Kumbhakarna's Radiance Enters Rama After His Head Falls Before Ravana
Lanka Kanda, Chaupai 71
Doha 71 · Movement 1 of 3
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Seeing the gods afraid, the compassionate Lord draws his bow to the ear and fills Kumbhakarna's open mouth with arrows. The giant still advances like the living trident of Death. Rama takes one keen shaft and severs the head from the body.
The head falls before Ravana, who reels like a serpent robbed of its crest jewel. The headless trunk keeps charging hard enough to drive the earth downward, so Rama divides it in two. Both halves fall like mountains from the sky, crushing demons, monkeys, and bears beneath them.
Then Kumbhakarna's radiance enters Rama's face. Gods and sages marvel, beat celestial drums, offer hymns, and rain flowers. Narada arrives above the field and sings Hari's virtues in heroic rasa that delights the Lord. The body falls in pieces, the vital brilliance reaches its source, and the brother who sought one vision of Rama receives a union Ravana cannot understand.
Kumbhakarna falls as mountain and rises as radiance, entering the face he had gone to behold.
Read the passage from the Manas
सभय देव करुनानिधि जान्यो। श्रवन प्रजंत सरासनु तान्यो।। बिसिख निकर निसिचर मुख भरेऊ। तदपि महाबल भूमि न परेऊ।। सरन्हि भरा मुख सन्मुख धावा। काल त्रोन सजीव जनु आवा।। तब प्रभु कोपि तीब्र सर लीन्हा। धर ते भिन्न तासु सिर कीन्हा।। सो सिर परेउ दसानन आगें। बिकल भयउ जिमि फनि मनि त्यागें।। धरनि धसइ धर धाव प्रचंडा। तब प्रभु काटि कीन्ह दुइ खंडा।। परे भूमि जिमि नभ तें भूधर। हेठ दाबि कपि भालु निसाचर।। तासु तेज प्रभु बदन समाना। सुर मुनि सबहिं अचंभव माना।। सुर दुंदुभीं बजावहिं हरषहिं। अस्तुति करहिं सुमन बहु बरषहिं।। करि बिनती सुर सकल सिधाए। तेही समय देवरिषि आए।। गगनोपरि हरि गुन गन गाए। रुचिर बीररस प्रभु मन भाए।। बेगि हतहु खल कहि मुनि गए। राम समर महि सोभत भए।।
The compassionate Lord, seeing the gods in fear, drew His great bow to His ear. He filled the demon's gaping mouth with a multitude of arrows, yet even so that giant of immense strength did not fall. With his mouth crammed full of arrows, he charged straight at the Lord, as if the trident of Death itself had come alive. Then the Lord, aroused to holy wrath, took up a keen-edged arrow and severed the giant's head from his body. That severed head fell before Ravana, who became stricken like a serpent whose crest-jewel has been torn away. The headless trunk still charged with tremendous force, making the earth buckle and shake; then the Lord cleaved it in two. The two halves crashed to earth like mountains falling from the sky, crushing monkeys, bears, and demons alike beneath them. The demon's vital radiance merged into the Lord's countenance, and all gods and sages marveled at the sight. The gods joyfully beat their celestial drums, offered hymns of praise, and showered abundant flowers. Having offered their prayers, all the gods departed, and at that very moment the divine sage Narada arrived. From the sky above he sang the glorious qualities of Hari, and those beautiful strains of heroic rasa delighted the Lord's heart. The sage said, 'Swiftly now, slay the wicked one,' and departed, while Rama shone resplendent upon the battlefield.