The Valmiki Ramayana

by Amish Tripathi

  Dashagriva was struck by a storm of boulders from the apes and the shower of Raghava’s arrows. His heart was in a whirl. He could not use his weapons, stretch his bow or use his valour to counter this. His inner soul was suffering. He did hurl arrows and many kinds of weapons. However, because the time of his death had arrived, these did not serve any purpose in the battle. His charioteer saw that his leader was in such a state on the chariot. He wasn’t scared, but gently withdrew the chariot from the battle.

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  Urged by the strength of Death, he was confused and angry. His eyes red with rage, Ravana spoke to the charioteer. ‘O one with evil intelligence! Am I inferior in valour? Am I incapable? Am I bereft of manliness? Am I a coward? Am I light in spirit? Am I devoid of energy? Has maya deserted me? Have my weapons been cast away? You are resorting to your own intelligence and are showing me disrespect. Why are you slighting me? Why are you ignoring what I desire? In the sight of the enemy, you have brought my chariot away. O ignoble one! Over a long period of time, I have earned fame, valour, energy and trust. Because of you, these have now been destroyed. My enemy is famous for his valour and his valour causes delight. He saw that I had come to fight with him. However, you have made me a coward. O evil-minded one! In your confusion, you withdrew this chariot. This truth is beyond debate, you have been bribed by the enemy. A well-wisher who desires to ensure what is beneficial does not act in this way. What you have done is just like what an enemy would do. Swiftly take this chariot back, before my enemy withdraws. If you have been with me and if you remember my qualities, do that.’

  The charioteer had his welfare in mind, though he had been harshly addressed by a foolish person. He entreated Ravana in these beneficial words. ‘I am not a coward. I am not stupid. Nor have I been bribed by the enemy. I am not mad. I am not without affection. Nor have I forgotten the good deeds you have done to me. I desired your welfare and sought to protect your fame. My mind was full of affection towards you. That is why I did something agreeable in the guise of the disagreeable. O great king! I am devoted to ensuring your pleasure. Therefore, you should not reprimand my faults, as if by someone who is light and ignoble. Listen to the reason why I withdrew the chariot from the battle, as one would from the force of water in a river. Having performed great deeds in the battle, I could understand that you were exhausted. O brave one! I take no delight in preventing you from taking on a confrontation. These steeds yoked to the chariot were tired from bearing the chariot along. They were suffering, like cows during the summer when they are lashed by rain. Many kinds of portents presented themselves before us. As I circled around, I noticed all these different signs of danger. One must know about the time and the place, the good and the bad signs and the misery, delight, exhaustion, strengths and weaknesses of the warrior on the chariot. One must know about the nature of the ground—low, plain or uneven. One must know about the time of battle and the signs of weakness in the enemy. A person who wishes well for the warrior in the chariot must know about driving forward, remaining in one place and withdrawing and also everything about the warrior in the chariot. I did that so that you could rest and so could the horses yoked to the chariot and so that your terrible exhaustion might be reduced. O brave one! I did not withdraw the chariot on my own volition. O lord! Everything that I did is because I am full of affection towards my master. O slayer of enemies! Command me properly and tell me. O brave one! With a relieved mind, I will act accordingly.’

  Ravana was satisfied at the words of the charioteer. He praised him in many ways. Since he loved fighting, he said, ‘O charioteer! Swiftly drive my chariot in Raghava’s direction. Ravana does not retreat without killing the enemy in the battle.’ Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas, said this. Satisfied, he gave him an auspicious and excellent ornament for the hand. Urged by Ravana’s words, the charioteer quickly goaded the horses. In a short while, the great chariot of the Indra among the rakshasas was stationed in front of Rama.

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  The king of men saw the chariot of the king of the rakshasas return suddenly. It possessed a huge standard and roared. It was yoked to black horses and was terrible in its radiance. It was like Indra’s weapon358 in the clouds, with flags of lightning, and was stocked with weapons. He359 showered down arrows, like a cloud pouring down rain. He360 saw his enemy descend on a chariot that was like a cloud. It possessed a clatter like that of the vajra shattering a mountain. Rama spoke to Matali, the charioteer of the one with the thousand eyes. ‘O Matali! Look at the enraged enemy descending on his chariot. He is again descending with great force, from left to right.361 It is my view that he has made up his mind to kill himself in the battle. Therefore, be attentive and proceed in the direction of the enemy’s chariot. I wish to destroy it, just as a wind drives away clouds that have arisen. Do not be distracted. Do not be frightened. Let your grasp and sight be firm. Control the reins and the goad and drive the chariot quickly. You are used to driving Purandara’s chariot and it is not desired that I should instruct you. I wish to fight single-mindedly. Therefore, I am reminding you, not teaching you.’ Matali was satisfied with Rama’s words. The excellent charioteer of the gods drove the chariot. He kept Ravana’s great chariot on the left. The dust raised from the wheels of the chariot made Ravana quaver.

  Dashagriva was angry and his coppery red eyes dilated. Rama was facing his chariot and he showered him with arrows. Rama tolerated this oppression, using his patience to overcome the rage. In the battle, he grasped Indra’s bow, which possessed an extremely great force. In the great battle, they wished to kill each other. Those two extremely energetic ones used arrows that were as resplendent as the sun’s rays and oppressed each other. Facing each other, they were like two proud lions. Desiring Ravana’s destruction, the gods, the gandharvas, the siddhas and the supreme rishis gathered to witness the duel. Terrible portents that made the body hair rise up arose. They signified Ravana’s destruction and Raghava’s victory. The gods showered down blood on Ravana’s chariot. Fierce winds circled around in a counterclockwise direction. A large flock of vultures roamed around in the sky. Wherever the chariot362 proceeded, they accompanied it. Resembling a red hibiscus flower,363 evening shrouded Lanka. But the ground was seen to blaze, as if it was day. Accompanied by storms, giant meteors fell down, with a loud noise. Since this signified harm to Ravana, the rakshasas were distressed. Wherever Ravana was, the earth trembled. The arms of rakshasas who tried to strike were seized.364 Coppery, yellow, dark and white rays were seen to descend from the sun on Ravana’s limbs, like minerals flowing from a mountain. Vultures followed him and vomited flames from their mouths. Facing him and looking towards him, terrified jackals howled in inauspicious tones. In the battle, a perverse wind started to blow and raised dust, so that the sight of the king of the rakshasas became unclear. Though there were no sounds from the clouds, in every direction, Indra’s thunder descended on the soldiers, making a terrible noise that was impossible to tolerate. All the directions and sub-directions were enveloped in darkness. There was a shower of dust and it became extremely difficult to see the sky. Hundreds of sarika birds365 quarrelled horribly with one another and fell down on his chariot, making a hideous sound and shrieking in terrible voices. The horses showered sparks from their loins and incessant drops of water from their eyes. In this way, there were many kinds of fearful portents, signifying Ravana’s terrible destruction. For Rama, in every direction, pleasant and auspicious omens manifested themselves, indicating his victory. Raghava knew about the nature of portents. He saw the portents that manifested themselves in the field of battle and was filled with delight. In the battle, he exhibited greater valour and supreme conduct.

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  There was an extremely cruel and extremely great duel in the battle between Rama and Ravana then and it was fearful to all creatures. The soldiers of the rakshasas and the large army of the apes seized weapons. But they stationed themselves and did not move.366 As they watched the powerful man and rakshas
a engage with each other, all their hearts were filled with great wonder. They anxiously held many weapons in their hands. But as they witnessed the battle, their minds were filled with amazement and they did not strike each other. The eyes of Ravana’s rakshasas and Raghava’s apes were filled with amazement. The soldiers were like paintings. Raghava and Ravana saw those portents. They were firm in their intolerance and made up their minds to fight fearlessly. Kakutstha was sure he would win. Ravana was certain he would die. They displayed their fortitude and all their spirit in that battle.

  The valiant Dashagriva was filled with rage. Raghava was on his chariot and he shot his arrows in the direction of his standard. Those arrows failed to reach the standard on Purandara’s chariot. They touched the pole of the chariot and fell down on the ground. The valiant Rama drew his bow angrily. He made up his mind to strike back at every strike. He shot a sharp arrow in the direction of Ravana’s standard. It was like a huge serpent and blazed in its own energy. The arrow pierced Dashagriva’s standard and penetrated the ground. It severed the standard on Ravana’s chariot and brought it down on the ground. The extremely strong Ravana saw that his standard had been destroyed. In the battle, because of the fire of his rage, he seemed to blaze. Overcome with anger, he seemed to vomit out large showers of arrows. Ravana pierced Rama’s divine horses with arrows. Though pierced, the horses did not lose their feet. They were firm in their hearts and it was as if they had been struck with the stalks of lotuses. Ravana saw that the horses were not frightened. Extremely angry, he showered down arrows again. Using his maya, he brought down showers of arrows that were in the form of clubs, maces, chakras, bludgeons, summits of mountains, trees, spears and battleaxes. With no exhaustion in his heart, he shot thousands of arrows. It was terrible and tumultuous and generated fear. There was a horrible echo. In that battle, there were many great weapons that were invincible. Letting Raghava’s chariot be, in every direction, Dashagriva, whose mind had been made up about his destruction, quickly shot continuous arrows on the army of the apes. Kakutstha saw that in the battle, his enemy, Ravana, was covering everything. Laughingly, he affixed sharp arrows. In the encounter, he shot hundreds and thousands of arrows. On seeing this, Ravana incessantly covered the sky with his own arrows. Both of them showered down radiant arrows. Consequently, there seemed to be a second dazzling sky that was made out of arrows alone. No arrow missed the target. Having pierced, no arrow failed in its purpose. In that battle, Rama and Ravana shot arrows. They incessantly fought against each other, to the left and to the right. They shot torrents of arrows and no space was left in the sky. Rama struck Ravana’s horses. Ravana struck Rama’s horses. They struck each other and countered what the other one had done.

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  In that battle, Rama and Ravana fought. On witnessing this, all the creatures were astounded in their hearts. They were engaged in killing each other and were terrible in form. In the encounter, they afflicted each other from their excellent chariots. The chariots moved in different modes—circular, straight, advancing and retreating. The charioteers, who knew about the techniques charioteers should follow, exhibited many kinds of movements. Rama wounded Ravana and Ravana wounded Rama. They used speed in forward movements and also used speed in rearward movements. From those two excellent chariots, they showered down nets of arrows. They roamed around in that battle, like clouds showering down rain on earth. They exhibited many kinds of movements in that encounter. They stood there again, facing each other. The carriage of one chariot met the carriage of the other. The mouth of one horse faced the mouth of another.367 As they stood there, flags faced flags. With four sharp and blazing arrows shot from his bow, Rama made Ravana’s four horses retreat. When his horses were forced to retreat, the roamer in the night was filled with rage and shot sharp arrows towards Raghava. Raghava was severely pierced by the strong Dashagriva. But there was no discomfiture in him, nor was he pained. The roamer in the night again shot arrows towards the charioteer of the one who holds the vajra in his hand and these made a noise like the clap of thunder. Those immensely forceful arrows descended on Matali’s body. However, they did not cause the slightest bit of confusion or pain. Raghava was angry at this oppression of Matali, as if he himself had suffered. He shot a net of arrows and his enemy retreated. His enemy was on his chariot and the brave Raghava shot twenty, thirty, sixty, hundreds and thousands of arrows. The seven oceans were agitated by the sound of clubs, maces and bludgeons and the wind created by the tufts of the arrows. The residents of the ocean, in the nether regions of patala, were agitated. All the thousands of danavas and serpents were distressed. The entire earth, with its mountains, forests and groves, trembled. The sun lost its radiance and the wind did not blow.

  All the gods, the gandharvas, the siddhas, the supreme rishis, the kinnaras and the giant serpents were worried. They said, ‘May there be safety to cattle and brahmanas. May the worlds remain till eternity. In this battle, may Raghava be victorious over Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas.’ The mighty-armed extender of the deeds of the Raghu lineage became angry. Rama affixed a kshura arrow, that was like virulent poison, to his bow. Ravana’s handsome head blazed, with its earrings. While the three worlds looked on, he severed the head and it fell down on the ground. However, Ravana sprouted another head that was exactly similar. Rama, who was swift in action, became angry. Acting with a quick hand, he affixed an arrow and severed this second head of Ravana’s. However, no sooner was this head severed, than another one was seen. Rama used arrows that were like the vajra to sever this too. In this way, one hundred heads that were equally radiant were severed. No signs were seen about Ravana’s end, or his life being over. The brave extender of Kousalya’s delight was accomplished in all weapons. Having used many arrows, Raghava started to think. ‘All these arrows have killed Maricha, Khara, Dushana, Viradha in the Krouncha forest and Kabandha in the Dandaka forest. In this encounter, what is the reason for their being countered by Ravana, evil in his intelligence?’ While remaining attentive in the encounter, Raghava thought in this way and showered down floods of arrows on Ravana’s chest. On his chariot, Ravana, the lord of the rakshasas, was also angry. In the battle, he struck Rama back, showering down maces and clubs. The gods, the danavas, the yakshas, the pishachas, the serpents and the rakshasas witnessed this great encounter that continued through the night. During night, day, muhurta or kshana,368 there was no break in the battle between Rama and Ravana.

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  At this, Matali reminded Raghava. ‘O brave one! Why are you acting towards him as if you don’t know what is to be done? O lord! To kill him, use the grandfather’s weapon. The time for his destruction, which the gods spoke about, has come now.’ Rama was reminded by Matali’s words. He seized a blazing arrow that sighed like a serpent. In the battle, the valiant one used an invincible and great arrow given by Brahma, and which had been given to him earlier by the illustrious rishi Agastya. For Indra’s sake, the infinitely energetic Brahma had fashioned this earlier. Earlier, he had given it to the lord of the gods, when he had desired to conquer the three worlds. The wind was in its feathers, the fire and the sun were in its points. Its body was made out of space. It was as heavy as Meru and Mandara. Its form blazed. It was well tufted and decorated with gold. Its energy had been fashioned out of all the elements and it was like the sun in its radiance. It was like the smoking fire of destruction. It was as radiant as a venomous serpent. It was swift in action and could shatter hordes of men, elephants and horses. It could shatter gates, barricades and mountains. Many kinds of blood were smeared on its limbs. Extremely terrible, it was smeared with fat. Its essence was as firm as the vajra. It emitted a loud roar. It could shatter many assemblies. It was terrible and terrified everyone. It sighed like a serpent. It was fearful, with Yama’s form. In a battle, it always provided food to herons, vultures, cranes, herds of jackals and rakshasas. It brought delight to the Indras among the apes and led to lassitude among the rakshasas. It was colourful and had many kinds
of swift feathers, including those of Garuda. This was an excellent arrow that could destroy the fear of the worlds and of the Ikshvakus. It robbed the enemy of his deeds and caused delight to one’s own self.

  The immensely strong Rama chanted mantras over this great arrow, following the rites mentioned in the Vedas. The powerful one affixed it to his bow. Extremely angry, he stretched his terrible bow and attentively, shot this arrow, which could shatter the inner organs, towards Ravana. It was as invincible as the vajra and was released from an arm that was as strong as the vajra. It was as irresistible as Death and descended on Ravana’s chest. The arrow, which could bring an end to the body, was released with great force. It shattered the evil-souled Ravana’s heart. The forceful arrow could bring an end to life. It took away Ravana’s life, and smeared with blood, penetrated the ground. Having killed Ravana, the arrow had a form that was wet with blood. Having performed its task, it quietly returned to the quiver. His breath of life was separated from his body and he fell down. The bow and arrows also fell down from his hand. The immensely radiant Indra among the nairittas, whose force was terrible, lost his life. He fell down on the ground from his chariot, like Vritra when he was slain by the vajra.