Śrīmad Vālmīki Rāmāyana (English Translation)

An encounter between Vajradamstra and Angada, who kills the former.

The monkey’s tough fight with the ogre Vajradamstra dispatched by Rāvana, who is provoked by the death of Dhūmrāksa.

Dhūmrāksa fights and is killed by Hanumān.

Hearing the tumultuous noise of the monkeys, the servants of Rāvana, detailed for the purpose, report to him how the two scions of Raghu were freed from the bondage of arrows. Depressed by this news, Rāvana dispatches Dhūmrāksa to dispose of Śrī Rāma. Though perturbed at the sight of evil portents, yet unwilling to retrace his steps on any account, Dhūmrāksa surveys the army of the monkeys.

Beholding Vibhīsana, Sugrīva asks Jāmbavān to restore the fleeing monkeys to confidence and himself reassures Vibhīsana. In the meantime, Garuda, the king of birds, makes his appearance on the scene and liberates Śrī Rāma and Laksmana from their bondage.

Returning to consciousness, Śrī Rāma wails over the lot of Laksmana and the monkeys too fall a prey to extreme despondency on seeing Śrī Rāma wailing as aforesaid. Seeing Vibhīsana approach Śrī Rāma in the meantime, they all take to their heels, mistaking him for Indrajit.

“Those well-versed in physiognomy and palmistry had prophesied that I would never be widowed and would bear sons. How could their predictions prove untrue?” While Sītā was absorbed in these thoughts on beholding Śrī Rāma and Laksmana, Trijatā reassures her on the strength of good omens and, cheering her soul, takes her back to the Aśoka grove.

Indrajit having re-entered Lankā, Hanumān and other monkeys encompass Śrī Rāma and Laksmana and guard their bodies. Having dismissed Indrajit, Rāvana commands the ogresses guarding Sītā to take her to the field of battle and show her the plight of Śrī Rāma and Laksmana. The ogresses, headed by Trijatā, accordingly take her in the aerial car, known by the name of Puspaka, and show her the two princ...

Though itching to killl the enemy on beholding Śrī Rāma and Laksmana enmeshed in a network of snakes, the monkeys, who were unable to perceive him, feel frustrated. Vibhīnasa exhorts Sugrīva, who was seized with fear on finding Indrajit hidden under the cloak of witchcraft, to take heart and not to give way to fear. Concluding the two brothers to be dead, Indrajit, for his part, triumphantly enter...

Distressed to perceive the two scions of Raghu bound by Indrajit in a network of arrows and pierced with other fierce arrows, the monkeys give way to utter despondency.

During the nocturnal engagement the monkeys too dauntlessly offer a stiff fight to the ogres even though they were fighting against heavy odds inasmuch as the strength of ogres gets doubled at night, and felt highly rejoiced to find Indrajit vanquished by Angada. Śrī Rāma and Laksmana too put to flight numberless foes with their shower of arrows. Eventually, however, they are both bound by Indraji...

In the course of duels the ogres and the monkeys, in which Angada closes with Indrajit, the heads of Durdharsa, Mitraghna, Agniketu and Yajñakopana are lopped off by Śrī Rāma and that of Nikumbha by Nīla and, killed by Susena, Vidyunmālī drops down dead.

Approaching Rāvana, the ogres break to him the news about Lankā having been laid siege to by the monkeys led by Śrī Rāma. Ascending the roof of his palace and taxing his brain about the means of putting an end to the monkeys, he casts a look at Śrī Rāma and the monkeys. Pained at the thought that Sītā was being bullied by Rāvana on his account, and commanding the monkeys to besiege all the four ga...

Śrī Rāma is not very pleased with the daring act of Sugrīva inasmuch as he had seen evil portents. Warning him against such action on the ground of his being a sovereign, and commanding the monkey generals to besiege all the four gates of Lankā, he dispatches Angada to expostulate with Rāvana and bring him to reason. Angada tries his best to bring him round, but in vain, and returns unsuccessful t...

Ascending the highest peak of the Suvela mountain alongwith a division of his army, Śrī Rāma catches sight of Rāvana perched on the top of a gate of his palace. Infuriated at his very sight, Sugrīva springs upon him by surprise from the mountain-top, throws down the diadem from his head, struggles with him for a long time and, eluding him, returns victorious to the presence of Śrī Rāma.

Having passed the night on the summit of the Suvela mountain, the commanders of simian troops entered the parks and gardens in the outskirts of Lankā, which were laden with blossom etc., while others make their way into Lankā itself. Śrī Rāma, however, feels amazed to behold from the mountain-top Lankā, which was charming in every respect.

Climbing up the Suvela mountain in consultation with and in the company of Laksmana and Vibhīsana as well as of Sugrīva and others, Śrī Rāma surveys the city from that vantage-ground. The eminent heroes among the monkeys too, who were eager to fight, roar at the top of their voice and spend the night on the mountain itself with Śrī Rāma.

While, on reaching the precincts of Lankā, Śrī Rāma and Sugrīva as well as other monkeys headed by Hanumån were deliberating as to how to achieve success in their expedition, Vibhīsana apprises them of the arrangements made by Rāvana at the four gates for the defence of Lankā, as reported to him by his four ministers, who had entered Lankā in the disguise of birds and witnessed everything with the...

Deriding the exhortation of Mālyavān, even though conducive to his good, nay, holding consultation with his ministers and detailing Prahasta (the Commander-in-Chief) and others to guard the four main gates against the inroads of the enemy, Rāvana complacently retires into his gynaeceum.

Observing in Lankā evil portents and startling phenomena foreboding the destruction of ogres, Mālyavān exhorts Rāvana to make peace with Śrī Rāma.

Urged by Sītā, Saramā discloses to her the definite plans of Rāvana devised by him in consultation with his ministers.

Saramā reassures Sītā by telling her that the head brought before her was not of Śrī Rāma, who was alive and would soon be able to see her, and asks her not to be afraid.

Sītā bursts into a wail at the sight of Śrī Rāma’s head and bow, when Rāvana is abruptly called away by an emissary and after consultation with his ministers prepares his forces for action against the army of Śrī Rāma.

Perturbed to learn from the spies sent by him that Śrī Rāma had taken up his position near the Suvela mountain, Rāvana takes counsel with his ministers and, after dismissing them, approaches Sītā with Vidyujjihva, who was a past master in conjuring tricks. Telling her how her husband had been killed by him with his entire army, he produces before her as an evidence the counterfeit head of Śrī Rāma...

Dispatched by Rāvana to ascertain the strength of the simian army, the ogre Śārdūla acquaints his master with the topmost leaders of the monkeys.