The Fall of Ravana

Ravana now had no one left in Lanka. His brother was gone, his sons were gone, his generals were gone. From every lane came the weeping of women: "All this came from that old Shurpanakha. All this came from one Sita." Ravana gathered all that remained of his army and rode out in his chariot.

Indra's chariot

Ravana was in a chariot, and Ram stood on the ground. In the sky the gods said, "This is not an equal fight." Then Indra sent his own chariot, drawn by bay horses, and with it his armour, his bow and his spear. The charioteer, Matali, folded his hands. "Indra has sent this for your victory. Mount it and slay Ravana as Indra slew the demons." Ram walked reverently round the chariot and climbed in.

The Aditya Hridaya

The fight went on a long time. Ram was tired and troubled; before him Ravana stood ready again. Then the great sage Agastya came to him, having come with the gods to watch the battle.

"Ram, hear an eternal secret by which you will conquer all enemies. It is called the Aditya Hridaya, the Heart of the Sun. It is a hymn to the Sun. The Sun is Brahma, he is Vishnu, he is Shiva. He wakes all beings, he makes the seasons, he destroys darkness and cold. One who remembers him in trouble, in the wilderness, in fear, is not defeated. Recite it three times."

Ram sipped water, looked at the sun and recited the hymn three times. His grief left him. He took up his bow and advanced. From among the gods the Sun said, "Make haste."

Two warriors

The two chariots came face to face. Both armies, vanaras and rakshasas, lowered their arms to watch. No one had seen such a fight. Valmiki says that the sky can be compared only to the sky, the sea only to the sea, and the battle of Ram and Ravana only to the battle of Ram and Ravana.

Ram cut off one of Ravana's heads. Another grew in its place. He cut again, and again it grew. This happened a hundred times. Ram wondered, "The arrows with which I killed Maricha, Khara and Vali: why do they fail against him?" The battle went on day and night without pause.

Then Matali said, "Hero, why do you fight as if you did not know? Release the weapon made by Brahma. The hour of his destruction has come."

Ram drew out the arrow that Agastya had given him in the Dandaka forest. Brahma had made it for Indra. The wind was in its feathers, fire and the sun in its head, and it weighed as much as Mount Meru. Ram charged it with a Vedic mantra, drew the bow to his ear and released.

The arrow passed through Ravana's chest and, wet with blood, entered the earth. The bow fell from Ravana's hand, and he fell from his chariot to the ground as Vritra fell to the thunderbolt of Indra.

The rakshasas fled. The vanaras shouted for victory. Flowers fell from the sky, and a fragrant wind began to blow.

Enmity ends with death

Vibhishana sat by his brother's body and wept. "Brother, what I said has come to pass. You lie on the bed of heroes. The sun of Lanka has set."

Ram comforted him. "Vibhishana, he is not to be mourned. He fell showing his valour in battle, and that is the best end for a warrior. No one's victory in war lasts for ever."

Vibhishana hesitated. "He abandoned dharma and carried off other men's wives. Should I perform his rites?"

Then Ram said the thing for which he is called Maryada Purushottam:

Maranantani vairani, nivrittam nah prayojanam,
kriyatam asya sanskaro, mamapy esha yatha tava.

"Enmity lasts only until death. Our purpose is accomplished. Perform his rites. He is now as much mine as he is yours."

Mandodari

The women of the palace came running to the battlefield. Mandodari took her husband's head in her lap. "You conquered your senses and so conquered the three worlds. Then those same senses conquered you. I told you not to make an enemy of Ram. I told you to give Sita back. Whoever takes Ram for a mere man is mistaken. It was not Ram who killed you. Sita's austerity and your own desire killed you."

A pyre of sandalwood was built, and Vibhishana lit it. The one who, fourteen years before, had cut the wings from an unarmed bird was given a king's funeral by the order of his own enemy.

Ram unstrung his bow and laid it down. Then he said to Lakshmana, "Go into Lanka and crown Vibhishana." He himself did not enter the city. He did not so much as set foot in the golden city he had won.