Sarga 6

Tormented by them, the gods and the sages whose wealth was penance, distressed by fear, went to Maheśvara, the god of gods, for refuge.

They went to him who is the creator and destroyer of the world, unborn, of unmanifest form, the support of all worlds, adorable, and the supreme teacher.

Having approached Shiva, the enemy of Kama, the destroyer of Tripura, and the three-eyed one, the gods, with folded hands and voices choked by fear, spoke to him.

The gods addressed Shiva, saying, "O Lord, O Lord of creatures, all beings are being tormented by the sons of Sukesha, who are uplifted by the boon of Brahma and act as tormentors."

They have made our hermitages unsafe, and having driven the gods from heaven, they now play in heaven as if they were gods themselves.

They boast, "I am Vishnu, I am Rudra, I am Brahma, I am Indra, I am Yama, and Varuna, I am Chandra, and I am also Ravi."

Thus, Mali, Sumali, and Malyavan, along with their battle-eager leaders, torment us; therefore, O god, you ought to grant protection to us who are afflicted by fear.

Therefore, assuming a terrible form, indeed destroy these thorns of the gods.

After all the gods had thus spoken about those battle-eager leaders who torment them, Lord Shiva, with matted hair and blue-red form, concerned about Sukesha, spoke to the hosts of gods.

Lord Shiva declared that he would not kill those powerful beings (Rakshasas) because they were invulnerable to him, but he would provide a strategy that would indeed destroy them.

O great sages, taking this very plan as your guide, go seek refuge in Lord Vishnu, for that Lord will surely kill them.

Then, indeed, those afflicted by the fear of night-wanderers (Rakshasas) acclaimed Lord Shiva with cries of victory and approached Lord Vishnu.

Having bowed down and greatly honored the god bearing the conch and discus, they spoke agitatedly concerning the sons of Sukesha.

O Lord, our abodes have been seized and taken away by the three sons of Sukesha, who resemble the three sacred fires, by virtue of a boon.

There is an impregnable city named Lanka, situated on the peak of Trikuta mountain, where night-roaming Rakshasas reside and torment all of us.

O Madhusudana, for our welfare, you must destroy them; we have sought refuge in you, so be our protector, O Lord of gods.

Offer to Yama those whose lotus-like faces are severed by your discus, for there is no other giver of fearlessness to us in times of fear except you.

O God, just as the sun dispels mist, you should dispel our fear by destroying these wicked, arrogant Rakshasas and their followers in battle.

Thus addressed by the gods, Janardana, the God of gods, who grants fearlessness to his devotees and fear to his enemies, indeed spoke to the gods after granting them protection.

I know the demon Sukesha, who is arrogant due to a boon from Shiva, and I also know his sons, among whom Malyavan is the eldest.

I, being exceedingly angry, will kill those vile demons who have transgressed all limits; therefore, O gods, be free from fear.

Thus addressed by the all-powerful Vishnu, all the gods, delighted, returned to their respective abodes, praising Janardana.

Malyavan, the demon, having heard of the gods' concerted effort, spoke these words to his two brave brothers.

It is said that the gods and sages, having met Shankara, spoke these words, desiring our destruction.

O god, the sons of Sukesha, who are exceedingly arrogant due to the power of boons and possess terrible forms, harass us at every step.

O Prajapati, we are overcome by these Rakshasas and are unable to remain in our own abodes due to fear of those wicked beings.

Therefore, O three-eyed one, for our welfare, destroy those Rakshasas and burn them merely with a roar, O best among those who can burn.

Having thus been addressed by the gods and having heard their plea, the destroyer of Andhaka (Shiva), shaking his head and hand, spoke these words.

O gods, those sons of Sukesha are not to be killed by me in battle; however, I shall give you a counsel (or a plan) that will indeed lead to their destruction.

You should take refuge in that glorious Narayana, also known as Janardana and Hari, who holds the discus and mace in his hands and wears yellow garments.

Having obtained the mantra from Hara and saluted Shiva, they reached the abode of Narayana and submitted everything to him.

Then Narayana addressed the gods, led by Indra, saying, "I will kill those enemies of the gods; O gods, become free from anxiety."

O best of Rakshasas, Hari has promised the destruction of us (Rakshasas) to the terrified gods; therefore, let us consider what is appropriate to do in this situation.

The death of Hiranyakashipu and other enemies of the gods, such as Namuchi, Kalanemi, and Samhrada, the best of heroes, was also caused by him.

This verse lists several powerful and deceitful Asuras, including Radheya, Bahumayi, Lokapala, Dharmika, Yamala and Arjuna, Hardikya, Shumbha, and Nishumbhaka.

All these Asuras and Danavas, though endowed with great strength and power, are never heard to have remained undefeated once they entered battle.

All of them had performed hundreds of sacrifices, were skilled in various illusions, proficient in all weapons, and struck terror into their enemies.

Knowing that these very beings were slain by Narayana in hundreds and thousands, you should now grant forgiveness to all of them here.

Then, Sumali and Mali, having heard the words of Malyavan, spoke to their elder brother, just as Bhaga and Amsha would speak to Indra.

We have diligently studied, given charity, performed sacrifices, maintained our sovereignty, attained a healthy life, and established righteousness on our path.

Having plunged into the unagitable ocean of gods with our weapons, and having conquered unequalled enemies, we therefore have no fear caused by death.

Narayana, Rudra, Shakra, and Yama, all of them always fear to stand in our presence.

O lord of Rakshasas, there is indeed no inherent reason for the god Vishnu to act against us; it is only due to the fault of the other gods that Vishnu's mind has been agitated.

Therefore, today, fully prepared and surrounded by all our armies, we shall kill the gods, for the fault has originated from them.

Having thus deliberated, all the powerful and foremost Rākṣasas, surrounded by their armies, announced their preparations and set out for battle, enraged like the demons Jambha, Vṛtra, and Bala.

O Rama, having thus deliberated with full preparation, all those Rākṣasas of huge bodies and great strength set out for battle.

They set out with chariots, elephants, mountain-like horses, donkeys, cows, camel-drawn chariots, porpoises, and serpents.

They also advanced with crocodiles, tortoises, fish, birds resembling Garuḍa, lions, tigers, boars, antelopes, and yaks.

All the Rākṣasas, proud of their strength and enemies of the gods, abandoned Lanka and set out for the world of the gods to fight.

Seeing the impending destruction of Lanka, all the beings dwelling there became utterly fearful and disheartened.

Hundreds and thousands of them were being carried by excellent chariots.

The Rakshasas quickly departed to the world of gods with great effort, and even the deities departed by the very path used by the Rakshasas.

Terrifying earthly and atmospheric portents, commanded by fate, arose for the destruction of the chief Rakshasas.

Clouds rained bones and hot blood, oceans overflowed their shores, and mountains also trembled.

There, jackals, frightful to behold and making terrible, thunder-like sounds and loud roars, were howling.

Then, ominous spirits were seen appearing successively, and a large flock of vultures with flame-emitting mouths was also present.

Above the Rakshasas, the vultures hovered in the sky like a fiery wheel, while red-footed pigeons and mynah birds fled, and two-footed cats and crows cawed right there.

Disregarding those omens, the Rakshasas, proud of their strength and bound by the noose of death, continued to advance and did not turn back.

Malyavan, Sumali, and Mali, all exceedingly mighty, were the leaders of those Rakshasas, just as fires are foremost in sacrifices.

All those night-wandering demons indeed took refuge in Malyavan, just as gods resort to Brahma, and as one would take refuge in an unmoving mountain.

That army of the demon lords, resounding like the crashing of great clouds, went to the world of gods, which was under Mali's sway, with a desire for victory.

But the Lord Nārāyaṇa, having heard of that preparation by the Rākṣasas from a messenger of the gods, then set his mind on battle.

He, with weapons and quivers ready, stood upon Vainateya (Garuda), having donned his divine armor that shone with the brilliance of a thousand suns.

Then, the lotus-eyed Nārāyaṇa fastened his two pure quivers full of arrows, his pure waist-band, and his sword, along with his excellent weapons: the conch, discus, mace, Śārṅga bow, and sword.

The Lord, having mounted the mountain-like Garuda, the son of Vinata, swiftly departed for the destruction of the Rakshasas.

Dark-complexioned Hari, adorned in yellow garments, shone on Garuda's back like a lightning-streaked cloud upon the peak of a golden mountain.

Praised by Siddhas, Devas, Rishis, great serpents, Gandharvas, and Yakshas, he, holding the discus, sword, Sharnga bow, and conch, approached the enemies of the Asura army.

That army of the Rakshasa king, with its banners scattered by the wind from Garuda's wings, fluttering flags, and scattered weapons, trembled like a blue mountain king with dislodged rocks.

Then, the night-wandering Rakshasas, surrounding Madhava, pierced him by thousands with their excellent weapons, which were smeared with blood and flesh and resembled the destructive fire at the end of an eon. इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये श्रीमदुत्तरकाण्डे षष्ठः सर्गः ।। 6 ।। Thus ends the sixth sarga of Uttara Kanda of the holy Ramayana the first epic composed by sage Valmiki.