By Kambar (Kavichakravarthy Kamban)
Translated in English by P. R Ramachander
Kamba Ramayanam-Yudha Kandam 8 (Padalam 20)
Yudha Kandam (contd)
20 . Padai thalaivar Vadhai Padalam
Chapter on killing of Captains of the army .
(Ravana decides to punish Dhoomraksha and Mahaparswa who deserted Indrajit. Then the Rakshasa warrior chiefs convince him that he has not done any great wrong.All the Rakshasa chiefs are killed in the battle.There isa scene in Valmiki Ramayana where the monkey army sets fire to Lanka.)
8302. The Rakshasa warriors who heard the great noise made by the monkeys,Played the drum and very much interested in going to war , became angry ,And looked at Ravana whose chest was decorated by flower garland ,And asked him leave to go and he angrily looked at them and said.
8303. ”Dhoomraksha and Mahaparswa had met me and asked my,Permission to go to the battle and I saw them sweetly and asked them,To go to the war and my emissaries who could not tolerate this ,Said, “Oh king , please hear what they have done” in a clear manner.
8304. ”When our ocean like army consisting of horses , chariots ,Elephants and foot soldiers was completely destroyed and,Our Lord Indrajit was fighting all alone without bothering about it ,Saying in an unintelligible manner “arrows, arrows of Lakshmana” ,Those two ran away from the battle field and possibly,They have again come to show you their valour.”
8305. As soon as they told like that , Ravana who is used to do evil deeds,With anger which was like flames of fire said to them,“is this their type of service ,Catch hold of them.”
8306. When Ravana told like this , his servants called Kinkaras,Caught hold of Dhoomraksha and Mahaparswa who had run away,From the battle field and Ravana told , “do not kill them but ,Keep in your mind what I am going to tell you now.”
8307. ”First cut off their rising nose which they use to smell,And take them all over the town playing a big drum,By short sticks and announce “These people ,Have run away scared of the war.”,And there is no need for you to do anything else.”
8308. Immediately those Knkaras who had sharp swords ,Rushed to obey the order and went to cut the nose of those two,And then a Rakshasa commander called Mali looked at Ravana ,Told , “Oh Lord who merits great praise, this is not proper” and prevented the act.
8309. ”In the pretty war those who lose courage due to fear ,Later winning in fierce war or dying without achieving victory,Are the events that come from old times.Who are there in this world who have stable masculinity ?”
8310. ”Oh king , were you not knowing incidents which happened ,Differently ? Have not Devas and the army of Rakshasas ,Who have come to fight with us , been defeated?,Has not Indra became scared at us ?Please think about it.”
8311. “Oh my father, Varuna shivered till he got your grace ,And was leaving deep breaths and shivering and when that is so ,These who have the culture of dark evil have not done a big crime?And if you think properly the punishment that you gave is not fair.”
8312. ”Oh great expert Our very wide army of forty Vellams ,Have died in this war and only Indrajit , Dhoomraksha ,And Mahaparswa came back alive ,And now who can be more valorous than these two.”
8313.. ”Oh best among males, The Naga pasa lost its power,And has been destroyed and half of our army has also been destroyed ,You have gone to war on first day and returned and would you ,Cut the long nose of these two who stood ,With your son till the end?”
8314. ’Just by hearing the name of Lakshmana , many Rakshasas,Would get confused and go and close the door of the ocean, If you are going to cut all their noses , would ,The seven oceans be sufficient and even if you cut ,Till the deluge all the noses cannot be cut.”
8315. “Getting scared of a great war , many who were defeated by him,Had saluted Hanuman who came as emissary and they are ,All standing without any harm and more than,Half of our Army of Rakshasas are keeping their nose.”
8316. ”Suppose you do not release Sita , in the dense war ,That will take place , who would be there who do not get scared and run away?Just because people do not say that Rama and Lakshmana who are experts In fierce war have not been killed, would you cut off,The noses of all those who had gone to the battle.?’
8317. By hearing the words of Mali Ravana got calmed down,And knowing that Those two lost their mental balance,And knowing well the state of mind of Ravana ,With anger and red eyes, they told several things,About their state of affairs.
8318. “Oh Lord who is like our father , your son became tired in war ,And not only that , he went speedily in the sky like lightning,And did acts of illusion and has reached this town and managed to live.
8319. “ Oh Lord who knows nature of strength , either by today ,Or tomorrow and without postponing it to the third day,WE would kill the enemies like butter poured in a copper lamp.”
8320. ”After sending us for war you would either hear that,They died after fighting cruel war or they got destroyed the enemies,But would not hear that we have been defeated”And like this they took an oath of sacrificing their life.”
8321. ”Along with them Ravana sent lustrous weapons and also,Ten vellam of the army of Rakshasas and he also sent ,Elephant army , chariot army and foot soldiers to suit that number.”
8322-8323.. Along with Yagna Shatru who is enemy of fire sacrifices ,Suryashatru the enemy of Sun who comes on the sky ,Mali who wears anklets , the cruel Pisacha ,The Vajrajit who has teeth harder than diamond,Mahaparswa and dhoomralochana went to the war andAs per the orders of Ravana who had won the seven worlds ,Elephants in rut induced trance , chariots and horses followed,And they went like mountains marching towards war.
8324. When the march along with the army the dust rose and hid the sky ,And also covered eyes of Devas and due to that they were not able to see,The end of the army and no one knew properly the constitution of that army.
8325. With the chariots speedily moving like wind,With Elephants which were like mountains with legs ,Along with flags flying above resembling the white tides ,With swords waving like fishes , that army looked like a sea.
8326. The drums made sound resembling the sound,Made by the huge sea surrounding the world ,The elephants were trumpeting , possibly competing ,With the clouds and the sound of horses resembled the rain.
8327. , The killer elephants instead of walking in the footsteps ,Of the marching army , stood in the same place ,Without obeying the trainers and moved one ,After another like mountains wearing a mask.
8328. The huge elephants in rut which are surrounded by crows,Due to the rut induced trance extended their long trunk ,Towards the sky , sipped the excess water in the clouds ,And prevented water from going to the clouds.
8329. The shine of several weapons which were rising up ,The shine of the new ornaments worn by the warriors ,The light from decorations done to chariot , horses and elephants ,And the light of golden garlands , due to being too much,The darkness of the all the eight directions were removed.
8330. Rama seeing that the enemy army that was marching towards them ,Became very angry and asked Vibheeshana “ Is the one coming here ,The one who won by using illusion.? Please tell me .”Vibheeshana who knew clearly as to who was coming told .
8331. , “The one who is like the lion living in a cave who comes ,Desiring a cruel war , who has curved teeth like the split moon ,Who makes sound which would powder the collection of sound of thunders,Who has several arrows which spit fire ,quiver tied on his back,Holding a bow and coming on a chariotMaking sound like thunder is Mahaparswa.”
8332. “ The one who has red hair like fire , who has eyes capable of destroying,Who is of red colour , who is capable of drinking the soul of his enemies ,Who has a big smiling mouth , who is licking the bottom of his mouth ,And who comes riding on a golden chariot is Dhoomraksha.”
8333. ”The one who talks like a mad person , who holds the trident ,Who has a very strong chariot , who has a body like a mountain ,And who seems to say “this head of mine is yours” is Vajrajit.”
8334. ,” The one who is having matchless horse with white flowing mane,Which has more speed than the mind as well as wind,Who bites his lips , who shouts like ocean and who has ,A spear that can get victory over the Devas is Pisacha.”
8335. “Oh Lord , He who has a lustrous chariot who has a voice ,Louder than the boom of the sea and who is more angry than fire ,Is Suryashatru and he who has eyes which give out Blood and fire is the Yagnasathru.”
8336. The one who has a well maintained horse army ,Which is like the spike of red paddy , who is short tempered by nature,Who has advanced in penance and who comes on a chariot,Is the one called Mali , “ said Vibheeshana after saluting feet of Rama.
8337. After greeting Rama who is greatly pure , the sea of the monkey army ,Making huge sound went before the Rakshasa enemy and later ,Both armies got engaged in a war and seeing that the Devas ,Unable to go away from there , with a shivering body ,And depressed mind , sweated all over their body and were nervous.
8338. The monkey army threw stones like the cloud with thunder ,At the time of deluge and the bows of the Asuras sprayed arrows, And they like like the thunder falling from the clouds on the mountain,Broke the teeth of the monkeys and their heads also were shattered.
8339. With the elephants in rut dying with the horses with stirrups dying ,With the chariots with broad wheels which are being pulled breaking ,The body of Asura army was also being destroyed , making ,People assume that hood of Adhisesha would also be destroyed,By the rain of stone by the monkeys.
8340. The speedily thrown arrows of the shape of the wheel,Along with the monkeys who never get tired of killing who had ,Long arms and where were carrying the mountain , Along with,Long legs which were standing with stability ,along with long,Straight tails indicating amger and with mountains and trees,Kept ready for hurling went further.
8341. The thomaras thrown by the hands of those who ride ,In the horse army , were able to cross directions and jump like mind,Tore the bodies of the chiefs of the monkey armies who had,Great masculinity and fell on the ground and made them split.
8342. The mountains thrown by the crowds of the monkeys ,Making sound “kal” , crushed the flags tied on the pretty chariots,With wheels , broke the teeth and cut the head of charioteers ,And also broke the bows and neck of evil asuras and also kill elephants.
8343. The Spear with a leaf shape thrown by Rakshasas riding on horses .,On the monkeys went inside the bodies of the tall monkeys ,Who were walking in front of the army like the snakes whose ,Eyes are their ears entering in to mountain caves which were like water pots.
8344. The elephants in the trance induced by rut would catch ,Monkeys by their tail and beat them and those monkeys ,Which escape would catch the legs of elephants and pull them,And those fearful monkeys would catch the shields thrown by Asuras ,Hit the Asuras with them and the asuras with cruel eyes ,Would throw the spear and kill those monkeys.
8345. The crowd of monkeys which were coming in the front Threw with great speed mountains and being hit by them ,The black sea of Asura army fell down in the field and ,The arrows sent by those evil asuras struck the monkeys Making their heads showing teeth being cut ,And this way the ocean of army soldiers got destroyed.
8346. Due to the breaking of the axles of golden chariots , the strong horses,Found it impossible to pull those chariots similar to poverty ,Which makes them thin reaching one family , makes them,Not able to give something to others and later eat ,And makes them caught in the domestic life which stops their breath.
8347. The cruel elephants because of death of people sitting over them,Without getting tired started roaming in the red water of blood ,And this was similar to a boat roaming about in the sea ,After all the sailors and servants riding in it are killed.
8348. Many horses due to their riders along with their weapons ,Getting destroyed were caught in the sea of blood and were strugglingAnd they were also slipping down and falling once in a while,Getting pushed down , and with mouth with flowing blood ,Looked like the northern fire at deluge , which spits fire.
8349. Due to the mountains thrown by the monkey army falling on,Asuras , their big heads with teeth went down in to their belly ,Making their wives who have closely moved with them for a long time,Found it difficult to approach their husbands to know more of them.
8350. Dhoomraksha and Hanuman started fighting one against ,The other and Angadha who was wearing the garland stopped Mahaparswa ,In war and Mali who brought huge bow for protection and Neela ,Fought with great anger and Pisacha who was capable ,Of fighting a big and fearful war fought with Panasa.
8351. The Surya satru fought directly with the son of Sun god,And the fire spitting Yagna satru fought with Lakshmana ,The younger brother of Rama and Rishabha fought with Vajrajit .
8352. The Rakshasas who had cruel eyes and white teeth fought ,With the leaders among valorous lion like leaders of the monkey clan ,Fought with each other with anger and fierce manner ,Making the devas who had come to witness the war greatly scared.
8353. When these events were happening , out of the ten vellam ,Asuras who had lustrous white teeth , monkey warriorsKilled six vellam of them in the battle field and ,The remaining four vellam soldiers were killed by Lakshmana.
8354. The flow of blood which reached the salty water of the sea,Did not appear to have mixed with that and because of that ,The entire sea making great noise appeared like molten copper ,And the pearls in that sea looked like red seeds on them,And the fishes roaming there without food appeard like corals .
8355. When the sea with the noisy water was looking like blood ,The gems of various types and of various colours found in the sea ,All appeared red and the pearls that were rolling out of the tusks ,Of mountain like elephants in rut as well as conches and pearls ,All became red and it was difficult to know them separately.
8356. When that earth shaking cruel war was progressing ,The Sun with its red rays which appeared to be like healthy and pretty hands, Destroyed the elephant of huge darkness , appeared to have seven times,Taken bath in that blood water and had risen up.
8357. When Rama the Sun drove away the Rakshasa called darkness ,The sun with his hot rays to remove the darkness appearing outside ,And it appeared as if there were two suns which brought ,Light to the world so that the world could be clearly seen.
8358. , When the darkness which appeared stable went away ,The mountains and oceans which were spread ,On the limitless earth were clearly seen and was similar,To the sea of blood with blood as waves with ,Several mountain like reddish elephant mountains floating on it.
8359. In the morning after sun rise , the face of those dead in the ,Bloody water which does not go from earth , in the slushy mud created by fat,The arrows which were like insects with dots and stripes appeared,Like lotus flowers which had been opened by the sun and appeared pretty .
8360. Chariots elephants as well as horses were lying mixed,Everywhere in the battle field and they were lying there as if ,The world of Devas, planes , clouds , other worlds and mountains,Due to torrential winds have fallen down there during the time of deluge.
8361. The Rakshasis who had face like the moon that goes round ,During the night , Inner lips even more red than fire and who had,Tied Alli(flower) garlands over their hairs reached the battle field ,And saw their husbands who had been hugged by them lying there,After leaving their life and they fell on them like the creepers ,And were lying on their husbands like a creeper hugging a tree.
8362. The Rakshasis with tender bent waist , pretty breasts ,Red long hair , with white teeth which have the nature of being sad,Reached the battle field and instead of giving the heads of their,Loving husbands for eating to the ghosts , tore the mouth of those ghosts.
8363. One lady who was wearing a shoulder bangle which is lustrous,Who went in search of her husband and seeing his body parts there ,Collected and heaped them in one place and when small fox Took away liver , intestine and the eyes and since she did not have ,Strength to follow it , took deep breaths and died.
8364. The ladies with long sword like eyes seeing that the big shoulders ,Of their husband were being dragged away by foxes and when theySaluted them and asked with friendliness and chased them,The collection of weapons lying there cut their legs ,And their small feet painted by red cotton juice pained and they stood there.
8365. Those Rakshasa ladies who had decorated their hairs with garlands ,And who had heart that wanted the welfare of their husbands ,Stood on the tall hill of dead bodies searching their supporting husbands ,Were similar to the pretty peahen which had been deserted the peacocks ,Who were their loving friends, searching for them on mountains.
8366. Some other Rakshasis seeing that their great husbands had ,Given up their life in the battle folding their mouth due to great anger,In the battle field , thought that the other women had left her teeth mark ,On them during the love play and they were hiding these ,By the tight lips and motion less white teeth ,And thought they will look in to it and became very angry.
8367. Due to their husbands losing their heads which did many crimes ,Though they went near them , the Rakshasi maidens were not,Able to recognize them and getting bored they opened their armour ,And after seeing their big nail mark which was like a flag ,On their shoulders , they died leaving their souls.
8368. Those Rakshasis who had eyes which shed tears like rain earlier ,Were searching for the diamond like bodies of their husbands ,And entered the battle field and died getting drowned ,In the river of blood that was flowing from the big mountain of corpses.
8369. The tall and great Hanuman who had pretty well grown legs,And Dhoomraksha with smoke filled eyes were fighting ,And both with spitting fire , neither going forward ,Or going backward were fighting without achieving victory.
8370. That Dhoomraksha who was more cruel than fire ,Was like an angry black cloud using his pretty bow ,Sent five arrows which were like fire,Aiming them at the body of Hanuman , the son of Anjana.
8371. As soon as those arrows struck so that they can,Be taken out on his strong shoulders and blood started ,Oozing out like Veezhi fruit , that Hanuman who was ,As strong as the clouds wandering at time of deluge ,Became very angry and destroyed the chariot of Dhoomraksha.
8372. Due to the destruction of the big chariot with wheels,Dhoomraksha speedily rose in the sky beautified by the sun,Along with a bow and that was cut by the cruel arrow of Lakshmana ,And Hanuman who was directly fighting with him ,Caught hold of him , hugged him and put him on the earth.
8373. Hanuman put the body of that Rakshasa which was ,Bigger than the mountain on earth and with his feet ,Which was used to jump over the ocean , he kicked him, And turned and plucked his head which used ,To spit cruel fire and threw it in the sea.
8374. Both Mahaparswa and Angadha who were fighting ,With each other had red eyes burning like a lamp ,And were greatly angry , letting out deep breath like smoke,And with an intention of killing each other , they were fighting ferociously.
8375. That Mahaparswa who came near and was fighting shouted ,In the grip of alcohol and like an elephant tied on a strong staff,Sent fifty one cruel arrows resembling speedily throwing of a mud ball,So that it would go and pierce the wide chest of Angadha.
8376-8377. That Angadha who was like the black coloured angry Rahu and Kethu,Which creep and go near the Sun God picked up by his strong hands ,Mahaparswa along with his chariot and when he threw them,On the earth , that Mahaparswa threw away his bow , got down,From his chariot which was shining like the sun and sent a spear ,Which never fails to act like the curses of sages,Aimed at the chest of Angadha made pretty by the art of wrestling .
8378. That Rama who is the form of all the worlds thinking ,That spear which was not coming was not a simple one ,But the rope of God of death , sent an arrow dipped in poison ,Which was matchless so that the name of the spear is destroyed.
8379. ,Seeing that Angadha told that “ the strength of Rama,Who measured all the fourteen worlds by two steps was great “,And even before thinking caught hold of Mahaparswa who rose ,In the sky and tore him in to two pieces.
8380. The great Mali and Neela fought similar to the fight ,Between Narasimha , the lord of the devas and Hiranya ,The king of the Rakshasas and devas showered flowers and praised them,
8381. When Neela threw a big stone he could break the bow,Of Mali in to two pieces and Mali took a lustrous sword ,Got up in to his chariot and told Neela “stop” ,And went near Neela and started fighting .
8382. When this act was happening at that place then,The victorious Kumuda who was in another place ,Took a mountain in his hand and threw it on Mali,Breaking the chariot of Mali and powdering it.
8383. When Mali who was fighting with great strength ,Who cut off the huge tree uprooted by Angadha and ,Thrown at him , The younger brother of Rama ,Who could remove difficult to destroy bad Karma sent arrows ,For cutting of his shoulder junction of that Mali.
8384. When Mali saw that his shoulder holding the lightning like ,Sword was cut off , he continued to fight and Lakshmana ,who,Thinking that a war fought with equals is only good,And this war was not proper went away from there.
8385. Those monkey warriors who were standing before Rama ,Who was the colour of the water of the sea , seeing the act,Of Lakshmana who was famous and holding a bow told ,“who can do such great acts “ became happy and further praised.
8386. Lakshmana with very strong shoulders who was fighting with Yajnasathru ,With great anger in a fierce way and with a lustrous arrow,He split open the chest of the Rakshasa killing him ,Possibly informing him that your life span is only this much.
8387. Lakshmana with a stong broad chest with his sharp arrows,Broke the bow of the enemy of the fire sacrifice which has lustrous fireWhich was rising up, and along with that the neck, , legs,As well his chariot which used to rise up in the sky was destroyed.
8388. The ruler of the clan of monkeys Sugreeva, Killed Surya Shatru,Who once up on a time stopped and won over his father,Who had a mountain like body and who had been always victorious.
8389. A monkey chief called Rishabha threw a mountain at Vajrajit,Who had neared him to do a matchless battle , who was fighting with him.Who had poison like eyes and teeth , so that his Huge chariot ,Driven with great speed along with its driver and horses was destroyed.
8390. Due to his strong chariot being destroyed , Vajrajit left his bow ,And armed with a huge iron rod which was matchless , he got down,And making even the Lord Shiva with eight shoulders scared ,Beat Rishabha leading to a doubt whether he was alive or not.
8391. When that Rishabha who was beaten suffered very greatly , sorrowed,
And like the peaks of mountain destroyed due to thunder, was about to ,Get destroyed, Hanuman who can take any form from dwarf to tall appeared there.
8392. Vajrajit who was famous and was wearing a heroic anklet seeing,Hanuman who appeared before him , who had a very tall body ,Touching the sky and who was an expert in warfare ,Beat him on the chest so that his wide chest would get shattered.
8393. Hanuman caught hold of that Asura who tried to break his chest,By his left hand , snatched the iron rod from the hands of Vajrajit,And using his fists which gave him victory killed him by hitting him.
8394. Pisacha to protect himself from Panasa a monkey warrior ,Who was having swiftness of hand , who was like a male tiger ,And who was attempting to throw a huge tree on him,Sent one big weapon called Thomara aimed at his chest,So that he would fall and roll and huge amount of blood would flow from him,
8395. That Pisacha who was an expert in war and who had a machine ,Of horse called Vasi making one perplexed as to whether he was on the cloud?Whether he was on the sea? Whether he was standing on earth,Whether he was on the sun or where was he ?
8396. The six thousand devas thought there were hundred thousand horses ,Or were not and got perplexed as with knowledge this could not be judged,Due to the matchless jumping horse wandering and standing,In the battle ground where the hawks fly all around ?
8397. That powerful horse of Pisacha which does not wander ,On earth would run faster than eye sight , go faster than mind ,Would go faster than wind which blows in the sky ,Would go with great speed and stand in the battle field ,And also outside the battle field.
8398. Since the land of the devas was hurt by the rare spear ,Which was tied on the big hawk like horse which walked speedily ,AS well as round and round , the huge monkey crowd ,Lost their souls and their bodies were heaped.
8399. The Devas who had weakened were startled to see ,Him destroying within a second hundreds and thousands,Of monkeys by using his very sharp spear and were scared.
8400. Knowing that that the form of Pisacha which was being seen,In several places and which was performing the job of god of death,Was only one , Lakshmana who had had great masculine power,In sending arrows from his bow using the arrow of wind God killed him.
8401. That Pisacha who was sitting with stability on horses,Dancing to musical beat, even after his lustrous head was cut off ,Holding a spear making the monkeys run greatly scared ,Did not reduce the number of killings and did not fall on the ground.