Chapter 79 - Maharaksha falls under Rama’s Blows

Seeing Maharaksha approach, the foremost among the monkeys rushed forward burning to fight. Thereupon a desperate struggle ensued between the rangers of the night and the Plavagas, like unto that combat formerly waged between Devas and Danavas, causing the hair to stand on end.

Blows from trees and swords, clashes of maces and iron bars were exchanged, whilst monkeys and night-rangers assailed each other and the titans created carnage among the foremost of the monkeys with swords, maces, lances, javelins, harpoons, goads and arrows, nets, hammers, sticks and other weapons with which they struck out on every side.

Overwhelmed by a mass of missiles which the son of Khara hurled upon them, all the monkeys, distracted, fled full of terror and, seeing their enemies routed, the titans emitted leonine roars and triumphant shouts, while the monkeys scattered in all directions. Then Rama covered the titans with a hail of arrows and, beholding them overpowered in this wise, Maharaksha, that ranger of the night, consumed with the fire of his wrath, challenged Rama in these words, saying:—

“Stay! It is with me, O Rama, that you should measure your strength! With whetted shafts loosed from my bow, I am about to relieve you of your life! Since, in the Forest of Dandaka, you didst slay my sire, remembering thine iniquity, my wrath has increased! O Wicked Raghava, a violent fire consumes my limbs since I failed to meet with you in that great forest! By good fortune you are now before me; as a hungry lion desires to see its prey, so did I seek this encounter! Soon shall my swift arrows despatch you to the region of the dead where you shalt rejoin the warriors you have slain! Of what use are further words? O Rama, let all the worlds witness our combat; let us fight with darts, maces, fists or whatever weapon you preferest!”

Thus spoke Maharaksha and the son of Dasaratha, smiling, interrupted that flow of words, saying:—“O Titan, of what use is this prating? It is in no wise worthy of you! On the battlefield one does not triumph by strength of words but by fighting! Fourteen thousand titans and your sire, Trishiras and Dushana himself, fell under my blows in the Dandaka Forest! Today vultures, jackals and crows shall feed on your flesh with their beaks, nails and claws, O Wretch!”

Hearing these words of Raghava’s, Maharaksha loosed innumerable shafts on him with great violence, but Rama, with a shower of darts, severed those golden-hafted and richly bejewelled arrows again and again so that they fell in pieces on the earth. Thereafter, as they joined issue, a desperate struggle ensued between the son of the demon, Khara, and the son of Dasaratha, and the clanging of their bow-strings and the dash of their gauntlets was like the muttering of thunderclouds.

Then Devas, Danavas, Gandharvas, Kinneras and great Serpents stood in the sky eager to witness that prodigious conflict. Each wound inflicted on the combatants redoubled their ardour as they exchanged blow for blow, and the countless shafts loosed by Rama were destroyed by the titan whilst those of the titan were severed by Rama again and again.

Innumerable missiles covered all the regions and space itself and the earth was heaped on every side so that it could not be distinguished. Finally the long-armed Raghava, enraged, broke the bow of his adversary and with eight Narachas wounded his charioteer; with his shafts he demolished the chariot and slew the horses who fell to the ground.

Deprived of his car, Maharaksha, that prowler of the night, stood on the ground and, armed with his spear, he shone like Fire at the dissolution of the worlds; and he was irresistible with his great lance, a gift from Shiva, that glittered in the air like unto the weapon of destruction.

Beholding that great spear that emitted flames, the Gods, struck with terror fled on all sides whilst that ranger of the night, lifting it up, hurled it with fury against the magnanimous Raghava. As it fell flaming from the hand of the son of Khara, Raghava, with four arrows, severed it in its flight and, broken at many points, that spear with its celestial gilding, having been destroyed by Rama’s shafts, fell to earth like a great meteor.

Beholding that weapon shattered by Rama of imperishable exploits, the Bhutas cried out in the sky:—“Well done! Well done!”and observing his spear to be broken, Maharaksha, that, ranger of the night, raising his fist, called out to Kakutstha, “Stay! Stay!”

Seeing him advancing, Rama, the joy of the House of Raghu, smiling disdainfully, took the Fire-weapon from his quiver whereupon, struck by Kakutstha’s shaft, the titan, his heart transfixed, fell down and perished.

Witnessing the fall of Maharaksha, all the titans, terrified of Rama’s arrows, fled to Lanka. Thereafter the Gods rejoiced at the death of that night ranger, born of Khara, who had been stricken by the violent blows of Dasarathi and shattered like a mountain struck by lightning.