Kali Gathers Garlands of Heads Beside the Banyan of Battle
Lanka Kanda, Chhand 18
Doha 93 · Movement 2 of 3
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Where is Rama, the severed heads cry as they rush toward the vanara host. Bears and monkeys break into flight before this impossible pursuit, while the disembodied voices roll across the field.
The jewel of Raghu's line smiles, draws the bow, and pierces the flying clusters cleanly. The terror that scatters an army remains completely transparent to Rama. His shafts pass through it with the ease of sovereign play.
Kali takes the severed heads as garlands while they gather in multitude. She and her companies bathe in the rivers of blood, appearing to approach the great banyan of the battlefield for worship. The duel opens into a fierce sacred landscape of goddess, garland, river, and tree. At its center Rama's smile remains untouched, ordering even the cremation ground imagery that surrounds the final war.
Around Rama's smile, Kali turns the flying terror of severed heads into garlands for the worship of battle.
Read the passage from the Manas
कहँ रामु कहि सिर निकर धाए देखि मर्कट भजि चले। संधानि धनु रघुबंसमनि हँसि सरन्हि सिर बेधे भले।। सिर मालिका कर कालिका गहि बृंद बृंदन्हि बहु मिलीं। करि रुधिर सरि मज्जनु मनहुँ संग्राम बट पूजन चलीं।।
'Where is Rama?' cried the host of severed heads as they rushed forth; seeing this, the monkeys fled in terror. The jewel of Raghu's line smiled, strung His bow, and skillfully pierced those heads with arrows. Goddess Kali grasped garlands of severed heads as countless groups of them gathered together. Bathing in rivers of blood, it seemed they had come to worship at the sacred tree of battle.