The Serpent Arrows and the Fall of Kumbhakarna

The first day's fighting went on into the night. In the dark, blows were struck after shouts of "Are you a rakshasa?" "Are you a vanara?" Angada shattered Indrajit's chariot and killed his horses.

The serpent arrows

Indrajit then turned to sorcery. He became invisible and from the sky rained arrows that were in truth serpents. They coiled round the bodies of Ram and Lakshmana and sank into every limb. The two brothers fell to the ground covered in blood. A cry of despair went through the vanara army.

Indrajit returned to Lanka and told his father, "Both are dead." Ravana embraced him and then did one more cruel thing: he told the rakshasis, "Seat Sita in the Pushpaka Vimana and show her the battlefield. When she has seen it with her own eyes she will come to me."

From above, Sita saw the two brothers lying motionless on a bed of arrows. She wept. "The astrologers said I would never be a widow. They were all liars." Trijata held her. "Lady, look carefully. There is still a glow on their faces. The faces of the dead are not like that. And had their leaders been killed, this army would have fled. Nor does this heavenly chariot carry a widow."

Ram came to himself first. He looked at Lakshmana and began to lament. "Even if I find Sita, what use is it? I will not go back to Ayodhya without the brother who followed me into the forest."

Then a great wind blew, the sea leapt up, and a huge bird appeared in the sky. It was Garuda. At his coming the serpents left the form of arrows and fled. Garuda passed his hands over the two bodies. Their wounds closed and their strength was doubled. "Ram, I am your friend. Do not ask the reason; you will know after the war." He flew away.

Ravana's life is spared

On the following days Dhumraksha was killed, then Vajradamshtra, Akampana, and Ravana's commander Prahasta. Then Ravana himself took the field. Ram saw him and admired him. "What fire! Like the sun, he is hard to look at."

Ravana wounded Sugriva, staggered Hanuman with a blow of his palm, struck Nila with an arrow, and felled Lakshmana with a spear given by Brahma. He tried to lift Lakshmana and could not. Hanuman struck him on the chest with his fist and carried Lakshmana away in his arms.

Then Ram came, riding on Hanuman's shoulders. His arrows broke Ravana's chariot, killed the horses, brought down the banner, and at last cut the crown from his head and dropped it in the dust. The bow fell from Ravana's hand.

Ram did not shoot. "Ravana, you have fought a great battle today. You are tired, and so I will not kill you. Go and rest. Come back tomorrow with chariot and bow, and then see my strength."

Ravana went back to Lanka with his head bowed. For the first time in his life someone had spared him out of pity.

Kumbhakarna

He gave the order: "Wake Kumbhakarna."

Kumbhakarna was his younger brother, huge as a mountain, who by a boon of Brahma slept six months at a time. Waking him was no small matter. The rakshasas set mountains of meat and jars of blood before him, blew conches, beat kettledrums and struck him with clubs. At last a thousand elephants were driven over his body. Then he yawned.

Having eaten and drunk, he went to his brother and heard the whole story. Then he said what Ravana had not expected:

"Brother, the thing you ought to have considered before acting, you did without thought. The ministers who kept telling you what pleased you have brought you to this. What Vibhishana said was the good advice."

Ravana flared up. "I did not wake you for a sermon. What is done is done. Now do a brother's duty."

Kumbhakarna saw that his brother was in pain, and his voice softened. "Do not be anxious. What I had to say, I said as a brother. What I have to do, I will also do as a brother. Today you will see Ram's head, or you will not see me again."

When he strode over the wall, the vanara army broke and ran. Angada rallied them. Kumbhakarna scooped up vanaras by the fistful and thrust them into his mouth. He wounded Hanuman, knocked Sugriva senseless and set off for Lanka with him clamped under his arm. Sugriva came to, tore off the giant's ears and nose, and escaped.

Wounded, Kumbhakarna grew more terrible still. He no longer knew friend from foe and devoured vanaras and rakshasas alike. Then Ram came before him. With the weapon of the Wind he cut off one arm, and with another arrow the other. With two crescent-headed arrows he cut off both feet. Still the giant came rolling on, mouth gaping. Ram loosed an arrow given by Indra, and the head fell at the gate of Lanka.

Kumbhakarna knew his brother was in the wrong, and said so to his face. Then he fought and died for him. Vibhishana too had spoken the truth, and he had gone over to the side of right. The Ramayana remembers both, and calls neither a coward.