We can see the war slowly marching towards the annihilation of the Rakshasa army including all the sub-ordinates of Ravana. This began at the lowest rung and reached all the way to the top till Indrajit, who is second to Ravana. By the expulsion of the strong right hand, Lakshmana did a huge favor to Rama. Rama was impressed with his brother, praised him and ordered Sushena to clear all his wounds. On the other hand, Ravana had to listen to the wails of the female demons who were distraught at all the fallen soldiers. Both the camps were in contrast experiencing joy and agony. With the battle engaged by Lakshmana successful, it was now left for Rama to close the war. With everyone decimated, it was left for Ravana to enter the battlefield. This sets up for the grand battle of ages. We can look at how it slowly builds up to the full-blown war between the two opposites. Like every major demon, Ravana has entered the battlefield amid all bad omens. He kill aplenty and three other chief warriors also come to the fore but were effectively nullified by Vanara counterparts. In the following chapters, we can look at the fall of these three chiefs - Virupaksha, Mahodara, Mahaparshva - before Ravana finally makes way into the war.
In chapter 97, having destroyed some monkeys in the battlefield, Ravana tries to approach Rama to continue his fight. Meanwhile, Sugriva and some monkeys attack and destroy some chiefs of demons. Then Virupaksha, a demon comes and attacks Sugriva. Sugriva brings down a violent slap on the temple-bone of Virupaksha and kills him.
Unable to bear the fury of Ravana's onslaught, fell countless vanaras. The mutilated corpses of the monkeys, who had fallen under the shafts of Dashagriva were heaped on die earth, and the Plavamgamas were as unable to endure that irresistible avalanche of darts loosed by Ravana, as butterflies a scorching fire. Tormented by those sharp arrows, they fled screaming like elephants enveloped in flames and Ravana advanced in the fight scattering them with his darts as the wind disperses the clouds.
Having, in his fury, exterminated those inhabitants of the woods, that Indra among the Titans rushed on to find Raghava. Then Sugriva, seeing the monkeys cut to pieces and routed, gave over his position to Sushena and addressed himself for battle. Relinquishing his command to that monkey, who was his equal in valour, Sugriva went out to meet the enemy, a tree in his hand. At his side and following in his footsteps marched all the monkey leaders brandishing enormous rocks and every kind of tree.
Thereafter that royal giant let forth a great shout and fell on that mob of titans, destroying their leaders, and that mighty monarch crushed the titan divisions, as at the end of the world cycle the wind breaks down the great trees; and he let fall a shower of stones on the titan divisions like a huge doud letting loose hailstones amidst a flock of birds in a wood. Under the avalanche of stones loosed by the King of the Monkeys, the titans, their heads shorn of their ears, fell like crumbling mountains, and whilst the titans were being overthrown by Sugriva, who was crushing them as they fell, they cried out. Then Virupaksha, armed with his bow, proclaiming his name, leapt down from his chariot and that indomitable titan mounted an elephant and, advancing thereon, and he, full of vigour, let forth a terrible cry and hurled himself on the monkeys. Thereafter he rained a shower of formidable darts on Sugriva in the forefront of battle and arrested the rout of the titans by reviving their courage.
Riddled with wounds from the sharp arrows of the titans, that Indra of Monkeys, howling with rage, resolved to slay him and, brandishing a tree, that valiant and indomitable monkey leapt forward and struck the huge head of his adversary’s elephant, and under the virulence of that blow, the great tusker sank down emitting loud cries.
Wounded by his blows, the night-ranger, enraged, with his sword severed Sugriva’s armour in the forefront of battle and, under the shock, he fell to his knees. Thereupon the monkey, picking himself up, gave the titan a terrific blow that resounded like thunder, but Virupaksha evaded it skillfully and, with his fist, struck Sugriva on the chest.
Thereafter the monkey king waxed even more furious and, seeing that the titan had parried his thrust, sought an opportunity to attack him. In his rage, he struck him a violent blow on the temple like unto Indra’s thunderbolt which felled him to the earth, and the blood flowed from his mouth covering him like water from a mountain torrent. Rolling his eyes in fury, foaming at the mouth and bathed in blood, he seemed more misshapen than ever and the monkeys beheld their enemy covered with blood, trembling, and rolling from side to side, emitting plaintive cries.
In chapter 98, Ravana sends Mahodara to the battlefield. Mahodara creates havoc, by cutting off the hands, feet and thighs of monkeys. Some monkeys seek refuge with Sugriva and some ran away for life. Sugriva attacks Mahodara and initially kills the horses of the latter. Both of them fight till the weapons in their hands get broken. Then, they start wrestling with each other, till they get exhausted. Finally, Sugreeva cuts off Mahodara's head with a huge sword.
As the carnage continued, so did the disappearance of numbers among the two armies. Ravana swaying between anger and anguish at Virupaksha's death, felt abandoned by the grace of the divine. He looked at Mahodara and said, “From now on, O Long-armed Warrior, you are my only hope of victory! Go, triumph over the enemy forces! Display your heroism today; the time has come to return the favors your master has bestowed on you! Fight bravely!”
At these words, that foremost of titans, Mahodara replied:—“Be it so!” and rushed on the enemy’s army as a butterfly into a flame. Then that exceedingly powerful titan, whose ardour had been stimulated by the words of his master and also on account of his own native valour, began to create carnage among the monkeys.
From their side, the noble-hearted monkeys, arming themselves with enormous stones, penetrated into the ranks of the redoubtable titans and slew them all. And Mahodara, at the height of fury, with his golden shafts severed the hands, feet and thighs of the monkeys in the great struggle and they, after a hard fight with the titans, fled to different quarters, some taking refuge with Sugriva.
Witnessing the rout of his powerful army, Sugriva rushed upon Mahodara and the Lord of the Monkeys, seizing a huge and formidable rock resembling a hill, threw it at him with great force, in order to crush him.
Seeing the stone falling, Mahodara, unmoved, cut it to pieces with his arrows. Under the titan’s darts, it fell in a thousand fragments on the earth so that it resembled a flock of frightened vultures. Beholding that rock broken, Sugriva, mad with anger, tore up a Sala Tree and flung it at his adversary, who broke it into many pieces. With his shafts, that hero, the scourge of his foes, broke the tree, whereupon Sugriva, observing an iron stake lying on the ground, brandished the flash ng bar before the eyes of the titan and, with one exceedingly violent blow, struck down his excellent steeds.
Leaping down from his great car, its team of horses having been slain, the valiant Mahodara, highly provoked, took hold of a mace and the two warriors, one armed with an iron bar and the other with a mace, approached each other, bellowing like bulls, resembling two clouds charged with lightning. In fury, the night-ranger, his lustrous mace glittering like the sun, rushed on Sugriva and, as the terrible club was falling upon him, the extremely valiant leader of the monkeys, his eyes red with anger, lifted up his weapon and struck, whereupon the bar instantly fell shattered to the earth. Then Sugriva, boiling with rage, from the ground picked up a huge club gilded on all sides and, brandishing it, hurled it against the mace, striking it, whereupon, on the impact, the two missiles broke in pieces and fell on the field.
Their weapons shattered, the two warriors attacked each other with blows of their fists and, full of ardour and strength, resembled two lit braziers. Amidst loud cries, they struck each other and, having interchanged blows, rolled on the earth. Leaping up immediately, the two pugilists, great champions, scourgers of their foes, exhausted each other, whereupon each seized hold of a sword that lay within reach and, transported with rage, threw themselves upon each other, their weapons upraised. Then those two spirited and experienced warriors moved rapidly from left to right of one another, each seeking to slay his opponent. Meantime the courageous, impetuous and wicked Mahodara, proud of his strength, pierced Sugriva’s heavy mail with his sword whereupon the weapon snapped on the impact. Then that elephant among monkeys, with his own sword, severed the titan’s head bearing a helmet and adorned with earrings.
Beholding their leader lying headless on the ground, the whole army of titans melted away and, having slain Mahodara, the monkey with his forces began to cheer, whereupon Dashagriva grew furious and Raghava was filled with joy.
In chapter 99, When Mahaparshva enters the battlefield and torments the monkeys, Angada comes to their rescue and hits him. Jambavan also enters the field and breaks the chariot and the horses of Mahaparshva. Then, Angada knocks the bow and the helmet of Mahaparshva, as they fall down. Finally, Mahaparshva falls dead, succumbing to a forcible blow of Angada's fist.
Mahodara having been struck down by Sugriva, the all-powerful Mahaparshva gazed on his slayer, his eyes red with anger and, with his shafts, began to sow disorder in Angada’s formidable ranks; and as the wind detaches a fruit from its stalk so did that titan sever the upper limbs of the leading monkeys. With his darts, he cut off the arms of some and, full of ire, pierced the sides of others. Overwhelmed by those shafts, that Mahaparshva loosed upon them, the monkeys grew pale with fright and lost courage.
Then Angada, wishing to give a little respite to his troops, who had been trampled upon and decimated by that titan, leapt up full of fury like the ocean on the day of the full tide. Seizing an iron bar that shone like the rays of the sun, that Prince of the Monkeys struck Mahaparshva in the struggle and he, losing consciousness, fell from his chariot, its driver having been slain, and lay senseless on the earth.
Thereupon the mighty King of the Bears who resembled a heap of black antimony and was extremely powerful, arming himself with a huge rock like unto the peak of a mountain, strode ahead of his battalion, which resembled a cloud, and with a furious blow struck down the horses and shattered the chariot of the titan.
Enraged, the valiant and illustrious Mahaparshva seized hold of a great axe in one hand and with that stainless weapon washed in oil, made of solid stone, that titan, in a paroxysm of fury, struck his antagonist violently, but the blow, falling on the left shoulder, glanced off his armour. Then Angada, the equal of his sire in valour, furious, lifted up his fist which was as powerful as lightning and knowing the vital parts of the body, delivered a blow like unto Indra’s thunderbolt on the chest of the titan, close to his heart.
On this the titan, his heart riven by the shock, fell dead on that vast battlefield, and seeing him lying stretched on the earth without life, his army took fright, whilst Ravana fell into a transport of rage.
In chapter 100, Ravana enters the battle-field and with his mystic missile, frightens several monkeys and destroys them. Rama and Lakshmana come and attack Ravana. Then, Rama and Ravana fight each other with various kinds of arrows. When the missile employed by Ravana is struck down by Rama, all the monkeys shout loudly with a rejoice.
Shattered and shaking at the death of mighty chiefs and dearest kinsman, Ravana swore to kill Rama and Lakshmana, "I shall cut down the tree called Rama whose branches are Sugriva, Jambavan, Angada, Kumuda, Nala, Nila and all the others." Arriving on the battlefield, Ravana saw Rama, destroyer of foes, glowing like Vishnu. In the war between the divine and the evil, to the sound of Rama's bow and Ravana's arrows alone fell thousands. Then, arrow met arrow in the sky arresting the rays of the sun from reaching the earth, rendering it gloomy and fearful. So great was the skill and power of their weapons that neither Rama's nor Ravana's seemed to take their toll. Lakshmana recovered and his arrow finally broke Ravana's bow, while Vibhishana's destroyed his horses. Ravana furious, bellowed, "Lakshmana you will now fall to my most indomitable weapon which brooks no defiance and knows no defeat."
This concludes chapters 97, 98, 99 and 100 of Yuddha Kanda where we had seen three more chief warriors from the demon side waging wars to their death against the army of Rama. These chiefs were all held high by Ravana but met with the same fate as every other warring demon leader. Sugriva and Angada were enough to rout the three strong men Virupaksha, Mahodara and Mahaparshva. All the tactics in the rule book are employed in the battle by both sides but could do little harm to the chief men from the side of Rama. In the war of opposites, the noble and virtuous prevail without any loss, protected by the charge taken by Rama. With this, Ravana will be left to himself as he needs to face eventuality. How the lord of demons and the last one standing in the path of victory fares on the battle ground can be seen in the subsequent chapters.
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