Chapter 42 - The Titans make a Sortie

Then those titans approached the abode of Ravana and informed him that Rama and the monkeys had laid siege to the city.

This news enraged that Ranger of the Night, who, repeating his former commands went up into the palace. From there he surveyed Lanka with its hills, woods and groves, which was besieged on all sides by countless divisions of monkeys, eager to fight. Beholding the earth all brown with innumerable Plavagas, in great perplexity he reflected: “How can they be exterminated?”

Having pondered long, Ravana regained his confidence and, opening his great eyes wide, he gazed on Raghava and the simian battalions.

Meanwhile Rama, at the head of his army was rapidly advancing on Lanka which was guarded on all sides and thronged with titans. Thereafter the son of Dasaratha, seeing that city furnished with flags and banners, remembered Sita and was filled with anguish. He reflected “That daughter of Janaka whose eyes resemble a young doe’s, will be a prey to anxiety on my account 1 Consumed with grief and emaciated, she is pining away, the bare ground her bed!”

Reflecting on the sufferings of Vaidehi, the virtuous Raghava speedily issued a command to the monkeys to prepare for the enemy’s destruction.

Hearing the order of Raghava of imperishable exploits, the Plavagas, urging each other on, filled the air with their roaring.

“Let us demolish Lanka with rocks and stones or with our fists alone” was the resolve of the monkey leaders and, under the eyes of the King of the Titans, in order to accomplish Rama’s cherished desire, those troops divided themselves into columns and began to scale the heights of Lanka. Hurling themselves on that city with rocks and trees, those golden-hued Plavamgamas of coppery countenance, willing to lay down their lives in Rama’s service, destroyed innumerable battlements, ramparts and arches with blows from trees, rocks and fists and filled the moats and trenches of clear water with sand, stones, grass and logs.

The commanders led their divisions by thousands and hundreds of millions of thousands to attack Lanka and the Plavamgamas tore up the golden arches, broke down the gates, that equalled the peak of Kailasha in height and from the sides and the centre, hurled themselves on the city like great elephants with cries of “Victory to the mighty Rama and the valiant Lakshmana!” “Victory to Sugriva protected by Raghava!” Shouting thus, the monkeys, who were able to change their form at will, roaring, rushed to attack the city.

Virabahu, Subahu, Nala and Panasa, having demolished some of the outposts, reached the foot of the walls and assigned each column to a post of attack. The eastern gate was besieged by the valiant Kumuda surrounded by ten kotis of triumphant monkeys; his lieutenants were Prasabha and the long-armed Panasa, who were at the head of those forces.

At the southern gate was the warrior Shatabali, a monkey of proved valour, who was stationed with twenty kotis to obstruct the exit. Sushena, the father of Tara, full of courage and strength, with a hundred thousand monkeys surrounded the western gate. The northern gate was blockaded by the mighty Rama assisted by Saumitri and Sugriva, the King of the Monkeys.

The colossal Golangula, Gavaksha, of grim aspect and immense energy, supported one of Rama’s flanks with a koti of warriors and the valiant Dhumra, scourger of his foes, supported the other flank with a koti of bears of redoubtable fury.

The intrepid Bibishana, attended by his loyal ministers, followed his ally, the heroic Rama, everywhere, whilst Gaja, Gavaksha, Gavaya, Sharabha and Gandhamadana patrolled every side in defence of the simian army.

Meanwhile, his heart filled with rage, the King of the Titans ordered his troops to make a rapid sortie. At this command falling from Ravana’s lips, a tremendous clamour arose among the rangers of the night and the sound of kettledrums, their discs white as the moon, on which the titans beat with sticks of gold, broke out on every side, while hundreds and thousands of trumpets blared forth, blown by the titans with their cheeks extended to the full. With their dark limbs adorned with ornaments and their conches, those rangers of the night resembled clouds bordered with lightning or rows of cranes; and their battalions advanced gaily under Ravana’s imperious commands as, at the time of Pralaya, the tumultuous sea overflows.

At that moment from every side, a clamour arose from the army of the monkeys which filled Malaya with its plains, valleys and chasms, and the sound of the trumpets and drums and the leonine roars of those warriors re-echoed over the earth, sky and sea, as also the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the clatter of chariot wheels and the thunder of the titans marching.

Thereafter a terrible struggle ensued between the monkeys and the titans as, in former times between Gods and Asuras. With their flaming maces, their spears, harpoons and axes, the titans, demonstrating their native prowess, struck the army of the monkeys and from their side, those gigantic apes attacked their adversaries ferociously with blows from trees, rocks, teeth and nails.

“Victory to King Sugriva!” yelled the monkeys, “May our Sovereign prevail!” shouted the titans and each proclaimed his name, while other demons, standing on the walls, hacked at the monkeys below with hooks and harpoons and they, infuriated, leapt into the air and dragged down those soldiers stationed on the walls by seizing them with their arms, and that conflict between demons and monkeys was appalling and the earth was covered with mud and flesh in that astonishing fight.