Chapter XCIII: Section LXLIV

Entering his court, the king, distressed, and exceedingly aggrieved, sat him down on the foremost seat sighing like an enraged lion. And stricken with grief in consequence of his son's death, that highly powerful Ravana, with folded hands, addressed all the heroic Rakshasas, saying:--"Do ye all proceed to battle with elephants, horses and cars. And encircling Rama only and discharging shafts at him, delightedly, like unto clouds, in the rainy season, pouring water, do ye slay him. Or I shall slay him to-morrow in the presence of all, wounded by you in the mighty encounter with sharpened arrows". Hearing the speech of their lord the Rakshasas, with a huge army and a host of cars, speedily issued out for battle. And they all threw at the monkeys life-destroying _Parighas_, _Patticas_, arrows, daggers and _Paraskwadhas_. And the monkeys too threw crags and trees at the Rakshasas. Thus on the eve of sun set there arose a terrible conflict between the Rakshasas and the monkeys. And they struck each other in the conflict with clubs, _chitras_, _Prasas_, daggers and _Paraskwadhas_. The conflict being thus carried on, there arose a mighty dust which was again destroyed by the current of blood gushing out of the persons of the Rakshasas and the monkeys. Elephants and cars were like the banks of that river of blood, the arrows were like the fishes, and the flags were the trees on their banks and the corpses were like planks afloat there. Being thus wounded and assailed by the Rakshasas, those heroic monkeys leaped and broke down the flags, armours, cars, horses and other weapons. And with their sharp teeth and nails they scratched the hair, ears, foreheads and the noses of the Rakshasas. Like unto vultures falling upon a felled tree, hundreds of monkeys fell upon one Rakshasa in that encounter. And the Rakshasas resembling mountains, with huge clubs, _prasas_, daggers and _parashwadhas_, struck the monkeys (in their turn). Being thus assailed by the Rakshasas, the mighty host of monkeys took refuge of Rama, the son of Dacaratha, the worthy refuge of all creatures. Thereupon the highly effulgent and powerful Rama, taking up his bow, entered the Rakshasa host and began to make a downpour of arrows. And Rama entering the field, those terrible Rakshasas, being burnt with the fire of his arrows, could not stand before him like unto clouds disappearing before the Sun in the welkin. And the night-rangers only espied the dreadful feats performed by Rama and which were above the power of others. Except when guiding the huge army or driving the cars they could not see Rama like unto the wind invisible in a forest. They all beheld the Rakshasa force scattered, wounded, burnt down with arrows, broken and assailed with weapons, by Rama, but none could see the quick-moving Rama. As people cannot see the soul which governs all objects of sense so they could not see Rama, who was thus inflicting wounds on them. "It is he who is destroying the soldiers riding the elephants, it is he who is breaking down the mighty cars, and it is he who with sharp arrows is slaying the cavalry--rider and horse". Thus saying those Rakshasas, in that conflict and in the very presence of Rama, highly enraged, began to slay each other. They were all bewildered by the huge Gandharba weapon discharged by the high-souled Rama and so they could not see Rama, who was thus burning down their force. And the Rakshasas sometimes beheld thousands of Rama in the battle field and again saw one Rama only. They at times saw the quick-moving golden end of the bow of that high-souled one, resembling a circular fire brand but they did not behold Raghava. And he looked like _kala chakra_, having his middle body as its navel, his own strength as its lustre, the arrow for its radius or spoke, the bow for the circumference, the twang of the bow for its sound, his power and intelligence for its brightness, and the aim of the celestial weapons for its limit. And in the eighth division of the time by Rama alone with arrows resembling the flame of fire were destroyed ten thousands swift-coursing cars, eighteen thousand elephants fourteen thousands horses and riders and two million Rakshasa infantry assuming shapes at will. And those night-rangers, who were still left, having their horses killed, cars and flags broken, fled in fear of life to the city of Lanka. And the battle field, filled with slain horses elephants and infantry, looked like the high-souled and enraged Rudra's arena of sports. Thereupon the celestials with Gandharbas, Siddhas and the great ascetics glorified the wonderful feat of Rama. And the virtuous-souled Rama addressed Sugriva, Bibhishana the monkey Hanuman, the leading monkey Jambavan, Mainda and Divida who were near him, saying--"This is the power of my weapons and as well as that of Rudra". The high-souled Rama, equalling Sakra in prowess, thus slaying the huge host of the lord of Rakshasas and assailing them with shafts and weapons--the celestials, delighted, sang his praises.