Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.186

c9.186

Full of disappointment Rāvaṇa returned to his palace. His father-in-law, Mālyavān, tried his best to dissuade Rāvaṇa from war, all to no purpose. Rāma sent an emissary to him to ask him to send Sītā back. Rāvaṇa declined to oblige, and immediately war began. During the first day of the war, the majority of the Rākṣasas including their great leaders like Mahābāhu, Mahāpārśva, Mahodara, Mahākāya etc. were killed. On the second day the Rākṣasa army under the command of Atikāya, son of Rāvaṇa, set out from the northern tower to fight. Lakṣmaṇa killed Atikāya with Brahmāstra. The other two Rākṣasa-commanders were Triśiras and Meghanāda. Lakṣmaṇa encountered them. When the latter failed to win by righteous fighting he resorted to cunningness. That too did not bring victory to him, and then he hid himself in the sky and shot the nāgāstra given to him by Śiva against the enemy. That arrow rendered Lakṣmaṇa, Sugrīva and all the monkeys unconscious. At that time Vibhīṣaṇa was away to arrange for food.