We had seen in the last post about the divine birth of Lava and Kusha in sage Valmiki hermitage. The birth of Lava and Kusha in the Uttara Kanda is a divine orchestration of fate, ensuring that dharma prevails despite adversity. Sita, all through her life had faced adversity – from Rama sentenced to exile to living with him in forest to getting abducted and living in threatening captivity of Ravana to facing test of fire by Rama to hearing unfounded rumors by the people on her character in captivity to Rama discarding her and leaving her in the forest with Valmiki. At each and every phase, she faced adversity, hardship and nothing but tears of agony all along. Her story is one of continuous name-calling, receiving blame, unfounded gossip, living in exile, captivity and separated from husband. That is the continuous difficulty faced by the dear spouse of Rama in the enthralling story of Ramayana for marrying Rama. Yet the mother never forgot Rama, never forgot to wish the best for Rama. Yet the mother prevailed against all odds and gave birth to the progeny of Rama who are going to continue the legacy of Rama. The story is a testament to Sita’s resilience, proving that a drop of truth and righteousness in the middle of ocean of gloom is always going to find a way back to glory.
The story is not done yet as an alone, resolute and patient Sita is going to raise the offspring in the absence of their father under the protection and guidance of Valmiki. The kids raised in the forest will challenge their father and reunite with him which can be seen much later.
Coming back to the last post, we are following the path of Shatrughna pursuing Lavana. While staying at Sage Valmiki’s hermitage, Shatrughna learned that Sita had given birth to twin sons. Valmiki performed a sacred protection ritual using Kusha grass and named the children Lava and Kusha. Shatrughna, overjoyed, offered blessings to Sita and spent the night in celebration. The next morning, he resumed his mission to defeat the demon Lavana. After reaching the Yamuna River, Shatrughna stayed at a hermitage where he conversed with sages, including Cyavana. That night, he inquired about Lavana’s strength. Cyavana told the tale of King Mandhata, a mighty ruler who sought to conquer heaven but was destroyed, along with his army, by Lavana’s powerful trident. Cyavana explained that Lavana’s strength came from this weapon. The sage revealed that Lavana would go out unarmed in the morning to hunt, presenting the perfect opportunity. Encouraged, Shatrughna prepared to confront the demon and end his reign of terror.
In chapter 68, Shatrughna encounters Lavana.
As Sage Cyavana concluded his tale and the sages extended their heartfelt wishes for Shatrughna’s success, the night passed swiftly for the valiant prince, filled with anticipation for the decisive battle ahead.
At dawn, under a clear sky, the demon Lavana, driven by hunger, set out from his city, Madhupura, to search for food. At that very hour, Shatrughna crossed the Yamuna River and, armed with his bow, took up his position at the gate of the city, ready to confront the Rakshasa. He waited with focused resolve, knowing that this was the ideal moment, as Lavana had left his dreadful trident behind.
By midday, Lavana returned, his monstrous arms laden with countless living beings—his gruesome prey. As he approached the city gate, he noticed Shatrughna standing firm and fearless, weapon in hand. The demon, arrogant and mocking, confronted the prince with scornful laughter. He taunted him, demanding to know what he intended to do with his weapon, claiming he had consumed thousands of warriors like Shatrughna before. Sneering, Lavana declared that death had brought Shatrughna to him and mocked his presence as mere food for his insatiable hunger.
Shatrughna, incensed by the demon's words, was overtaken by a fury so intense that tears sprang to his eyes and sparks of fire seemed to leap from his body. Ignited by righteous wrath, the prince responded with courage and defiance. He introduced himself as Shatrughna, the son of King Dasaratha and brother of the mighty Rama, a true destroyer of enemies. Declaring his intent to slay Lavana, he challenged the Rakshasa to single combat, warning that there would be no escape. Shatrughna denounced Lavana as the enemy of all living beings and vowed to end his evil reign then and there.
Unmoved, Lavana replied with arrogant confidence, mocking Shatrughna once again. He claimed that Shatrughna’s arrival was a stroke of luck for him, and insulted Rama, referring to him as the slayer of his maternal aunt’s brother, Ravana, whom he accused of being destroyed over a mere woman. Lavana lamented his own failure to avenge the annihilation of Ravana’s kin and vowed to wipe out the entire lineage of Rama. Calling Shatrughna a fool, he accepted the challenge and declared his intent to fetch his mighty trident to ensure the prince’s annihilation.
But Shatrughna would not allow the demon such a chance. Swiftly, he rebuked Lavana’s intention to retrieve his weapon. “Shall I let you escape me alive?” he challenged. Shatrughna affirmed that no wise warrior would permit an enemy, especially one so dangerous, to go free once within striking distance. He denounced those who allowed enemies to escape as doomed by their own folly.
With righteous fire in his voice, Shatrughna warned Lavana to take one last look at the world. The time of judgment had arrived. The prince vowed to send the demon to Yama’s abode with his sharpened arrows, avenging the suffering Lavana had wrought upon the world and upholding the honor of the Raghava lineage. Thus, on the threshold of battle, the clash between good and evil loomed imminent.
In chapter 69, the death of Lavana can be seen.
As Shatrughna stood firm at the gates of Madhupura, defying the fearsome Rakshasa Lavana, the demon flew into a violent rage. Striking his hands together and grinding his teeth, Lavana stormed forward to attack the courageous prince of the Raghus with redoubled fury. But Shatrughna, undeterred and resolute, boldly proclaimed that though others had fallen to Lavana before his time, today would mark the Rakshasa's end. He vowed before the Rishis and Brahmins that Lavana would die by his arrows, bringing peace to the city and the realm. Just as sunlight pierces the heart of a lotus, Shatrughna declared, so would his arrows pierce the demon’s chest.
Enraged by Shatrughna’s defiance, Lavana hurled a massive tree at him, striking him in the chest. But the mighty warrior sliced it into a hundred pieces mid-air. Undeterred, the Rakshasa seized more trees and threw them in a furious storm at his opponent. Shatrughna, ablaze with righteous fury, met each attack with masterful archery, cutting down the trees with a few well-aimed, crescent-shaped arrows. Then, unleashing a relentless shower of darts, he assailed Lavana, who, though wounded, did not yield.
In retaliation, Lavana mocked Shatrughna and, brandishing yet another massive tree, struck him on the head with such force that the prince collapsed, unconscious. A cry of despair—“Ah! Ah!”—rose from the watching sages, Devas, Gandharvas, and Apsaras, who feared the great warrior had been slain.
Mistaking his enemy for dead, Lavana refrained from retrieving his deadly trident, thinking there was no longer any need. Believing victory was his, he began to gather the living beings he had brought back to devour.
However, Shatrughna soon regained consciousness. With renewed determination, he seized his weapon and once again positioned himself at the city gate, greeted by cheers from the Rishis. Now prepared for the final blow, he chose a celestial arrow of divine origin—an infallible, resplendent weapon that illuminated the ten directions like lightning. It was stained with blood-colored sandal paste, perfectly plumed, and so terrifying that even the mightiest Asuras, Danavas, and mountains feared it.
The sight of this radiant arrow sent a wave of panic across the universe. The Devas, Asuras, Gandharvas, and Apsaras trembled and fled to Brahma, the Grandsire of all beings, begging him to explain the cause of this cosmic dread. In a voice of calm reassurance, Brahma told them the truth: the divine arrow was the creation of Vishnu Himself, fashioned for the destruction of the ancient demons Madhu and Kaitabha. It was, in essence, the very form of Vishnu, and now wielded by Shatrughna to destroy Lavana, the scourge of the Three Worlds.
Encouraged by Brahma’s words, the Devas descended to witness the battle’s climax. The weapon in Shatrughna’s hand blazed with such brilliance that it resembled the fire that engulfs the universe at the end of an age. Roaring like a lion, Shatrughna turned to Lavana once more. Provoked by this renewed challenge, the Rakshasa prepared to strike, but before he could act, Shatrughna pulled back his bow and unleashed the mighty celestial arrow.
With terrifying speed and divine power, the arrow pierced Lavana’s chest and passed through his body, descending into Rasatala, the netherworld. The sacred weapon, honored even by the gods, then returned to Shatrughna’s hand. Struck down by the devastating force, Lavana crashed to the ground like a mountain split by a lightning bolt. At the same moment, his trident, long a symbol of terror, returned to Rudra.
With Lavana’s death, the terror that haunted the Three Worlds was ended in a single, righteous blow. Shatrughna stood, his bow in hand, resplendent like the sun scattering darkness. The heavens resounded with the cries of celebration from the Devas, sages, celestial serpents, and Apsaras: “By great fortune, the son of Dasaratha has triumphed! The world is free from fear. Lavana, the vile serpent among beings, lies vanquished upon the earth.”
This concludes chapters 68 and 69 of Uttara Kanda where we had seen the war of words and the war between Shatrughna and demon Lavana in which the latter is killed. As we had seen, Lavana is the son of Madhu another powerful demon who ruled Madhuvana. Lavana inherited Rudra’s trident, divine weapon given to his father which made him nearly invincible. Without this potent weapon, Lavana was overcome by Shatrughna who wielded another powerful missile which made the three worlds relieved of dangerous demon. We can look at the progress made by Shatrughna in the subsequent chapters following the death of Lavana.
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