Chapter 77 - The Fight between Nikumbha and Hanuman

Nikumbha, seeing his brother slain by Sugriva, gazed on the King of the Monkeys as if he would consume him with the fury of his glance, and that warrior took hold of his brilliant and terrible mace as large as the peak of the Mahendra Mountain, like unto the Rod of Death, the support of the titans, which was festooned with garlands, plated with gold and embellished with diamonds and coral.

Brandishing that weapon of a splendour equal to Indra’s standard, the fortunate Nikumbha, who was endowed with redoubtable courage, opening his mouth wide, emitted loud cries. With his breast adorned with golden pieces, his arms encircled with bracelets, his charming earrings and graceful garlands, his jewels and his mace, Nikumbha shone like a cloud shot with lightning and charged with thunder to which the bow of Indra is added. The tip of his weapon shattered the conjunction of the seven winds and that loud-voiced hero glowed like a smokeless flame, whereupon the firmament with the City of Vitapavati, the most lovely palaces of the Gandharvas, the clusters of stars and planets, the moon and great luminaries seemed to be spinning round with the whirling of Nikumbha’s mace! Unapproachable in ardour, Nikumbha was like unto the Fire at the destruction of the worlds, his mace and his ornaments the flames, his wrath the fuel, and, in their terror, neither titans nor monkeys dared to move.

Hanuman, however, baring his breast, stood fearlessly before him, and that titan, with arms as thick as iron bars which shone like the star of day, brought his weapon down on the breast of that mighty one so that it broke into a hundred pieces like a meteor suddenly exploding in space. But the great monkey remained unmoved under the impact of that weapon like a mountain in an earthquake. Thus assailed by his adversary, Hanuman, the foremost of the Plavagas, swinging his fist round with extreme force and lifting it up, with a swift bound struck Nikumbha a violent blow on the chest so that his armour was shattered and blood shot forth like lightning from a cloud.

The shock caused Nikumbha to stumble but, steadying himself, he seized hold of the energetic Hanuman, whereupon a great cheering broke out amongst the inhabitants of Lanka, witnessing that combat.

Though lifted up in this wise by the titan, the mighty Hanuman struck him a violent blow with his fist and, freeing himself from Nikumbha’s grasp, leapt to the ground, thereafter, with a supreme effort, in his rage he struck him down, crushing him and then, leaping into the air, he fell heavily on his chest and taking hold of his neck, pressed it with his two hands while he cried out, whereupon he tore off his head which was of an appalling size.

Amidst the shrieks emitted by Nikumbha, who had fallen under the blows of the son of Pavana, the armies of the son of Dasaratha and the son of that Indra of the Titans, both filled with fury, entered into a desperate struggle. And Nikumbha being slain, the Plavagas emitted cries of joy that re-echoed in all the quarters of the horizon and the earth seemed to tremble and the heavens crumble, whilst the hosts of the titans were filled with terror.