षांसि वज्रा इव महाद्रुमान्
te rukma puṃkhā viśikhāḥ sa dhūmā iva pāvakāḥ
nijaghnuḥ tāni rakṣāṃsi vajrā iva mahādrumān
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With those arrows that have golden tailpieces and sharp barbs, and that are dazzling like fuming ritual fires Rama felled the demons, as Thunderbolts of Indra will be felling gigantic trees. [3-26-30]
रक्षसाम् तु शतम् रामः शतेन एकेन कर्णिना
सहस्रम् तु सहस्रेण जघान रण मूर्धनि
rakṣasām tu śatam rāmaḥ śatena ekena karṇinā
sahasram tu sahasreṇa jaghāna raṇa mūrdhani
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With a hundred rudder like arrows Rama hit down a hundred demons, and with a thousand more, thousand more demons are hit in the forefront of that war. [3-26-31]
तैः भिन्न वर्म आभरणाः छ्हिन्न भिन्न शर आसनाः
निपेतुः शोणित आदिग्धा धरण्याम् रजनीचराः
taiḥ bhinna varma ābharaṇāḥ chhinna bhinna śara āsanāḥ
nipetuḥ śoṇita ādigdhā dharaṇyām rajanīcarāḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Ripped are their shields and armorial-ornaments, ruined and rickety are their bows, and they the nightwalkers fell flat on ground, bodies wholly smudged with blood. [3-26-32]
तैः मुक्त केशैः समरे पतितैः शोणित उक्षितैः
विस्तीर्णा वसुधा कृत्स्ना महावेदिः कुशैः इव
taiḥ mukta keśaiḥ samare patitaiḥ śoṇita ukṣitaiḥ
vistīrṇā vasudhā kṛtsnā mahāvediḥ kuśaiḥ iva
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
With those demons that have fallen down in war, whose hair is tousled and who are drenched in blood, entire earth looked like a vast altar of fire overspread with holy grass. [3-26-33]
तत् क्षणे तु महा घोरम् वनम् निहत राक्षसम्
बभूव निरय प्रख्यम् मांस शोणित कर्दमम्
tat kṣaṇe tu mahā ghoram vanam nihata rākṣasam
babhūva niraya prakhyam māṃsa śoṇita kardamam
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
That forest which became sludgy with the flesh and blood of killed demons and very disgusting, in a moment it became identical with hell. [3-26-34]
चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसाम् भीम कर्मणाम्
हतानि एकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना
caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasām bhīma karmaṇām
hatāni ekena rāmeṇa mānuṣeṇa padātinā
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Thus that Rama, a lone one, that too a foot-soldier, has eliminated fourteen thousand demons of frightening exploits. [3-26-35]
तस्य सैन्यस्य सर्वस्य खरः शेषो महारथः
राक्षसः त्रिशिराः चैव रामः च रिपुसूदनः
tasya sainyasya sarvasya kharaḥ śeṣo mahārathaḥ
rākṣasaḥ triśirāḥ caiva rāmaḥ ca ripusūdanaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Of his entire army great-charioteer Khara and Trishira are the remaining nightwalkers, and Rama, the enemy destroyer, naturally on the other side. [3-26-36]
PURPORT
शेषा हता महावीर्या राक्षसा रण मूर्धनि
घोरा दुर्विषहाः सर्वे लक्ष्मणस्य अग्रजेन
śeṣā hatā mahāvīryā rākṣasā raṇa mūrdhani
ghorā durviṣahāḥ sarve lakṣmaṇasya agrajena
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Lakshmana's elder brother Rama eliminated all of the remaining demons in the forefront of war who are highly valorous, ghastly and unbearable. [3-26-37]
इति वाल्मीकि रामायणे आदि काव्ये अरण्य काण्डे षड् विंशः सर्गः
iti vālmīki rāmāyaṇe ādi kāvye araṇya kāṇḍe ṣaḍ viṃśaḥ sargaḥ
SYNONYMS
TRANSLATION
Then on surveying that great demonic force which is eliminated by Rama in that staggering war, Khara then marched on to reach Rama in a huge chariot, as with Indra who will march upraising his Thunderbolt. [3-26-38]
