Chapter 28 - The Combat between Rama and Khara

Seeing that Dushana and Trishiras had been slain in the fight and witnessing Rama’s prowess, Khara was filled with apprehension and reflected:—

“My vast army with my generals Dushana and Trishiras has been destroyed by Rama, single-handed.”

Whereupon that Demon Khara, was seized with despondency and hurled himself on Rama, as the Titan Namuchi on Indra. Stretching his mighty bow, Khara discharged at Rama some blood-sucking arrows, resembling venomous snakes, and, mounted on his chariot, began to range over the battlefield, displaying his skill in the use of weapons, covering the four quarters with his shafts.

Beholding this, as Parjanya with his watery floods, Rama, armed with his mighty bow, filled the entire firmament with his irresistible shafts, which resembled tongues of fire, and all space was filled with arrows on every side, which had been loosed by Khara and Rama.

As those two heroes struggled together, the sun was obscured and darkness descended; then, like a mighty elephant struck with a goad, Rama assailed his opponent with Nalikas, Narachas and sharp-pointed Vikarnas, and that demon, standing in his chariot, bow in hand, resembled Death himself carrying his noose. At that moment Khara deemed the destroyer of his forces, endued with heroism, the extremely powerful Rama, to be overcome with fatigue, but Rama remained unmoved under Khara’s assaults, as a mighty lion ignores the presence of an insignificant deer.

Then Khara, in his chariot blazing like the sun, drew near to Rama, as a moth approaches a flame and, displaying his skill, severed Rama’s bow at the point where he held it, thereafter loosing seven mace-like shafts resembling Indra’s thunderbolts, which shattered the armour of his adversary resplendent as the sun itself, so that it fell on the earth. Roaring like a lion, he let loose a thousand arrows, wounding Rama of unparalleled might, and in that conflict Khara set up a mighty shout.

Pierced by Khara’s arrows, the body of Rama resembled a clear and smokeless flame, and that Destroyer of his Foes, in order to compass the titan’s defeat, took up another great bow, stringing it with a mighty twanging. Holding aloft that prodigious bow, named Vaishnava, bestowed on him by the Rishi Agastya, Rama rushed on Khara, letting fly his arrows furnished with golden feathers and cut down his banner plated with gold, which fell from the chariot, as the sun falls on the earth, cursed by the Gods.

Highly provoked, Khara aimed at the heart of Rama and pierced him with four arrows, so that he resembled a great elephant under the deluge in the rainy season, and Rama, sorely wounded by his shafts, covered with blood, waxed wrath and that foremost of bowmen, with consummate skill, let fly six well-directed arrows. With one, he struck the head of Khara, with two others, his arms, and with the remaining three crescent-shaped darts, he pierced his breast. Thereafter that illustrious warrior, in his ire, let fly thirteen arrows sharpened on the whetstone, blazing like the sun; one severed the shafts of his adversary’s car, four more felling the steeds; with a sixth he smote the head of his charioteer, and with three others that great and intrepid warrior, shattered the axles of the chariot; with the twelfth he severed Khara’s bow at the point where he held it, and with the thirteenth arrow, that shone like lightning, Raghava, who was equal to Indra, transfixed Khara, as it were in sport.

His bow shattered, deprived of his chariot, his horses slain, his charioteer fallen, Khara, mace in hand, sprang to the ground and stood waiting.

Seeing Rama’s feat of arms that was unsurpassed, the Gods and great Sages rejoiced and, assembling in the sky, with joined palms, extolling the wonderful exploit of that mighty warrior, offered obeisance to him.