A Monsoon of Swords, Tails, Mountains, and Blood Breaks Over Lanka
Lanka Kanda, Chaupai 87
Doha 87 · Movement 1 of 3
Keep this contemplation
Preserve, print, or share
The packed demon army surges forward, and vanara warriors gather against it like storm clouds massing at the dissolution of the world. Swords and scimitars flash as lightning in all ten directions. Elephants, chariots, and horses cry like thunder rolling inside the cloudbank.
Vanaras and langurs fill the sky, their long tails arching like radiant rainbows. Dust rises in streams while arrows descend as an immeasurable rain. From both sides mountain peaks crash again and again like repeated thunderbolts, turning the battlefield into a monsoon made of weapons.
Raghupati grows wrathful and releases a torrent of shafts. Demon warriors shriek as the arrows enter them, spin through the darkened air, and fall across the ground. Blood descends from the mountains like heavy waterfalls and gathers into a dreadful river. The entire weather of battle now answers Rama's bow, and those without courage recoil before the red current beginning to cross the field.
Beneath Rama's arrow rain, the storm of Ravana's army becomes a river running red from the mountains.
Read the passage from the Manas
एहीं बीच निसाचर अनी। कसमसात आई अति घनी। देखि चले सन्मुख कपि भट्टा। प्रलयकाल के जनु घन घट्टा।। बहु कृपान तरवारि चमंकहिं। जनु दहँ दिसि दामिनीं दमंकहिं।। गज रथ तुरग चिकार कठोरा। गर्जहिं मनहुँ बलाहक घोरा।। कपि लंगूर बिपुल नभ छाए। मनहुँ इंद्रधनु उए सुहाए।। उठइ धूरि मानहुँ जलधारा। बान बुंद भै बृष्टि अपारा।। दुहुँ दिसि पर्बत करहिं प्रहारा। बज्रपात जनु बारहिं बारा।। रघुपति कोपि बान झरि लाई। घायल भै निसिचर समुदाई।। लागत बान बीर चिक्करहीं। घुर्मि घुर्मि जहँ तहँ महि परहीं।। स्त्रवहिं सैल जनु निर्झर भारी। सोनित सरि कादर भयकारी।।
Meanwhile the demon army surged forward, writhing and pressing together in vast numbers. Seeing them, the monkey warriors advanced to meet them, like storm clouds massing at the time of pralaya. Countless swords and scimitars gleamed brightly, as if lightning flashed in all ten directions. The harsh cries of elephants, chariots, and horses resounded like terrible thunderclouds roaring. The monkeys and langurs spread across the sky in great multitudes, beautiful as rainbows. Dust rose up like streams of water, and arrows rained down in a boundless deluge. From both sides mountains were hurled as weapons, crashing like thunderbolts again and again. Raghupati, stirred to anger, unleashed a torrent of arrows, wounding the entire demon host. Struck by the shafts, warriors cried out and fell spinning to the earth, here and there. Blood streamed from the mountains like mighty waterfalls, forming rivers that filled the cowardly with dread.