The long war is progressing, and we have arrived at the episode of Kumbhakarna coming in the duel with the vanara army. Before he was ordered to awaken a handful of important Rakshasa generals were killed in the war. This propelled Ravana to order the awakening of his giant sleeping brother, wage the war and see if Kumbhakarna can stand on what he has assured. The episode of Kumbhakarna is very interesting to anyone who knew this epic and the final battle in particular. This is particularly fascinating for kids on account of his giant form and playing little cameo in an otherwise deadly war. To know about a bit of this intriguing character – Kumbhakarna was a rakshasa and the younger brother of Ravana, the king of Lanka. Despite his fearsome appearance and enormous appetite, Kumbhakarna was known for his virtuous nature and loyalty.
A retelling tale on how he was forced to sleep is here. Kumbhakarna performed intense penance to please the god Brahma, hoping to receive a boon. However, the gods were intimidated by his strength and feared what he might ask for. Indra, the king of gods, requested the goddess Saraswati to tie Kumbhakarna’s tongue. As a result, when Kumbhakarna asked for the boon, instead of saying “Indrāsana” (the throne of Indra), he ended up asking for “Nidrāsana” (a bed for sleeping). It is also said that he intended to ask for Nirdevatvam (annihilation of the devas) and instead asked for Nidravatvam (sleep). Brahma granted this wish, and Kumbhakarna was cursed to sleep for six months at a time, waking only for a day to eat and drink before falling back into slumber. During the war in the Ramayana, Kumbhakarna was roused from his sleep to fight against Rama’s army. Despite his reluctance to support Ravana’s unjust actions, he fought valiantly out of brotherly duty. We can see his presence and slaying in the war in the following chapters.
In chapter 64, Mahodara excitedly speaks to Kumbhakarna about the true character of virtue, worldly gain as well as sensuous pleasure in a person and supports Ravana for his actions. He advises Kumbhakarna not to go single-handed to fight with mighty Rama, but to take the army with him. Mahodara then suggests to Ravana a strategy to fulfill his purpose without combat.
Mahodara said to Kumbhakarna, "Though born of a great race, you are crude, arrogant and mean. Ravana is not unaware of what dharma is and what is not. You brag about going alone to war with the enemy. Do you know of him who massacred thousands at Janasthana and whose name strikes fear even today in the hearts of those who survived? Do not even think of facing him alone, whose divine radiance is blinding."
To Ravana, Mahodara said, "Lord of the rakshasas, let me tell you how we can trick Sita into accepting you. We shall announce that Rama and Lakshmana have been slain in war. News of it will soon reach Sita who devastated and helpless will surrender to you. The fame of achieving what you wanted without war and bloodshed will be yours."
In chapter 65, Kumbhakarna rebukes Mahodara for rendering wrong advice to Ravana. He asserts Ravana, saying that he will annihilate Rama in battle. Ravana gets pleased and orders Kumbhakarna to wipe off the monkeys together with Rama and Lakshmana in battle. Then, Ravana arranged for ornamentation of the various limbs of Kumbhakarna with various types of jewelry, before sending him to battle. As Kumbhakarna sallies forth to the battle, several bad omens appear on all sides. Kumbhakarna disregards these portents and marches ahead for the battle. Seeing the colossal form of Kumbhakarna, all the monkeys get frightened and take to their heels.
Kumbhakarna warned Mahodara never to talk the way she had, "The brave never brag, but quietly achieve what others cannot. It is because of cowards like you that Ravana is in such danger today. You have seen to it that he is the only one left in Lanka. The army is no more; the treasury is empty, and you seem to treat him as your enemy. Ravana laughed at Mahodara and said, "Fearing Rama, he is trying to avoid war. Go Kumbhakarna, Go devour the Ikshvaku princes and the vanaras."
Meanwhile Kumbhakarna, assuming another terrible and ferocious form, advanced impetuously, measuring a hundred bows in breadth and six hundred in height, formidable, full of power and energy with eyes like unto chariot wheels. And, having assembled the titans, that colossus with his large mouth, who looked like a flaming crag said with a mocking laugh: "To-day the foremost of the monkey divisions will be consumed by me in my wrath one after the other like moths in a flame. Yet those inhabitants of the woods have never given offence and their race adorns the gardens of our dwellings. " The cause of the city being besieged is Raghava, and Lakshmana who accompanies him; he being slain, all will be slain; I shall therefore destroy him in fight." At these words of Kumbhakarna, the titans emitted a great shout that seemed to agitate the ocean.
Then the crafty Kumbhakarna went forth and sinister portents appeared on every side; dark and fearful clouds accompanied by meteors were seen, and the earth, the sea and the forests trembled. Jackals of ferocious aspect, with flames darting from their mouths, began to howl and birds wheeled from left to right. A vulture alighted on the titan's spear as he advanced, and his left eye and arm twitched; a flaming meteor fell with a terrible crash; the sun lost its brilliance, and no favorable wind blew.
Without heeding these threatening portents, causing the hair to stand on end, Kumbhakarna set out, urged on by the force of destiny. Having crossed the ramparts, that giant, equal to a mountain, beheld the vast army of the monkeys resembling a cloud and, seeing that most powerful of the titans, as high as a mountain, those monkeys fled in all directions, like clouds driven before the wind. At the sight of that tremendous host of monkeys scattering to the four quarters like a mass of cloud melting away, Kumbhakarna joyfully redoubled his shouts resembling thunder.
In chapter 66, Seeing Kumbhakarna coming with his colossal body and emitting a tremendous roar, the monkeys scare away. Angada reassures the monkeys, who then return to the battlefield to resume the fight. When the monkeys start attacking Kumbhakarna, the latter crushes some monkeys with rage. Then again, the monkeys get frightened and run away in different directions. Angada then restores the monkeys to confidence once more and all the monkeys stand awaiting the command of Angada.
While Kumbhakarna's roars threatened to shatter mountains, his mammoth form sent even great vanaras fleeing. Hauling them back, Angada said, "Forgetting your race, your valor and who you are, are you fleeing like lowly monkeys? Were you only thinking of saving your lives? This raskshasa is not meant to fight. He is only a machine created to frighten you.
Pacified they went back, but when Kumbhakarna began his massacre some among them fainted, some fell into the sea, some ran over the very bridge they had made, but all of them fled. Once again Angada brought them back and said, "Running away in fear, nowhere on earth will you find asylum. Let us either kill the enemy and earn fame or go to the land of Brahma but let us not be known as cowards."
In chapter 67, Restored to confidence by Angada, all the monkeys return to the battlefield. Kumbhakarna then wages a war with the vanara army before finally getting slayed.
Rid of their fears and ready to die, stood the vanaras, while rearing to fight came Kumbhakarna. His flailing arms struck dead thousands as he roamed the battlefield feeding himself on more. In that battle, the most powerful weapons of even Hanuman were shattered by Kumbhakarna and the great vanara fainted. The rakshasas roared with joy, but the most invincible of vanaras though maimed and dying refused to give up. Meanwhile, like into the gateway of hell Kumbhakarna stuffed hordes of monkeys into his mouth. Some kept falling out of his nostrils, while some fell out of his ears.
Dvivida, a leader of the monkeys hurls a mountain towards Kumbhakarna, but it misses the target and falls on horses, elephants and chariots of the enemy. Dvivida hurls another mountain, and some demons are killed. Hanuman strikes Kumbhakarna with a large mountain-peak and injures him severely. In reply, Kumbhakarna strikes Hanuma's chest with his spike. Then, Kumbhakarna strikes other monkey-chiefs who attack him. Thousands of monkeys then ascend Kumbhakarna's body and encounter him with their nails, fists, teeth and arms. In response, Kumbhakarna destroys all those monkeys with his spike. When Angada, the leader of the monkeys, attacks Kumbhakarna, the latter strikes Angada violently and Angada falls unconscious.
Then came Sugriva who said, "Kumbhakarna, why fight feeble monkeys, come fight me." Kumbhakarna answered, "I know of you and your might. You are the grandson of Brahma and son of Riksharaja, so stop roaring." Hurt in that battle, Sugriva went back to Rama. Meanwhile, brushing aside Lakshmana, Kumbhakarna rushed towards Rama. The lord retaliated with his astras. Unable to answer them and unable to even hold his mace, Kumbhakarna let it fall the ground. Lakshmana looked at him as he lay bleeding and unarmed, but even as he watched Kumbhakarna charged towards Rama, who welcomed him and said, "Come Kumbhakarna, I am Rama, and you will soon die in my hands."
Rama discharges some arrows with 'Roundra' spell towards Kumbhakarna. Those arrows disappear into Kumbhakarna's chest and make him weapon-less. In retaliation, Kumbhakarna hurls a mountain-peak towards Rama and even before the mountain-peak reaches Rama, it was split up into pieces by the arrows released by Rama. Thereupon, on the advice given by Lakshmana, all the monkeys climb straight upon Kumbhakarna's body. Kumbhakarna shakes them off with violence. Then, Rama employs a great missile and chops off one arm of Kumbhakarna. When Kumbhakarna with an uprooted tree in his arm, retaliates by running towards Rama, the latter with an arrow, presided over by Indra, hurls it on the former and chops off the second arm of Kumbhakarna, Rama then chops off the feet of Kumbhakarna with his arrows and then came the ultimate golden arrow whose power brooked no opposition in the three worlds. Beautiful and blazing with the splendor of a thousand suns, it claimed Kumbhakarna's head.
In chapter 68, Hearing the news of Kumbhakarna having been killed by Rama, Ravana laments in various ways, thinking that he has virtually lost his right arm. Ravana initially faints on hearing the shocking news. On regaining consciousness, Ravana again wonders how the invincible Kumbhakarna was slain in battle. He feels sorry for not having listened to the sagacious advice of Vibhishana in the past.
The rakshasas who sped back to Lanka told their king of Kumbhakarna that half his mangled body burnt in the fire of Rama's arrows lay in the sea, while the other half lay across the gateway of Lanka, and Ravana fell into a faint. He recovered to lament, "Kumbhakarna, you whose might was my strength, because of whom I had even dared the devas and danavas, is no more. I too shall follow you to the land of Yama. I cannot live without you. I have no further need for a kingdom and what shall I do with Sita? Bereft of Kumbhakarna, I no longer wish to live. Since I am unable to kill Raghava, the slayer of my brother in combat, would it not be better to die, for life is empty to me? Today I shall go where my brother has gone, not far from my brother I cannot live for an instant. Witnessing my plight, the Gods, who were formerly wronged by me, will certainly mock me. Kumbhakarna, now that you are dead, how shall I vanquish Indra? Vibhishana's prudent speech, that great soul whom I disregarded in my blindness, has proved true; the cruel end of Kumbhakarna and Prahasta has justified his words. This is the disastrous consequence of that deed of mine, the banishment of the virtuous and fortunate Vibhishana."
Such were the many burning lamentations to which the Ten-necked Ravana gave voice in the anguish of his soul on account of Kumbhakarna, his younger brother, the enemy of Indra, and, knowing him to have perished in combat, he swooned away.
This concludes chapters 64, 65, 66, 67 and 68 where we had seen the episode of Kumbhakarna waging the war with all his means and fell dead by the arrows of Rama. This caused Ravana to lament in different ways as he was unable to come to terms with the fact that his powerful brother was dead. This is more or less the time when the hitherto mighty, arrogant Ravana, who feels his superior power will subdue any force gets a real picture of where he stands in comparison to Rama. He has been advised by many of his own men, spies including Vibhishana, and these words hits him back when his powerful forces were subdued in the war. Ravana now feels he is more dead and no longer feels any good about capturing Sita. There are many other powerful Rakshasa forces left to enter the war and we can see in the many future chapters how the war progresses. The subsequent chapters show how the sons of Ravana enter the fray and get killed on hearing the news of Kumbhakarna.
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