Paumacariya 61
English (machine translation) 61
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61.1
Holding weapons in hand, heroes arrayed with mail and quivers tied, / numerous Rākṣasa warriors rose against the Vānara troops.
61.2
With the sound of drums, kettle-drums, bherīs, jhalarīs, trumpets, talimas, and mṛdaṅgas, / the sky seemed to burst open, and the earth to split into two halves.
61.3
In the meantime, the magnanimous supreme lord of Laṅkā, with his army / and majesty equal to the king of gods, surveyed the battlefield ahead.
61.4
With diverse weapons in hand, mounted upon various mounts, / bearing diverse excellent emblems, the valiant warriors rushed into combat.
61.5
As arrows, javelins, spears, dart-lances, and dread tridents were hurled, / the sky, though clear before, was in an instant made entirely dense.
61.6
Then cavalrymen rushed against horse-mounted foes; / warriors clashed with warriors, and charioteers slew charioteers.
61.7
Riders on mad rut-elephants also engaged those mounted upon tuskers; / thus matched in equal strength, they embraced the craft of battle.
61.8
That Vānara army, broken and turned away by the Rākṣasas, / was once again rallied by Nīla and other warriors.
61.9
Seeing the discomfiture of their own side, the feudatories of the lord of Laṅkā / advanced facing [the foe] and attacked the enemy army with weapon-strokes.
61.10
Śuka, Sāraṇa, Mārīca, Candaka, and those led by Vidyutvadana, / or the lord of clouds, heroes of war with Yama-like faces,
61.11
Seeing that host of monkeys broken at the forefront of the battle, / the throngs of champions belonging to Sugrīva rose up.
61.12
When that army had been driven far back by the exceedingly mighty Vānaras, / the lord of Rākṣasas, seeing it, drove his chariot right toward them.
61.13
Seeing the monkeys broken at once by him with heavy weapon-blows, / Vibhīṣaṇa advanced to face him.
61.14
The lord of Rākṣasas said to him: “Depart from the range of my sight! / For it is not fitting to slay a brother born of the same womb in battle.”
61.15
Then Prince Vibhīṣaṇa, bearing indignation, / said to him: “Before both armies, I will not yield even six steps of ground!”
61.16
Again the Ten-headed one said: “Vile wretch! Having abandoned your own lineage, / you have embraced servitude to base-born men who walk on foot!”
61.17
Spoken to thus, Vibhīṣaṇa replied again: “Listen to my word, O Rāvaṇa; / it is beneficial and upright, bringing happiness in both worlds.
61.18
Even as matters stand, if you desire vast wealth and the prosperity of kingship, / make peace with Rāghava and surrender Sītā.
61.19
Abandoning your pride, swiftly appease the son of Daśaratha; / do not cause the stain of infamy for the sake of a woman!”
61.20
Hearing his word, the Ten-faced one flared up in fierce wrath; / with haughty mind, drawing back a sharp, choice arrow, he drew near.
61.21
Mounted on chariots, elephants, and horses, carrying weapons and armor, / other feudatories also rushed in front against the Vānara champions.
61.22
Furious Vibhīṣaṇa, charging to confront his own brother advancing in battle, / severed his banner with a crescent-headed arrow.
61.23
Enraged, the lord of Laṅkā also cut his bow; / and the warrior Vibhīṣaṇa broke the bow of his elder brother in two.
61.24
As that dreadful battle proceeded, ending the lives of many champions, / Prince Indrajit, supremely devoted to his father, rose up.
61.25
He was checked by Lakṣmaṇa, as the surging sea [is checked] by the shore; / and Kumbhakarṇa, advancing swiftly, was confronted by Padma.
61.26
Siṃhakaṭi advanced, and Nala together with Nīla against Śambhu; / the champion named Svayambhū confronted Durmati in battle;
61.27
Furious Durmarṣa against Ghaṭodara; Indrāśani and Kālī, / Kandu against Candanābha, and Bhinnāñjanābha [against another];
61.28
Swiftly Virādhita, greatly enraged, confronted Aṅgada; / and Hanumat encountered Kumbha, the son of Kumbhakarṇa.
61.29
Sugrīva [confronted] Sumālin, and Bhāmaṇḍala [confronted] Ketu; / Kālī and Dṛḍharatha also fought, bearing the itch for battle.
61.30
In this manner, other warriors of equal prowess clashed on the field; / making loud battle-cries, they fought with jealous pride and ardour.
61.31
“Strike! Cut! Pierce! Cast down! Arise, leap up! Swiftly parry! / Smash! Beat! Slay!”—with such cries they fell upon and slew [each other].
61.32
With the roar of many musical instruments and the loud shouts released from mouths, / the quarters of the sky seemed to roar, dark with the dense darkness of weapons.
61.33
This was an extreme hour of testing for the brave and the cowardly; / one does not fight in battle as easily as one consumes food.
61.34
“Do not fear, coward! I do not strike the wretched or one who turns his back!” / The other answered him back: “Today you yourself are ruined!”
61.35
A certain warrior, seeing his broken cord suddenly, / joined it together, just as a good man joins broken love.
61.36
Holding his sword in his teeth, tying up his girdle, / the warrior fought with an unflagging heart, intent on pleasing his master.
61.37
Pierced by the tusks of an elephant in rut, fanned by the fly-whisks of its ears, / having performed his duty for his lord, a warrior lay upon the hero’s bed.
61.38
Grasping each other by the hair, some struck with dagger-blows; / with swords, spears, and javelins the champions struck one another down.
61.39
Like a grove of red aśokas or a cluster of blossoming kiṁśuka trees, / in an instant the army assumed a lovely hue with flowing blood.
61.40
Some, their weapons dropped, struck by heavy blows, still rose up through pride, / while others rolled upon the surface of the earth.
61.41
Elephants with battered bodies, pouring out profuse mud-like blood, / look like mountains inundated with ochre at the time of destruction.
61.42
When the quarters were shrouded with dust raised by the hoofs of elephants and horses, / their vision obscured, soldiers struck down their own men.
61.43
In such a battle, Lakṣmaṇa faced Meghavāhana (Indrajit); / covered quickly with arrows by him, he too returned them in full measure.
61.44
Then Rāvaṇa’s son quickly discharged a dark missile; / greatly enraged, Lakṣmaṇa destroyed it with a solar missile.
61.45
Again the son of Daśānana set about tormenting Saumitri with dreadful arrows, / along with his chariot, horses, and armor.
61.46
He also, discharging wind-swift arrows with the brilliance of speech, / neutralized the serpent nooses whose crests of poisonous flames had vanished.
61.47
After fighting for a long time, the younger brother of Rāma undeniably bound / the prince Indrajit exceedingly tightly in serpent nooses.
61.48
Padma too, having dispelled the solar missile with serpent nooses, / being full of power, rendered [his opponent] chariotless and bound him.
61.49
O king of Magadha! Those arrows become serpent nooses in an instant; / the weapons of the immortals assume any form merely upon being thought of.
61.50
Having seen that serpent-bound one, struck down in an instant by Rāghava, / Bhāmaṇḍala went to his own chariot and quickly [secured] him.
61.51
In this way the lord of kings was bound, standing by the command of Lakṣmaṇa; / quickly Virādhita too placed him upon his own chariot.
61.52
Thus other warriors also, beginning with Ghanavāhana, were captured in battle, / bound by the Vānaras, and brought into their own camp.
61.53
Meanwhile, in the battle, the ten-faced one angrily said to Bibhīṣaṇa: / 'Endure a single blow, if you possess an itch for battle!'
61.54
By him too of steadfast mind, it was said: 'What of a single blow? / Remaining alert, strike me as much as you desire!'
61.55
As soon as this was spoken, he hurled a spear at his brother in battle; / and as it was coming, the younger brother of Rāma warded it off with arrows.
61.56
Seeing the spear neutralized, the lord of Laṅkā, supremely enraged, / seized the spear Amoghavijayā, flaming like a meteor.
61.57
Just then he saw standing before him the great hero, dark as a raincloud, / with the Garuḍa emblem, broad chest, and long arms.
61.58
The lord of the Rākṣasas said to him: 'My weapon was raised against another; / what business is it of yours, rascal, standing in front of me?
61.59
Or if you desire to die here, Lakṣmaṇa, in the clash of warrior hosts, / then stand facing me and endure the blow of my spear!'
61.60
Having pushed Vibhīṣaṇa aside, the high-souled Lakṣmaṇa, / free from fear and with steadfast resolve, fought against the enemy in battle.
61.61
Then Rāvaṇa released the spear, enveloped in clusters of blazing sparks; / flying forth, it pierced Lakṣmaṇa in the expanse of his chest.
61.62
Struck by that blow, Saumitri experienced sharp torment; / with eyes rolling back in a swoon, he collapsed suddenly onto the surface of the earth.
61.63
Meanwhile, Rāma, seeing Lakṣmaṇa fallen in battle, / then set about fighting together with the Vidyādhara lords.
61.64
Instantly, Daśānana’s bow, banner, and armor were shattered by him; / made chariotless, the proud one stood on foot upon the battleground.
61.65
As soon as he mounted another chariot and hastily seized a bow, / just then the ten-faced one was rendered chariotless in battle by Padma.
61.66
By Rāma's excellent arrows, the night-stalker was bewildered in an instant, / capable of grasping neither his life nor his bow.
61.67
Rolled onto the ground with arrows by Rāghava, / the ten-faced one was seen repeatedly mounting chariot after chariot.
61.68
Six times Rāvaṇa's bow and armor were shattered and he was made chariotless; / even so, that hero in battle of astonishing deeds could not be overcome.
61.69
Padma, astonished at heart, thought: 'He who is struck by my arrows has not died! / Surely he is protected by the merit acquired in another life.'
61.70
'Listen to my words being spoken, O lord of the Rākṣasas! / The brother of mine who was struck down by you with the spear-blow—
61.71
I shall send you along his path to the city of Yama, without a doubt!' / Being spoken to thus, the ten-faced one said, 'So be it,' and departed for Laṅkā.
61.72
Thinking proudly, 'One enemy of mine is dead and struck down,' / with a mind somewhat gladdened, he entered his own grand mansion.
61.73
Hearing that his sons were captured, and likewise his brother heroic in battle, / the ten-faced one grieved during the night, experiencing sharp distress.
61.74
Here, due to bad karma, some suffer defeat in battle, while others, unfortunate, meet with captivity; / yet other steadfast ones conquer through good conduct and always possess spotless fame in the world.
61.75
Thus ends the sixty-first canto, named 'The Stroke of the Spear', in the Paümacariya.
Linked texts (1)
- Paümacariya — Vimalasūri, Māhārāṣṭrī Prakrit