Chapter 23 - The Titan Army advances amid evil Portents

At that time terrible portents appeared and from a dark cloud a shower of blood fell. The swift-footed steeds yoked to Khara’s chariot, stumbled on the level road of the royal highway, strewn with flowers; the sun was covered with a black disc, edged, as it were with blood, like a circle of burning coals, whilst a frightful vulture settled on the standard with its golden support.

Birds and beasts of prey, roaming in the vicinity of Janasthana, emitted deafening cries, creating an appalling clamour, and near that region, terrible jackals gave forth fearful and bloodcurdling howls, like fiends.

Immense and formidable thunderclouds resembling elephants with crushed Temples, showered down a rain of blood, which hid the entire firmament; a great darkness fell, causing the hair to stand on end, obscuring the four quarters. Dusk arrived before the appointed time, assuming a sanguinous hue and, as Khara proceeded, wild beasts and birds of terrifying aspect barred his path, whilst herons, hyenas and vultures raised a ghastly clamour.

Hideous jackals, a sign of misfortune in war, howled at the approaching army, flames darting from their jaws and a headless trunk, resembling a club, was seen close to the sun. Though the time of eclipse had not come, yet that golden orb was seized by the planet Svarbhanu; the winds blew violently and the sun was bereft of lustre; though not yet night, stars thick as fireflies appeared.

Birds and fishes dived into the depths of the lakes, on which the lotuses had withered, and in that hour the trees were bereft of flowers and fruit, and sombre dust-clouds arose without the stirring of the wind. Parrots called wildly ‘Cicikuci’ and comets of sinister aspect fell without a sound; the earth with her mountains, woods and forests, shook.

As Khara, standing in his chariot, was raising his war-cry, his left arm twitched and his voice died away; glancing round on every side, his eyes were suffused with tears, his head throbbed, yet in his folly he did not turn back.

Witnessing these evil portents that caused his hair to stand on end, with a defiant laugh, Khara addressed that host of titans saying:—

“I hold these terrible portents, dreadful to behold, as nought compared with my power and disregard them as do the strong, the weak! I am able to shoot down the stars from heaven with my sharp arrows! I can subjugate the empire of death itself! Till by means of my powerful weapons, I have brought Rama low, who depends on his strength alone, as also Lakshmana, I shall not turn back. May my sister, for whose sake I have sworn to bring about the death of Rama and Lakshmana, drink the blood of these two. Till this hour, I have not known defeat on the field of battle; you are witness to it, I do not utter falsehood! In my wrath I am able to slay the Chief of the Gods bearing the thunderbolt, mounted on the intoxicated Airavata, how much more am I able to slay these two mortals?”

Hearing those boastful words, the vast army of the titans, whom death already held in his noose, was filled with incomparable joy, and advanced full of vigour, anxious to join issue in battle.

Thereupon, the high-souled Rishis, Devas, Gandharvas and Caranas assembled and those virtuous beings said one to the other:—

“Reverence to the cows, the brahmins and all those who have acquired spiritual merit in the world!

“As Vishnu, bearing the discus in his hand, subdued the Asuras, so may Rama too triumph over the titans in this fight.”

Repeatedly expressing this wish and many others, those illustrious Rishis and the Gods, stationed in the sky, gazed down on the army of the titans, that was about to be destroyed.

Then Khara in his swiftly-moving chariot rode out to the head of his army and those twelve of exceeding prowess: Karaviraksha, Parasha, Kalakarmukha, Hemamalin, Mahamalin, Sarpasya, Shyengamin, Prithugriva, Vajnashatru, Vihangama, Dirjaya, Krudhirashana, surrounded him, and Mahakapala, Sthulaksha, Pramatha and Trishiras, these four followed Dushana.

As a group of planets rush towards the sun or moon, so in their eagerness to enter the fight did that formidable army of of titans hurl themselves with tremendous impetus on the two princes.