रामोपाख्यान पर्व — कुम्भकर्णको वध

Markandeya said : Then having marched out of the city with his followers, Kumbhakarna beheld the victorious monkey-army lying before him.

Having observed (carefully) the monkey host with the desire of finding out Rama (among it) he saw Lakshmana stand (ready for fight), bow in hand.

The monkeys, (then), coming up to him completely surrounded him and began to smite him with numerous huge trees.

(And) giving up their fear some began to tear him with nails and several monkeys fought him by resorting to various ways (of battle). And they hurled at that foremost of Rakshasas various terrible weapons.

Thus struck, he only laughed (at them) and fell to eating up the monkeys, named Bala, Chandabala and Vajrabahu.

Seeing that terrible act of the Rakshasa Kumbhakarna, Tara and others were greatly alarıned and sent forth a loud wai).

Hearing the loud cry of the monkey chiefs, Sugriva fearlessly rushed at Kumbhakarna.

Then that high-minded king of the monkeys, coming up to Kumbhakarna with great speed struck him furiously on the head with a Sala tree.

And though that large-hearted monkey, Sugriva endued with a great speed, broke that Sala tree on the head of Kumbhakarna, yet he could not afflict him (in the least).

Then suddenly awakening at the touch of the Sala tree, Kumbhakarna, with a terrible yell, stretching forth his arms, seized Sugriva by main force.

Seeing Sugriva (thus) seized by the Rakshasa Kumbhakarna, the war-like son of Sumitra, the delighter of his friends, rushed (to his rescue).

And coming up, that slayer of hostile warriors, Lakshmana, sent after him an impetuous and mighty dart furnished with golden wings.

That arrow piercing through his armour and his body and covered with blood, penetrated into the earth.

His heart being (thus) riven, he let go the monkey king. (And then) that mighty bowman, Kumbhakarna, taking a stone as his arrow, rushed at the son of Sumitra, aiming that huge stone at him.

When he was (thus) advancing, (Lakshmana) quickly cut off his upraised arms with a pair keen-edged razors. He then became four-handed.

(But) the son of Sumitra, displaying his skill in arms cut off all those arms, holding stones as arrows, by razors.

His body then assumed formidable proportions and his head and arms began to multiply in large numbers. The son of Sumitra, then, pierced Kumbhakarna, looking like heaps of rocks, by that weapon presided over by Brahma.

And he, endued with a vast strength, struck by that celestials weapon, fell dead on the battle (field) like a gigantic tree having its spreading branches burnt up by the fire of) the thunderbolt.

Seeing the mighty Kumbhakarna (powerful) as (the Asura) Vritra, lying dead on the ground, the Rakshasas ran away in (great) terror.

Then, the two younger brothers of Dushana, seeing those warriors fly away, rallied them and rushed furiously against the son of Sumitra.

Seeing Vajravega and Pramathin advance against him in great wrath, the son of Sumitra with a loud shout assailed them both with shafts.

Then, O Partha, there ensued an awfullyterrible encounter, making the hair stand erect, between the younger brothers of Dushana and the intelligent Lakshmana.

And he (Lakshmana) covered the Rakshasas with a heavy downpour of arrows and those two (Rakshasa) heroes also in great wrath overwhelmed Lakshmana with showers (of arrows).

That furious battle between Vajravega and Pramathin (on one hand) and the mighty-armed son of Sumitra (on the other) lasted for a moment only.

Then Hanuman, the son of Pavana, taking up a mountain-peak rushed at and took the life of, the Rakshasa Vajravega.

(And) the monkey Nila, endued with a vast strength, rushing towards Pramathin, the younger brother of Dushana crushed him with a huge rock.

Then there again raged a terrible encounter between the forces of Rama and Ravana, smiting one another.

The monkeys slew hundreds and Rakshasas and the Rakshasas too killed many dwellers of forest. But the number of Rakshasas killed was greater than that of the monkeys.