Here and there, the apes reassured themselves with difficulty and assembled. In the field of battle, they picked up trees and the summits of mountains in their hands. Having returned, the residents of the forest were angry. In great rage, like maddened elephants, they struck him. The immensely strong ones used lofty summits of mountains, boulders and trees that flowered at the top. However, he did not tremble. Descending on his body, boulders shattered into one hundred fragments. Trees that flowered at the top were shattered and fell down on the ground. Extremely angry, like a fire that has arisen in the forest, he made supreme efforts and crushed the immensely energetic soldiers of the apes. Wet with blood, many bulls among apes lay down. They were restrained and fell down on the ground, like trees with coppery red blossoms. Some apes leapt and ran away, without looking back. Some fell into the ocean and some sought refuge in the sky. Superior in strength, the rakshasa slew those brave ones. Some fled along the path they had used to cross the ocean. In fear, their faces turned pale and some resorted to low ground. Bears climbed up trees and some sought refuge in mountains. Some were submerged in the ocean. Some sought refuge in caves. Some apes were distressed, while some helplessly stood there.
On seeing that the apes were routed, Angada said, ‘O apes! Return. Let us stay and fight. If you are routed and go to any place on earth, I do not see a spot for all of you. Return. Why are you protecting your lives? You are running away, casting aside your weapons. This does not befit your manliness. Your wives will laugh at you and even if you live, it is as good as being dead. All of us have been born in noble lineages and are great and pervasive. This act of being scared is indeed ignoble. Why are you giving up your valour and running away? At that time, you boasted in assemblies of people. You said that you were fierce and great. Where have those words gone? If you hear aspersions of being cowards, shame on your lives. Tread the path followed by virtuous people and cast aside this fear. If there is a short lifespan on earth, let us lie down after being killed. It is difficult for those who suffer from lassitude in the field of battle to obtain Brahma’s world. Alternatively, obtain fame by killing the enemy in the battle. Once Kumbhakarna sees Kakutstha, he will not return with his life intact. He will be like an insect that approaches a blazing fire. If we have this urge to run away and protect our lives and a single person routs all of us, our fame will be destroyed.’ The brave Angada, wearing golden armlets, spoke these words. Those who were running away replied in words that are condemned by brave ones. ‘The rakshasa Kumbhakarna is creating great carnage. This is not the time or the place. We love our lives and are leaving.’ Speaking these words, all of them fled in different directions. The leaders of the apes had seen the terrible one, with terrible eyes, approach. At the head of the army, the brave ones who were running away were comforted and assured a lot by Angada. Then, all of them returned. Rishabha, Sharabha, Mainda, Dhumra, Nila, Kumuda, Sushena, Gavaksha, Rambha, Tara, Dvivida and Panasa, with the son of the wind god leading the way, quickly advanced in the direction of the fighting.
Chapter 6(55)
On hearing Angada’s words, gigantic in form, they returned. All of them made up their minds and desired to fight. Their valour was invoked and their bravery was enhanced. Because of Angada’s words, they stationed themselves at the head of the army. They advanced happily, making up their minds to die. The apes, ready to give up their lives, engaged in a tumultuous battle. They used extremely large trees and huge mountains. The apes quickly raised these and rushed towards Kumbhakarna. The valiant Kumbhakarna was enraged and raised a club. In every direction, gigantic in size, he oppressed and dispersed the foe. Uprooted by Kumbhakarna, fifteen hundred and thousands of apes were strewn around and lay down on the ground. He used his hands to pick up sixteen, eight, ten, twenty and thirty apes at a time, fling them into his mouth and eat them. Extremely angry, he devoured them, like Garuda does to serpents.
Stationed in the sky, Hanumat showered down summits of mountains and many kinds of trees on Kumbhakarna’s head. He shattered those summits of mountains with his spear. The immensely strong Kumbhakarna shattered that shower of trees. Seizing the sharp spear, he rushed towards the fierce army of the apes. As he advanced, Hanumat seized a giant mountain and stood in front of him. He angrily struck Kumbhakarna, terrible in form, with force, using that excellent mountain. Thus attacked, he was agitated. His body became wet with fat, sprinkled with blood. The spear was like a flash of lightning and was like a mountain that blazed at the summit. Using this, he struck Maruti in the chest, just as Guha struck Mount Krouncha with the tip of his spear. When he was struck in the chest with this spear, his senses were afflicted and he vomited blood from his mouth. In that great battle, Hanumat roared terribly, like the thunder of the clouds at the end of a yuga. Seeing that he208 was distressed, the large number of rakshasas rejoiced and suddenly roared. The apes were distressed and afflicted by fear. They ran away from Kumbhakarna.
Nila hurled the summit of a mountain towards the intelligent Kumbhakarna. On seeing that it was descending, he struck it with his fist. Struck by the fist, the summit of the mountain was shattered. Blazing with sparks, it fell down on the ground. Rishabha, Sharabha, Nila, Gavaksha and Gandhamadana—these five tigers among apes attacked Kumbhakarna. Those immensely strong ones struck Kumbhakarna, gigantic in size, everywhere with boulders, trees, palms, feet and fists. These blows were like a gentle touch and he did not feel any pain. He embraced the immensely swift Rishabha in his arms. The bull among apes suffered from being squeezed in Kumbhakarna’s arms. The terrible bull fell down, vomiting blood from his mouth. In the battle, Indra’s enemy struck Sharabha with his fist, Nila with his knee and Gavaksha with his palm.209 Suffering from the blows they had received, they repeatedly oozed out blood. They fell down on the ground, like kimshuka trees that had been cut down. Those great-souled and foremost apes fell down. Thousands of apes attacked Kumbhakarna. He was like a mountain and all those bulls among apes possessed the complexion of mountains. Those immensely strong ones leapt on him, climbed up his body and bit him. Those bulls among apes, struck Kumbhakarna, gigantic in form, with their nails, teeth, fists and thighs. He was like a mountain and was covered with thousands of apes. The tiger among rakshasas was as radiant as an overgrown mountain.210 The immensely strong one seized all the apes with his hands. He angrily devoured them, like Garuda does to serpents. They were flung into Kumbhakarna’s mouth, which resembled patala. However, the apes emerged through his nostrils and his ears. Angry and resembling a mountain, he devoured the apes. Enraged, the supreme among rakshasas mangled all the apes. Because of the flesh and the blood, the rakshasa created a mire on the ground. He roamed around amidst the army of the apes, like the raging fire of destruction. With the spear in his hand, the immensely strong Kumbhakarna was like Shakra with the vajra in his hand, or Yama with the noose in his hand. Just as the fire consumes a dry forest during the summer, like that, Kumbhakarna scorched the soldiers of the apes. Without leaders, the herds were slain. The apes were terrified and anxious and wailed in extremely piteous tones. Kumbhakarna killed many apes. Distressed and with their senses afflicted, they sought refuge with Raghava.
Seeing that the immensely strong Kumbhakarna was descending, the brave Sugriva, lord of the apes, leapt up. The giant ape raised the summit of a mountain and attacked him. With great force, he rushed towards the immensely strong Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna saw that the ape was descending. He tightened his limbs and faced the Indra among the apes. He was devouring giant apes and his body was covered with the blood of apes. On seeing that Kumbhakarna was stationed there, Sugriva addressed him in these words. ‘You have struck down brave ones and have performed an extremely difficult deed. You have devoured the soldiers and obtained supreme fame. Abandon this army of apes. What will you do with ordinary ones? O rakshasa! Withstand this mountain that I am hurling towards you.’ Full of spirit and patience, the king of the apes spoke these words. Hearing them, Kumbhakarna, tiger among rakshasas, spoke these words. ‘You are Prajapa
ti’s grandson and the son of Riksharaja. You possess fortitude and manliness. O ape! Why are you roaring?’ Hearing Kumbhakarna’s words, he suddenly released the mountain and struck Kumbhakarna in the chest with it. That mountain was like the vajra or thunder. The summit of the mountain smacked against his broad chest and was violently shattered. The apes were suddenly distressed and the large number of rakshasas roared, rejoicing. Struck by the summit of the mountain, he was enraged. He opened his mouth and roared in anger. To kill the lord of the apes, he hurled that spear that glittered like lightning.
The sharp spear was bound with golden ropes and was hurled from Kumbhakarna’s hand. With the speed of the wind, the son of the wind god swiftly leapt up, seized it in his hands and broke it. The giant spear was made out of iron and weighed one thousand sahasras.211 The bull among apes broke it on his thighs and was delighted. On seeing that the spear had been broken, the great-souled lord of the rakshasas became angry. Malaya was near Lanka. He uprooted its peak and struck Sugriva with this. In the battle, struck by the summit of the mountain, the Indra among apes lost his senses and fell down on the ground. On seeing that he had lost his senses and had fallen down, all the yatudhanas who were fighting were delighted and roared. Kumbhakarna displayed a terrible and extraordinary valour in the battle. He seized Sugriva and raised him up, just as a terrible wind disperses a cloud. His form was like that of a giant cloud. In the battle, Kumbhakarna raised him up and roamed around. He was radiant, resembling Meru in his beauty. He looked like Meru, with its tall and terrible peak raised up. In the battle, the brave one raised him up and walked away, being praised by the Indras among the rakshasas. When the king of the apes was seized, the residents of heaven were astounded and a roar was heard in their residences. Indra’s enemy was like Indra and resembled Indra in valour. Having seized the king of the apes, he thought, ‘If this one is killed, Raghava and all the soldiers will be killed.’ Hanumat saw that, here and there, the army of the apes was running away. Kumbhakarna had seized the ape Sugriva. The intelligent son of the wind god thought, ‘Now that Sugriva has been seized, what should I do? In every situation, I should do what is proper. I can assume the size of a mountain and destroy this rakshasa. I can advance against the immensely strong Kumbhakarna and shatter his body with a blow of my fists. The king of the apes will be freed and on seeing this, all the apes will be delighted. Alternatively, the king can also free himself, even though he has been seized by the residents of heaven, the asuras and the serpents. Since Kumbhakarna has struck him with a mountain in the battle, I think that the lord of the apes has still not gained consciousness. The instant Sugriva regains his consciousness in this great battle, he will do what is best for himself and for the apes. If the great-souled Sugriva is freed by me, his eternal fame will be destroyed and he will find this unpleasant and suffer from it. Therefore, I will wait for some time, so that the king can exhibit his valour. My task is to reassure the army of the apes that has been routed.’ Having thought in this way, Hanumat, the son of the wind god, steadied the great army of the apes. The great ape212 was writhing and Kumbhakarna entered Lanka with him. Those who were in the mansions, houses and turrets worshipped him and showered down flowers in front of him. The great-souled one213 regained his consciousness with difficulty. He was still stuck between his214 arms. He looked at the city and the royal road and thought repeatedly. ‘Having been seized by him, what should I do now? Right now, I am capable of undertaking an act that can bring the desired benefit to the apes.’ Thinking this, the king of the apes violently used his hands. He used his nails to rip apart the ears of Kumbhakarna, the enemy of the Indra of the immortals. He used his teeth to bite his nose and struck his sides with his feet. Kumbhakarna’s ears and nose were torn apart, bruised and mangled. There was blood from the wounds and he became full of rage. He flung Sugriva down and crushed him on the ground. He was crushed on the ground with that terrible force and struck by the enemy of the gods. However, he leapt up into the sky with force and went to Rama’s presence again. The immensely strong Kumbhakarna was deprived of his ears and nose. Wet with blood, he was radiant, like a mountain with waterfalls. From the city, the great-souled one violently emerged in front of the army of the apes. In the battle, the rakshasa Kumbhakarna devoured them, like the blazing fire of destruction does to the subjects. He was hungry and desired flesh and blood. He entered the vanguard of that army of the apes. Because he was confused in the battle, Kumbhakarna ate up rakshasas, apes, pishachas and bears.215 In a single hand, he angrily held one, two, three and many apes and rakshasas at the same time and hurled them into his mouth. As the immensely strong one devoured the apes, they struck him back with the summits of mountains and his body was covered with fat and blood.
As they were being devoured, the apes sought refuge with Rama. At that time, Lakshmana, Sumitra’s son, the afflicter of enemy armies and the conqueror of enemy cities, angrily started to fight. He pierced the valiant Kumbhakarna’s body with seven arrows. Lakshmana affixed and shot some other arrows too.
However, the immensely strong Kumbhakarna passed over Lakshmana. As if causing an earthquake, he rushed towards Rama. Rama, Dasharatha’s son, invoked the roudra weapon and shot sharp arrows towards Kumbhakarna’s chest. As he violently rushed towards Rama, he was pierced by him. He became so angry that flames mixed with coal started to emerge from his mouth. Arrows tufted with the feathers of peacocks were embedded in his chest. The giant club was dislodged from his hand and fell down on the ground. The immensely strong one thought that he had been deprived of all his weapons.216 He created great carnage with his fists and his feet. His limbs were struck by arrows and blood started to flow. He oozed out blood, like waterfalls in a mountain. Because of his terrible anger and because of the blood, he became senseless. He rushed around, devouring apes, rakshasas and bears.
At that time, Lakshmana, with dharma in his soul, spoke to Rama, after having reflected on many techniques that could be used to kill Kumbhakarna. ‘He cannot distinguish the apes from the rakshasas. Crazy with the smell of blood, he is devouring those on his own side, as well as those on the enemy’s side. Let bulls among apes climb on to his body from all directions and properly cover it. Let the leaders of the herds lead their herds and surround him from every direction. Through this means, the evil-minded one will suffer from a heavy burden. The rakshasa will fall down on the ground and will not be able to kill the apes.’ Hearing the words of the intelligent prince, the apes were delighted and started to climb up Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna was angry at these apes climbing up. He shook himself with great force, like a wicked elephant tries to shake off an elephant rider. Seeing that he was shaking himself, Rama realized that the rakshasa was enraged. He grasped an excellent bow and rushed towards him with great force. He grasped a bow that was like a serpent. It was strung firmly and fiercely and was colourful with gold. Rama comforted the apes and descended, with a quiver full of arrows fixed. A large number of apes surrounded the one who was extremely difficult to vanquish. The immensely strong Rama advanced, followed by Lakshmana. He saw the great-souled and extremely strong Kumbhakarna. The slayer of enemies was diademed and all his limbs were covered with blood. Like an angry dishagaja,217 he was rushing around in all the directions. Surrounded by rakshasas, he was angrily searching for apes. He was like Vindhya and Mandara and was decorated with golden armlets. Blood flowed from his mouth and he was like a cloud that had arisen during the monsoon. He licked the blood along the corners of his mouth. Like Yama the Destroyer, he trampled the army of the apes. The best among rakshasas blazed like the flames of the fire.
On seeing him, the bull among men stretched his bow. The bull among nairittas became enraged at the twanging of the bow. He couldn’t tolerate the sound and rushed towards Raghava. He was like a storm or a cloud. His arms were like the coils of the supreme king of serpents. His complexion was like that of a mountain. Seeing him descend in the battle, Rama spoke to Kumbhakarna. ‘O lord of the rakshasas! Come. Do not be distressed. Having grasp
ed the bow, I am standing before you. O Shakra’s enemy! Know me to be Rama. In a short while, you will lose your senses.’ Knowing that this was Rama, he laughed in a distorted voice, as if he was shattering the hearts of all the residents of the forest with that sound. The terrible one laughed in that distorted tone, resembling the thunder of the clouds. The immensely energetic Kumbhakarna addressed Raghava in these words. ‘Know that I am not Viradha, Kabandha or Khara. Nor am I Vali or Maricha. It is Kumbhakarna who has arrived. Behold my large and terrible club that is completely made out of iron. In earlier times, I have used this to vanquish the gods and the danavas. Just because I do not possess ears and a nose, you should not take me lightly. I do not feel the slightest bit of pain at my ears and nose having been severed. O tiger among the Ikshvakus! Display your valour and dexterity on my body. After having witnessed your manliness and valour, I will devour you.’
Hearing Kumbhakarna’s words, Rama released tufted arrows. They were like the vajra in their force. However, even after being struck by them, the enemy of the gods was not agitated or distressed. Those arrows had cut down the best of sala trees and had slain Vali, bull among the apes. But Kumbhakarna’s body was like the vajra and they could not pain him. The shower of arrows rained down on his body. However, the enemy of the great Indra seemed to drink them up. He countered the force of Rama’s arrows and struck back with the fierce force of his club. The club was smeared with blood and could terrify the large army of the gods. The rakshasa used the fierce force of the club to strike and drive away the army of the apes. Rama then released the supreme vayavya weapon towards the roamer in the night. It severed his arm, which was still holding on to the club. With his arm severed, he roared loudly. The arm was like the summit of a mountain and was severed by Raghava’s arrow, while still holding on to the club. It fell down on the army of the king of the apes and killed many apes who were in that army. The apes who had not been maimed or killed were distressed and sought refuge in the extremities of the army. Suffering in all their limbs, they witnessed an extremely terrible encounter between the lord of the rakshasas and the Indra among men. Kumbhakarna’s arm had been severed by the weapon, like the summit of an excellent mountain severed by a large sword. He used his other arm to uproot a tree and in the battle, attacked the Indra among men with this. With the sala tree that had been violently uprooted, this arm looked like the coils of a serpent. Using an arrow that was colourful with molten gold, Rama invoked the aindrastra and severed this. Kumbhakarna’s arm was like a mountain. Severed, it fell down on the ground. Writhing there, it shattered trees, boulders, rocks, apes and rakshasas. In the battle, Rama saw that his arms had been severed and had fallen down and roared loudly. He seized two sharp ardhachandra arrows and severed the rakshasa’s feet. His arms had been severed. His feet had been severed. With a gaping mouth that resembled the mouth of the subterranean fire, he roared violently and rushed towards Rama, like Rahu advancing towards the moon in the sky.218 Rama used arrows that were sharp at the tips and were tufted with gold to fill up his mouth. His mouth filled with these, he was unable to speak. Because of this great misery, he lost his senses. Rama picked up an arrow that was like the wind in its speed. It was like the rays of the sun and was like the staff of Brahma or Yama. He invoked aindrastra on his sharp and well-tufted arrow. Encrusted colourfully with tufts of diamonds and molten gold, it blazed like the radiant sun. Its force was like that of the great Indra’s vajra. Rama shot this towards the roamer in the night. The arrow was released from Raghava’s arm and illuminated the ten directions with its radiance. It could be seen to blaze, like a fire without smoke. Like Shakra’s vajra in its powers, it advanced. The head of the lord of the rakshasas resembled the summit of a huge mountain. The teeth were excellently formed and the beautiful earrings were moving. Like Vritra’s head severed by Purandara in earlier times, this head was severed. The rakshasa’s head was like a mountain. Struck by Rama’s arrow, it fell down. As it fell down, it shattered the arches, houses, turrets and ramparts. Gigantic in size, the rakshasa was like the Himalayas and fell into the ocean, crushing the crocodiles, giant fish and serpents and then submerging into the ground there.219
The Valmiki Ramayana Page 105