Chapter 108 - Sinister Portents appear

Thereafter Ravana’s charioteer drove his car forward speedily, with joy, eating up space as it were, and that chariot, capable of crushing hostile armies, bore an immense standard and resembled the City of the Gandharvas. Harnessed to excellent steeds, garlanded with gold, it was filled with implements of war and adorned with flags and banners. The scourge of enemy forces and the joy of its own, Ravana’s car was driven with exceeding velocity by its charioteer.

Then that prince of men, Rama, observed the chariot of the King of the Titans, rolling noisily along with its great standard, harnessed to dreadful black horses and resembling a Vimana in space, bright as the sun, dazzling to behold, like unto Indra’s bow, and the rain of arrows falling therefrom resembled the waters loosed by a cloud. Seeing the chariot of his adversary, which bore down upon him like a cloud, with a sound resembling a mountain shattered by lightning, Rama instantly stretching his bow, like unto the crescent moon, said to Matali, the charioteer of that God of a Thousand Eyes:—

“O Matali, behold the furious pace of the chariot of mine adversary as he rushes upon me in violent rage! Be vigilant and drive to meet the car of my foe, I wish to destroy him as the wind scatters a rising cloud! Without swerving or confusion, your glance alert, your mind steady, holding the reins with a firm hand, drive swiftly I Assuredly you have no need of my counsel, accustomed as you are to drive Purandara’s chariot, yet in mine ardent desire to enter into combat, I make appeal to thine experience, I do not instruct you.”

Extremely gratified by Rama’s words, Matali, the most excellent charioteer of the Gods increased the speed of his car. Passing Ravana’s great chariot on the right hand, he covered it with the dust of his own wheels.

Enraged, Dashagriva, his eyes inflamed with anger, riddled Rama with arrows as he stood before him. Provoked by the blows, Rama, whose strength was redoubled by his fury, armed himself with Indra’s extremely powerful bow and his great arrows of exceeding swiftness that glittered like the rays of the sun. Thereupon a fierce combat ensued between the two warriors, who stood face to face like two proud lions, each desirous of destroying the other.

At that moment, Devas, Gandharvas, Siddhas and Para-marishis, hoping for Ravana’s downfall, assembled to witness that duel between those chariots.

Thereafter dreadful portents appeared, causing the hair to stand on end, foreshadowing death to Ravana and victory to Raghava. And the Gods caused blood to fall on Ravana’s chariot; a great whirlwind blew from left to right whilst, in the sky, a large flock of vultures flew over his head following the evolutions of his car. Though still day, Lanka, enshrouded in the light of dusk, hued like a Japa flower, seemed aglow; great meteors accompanied by lightning fell with the sound of thunder and the titans were seized with terror witnessing those portents so unfavourable to Ravana. In whatever direction the titan drove, the earth shook and the limbs of his soldiers appeared as if paralysed. The rays of the sun falling before Ravana seemed to him coppery, yellow and white, like unto mountain ores, and the vultures and jackals who pursued him, their jaws vomiting flames, began to howl on beholding his lugubrious and downcast mien distorted with anger. Contrary winds blew raising clouds of dust on the battlefield, so that the King of the Titans was unable to distinguish anything. Indra loosed his thunderbolts on all sides on his army with an unendurable sound, without a single threatening doud appearing; all the cardinal points were enveloped in darkness and a dense cloud of dust hid the sky. Dreadful birds (Sharikas—Turdas Salica or Gracula Religiosa) fought desperately among themselves, falling in hundreds before his chariot, emitting fearful cries. From his horses’ flanks sparks flew continually and from their eyes tears fell, fire and water thus issuing from them simultaneously. Many other terrifying portents, foretelling Ravana’s death, appeared, whilst omens propitious to Rama, foreshadowing his imminent triumph, could be seen.

Beholding those inauspicious signs, Raghava was greatly delighted and regarded Ravana as already slain. Seeing those portents relating to himself, which he knew how to interpret, Rama experienced supreme felicity and, full of confidence, manifested a matchless energy in the struggle.