Ramayana. Ravana's Fury.
Nor could the monkeys stand before him, but were destroyed like flies in fire; but Sugriva engaged in single fight with Squint-eye and made an end of him; and therewith both armies joined again, and there was deadly slaughter on either hand, and either army shrank like a pond in summer. Next Big-belly was slain by Sugriva, and Angada was the death of Great-flank, so that the monkeys roared with triumph. But now Ravana came on, bearing a Brahma weapon, and scattering the monkeys right and left.
He stayed not ere he came to the sons of Dasharatha: he took his way where Rama stood aside, with great eyes like the petals of a lotus, long of arm, unconquerable, holding a bow so huge it seemed to be painted on the sky. Rama set arrows to the bow and drew the string, so that a thousand rakshasas died of terror when they heard it twang; and there began a deadly battle between the heroes. Those arrows pierced the king of Lanka like five-hooded serpents, and fell hissing to the ground; but Ravana lifted up a dreadful asura weapon, and let fly at Rama a shower of arrows having lion- and tiger-faces, and some with gaping mouths like wolves. Rama answered these with shafts faced like the sun and stars, like metors or lightning flashes, destroying the shafts of Ravana. Then Ravana fought with other celestial weapons, and he lifted a Rudra shaft, irresistible and flaming, hung with eight noisy bells, and hurled it at Vibhishana; but Lakshman came before it, saving Vibhishana from death. Rama, seeing that weapon falling upon Lakshman, prayed it: "Peace be to Lakshman! Be thou frustrated, and let thy energy depart"; but the blazing dart struck Lakshman's breast and laid him low, nor could any monkey draw the shaft out of him. Rama stooped and drew it forth and broke it in twain, and then, albeit grieved out of measure for Lakshman and angered by his grief, Rama called to Hanuman and Sugriva, saying: "Now is the time appointed come at last. Today I shall accomplish a deed of which all men and gods and every world shall tell as long as the earth supports a living creature. Today my sorrow shall have an end, and all that for which I have laboured shall come to pass."
Then Rama set his mind upon the battle, but Hanuman went again to Himalaya and brought the mount of healing herbs for Lakshman, and Sushena took the life-giving plant and made Lakshman to smell its savour, so that he rose up whole and well; and Lakshman embraced his brother, and urged him to achieve his promise that very day. Sakra sent down from Heaven his car and his charioteer, named Matali, to aid the son of Dasharatha in his fight, and Rama went about and greeted it, and, mounting upon it, seemed to light the whole world with his splendour. But Ravana loosed at him a rakshasa weapon, and its golden shafts, with fiery faces vomiting flames, poured over Rama from every side and changed to venomous serpents. But Rama took a Garuda weapon and loosed a flight of golden arrows, changing at will to birds, and devouring all the serpent arrows of the rakshasa. Then the presiding deities of all the weapons came to stand by Rama, and what with this auspicious omen and other happy signs, Rama began to harass Ravana sorely, and wounded him, so that his charioteer, beholding him as if at the point of death, turned away from the field of battle. Then the revered Agastya, come thither with the gods to witness the defeat of Ravana, drew near to Rama and taught him: "Rama, Rama, great-armed hero, my child, hearken to the eternal secret, the Heart of the Sun, whereby thou mayst overcome every foe. Do thou worship Sun, lord of the world, in whom dwells the spirit of all the gods. Hail! Hail! O thousand-rayed, hail to Aditya! Thou wakener of the lotus! Thou source of life and death, destroyer of all darkness, light of the soul, who wakest when all sleep, and dwellest in every heart! Thou art the gods and every sacrifice and the fruits thereof. Do thou worship with this hymn the lord of the universe, and thou shalt conquer Ravana today."
Nor could the monkeys stand before him, but were destroyed like flies in fire; but Sugriva engaged in single fight with Squint-eye and made an end of him; and therewith both armies joined again, and there was deadly slaughter on either hand, and either army shrank like a pond in summer. Next Big-belly was slain by Sugriva, and Angada was the death of Great-flank, so that the monkeys roared with triumph. But now Ravana came on, bearing a Brahma weapon, and scattering the monkeys right and left.
He stayed not ere he came to the sons of Dasharatha: he took his way where Rama stood aside, with great eyes like the petals of a lotus, long of arm, unconquerable, holding a bow so huge it seemed to be painted on the sky. Rama set arrows to the bow and drew the string, so that a thousand rakshasas died of terror when they heard it twang; and there began a deadly battle between the heroes. Those arrows pierced the king of Lanka like five-hooded serpents, and fell hissing to the ground; but Ravana lifted up a dreadful asura weapon, and let fly at Rama a shower of arrows having lion- and tiger-faces, and some with gaping mouths like wolves. Rama answered these with shafts faced like the sun and stars, like metors or lightning flashes, destroying the shafts of Ravana. Then Ravana fought with other celestial weapons, and he lifted a Rudra shaft, irresistible and flaming, hung with eight noisy bells, and hurled it at Vibhishana; but Lakshman came before it, saving Vibhishana from death. Rama, seeing that weapon falling upon Lakshman, prayed it: "Peace be to Lakshman! Be thou frustrated, and let thy energy depart"; but the blazing dart struck Lakshman's breast and laid him low, nor could any monkey draw the shaft out of him. Rama stooped and drew it forth and broke it in twain, and then, albeit grieved out of measure for Lakshman and angered by his grief, Rama called to Hanuman and Sugriva, saying: "Now is the time appointed come at last. Today I shall accomplish a deed of which all men and gods and every world shall tell as long as the earth supports a living creature. Today my sorrow shall have an end, and all that for which I have laboured shall come to pass."
Then Rama set his mind upon the battle, but Hanuman went again to Himalaya and brought the mount of healing herbs for Lakshman, and Sushena took the life-giving plant and made Lakshman to smell its savour, so that he rose up whole and well; and Lakshman embraced his brother, and urged him to achieve his promise that very day. Sakra sent down from Heaven his car and his charioteer, named Matali, to aid the son of Dasharatha in his fight, and Rama went about and greeted it, and, mounting upon it, seemed to light the whole world with his splendour. But Ravana loosed at him a rakshasa weapon, and its golden shafts, with fiery faces vomiting flames, poured over Rama from every side and changed to venomous serpents. But Rama took a Garuda weapon and loosed a flight of golden arrows, changing at will to birds, and devouring all the serpent arrows of the rakshasa. Then the presiding deities of all the weapons came to stand by Rama, and what with this auspicious omen and other happy signs, Rama began to harass Ravana sorely, and wounded him, so that his charioteer, beholding him as if at the point of death, turned away from the field of battle. Then the revered Agastya, come thither with the gods to witness the defeat of Ravana, drew near to Rama and taught him: "Rama, Rama, great-armed hero, my child, hearken to the eternal secret, the Heart of the Sun, whereby thou mayst overcome every foe. Do thou worship Sun, lord of the world, in whom dwells the spirit of all the gods. Hail! Hail! O thousand-rayed, hail to Aditya! Thou wakener of the lotus! Thou source of life and death, destroyer of all darkness, light of the soul, who wakest when all sleep, and dwellest in every heart! Thou art the gods and every sacrifice and the fruits thereof. Do thou worship with this hymn the lord of the universe, and thou shalt conquer Ravana today."
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Nor could the monkeys stand before him, but were destroyed like flies in fire; but Sugriva engaged in single fight with Squint-eye and made an end of him; and therewith both armies joined again, and there was deadly slaughter on either hand, and either army shrank like a pond in summer. Next Big-belly was slain by Sugriva, and Angada was the death of Great-flank, so that the monkeys roared with triumph. But now Ravana came on, bearing a Brahma weapon, and scattering the monkeys right and left.
He stayed not ere he came to the sons of Dasharatha: he took his way where Rama stood aside, with great eyes like the petals of a lotus, long of arm, unconquerable, holding a bow so huge it seemed to be painted on the sky. Rama set arrows to the bow and drew the string, so that a thousand rakshasas died of terror when they heard it twang; and there began a deadly battle between the heroes. Those arrows pierced the king of Lanka like five-hooded serpents, and fell hissing to the ground; but Ravana lifted up a dreadful asura weapon, and let fly at Rama a shower of arrows having lion- and tiger-faces, and some with gaping mouths like wolves. Rama answered these with shafts faced like the sun and stars, like metors or lightning flashes, destroying the shafts of Ravana. Then Ravana fought with other celestial weapons, and he lifted a Rudra shaft, irresistible and flaming, hung with eight noisy bells, and hurled it at Vibhishana; but Lakshman came before it, saving Vibhishana from death. Rama, seeing that weapon falling upon Lakshman, prayed it: "Peace be to Lakshman! Be thou frustrated, and let thy energy depart"; but the blazing dart struck Lakshman's breast and laid him low, nor could any monkey draw the shaft out of him. Rama stooped and drew it forth and broke it in twain, and then, albeit grieved out of measure for Lakshman and angered by his grief, Rama called to Hanuman and Sugriva, saying: "Now is the time appointed come at last. Today I shall accomplish a deed of which all men and gods and every world shall tell as long as the earth supports a living creature. Today my sorrow shall have an end, and all that for which I have laboured shall come to pass."
Then Rama set his mind upon the battle, but Hanuman went again to Himalaya and brought the mount of healing herbs for Lakshman, and Sushena took the life-giving plant and made Lakshman to smell its savour, so that he rose up whole and well; and Lakshman embraced his brother, and urged him to achieve his promise that very day. Sakra sent down from Heaven his car and his charioteer, named Matali, to aid the son of Dasharatha in his fight, and Rama went about and greeted it, and, mounting upon it, seemed to light the whole world with his splendour. But Ravana loosed at him a rakshasa weapon, and its golden shafts, with fiery faces vomiting flames, poured over Rama from every side and changed to venomous serpents. But Rama took a Garuda weapon and loosed a flight of golden arrows, changing at will to birds, and devouring all the serpent arrows of the rakshasa. Then the presiding deities of all the weapons came to stand by Rama, and what with this auspicious omen and other happy signs, Rama began to harass Ravana sorely, and wounded him, so that his charioteer, beholding him as if at the point of death, turned away from the field of battle. Then the revered Agastya, come thither with the gods to witness the defeat of Ravana, drew near to Rama and taught him: "Rama, Rama, great-armed hero, my child, hearken to the eternal secret, the Heart of the Sun, whereby thou mayst overcome every foe. Do thou worship Sun, lord of the world, in whom dwells the spirit of all the gods. Hail! Hail! O thousand-rayed, hail to Aditya! Thou wakener of the lotus! Thou source of life and death, destroyer of all darkness, light of the soul, who wakest when all sleep, and dwellest in every heart! Thou art the gods and every sacrifice and the fruits thereof. Do thou worship with this hymn the lord of the universe, and thou shalt conquer Ravana today."
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