The episode of Rama, Lakshmana bound by serpentine arrows of Indrajit and Garuda coming to their rescue very early in the war is seen in last post. As soon as the war started, the vanara army’s upper hand was withdrawn by the night-ranging titans with magical powers. The demons headed by Indrajit deceived the two brothers, captivated, made them bleed, unconscious. It is at this instance that Garuda comes to the rescue, frees them from the serpentine bind and heals the wounds. Garuda, who is the devotee of Rama is natural to come to the rescue of Rama. It has to be noted that Garuda is a vehicle of Lord Vishnu, who took the avatar of Rama. A powerful bird Garuda is devoted to Vishnu and by extension to his avatars like Rama. After the rescue by the servant, there came a thought to Garuda that he is more powerful than his master. As can be seen, death was overlooking Rama, Lakshmana when Garuda arrived. The bird went to Narada to clarify the thought, who in turn sent Garuda to a crow in Himalayas. The essence of the simple ask is that Garuda was required to relinquish his entire pride and position himself humbly at the feet of a crow to dispel his uncertainties of who is powerful. The crow then tells Garuda, “Oh, you fool, the master has exalted you immensely by bestowing upon you the opportunity to serve him in such a way. Did you not realize this? It is quite evident. His affection for you was so profound that he humbled himself and elevated you, allowing you to take pride in serving him by declaring that you rescued him. Who could possibly rescue Lord Rama? He is the protector of the entire creation.” Thus, it can be understood that Lord Rama in human form has given an opportunity to serve him to Garuda in the form of this simple rescue. No one can ever think more powerful than the all-pervasive lord who is the protector of everyone.
After the miracle recovery, the demons realize their magical powers, trickery and weapons will yield no results upon Rama, who is joined in the battle by universal forces. The seemingly invincible legion of army under Ravana who can defeat anyone also feels bad omens emanating. On the other side, the monkey army and Hanuman in double encouragement routs the demons headed by Dhumraksha. This reversal of fortunes for the powerful titans will continue in the following chapters as their strongmen succumb to the mighty vanaras one after the other.
In chapter 53, Ravana sends Vajradamshtra, another demon to kill Rama, Sugreeva and his monkeys. Vajradamshtra and his army emerge from the southern gate where Angada, the General of the Monkeys is stationed. The monkeys had a tough fight with the demons. Angada, the leader of the monkeys strikes the strong demons.
Infuriated at Dhumraksha's death, Ravana sent Vajradamshtra. With the utmost care he assembled teams of elephants, horses, donkeys and mules, adorning them with countless flags of different colour, and that titan, wearing bracelets and a diadem of great price, set our immediately, bearing his bow and, having circumambulated his chariot dressed with pennants, which dazzled the gaze with the facings of pure gold, he ascended it. Thereafter infantry of every kind issued forth, furnished with weapons, such as cutlasses, innumerable darts, gleaming maces, harpoons, bows, lances, spears, swords, discus, hammers and sharp axes. All those illustrious lions among the titans in their resplendent and many-coloured uniforms, full of ardour mounted on elephants intoxicated with ichor, Resembled moving hills. Their mounts, equipped for combat, driven by mahouts bearing lances and goads, were headed by those distinguished for their trappings and great strength. When the demonic armies came pouring out of the south gate, once again began the show of many bad omens. Jackals breathing fire howled fearfully while beasts of pray so terrified the rakshasas that some fell dead just looking at them. Oblivious of all signs Vajradamshtra fell upon the vanaras. No holds were barred, and no efforts spared in the fight that ensued.
Full of vigour, those skilled warriors, the titans, transported with rage, decimated the monkey forces with every kind of weapon and, on his side the audacious son of Vayu struck down all those titans in the fight, fury re-doubling his strength, so that he appeared like the Fire of Dissolution. Then the valiant Angada, the equal of Shakra in valour, brandishing a tree, his eyes red with anger, like a lion amidst defenseless deer, caused a terrible carnage. By the force of his blows, the titans of redoubtable courage, their skulls crushed, fell like trees under the blows of the axe and the earth, strewn with chariots of every kind, standards, horses, bodies of monkeys and titans and rivers of blood, was fearful to behold. Strings of pearls, bracelets, raiment, and parasols decorated the battlefield, which glowed like an autumnal night and the tempestuous Angada scattered the great army of the titans as the wind dispels the clouds.
In chapter 54, The powerful demon Vajradamshtra penetrated the army of monkeys, sowing terror among them. The monkeys then sought refuge with Angada the monkey-leader. A fierce battle ensues between Vajradamshtra and Angada. Angada assaults Vajradamshtra with a sword and Vajradamshtra's head falls on the ground.
Death ruled supreme on the battlefield as each arrow of Vajradramshtra killed five to ten vanaras at a time. The dead lay as mute witnesses of rakshasa might while the living sought Angada's protection. When he beheld those monkey divisions fleeing in disorder, the son of Vali exchanged glances of hatred with Vajradamshtra and, in a paroxysm of rage, they entered a terrible duel one with the other so that it seemed a lion and an elephant intoxicated with ichor fought together. And the son of Vali, full of valour, was struck in his vital parts by a hundred thousand arrows resembling tongues of fire and all his limbs were besprinkled with blood. Then that exceedingly energetic monkey of redoubtable courage hurled a tree at Vajradamshtra but that intrepid titan, seeing it fall, cut it into innumerable pieces which fell in heaps on the earth. Witnessing the strength of his rival, that lion among the Plavagas seized hold of a huge rock which he spun round, emitting a shout and, as it descended, that hero leaping down from his chariot, armed with his mace, stood waiting unperturbed. Meanwhile that rock discharged by Angada fell on the forefront of the battle where it shattered the chariot with its wheels, shafts and horses.
Then the monkey broke off a great crag from the mountain once more and it was covered with trees and he brought it down on the head of his adversary so that Vajradamshtra, seized with a sudden giddiness, faltered and began to vomit blood, clenching his mace convulsively and breathing heavily. Thereafter, coming to his senses, in a transport of fury he hit the son of Vali full on the chest with his mace and, letting it fall, began to fight with his fists whereupon a hand-to-hand struggle ensued between monkey and titan. Exhausted by the blows, spitting blood, those valiant warriors resembled the planets Mars and Mercury. Meanwhile the exceedingly powerful Angada, that lion of Plavagas stood waiting and he seized hold of a shield covered with the hide of a bull and a great sword decorated with golden bells enveloped in a leathern sheath.
Thereafter in the twinkling of an eye, Angada, that elephant among monkeys, rose up, his eyes inflamed like a serpent that has been struck with a stick and, with his stainless sword that was well sharpened, the son of Vali who was full of vigour, struck off the huge head of Vajradamshtra, whose limbs were bathed in blood. Under the stroke of that sword, his beautiful head fell, cleft in twain, the eyes rolling. Beholding Vajradamshtra slain, the titans, wild with terror, fled panic-stricken towards Lanka, harassed by the Plavamgamas, their faces woe-begone, their heads bowed in shame. Horrified, grieving and shamed raced the living monsters back to Ravana.
In chapter 55, Ravana next sends Akampana for the battle. As Akampana along with his army sets out for the war, he visualized various bad portents. A deadly conflict ensued between monkeys and demons. Kumuda, Nala and Mainda the chiefs of monkeys, create a great carnage among demons.
The battle raged on. Ready to give up their lives for Rama fought the vanaras and ready to die for Ravana fought the rakshasas. The earth resounded with their war cries and in the haze of the dust that arose they attacked each other killing friend and foe alike.
In that fight monkeys fell under the blows of enraged monkeys, titans massacred titans in the darkness; Plavagas and demons slew foe and friend, and the earth drenched with gore was thick with mud.
Under the rain of blood dust was laid, revealing the earth covered with corpses. Then the monkeys and titans assailed each other with blows from trees, spears, maces, javelins, stones, bars and picks, wrestling with their adversaries who resembled mountains. In that encounter those monkeys slew the titans of dreadful deeds and they, transported with rage, bearing darts and javelins in their hands, destroyed the monkeys with their cruel weapons. Thereafter Akampana, the leader of the titans, full of ire, consoled all those fierce and valiant soldiers; the monkeys however, leaping upon them, shattered their weapons and crushed those titans with blows from trees and stones. At that instant, the courageous monkey leaders, Kumuda, Nala and Mainda, in a paroxysm of rage, as in sport, with mighty bounds and blows of trees crested a great carnage amongst the titans and all those lions among the monkeys bought about complete disorder in the enemy ranks with their countless missiles.
In chapter 56, Akampana enters the battlefield and assails the monkeys with his bow and arrows. Then, Hanuman comes to the rescue of the monkeys. A great fight ensued between Akampana and Hanuman. Hanuman strikes the head of Akampana with a huge tree and Akampana dies. All the demons take to their heels and return to Lanka.
Soon Akampana joined the fray. His arrows slaughtered monkeys with such speed that the hapless lot fell back. Seeing their flight, Hanuman attacked Akampana.
The valiant Hanuman, seeing them fall under the sway of death, pursued by Akampana's darts, went to the rescue of his companions and, beholding that great Plavaga, those lions among the monkeys rallied and, in the field, grouped themselves boldly round him. Observing his courage, those foremost of the monkeys took heart in the shelter of his valour. Meanwhile Akampana, like unto a second Mahendra, caused a hail of arrows to descend on Hanuman who remained as firm as a rock, heedless of the weapons that fell upon his body, and that exceedingly courageous monkey resolved to slay his adversary and, with peals of laughter, the impetuous son of Maruta leapt on the titan, causing the earth to shake as it were, while burning with energy he emitted yells, so that it was impossible to look upon him as it is impossible to gaze on a fire in a brazier.
Riddled with sharp-pointed iron shafts, that simian warrior resembled a mountain covered with forests and like unto a flowering Ashoka Tree, he shone like a smokeless flame. Uprooting a tree, with a prodigious bound he struck the head of the Titan General a fearful blow and, by that stroke with which that lndra among Monkeys smote him in his fury, Akampana fell dead. The demon armies shamelessly threw down their weapons and ran back to Lanka.
In chapter 57, Ravana asks Prahasta to go to the battle. Prahasta sets out for the combat along with a huge army and enters the eastern gate. Bad omens appeared as Prahasta enters the battlefield. The army of monkeys seized hold of trees and rocks, to attack the demons.
Ravana, distressed and shaken, walked out to inspect the fortifications of Lanka and what he saw shocked him. Countless millions had laid siege to his beautiful city. He sent for his veteran warrior Prahastha and told him that no one except him could save the beleaguered city. "Go now! Your roars will make the fickle minded vanaras flee. With them all gone, Rama and Lakshmana will be easy prey, but do beware in war victory is never certain, death too can befall. Even if we refrain from battling the vanaras they will still kill us, so it is better to war.
Beholding Prahastha, renowned for his martial valour, advancing to give battle, the army of monkeys, furnished with weapons of every kind, went forward to meet him and a formidable clamour arose amongst them as they tore up the trees and seized hold of great rocks. Thereafter the titan yelled, and the monkeys roared, both armies being filled with ardour and, in their fury and zeal and their impatience to slay each other, they challenged one another with tremendous shouts. Meanwhile Prahastha advanced on the forces of the monkeys whom in his folly he imagined he would destroy and, with an impetuous bound, he hurled himself upon that army as a grasshopper fell into a flame.
In chapter 58, On Rama's enquiry, Vibhishana explains the prowess of Prahastha who entered the battlefield. The demons with their arrows and the monkeys with their stones combat each other. Both the monkeys and demons were killed in the battle. Prahastha the demon and Nila the monkey come face to face to fight. Prahastha hurls a volley of darts over Nila. Nila kills Prahastha's horses by hurling a huge tree and breaks his bow. Finally, a huge rock hurled by Nila breaks Prahastha's head into myriad pieces and dies. All the other demons abandon the battlefield and return to Lanka.
Rama watching the rakshasa army with a smile on his face, asked Vibhishana, "Who is that large-bodied rakshasa who seems so strong and valiant?" Vibhishana replied, "He is the trusted general of Ravana's armies. Prahastha is his name. A skilled charioteer, born of a race of unequaled masters, he commands a third of his armies.
The rakshasas falling out of Lanka fell on the vanaras and in the fury of the rain of rocks and spears died countless rakshasas and unnumbered monkeys. Finally, Prahastha hit by a rock hurled by Nila collapsed. Bereft of his effulgence, his strength and his life, he fell to the earth like an axed tree. Beholding his death the rakshasas fled once again.
This concludes chapters 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 and 58 where we had seen three of the generals of Ravana – Vajradamshtra, Akampana and Prahastha were slain successively by Angada, Hanuman and Nila. Each of the demon leaders accompanied a vast army equipped with every possible weapon and fought valiantly with countless vanaras. But bad omens come to the fore every single time and the army generals were slayed by the powerful vanara chiefs in a battle where piles of corpses and rivers of blood flew. The defeated demons flew back to Lanka each single time, ashamed and afraid of the beeming vanara batallion. This is the fight between the sub-ordinates of Ravana and devotees of Rama where the vanaras kept their upper hand over the mighty titans. We can see Ravana entering battlefield and engages with Rama, the intervention of a sleeping Kumbhakarna in the subsequent chapters.
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